Ed Sheeran's ÷ looks to conquer the Official Chart for a second week

Steps are on track to become this week's highest new singles entry, while Laura Marling looks to impact the Albums Chart.
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Ed Sheeran is on course for a second week at Number 1 on the Official Albums and Singles Chart as his latest album ÷ and lead single Shape Of You continues to rack up huge sales and streaming numbers.

Since the album’s debut at the top spot last Friday, the singer-songwriter has tallied a further 158,000 sales across physical, digital and streaming. In case you missed it last week, ÷ became the fastest-selling album ever from a male artist last Friday, while also breaking several other chart records. ÷ keeps Rag’n’Bone Man’s Human in second place at this midweek stage.

Over on singles, Ed holds the Top 3 spots, led by Shape Of You at Number 1 and followed by Galway Girl (2) and Castle On The Hill (3). A further three of his tracks are still inside the Top 10, while the remaining ten are scattered across the Top 40.

New entries and high climbers

On the Official Albums Chart Update, Laura Marling's Semper Femina is new in at Number 3 at this midweek stage. Should Laura hold onto the position, it'll be her fourth Top 5 record.

Three more new releases are on course to impact this week’s Top 10: Soft Cell/Marc Almond's Hits and Pieces: The Best Of starts at Number 7, Circa Waves are on course for a new personal best with their second album Different Creatures (8), and the Motion Picture Cast Recording of Beauty & The Beast enchants the Number 9 slot at the halfway stage of the chart week.

Cambridge rock band Mallory Knox are new at 12 with their fourth album Wired, just ahead of US band The Shins, whose fifth LP Heartworms is at 13. The legendary Paul Weller is another artist eyeing a Top 40 entry with his Jawbone - OST at Number 21.

Further down, Wet Wet Wet frontman Marti Pellow could crack the Top 40 with his tenth solo album Mysterious at Number 26, indie-rockers Little Comets are at 29 with Worhead, and The Voice UK coach Gavin Rossdale could land his first Top 40 entry in over 15 years this week – Bush’s Black and White Rainbows sits at Number 37.

See this week's Top 100 Official Albums Chart Update in full

DJ Martin Jensen is on track for his first Top 10 hit on the Official Singles Chart with Solo Dance, so far up 15 places to Number 10.

‘90s pop group Steps are back and off to a strong start with their comeback single, Scared Of The Dark – the highest new entry on today’s Official Chart Update, opening midweek at Number 11. The band recently announced their 20th anniversary tour and album coming later this year. With two Number 1 singles and three chart-topping albums under their belt, Steps’ last Top 40 hit was 2001’s double A-side Words Are Not Enough/I Know Him So Well.

Further down, three songs could be making their Top 40 debut this Friday: Bruno Mars’ That’s What I Like is up five places to 37, Nicki Minaj’s No Frauds ft. Drake and Lil Wayne is at 39 (the highest charting of her three new tracks released last week), and rising star Julia Michaels lifts four spots to 40 with her debut single Issues.

See this week's Top 100 Official Singles Chart Update in full

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PL

Paul L

0

The chart is a joke now. It's stagnant and unbalanced. Steps' single should be in the top 10, but it can't get near it because of Ed Sheeran and the skew of streaming.

avatar

James England

1

One of the greatest scandals of all time. This mockery of a SINGLES CHART. And zero desire by the OCC to make any changes. Utterly clueless.

JA

John Appleseed

3

Guys, you need to fix streaming's contribution to the charts. Spotify curates the top 10. How are new artists ever meant to crack the charts nowadays? The charts will be obsolete if it carries on like this.

R

riley

0

Happy to see Martin Jensen hit the top 10! Solo Dance is sounding brilliant at the moment