Jhené Aiko Earns Her First Billboard 200 No. 1 With Westside Whimsy

Jhené Aiko has reached a new career milestone as her latest album, Westside Whimsy, debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart dated Sept. 26. The achievement marks the singer-songwriter’s first time leading the all-genre albums ranking, more than a decade after she made her chart debut.

Released Sept. 11, Westside Whimsy earned 74,000 equivalent album units in the United States during the week ending Sept. 17, according to Luminate. The project also becomes the first R&B album by a woman to top the Billboard 200 in 2026 and the first to do so since SZA’s SOS returned to No. 1 in May 2025.

Streaming accounted for the vast majority of the album’s opening week. Westside Whimsy generated 70,000 streaming equivalent album units, representing 71.33 million official on-demand streams across its songs, and debuts at No. 1 on the Top Streaming Albums chart. The set also earned 3,500 units from album sales and 500 track equivalent album units. Its physical editions are scheduled for release in January.

Aiko announced Westside Whimsy just three days before its arrival. The album features contributions from Kendrick Lamar, Ab-Soul, Larry June, Tyga and Ohma, bringing together a mix of familiar collaborators and fellow West Coast artists.

The No. 1 debut extends Aiko’s Billboard 200 history to six top 10 albums. She first appeared on the chart in November 2013 with Sail Out, which debuted and peaked at No. 8. Her previous studio album, 2020’s Chilombo, reached No. 2 and later received a Grammy nomination for album of the year.

The new achievement comes 12 years and 10 months after Aiko’s first Billboard 200 appearance. She is the second act in 2026 to secure a first No. 1 at least a decade after making an initial chart entry, following Megadeth, whose self-titled album reached the top earlier this year.

Elsewhere on the Sept. 26 Billboard 200, Ella Langley’s Dandelion moves to No. 2 with slightly more than 60,000 equivalent album units, while Olivia Rodrigo’s you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love slips to No. 3 with 60,000 units. Morgan Wallen’s I’m the Problem follows at No. 4, and Noah Kahan’s The Great Divide holds at No. 5.

Drake’s ICEMAN rises to No. 6, ahead of Ariana Grande’s petal at No. 7 and Rod Wave’s Don’t Look Down at No. 8. Olivia Dean’s The Art of Loving climbs to No. 9, while Kahan returns to the top 10 with Stick Season at No. 10.

With Westside Whimsy, Aiko adds a long-awaited No. 1 album to a catalog that has consistently placed her among R&B’s prominent voices. The debut also gives the genre a new chart-topping release from a female artist after more than a year without one on the Billboard 200.