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Album Champion, Lewis Capaldi dominates UK’s Official biggest albums and singles lists of 2019 so far

Album Champion, Lewis Capaldi dominates UK’s Official biggest albums and singles lists of 2019 so far


Album Champion, Lewis Capaldi dominates UK’s Official biggest albums and singles lists of 2019 so far

With National Album Day just over a week away on Saturday 12th October, Official Charts can reveal the biggest albums of 2019 so far as figures for the first nine months of the year are released. 

Singer-songwriter Lewis Capaldi currently holds 2019’s biggest album released this year with his chart-topping debut Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent. The record, which has so far logged six weeks Number 1 on the Official Albums Chart, has notched up 408,000 chart sales since release back in May. Lewis is one of four ‘album champions’ for National Album Day, alongside Mark Ronson, elbow and Mahalia.

Lewis Capaldi, said:

“Absolutely buzzing to be part of National Album Day! Unreal to have finally released my debut album this year & find out that not everyone hates it! 🎉 On the whole I’m very proud of it, although I won’t lie there’s probably a few stinkers on there, but I’m only human. Hope you don’t hate it but if you do don’t worry, it’s only my life’s work.”

This year’s National Album Day has a ‘#Don’t Skip’ theme to encourage music lovers to discover albums – both new and classic – in full, as a complete body of work that tells a story. The Official Biggest Albums of 2019 so far list features both new and classic albums and spans a huge range of genres.

Only one other album is standing in the way of Lewis claiming the year’s biggest album - last year’s biggest-seller The Greatest Showman. The film’s cast recording spent four weeks at Number 1 at the start of the year and has remained in the Top 15 since racking up 450,000 chart sales in 2019.

Currently, the third biggest album of the year is Ed Sheeran’s star-studded No.6 Collaborations Project. The collection has so far spent five weeks at Number 1 and has the year’s biggest opening week for an album in the UK, with 125,000 chart sales. Its total figure so far stands at 396,000.

Debut albums

This year has been huge for debut albums, with three featuring in the Top 10 biggest releases of 2019 so far. Alongside Lewis Capaldi, Billie Eilish’s When We All Fall Asleep Where Do We Go (282,000) is the fifth biggest of the year so far. Released in March, the collection set a record as Billie became the youngest female act in UK chart history to hit the top spot, managing the feat at 17 years, 3 months and 18 days old.

Tom Walker also rocketed to the top of the charts in March when he released his debut album What A Time To Be Alive. The record is the ninth biggest overall (198,000). Three more debut albums feature in the year-to-date Top 40: Dave’s Mercury Prize-winning Psychodrama places 17th, Jax Jones’ Snacks at 35, and AJ Tracey’s self-titled at 36.

Number 1 albums

Other Number 1 albums released in 2019 that feature on the year-to-date Top 40 include; Thank U, Next by Ariana Grande (7), Hurts 2B Human from P!nk (15), Jack Savoretti’s Singing To Strangers (21), Western Stars by Bruce Springsteen (24) and Taylor Swift’s Lover (26).

Classic albums

Finally, several classic albums make it into the year-to-date chart as they continued to be enjoyed by the British public in 2019. Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours appears as the 29th biggest album of the year so far, some 42 years after its release. Elsewhere, hits collections from Queen, Elton John, David Bowie, Eminem, Take That, ABBA, Bob Marley & The Wailers and The Killers all feature.

Official Top 10 biggest albums of 2019 so far

POS

TITLE

ARTIST

1

THE GREATEST SHOWMAN

MOTION PICTURE CAST RECORDING

2

DIVINELY UNINSPIRED TO A HELLISH EXTENT

LEWIS CAPALDI

3

NO 6 COLLABORATIONS PROJECT

ED SHEERAN

4

STAYING AT TAMARA'S

GEORGE EZRA

5

WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP WHERE DO WE GO

BILLIE EILISH

6

BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY - OST

QUEEN

7

THANK U NEXT

ARIANA GRANDE

8

A STAR IS BORN

MOTION PICTURE CAST RECORDING

9

WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE

TOM WALKER

10

DIVIDE

ED SHEERAN

© 2019 OFFICIAL CHARTS COMPANY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Covers physical, downloads and streaming equivalent sales of albums for 2019 up to 27th September.

 

Singles: Someone You Loved is the biggest single of the year so far

Lewis Capaldi’s breakout success continues on the Official Singles Chart, as Someone You Loved is currently 2019’s biggest song.

