Billie Eilish Reaches A Career Low As Her New Album Debuts
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BusinessHollywood & EntertainmentBillie Eilish Reaches A Career Low As Her New Album DebutsByHugh McIntyre,Senior Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Hugh McIntyre covers music, with a focus on the global charts.Follow AuthorDec 13, 2025, 10:00am EST Billie Eilish's Live EP debuts inside the top 10 on one Billboard chart, but also brings the singer to a new career low on another tally in America as it launches. LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 17: (FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY) Billie Eilish performs onstage at the 2025 iHeartRadio Music Awards at Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California on March 17, 2025. Broadcasted live on FOX. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for iHeartRadio)Getty Images for iHeartRadioBillie Eilish has long been a supporter of Record Store Day, a music industry initiative that sees many well-known artists releasing special projects that are only available to purchase if fans head to actual record stores around the world. The event takes place twice a year, and the Black Friday iteration is the most exciting in many regards. For the latest installment, Eilish delivered a Live EP, which became one of the top sellers of Record Store Day 2025. The short set launches on multiple Billboard charts in America this week, earning the superstar a new top 10 bestseller as her followers rush to pick up a copy, especially on wax.Billie Eilish’s Live EP Launches Inside the Top 10Eilish’s Live EP arrives inside the highest tier on just one of the five Billboard rosters where it debuts this week. Live kicks off its time at No. 7 on the Vinyl Albums chart.Billie Eilish Continues Her Vinyl Winning StreakLONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 10: Billie Eilish performs on stage at The O2 Arena on July 10, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images for Live Nation)Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images for Live NationEilish earns her seventh top 10 as Live begins in seventh place on the Vinyl Albums chart. Throughout her career, the singer-songwriter has only sent seven projects to the format-specific roster, and all of them have landed somewhere inside the top 10. MORE FOR YOUThe Grammy and Oscar winner has seen five projects dominate the tally.
Only Hit Me Hard and Soft (Isolated Vocals) missed the summit, peaking at No. 5. Live now marks a new career low for Eilish on the Vinyl Albums list.Billie Eilish Claims the Week’s Top Vinyl DebutEilish earns the biggest debut on the Vinyl Albums chart this week, which is once again led by the Wicked: For Good soundtrack. Just one other project appears for the first time on the list, as Bob Dylan’s The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan opens at No. 15. Multiple bestsellers return, including studio efforts by the likes of Nirvana, Queen, Tyler, The Creator, and Taylor Swift.American folk-rock singer-songwriter Bob Dylan performing at BBC TV Centre, London, 1st June 1965. Dylan recorded two 35-minute TV programs for the BBC at the session. (Photo by Val Wilmer/Redferns)RedfernsBillie Eilish’s Live EP Debuts on Multiple Billboard ChartsLive also manages to debut on four other Billboard-published rankings. The EP opens on all of the following lists in the noted positions:Top Album Sales — No. 13Top Alternative Albums — No. 22Top Rock & Alternative Albums — No. 37Billboard 200 — No. 163Billie Eilish Hits a New Low on the Billboard 200Just as is the case on the Vinyl Albums chart, Live brings Eilish to a new low point on the Billboard 200, the most important albums ranking in the U.S. The EP starts at No. 163, just one slot lower than where Hit Me Hard and Soft (Isolated Vocals) opened a year ago. Those two efforts are the only releases from Eilish to make it to the Billboard 200 that failed to crack the highest half of the roster.Live Sells Nearly 10,000 Copies in a WeekSince Live was a Record Store Day exclusive, which means that — at least for the time being — the EP was not available to stream. The album reaches the Billboard charts thanks exclusively to just under 10,000 pure purchases, according to Luminate.All of Billie Eilish’s Albums Chart TogetherHOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 10: Billie Eilish attends the 96th Annual Academy Awards on March 10, 2024 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images)Getty ImagesEilish fills four spaces on most of the charts where Live debuts. On the Billboard 200, her three proper studio full-lengths — Hit Me Hard and Soft, Happier Than Ever, and When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? — outpace the new arrival as the trio of blockbusters are all on the rise. Her most recent release, Hit Me Hard and Soft, even manages to return to No. 1 on both the Top Rock & Alternative Albums and Top Alternative Albums tallies, even as Eilish delivers a new short project.Live Features Four Songs From Hit Me Hard and SoftAccording to Record Store Day, only 20,000 copies of the Live EP were made available, and half of those sold immediately in its first week of availability in the U.S. alone. Side A of Live features live takes of “Skinny” and “Wildflower,” while Side B is populated with “Birds of a Feather” and “La Mort de Ma Vie,” all tunes taken from Hit Me Hard and Soft.Editorial StandardsReprints & PermissionsLOADING VIDEO PLAYER...FORBES’ FEATURED Video