Official Charts launch the Official Top 10 Award to celebrate Top 10 success on the UK Official Singles and Albums Chart

11 March 2024 - Press release

New storytelling opportunity for both established and breakthrough acts 

Natasha Bedingfield, Skindred and rising stars Jazzy and Crawlers become founding recipients, highlighting their unique chart journeys

 

Official Charts today introduce the newest addition to the Official Chart awards family - a brand-new trophy celebrating Top 10 achievements on the UK Official Singles and Albums Chart. 

The Official Top 10 Award is the latest development to the flourishing Official Charts award family, the fourth edition launched since the scheme’s inception in 2011. The original silver Number 1 Award was introduced in December 2011 to celebrate chart toppers on the Official Singles Chart, with the gold award for Number 1 albums following in 2015. 2021 saw the arrival of the specialist Number 1 award to celebrate a more diverse range of chart-topping achievements across the weekly specialist charts, from Vinyl to Afrobeats Number 1s, while 2024 welcomes a new Top 10-focused concept.

Beginning life as a PR initiative in 2011, the Number 1 Award has since transformed how UK chart achievements are showcased in the digital age. A proven smash hit mechanism for organic fan and media engagement every week, Official Charts’ awards deliver huge cut-through for the British music industry.

Artists’ award photos feature in national press all year round, Number 1 Award reaction clips play a huge part in the 100 million views of Official Charts video content generated annually, and the Number 1 Award itself is recognised by 40% of Brits aged 18-24*.

The now-iconic Number 1 Award has established itself as the ultimate symbol of commercial success for artists and music executives across the business too with hundreds of awards having been distributed to artists, songwriters, producers, managers and unsung heroes of chart-topping campaigns.

With encouragement from the industry, from 2024 Official Charts will shine a light on a broader range of artists and records who cross the Top 10 threshold - from established acts scoring a hard-earned personal best, to rising stars breaking into the Top 10 for the very first time. 

In the 70+ years of Official Chart history, 8,827 songs have reached the Top 10 of the Official Singles Chart and 6,511 records on the Albums Chart**.

As well as spotlighting new Top 10 releases, Official Charts will also utilise the award to tell the story of some major songs and albums from chart history that were held off the top spot, yet have gone on to become classics of The Official Chart.

Chief Executive of the Official Charts, Martin Talbot comments: 
“Since we presented the first Number 1 Award in December 2011, hundreds of artists have received our iconic trophy. But following requests to create a new award to recognise a greater range of chart achievements, we’re delighted to launch the Top 10 Award.”

To mark the launch, a hand-picked selection of artists have been presented with the Top 10 Award to celebrate each of their unique chart journeys and first-time Top 10 achievements:

The biggest debut single of 2023: Jazzy – Giving Me
Irish dance vocalist Jazzy secured her first solo Top 10 single with debut single Giving Me. Peaking at Number 3 in June, Giving Me went on to become the biggest new debut single of last year and one of the Top 40 biggest songs of 2023 overall.

The renaissance of a classic Top 10: Natasha Bedingfield – Unwritten
Natasha Bedingfield’s feel-good classic Top 10 single Unwritten turns 20 in 2024, and what better way to celebrate than the spectacular chart renaissance happening right now. Thanks to its recent placement in rom-com Anyone But You starring Euphoria’s Sydney Sweeney, the song has found a new generation of fans this year. Soundtracking many a viral TikTok video, Unwritten has surged all the way back into the Official Singles Chart.

Receiving her Top 10 award, Natasha says: “It’s incredible that Unwritten is resonating, particularly in England, because first time around it was more popular in the States. I’ve been singing Unwritten all over the world and feels really good to come back home to see that people like it here too and know all the words. It’s amazing that the director of Anyone But You put my song in this movie and now the song has had this renaissance. It feels like a wave and I’m just riding it.”

 

A career-best Top 10 album in their 25^th anniversary year: Skindred – Smile
Skindred celebrated their 25^th year in music bagging a huge new personal best on the Official Albums Chart with eighth album Smile. In the closest Albums Chart race of 2023, the independent Newport metal-reggae four-piece found themselves in a neck-and-neck battle for the top spot with Cian Ducrot, with fellow rockers Metallica, Rage Against The Machine, and the Download Festival community rallying behind Skindred during the chart race.Pipped by a mere 150 copies, Skindred scored the first Top 10 album of their career debuting at Number 2 (previous peak Number 26), winning a legion of new fans, their first-ever appearance on BBC Breakfast, and a MOBO award. The accolades continue into 2024 as the band become founding recipients of the Official Chart Top 10 Award just ahead of their biggest ever headline show at Wembley Arena later this week.Skindred frontman Benji Webbe said:

“Wagwan! Our album Smile, on Earache Records, came out last year and we got to Number 2 in the British charts. Midweek we were Number 1 for three days and it was incredible! We were pipped at the post, but it’s not about the battle, it’s about the journey on the way, and we appreciate receiving this for our hard work. To all the bands that supported us, our neighbours, our friends who got right behind us and worked hard on getting this record into the Top 10…we appreciate this! Rock out!”2024 Top 10 debut album: Crawlers – The Mess We Seem To MakeTikTok-ing alt-grunge newcomers Crawlers got their first taste of Top 10 success as debut album The Mess We Seem To Make landed at Number 7 at the end of February. 

On receiving their first award, the Warrington-formed band comprising Holly Minto, Harry Breen, Amy Woodall and Liv May said: “We got the new Official Chart Top 10 Award! A massive thank you to all our friends, our families, and most of all every single creepy-crawly who believed in a silly band who started in a shed in Warrington to not only get their debut album out there, but to be able to get into the Official Top 10. You guys are the f*cking best!” The Official Top 10 Award is available for collaboration now.