Charts analysis: Lewis Capaldi returns to albums summit

After ceding pole position to Stormzy last week, Lewis Capaldi returns to the top of the album chart, with debut release Divinely Uninspired To A Hellish Extent starting its fifth run at the summit, and spending its eighth week in pole position, on consumption of 18,298 units (including 12,055 from sales-equivalent streams). It is the lowest consumption tally for a No.1 for 35 weeks. The deposed Stormzy slips to No.3 (15,753 sales) with Heavy Is The Head. Selena Gomez leads the week’s new intake, which sees three albums debuting inside the Top 10, and seven in the Top 75. The first of her six studio albums – the first three with The Scene, the last three solo – on which she has co-written every song, Rare is Gomez’s first album in more than four years, and looks set to give her a third straight No.1 and sixth straight Top 10 entry in her native USA. It is her first Top 10 album here, debuting at No.2 (17,661 sales, including 5,122 on cassette, in which format it commands 84.37% of the week’s sales). Gomez’s most recent album, 2015’s Revival, secured her highest previous UK chart placing (No.11) and is also her biggest-seller (107,389 sales). Leicester quintet Easy Life have released a couple of mixtapes/EPs previously, but neither was chart-eligible. Their latest, Junk Food – a seven-song, 18-minute, eclectic collage – is, and lands on the chart at No.7 (6,597 sales). Of these sales, 1,988 are on vinyl, enabling it to debut atop said format’s chart. Their fellow East Midlander, classical cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, also ventures into the Top 10 for the first time. Kanneh-Mason was the first black winner of BBC's Young Musician Of The Year, the youngest classical artist to make the Top 40 for almost a decade, and the youngest cellist to have a Top 20 album when, at the age of 18, his debut album, Inspiration, debuted at No.18 in February 2018. It subsequently peaked 16 weeks later at No.11, after the Nottingham native’s performance at the wedding of Prince Harry & Meghan Markle, and has gone on to sell 43,539 copies. His follow-up, Elgar, on which he is accompanied by The London Symphony Orchestra directed by Simon Rattle, debuts at No.8 (5,101 sales) – and like his first album, at No.1 on the classical chart. Despite its title, only six of its 14 tracks are compositions of Edward Elgar, with other tracks including the traditional Blow The Wind Southerly and Scarborough Fair. The rest of the Top 10: No.6 Collaborations Project (3-4, 9,351 sales) by Ed Sheeran, Fine Line (4-5, 8,638 sales) by Harry Styles, When We Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? (5-6, 8,338 sales) by Billie Eilish, Hollywood’s Bleeding (9-9, 4,714 sales) by Post Malone and You’re In My Heart (6-10, 4,688 sales) by Rod Stewart. Exiting the Top 10: What A Time To Be Alive (8-11, 4,624 sales) by Tom Walker, Everyday Life (7-12, 4,255 sales) by Coldplay and Back Together (10-26, 2,694 sales) by Michael Ball & Alfie Boe. Nearly three years after London indie act The Big Moon’s carefree first album, Love In The Fourth Dimension, debuted and peaked at No.66, the all-female quartet’s follow-up, the more political, social and environmentally conscious Walking Like We Do, makes a much bigger splash, debuting at No.19 (3,423 sales). Only two acts who share their name with US states have made the UK album chart – and both are British. The first was Scots-band Texas, who landed 11 Top 40 albums between 1989 and 2017, and the second is Georgia, a 29-year-old Londoner, whose second album, Seeking Thrills, mixes pop-synth and dance influences, and debuts at No.24 (2,772 sales). It thus instantly surpasses career sales of her eponymous 2015 debut, which never made the Top 200, and has sales to date of 2,277 copies. Andy Williams is the second artist already this year, and the 16th in 12 months, to secure a chart entry with a 3 CD Crimson label release entitled Gold. The Williams set lands at No.29 (2,560 sales), becoming his 28th Top 40 album, more than 54 years after Almost There became his first. It is his first new chart entry since 2009, when The Very Best Of became his 11th and last Top 10 album, peaking at No.10. It subsequently returned to the chart, reaching No.50, immediately after his death, at the age of 84, in 2012, and has sold 170,162 copies. More than 43 years after their album chart debut, and 33 years after they last charted, Liverpool R&B/soul band The Real Thing secure their fifth chart entry with new Sanctuary compilation, Very Best Of, which opens at No.58 (1,822 sales). The album includes several tracks only available hitherto on vinyl, and Someone Oughta Write A Song (About You Baby), which was to have been their third single but which has not previously been released – although co-writer Ken Gold subsequently cut and released almost identical versions with contemporaneous bands Delegation and The Realistics. Frozen 2 is No.1 compilation for the second time (6,352 sales, including 4,176 from sales-equivalent streaming). Overall album sales are up 2.44% week-on-week at 1,809,646, 4.25% above same week 2019 sales of 1,735,879. Sales-equivalent streams accounted for 1,325,565 sales, a record 73.25% of the total. Sales of paid-for albums are down 7.54% week-on-week at 484,081, 20.14% below same week 2019 sales of 606,131.

The biz's brightest new talents tell their stories. This week it's the turn of Ellie Pike, Global account manager, brand events. What’s been your best music biz moment so far? “Such a hard question! I’ve been lucky enough to have so many career highlights and life-changing moments already, but Download 2017 was particularly special. I was managing the side of stage experiences for the charities and sponsorship teams for Live Nation. I organised to take a boy from the Make A Wish Foundation to watch Five Finger Death Punch from the side of the stage. During their set, the guitarist waved to the boy and the he had the biggest smile on his face. It really reminded me of why we all do what we do – music is just so powerful. At Global, it’s got to be project managing on Classic FM Live with Honda Jazz at the Royal Albert Hall back in April. It’s such a stunning concert and a privilege to work on.” How difficult was it to break into the industry? “Our industry is not an easy one to crack for newbies. Throughout university, I interned part-time anywhere that would take me – distribution companies, PR companies, radio plugging agencies and, finally, promoters. Mama Festivals was my real break, interning for the amazing Great Escape festival team. I moved with them over to Live Nation during the acquisition, and from there it was really a case of being in the right place at the right time. I’d say all in all it’s 80% hard graft and 20% luck…” What are you most excited about heading into 2020? “All of the wicked albums we’re expecting this year! The 1975, The Big Moon, HMLTD and even La Roux... Yes please! From a business perspective, I’m looking forward to seeing how artist relationships with brands will shift. We already see so many celebrity endorsements for brands, but I think 2020 will be the year the stereotypical artist partnership evolves both in live and in records.” How would you change the biz? “My pet peeve is still the lack of women on festival line-ups. There are a lot of factors at play when it comes to why women aren’t getting those headline slots, but general day spots are also still lacking a real female presence. A few promoters are making real headway with this, but it’s time to nurture our female talent throughout the live industry.” What’s your dream music biz job? “The job I do at Global is the dream already! I get the opportunity to project manage with brands on music events that cover all genres, from Capital Xtra to Radio X to Classic FM, at the UK’s biggest venues, so there is never a dull day. But if I had to say anything, it would be to curate and promote my own gigs in association with music charities.” ELLIE’S RECOMMENDED TRACK:

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