Ed Sheeran records another week of strong sales with his ÷ album on this week’s Official Chart.
The singer-songwriter once again holds the top spots on the Official Albums Chart and Official Singles Chart simultaneously this week, with ÷ logging a third stint at Number 1 and single Shape Of You racking up its 11th week at the summit.
÷ shifted 206,000 across physical (67% of this week’s total), downloads (13%) and streaming equivalent sales (20%) this week to keep its place at the top. Earlier this week, OfficialCharts.com revealed the collection had passed the 1 million mark – its total figure now stands at 1.18 million (across all formats).
Dame Vera Lynn becomes the oldest living artist to score a Top 10 album
Dame Vera Lynn enters the record books today as the oldest living artist to enter the Official Albums Chart.
The iconic "Forces' Sweetheart" is a brand new entry at Number 3 with latest album 100, which features orchestral reinterpretations of classics like We'll Meet Again and White Cliffs of Dover and special guests including Alfie Boe, Alexander Armstrong and Aled Jones.
At the grand age of 100, Vera is the first ever centenarian to chart, and smashes her own record from June 2014, when she became the oldest living artist to reach the Top 20 with her National Treasure album.
The record-breaking Dame said: “I have been quite overwhelmed by the response to my 100th birthday and now the icing on the cake is the news that my new Decca album is No. 3 in the UK Album Charts.”
It's yet another chart feat for Dame Vera to add to her collection; she still holds the record for the oldest living artist to score a Number 1 album, hitting the top in 2009 with her Very Best Of collection, at the age of 93.
Official Charts Company Chief Executive Martin Talbot comments:
"What a fantastic achievement for Vera Lynn, to set these amazing landmarks and find herself rubbing shoulders in the albums Top 5 with Ed Sheeran, Drake, Rag 'N' Bone Man and Depeche Mode. I'm sure they feel equally as honoured to be mentioned in the same breath as such a genuine British icon."
Drake was Ed’s closest competition this week – his seventh album More Life lands at Number 2 with 63,000 equivalent sales. Meanwhile, two more new records land inside the Top 10: Depeche Mode’s 14th collection Spirit at 5 (their 17th Top 10 album), and Zara Larsson’s debut So Good enters at 7.
Further down, British country duo The Shires rebound 36 places with their second album My Universe to Number 26, The Beatles’ iconic SGT Pepper’s album re-enters 32 thanks to a special vinyl promotion, and a further two albums hit the Top 40: Rick Ross’ Rather You Than Me (29) and Vera Lynn’s National Treasure (30).
Behind Ed Sheeran’s Shape Of You (1), the singer continues to hold the Top 3, with Galway Girl at 2 and Castle On The Hill at 3.
This week’s highest new entry goes to Drake’s Passionfruit, which enters at Number 4. A total of 12 songs from the star’s More Life album enter the Top 40 this week, with his Giggs collaboration KMT also reaching the Top 10 at Number 9.
Elsewhere, Martin Jensen’s Solo Dance lifts four places to 8, and Anne-Marie’s Ciao Adios is up ten spots to Number 10 – her first Top 10 as a headline artist.
Finally, there are three big climbers in this week’s Top 40: Zedd & Alessia Cara’s Stay climbs 11 spots to Number 12, Bruno Mars’ That’s What I Like jumps ten places to 25, and Julia Michaels’ Issues lifts eight to 28.
