23.11.2020 – L.dK Weekly

ARIANA GRANDE CROWNS TOP 50 FOR THIRD WEEK WITH POSITIONS.

As Positions goes Platinum, Paloma Faith starts in the Top Ten.

Ariana Grande’s Positions posts a third week at No.1 on the L.dK Weekly Chart, becoming the singer’s third album to spend as many weeks at the top spot. It ties Sweetener as Grande’s longest-running number one hit, lagging only thank u, next which ruled for four weeks in 2019.

Positions swells by 14 percent, selling 111,000 copies in the most recent tracking week. The album has now sold 364,000 units since its release, and has been certified Platinum (denoting sales exceeding 300,000).

Grande now boasts four Platinum records: Sweetener (5 x Platinum), thank u, next (3 x Platinum), K Bye for Now (2 x Platinum) and the newly-minted Positions.

Also present in the Top Ten, sitting at No.7 for a third week is Grande’s 2018 No.1 hit Sweetener, shifting 30,000 copies (up 36 percent). Having spent 32 weeks in the Top Ten to date, the album now ranks as the tenth longest-charting album ever in the region, surpassing Annie Lennox’s Medusa which spent 31 weeks in the bracket.

Rising one spot to No.2 this week is Taylor Swift’s mega-hit folklore – on sales of 60,000 units (up 20 percent) – which earns its 17th straight week inside the top three. It holds above Joji’s No.2 peaking Nectar which reverses course 4-3 selling 37,000 copies (down 3 percent).

Kylie Minogue’s Disco slides 2-4 in its second week. Its sales dip by 38 percent to 36,000 sold. After two weeks, the album has been certified Silver (60,000).

Fleetwood Mac are up 6-5 with their Greatest Hits compilation set (32,000 – up 10 percent) as the album collects a double set of honours this week! Simultaneously, the set celebrates a whole year on L.dK Weekly (52 weeks) and reaches Triple Platinum status, having sold more than 900,000 copies since its release. It is the second album from Fleetwood Mac to be certified 3 x Platinum, as it follows Rumours which is tagged as 6 x Platinum (1.8 million).

Carole King’s A Beautiful Collection drops 5-6 and leaves the Top Five for the first time, after 21 weeks. It moves 31,000 units this week (up 3 percent).

Opening at No.8 on the Top 50, Paloma Faith debuts with Infinite Things. The album racked up sales of 30,000 copies in its opening week, a far cry from Faith’s last album The Architect which debuted at No.2 in November 2017 selling 218,000 units. Infinite is Faith’s second album to chart.

Capping the Top Ten are two of the top-selling albums of 2020: Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia climbs one spot to No.9 (27,000 – up 42 percent), and Harry Styles’s Fine Line lifts 11-10 (23,000 – up 27 percent).

Industry Sales: This week, total music sales surged by 17.3% to 905,000 across all formats. This is the largest sales week since the chart dated 3rd August when 969,000 albums were sold. Compared to the same week last year, when 623,000 units were sold, album sales are up by a massive 45.2%!

Onto Next Week: Multiple albums are scheduled to impact the L.dK Weekly Top 50 in the coming week. BTS are aiming for their second Top Five hit as their new set BE. could start with upwards of 60,000 units, and could potentially compete with Ariana Grande’s Positions for the No.1 spot. Megan Thee Stallion’s Good News is also gunning for a Top Ten start with around 30,000 units sold. It would be the first Top Ten for the rapper.

Annie Lennox’s Christmas Cornucopia is set for a Top 20 start following it’s 10th anniversary reissue. It’s release mirrors the retrospective arrival of Kate Bush’s winter-themed 50 Words for Snow. Both albums could debut with between 10,000 and 20,000 units.

Notable moves in the Top 50

No.11 – Fetch the Bolt Cutters / Fiona Apple’s critically acclaimed album debuted at No.4 earlier in the year, and has not left the Top 30 since. Now, in its 31st week, it roars 20-11 selling 21,000 copies, bringing its lifetimes sales figure to 615,000 copies. Fetch has now been certified 2 x Platinum (600,000).

