Miley Cyrus has made US chart history after her 10th studio album, Bass Persuades, suffered the biggest-ever second-week drop for an album that debuted at Number One on the Billboard 200, plunging 156 places to Number 157 after entering at the summit with 61,000 equivalent album units.
The Bottom Line
- Bass Persuades debuted at Number One on the Billboard 200 with 61,000 equivalent album units before plunging 156 spots to Number 157 in its second week, marking the biggest drop from the top spot in the chart’s history.
- The release is Cyrus’s first with Atlantic Records following her departure from Columbia Records, featuring 16 vinyl variants, nine CD versions, and discounted digital pricing.
- Taylor Swift reclaimed the Number One spot on the Billboard 200 with the deluxe release of The Life Of A Showgirl: The Encore, as reported by NME.
The Atlantic Records Rollout and Chart Mechanics
Released on September 18 through Atlantic Records, Bass Persuades initially defied expectations by securing Cyrus her first US Number One since her 2013 record Bangerz. This physical and digital push helped the record beat country singer Ella Langley’s Dandelion by roughly 70 units.
Upon learning of the initial chart placement, Cyrus celebrated when Atlantic sent a floral wreath shaped like a Number One to her home. Bass Persuades being #1 transcends a win,
Cyrus wrote on Instagram at the time, thanking her team and fans. However, the momentum stalled immediately in the following tracking week, resulting in the historic descent down the charts.
Historical Precedents on the Billboard 200
The 156-place fall for Bass Persuades places it among the steepest declines in Billboard 200 history for records that opened at the summit.
NME noted that the only steeper falls overall belong to Bon Jovi’s 2016 album This House Is Not For Sale—which returned to Number One in 2018 after being bundled with concert tickets before falling to Number 169 the following week—and Travis Scott’s 2014 mixtape Days Before Rodeo, which hit Number One a decade after its original release before disappearing from the chart entirely the next week.
| Album | Artist | Debut Position | Second-Week Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bass Persuades | Miley | No. 1 | No. 157 |
| This House Is Not For Sale | Bon Jovi | No. 1 | No. 169 |
| Courage | Celine Dion | No. 1 | No. 111 |
| Madame X | Madonna | No. 1 | No. 77 |
Musical Direction and Name Change
The album arrives following 2025’s Something Beautiful, which debuted at Number Four after selling about 44,000 total album units. Collaborators on the new project include Model/Actriz, with lyrical themes exploring Cyrus’s relationship with fiancé Maxx Morando. NME described the record in a three-star review as leaner, more direct, and built for the dancefloor, while maintaining her characteristic eccentric streak.
Ahead of the release, the singer dropped ‘Cyrus’ from her professional moniker to go simply by Miley. Her father, Billy Ray Cyrus, backed the decision publicly, stating that he always called his daughter just Miley. Alongside the album rollout, Miley announced two upcoming performances at the Hollywood Bowl scheduled for October 16 and October 18, following an online presale queue that drew nearly 1.5 million fans for roughly 18,000 tickets.
