Selena Gomez Hits No. 1 With ‘Revival’
Inspired by some of the greatest pop icons of the last few decades—NSYNC and Christina Aguilera especially—Selena Gomez's new album Revival (that's the deluxe edition's sensual-yet-demure artwork above) seems poised to guarantee her a spot within that list of icons. At least, according to the Billboard 200 chart: Revival marks Gomez's second No. 1 album in a row, following the success of previous effort Stars Dance in 2013.
Released on October 9, Revival sold 117,000 copies in its first week, 85K of which were pure album sales, according to Nielsen Music. Even though Stars Dance sold 97,000 units in pure album sales in its first week, Revival's total number proves that Gomez isn't simply experiencing a revival; rather, she's making an undeniable ascension.
This ascension is due in no small part to the album's first single "Good for You," a moody collaboration with A$AP Rocky, which marked Gomez' first No. 1 song on the Pop Songs airplay chart.The song quickly became a summer anthem, rising to No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100, her highest ranking on that chart to date, Billboard reports.
Follow-up single "Same Old Love" is gaining similar traction on both charts. The track boasts a writing credit from veritable hit-maker Charli XCX, and features uncredited vocals from the artist to boot. Given the success of Charli's previous collaborations with Icona Pop ("I Love It") and Iggy Azalea ("Fancy"), it's no surprise that her Midas touch has had similar effects with Gomez.
In many ways, Revival feels reminiscent of another pop icon, namely Beyoncé, in that Gomez has seemingly found her happy place among R&B-inspired tracks that are heavy on confidence and sensuality in equal measures (see the title track and new fan-favorite "Hands to Myself"). Yet Gomez hasn't completely lost the club feeling from previous hits like "Come and Get It" and "Slow Down." Nestled neatly in the middle of the set list is "Me & the Rhythm," a banger that's about, well, what the name implies: feeling yourself to the music, which is precisely what Gomez does throughout Revival.
Watch the official video for Gomez' latest single "Same Old Love"