Confessions Daily – Charts Edition
A quick edition of our Confessions Daily to collect all the latest updates about how Confessions II is making its debut in the album charts on its first week of release.
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The United States
Let’s start with the biggest news of all: Madonna returns to the top of the Billboard 2oo 43 years after her debut album, becoming the first act with a No. 1 album in the 2020s to have also topped the chart in 3 other decades. Confessions II is Madonna’s 10th No. 1 in the United States and launches with 134,000 equivalent album units in the week ending July 9, according to Luminate, with the full details to be announced by Billboard tomorrow.
Madonna’s ten #1 albums in the U.S.
- Like a Virgin (1985)
- True Blue (1986)
- Like A Prayer (1989)
- Music (2000)
- American Life (2003)
- Confessions on a Dance Floor (2005)
- Hard Candy (2008)
- MDNA (2012)
- Madame X (2019)
- Confessions II (2026)
The Madonna albums that reached #2
- I’m Breathless (1990)
- The Immaculate Collection (1991)
- Erotica (1992)
- Evita (1997)
- Ray of Light (1998)
- Rebel Heart (2015)
Click here to read our original story.
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The UK
Madonna also makes history in the UK where Confessions II is her first album to reach the top since MDNA in 2012. With the new score, the Queen of the Dance Floor becomes the first US female artist to earn a No. 1 album across five decades, and equals Elvis Presley in sitting fifth on the list of acts with the most UK Number 1 albums of all time. Read our original report here.
Madonna now has thirteen #1 albums in the UK:
- Like a Virgin (1984)
- True Blue (1986)
- Like a Prayer (1989)
- The Immaculate Collection (1990)
- Evita: The Complete Motion Picture Soundtrack (1996)
- Ray of Light (1998)
- Music (2000)
- American Life (2003)
- Confessions on a Dancefloor (2005)
- Hard Candy (2008)
- Celebration (2009)
- MDNA (2012)
- Confessions II (2026)
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France
In France, Confessions II tops the albums chart compiled by Snep with 25.491 equivalent sales, becomig her first number-one album in 18 years and her 8th overall in the country. Confessions II also granted Madonna the biggest opening week of the year for a female artist in the country, and the best pop debut.
Madonna’s eight #1 albums in France
- True Blue (1986)
- Like a Prayer (1989)
- Something to Remember (1995, it topped the compilations chart before rankings were fully merged)
- Music (2000)
- American Life (2003)
- Confessions on a Dance Floor (2005)
- Hard Candy (2008)
- Confessions II (2026)
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Italy
In Italy, Confessions II enters straight to No. 1 in this week’s Top 100 albums chart. The album is also No. 1 in the dedicated chart for CD, vinyls and music cassettes sales.
Madonna’s eleven #1 albums in Italy (and she has more)
Since FIMI began tracking the official charts in 1995, Madonna has achieved 10 official No. 1 albums:
- Something to Remember (1995)
- Music (2000)
- American Life (2003)
- Confessions on a Dance Floor (2005)
- I’m Going to Tell You a Secret (2006)
- The Confessions Tour (2007)
- Hard Candy (2008)
- Celebration (2009)
- MDNA (2012)
- Rebel Heart (2015)
- Confessions II (2026)
She also scored multiple number one albums when the Italian album chart was compiled by Musica&Dischi, including her top selling album True Blue (1986).
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Australia
In Australia, the first country to announce this week’s lists, Confessions II entered straight to No.1 in the Top 50 Albums chart and it also sits atop the higher place of the Top 10 Vinyl Albums chart.
Confessions II marks Madonna’s first studio album to reach #1 down under since MDNA in 2012 and is her 22nd ARIA Chart top 10 album, and her 13th No. 1.
Madonna’s thirteen #1 albums in Australia
- True Blue (1986)
- I’m Breathless: Music From and Inspired by the Film Dick Tracy (1990)
- The Immaculate Collection (1990)
- Erotica (1992)
- Bedtime Stories (1994)
- Something To Remember (1995)
- Ray Of Light (1998)
- Confessions on a Dance Floor (2005)
- Hard Candy (2008)
- MDNA (2012)
- Rebel Heart (2015)
- Finally Enough Love (2022)
- Confessions II (2026)
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More Countries
Confessions II also entered straight to no.1 in the album charts in
- Austria (Total career No. 1 albums: 10)
- Belgium (in both the two separate charts for Flanders and Wallonia)
- Canada (Total career No. 1 albums:13, Madonna is now the first female act with a No. 1 album in five different decades in Canada)
- Croatia (international album sales chart)
- Finland (Total career No. 1 albums: 12)
- Hungary (Total career No. 1 albums: 8)
- The Netherlands (Total career No. 1 albums: 12)
- Scotland (Total career No. 1 albums: 13)
- Spain (Total career No. 1 albums: 10)
- and Switzerland (Total career No. 1 albums: 10)
- in Greece the album reached No.1 on the Top-100 Albums Sales Chart on 15/7 in its second week after entering at 6 in its first, incomplete tracking week; this is due to the way data is collected for the IFPI chart in the country, where rankings are announced on Wednesdays.
- Confessions II also entered at at no.2 in Ireland and New Zealand.
In Germany Confessions II is the No. 1 album in the Top 20 Pop-Charts and No. 2 in the Official Album Charts. These two German charts measure completely different formats using different calculations: the general chart combines all genres and is based strictly on revenue value, with local acts marketing collectible, high-priced limited editions receiving an advantage and often blocking international pop stars from reaching the No. 1 spot.
The Top 20 Pop-Charts filters out rap, rock and techno to focus on pop music only, with a ranking compiled on a blend on unit sales, streaming and radio airplay: and this is where the Queen of Pop resides.
In Japan the album entered the official Oricon Albums Chart at No. 45 but this is not unexpected as Western pop releases have seen lower initial physical sales positions on the main Japanese charts in recent years in a market heavily favouring domestic acts.
