Madonna becomes the first US female ever to earn Number 1 albums across five decades with CONFESSIONS II

Madonna becomes the first US female artist to earn Number 1 albums across five decades, as CONFESSIONS II earns her a 13th UK chart-topping record. 

Achieved by only a handful of artists, it's another feather in the cap of an illustrious career for Madge. 

It is also Madonna’s first Number 1 record since 2012’s MDNA, with the superstar now equalling Elvis Presley in fifth place in the overall standings of artists with the most Official Number 1 albums ever. 

Previously, Madonna’s topped the Official Albums Chart with: 

• Like a Virgin (1984)    

• True Blue (1986)   

• Like a Prayer (1989)   

• The Immaculate Collection (1990)   

• Evita: The Complete Motion Picture Soundtrack (1996)   

• Ray of Light (1998)   

• Music (2000)   

• American Life (2003)   

• Confessions on a Dancefloor (2005)   

• Hard Candy (2008)   

• Celebration (2009)   

• MDNA (2012) 

• CONFESSIONS II (2026)  

Moreover, CONFESSIONS II hits Number 1 on the Official Vinyl Albums Chart, shifting the most copies on wax over the past seven days. 

Madonna just finds more ways to solidify her icon status, doesn’t she? 

MORE: Artists with the most Number 1 albums on the Official Albums Chart 

It’s also a momentous week for SIENNA SPIRO, as her debut album Visitor becomes the biggest British debut album of the year so far (2).  

The London-born singer-songwriter exploded onto the scene last year, and has continued her good fortunes into 2026, also clinching top spot on the Official Record Store Chart, with Visitor the best-seller in independent UK record shops this week.  

Rock stalwarts Deep Purple show no signs of slowing down, as the lads obtain their 27th Top 40 record with SPLAT! (12). 

Pitbull’s Greatest Hits rises into the Top 20 for the first time ever, earning a brand-new peak in the process, ahead of his headline BST Hyde Park show - but will he break the Guinness World Record for the ‘largest gathering of people wearing bald caps’? (18).  

BTS’s ARIRANG vaults 16 spots following the K-pop group’s blockbuster two-night spectacle at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (21), while My Chemical Romance’s seminal LP The Black Parade re-enters the Top 40 for the first time since 2007, as the lads rock Wembley Stadium on their Long Live The Black Parade Tour (27). 

Country duo The Shires secure their sixth Top 40 with Bonfire (28), as indie rockers mary in the junkyard, comprising of Clari Freeman-Taylor, Saya Barbaglia and David Addison, bag their first-ever chart entry with their maiden LP, Role Model Hermit (30). 

See the full Official Albums Chart Top 100 here from 5.45pm.