Released in November 2018, Someone You Loved first charted inside the Top 40 in April 2019 and went on to spend seven weeks at Number 1. The ballad has so far notched up 1.9 million chart sales this year, including 221 million streams, more than any other song on audio and video platforms.

Another 2019 breakthrough star, US rapper and singer Lil Nas X, takes second place with Old Town Road on 1.5 million chart sales. The hip-hop-meets-country track – a viral hit online through Tik Tok - spent two weeks at Number 1 across April/May and is the UK’s biggest song released this year.

Eight more Number 1 singles in 2019 feature in the year-to-date Top 40 chart, four of which place inside the Top 10: Ed Sheeran & Justin Bieber’s eight-week leader I Don’t Care at 3 (1.2m), Ava Max’s January chart-topper Sweet But Psycho at 5 (1.45m), Stormzy’s Vossi Bop at 8 and Ariana Grande’s 7 Rings at 9.

Elsewhere in the Top 10, big tracks by breakthrough artists this year are Billie Eilish’s Number 2 hit Bad Guy at Number 6, Meduza’s club smash Piece Of Your Heart ft. Goodboys at 10.

Further down, more big hits from this year’s rising stars include Dave’s Location ft. Burna Boy (16), AJ Tracey’s Ladbroke Grove (20), NSG’s Options ft. Tion Wayne (27) and Russ & Tion Wayne’s Keisha & Becky (35).

Official Top 10 biggest singles of 2019 so far

POS

TITLE

ARTIST

1

SOMEONE YOU LOVED

LEWIS CAPALDI

2

OLD TOWN ROAD

LIL NAS X

3

I DON'T CARE

ED SHEERAN & JUSTIN BIEBER

4

GIANT

CALVIN HARRIS & RAG'N'BONE MAN

5

SWEET BUT PSYCHO

AVA MAX

6

BAD GUY

BILLIE EILISH

7

DON'T CALL ME UP

MABEL

8

VOSSI BOP

STORMZY

9

7 RINGS

ARIANA GRANDE

10

PIECE OF YOUR HEART

MEDUZA FT GOODBOYS

© 2019 OFFICIAL CHARTS COMPANY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Covers download and streaming equivalent sales of songs for 2019 up to 27th September.

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About National Album Day

 

Following a successful inaugural year, National Album Day is set to return for its second annual edition on Saturday, 12th October. Organised jointly by record labels body the BPI and ERA (Entertainment Retailers Association), representing the nation’s music retailers and digital/streaming platforms, and with the active

participation of AIM (Association of Independent Music), National Album Day has the backing and

input of the wider music community including industry umbrella body UK Music.

 

The music & artist community will come together with the support of BBC Sounds for a series of events and activities in the lead up to 12th October that will celebrate the UK’s love for the album and the craft that goes into making this culturally significant body of work.

 

This year National Album Day is themed around the notion of ‘Don’t Skip’, to encourage music lovers to discover albums – both new and classic – in full, as a complete body of work that tells a story. The theme will also serve to highlight the wellbeing and mental health benefits of album listening as a form of musical mindfulness.

 

A number of the UK’s most prominent artists have already signed up as ‘album champions’ for this year’s National Album Day campaign: No.1 artist Lewis Capaldi, Mercury Prize winners Elbow, BRIT Award nominated Mahalia, and international musician/producer Mark Ronson.

 

Each album champion not only represents the current, diverse musical talent that is borne out of the UK, but will also reflect on other artists and albums that have inspired, shaped and defined the culture and spirit of British cities and regions.

 

BBC Sounds is supporting the day as official broadcast partner through programming and editorial across BBC networks.

 

Last year’s NAD event coincided with the 70th anniversary of the LP, with numerous artist ambassadors including Paloma Faith, Public Service Broadcasting, Jess Glynne, Novelist, Alice Cooper, and Tom Odell supporting the campaign. It was also celebrated through retail events, Classic Album Sundays artist Q&As and playbacks, and a Network Rail exhibition of iconic album artwork. A social media campaign at 3.33pm on the day saw fans unifying to listen to their favourite album. 

 

Organised jointly by record labels body the BPI and ERA (Entertainment Retailers Association), representing the nation’s music retailers and digital/streaming platforms, and with the active participation of AIM (Association of Independent Music), National Album Day has the backing and input of the wider music community including industry umbrella body UK Music.

 

For more details go to

www.nationalalbumday.co.uk | @AlbumDayUK

 

Album Champion, Lewis Capaldi dominates UK’s Official biggest albums and singles lists of 2019 so far