Emeli Sande's 'Events' Tops UK Charts, Is Year's Best-Seller

The Associated Press, Monday, December 31, 2012, 8:00am (PST)

Billboard -- The final U.K. charts of 2012, published Sunday (Dec. 30), showed Emeli Sandé 's "Our Version Of Events" maintaining its place at No. 1 and as the bestselling artist album of the year. "X Factor" winner James Arthur's "Impossible," which topped the singles chart two weeks ago, returned 2-1.

Sandé sold another 72,000 copies of her debut album, now in a deluxe edition, to take total sales to 1.392 million since its arrival ten months ago. Olly Murs stood firm at No. 2 again with "Right Place Right Time" on new sales of 62,000, with Rihanna 's "Unapologetic" back up 6-3 (53,000).

Moving back into the top ten were two more Sony-released titles, Calvin Harris' "18 Months," 12-7, and Rita Ora's "Ora," 36-8. "Now! That's What I Call Music 83" started a sixth week atop the compilation chart, with total sales now at 1.33 million units.

James Arthur's single sold a further 183,000 copies last week, finishing ahead of will.i.am 's "Scream & Shout" featuring Britney Spears, which moved back 3-2, and PSY 's "Gangnam Style," up 6-3. Another former No. 1, Olly Murs' "Troublemaker," featuring Flo Rida, improved 7-4, as last week's No. 1, the Justice Collective's "He Ain't Heavy He's My Brother," fell to No. 5.

The season of the holiday hit ended as a raft of perennial Christmas sellers nosedived in the chart week following the hoidays, but as "Fairytale of New York" by the Pogues featuring Kirsty MacColl fell 12-32, it was confirmed by the Official Charts Company as a million-seller. The 25-year-old track is officially the U.K.'s 126th million-selling single, and the ninth to reach the seven-figure mark this year.

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