Ed Sheeran Set To Hit No 1 On UK Album Chart
Ed Sheeran’s = (Equals) is racing ahead in the race for No 1 on this week’s Official Albums Chart, after racking up impressive numbers at the halfway stage of the chart week.
After already shifting 84,000 chart sales across the weekend, Ed is currently outperforming the rest of the Top 40 combined. The singer-songwriter’s new album is comfortably leading the charge on all fronts – physical sales, downloads and streams. And if it continues at its current pace, = could overtake Coldplay’s Music Of The Spheres to claim the biggest UK opening week of 2021 so far (101,000 chart sales).
Ed has previously hit No 1 on the Official Albums Chart with all three of his studio albums; + (2011), x (2014), ÷ (2017), as well as his No 6 Collaborations Project (2019).
Elsewhere this week, a further eight new releases could land inside the Top 10. Behind Ed is former Verve frontman Richard Ashcroft with Acoustic Hymns – Vol 1 at Number 2, while the 25th anniversary re-release of Spice Girls’ classic debut album, Spice, looks on track to return to the UK Top 10 at No 3. It previously topped the Official Albums Chart for 15 weeks.
At No 5 are The War On Drugs with I Don’t Live Here Anymore, while US blues-rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa could gain his sixth UK Top 10 with Time Clocks at No 6. Heavy metal band Mastodon are looking for a new entry at No 8 with Hushed And Grim, while a remixed and updated version of Pink Floyd’s A Momentary Lapse Of Reason is currently at No 9. Motorhead’s greatest hits collection, Everything Louder Forever, could earn the band their fifth UK Top 10 album at No 10.
Meanwhile, Sheeran is in the news after revealing he was surprised at the reaction that his cameo in Game Of Thrones recieved in an interview with Absolute Radio’s Dave Berry,“I didn’t expect there to be that much backlash but I am definitely like more careful when I am offered cameos now.”