Irish singer-songwriter Cian Ducrot has scored a No.1 album with aptly-titled debut Victory (Polydor).
In a close chart contest with Skindred, Ducrot debuted at the summit with sales of 15,668 units (10,299 CDs, 1,413 vinyl albums, 689 cassettes, 1,484 digital downloads and 1,783 sales-equivalent streams), according to the Official Charts Company. It is also No.1 in Ireland.
The No.1 success follows singles chart entries including All For You (No.19 peak, 574,874 sales to date) and I’ll Be Waiting (No.16, 370,736). He has gone on to amass 6.5 million monthly listeners on Spotify, and more than 500m streams across all tracks.
Ducrot is managed by Victoria de Juniac, who signed the Irish artist to Polydor. UMG’s Darkroom and Interscope in the US handles North America, with Polydor responsible for the campaign in the rest of the world.
“To have two Top 20 singles and a No.1 debut album is a pretty incredible result,” said Helen Fleming, head of artist development. “Victory is also the first No.1 debut album this year, which makes this one feel just that little bit extra special.”
“Cian and Vic are so full of creativity and drive,” said Fred Stuart, head of digital creative & artist development, Polydor. “We’ve loved collaborating with them.
“Nothing has been done in the traditional way and the right questions were always asked. We’ve also made sure to listen and respond to the growing fan community in real time. This album is a building block in a much bigger global story.”
Ducrot’s single Heaven is at No.7 on Radiomonitor’s radio airplay chart and is on the Radio 1 playlist.
Across Spotify, YouTube, Instagram and Facebook, his following has increased from 1.3m to 7.1m in less than a year.
“Cian’s campaign has been a ride since the beginning with the incredible engagement and growth of his first single as a Polydor artist, All For You,” said Fleming. “He has this instant charm and charisma that, mixed with his exceptional songwriting ability, means fans gravitate to him in their millions.”
Ducrot went viral on TikTok accompanied by a flash mob choir performing impromptu renditions of songs at locations including the National Gallery in London.
“We went meteoric with I’ll Be Waiting and those choir videos, but I think the connection created from the clips was more than just the flash mob element, it was the recognition people feel in Cian’s lyrics,” added Fleming.
Ducrot celebrated the release of Victory with a TikTok LIVE. He revisited the spot he used to busk in his hometown of Cork and headed to a local pub for a livestream show.
He has been announced as the latest act to become Spotify UK’s Radar artist.
“Cian is unbelievably hardworking and creative, as are his core team around him,” said Fleming. “The trust and dedication he shares with his manager, Vic de Juniac, and his content creator, Nathan Daly, has meant that we have been able to be nimble and reactive within our wider planned campaign strategy.
“The run into the No.1 was a tougher week than we expected but seeing how the different communities rallied around the different artists was an exciting moment to be a part of. The work Fred and I do focuses on building out the relationship between artist and fanbase, and we saw the fruits of that chasing down the No.1 – when Cian called, his fans answered.”
In November, Ducrot will play his biggest headline show to date in London at the Eventim Apollo in Hammersmith as part of a UK and Ireland tour.
PHOTO: Holly Whittaker
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