Kehlani’s ‘Kehlani’ Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard’s R&B Albums Chart

Kehlani has the No. 1 R&B album in the U.S. this week. 

Her self-titled fifth LP opens at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top R&B Albums chart. It’s her fourth visit to the top and her seventh top 10 overall.

Here’s an overview of Kehlani’s top 10s on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart, ranked by peak:

• SweetSexySavage, No. 1 for one week (2017)
• It Was Good Until It Wasn’t, No. 1 for one week (2020)
• While We Wait, No. 1 for one week (2019)
• Kehlani, No. 1 debut (2026)
• You Should Be Here, No. 2 peak (2015)
• Crash, No. 2 peak (2024)
• Blue Water Road, No. 3 peak (2022)

According to Billboard, Kehlani sold 69,000 equivalent units in the first week, a significant boost from the preceding Crash, which opened with 20,000 units. 

Kehlani now ranks as the singer’s second-best opening week behind 2020’s It Was Good Until It Wasn’t, which sold 83,000 units. 

While the hype leading up to Kehlani may not have been met enough to exceed her sophomore outing, she still achieved a new milestone on Billboard. Her self-titled effort is also No. 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, marking her first leader on this list. 

She came close with her 2017 debut, SweetSexySavage, and its follow-up, It Was Good Until It Wasn’t, both of which debuted and peaked at No. 2.  

On the all-genres Billboard 200 chart, Kehlani begins at No. 4, trailing behind country singers Morgan Wallen (I’m The Problem, No. 3) and Ella Langley (Dandelion, No. 2) and folk-pop artist Noah Kahan (The Great Divide, No. 1).

Kehlani also marks the Oakland native’s fourth top 10 on the Billboard 200. Her previous appearances include It Was Good Until It Wasn’t (No. 2), SweetSexySavage (No. 3) and While We Wait (No. 9). 

Elsewhere on Billboard, Kehlani debuts at No. 2 on Top Album Sales, No. 2 on Vinyl Albums, No. 5 on Top Streaming Albums and No. 5 on Indie Store Album Sales.

Kehlani was released April 24 via Atlantic Records. Executive produced by Khris Riddick-Tynes, it includes the Grammy-winning hit “Folded” and the follow-up singles “Out The Window” and “Back and Forth” featuring Missy Elliott. The album, heavily inspired by Y2K nostalgia, includes additional features from Brandy, Usher, T-Pain, Lil Wayne, Clipse, and more.