Madonna's 'Confessions II' hits No. 1 on Billboard 200 — her tenth chart-topper

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The Queen of Pop is having the greatest comeback in music of 2026. Madonna 's Confessions II , a sequel to her iconic 2005 Confessions on a Dancefloor , was released July 3 to universal critical acclaim, ultimately charting at number 1 on Billboard's 200, her tenth time claiming the top spot across a career that spans more than four decades. This makes Madonna the first artist with a number 1 album in the 2020s and three other decades, as well as the first female artist with number 1 albums across four different decades. Primarily an EDM record that probes numerous dance and electronic subgenres, Confessions II has been praised for its breathless momentum as well as Madonna's lyrical introspection. It's currently the highest-rated Madonna album on Metacritic (several of her albums pre-date Metacritic, but it's still a remarkable thing to note).