Sam Fender currently outselling the rest of the UK Top 10 combined as ‘People Watching’ heads for Number One
Sam Fender‘s new album ‘People Watching’ is heading towards the Number One spot and it has currently outsold the rest of the UK Top 10 combined.
According to the Official Charts, the North Shields native is speedily making his way towards becoming this week’s Official Number One album with his recently released third album. Released on February 21, ‘People Watching’ has already secured the biggest opening week of 2025 after just three days.
Fender is currently outselling the rest of the Top 10 combined with the album, with 80,000 units already being shifted. ‘People Watching’ is expected to join the likes of his 2019 debut ‘Hypersonic Missiles‘ and 2021’s ‘Seventeen Going Under‘ as a chart-topping LP.
If Fender is able to shift in excess of 100,000 units in his opening week, he’ll become the first British solo artist to do so since Harry Styles, who did so in 2022 with ‘Harry’s House‘.
In a glowing four-star review of ‘People Watching’, NME which described the LP as a “reflective and perceptive indie rock from North Shields’ shining star”.
“Feeling existential, uprooted and disconnected from his old working-class life thanks to his rapid rise to fame, the British guitar hero channels it all into his gorgeous third album,” it read.
The other acts in the Top 10 who are battling it out for the Number One spot include Tate McRae with ‘So Close To What‘, Sabrina Carpenter with ‘Short N’ Sweet‘, Drake and PARTYNEXTDOOR with ‘Some Sexy Songs 4 U‘ and others.
Elsewhere in other Official Chart news, Oasis‘ former Christmas single ‘Whatever’ is on course to score its first Number One after 31 years.
The 1994 stand-alone single, which was released on December 18 months after their debut album ‘Definitely Maybe’ that year, was re-issued on Friday (February 21) in pink and blue splatter vinyl featuring remastered audio B-side ‘(It’s Good) To Be Free’.
In other Sam Fender news, the musician recently teased another new album, saying that he is “desperate” to lean into more of a punk-inspired sound going forward.
During a recent interview on Apple Music 1‘s The Zane Lowe Show, the Geordie songwriter opened up about working with The War On Drugs‘ Adam Granduciel, and reiterated that he is already working on its follow-up.
Fender has added further dates to his forthcoming UK stadium tour in the summer – including Wythenshawe Park in Manchester, Edinburgh Summer Sessions, and Boucher Road Playing Fields in Belfast. Visit here to buy tickets and find a list of UK tour dates here.
He is also nominated for two BRIT Awards at next month’s ceremony: Artist Of The Year and Alt/Rock Act, and has been announced as the official ambassador of Record Store Day UK 2025. The event will be held on April 12 and Fender will release two new songs as part of a special EP to celebrate.
On top of that, it was recently announced that Fender will be one of the headlining acts at this year’s Formula 1 British Grand Prix.
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Anagricel Duran
NME
