Lady Gaga beats Sports Team in tight race for UK Number One album
Lady Gaga has dashed Sports Team‘s hopes of securing a Number One album with their debut LP ‘Deep Down Happy‘ following a tight race to the top of the UK’s official charts.
Gaga’s sixth LP ‘Chromatica‘ has remained at the summit by less than 600 copies, the Official Charts Company has reported, despite Sports Team leading in midweek.
“It was Blur Vs Oasis, and we were Oasis,” said Sports Team in response. “Took it closer than we had any right to. Will be paying back the IOUs well into our forties but fuck it. What a ride. Love you all.”
It was Blur Vs Oasis, and we were Oasis. Took it closer than we had any right to. Will be paying back the IOUs well into our forties but fuck it. What a ride. Love you all. pic.twitter.com/3bCLi67JHj
— Sports Team (@SportsTeam_) June 12, 2020
Sports Team had initially planned to release ‘Deep Down Happy’ in April, but delayed it due to the coronavirus pandemic, which also saw Gaga’s album pushed backwards.
Speaking to NME earlier this week about their hopes of reaching Number One, the band’s frontman Alex Rice said: “It’s what it deserves, really. And you get those nice little trophies. When we sold our first ever t-shirts, I posted out a 10p betting slip for us to have a Number One album in 2020 along with them. We sold about nine. If anyone still has one of those…”
His bandmate Rob Knaggs added: “It’d be a nice little ego trip [to get Number 1], but if you look at the charts now Lewis Capaldi is going to destroy us 60 weeks on with no effort, Lady Gaga is going to roll us over three weeks in and all the usual players are, probably rightly, going to put us back in our place.”
Gaga has not been promoting ‘Chromatica’ since the day of its release. Her online store has been reopened today (June 12) after being disabled for several days, and she has posted on social media only about causes related to ongoing protests for racial equality sparked by the recent death of George Floyd.
She addressed Floyd’s death in her commencement address for YouTube’s virtual ‘Dear Class Of 2020’. “Though there is much to be sad about, there is also much to be celebrated,” she said. “You are watching what is a pivotal moment in this [country’s] evolution…change will happen and it will be for the better.”
