To say that Katy Perry has been on a roll lately would be a grand understatement.
She was already the only artist to bank four No. 1s on Billboard’s Hot Digital Songs chart from one album and the only artist with four 4-million-selling downloads, according to Nielsen SoundScan. And this week, Perry pulled further ahead of the pack as the only artist with a whopping five in each category.
This week, her “Teenage Dream” album’s latest single “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)” soars 28-1 on the Hot Digital Songs tally. It marks the unprecedented fifth Digital No. 1 from “Dream,” which already spawned the Digital leaders “California Gurls,” featuring Snoop Dogg, “Teenage Dream,” “Firework” and “E.T.,” featuring Kanye West. No other artist has more than three Digital No. 1s from a single set.
On the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, “Friday” flies 31-4. If it hits No. 1 on the Hot 100, Perry will become just the second act – and first woman – to score five No. 1s from one album in the chart’s 52-year history (as “California Gurls,” the title cut, “Firework” and “E.T.” all reigned). Only Michael Jackson, with his 1987 set “Bad,” has collected five Hot 100 No. 1s from one album release. “Bad” spawned the No. 1s “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You,” the title track, “The Way You Make Me Feel,” “Man in the Mirror” and “Dirty Diana.”
Meanwhile, Perry’s previous hit, “E.T.,” which topped the Hot 100 for five weeks, surpasses the 4-million mark in download sales, according to SoundScan (4.06 million). Perry is now the only act to have five songs sell more than 4 million each. (Lady Gaga is next with three 4 million-sellers).
Perry also hit the 4-million mark with “Hot N Cold” (4.91 million), “Firework” (4.53 million), “I Kissed a Girl” (4.07 million) and “California Gurls” (4.88 million).
More evidence of Perry’s power? Adding to the pileup of her staggering sales and chart statistics, “E.T.” became the top-selling download of 2011 as of the week ending May 1, when it overtook Cee Lo Green’s “Forget You (F— You).”
(Visit today’s Chart Beat column for more on Perry’s latest Hot 100 achievements).