Justin Timberlake returned last week, and etched his place in charts history with his new LP, The 20/20 Experience, which tops the Billboard 200.
The pop star sold 968,000 copies of album, according to Nielsen SoundScan, his best sales week ever and the 19th-largest week for an album since SoundScan started tracking sales in 1991.
It instantly becomes the year’s best-selling album, easily surpassing Mumford & Sons’ Babel (658,000). Overall, it garner the third-largest sales week for a male singer in the SoundScan era, behind only Usher and Garth Brooks. Usher’s Confessions (2004) and Brooks’ Double Live (1998) sets debuted with 1.10 million and 1.09 million, respectively.
It also sold tons of digital units. 20/20 sold 452,000 downloads in its debut week, making it the third-largest week ever for a digital album. Only Lady Gaga’s Born This Way (662,000 in 2011) and Taylor Swift’s Red (465,000 in 2012) sold more downloads in a single week.
Timberlake’s last album, FutureSex/LoveSounds, debuted at #1 with 684,000 while his 2002 debut, Justified, bowed and peaked at No. 2 off a 439,000 start.