Key Takeaways
- Jhené Aiko’s Westside Whimsy debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, giving the artist her first chart-leading album.
- Billboard reported 74,000 album-equivalent units in its first week.
- The release became the first R&B album by a woman to top the Billboard 200 in 2026.
It’s almost insane to think that Jhené Aiko spent more than a decade without one of her many incredible LPs soaring to the top of the Billboard 200, but better late than never. On Sunday (Sept. 20), the publication reported that Westside Whimsy gave the “Sativa” singer her first No. 1 on the chart, making it the first R&B album by a woman to do so in 2026.
According to Billboard, Westside Whimsy moved 74,000 album-equivalent units (or around 71 million streams) in its first week, with pure sales accounting for 3,500 of that total. It’s also worth mentioning that Aiko pulled off the feat on very little notice, considering the project’s release date was only announced a few days before it arrived on DSPs on Sept. 11. The 20-song effort notably featured Kendrick Lamar, undoubtedly its biggest guest, as well as Ab-Soul, Larry June, and Tyga, to mention a few.
Taking to Instagram to celebrate the news, Aiko wrote, “Thank you for listening,” alongside prayer hands and a face-holding-back-tears emoji. Underneath the post, she added, “What’s mine is ours” and “Congratulations everyone.” Meanwhile, many of her peers, including Kehlani, Eric Bellinger, and Ella Mai, cheered her on in the comments section.
Continue scrolling to learn more about Aiko’s first No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
How ‘Westside Whimsy’ became Jhené Aiko’s first No. 1 album
When Aiko’s Westside Whimsy first arrived on streaming platforms, it was met with heaps of praise from fans and critics alike. Evidently, that enthusiasm carried over to the charts, with the singer’s fourth album becoming the first R&B project by a woman to top the Billboard 200 since SZA’s SOS in May 2025.
It certainly doesn’t hurt that Aiko went six years without releasing a full-length LP, with Chilombo being her last proper album before Westside Whimsy — excluding Souled Out: 10th Anniversary Edition. The 2020 body of work climbed as high as No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and gave us massively successful records like “P*$$Y Fairy (OTW)” and the Big Sean-assisted “None of Your Concern.”
It’ll definitely be exciting to see where Aiko takes all of her latest momentum next, with us hopefully getting a tour announcement in the near future. Regardless, Westside Whimsy is an extraordinary album, so major congratulations to the Los Angeles native.