Benson Boone’s American Heart Debuts at No. 2 With Mixed Reviews

On June 30, 2025, Benson Boone’s sophomore album American Heart debuted at number two on the Billboard 200.

via: Variety

After conquering the charts with “Beautiful Things,” the most streamed song of 2024, the song’s parent LP, “Fireworks and Rollerblades,” peaked at No. 6 (with 58,000 units earned). He surpasses his previous mark with his sophomore full-length studio album, “American Heart,” earning 61,000 album units in its first week, according to Luminate. The 10-song pop album includes the top 30-charting “Sorry I’m Here for Someone Else” and “Mystical Magical,” with the latter enjoying a viral moment thanks to its memorable mention of a mysterious “moonbeam ice cream” (and a collaboration with the Crumbl cookie company).

Critics have responded with mixed reviews. Many praised Boone’s vocal strength and theatrical delivery, calling the album polished and emotionally charged. Others, however, described the lyrics as generic and questioned the album’s thematic depth, noting that while the production is slick, the storytelling feels surface-level.

Songs such as Mystical Magical and Momma Song have drawn attention for their catchy melodies and personal themes. The album was co-written in 17 days by Boone and collaborator Jack LaFrantz, with stylistic nods to early 2000s pop and artists like Bruce Springsteen.

Leading the list this week for the sixth week in a row is Morgan Wallen’s “I’m the Problem” with 177,000 album units. It also continues as the top streaming album of the week with 220 million streams.

Also in the top 10 of the latest Billboard 200, Karol G debuts at No. 3 with her third top 10-charting album, “Tropicoqueta.” It debuts with 57,000 equivalent album units earned. She previously led the list at No. 1 with “Mañana Será Bonito” in 2023, making a historic stride as the first all-Spanish-language record by a female artist to hit No. 1.

The Colombian singer told Variety of the genre-spanning, “Tropicoqueta,” “Not everyone will enjoy this album the same. There’s a lot going on and these sounds and styles mean different things to different people, but I couldn’t be prouder of how it’s come together.”

Elsewhere on the Billboard 200, the “KPop Demon Hunters” soundtrack enters at No. 8 as the highest-debuting soundtrack of the year with 31,000 equivalent album units earned. The supernatural action comedy was helmed by Sony Pictures Animation, the studio responsible for “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” and “The Mitchells vs. the Machines.”