U.K. CHARTS: RAISE A GLASS FOR EMI

Despite missing out on the top spot, UMG U.K. label EMI is the first label to land five entries in the U.K.’s Official Albums Top 10 this year. Warner, meanwhile, is celebrating hitting #1 with the third album from London rapper Nines, Crabs in a Bucket (Warner Records).

Thanks in part to EMI, Universal has nine albums in this week's Top 10, which is the first time a corporate group has done so since modern Official Charts Company records began in 1994. EMI also deserves further congratulations for reaching 1m U.K. chart sales of Lewis Capaldi’s debut, Divinely Uninspired To A Hellish Extent, which is still in the Top 10 at #9. It’s the seventh longest-running artist album for consecutive weeks in the Official Albums Top 10, having not left for 68 weeks.

Metallica’s live album with the San Francisco Symphony, S&M2, is EMI’s highest new entry today at #2, followed by Katy Perry’s Smile at #5, The Killers’ Imploding the Mirage at #7 and Taylor Swift’s Folklore at #8.

“The team at EMI are best in class, and the chart result today reflects their ambition and determination to create success for the artists they represent,” EMI President Rebecca Allen said. “I am so proud to be part of this incredible team and want to congratulate them all for their hard work and innovation during these exceptional times.”

Elsewhere on albums, Gregory Porter’s All Rise (Blue Note) enters at #3 and Disclosure’s Energy (Island) is new at #4.

On the U.K.’s Official Singles chart, Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion have their first #1 with “WAP” (Atlantic) on 65k sales, including 8.5m streams.

24kGoldn has scored his first U.K. Top 10 single as “Mood” f/Iann Dior (Black Butter) rises seven places to #4.

Another new track he is featured on, Clean Bandit & Mabel’s “Tick Tock” (Atlantic) is up 16 spots to #20.

Elsewhere, rising star Tate McRae continues to climb with “You Broke Me First” (RCA) up nine places to #22, and Nines f/NSG’s “Airplane Mode” is up 19 to #25.