LEWIS Capaldi has said that he might finally “make some money” as he topped the chart with his debut album, which has become the fastest-selling of 2019.
The Scottish singer-songwriter’s LP, Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent, scored 89,506 combined sales within its first week, beating the previous opening week record for the year so far by Ariana Grande, according to the Official Charts Company.
Grande previously held the accolade for the fastest-selling album of the year with Thank U, Next, which achieved 65,214 combined sales within its first week in February.
Capaldi, 22, also outperformed the rest of the current top 10 combined with his ballad-led album. He told OfficialCharts.com: “It feels good. It feels like I’m going to make some money finally, after years of slogging. It makes me so proud to have made this album. Thank you for everyone who went out and bought it.”
Physical sales accounted for nearly half of Capaldi’s sales (46%), including 7000 copies on vinyl, while 34% were streams and 20% were downloads. On streaming, the album notched up 40.5 million plays across audio and video platforms.
Capaldi, who was long-listed for BBC Music’s Sound of 2018 and nominated for a Brits Critics’ Choice Award, saw his breakout single Someone You Loved top the charts for seven weeks earlier this year.
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