Billboard album charts

Rising singer-songwriter Gracie Abrams is set to claim her first No. 1 album on the Official U.K. Albums Chart with her second studio effort, The Secret of Us.
Midweek sales and streaming figures from the Official Charts Company indicate that the Californian singer’s heartfelt and introspective songs are resonating strongly with U.K. fans, putting her in prime position to clinch the top spot.

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The 23-year-old Californian is currently outpacing her closest rival, Taylor Swift – who coincidentally features on the album’s track “us.” – by a margin of more than 2:1.

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The Secret of Us (Interscope) follows Abrams’ debut LP, Good Riddance, which peaked at No. 3 last year. The new album was preceded by the single “Close To You,” which recently became Abrams’ first U.K. Top 40 hit, reaching No. 35.

Amid her collaborative track with Taylor Swift dropping on June 21 alongside her 13-track sophomore album, Abrams took to Instagram to share a video of the duo playfully creating their collaborative number, calling the evening “some of the most fun I’ve ever had in my life.”

She also included a video of Swift extinguishing an apartment fire. “Now we know how to use a fire extinguisher. I love you,” Abrams wrote.

As Swift wraps up a three-night stint at London’s Wembley Stadium on her The Eras Tour, several of her former chart-topping albums are also present in the U.K. top 40 midweek.

Other notable appearances on the chart blast include The Mysterines’ second album Afraid of Tomorrows (Fiction) eyeing a No. 3 debut, Charli XCX’s BRAT (Atlantic) looking to log a third consecutive week inside the top 5, and Chappell Roan’s The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess (Island) potentially reaching a new peak inside the top 10, at No. 8.

Outside the Top 10, Avril Lavigne’s Greatest Hits (Sony Music CG) is on track for a top 20 debut, Ed Sheeran’s X (Asylum) could re-enter the chart thanks to a 10th-anniversary reissue, and Jethro Tull’s Bursting Out (Parlophone) is predicted to become their 26th U.K. top 40 album.

Joe Bonamassa’s Live At The Hollywood Bowl With Orchestra (Provogue) could become his 17th top 40 collection, Kate Nash’s 9 Sad Symphonies (Kill Rock Stars) approaches her highest-charting LP in 14 years, and The Story So Far are expected to enter with I Want To Disappear (Pure Noise).

All will be revealed when the Official U.K. Albums Chart is published late Friday, June 28.