Lorde's ‘Virgin’ Debuts, Nickelback's 2005 Album 'All The Right Reasons' Re-Enters on the Billboard Canadian Albums Chart
Despite their controversial slot on the patriotic American Rock The Country tour, Nickelback has two catalogue albums re-entering their home country's chart.
Charli XCX was right — it is a Lorde summer.
The New Zealand pop artist’s fourth record, Virgin, debuts at No. 2 and No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and the Billboard Canadian Albums chart, dated July 12. It marks the singer’s fourth album to chart in the Top 10, following Solar Power’s peak at No. 6 in September 2021.
All four of Lorde's albums have charted in the Top 10. Her highest-charting record was 2018's Melodrama, which hit No. 1 in both the U.S. and Canada, sitting at the top of the charts for a solid week.
This week, her reign also includes two songs on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100. Virgin’s lead single “What Was That” re-enters the chart at No. 68, while a new album track, “Shapeshifter,” debuts at No. 79. While the former re-entered the Hot 100 at No.85, the latter is a Canadian win.
A Lorde resurgence has been bubbling for the past few months. In mid-June, the fan favourite Pure Heroine track, “Ribs,” peaked at No. 76 on the Canadian Hot 100, 12 years after its initial release — thanks largely to TikTok.
In the fall, Lorde is embarking on a worldwide tour, where fans can expect to hear Virgin and a reimagining of older tracks. Her global trek includes two Canadian dates in Toronto (September 24) and Montreal (September 27).
Canadian rock band Nickelback is making a small but mighty impact on the chart.
The group's 2005 album, All The Right Reasons, re-entered the charts this week at No. 86. After its release, the project peaked at No. 1 on the album chart and remained there for four weeks. It marked the rock band's third No. 1 album nationwide.
The album came out before the Billboard Canadian Hot 100 was launched, but the album still amassed one top 10 hit in Canada — "If Everyone Cared "peaked at No. 7 — and it hit a stride in the U.S., spawning three Billboard Hot 100 singles in the top 10, including "Photograph," "Rockstar," and "Far Away."
It's hard to say what's behind the resurfacing. The Alberta band is currently on the patriotic American Rock The Country tour with Kid Rock, a move that has earned them some backlash in their home country, but it hasn't seemed to affect their numbers. Perhaps it's part of the Canada Day surge that propelled several Canadian classics to the chart last week.
Those Canadian compilation albums are still having a moment. The Tragically Hip’s Yer Favourites rises 28-24 this week, while Shania Twain’s Greatest Hits climbs 99-66 this week, which now takes into account the week of July 1 itself. The aforementioned Nickelback re-emerges on the chart with their own greatest hits, 2013’s The Best Of Nickelback: Volume 1, at No. 41, and Bryan Adams’ 2017 project, Ultimate, re-enters at No. 93.
At the top of the chart, Morgan Wallen’s I’m The Problem remains at No. 1 for the seventh week in a row. The KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack impressively climbs seven spots to No. 2, after debuting on the chart last week. Wallen is a chart juggernaut, but can K-pop's big-number fanbase unseat him?
Check out the full Canadian Albums chart here.
