Sam Fender scores biggest opening week for British album since Harry Styles
It comes as the singer prepares to perform at the Brit Awards this weekend.
Singer Sam Fender has scored the biggest opening week for a British album since Harry’s House by Harry Styles, with his third studio album, People Watching, the Official Charts company has confirmed.
The LP is the North Shields singer’s third number one album, and racked up 107,100 chart units in its first seven days, placing it at number one on the UK albums chart.
It is the first time an artist has sold more than 100,000 units since former One Direction singer Styles managed 113,000 units with his third album in its first week back in May 2022.
The 30-year-old is only the ninth artist in UK charts history to sell more than 100,000 units in an album’s first week, joining Taylor Swift, Adele, Coldplay, Ed Sheeran, Styles, Take That, Abba and Arctic Monkeys.
Fender also broke the record for the fastest-selling vinyl album by a British act this century, selling 43,000 physical records.
Speaking after topping the UK albums chart, Fender said: “This is completely overwhelming.
“Thank you to everyone who’s supported us and listened to the album this week.”
It comes as Fender prepares to perform at the Brit Awards on Saturday, where he is nominated for artist of the year and best rock or alternative act.
He beat Canadian singer Tate McRae to the albums chart summit.
She scored a career best number two for her album, So Close To What.
The rest of the top five was made up of Sabrina Carpenter’s Short N’ Sweet (three), Partynextdoor and Drake’s Some Sexy Songs 4 U (four), and Ed Sheeran’s + – = Divide X (Tour Collection) (five).
Rapper Kendrick Lamar topped the UK singles chart for a second week with Drake diss track Not Like Us, beating Chappell Roan’s Pink Pony Club in number two to what would have been her first UK number one single.
The rest of the UK singles chart was made up of McRae’s Sports Car (three), Lady Gaga’s Abracadabra (four) and Benson Boone’s Beautiful Things (five).
Fender began his career in 2013 and has achieved three UK top 10 singles and three UK number one albums, he is best known for the songs Hypersonic Missiles, Seventeen Going Under and Homesick, recorded with Noah Kahan.
