Rihanna is sorta the Susan Lucci of the music industry when it comes to album sales. The 24-year-old singer can churn out hits and score Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 singles after another, but can’t seem to do the same when it comes to her albums. With six previous tries, Robyn Rihanna Fenty hasn’t topped Billboard’s Top 200 album chart yet. But will lucky number seven prove lucky for the “Diamonds” singer?

Before we get to RiRi’s projected first week sales numbers, let’s quickly discuss a few other notable releases this week. Hits Daily Double is giving a wider range than normal due to the Black Friday shopping blitz. Reigning American Idol champ Phillip Phillips’s debut album, The World From The Side of The Moon, is expected to move an impressive 140,000-160,000 copies its first week. Not too shabby. Meanwhile, OG Idol Kelly Clarkson will only sell about 45,000-50,000 units of her latest which isn’t bad for a greatest hits compilation. Other projections include Pitbull’s Global Warning (35-40K), Keyshia Cole’s Woman to Woman (75-80K) and Kid Rock’s Rebel Soul (160-180K). Find out Rihanna’s numbers below.


Last week, One Direction bowed with an astonishing 540,000 copies, giving the boy band the third largest debut of 2012. Meanwhile, Christina Aguilera faltered with only 73,000 Lotus units sold. Rihanna’s Unapologetic is reportedly going to fall somewhere in between those two numbers. Hits Daily Double is predicting Unapologetic will sell between 240,000-260,000 copies. This number is RiRi’s biggest debut ever. At this point, it looks like she’ll earn her FIRST NO. 1 ALBUM. Congrats. That said, if One Direction’s sophomore album doesn’t decline too much, it could crash Rihanna’s party. Those obsessed teens are a tricky demo to predict.

Do you think Rihanna will succeed in scoring her first album chart topper? Did you purchase Unapologetic? If so, what’s your favorite track? Sound off below.

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