Nearly 13 years after making her debut on the Billboard 200, Jhené Aiko has finally reached the chart’s highest position. Westside Whimsy opened at No. 1 on the chart dated Sept. 26, marking the Los Angeles singer’s first Billboard 200 chart-topper. According to Billboard, the album moved 74,000 equivalent album units in the United States during the tracking week ending Sept. 17. The achievement also makes Westside Whimsy the first R&B album from a woman to top the Billboard 200 in 2026.
The milestone follows several near-misses at No. 1. Aiko first appeared on the Billboard 200 with Sail Out, which climbed to No. 8 in 2013. Souled Out followed with a No. 3 peak in 2014, while Trip reached No. 5 in 2017. Her previous best showing came with 2020’s Chilombo, which debuted at No. 2 and later received an Album of the Year nomination at the Grammys. With Westside Whimsy, Aiko now has six Top 10 projects to her name.
Streaming accounted for the bulk of the album’s first-week performance. Billboard reports that 70,000 of the 74,000 equivalent album units came from streaming, totaling 71.33 million official on-demand streams. Traditional album sales added 3,500 units, while track-equivalent activity made up the remaining 500. Westside Whimsy also opened at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Streaming Albums chart.
Westside Whimsy was released on Sept. 11, just three days after Aiko officially announced the project. The 20-track album includes Kendrick Lamar on “So Good,” Ab-Soul on “Love Bomb,” Tyga on “Like, Whatever,” Larry June on “Neighbors,” and OHMA on the closing song, “Golden Coast.”
The project also marks Aiko’s first full-length studio album since Chilombo, released six years ago. She celebrated reaching the top of the chart on Instagram, thanking her listeners before later telling fans, “What’s mine is ours.”
