The A&M/Octone/Polydor-issued Payphone featuring Wiz Khalifa has opened up a significant lead at the top, outselling its two nearest rivals combined, according to Official Charts Company data.
Its strong start reflects its UK release having been held back, prompting such a build-up in demand that a sound-alike version by Precision Tunes on the PT label made the UK Top 10 last week. As a consequence of the original finally being available, this reworking has now dropped down to 48 in the midweeks.
Maroon 5's expected debut at one will end Polydor colleague Cheryl Cole's chart-topping reign after just a week having debuted at the top with Call My Name last Sunday with the highest first-week sales of the year. Call My Name is currently two in the midweeks with Atlantic act Flo Rida's Whistle dropping 2-3 and Warner Bros act Stooshe showing up as a new entry at four with Black Heart.
Completing the singles Top 10 at this point in the week are Parlophone's Coldplay featuring Rihanna falling 4-5 with Princess Of China, Asylum/Black Butter's Feel The Love by Rudimental featuring John Newman dropping 5-6, the Atlantic/Fueled By Ramen-issued We Are Young by Fun featuring Janelle Monae down 6-7, Interscope/Polydor's Carly Rae Jepsen back up 10-8 with Call Me Maybe, the Decca Gary Barlow/Commonwealth Band single Sing sliding 3-9 and RCA act Usher's Scream slipping 8-10.
While the singles battle looks lost, Cole has a chance of leading the UK artist albums chart this weekend. Her third solo set A Million Lights is currently behind Mercury act Justin Bieber's own brand new album Believe, although the sales gap up until the end of business on Tuesday was just 3,263 units.
Following her appearance on Graham Norton's BBC One show last Friday night RCA act Paloma Faith climbs 5-3 with her RCA set Fall To Grace with weekly sales up 64% as sales of the track she performed Picking Up The Pieces increase 84% to move it 14-11 on the singles midweeks. Meanwhile, sales of Emeli Sande's Virgin album Our Version Of Events improve 18% as it progresses 6-5.
After spending its first three weeks at number one, the Gary Barlow/Commonwealth Band Decca album Sing will fall this weekend with sales on the week dropping 54%. It is the week so far's sixth biggest artist album with Mercury act Amy MacDonald's Life In A Beautiful Light now fourth having debuted at two last Sunday and RCA act Usher's Looking 4 Myself seventh after charting at three last weekend.
Slash's new Roadrunner album Apocalyptic Love featuring Myles Kennedy is showing up as a new entry at eight. Parlophone act Coldplay's Mylo Xyloto fall 4-9 and US country superstar Carrie Underwood's first UK chart entry could be in the Top 10 with her newly-issued RCA album Blown Away currently a new entry at number 10.
Reverend & The Makers' brand new Cooking Vinyl album At Reverend Makers is 13th at this stage of the week, while also set to chart this Sunday is Oceania, the new Smashing Pumpkins album released on their Martha's Music label through their old record company Virgin, and The Lost Tapes by Kraut rock band Can, released by the Spoon label through Mute/EMI.
Back on singles and Paul Weller is set for a new entry this Sunday with a cover of The Beatles' Birthday, especially recorded to mark Sir Paul McCartney's 70th birthday. It is presently a new entry at 30 on the midweeks.
The full midweek singles and albums charts are on musicweek.com.
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