Lady Gaga scores fastest-selling album in 2020

Lady Gaga's new album, Chromatica, has entered the UK charts at number one, after outselling the rest of the top 10 combined.

The record, which sees Gaga return to the rocket-powered pop of her debut, sold 53,000 copies, the biggest opening week of the year so far.

It is also the star's fastest-selling album since 2013's Artpop.

The album follows Gaga's performance in A Star Is Born, for which she won an Oscar for best song in 2019.

Critics have called the record a return to form, after the country-leaning acoustics of her fifth album Joanne and the misfiring experiments of her Artpop project.

"Song for song, it's her best yet", wrote Variety magazine, adding: "She sounds like she knows exactly who she is, what she wants to say and how she wants to say it."

"Her pop renaissance couldn't come at a better time," agreed Rolling Stone, while The Independent praised the star's "anthems of self-doubt, self-reflection, self-destruction and self-reclamation".

Gaga, who has suffered with chronic illness and depression, said the record was intended to be an antidote to hard times.

"The beginning of the album really symbolises, for me, what I would call the beginning of my journey to healing," she added, "and what I would hope would be an inspiration for people that are in need of healing through happiness, through dance."

According to the Official Charts Company, Chromatica was the week's most popular album in every format - physical, streaming and downloads - as well as the year's fastest-seller on vinyl, with 8,500 copies sold.

Three of the tracks also made it into the singles chart, led by the Ariana Grande duet Rain On Me at number two.

Sour Candy, a collaboration with K-pop band Blackpink, debuted at 17; while Alice, inspired by Lewis Carroll's Alice In Wonderland, was at 29.

Gaga is also expected to top the US Billboard charts next week, with projected sales of 250,000.