Lorde's new album Virgin has reached No 1 in three countries and is tipped to debut near the top of the Billboard 200 in the US. Photo / Getty Images
Lorde's new album Virgin has reached No 1 in three countries and is tipped to debut near the top of the Billboard 200 in the US. Photo / Getty Images
Lorde’s new album Virgin has hit the top of the charts – ranking at or near No 1 in several countries around the world.
It’s the first of Lorde’s four albums to claim the chart crown in Britain, where Virgin hasalso shot to the top of the Official VinylAlbums Chart.
“I cannot believe that I’ve got No 1 in the UK. This is absolutely insane. I felt so much love from the UK on Virgin,” the 28-year-old Auckland native said a week on from the album’s June 27 release.
“I cannot thank you enough and I cannot wait to see you on the tour very, very soon. Sending all my love. Love you guys so much,” she told British fans.
According to the Australian Recording Industry Association and the Official Aotearoa Music Charts, Virgin is also No 1 in Australia and New Zealand, echoing the success of her previous albums, Solar Power (2021), Melodrama (2017) and Pure Heroine (2013), which also claimed the top spot in the two countries.
The vinyl insert from Lorde's latest album Virgin, which was released in late June.
Elsewhere in Europe, the album ranks second in the Netherlands, third in Ireland and Germany and fourth in Poland.
All eyes are now on the Billboard 200, the main album chart for the US, which will be updated next week.
According to Billboard’s deputy editor Andrew Unterberger, Virgin is unlikely to take out the top spot and may miss out on second place because of an album that hasn’t been physically released yet.
“The greatest potential obstacle to Lorde’s path to a No 2 debut on the Billboard 200 may come from another Republic release, and one far fewer would have tabbed as such a charts contender,” wrote Unterberger in a recent Billboard article, referring to KPop Demon Hunters, a soundtrack of the Netflix film.
“If the set continues to grow on streaming, it could not only crash the Billboard 200’s top five next week, it could challenge Virgin for the chart’s runner-up spot.”
Lorde’s album success follows a secret set she performed at the Glastonbury Festival in Britain last Friday. The artist fronted an enormous crowd with a front-to-back performance of the record, along with Greenlight and Ribs, two tracks from earlier albums.
The electronic art pop album has been widely regarded as one of her most emotionally raw works.
“I didn’t know if I’d make another record to be honest, but I am back here, completely free,” Lorde confessed to her fans during her Glastonbury set.
Later, she posted on Instagram: “This album broke me apart and forged a new creature out of me.”
Lorde begins her Ultrasound World Tour in Texas this September. New Zealand dates have not yet been released.
Varsha Anjali is a journalist in a lifestyle team at the Herald. Based in Auckland, she covers culture, travel and more.
