David Bowie’s new album, ‘The Next Day’, gave him both his first U.K. No. 1 album in 20 years and the market’s fastest-selling artist album of 2013 when it made its chart debut on Sunday.
The album sold 94,000 copies in the U.K. in its first week, according to the Official Charts Company. Bon Jovi’s ‘What About Now’ debuted at No. 2 with 37,000 sales, with Emeli Sandé’s ‘Our Version of Events’ rounding out the top three.
In Australia, the top two positions were reversed, with Bon Jovi debuting at the top and Bowie’s new one coming in second.
‘The Next Day’ is Bowie’s ninth No. 1 on the U.K. album chart, his first being ‘Aladdin Sane’ in 1973 and his last before this one being ‘Black Tie White Noise’, 20 years later in 1993.
Recorded in secret over two years with long-time producer Tony Visconti, Bowie’s latest is a collection of new recordings, the first single of which, ‘Where Are We Now’, was released completely unexpectedly on his birthday on January 8th.
American sales data from Billboard will reveal on Wednesday whether or not Bowie has outsold Bon Jovi’s ‘What About Now’ in the U.S. market, which would give him his first ever U.S. No. 1 album.
