Playboi Carti’s album “MUSIC” stayed at No. 1 for a second consecutive week following its debut last week. This marks the first time one of Playboi Carti’s albums has held the top spot for more than one week. Weekly sales totaled 131,000 units, a 56% drop from the nearly 300,000 units the week prior. Streams reached an impressive 170 million, or 124,000 units. It also remained No. 1 for the second week on the Top Streaming Albums chart. 7,000 copies of the album were sold, placing it at No. 9 on the Top Album Sales chart.

A deluxe edition of “MUSIC” titled “MUSIC - SORRY 4 DA WAIT” dropped on March 25, the Tuesday of the week after the original’s release. This version takes the original 30-song tracklist and adds four bonus tracks, which were first available as part of a special edition digital album sold exclusively through the artist’s website the first week of release. The deluxe edition was made available on major streaming platforms, which means the four new tracks likely provided a slight boost in streaming figures from Tuesday to Thursday. And the help was definitely needed because of the tight competition coming from the No. 2 album.

Selena Gomez and benny blanco’s joint album “I Said I Love You First” debuted at No. 2 with 120,000 units. Sixty-four million streams translated to 48,000 of those units, landing it at No. 6 on the Top Streaming Albums chart. Album sales reached 71,000 copies, earning it No. 1 on the Top Album Sales chart. The album was released in a variety of physical formats, including seven vinyl editions and three CDs, with vinyl alone selling 21,000 copies. The digital album also comes in nine special editions: five expanded versions with a bonus track or two, a version where each song comes paired with a track containing Gomez’s commentary, a slowed & reverbed version, and an instrumental version.

This marks Gomez’s seventh Top 10 album. For blanco, well-known for his producing chops, it’s a first. “Love You First” is a true couple’s album—the two announced their engagement in December. blanco had previously worked as a producer and songwriter on Gomez’s Hot 100 hits “Same Old Love,” “Kill Em With Kindness,” and “Single Soon.” The pair had also teamed up with Tainy and J Balvin to share top billing for the hit “I Can’t Get Enough.” Gomez, along with Bad Bunny, returned to the Artist 100 this week, at No. 5 and 6, respectively.

The rest of the albums near the top of the chart featured familiar names. At No. 3 was Kendrick Lamar’s “GNX,” followed by PARTYNEXTDOOR and Drake’s “$ome $exy $ongs 4 U” at No. 4, SZA’s “SOS” at No. 5, and Sabrina Carpenter’s “Short n’ Sweet” at No. 6. Lady Gaga’s album “MAYHEM,” which was No. 2 last week, dropped to No. 7.

Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s single “luther” claimed No. 1 for the sixth straight week. Among rap songs that have reached No. 1 on the Hot 100 since 2020, “The Box” by Roddy Ricch spent 11 weeks on top (2020), “Mood” by 24kGoldn and iann dior spent eight weeks (2020), and “Lovin On Me” by Jack Harlow, like “luther,” spent six weeks (2023). Breaking figures for “luther” down, the song was No. 1 in streaming, No. 2 in airplay, and No. 15 in digital sales. “luther” managed to reclaim No. 1 on the Streaming Songs chart after dipping to No. 3 last week thanks to Playboi Carti’s surge easing up. At No. 2, Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ duet “Die With a Smile” made a comeback. Its streaming figures climbed from No. 8 to No. 4 and it topped Radio Songs for an eighth week.

Meanwhile, Morgan Wallen returned with some new music. His song “Just In Case” debuted at No. 4, marking the singer’s 14th Top 10 hit. With 21 million streams, the song entered the Streaming Songs chart at No. 2. Another of his new songs, “I’m A Little Crazy,” debuted at No. 17 on the Hot 100 and No. 5 on Streaming Songs. Both songs are part of his upcoming fourth album, “I’m The Problem,” set for release on May 16. The album will feature an astonishing 37 tracks, and all five singles released to date have landed in the Top 10. This sets a record for the most Top 10 hits released ahead of an album, surpassing the record of four previously held jointly by Taylor Swift’s “Red” (2012) and Post Malone’s “Hollywood’s Bleeding” (2019). Wallen is also No. 1 on this week’s Artist 100.

“Pink Pony Club” by Chappell Roan rose from No. 9 to No. 5 this week. It was No. 14 on Streaming Songs, No. 5 on Digital Song Sales, and No. 11 on Radio Songs. Since the momentum she generated with her Grammys performance in February, the song has gone on to become Roan’s third Top 5 hit. Her first two, “Good Luck, Babe!” and “The Giver,” were singles released after her album “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess” came out. In contrast, “Pink Pony Club,” the only one that came off the album, has become the very definition of a viral comeback.

