Like a bat out of hell, Britney Spears is back! The comeback kid has scored herself another hit. “Hold It Against Me,” Spears’ first single for her untitled seventh studio album, debuted at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
This marks the fourth #1 song for the pop diva and her second consecutive #1 debut on the chart. She’s also debuted at #1 in several other countries including Canada and New Zealand. “Hold It Against Me” isn’t just another classic Spears hit– It’s a worldwide phenomenon!
After an iTunes midnight release simultaneously around the world (including releasing it in the UK a month earlier due to high demand), it skyrocketed to the number one spot. At one point, she was holding the #1 spot on iTunes in 22 countries!
According to Nielsen SoundScan, Britney sold 411,000 copies her first week in the US making her the highest debut by a female artist, a title previously held by Taylor Swift (325,000 with “Today Was a Fairytale”). It wasn’t just digital downloads she burned a trail through. The radio has been immediately receptive.
Despite stiff competition from pop peers such as Katy Perry, Rihanna and Bruno Mars, “Hold It Against Me” premiered at #23 besting a previous record by Mariah Carey’s “Touch My Body.” Britney also shattered previous records with one week spins of almost 4,000 and an audience of over 33 million. Heck! Her first day spins (the day it was released) were at almost 700—ANOTHER record!
This is just the beginning for the Pop Princess! She’s no stranger to breaking records, but the buzz surrounding the as-of-yet untitled album is beyond enormous.
With the music video in production now and awards shows in the coming months (Grammys—although still unconfirmed), you can expect Brit fever to run rampant throughout 2011!
So what’ll it be? Are you going to hold it against Brit? Or, are you still waiting on Lady GaGa’s “Born This Way”?
