Lorde claims Top 40 #1 Album with Virgin

Lorde’s new album Virgin entered the Top 40 Albums Chart at #1 on Friday, her fourth LP to do so.

Six tracks from Virgin also feature in the Top 40 Singles Chart this week – a new record for a New Zealand artist. Featuring the lead single ‘What Was That’ and recent releases ‘Man Of The Year’ and ‘Hammer’, the rollout has been lauded as a brilliant return internationally.

The only other artist from Aotearoa to reach #1 on the Top 40 Albums Chart so far this year is Marlon Williams with Te Whare Tīwekaweka, while Lorde’s single ‘What Was That’, which debuted at #1 on the Top 40 Singles Chart in May, is the only NZ #1 Top 40 Single of 2025 so far.

Virgin has also hit the charts globally – securing Lorde her first ever #1 in the UK Top 100 Official Albums Chart and going to #1 in Australia on the ARIA Top 50 Albums Chart.

Recorded Music NZ CEO Jo Oliver says:

“It’s fantastic to see Lorde’s new album enter at number 1 in the Top 40 Albums Chart, a few weeks on from her Top 40 #1 single. Lorde is a true superstar and a reminder of the global potential for NZ artists.”

With all this Top 40 and international success, Lorde’s local impact is of course immense. Lorde recently won Te Tino Waiata o te Tau | Single of the Year at the 2025 Aotearoa Music Awards, for her collaboration with Charli xcx, 'Girl, so confusing featuring lorde' and this week’s Charts see a repeat of the remarkable feat achieved by Lorde’s 2017 album Melodrama – with the tracks from Virgin claiming the first 11 spots on the Aotearoa Singles Chart.