U.K. MIDWEEK
CHART UPDATE

Signed to dance centric indie label Ministry of Sound by A&R Director Dipesh Parmar around six months ago, London producer Sigala has had a stratospheric rise to the top in the last few weeks, as his debut single “Easy Love” battles it out with Justin Bieber’s “What Do You Mean?” (out via Def Jam) to nab its second week atop the U.K.’s Official Singles Chart. Sampling Jackson 5 track “ABC”, “Easy Love” was added to Capital FM’s playlist 10 weeks ahead of its release on 9/4 and shot in at #1 last week following national radio plays from Radio 1 (where it’s currently sitting on the A List), Kiss and Capital Xtra.

MoS, traditionally singles-driven to prop up its huge compilations business (though success with projects like London Grammar have taken it into longer-term territory in recent years), has Sigala on an album deal “with options.” Interestingly, “Easy Love” isn’t available on Apple Music—MoS have yet to sign a deal being notoriously unhappy with remuneration from streaming sites. The producer’s next single is scheduled for December, with a debut album en route early next year. There’s currently 300k combined sales between Bieber and Sigala, with Bieber leading the way.

Stereophonics are RCA rock act Bring Me the Horizon’s closest contenders for this week’s Official Albums #1 spot in Blighty. BMTH are 1k ahead with their fifth studio album, That’s The Spirit, while Stereophonics’ ninth studio album, Keep The Village Alive, self-released via their own Stylus Records, lags ever so slightly behind. A #1 would be a good look for RCA, which has viable plans to develop Sheffield-based BMTH into an arena-headlining act. RCA boss Colin Barlow signed the band to Sony in 2012 and enjoyed the success of their gold-selling fourth album, 2013’s Sempiternal, which has sold 300k+ sales (platinum) and reached #3 on the U.K. charts (#11 in the U.S.). Raw Power’s Craig Jennings is on board as manager.

Following their reunion earlier this year, Virgin EMI’s The Libertines are heading for a fourth Top 40 with their first studio album in 11 years, Anthems for Doomed Youth, which is currently at #3. Elsewhere, Atlantic singer/songwriter Jess Glynne’s I Cry When I Laugh drops two places to #4, followed by new entry Duran Duran’s Warner release, Paper Gods.