Fantasia Rebounds on Albums Chart

Katy Perry might have the No. 1 album in the country, but that doesn’t mean Fantasia Barrino has no reason to celebrate. The “American Idol” alumnus, whose third album Back to Me was released just weeks following a highly-publicized suicide attempt, earned the highest chart debut of her career on the Billboard 200, landing at No. 2 with an impressive 117,000 copies sold.

Back to Me also came in at No. 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, making it her first ever chart-topping LP. While its success is nothing to scoff at, the album didn’t sell quite like its predecessors. Back to Me accounts for Tasia’s lowest first week sales to date, with her 2004 debut Free Yourself selling 240,000 copies and 2006’s Fantasia moving 133,000 units.

Usher also made a splash on this week’s chart with his new EP Versus, the mini-sequel to his 2009 album Raymond vs. Raymond. The “OMG” hitmaker landed at No. 4 with 46,000 sold, putting him behind Eminem’s Recovery, which forfeits its two-month reign at No. 1 to Katy Perry’s Teenage Dream (her sophomore offering moved 192,000 copies). Em’s seventh album sold another 98,000 units.

Raymond vs. Raymond also got a bump from the publicity of its companion release. The album, which fell from 19 to 31 last week, reclaims its spot at No. 19 with a 57% sales boost and an additional 20,000 copies sold.