Beyoncé is just breaking all kinds of records. After surprise-releasing her fifth studio album on Friday (Dec. 13) at midnight, the "XO" singer has shattered iTunes sales records and is aiming for a No. 1 debut on the Billboard 200.
According to a press release from Apple, Beyoncé sold 617,213 copies in its first three days in the US, shattering any iTunes records and becoming the fastest-selling album from the retailer since its beginnings in 2001. It's also Beyoncé's best selling week to date. According to Billboard, sales of Beyoncé have easily surpassed her previous numbers toped B'Day. That album debuted with 541,000 copies in 2006.
Not only is that a marked success in the United States, but Beyoncé is the No. 1 album in 104 countries on iTunes and sold a total of 828,773 copies worldwide between Friday and Sunday.
The astronomical sales of Beyoncé are not only because of the surprise element and iTunes exclusivity but the record has been receiving incredibly positive review thus far, being called the singer's strongest album to date.
Thus, Beyoncé is of course due to arrive at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 this week with only three days under its tracking belt, and the album is the best single week sales for a female solo artist this year. Queen Bey was able to easily pass up releases from some of her strongest competition, including Katy Perry's Prism, Lady Gaga's ARTPOP and Miley Cyrus' Bangerz, all of which sold in the upper 200,000s in their first weeks.
