News : Sam Fender scoops the biggest new album release of 2025

Congratulations to Sam Fender who delivers the biggest new album release of 2025 in the UK with People Watching.

Released in February just ahead of his BRITs performance, People Watching became Sam Fender's third Number 1 album, and earned Sam the biggest opening week of his career with over 107,000 units sold - the fastest-selling album by a British artist since Harry Styles' Harry's House three years prior. Official Charts also named it as the fastest-selling vinyl album of the century so far after shifting 43,000 copies on vinyl in its first week on sale.

Overall, People Watching’s total stands at just shy of 189,000 combined units so far in 2025 placing it at Number 3 on the year-to-date list. It's the best-selling album of the year overall, notching up 120,000 pure sales, and the most popular physical album too, selling 115,000 copies on physical formats.

Meanwhile Sabrina Carpenter’s impact on the Official Albums Chart is anything but Short N’ Sweet as she rides out front with the overall Number 1 album of 2025 so far with sales and streams combined.

Racking up 348,000 chart units this year alone, and the most streamed album of 2025 so far, Sabrina’s sixth studio album spent five weeks in total at Number 1 in the UK – including three this year boosted by its deluxe edition which landed in February 2025 – it’s a strong performance for the album which also finished as the third biggest album of 2024.

Last month, in its 43rd week in the Top 5, it was confirmed by Official Charts that Sabrina's record-breaking sixth LP had overtaken Ed Sheeran’s = to become the solo studio album with the longest consecutive Top 5 streak in UK Official Albums Chart history.

Sitting at Number 2 is Ed Sheeran’s +–=÷× (Tour Collection) on 216,000 chart units, while Fleetwood Mac’s ever-popular collection 50 Years – Don’t Stop lands at Number 4 overall on 173,000 chart units in 2025 this far. Number 5 is taken by The Weeknd with his album The Highlights (170,000 units).

Chappell Roan’s debut album The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess which finally hit Number 1 last summer (and again in January this year) continues to be taken to heart by the British public, landing at Number 6, closely followed by SZA’s studio album SOS at Number 7.

After hitting Number 1 for the first time in January, more than seven years after its release, it’s no surprise to see Elton John’s Diamonds greatest hits collection earn a place in the year-to-date Top 10 at Number 8.

Fresh from her Glastonbury Saturday headline slot, Charli xcx makes the Top 10 with the legendary cultural phenomenon album BRAT (9) which reaches Number 9 thanks to shifting a further 139,000 combined units this year with her BRITs Mastercard Album of the Year 2025.

Billie Eilish rounds off the year-to-date albums list with Hit Me Hard and Soft (10).

Other big 2025 releases making the Top 20 include Tate McRae’s So Close To What, the Canadian singer’s third studio album peaked at Number 2 on the Official Albums Chart upon its release in February and lands just outside the Top 10 at Number 11.

Lady Gaga’s critically-acclaimed seventh studio album MAYHEM which topped the Official Albums Chart in March, shoots into the year-to-date Top 20 at Number 14, while CAN’T RUSH GREATNESS – the record that earned West London rapper Central Cee his second UK Number 1 album and the biggest opening week of his career back in January - follows just behind (16).

Elsewhere, Oasis’ hits collection Time Flies – 1994-2009 earns a place in the Top 20 (13), one of two albums by the Gallagher brothers making an appearance, including What’s The Story Morning Glory (26), while reissued debut album Definitely Maybe lands just outside the Top 40 (44). Oasis catalogue will undoubtedly continue to trend across the summer as the highly-anticipated Oasis Live ‘25 tour opens in the UK this week.