Ed Sheeran overtakes Coldplay to claim biggest-selling album of 2014 so far with X
Sheeran's latest album spent eight consecutive weeks at number one
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Your support makes all the difference.Ed Sheeran will be celebrating having overtaken Coldplay to claim the UK’s bestselling album of the year so far.
Released in June, X sold more than 182,000 copies in its first week of sale to become the fastest-selling album of 2014 to date, and has since shifted over 634,000 copies, according to the Official Charts Company.
The album spent eight consecutive weeks at number one – the same length of time as James Blunt's Back to Bedlam in 2005 and the longest since Adele's 21 in 2011.
It has been certified double-platinum by the BPI – the music trade body that represents UK record labels.
"I'm so happy people have been enjoying my album so much," Sheeran said. Great to hear that it's still the biggest seller of the year. Looking forward to playing it live to my UK fans when the tour starts next week!"
Nine out of the ten current 2014 bestsellers are British acts, with "Happy" singer Pharrell Williams the only exception.
Newcomer Sam Smith follows Sheeran in second place with debut album In The Lonely Hour. The hit record entered at number one in May and has stayed in the Top 5 since, selling 487,000 copies so far.
Coldplay's Ghost Stories, the biggest-selling album at the halfway point of 2014, is close behind in third with sales of 470,000.
Completing the top five are Paolo Nutini's Caustic Love with 440,000 copies sold and A Perfect Contradiction by Paloma Faith, who takes the bestselling female album of the year so far accolade after shifting 342,000.
New entries on the list include Blue Smoke by Dolly Parton, who soared after her show-stopping Glastonbury performance in June, and Wanted on Voyage by George Ezra.
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