Lizzo scores first number-one album with Special!
Plus: Joni Mitchell & Adele nab new certifications; Sam Fender & Tracy Chapman re-enter Top Ten!
Lizzo nabs her first ever number-one album on the L.dK Weekly Top Fifty as Special premiers at the top spot with first-week sales of 101,000 units – this figure is comprised of 97,000 pure sales and a further 4,000 pre-sales derived from singles released prior to the album. Special is the 84th album to hit the top spot on L.dK Weekly, and earns the greatest sales week since the week dated 06 June when Harry Styles’s Harry’s House sold 106,000 in its sophomore frame.
Joni Mitchell’s Court and Spark retreats to No.2 after a total of four weeks in pole position, selling 73,000 units (down 14 percent). The jazz-inflected album has now been certified Double Platinum for selling over 600,000 units in just eight weeks. It is Mitchell’s second release to achieve Multi-Platinum status, following Blue which has been certified 7 x Platinum to date.
Adele’s historic 30 sinks 2-3, moving a further 40,000 copies (down 8 percent) as it becomes only the sixth album in history to be certified at least 11 x Platinum, denoting sales exceeding 3.3 million units. 30 currently ranks as the sixth bestselling album of all time on sales of 3.30 million, just behind Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia which has racked up sales of 3.34 million since its 2020 release.
Sam Fender roars back into the Top Five for the first time since the chart dated 16 May as Seventeen Going Under blasts 10-4, selling 35,000 copies (up 75 percent) following the release of new single “Alright”.
Rounding out the Top Five: Conan Gray’s No.4-peaking Superache ticks 6-5 in its fourth week on sales of 33,000 copies (up 6 percent).
A quintet of chart-topping hits round out this week’s Top Ten: HAIM’s Women in Music Pt. III dives 4-6 (33,000 units – down 8 percent); Kate Bush’s Hounds of Love tumbles 3-7 (33,000 units – down 11 percent); Florence + the Machine’s Dance Fever steps down 7-8 (24,000 units – down 8 percent); Harry Styles’s Harry’s House slides 4-9 (23,000 units – down 30 percent); Tracy Chapman’s self-titled debut ascends 12-10 (22,000 units – up 22 percent).
Onto Next Week: Joni Mitchell’s Court and Spark could be on track to return for a fifth week atop the Top Fifty, as it tracks for a sales week of over 70,000 units. Lizzo’s Special has an outside shot at retaining the crown, with early projections placing its second week sales at around 50,000 units.
L.dK Weekly Top Fifty
Notable Moves in the Top Fifty
No.12 – Hejira / Joni Mitchell’s ode to the open road rises 14-12 in its second week to reach a new peak, selling 19,000 units.
No.18 – Chromatica / As Lady Gaga kicks off her Chromatica Ball, her 2020 album of the same name re-enters at No.18 selling 14,000 copies, nabbing its 63rd week on the tally. Chromatica spent six weeks at number-one in 2020 and has since sold 2.06 million copies.
No.19 – folklore / Taylor Swift’s blockbuster became a mega-hit in 2020, and has continued to sell well ever since, racking up lifetime sales of 4.75 million to become the second bestselling album ever released. It now adds another accolade as it becomes the 19th album to spend a full two years inside the Top Fifty.
No.20 – Boys for Pele / Tori Amos’s third studio album descends 16-20 after peaking at No.15, moving 13,000 copies. The album is now certified Gold for selling over 100,000 units, becoming Amos’s third album to achieve this, following Little Earthquakes (4 x Platinum); Under the Pink (Platinum); and Ocean to Ocean (Gold).
No.22 – The Red Shoes / Kate Bush’s 1993 album becomes her first studio album to be certified 4 x Platinum for selling over 1.2 million copies.
No.30 – Chemtrails Over the Country Club / Lana Del Rey’s followup to the record-breaking Norman Fucking Rockwell! has now sold a whopping 2 million units since its release in March 2021. This makes Lana Del Rey the first artist ever to achieve three multi-million selling albums; NFR! has sold 5.28 million, and Lust for Life has moved 2.92 million. Del Rey passes Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Adele, Annie Lennox and Stevie Nicks, who all boast two multi-million sellers.
L.dK Weekly Top Artists
Note
Certifications: Silver (60,000); Gold (100,000); Platinum (300,000); Multi-Platinum (600,000 etc.); Diamond (3,000,000).
L.dK Music 