The 'Slow Dancing in the Dark' hitmaker scores his biggest week in album sales as he returns to the top 3 on Billboard Hot 200 with his sophomore set 'Nectar'.
- October 12, 2020
AceShowbiz - It's been seven years since Joji broke the internet with his viral dance craze "Harlem Shake", and now the 88rising musician has solidified himself as one of the top independent artists in today's digital age with over 5 billion streams to date. His second studio album "Nectar" propelled him to top spot on music charts around the world.
The new album debuted at the first spot on Spotify's inaugural US Weekly Top 50 Albums chart. It also opened at the third place on Billboard Hot 200, nearly doubling the first-week sales of his RIAA gold-certified 2018 debut "BALLADS 1", which made him the first Asian-born artist to top Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop albums chart.
On top of that, "Nectar" became Spotify's most streamed new album globally in its first week. Powered by collaborations with the likes of Diplo, Lil Yachty, and Rei Brown, the 18-track set bowed in the Top 5 of sales charts in Australia (#1), New Zealand (#2), and Canada (#4), and Top 10 in the United Kingdom (#6) and Norway (#9).
While his music has "the same contents as any regular pop song," they are "dished with an often sideways view." His biggest hit "Slow Dancing in the Dark" from the first album climbed up to the top five on Billboard Hot R&B Songs chart.
He explained in an interview with GQ, "It's cool to look at normal themes from a strange perspective - the lighter, happier songs approach it with a 'quirky' spin, while the darker ones kind of talk about the honesty of it."
Despite making love songs with a slightly darker twist, Joji insisted he never meant to "trigger this sad look" in 2020 where things looked bleak with protests everywhere and the never-ending pandemic. "I'm looking to just provide quality, enjoyable music," the Japan-born star reasoned.
