US Charts: Katy Perry Nears Michael Jackson No. 1s Record

From Billboard.com

To say that Katy Perry has been on a roll lately would be a grand understatement. But now, the star is nearing a feat only previously achieved by the King of Pop, Michael Jackson.

On the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, Perry's latest single from her "Teenage Dream" album, "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)," flies 31-4. As Gary Trust notes in today's Chart Beat column, if it hits No. 1 on the Hot 100, Perry will become just the second act -- and first woman -- to score five No. 1s from one album in the chart' 52-year history, as "California Gurls," the title cut, "Firework" and "E.T." all previously reigned.

Only Michael Jackson, with his 1987 set "Bad," has so far collected five Hot 100 No. 1s from one album release. "Bad" spawned the No. 1s "I Just Can't Stop Loving You," the title track, "The Way You Make Me Feel," "Man in the Mirror" and "Dirty Diana."

Check Billboard.com next Wednesday (June 29) for highlights of next week's Hot 100, to be released in full in the Billboard.com charts menu the following day.

In other impressive and unprecedented Perry chart news, she was already the only artist with four 4-million-selling downloads, according to Nielsen SoundScan. As of this week, Perry pulls further ahead of the pack as the only artist with a whopping five.

"E.T.," which topped the Hot 100 for five weeks beginning April 9, surpasses the 4-million mark in download sales, according to SoundScan (4.06 million). Perry is now the only act to have five songs sell more than 4-million each. (Lady Gaga is next with three 4-million-sellers).

She previously hit the 4-million mark with "Hot N Cold" (4.91 million), "Firework" (4.53 million), "I Kissed a Girl" (4.07 million) and "California Gurls" (4.88 million).

More evidence of Perry's power? Adding to the pileup of her staggering sales and chart statistics, "E.T." became the top-selling download of 2011 as of the week ending May 1, when it overtook Cee Lo Green's "Forget You (F**k You)."