Taylor Swift is on course to claim her fifth Number 1 on the Official UK Albums Chart with Folklore.
Following the surprise release of the US superstar’s eighth studio album last Friday, Folklore leads today’s Official Chart Update, outperforming the rest of the Top 5 combined.
The 16-track collection was the most downloaded and streamed album over the weekend, being solely available on those formats until it gets a physical release later in the year.
Taylor’s previous chart-topping albums in the UK are Red (2012), 1989 (2014), Reputation (2017) and Lover (2019).
Three songs from the album are on track to debut inside this week’s Official Singles Chart Top 10: Cardigan, Exile with Bon Iver and The 1.
Meanwhile, Ronan Keating’s eleventh studio record Twenty Twenty starts at Number 2 and leads the way on CD sales. The album, which features a mix of brand-new songs and updated versions of his best-known hits, is in line to be the Irish singer’s ninth Top 10 album as a soloist.
Also in the Top 5 is Bob Marley & The Wailers’ Legend, which rockets fifteen places to Number 5 following a release on picture disc vinyl. The album has the second-longest UK Top 100 reign behind ABBA’s Gold; this week will mark its 936th stint.
Art-pop musician Fiona Apple could collect her first UK Top 10 album this week with Fetch The Bolt Cutters, currently at Number 9 following its release on physical formats. The collection debuted at Number 33 in April as a digital-only release.
The final album from soon-to-be-retired US rapper Logic, No Pressure, could also strike up a Top 10 debut at Number 10.
Welsh pop-punk band Neck Deep are at 11 midweek with their fourth studio album All Distortions Are Intentional, while blues legend Seasick Steve is close behind at 13 with his tenth record Love & Peace.
PJ Harvey has two albums vying for Top 40 slots this week. The first, Dry – Demos - a collection of early versions of songs from her 1992 debut album Dry – is currently placed at Number 14, while the seminal album itself – also recently reissued – is at Number 24.
More prospective new entries this week include the debut album from Australian rapper The Kid Laroi F**k Love (19), Old Flowers by Americana singer Courtney Marie Andrews (20), electronic act John Foxx and The Maths’ fourth studio album Howl (21), and Virus, the fifth record from London prog-rock group Haken (32).
Queen’s 1980 album The Game eyes a Top 40 return after its 40th anniversary vinyl release at Number 32, and finally, ABBA boxset The Albums could enter the Top 40 for the first time at Number 39 following a limited vinyl repressing.
