Australian rockers end Jay-Z, Beyonce No. 1 debut streak

NEW YORK — Australian pop band 5 Seconds of Summer stunned Beyonce and Jay-Z by opening Sunday at the top of the US album chart, with the couple’s surprise collaboration ending the superstars’ streak of number one debuts. 5 Seconds of Summer had stepped up promotion of their album Youngblood after Jay-Z and Beyonce dropped Everything Is Love, with the Australians telling fans they were in a close race for number one and encouraging listeners over social media to stream their songs continuously to drive up their totals. Youngblood wound up selling 142,000 copies or the equivalent in downloads and streams in the week through Thursday, edging out Everything Is Love which clocked up 123,000 copies, tracking service Nielsen Music said. 5 Seconds of Summer, who emerged in 2011 as YouTube sensations when the then students in Sydney uploaded covers of popular songs, becomes the first Australian act to top the Billboard 200, the benchmark US chart, with three different albums. Jay-Z and Beyonce, two of the biggest names in US pop culture, put out Everything Is Love with no warning on June 16 after a concert in London. A musical celebration of their marriage, Everything Is Love initially came out only on Tidal, the fledgling streaming service led by Jay-Z, but went out widely including on rival Spotify on June 18 — the fourth day of the counting period for the latest weekly chart. — AFP