Katy Perry Roars to the top of the Official Singles Chart

Katy Perry scores her fourth UK Number 1, and the fastest selling single of her career with Roar!

Katy Perry has done it again! The original California Gurl has Roar-ed her way right to the top of the Official Singles Chart to notch up her fourth UK Number 1. And, not only that, in doing so, Katy has also scored the biggest first week sale of her career in the UK!

According to Official Charts Company sales data, her new single, Roar, has sold a massive 179,500 copies in the last seven days, beating the opening tally of her previous career best, 2010’s California Gurls FT Snoop Dogg, which sold 123,600 week one.  Roar is now the UK’s third fastest selling single of 2013 so far, sitting just behind Avicii’s Wake Me Up and Robin Thicke’s Blurred Lines FT TI and Pharrell Williams.

Radio 1’s Official Chart host Jameela Jamilbroke the news to Katy about her latest UK success:

“I love the UK!” says an excited Katy in the interview broadcast on the station’s Official Singles Chart countdown this evening. “The UK is one of the most important groups of people in the world for me because I feel like the UK is so ahead of the zeitgeist… They are the zeitgeist! I love going over there, and I’m going to be going over several times this year.

“The UK is where a lot of music trends start,” adds Katy. “It’s where some of the coolest music comes out of, music that’s influenced me; I’m listening to AlunaGeorge at the moment, and all that great stuff that you guys have been listening to for the last eight months, by the way!”

It’s been an incredible week for Katy, which has seen her end Robin Thicke’s 12 week stand at Number 1 on the US’ Billboard Hot 100 singles chart (her eighth Number 1 there), and the Tarzan-themed video for the track clock up over 26 million views on YouTube.

Roar is taken from Katy’s upcoming album, Prism, which will be released on October 22. Her last album, 2010’s Teenage Dream saw Katy notch up seven Top 10 hits, and set a new Official Chart record for the most amount of Top 10 singles from one studio album by a female solo artist.

Katy will close this year’s iTunes Festival with a special show at London’s Roundhouse on September 30.

After three weeks at Number 1 and some 311,000 sales later, Ellie Goulding slides one place to Number 2 today with Burn. Avicii’s Wake Me Up (3), Klangkarussell’s Sonnentanz (Sun Don't Shine) FT Will Heard (4) and the Cedric Gervais remix of Lana Del Rey’s Summertime Sadness (5) complete this week’s Official Singles Chart Top 5.

New Entries and High Climbers

In addition to Katy Perry’s Roar (Number 1), there are three other new entries on this week’s Official Singles Chart Top 40.

You Me At Six score the highest charting single of their career with Lived A Lie (11). The track is the lead single from their upcoming fourth album, Cavalier Youth. Debuting one place behind them are the UK’s newest girl group – Neon Jungle. The four-piece (Amira, 17, Asami, 17, Jess, 20, and Shereen, 16) are new in on this week’s Official Singles Chart at Number 12. Meanwhile, London Grammar score their second Top 40 hit today with Strong (17).

This week’s highest climber is Starship’s 1987 Official Singles Chart-topper, Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now, up 106 places to 39. The track is currently being used in Talk Talk’s X Factor ad campaign. Speaking of the X Factor, prison officer Sam Bailey’s performance of Beyonce’s Listen on last Saturday’s opening show has helped propel the original up 43 places to Number 23. And Olly Murs today claims his tenth Top 40 hit as the title track of his latest album, Right Place, Right Time, climbs six places to Number 35.

And finally, sitting just outside of the Top 40 are Mutya Keisha Siobhan with Flatline. The original line-up of the Sugababes took the unusual step of releasing their comeback single on Friday (September 6) to coincide with their appearance on Alan Carr’s Chatty Man TV show. After just 48 hours on sale, Flatline makes its Official Singles Chart debut at Number 50, narrowly missing out on a Top 40 placing by just 1,000 copies.

The Official Singles Chart Update Top 40 is as follows. The Official Singles Chart Top 100 will be posted in full, here, on Sunday at 7pm.

© 2013 Official Charts Company. All rights reserved.