Alex Warren’s WILDCHILD Tops Two Billboard Album Charts

Chart Performance and Sales Figures

Singer-songwriter Alex Warren has achieved a major career milestone with his latest full-length studio effort, WILDCHILD. The set arrived at No. 1 on both the Top Album Sales and Vinyl Albums charts, marking his first leader on both rankings. Additionally, the album entered the overall Billboard 200 at No. 2 and reached No. 9 on the Indie Store Album Sales chart, where it represents his first-ever entry.

According to Luminate, the album earned 75,000 equivalent album units in its first week ending Sept. 3, which stands as Warren’s best week ever by units. Pure album sales accounted for 55,000 of that total, also a personal best for the artist. The remaining sum was driven by a combination of track purchases and streaming activity. To bolster these figures, the album was released in a wide variety of formats, including 13 vinyl variants (two signed), five CD variants (two signed), three download editions (two with bonus tracks), and a cassette.

The success of WILDCHILD follows Warren's previous full-length release, You’ll Be Alright, Kid. That set peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200, No. 7 on Top Album Sales, and No. 5 on Vinyl Albums. It also featured the Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit single “Ordinary.” Leading up to the new album's release, three other songs charted on the Hot 100: “Passenger” (No. 100 in June), “Fine Place To Die” (No. 87 in May), and the radio-promoted “Fever Dream” (No. 21 in March).

Classroom Visit and Creative Lessons

In addition to his chart success, the Grammy-nominated Pop artist recently appeared in a new episode of the digital series Celebrity Substitute, hosted by Julian-Shapiro Barnum. On Wednesday (Sept. 9), Warren visited PS 111 in Queens, New York City, to lead a lesson on creativity for a group of second graders. During the visit, students questioned the musician about his personal life and finances.

"I don’t. I don’t have a lot of money."

— Alex Warren

Warren explained to the students that he creates music for the love of the craft. He also shared wholesome personal goals and reflections on his past, including his time spent homeless with his wife. When asked about his primary objective in life, he responded:

"I want to be a dad."

— Alex Warren

He further revealed that he met his wife when he was 18 and noted that

"we slept in a car for a long time."

— Alex Warren

"it was very romantic."

— Alex Warren

"the human embodiment of a beautiful being."

— Alex Warren

Philanthropy and Personal Background

The visit to the Queens classroom allowed Warren to help students film a music video for his song “Emerald Eyes,” a track he wrote specifically as a love song for his wife. He noted that many of his songs are general, but this one was tailored to her. He encouraged the children to explore their own creativity, stating:

"There’s a lot of ways to be creative, you guys. My way of being creative is making music."

— Alex Warren

The appearance also included a philanthropic element, as the school’s community pantry received a makeover with groceries and household items from Amazon. Warren reflected on how important teachers were during his own childhood, especially during times of struggle.

"I used to go to lunch all the time, I had no one to sit with and I’d sit with my teachers. So there was a huge amount — like, I go back all the time to say hi. They were a huge part of my life."

— Alex Warren

He added that the renovated pantry provides families with necessities

"without feeling the shame or the guilt that this is what we need to survive."

— Alex Warren

"these kids are so amazing."

— Alex Warren

Chart Methodology and Context

The Top Album Sales chart, which WILDCHILD currently leads, ranks the week’s top-selling albums based solely on pure sales, including both physical and digital download purchases. This ranking methodology dates back to May 25, 1991, when Billboard first began using electronically monitored piece count information from SoundScan (now Luminate). Pure sales were the only metric used for the Billboard 200 until Dec. 6, 2014, when that chart transitioned to a methodology blending sales with track equivalent album (TEA) and streaming equivalent album (SEA) units. Warren, who was formed in 2000, joins a busy top 10 on the Sept. 12 chart alongside new releases from The Warning, Billy Strings, Sara Bareilles, Mastodon, and Prince.