ROSÉ and Bruno Mars’ duet “APT.” returned to the Top 10 on the Hot 100, coming in at No. 10 after sitting at No. 14 the previous week. Meanwhile, Alex Warren’s single “Ordinary” surged 15 spots to No. 20. On the Streaming Songs chart, “Ordinary” broke into the Top 10, leaping from No. 24 to No. 8.

Japanese Breakfast, the band vehicle for singer-songwriter Michelle Zauner, debuted their new album, “For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women),” on the “Billboard” 200 at No. 45. Hot on the heels of the success of her previous album, “Jubilee,” and her memoir, “Crying in H Mart,” Zauner’s become one of the most prominent women in indie rock, a Grammy-nominated artist, and a bestselling author. She’s described this streak of accomplishments as akin to winning the lottery twice, though it didn’t come without its challenges, including issues with stage fright, health, and a creative drive that disrupted her work–life balance.

Her new album moves away from the optimism of “Jubilee” and ventures into a darker, more contemplative space. According to Zauner, the new album’s pervasive darkness represents “the feeling right before inspiration strikes” or being “seduced by getting everything I ever wanted,” only to realized she “was flying too close to the sun, and I realized if I kept going, I was going to die.” The single “Orlando in Love” exemplifies this theme, drawing inspiration from Renaissance literature as it narrates the story of a wandering poet ensnared by the Siren’s song.

This shift is not merely atmospheric but also a sign of personal growth. Whereas “Jubilee” explored the right to feel joy after an extended period of grief, Zauner’s new album embodies empathy—the capacity to grieve for suffering beyond one’s own. “Melancholy Brunettes” also marks a significant development for Zauner as a musician, having recorded it in a professional studio for the first time, which gave her the space to address a variety of themes with utmost delicacy.

Zauner finished recording most of the album by December 2023. She then spent a year in Korea attending Korean language classes and exploring what her mother’s homeland means to her. Though her experiences in Korea had only a limited impact on the music itself in a direct sense, she collaborated with Korean creatives for the album cover and most of the music videos, and these artistic partnerships are sure to influence how fans experience the album.

The musician will soon be performing her new music at Coachella. Her growth as an artist and on a personal level, including her transformative year in Korea, will no doubt make Japanese Breakfast’s performances more profound and more captivating than ever. Don’t be surprised if we see her embark down yet another path of self-discovery before long.

j-hope’s single “MONA LISA” debuts on the Hot 100 at No. 65 and tops the Digital Song Sales chart. This marks j-hope’s seventh Hot 100 hit, tying him with Jung Kook as the K-pop singer with the most Hot 100 hits outside a group. j-hope also returns to the Artist 100 at No. 29, marking his 14th time there.

“APT.” by ROSÉ and Bruno Mars is in its 23rd week on the Hot 100, now at No. 10. It’s No. 1 on the Global Excl. US chart for a 19th time, setting an all-time record. Breaking things down further, “APT.” is No. 20 on Streaming Songs, No. 10 on Digital Song Sales, and No. 9 on Radio Songs. ROSÉ’s album “rosie” remains on the “Billboard” 200 for a 16th week at No. 60, a record for a K-pop album by a solo artist. The BLACKPINK member herself is No. 54 on the Artist 100.

JENNIE’s album “Ruby” is No. 27 on the “Billboard” 200, No. 42 on the Top Streaming Albums chart, and No. 15 on the Top Album Sales chart. This BLACKPINK member is No. 44 on the Artist 100, too.

LE SSERAFIM’s EP “HOT” is No. 100 on the “Billboard” 200 and No. 8 on the Top Album Sales chart. The group is No. 46 on the Artist 100.

“Alter Ego,” LISA’s solo album, is No. 143 on the “Billboard” 200 and No. 23 on the Top Album Sales chart. Also a member of BLACKPINK, LISA too returns to the Artist 100 at No. 97, marking her fifth time on the chart on her own.

“Unexpected” by THE BOYZ debuts at No. 13 on the Top Album Sales chart. The group also debuts on the Artist 100 at No. 71 and returns to the Emerging Artists chart at No. 3.

NMIXX’s EP “Fe3O4: FORWARD” debuts at No. 16 on the Top Album Sales chart, while the group returns to the Artist 100 at No. 100 and the Emerging Artists chart at No. 5.

“HOP” by Stray Kids is No. 12 on the Top Album Sales chart. The group is No. 51 on the Artist 100.

JISOO’s EP “AMORTAGE” is No. 20 for album sales and the singer is No. 7 on the Emerging Artists chart.

ENHYPEN’s “ROMANCE: UNTOLD” is No. 27 on Top Album Sales.

On the Emerging Artists chart, YEJI is No. 33 and ILLIT is No. 47.

Finally, on the Global 200, j-hope’s “MONA LISA” debuts at No. 14. Here’s how K-pop performed on the chart overall this week: