For The First Time since Kacey Musgraves scored a Gold certification with her debut album Same Trailer Different Park in 2014, a new female artist has also staked claim to a Gold record as Kelsea Ballerini’s The First Time hit the mark this week.
The singer/songwriter’s debut album was top lined by “Love Me Like You Mean It,” a single which went all the way to #1 and earned a platinum certification, joining only 10 other women to ever hit the #1 slot with their debut single, joining Faith Hill, Trisha Yearwood and Carrie Underwood. Her subsequent single “Dibs” hit #1 and made Kelsea the first female artist in 15 years to score consecutive #1 hits off her debut record. Her third single “Peter Pan” hit #1 and she joined Wynonna Judd as the only female artists to ever score 3 #1 singles with consecutive debut singles (though Judd already was a star as the main voice of her family duo The Judds).
The week that “Peter Pan” hit #1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and the Billboard Country Airplay chart at the same time, giving her the distinction of being the first female artist to achieve THAT feat. Ballerini's current -- and final -- single from The First Time, "Yeah Boy," is at radio now.
Ballerini is nominated — for a second year — at the CMA Music Awards for Best New Artist and Female Vocalist of the Year.
Courtney
three of Faith Hill's singles from her debut album Take Me As I Am hit the top 3 though not consecutively. it's first two singles Wild One and a cover of Piece Of My Heart hit #1 it's 3rd single But I Will peaked at #35 and it's final single it's title track reached #2 in fall 1994 namely the chart December 17th as for the album reaching gold that's a nice achievement for a debut album as well particularly in the climate as it is now though Take Me As I Am Reached triple platinum on April 8th 2003 or Carrie Underwood's 2005 debut some hearts just reached 8 x platinum on October 24th 2016 mind you each of Faith's first four albums is certified at least triple platinum her sophomore album It Matters To Me released August 29th 1995 reaching 4 x platinum on September 11th 2002 her self titled 3rd album released April 21st 1998 certified 6 x platinum October 6th 2003 and her 4th album Breathe released November 9th 1999 was certified 8 x platinum on April 8th 2003 it took The First Time 16 1/2 months to go gold where as it took Faith's self titled 3rd album about 2 1/2 months to receive it's first platinum on June 30th 1998 granted the albums first single this Kiss was also certified gold on that date later reaching platinum on December 1st 1998 at that point three singles had been released from the album which was on it's way to it's second platinum which it received on January 22nd 1999 as it's fourth single was getting ready to enter the charts
Matt Bjorke
You cannot compare Faith Hill's album success in the 1990s or even Carrie Underwood's "Some Hearts" album success (it will eventually be Diamond) to what Kelsea is doing with "The First Time." It's just a different sales climate right now. Not even big pop stars sell albums like they used to. The only thing that can be an apples to apples comparison is the radio charts, a place where Kelsea has been extremely -- and impressively so -- successful.