What a difference a week makes. Miley Cyrus’s Miley Cyrus Bass Persuades chart drop is now one for the record books: just seven days after debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, her new album Bass Persuades has crashed to No. 157 — a staggering 156-spot plunge that ranks as one of the biggest second-week falls for a No. 1-debuting album in chart history, according to Entertainment Weekly.
Only one act has ever fallen further, faster: Bon Jovi’s 2018 album This House is Not For Sale, which tumbled from No. 1 to No. 169 in its second week. Miley’s 156-spot slide is the runner-up — and nobody else on the chart wants this particular trophy.
Miley Cyrus Bass Persuades Chart Drop: The Numbers Behind the Plunge
Bass Persuades debuted atop the October 3, 2026-dated Billboard 200 with 61,000 album-equivalent units — 47,000 in album sales plus 14,000 streaming-equivalent units, Billboard reported. It was a photo finish: the album edged out Ella Langley’s Dandelion, which came up just short of the summit with nearly 61,000 units of its own.
The No. 1 debut was a genuine milestone. Bass Persuades is Miley’s sixth Billboard 200 chart-topper and her 16th top-10 album — and her first No. 1 since 2013’s Bangerz, ending a 13-year drought at the summit. Billboard’s Keith Caulfield noted the album was released September 18 via Atlantic and announced September 1.
Why Did Bass Persuades Fall So Far, So Fast?
The brutal second-week collapse tells a familiar story in the streaming era: a passionate core fanbase bought the album in bulk in week one — many buying multiple vinyl variants and physical editions — and then the general public simply didn’t stick around for week two.
The 61,000-unit opening week was heavily weighted toward pure sales (47,000 of the 61,000), which suggests the debut was powered by devoted fans rather than broad streaming momentum. When that front-loaded wave receded, there was no deep streaming base to catch the fall.
Context also matters: her previous album, 2025’s Something Beautiful, opened at No. 4 with 44,000 units — a more modest start but without the historic crash that followed this time. The mononym-billed artist — she now styles herself simply as “Miley” — generated enormous release-week buzz, but buzz doesn’t always convert to sustained consumption.
The Lead Single Told a Different Story
Not everything about the Bass Persuades era was a chart footnote. The album’s lead single debuted at No. 35 on the Billboard Hot 100 (dated September 19), marking her 24th career top-40 hit — and, per both Billboard and EW, her first solo top-40 hit since 2023’s “Used to Be Young,” which peaked at No. 8.
The “solo” qualifier matters: her duet with Beyoncé, “II Most Wanted,” reached No. 6 on the Hot 100 in 2024. The lead single’s performance proved Miley could still land a hit on her own — even if the album’s staying power didn’t match.
It’s a paradox the industry has seen before: the single performs, the debut week pops, and then gravity takes over. For more music-world headlines, see our story on Chris Brown’s child-support showdown.
How Bon Jovi Still Holds the Record
The Bon Jovi comparison is the one that really stings. In 2018, This House is Not For Sale rebounded to No. 1 (in its second year, thanks to a concert-ticket bundle) and then immediately plunged to No. 169 — a 168-spot freefall that remains the biggest second-week drop for a No. 1 album in Billboard 200 history.
Miley’s 156-spot fall is now the second-largest such drop ever recorded. Some outlets — including Wikipedia’s album page at one point — inaccurately described it as the biggest; EW’s reporting is precise: it is “one of the biggest for a No. 1-debuting album in history, surpassed by that of one other act.”
What Comes Next for Miley
A historic chart crash doesn’t erase a No. 1 debut — Miley now has six chart-toppers spanning nearly two decades, a feat few pop stars can claim. And in an era where vinyl variants and streaming bundles make opening weeks ever more volatile, the second-week cliff is becoming almost routine for legacy acts with devoted fanbases.
The real test will be the singles. If the lead single — or a follow-up — builds streaming momentum of its own, the album could still enjoy a long tail on the charts. But for now, Bass Persuades owns one of the most infamous week-two statistics in Billboard history.
FAQ
How far did Miley Cyrus’s “Bass Persuades” fall on the Billboard 200?
Bass Persuades fell from No. 1 to No. 157 in its second week — a 156-spot drop that is one of the biggest second-week falls for a No. 1-debuting album in Billboard 200 history.
What album had a bigger second-week drop than “Bass Persuades”?
Only one: Bon Jovi’s This House is Not For Sale, which fell from No. 1 to No. 169 in 2018 — a 168-spot plunge that remains the record.
How many units did “Bass Persuades” sell in its first week?
The album opened with 61,000 album-equivalent units: 47,000 in album sales plus 14,000 streaming-equivalent album units, beating Ella Langley’s Dandelion in a photo finish.
Was “Bass Persuades” Miley Cyrus’s first No. 1 album?
No — it was her sixth Billboard 200 No. 1 and her 16th top-10 album, but her first chart-topper since 2013’s Bangerz.
Sources: Entertainment Weekly, Billboard (via mirror of the original report)
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