Ariana Grande album Sweetener opens at Number One on Billboard 200

Singer's fourth album bumps Travis Scott to No.2, with Nicki Minaj at No.3 for her new record 'Queen'

Ariana Grande has achieved her third No.1 album with 'Sweetener' (Dave Meyers)

Ariana Grande's new album Sweetener has opened at No.1 on the Billboard 200, marking her third record to achieve the feat.

The pop singer saw her fourth full-length studio album sell 231,000 equivalent units, including 127,000 traditional copies, to secure the top spot. Her 2013 album Yours Truly and 2014's My Everything also reached No.1, while her 2016 record Dangerous Woman peaked at No.2.

Sweetener also achieved the second best sales week for a female artist this year, behind Cardi B's hit debut Invasion of Privacy. It bumped Travis Scott's album Astroworld to No.2 after two weeks on top, while Nicki Minaj's new record Queen moved to No.3 with 95,000 total copies sold.

Rounding off the top five this week are Drake with Scorpion and Post Malone with Beerbongs & Bentleys, at No.4 and No.5 respectively.

In the UK, Grande knocked the Mamma Mia! soundtrack off the top spot. She told OfficialCharts.com she was "so grateful" and couldn't wait to see her UK fans in September.

Reviewing for The Independent, Kate Solomon called the album "a portrait of an artist in flux", praising her "warmth and wit" but criticising producer Pharrell's heavy-handed approach.

"The emotional highlight is 'Breathin'... a mental health bop over a good, solid pop beat," the review said. "By contrast, Missy Elliott's guest bars are a disaster. She phones in a verse so devoid of personality that it barely sounds like her on a dated, shambles of a song ('Borderline') that should have been cut."