Abba’s Voyage beats Ed Sheeran as fastest-selling album in years

Abba’s new album Voyage has become the fastest-selling album in the UK in four years - pushing chart heavyweight Ed Sheeran’s latest record = (Equals) into second place.

The Swedish pop icons have sold an incredible 181,712 copies of the album in just six days.

Ed Sheeran looked set to hold the title of fastest-selling album of 2021 after shifting 139,000 copies in a week, but Abba have since smashed that record.

In August, Abba began a teaser campaign featuring a series of images of eclipses with the words “Abba Voyage” and the date September 2, 2021.

On that date they announced the album and a digital concert show, which is set to come to London next May.

The concert will feature younger versions of the band performing songs from their back catalogue with a live 10-piece band and will take place at a purpose-built site in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in east London.

Abba – Bjorn Ulvaeus, Agnetha Faltskog, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad – recorded Voyage after reuniting to film the concert performance.

The popular quartet parted ways after last performing together in 1982 following a successful 10-year stint. In 2018 they announced they had recorded new material, but the release of the songs has been delayed.

Their last number one album came in 2008 when Gold returned to the top of the chart for two weeks in 2008.

However 1980’s The Visitors was the last studio album from the group to reach number one.

Third in the album charts is Radiohead’s Kid A Mnesia is third followed by It’ll All Make Sense In The End by James Arthur. US rapper Summer Walker’s album Still Over It currently sits fifth.

The final rankings will be revealed on Friday.