Olivia Rodrigo has reached No.1 with Vampire.
It means the US star has secured a third UK No.1 single, following chart-topping success with Drivers License and Good 4 U. Her second album, Guts, is released on September 8.
In its ninth chart week, Vampire moved 3-1 thanks to the release of a physical edition – pulling ahead of Paint The Town Red by Doja Cat as the week progressed. Vampire sold 8,606 cassettes, 4,675 CDs and 909 digital downloads, along with 29,021 sales-equivalent streams, boosting its overall consumption to 43,211 units in the past week.
Vampire has sales to date of 352,467, according to the Official Charts Company. It was streamed 3,369,859 times in the UK in the latest chart frame.
“From the moment we heard Vampire back in June we knew this song was going to be huge,” Ali Tant, head of marketing at Polydor, told Music Week. “We’ve had to be patient – it’s taken nine weeks in the Top 5 to get to the summit, but we’re over the moon it has, particularly with Olivia’s incredible new album coming next week. We’re lucky to work with Olivia, she’s a special, special artist.”
There are high expectations for Guts, following the success of 2021 debut album Sour (743,758 sales to date). Rodrigo was Music Week’s Artist Of The Year for 2021. She was recently recognised with a BRIT Billion award for UK streaming consumption.
As revealed in Music Week’s charts analysis, Rodrigo is the first woman to have three No.1 singles in the 2020s, moving ahead of Ariana Grande, Ellie Goulding, Billie Eilish and Dua Lipa, who have all had two.
Rodrigo’s single Bad Idea Right? held steady at No.11 and has sales to date of 69,880.
On the albums chart, Burna Boy debuted at the summit with I Told Them… (Atlantic), becoming the first international Afrobeats artist to reach No.1. I Told Them… registered 14,164 sales (5,879 CDs, 675 vinyl albums, 212 digital downloads and 7,398 sales-equivalent streams).
Martin Talbot, chief executive, Official Charts, said: “What a fantastic achievement it is by Burna Boy to become the first international artist to take Afrobeats to the top of the UK’s official albums chart. British music fans have always been renowned for their love of new music and embracing cultures from around the world, and the explosion of interest in Afrobeats’ musical culture over the past decade has been a concrete example of this.
“It has been fantastic to see Burna Boy blazing the trail as part of this – and this week reaching the absolute pinnacle. Congratulations to Burna Boy!”
Faron McKenzie, head of BBC Radio 1Xtra, said: “Huge congratulations to Burna Boy. It has been a phenomenal year for Afrobeats and I am so proud that BBC 1Xtra are a part of this global movement as the home of the UK’s Official Afrobeats Chart Show with Eddie Kadi.
“Our commitment is to showcase Afrobeats' diverse talent and give its artists a dedicated platform for national exposure. I’m excited for another year of new music, celebrating the sound and culture’s global influence, with 1Xtra as a driving force in the UK."
PHOTO: Larissa Hoffman
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