Travis Scott Snags First U.K. No. 1 With ‘Utopia’
Written by djfrosty on August 6, 2023
Travis Scott is living his best life on the U.K. albums chart as Utopia (via Epic) bows at No. 1.
The U.S. hip-hop star’s fourth studio album debuts at the summit of the Official Chart, published Aug. 4, eclipsing the No. 3 best for his previous album, 2018’s Astroworld.
Utopia, a digital-only release, finishes the week in a flurry. Anne-Marie’s Unhealthy (Atlantic) was the leader at the halfway point, with an advantage of about 200 combined sales. When the chart proper was published last Friday, Unhealthy had dipped to No. 2, some 1,500 chart units behind Utopia.
Unhealthy is the English artist’s third U.K. top 5 album, following 2018’s Speak Your Mind (No. 3) and 2021’s Therapy (No. 2). Despite missing out on the title, Unhealthy becomes the fastest-selling album of 2023 for a U.K. solo female, according to the Official Charts Company, which reports that physical sales account for 84% of its first-week tally.
Utopia, meanwhile, bags the biggest streaming week for any LP so far this year.
Completing an all-new top three is Post Malone’s Austin (Island). That’s the U.S. rapper’s fifth U.K. top 10 album to date after 2016’s Stoney (No. 10), 2018’s Beerbongs & Bentleys (No. 1), 2019’s Hollywood’s Bleeding (No. 1) and 2022’s Twelve Carat Toothache (No. 3).
Further down the list, veteran Birmingham, England band Dexys (formerly Dexys Midnight Runners) sprint to their highest-charting LP in over 30 years with The Feminine Divine (100 Percent Records). Their sixth studio set starts at No. 6 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart.
You’d have to wind the clock back to 1982 to find a higher chart position for Dexys, when their sophomore effort Too-Rye-Ay, which featured the enduring hit “Come On Eileen,” peaked at No. 2. Kevin Rowland and Co. last landed in the U.K. top 10 with 2016’s Let the Record Show: Dexys Do Irish and Country Soul, which peaked at No. 10.