Madonna Makes History as First U.S. Female Artist to Score UK No. 1 Albums Across Five Decades

Madonna has made music history once again, becoming the first American female artist to earn UK No. 1 albums across five different decades after CONFESSIONS II debuted at the top of the Official Albums Chart this week.

The chart-topper marks Madonna’s 13th UK No. 1 album and her first since MDNA in 2012. With the achievement, the Queen of Pop now equals Elvis Presley for fifth place on the all-time list of artists with the most UK No. 1 albums.

Her chart-topping run spans more than 40 years, beginning with Like a Virgin (1984), followed by classics including True Blue, Like a Prayer, Ray of Light, Music, Confessions on a Dancefloor, Hard Candy, Celebration, MDNA, and now CONFESSIONS II in 2026.

Adding to the milestone, CONFESSIONS II also debuted at No. 1 on the Official Vinyl Albums Chart, selling more vinyl copies than any other release in the UK over the past week. In Australia, Confessions II debuts at No. 1 in Australia on both the ARIA Albums Chart and the ARIA Vinyl Albums Chart for the week of 13 July 2026.

It holds off Olivia Rodrigo’s You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love which claims the No. 2 spot, followed by Sienna Spiro’s Visitor at No. 3. Olivia Dean’s The Art of Loving and Noah Kahan’s The Great Divide round out the top five.

Elsewhere on the UK Albums Chart, British singer-songwriter SIENNA SPIRO celebrates the biggest British debut album of the year as Visitor opens at No. 2, while rock legends Deep Purple earn their 27th UK Top 40 album with SPLAT!.

Other notable movers include Pitbull’s Greatest Hits, which reaches a new peak at No. 18 ahead of his BST Hyde Park performance, BTS’ ARIRANG, which jumps 16 places to No. 21 following the group’s sold-out shows at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and My Chemical Romance’s The Black Parade, which returns to the UK Top 40 for the first time since 2007.