'Empire' Soundtrack Blocks Madonna's 'Rebel Heart' From Billboard 200's No. 1

Music

The soundtrack, which was originally projected to sell around 25,000 copies, beats Madonna and becomes the first TV soundtrack to land at No.1 since three 'Glee' albums topped the list in 2010.

March 18, 2015

AceShowbiz -

The soundtrack of season 1 of FOX's hit series "Empire" officially tops this week's Billboard 200. The compilation set wins a tight battle against Madonna's "Rebel Heart" after selling 130,000 equivalent album units in the week ending on March 15 while it was initially projected to debut with "only" 25,000.

The album features contributions from the cast members like Jussie Smollett as well as big names in music like Jennifer Hudson, Rita Ora and even Courtney Love. It's the first TV soundtrack to reach the chart's No. 1 since 2010 when three albums of another FOX show "Glee" landed atop the list.

Madge's 13th studio effort, meanwhile, comes at No. 2 with 121,000 units and gives the iconic singer her 21st top 10 set. "Rebel Heart" is her first project to miss the No. 1 spot on Billboard 200 since 1998's "Ray of Light" that bowed at No. 2 as the massively successful "Titanic" soundtrack claimed the first place.

Editors' Pick

The rest albums in Billboard 200's top 10 will be revealed on Wednesday, March 18.

About This Article

AI-Assisted Content: This article was created with the assistance of artificial intelligence technology under human editorial oversight. Our editorial team reviews and verifies all AI-generated content for accuracy.

Sources: Information in this article may be aggregated from publicly available sources including press releases, news agencies, and entertainment industry sources. We provide attribution where applicable and strive to ensure factual accuracy.

Learn More: For details about our editorial standards and practices, visit our Editorial Standards page.

Contact: Questions or concerns? Email us at [email protected]

Follow AceShowbiz.com @ Google News