CHART BEAT

Kylie Minogue Blasts to No. 1 In U.K. With 'Step Back In Time'

7/8/2019 by Lars Brandle

Samir Hussein/WireImage
Kylie Minogue performs on the Pyramid Stage on day five of Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm, Pilton on June 30, 2019 in Glastonbury, England. 

Kylie Minogue completed a week to remember by snaring the U.K. chart crown with Step Back In Time: The Definitive Collection (BMG/Rhino).   

Just days after performing at Glastonbury Festival for the first time, the British-based Aussie singer starts at No. 1 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart with Step Back In Time, her seventh chart leader.    

With the hits set, Kylie joins the likes of Coldplay, Elton John, Barbra Streisand and Take That on seven No. 1s, while the only solo female artist to have more is Madonna, on 12. According to the Official Charts Company, the career retrospective set also takes out the crown on this week's Official Vinyl Albums Chart and was the week's best-selling album on cassette.  

Step Back in Time, which gathers all seven of Minogue’s U.K. chart-topping singles, the new number “New York City,” and more, flies to the summit after she performed at Glastonbury during the celebrated “Legends” Sunday afternoon slot. BBC 1 aired the set, which peaked at 3.9 million viewers, best among this year’s performances.

Lewis Capaldi's Divinely Uninspired To A Hellish Extent (EMI), loses its crown as it slips to No. 2, just ahead of The Black Keys’ Let's Rock (Nonesuch), which starts at No. 3 for their third consecutive top 10 album. 

The top five is rounded out by Billie Eilish’s When We All Fall Asleep Where Do We Go (Interscope) and Bruce Springsteen’s Western Stars (Columbia), while Chris Brown's Indigo (No.  7 via RCA) and Hank Marvin's Gold (No. 9 via Crimson) crack the top 10 on debut.

Kylie isn’t the only artist to benefit from the so-called “Glastonbury Effect.” After their performance at the famous summer fest, The Killers' Direct Hits (Vertigo) vaults 55-6, a week-on-week combined sales lift of 323%, the OCC reports, while their 2004 debut Hot Fuss reenters the chart at No. 39.

Also, the debut album by Friday headliner Stormzy, Gang Signs & Prayer (Merky), leaps 73- 14, a 234% gain, and The Cure's Greatest Hits (Fiction) from 2001 reenters at No. 19, a 253% spike, for the Hall of Famers’ first top 40 appearance in five years.

Meanwhile, Ed Sheeran routs the opposition once again on the Official U.K. Singles Chart, bagging three of the top ten including the No. 1 slot. Sheeran and Justin Bieber's “I Don’t Care” (Asylum/Def Jam) enters week eight atop the singles chart, while “Beautiful People” (Asylum/Def Jam) featuring.Khalid starts at No. 3, for the Brit’s 24th top 10 single and Khalid’s tenth. Also, Sheean’s “Cross Me” (Asylum) featuring Chance The Rapper and PnB Rock, is at No. 6. All three will appear on Sheeran’s No. 6 Collaborations Project, due out this Friday (July 12).



Sheeran holds off the strong-performing “Senorita” (EMI/Syco Music) by Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello, which holds at No. 2 on this week’s singles survey despite improving on its performance from last week by 3,700 combined units. And finally, Glasto headliner Stormzy sees “Crown” (Merky/Atlantic) improve 5-4, a new peak.