Selena Gomez releases a deluxe edition of I Said I Love You First in hopes of pushing the album to … More
For the first time in her career, Selena Gomez missed hitting No. 1 with a new album. Just a few weeks ago, she and her fiancé Benny Blanco released I Said I Love You First, on March 21. The project succeeded in large part due to Gomez’s incredible popularity, as she remains one of the most-followed people on social media and juggles successful careers in TV, film, music, and cosmetics. As a multihyphenate and accomplished businesswoman, Gomez is used to topping the Billboard 200 every time she delivers a full-length project, but this time, she narrowly missed the mark. Now, she and her partner are hoping for another shot at the summit.
Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco Drop a Deluxe Edition
Gomez and Blanco released the deluxe edition of I Said I Love You First, now retitled I Said I Love You First… And You Said It Back, on Friday (May 2). The expanded version was only announced a few days prior, so its arrival came as a bit of a surprise.
This updated edition includes several new tunes, as well as a handful of other additions. The album now featured a reworked version of “Cowboy” with a verse by rapper GloRilla, a live take of “How Does It Feel to Be Forgotten,” and an acoustic version of “Call Me When You Break Up,” the lead single that also credits Gracie Abrams.
Selena Gomez’s New Deluxe Version Misses the Top 10
Fans quickly began buying I Said I Love You First… And You Said It Back once it became available. The title ranked among the highest-rising new entries on iTunes on Friday, at the beginning of the new tracking period. However, it didn’t perform nearly as well as the original version when it dropped, which shot to No. 1 immediately. Gomez and Blanco’s updated effort approached the top 10 on the list of the top-selling full-lengths on the platform, but struggled to actually break into that space.
I Said I Love You First Falls on the Billboard 200
This week, I Said I Love You First tumbles from No. 26 to No. 47 on the Billboard 200 in just its fifth frame on the tally. That’s quite the drop for a project that received such heavy promotion. Such a descent does not bode well for the album’s long-term success. That said, now that new music has been added to the now 20-plus track effort — up from the original 14 songs — there’s a good chance the release will rebound on the Billboard charts next week…though exactly how high is yet to be seen.
Can Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco Reach the Top?
Given that it’s a relatively quiet frame, Gomez and Blanco stand a decent chance of soaring higher on the competitive Billboard 200. But reaching No. 1 seems like it’s a real stretch – one that’s likely not to be considered within reach. To seriously compete for the summit, the two musicians would need to sell a significant number of copies and see a sharp uptick in streams of the project. Most of the success would likely need to come from purchases, but many of Friday’s other new arrivals outsold I Said I Love You First… And You Said It Back.
Chances are, the pair will have to settle for a solid gain — perhaps even a return to the top 20. The album will almost certainly remain Gomez’s first full-length under her own name to miss the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200.