In total, Happiness Begins’ starting sum of 414,000 equivalent album units are comprised of 357,000 in album sales, 52,000 in SEA units and 5,000 in TEA units.
Let’s take a look at some of the notable achievements the Jonas Brothers claim with the bow of Happiness Begins:
Biggest Week of 2019 for an Album: Happiness Begins launches with 414,000 equivalent album units, the biggest week of 2019 for any album. The last album to post a larger week was Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter V (also released via Republic Records), which started at No. 1 on the Oct. 13, 2018-dated chart with 480,000 units earned. (Happiness surpasses 2019’s previous high-water mark for an album, when Ariana Grande’s Thank U, Next -- another Republic title -- bowed at No. 1 with 360,000 units on the Feb. 23 chart.)
Largest Sales Week for an Album in More Than a Year: Of Happiness’ debut-week units, album sales comprise 357,000 of that sum. That’s the largest sales week for an album since Taylor Swift’s reputation blew in with 1.22 million sold on the Dec. 2, 2017, chart. Happiness’ first-week sales were largely powered by sales generated from a concert ticket/album sale redemption offer with more than 60 dates of the group’s upcoming U.S. arena tour.
Jonas Brothers’ Biggest Sales Week in More Than a Decade: The last Jonas Brothers album to log a larger sales week than Happiness was A Little Bit Longer, which bowed with 525,000 sold on the Aug. 30, 2008-dated list (at No. 1).
Biggest Week for a Pop Album Since 2017: The last pop album to tally a larger week in total units was Swift’s reputation, when it bowed with 1.24 million equivalent album units earned (Dec. 2, 2017 chart).
Largest Week for an Album by a Group in More Than 3 Years: One has to scroll all the way back to the debut frame of One Direction’s Made in the A.M. to find a larger week racked up by an album from a group; the set started at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 dated Dec. 5, 2015, with 459,000 units. (Happiness also has the biggest sales week for an album by a group since Made in the A.M., as it bowed with 402,000 copies sold.)
Biggest Streaming Album of the Week: Happiness debuts with 52,000 in SEA units, which translates to 68.09 million on-demand audio streams for its songs in its first week. That makes it the album with the most streams for the week.
Happiness Begins was led by the single “Sucker,” which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart March 16 and marked the act’s first No. 1 on the tally. The track has also ruled the all-format Radio Songs chart for six weeks, as of the most recently published chart (dated June 15). A second radio-promoted single, “Cool,” has also reached the top 40 of both lists.
At No. 2 on the Billboard 200, Billie Eilish’s former No. 1 When We Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? holds in the runner-up slot with 59,000 equivalent album units (down 6%). The album has yet to depart the top four rungs of the chart since its debut 11 weeks ago at No. 1.
Santana collects its 15th top 10 album, as Africa Speaks debuts at No. 3 on the new Billboard 200 chart with 57,000 equivalent album units earned (nearly all from album sales). The rock band, led by Carlos Santana, first visited the top 10 nearly 50 years ago, when the act’s self-titled album climbed 13-10 on the Oct. 25, 1969-dated list. The album would later peak at No. 4 (Nov. 15, 1969).
Like Jonas Brothers’ Happiness Begins, the debut sales frame for Africa Speaks was also driven by a concert ticket/album sale redemption offer.
Next up, Luke Combs’ The Prequel EP drives in at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 with 48,000 equivalent album units -- with 22,000 of that sum in album sales. The Prequel is Combs’ second top 10 effort and matches the peak position of his other top 10 set, the full-length effort This One’s for You, which topped out at No. 4 (June 16, 2018).
The new five-song EP contains Combs’ current hit single “Beer Never Broke My Heart,” which has so far peaked at No. 3 on the Hot Country Songs chart, and at No. 10 on the Country Airplay list (as of the most recently published lists, dated June 15).
Future nets his 12th top album, as his new EP Save Me starts at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 with 42,000 equivalent album units (with 5,000 of that sum in album sales). The seven-track set follows his last full-length project, the chart-topping Future Hndrxx Presents: The WIZRD, which started at No. 1 on the list dated Feb. 2.
The fifth and final debut in the Billboard 200’s new top 10 belongs to Polo G’s debut album Die a Legend. The effort — led by the top 10 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs hit “Pop Out,” featuring Lil Tjay — enters at No. 6 with 38,000 equivalent album units earned (of which a little under 1,000 were in album sales). The set’s start was powered almost entirely by streaming activity, as the album generated nearly 37,000 SEA units (with the rest – 1,000 units, spread across both album sales and TEA units).
Rounding out the rest of the new top 10 on the Billboard 200: Khalid’s Free Spirit dips 4-7 (36,000 units; down 5%), DJ Khaled’s Father of Asahd slips 3-8 (31,000 units; down 22%), DaBaby’s Baby On Baby falls 8-9 (29,000 units; down 6%) and Elton John’s Diamonds descends 7-10 (nearly 29,000 units; down 10%).
