The Weeknd secures the official biggest album of 2023 to date with The Highlights, the Official Charts Company can reveal.
The Canadian singer-songwriter, born Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, reigns atop the newly-unveiled list with his 2021 hits collection, which peaked at Number 2 on the Official Albums Chart upon its release.
The Weeknd’s 2016 album Starboy also features at Number 25 on the list, thanks in part to the release of a remix of its single Die For You featuring Ariana Grande which gained popularity on TikTok.
Having broken records in 2022, Taylor Swift’s Midnights lands at Number 2 on the biggest albums of 2023 so far. The release of Taylor’s tenth studio album, which has spent a total of five non-consecutive weeks at Number 1 to date, surpassing a record previously held by Madonna as she claimed nine UK Number 1 albums in the fastest succession of any female artist in Official Charts history.
MORE: The Official Top 40 Biggest Songs of 2023 so far
Taylor also boasts three further entries in the year-to-date Top 40; 2014 LP 1989 (23), 2020’s folklore (28) and 2019 release Lover (31).
SZA lands at Number 3 with her acclaimed second studio album SOS. Similarly, the record’s lead single Kill Bill boasts the title of the year’s third-biggest song so far.
The biggest new release of 2023 comes courtesy of Pink, with her ninth studio LP TRUSTFALL (4). Having provided the Pennsylvania-born singer-songwriter a fourth Number 1 record in February, TRUSTFALL claims the title of both the most-downloaded and most-purchased album on physical formats of 2023 so far.
MORE: Albums to look forward to in 2023
Rounding out the year-to-date Top 5 is Harry Styles’ Harry’s House. After being crowned 2022’s Official biggest album overall, its success continues into 2023 thanks to a BRIT Awards Best British Album win and Harry’s ongoing Love On Tour stadium shows.
A host of greatest hits collections are present in the year-to-date ranking: Eminem’s Curtain Call: The Hits (6), Diamonds by Elton John (8), Fleetwood Mac’s 50 Years – Don’t Stop (9), and ABBA’s Gold – Greatest Hits (10) all secure a spot in the Top 10.
Lana Del Rey’s landmark sixth Number 1 album Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd. is the second-biggest new LP of 2023 to make the list (18), and second biggest title on physical formats. This eighth full-length studio release saw Lana level with the likes of Arctic Monkeys and Pink Floyd earlier this month; all boasting UK chart-topping albums six apiece.
Another new 2023 release on the year-to-date list comes courtesy of Gorillaz, with their eighth studio album Cracker Island (29). In March, the record provided the virtual group their second chart-topping LP and first in 17 years.
London-born rapper Clavish’s 2023 debut mixtape Rap Game Awful is just behind at Number 30 having only been released in January.
More chart-topping 2023 releases in the Top 40 come from Miley Cyrus’s Endless Summer Vacation (33) - the parent album of 2023’s Official biggest song to date, Flowers – Sam Smith’s fourth studio album Gloria (34), and Paramore’s genre-defying comeback This Is Why (36).
Official Top 40 Biggest Albums of 2023 so far
| POS | TITLE | ARTIST | PEAK |
| 1 | THE HIGHLIGHTS | WEEKND | 2 |
| 2 | MIDNIGHTS | TAYLOR SWIFT | 1 |
| 3 | SOS | SZA | 2 |
| 4 | TRUSTFALL | PINK | 1 |
| 5 | HARRY'S HOUSE | HARRY STYLES | 1 |
| 6 | CURTAIN CALL - THE HITS | EMINEM | 1 |
| 7 | = | ED SHEERAN | 1 |
| 8 | DIAMONDS | ELTON JOHN | 5 |
| 9 | 50 YEARS - DON'T STOP | FLEETWOOD MAC | 5 |
| 10 | GOLD - GREATEST HITS | ABBA | 1 |
| 11 | AM | ARCTIC MONKEYS | 1 |
| 12 | DIVINELY UNINSPIRED TO A HELLISH EXTENT | LEWIS CAPALDI | 1 |
| 13 | TIME FLIES - 1994-2009 | OASIS | 1 |
| 14 | GREATEST HITS | QUEEN | 2 |
| 15 | DIVIDE | ED SHEERAN | 1 |
| 16 | SOUR | OLIVIA RODRIGO | 1 |
| 17 | I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU - THE BEST OF | WHITNEY HOUSTON | 13 |
| 18 | DID YOU KNOW THAT THERE'S A TUNNEL UNDER | LANA DEL REY | 1 |
| 19 | HEROES & VILLAINS | METRO BOOMIN | 3 |
| 20 | RUMOURS | FLEETWOOD MAC | 3 |
| 21 | BETWEEN US | LITTLE MIX | 3 |
| 22 | ELV1S - 30 NUMBER 1 HITS | ELVIS PRESLEY | 1 |
| 23 | 1989 | TAYLOR SWIFT | 1 |
| 24 | CURTAIN CALL 2 | EMINEM | 3 |
| 25 | STARBOY | WEEKND | 5 |
| 26 | WHAT'S THE STORY MORNING GLORY | OASIS | 1 |
| 27 | FINE LINE | HARRY STYLES | 2 |
| 28 | FOLKLORE | TAYLOR SWIFT | 1 |
| 29 | CRACKER ISLAND | GORILLAZ | 1 |
| 30 | RAP GAME AWFUL | CLAVISH | 4 |
| 31 | LOVER | TAYLOR SWIFT | 1 |
| 32 | HER LOSS | DRAKE & 21 SAVAGE | 1 |
| 33 | ENDLESS SUMMER VACATION | MILEY CYRUS | 1 |
| 34 | GLORIA | SAM SMITH | 1 |
| 35 | BORN TO DIE | LANA DEL REY | 1 |
| 36 | THIS IS WHY | PARAMORE | 1 |
| 37 | BEING FUNNY IN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE | 1975 | 1 |
| 38 | SINGLES | MAROON 5 | 32 |
| 39 | LEGACY | DAVID BOWIE | 5 |
| 40 | WHATEVER PEOPLE SAY I AM THAT'S WHAT I'M | ARCTIC MONKEYS | 1 |
©2023 Official Charts Company. All rights reserved.
