Michael Jackson tops UK album chart

The late King of Pop’s Xscape album, released nearly five years after his death, has topped the album charts.

14:13 19 May 2014

Michael Jackson’s second posthumous album, Xscape, which contains previously unreleased tracks recorded between 1983 and 1999, has topped UK album chart. It was reworked by producers including Timbaland, Rodney Jerkins, and Stargate. 

 

One of the songs included in the album, Slave To the Rhythm, was featured at the recently concluded Billboard Awards where a hologram of the King of Pop has made a spectacular appearance mirroring Jackson’s signature “moonwalking” dance moves. Epic Records chief executive LA Reid, who released the album said: "We tried to do as best we could what we thought Michael would have loved, and those of us who knew Michael really well, we had a good perspective on it.” 

 

Meanwhile, Rita Ora’s I will Never Let You Down debuted at number one in singles chart while Lily Allen’s Sheezus fell to number six. Conchita Wurst, the winner of Eurovision Song Contest entered the singles chart at number 17 with Rise like a Phoenix, following the song’s worldwide coverage after its success last Saturday. 

 

US rockers The Black Key’s entered the UK chart with their latest release – Turn Blue. Paloma Faith’s A Perfect Contradiction was at three while Paolo Nutini’s A Caustic Love as at four. Foxes as at five with Glorious. 

 

The other new entries in the top 20 singles chart include Ed Sheeran's One, which is at number 20, and Australian boy band 5 Seconds Of Summer with Good Girls at number 19.