Anne Wilson’s Rebel, which fuses Christian and country music, arrives at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Christian Albums chart dated May 4. It also opens at No. 10 on Top Country Albums.
In its launch week (April 19-25), Rebel earned a weekly career-best 16,000 equivalent album units in the U.S., with 10,000 in album sales, according to Luminate.
The set is the first to premiere in the top 10 of both Top Christian Albums and Top Country Albums simultaneously since March 2021, when Carrie Underwood’s My Savior bowed in the penthouse on both charts.
Wilson co-authored all 16 tracks on her new LP, the Lexington, Ky., native’s second full-length.
Wilson recently told Billboard, “Writing [Rebel], producing it and releasing it in, like, five weeks was very fast, but it’s been cool to see the reaction and how my music has been able to go to both country and Christian platforms and be appreciated in both.”
Wilson’s first full project, My Jesus, entered Top Christian Albums at No. 1 in May 2022 with 13,000 equivalent album units. It followed her introductory live EP, My Jesus: Live in Nashville, which arrived at No. 17 in August 2021 and hit No. 12 that October.
The first Christian radio single from Rebel is “Strong,” which ranks at its No. 3 high on Christian Airplay with 5.7 million audience impressions. On the streaming-, airplay- and sales-based Hot Christian Songs chart, “Strong” holds at its No. 4 best, also driven by 1.7 million official U.S. streams (up 12%).
Wilson has earned one No. 1, among four top 10s, on Hot Christian Songs and two leaders on Christian Airplay. Her freshman single, “My Jesus,” dominated the former for four frames and the latter for six weeks beginning in August 2021. Her holiday track “I Still Believe in Christmas” followed, leading Christian Airplay for a week and peaking at No. 15 on Hot Christian Songs.
So far, one Rebel single has been introduced to country radio: “Rain in My Rearview,” being promoted by EMI Nashville (while Wilson’s Christian songs are being worked by Capitol Christian). Both are under the Universal Music Group Nashville umbrella.
