UNITED KINGDOM - MAY 05: WEMBLEY ARENA Photo of Whitney HOUSTON, Whitney Houston performing on ... [+]
More than a decade after her death, Whitney Houston is still racking up the hits. The legendary singer is back with a new album, which brings her to the charts yet again. It’s clear based on the new project’s immediate success that interest in all things related to the superstar—especially previously unfamiliar material—remains incredibly high, and that speaks to her immense popularity all around the world.
The Concert For A New South Africa debuts on three charts in the United Kingdom this week. The live album, which was recorded decades ago in the African nation, was highly anticipated, and it’s become a quick win on a number of tallies in one of the largest music markets in the world.
The set performs best on the Official Albums Downloads chart. The Concert For A New South Africa launches at No. 16 on that ranking, which tracks the most downloaded full-lengths and EPs in the country.
The same title also bounds onto both the Official Albums Sales and Official Physical Albums charts as well. It’s new at No. 56 on the former, and No. 77 on the latter.
Houston earns her loftiest new placement on the downloads-only chart in 15 years. Her final studio album, I Look to You, peaked at No. 3 when it was new in 2009. She has launched several additional efforts on the ranking since then, but none have climbed quite so high—though the soundtrack that accompanied the movie I Wanna Dance With Somebody, the Houston biopic, missed that position by just one rung.
The Concert For A New South Africa was recorded 30 years ago, and the album was finally released to celebrate the anniversary of Houston’s trip to the country. She performed three shows across the nation in 1994 to celebrate South Africa opening up, and she made history as the first Western pop artist to headline shows there at the time.
Any new offering from Houston is bound to attract a lot of interest from her legion of fans, but The Concert For A New South Africa also came with something extra special, which may have enticed even more people to purchase and stream the set. The project features a ballad titled “Love Is,” which is new to most listeners, as it’s only been properly released for the first time on this CD.
