Lewis Capaldi has claimed Broken by Desire as the official biggest new album of 2023 so far in the UK, the Official Charts can confirm, while The Weeknd’s The Highlights leads the way overall.
Lewis’ second studio album, released in May this year and the eighth biggest LP of 2023 so far, has enjoyed the biggest opening week of his career, with Broken by Desire… moving 95,000 chart units in its first seven days of release.
The album, which features the #1 singles Forget Me, Pointless and Wish You the Best, is the most physically purchased album of 2023 to date, selling 100,000 copies in physical formats since its release, and the biggest seller of the year when downloads are included. Lewis’ debut album, 2019’s Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent, also makes the list at No. 12.
At the top of the year-to-date list is Canadian singer-songwriter The Weeknd, born Abel Tesfaye. His career-spanning album The Highlights is the UK’s Official Biggest Album of the Year so far, featuring the number one hit Blinding Lights and a selection of his 35 Top 40 singles. The collection debuted at number 2 on the Official Albums Chart upon its release.
The Weeknd’s 2016 album Starboy also secures a place on the year-to-date list at number 29, thanks in part to the success of a 2023 remix of his single Die for You featuring Ariana Grande, which peaked at number 3 earlier this year.
Elsewhere in the 2023 Top 5 so far, Harry Styles’ third studio release Harry’s House holds steady at (3), and Elton John’s headlining performance on the Glastonbury Pyramid Stage in June keeps his 2017 Diamonds compilation in the Top 5 for another quarter (4). SZA’s 2022 album SOS also maintains its Top 5 position at the end of Q3 (5).
