Michael Jackson's Essential collection tops UK year-to-date albums chart for 2026

The Essential Michael Jackson has passed 508,000 UK chart units this year, according to Music-News.com's report of the Official Charts year-to-date ranking, with the biopic Michael cited as the driver.

EILISH Editorial Team22 Oct 2026, 15:09 · 2 min read · 1 source

Michael Jackson's 2005 compilation The Essential Michael Jackson has moved to Number 1 on the UK's year-to-date albums ranking for 2026, having accumulated more than 508,000 UK chart units so far this year. The figures were reported by Music-News.com, which describes the standings as the race for the Official biggest album of 2026 as the third quarter closes.

Music-News.com links the surge to the April release of the biopic Michael, saying it has driven renewed public interest in Jackson's catalogue.

Three Jackson albums in the Top 20

The Essential Michael Jackson now sits above Olivia Dean's The Art of Loving, which holds Number 2. Harry Styles' Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally. is in third place.

Jackson's presence is not limited to the top spot. According to the report, Thriller stands at Number 16 and Bad at Number 20, so three of his albums are inside the year-to-date Top 20.

Rodrigo climbs, Oasis hold firm

Elsewhere in the standings, Olivia Rodrigo's latest album, you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love, has risen eight places since the previous official update and is now at Number 5. Music-News.com reports that it has passed 305,000 UK chart units in 2026. Her earlier albums SOUR and GUTS are placed at Number 26 and Number 29 respectively, keeping all three inside the Top 40.

Oasis also have several records in the ranking. The report attributes demand for the band's older material to the announcement of their sold-out Live '27 reunion tour. The retrospective Time Flies... (1994-2009) is at Number 10, (What's The Story) Morning Glory? at Number 19 and Definitely Maybe at Number 40.

A new entry at Number 39

The Top 40 also includes a new arrival: SIENNA SPIRO's debut release Visitor enters at Number 39. Music-News.com notes that the project includes Great Expectation, which gave her a first Number 1 on the Official Singles Chart earlier this autumn.

The figures describe cumulative UK chart units across 2026 to date rather than a single week's sales, so positions can still change before the year ends. The source does not give unit totals for the albums below the leaders, other than Rodrigo's, and EILISH has not independently verified the chart data.