Sabrina Carpenter’s most recent album, “Man’s Best Friend,” has achieved the highest opening week sales for an international artist on the UK albums chart in 2025, as confirmed by the Official Charts Company. The album sparked discussions due to its controversial cover art and debuted at the top of the chart, selling 85,500 units in its first week. This surpasses the previous record set by Lady Gaga’s “Mayhem” in March with 55,500 units.
While Sam Fender holds the overall record for the biggest opening week of the year with 107,000 units for “People Watching,” Sabrina Carpenter’s “Man’s Best Friend” also dominated the vinyl albums chart as the best-selling physical record of the week. Additionally, her previous albums “Short ‘N’ Sweet” (2024) and “Emails I Can’t Send” (2023) secured positions at number eight and number 21, respectively, in this week’s albums chart.
The top five on the albums chart included CMAT’s “Euro-Country” at number two, Bryan Adams’s “Roll With The Punches” at number three, Oasis’s compilation “Time Flies: 1994-2009” at number four, and The Hives with “The Hives Forever Forever The Hives” at number five. This marks The Hives’ fourth UK top 10 album, following their 2023 release “The Death Of Randy Fitzsimmons” that reached number two.
On the UK singles chart, Sabrina Carpenter’s tracks “Tears” reached number three, “Manchild” reached number four, and “My Man On Willpower” ranked at number seven, giving her a total of three tracks in the top 10. Fictional K-pop band Huntr/x claimed the top spot with their song “Golden” from the Netflix animated musical fantasy film “KPop Demon Hunters,” while Olivia Dean’s “Man I Need” secured the second position, and another fictional K-pop group, Saja Boys, completed the top five with “Soda Pop.”
Gorillaz’s four London gigs, where they performed their first three albums in full and introduced new music, led to their 2005 single “Feel Good Inc” re-entering the Top 40 at number 30 after 20 years. Coldplay’s series of Wembley Stadium concerts boosted their song “Sparks” to its highest position yet at number 19. “Euro-Country” was named the biggest album of the week in UK independent record shops, topping the record store chart.
Sabrina Carpenter has faced criticism for her provocative lyrics and performances filled with innuendo, a trend that escalated with her latest sexually-charged album. The album cover, depicting her in a submissive pose, triggered mixed reactions among fans, questioning the portrayal of female popstars in a hyper-sexualized manner.
Responding to online criticism, Sabrina engaged with fans through witty posts, addressing concerns about her image. The conversation heated up on social media platforms like TikTok, with many expressing discomfort over the album’s themes. Sabrina’s bold response to critics showcased her confidence and individuality outside of her music persona.
[Note: The article is focused on the music industry, album sales, and chart positions, with a brief mention of artist controversies and social media interactions.]