U.K. MIDWEEKS: FESTIVE RACE BEGINS

Taylor Swift is currently leading a tight race on the U.K.’s Official Albums Chart with Midnights (EMI). Over on singles, the battle for the coveted Christmas #1 is underway.

Midnights could rebound two places to #1 on Friday. However, with just 1.4k in sales separating the entire Top 5, the top spot is very much in play.

Cliff Richard sits just 600 in sales behind Tay, at #2, with Christmas With Cliff (East West/Rhino), while Michael Bublé’s Christmas (Reprise)—the most-streamed album of the week—is #3.

The Christmas edition of George Ezra’s Gold Rush Kid (Columbia) helps it fly 16 places to #4, while last week’s #1, Sam Ryder’s There’s Nothing but Space, Man! (Parlophone), moves down to #5.

On the U.K.’s Official Singles midweek chart, LadBaby, who's claimed the Christmas #1 for the past four years, could be in for another win.

The YouTubers have this year joined forces with money-saving expert Martin Lewis for “Food Aid” (BMG), which will raise funds for food-bank charity the Trussell Trust and the Band Aid Foundation. So far, the track has tallied 27k in sales, predominantly driven by preorders and downloads, putting LadBaby 16k ahead of its closest competition.

Still, with the power of streaming behind them, a few festive classics could have a chance. “Last Christmas” (Epic) by Wham! is at #2, followed by “All I Want for Christmas Is You” (Columbia) by Mariah Carey at #3.

Ed Sheeran and Elton John’s “Merry Christmas” (Atlantic/EMI) trails at #4, while “Firebabe” (0207 Def Jam) by Stormzy moves up three to #5.

Lizzo’s Amazon Music Original, “Someday at Christmas,” catapults 16 places to break into the Top 10 for the first time, at #6. The second-highest new midweek entry comes courtesy of a surprise drop from Central Cee, “Let Go,” at #11.