Gracie Abrams takes lead for first Number 1 album with The Secret Of Us

Gracie Abrams tracks to top the Official Albums Chart for the first time in her career this week with second album The Secret of Us. 

The Californian singer-songwriter is currently outselling closest competition Taylor Swift, who features on album track us., more than 2:1. 

The record follows Gracie’s debut LP, Good Riddance, which peaked at Number 3 last year. The Secret of Us was trailed by fan-favourite cut Close To You, which recently became Gracie’s first UK Top 40 single, reaching Number 35. 

Read more in our exclusive interview with Gracie Abrams here. 

Speaking of Taylor Swift, as she wraps up a three-night stint at London’s Wembley Stadium on The Eras Tour, a host of former chart-topping albums from the superstar are present in the Top 40 midweek: The Tortured Poets Department (2), Lover (6),  1989 (Taylor’s Version) (9), reputation (14), Midnights (15), folklore (19) and Red (Taylor’s Version) (36). 

The Mysterines hope to hold steady throughout the week, with their second album Afraid of Tomorrows eyeing a Number 3 debut. It would be the Wirrall-formed rock outfit’s highest-charting project to date, their debut LP Reeling having reached Number 9 in 2022. 

Still seeing strong results after its release two weeks ago, Charli xcx’s BRAT looks set to log a third consecutive week inside the Top 5 (5), which would be another career-best for the forward-thinking pop auteur’s most acclaimed record yet. 

Another ascendant star on the rise, Chappell Roan’s dizzyingly dramatic debut album The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess could reach another new peak inside the Top 10 this week (8). 

Outside the Top 10, pop-punk princess Avril Lavigne tracks for a Top 20 debut with her Greatest Hits (12), as Ed Sheeran’s X could re-enter the chart thanks to a 10th anniversary re-issue (13). 

Jethro Tull’s Bursting Out is predicted to become the English rock icons’ 26th UK Top 40 album (20), Joe Bonamassa’s Live At The Hollywood Bowl With Orchestra could become the US guitarist’s 17th Top 40 collection (23) and English indie-pop darling Kate Nash approaches her highest-charting LP in 14 years with 9 Sad Symphonies (28). 

And finally, American pop-punk band The Story So Far are expected to enter the Official Albums Chart at Number 33 with I Want To Disappear.