*Republic*

The Lorde Virgin album has debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, marking a strong return for the “Royals” singer. The New Zealand artist’s fourth studio album moved 71,000 equivalent album units in its first week, with 42,000 of those coming from traditional album sales.

Vinyl accounted for 31,000 units — Lorde’s best week ever in that format.

Featuring the lead single “What Was That,” Virgin becomes Lorde’s second-highest charting album to date. Her 2017 release, Melodrama, remains her top debut at No. 1, while 2013’s Pure Heroine and 2021’s Solar Power peaked at No. 3 and No. 5, respectively.

Lorde celebrated the release of Virgin with a surprise performance at England’s Glastonbury Festival on June 27. She is scheduled to begin her U.S. tour in September.

This article is a rewritten summary based on original reporting by [ABC Audio]