Madonna Debuts At No. 1 With 'Confessions II'

07-12-2026

Madonna has scored her 10th No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart after her new record "Confessions II" debuted on top of the chart. Warner Records shared these details: The first-week sales reached 134,000 in the U.S. while also securing a 13th #1 debut in the U.K. She is the only U.S female artist to have #1 albums across five decades in the U.K.

The album was met with immediate critical acclaim praising it as bold and personal. Billboard proclaimed "groundbreaking dance music. The stage is set for her triumphant return." Pitchfork called it "her best in 20 years and a genuinely vital addition to her canon." Rolling Stone hailed the project as "a 64-minute nonstop groove that flows like a perfect club DJ set." The Guardian declared it "unequivocally Madonna's best album since Confessions on a Dance Floor," describing it as a "nostalgic dancefloor trip" that delivers her "most vital album in two decades." NME celebrated the album as the work of "an uncommonly talented club kid who still feels the power of dance music in her bones and in her soul," while the BBC called it "an intoxicating blur of hedonism and exuberance." The reviews reaffirm Madonna's unique ability to continually shape music and culture since her 1983 debut album.

In a career of countless milestones, Madonna has reached yet another one, joining The Beatles as the only artists to score 10 #1s on the Billboard 200 and U.K. Official Albums Chart, alongside 10 #1 singles on both Billboard Hot 100 and U.K. Official Singles Chart.

On the eve of the album's release, Madonna's exclusive iHeart Radio and TikTok Live Premiere event captivated a record-breaking audience. The broadcast attracted over 2.16 million unique viewers, generated 5.75 million likes and more than 139,000 comments - creating one of the platform's biggest music moments to date.

Confessions II marks Madonna's record-setting fifth decade of #1 Dance Album debuts - more than any other artist in history.

"People think that dance music is superficial, but they've got it all wrong."