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Justin Bieber was hoping to conquer the Billboard 200 this week with his surprise album, Swag. The pop singer had been relatively quiet over the past several years, and fans were beginning to wonder if they'd ever get to hear another full-length collection from the superstar. Swag was announced just hours before it dropped, and in the first day or two of its lifetime, it looked like a surefire bet for the top spot on the busy albums ranking.
Bieber ended up losing the throne to JackBoys 2, the new release from Travis Scott and his band Jackboys. JackBoys 2 arrived mid-tracking week and still outpaced Bieber's project, despite that handicap. While Swag doesn't rule the Billboard 200, it does manage to open in first place on several Billboard tallies, and it even earns the singer his first champion on one specific list.
Swag opens at No. 1 on the Top Streaming Albums chart this frame. The set is just the second from Bieber to reach Billboard's ranking of the most successful projects on streaming platforms in the United States, and it's his first to reach not only the top 10 but also the No. 1 spot.
Bieber only reached the Top Streaming Albums chart for the first time in January 2024 with Under the Mistletoe. That set then quickly disappeared only to return in January of this year when it reached its No. 45 high point during the final tracking period that reflected Americans consuming as much holiday music as possible.
While Bieber has reigned as one of the biggest stars in the music industry since he was a teenager, the Top Streaming Albums chart was introduced during his musical hiatus. Four years passed since he dropped Justice in spring of 2021, and Billboard began officially tracking streaming collections during that time. None of his past projects -- even those that catapulted him to superstardom and produced massive smash hits -- have reached the streaming-only tally.
Swag manages to rule multiple charts, as it opens at No. 1 on both the Top Streaming Albums list and the Top R&B Albums ranking. Bieber doubles his total number of rulers on the R&B-specific roster as his latest arrives. He also comes close to scoring a champion on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums ranking, though that's where Scott and JackBoys prevail.
Swag also opens in the runner-up spot on the Billboard 200, while missing the top 10 entirely on the Top Album Sales ranking, as it was only available as a digital download due to its surprise-release nature.