No.14 – Live in Concert / Stevie Nicks’ live set slides 8-14 in its third week selling 17,000 units after reaching No.6. The album has now been certified Silver (60,000).

No.23 – In a Dream / Troye Sivan’s recent EP rose to No.2 upon its release, and now in its 13th week sits at No.23 with 11,000 copies in the most recent week. It is the second effort from Sivan to sell more than 300,000 units and earn a Platinum badge! His sophomore set Bloom has sold 627,000 to date.

No.32 – 25 / Adele’s 2015 chart mainstay 25 rises 36-32 this week shifting 8,000 copies. It makes its 100th appearance on the chart, dating to its first showing in March 2017. The album has been certified 4 x Platinum (1.2 million) and has sold more than 1.4 million copies to date. 25 is just the third record to stay on the Top 50 for 100 weeks, joining Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours (101 weeks) and Stevie Nicks’ Bella Donna (114 weeks).

Top 50

1. [=/3] Positions – Ariana Grande (3)
2. [+1] folklore – Taylor Swift (17)
3. [+1] Nectar – Joji (8)
4. [-2] Disco – Kylie Minogue (2)
5. [+1] Greatest Hits – Fleetwood Mac (52)
6. [-1] A Beautiful Collection – Carole King (22)
7. [=] Sweetener – Ariana Grande (96)
8. [NEW] Infinite Things – Paloma Faith (1)
9. [+1] Future Nostalgia – Dua Lipa (34)
10. [+1] Fine Line – Harry Styles (49)
11. [+9] Fetch the Bolt Cutters – Fiona Apple (31)
12. [-3] Norman Fucking Rockwell! – Lana Del Rey (64)
13. [+2] The Collection – Alanis Morissette (32)
14. [-6] Live in Concert: the 24 Karat Gold Tour – Stevie Nicks (3)
15. [+2] Chromatica – Lady Gaga (25)
16. [+3] Timespace: the Best of Stevie Nicks – Stevie Nicks (50)
17. [-3] The Whole Story – Kate Bush (72)
18. [=] Violet Bent Backwards Over the Grass – Lana Del Rey (17)
19. [-7] Rumours – Fleetwood Mac (101)
20. [-7] What’s Your Pleasure? – Jessie Ware (21)
21. [-5] thank u, next – Ariana Grande (43)
22. [+3] Diva – Annie Lennox (94)
23. [+1] In a Dream – Troye Sivan (13)
24. [-2] Such Pretty Forks in the Road – Alanis Morissette (16)
25. [+15] Piano Sketches – Birdy (2)
26. [+2] Album No.8 – Katie Melua (4)
27. [-6] Bella Donna – Stevie Nicks (114)
28. [-5] After Hours – The Weeknd (35)
29. [-3] Ungodly Hour – Chloe x Halle (23)
30. [+3] Shake the Spirit – Elle King (48)
31. [+7] Love + Fear – MARINA (58)
32. [+4] 25 – Adele (100)
33. [-6] She’s so Unusual – Cyndi Lauper (76)
34. [-5] Petals for Armor – Hayley Williams (28)
35. [-5] A Star is Born – Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper (89)
36. [-5] Medusa – Annie Lennox (68)
37. [-5] Dangerous Woman – Ariana Grande (15)
38. [NEW] Hey u x – Benne (1)
39. [-5] Manic – Halsey (17)
40. [re] Tusk – Fleetwood Mac (27)
41. [-4] Glasshouse – Jessie Ware (88)
42. [-3] Back to Black – Amy Winehouse (78)
43. [+1] Map of the Soul: 7 – BTS (39)
44. [re] Bad Animals – HEART (70)
45. [+3] The Red Shoes – Kate Bush (53)
46. [-11] Love Goes – Sam Smith (3)
47. [re] The Wild Heart – Stevie Nicks (79)
48. [-5] Little Earthquakes – Tori Amos (48)
49. [re] 21 – Adele (49)
50. [re] Hounds of Love – Kate Bush (46)

Certifications: Silver (60,000 units), Gold (100,000), Platinum (300,000), Diamond (3,000,000)