Madonna has returned to the top of the UK Official Albums Chart for the first time in over a decade with her latest release, Confessions II. The monumental achievement cements her status as the first American female artist to secure a Number 1 album across five distinct decades. Earning her 13th UK chart-topping record, the global superstar now equals Elvis Presley in fifth place on the all-time leaderboard for the most historic Number 1 albums in music history.
Confessions II represents the Queen of Pop's first chart-topping record since 2012's MDNA. Her incredible run of British chart leaders began over forty years ago and includes cultural touchstones such as Like a Virgin (1984), True Blue (1986), The Immaculate Collection (1990), Ray of Light (1998), Music (2000), and her 2005 prequel Confessions on a Dancefloor. This latest record also claimed the Number 1 position on the Official Vinyl Albums Chart, shifting the most physical copies on wax over the past seven days.
It is also a momentous week for London-born singer-songwriter Sienna Spiro, whose highly anticipated debut album Visitor entered the charts at Number 2, securing the title of the biggest British debut album of the year so far. Spiro also clinched the top spot on the Official Record Store Chart, proving to be the best-seller across independent UK record shops.
Further down the charts, rock stalwarts Deep Purple obtained their 27th Top 40 record with SPLAT! landing at Number 12. Pitbull’s Greatest Hits rose to a new peak at Number 18 ahead of his headline BST Hyde Park show. Meanwhile, K-pop icons BTS vaulted 16 spots to Number 21 with ARIRANG following a blockbuster two-night spectacle at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and My Chemical Romance’s seminal LP The Black Parade re-entered the Top 40 at Number 27 as the band prepared to rock Wembley Stadium on their latest tour. Country duo The Shires secured their sixth Top 40 entry with Bonfire at Number 28, and indie rock newcomers mary in the junkyard bagged their first-ever chart entry with debut LP Role Model Hermit at Number 30.
