Charli XCXxc’s Brat has finally topped the U.K.’s Official Albums Charts, four months after its original release.

The release of remix album Brat and It’s Completely Different But Also Still Brat, which had star turns from Ariana Grande, The 1975, The Strokes’ Julian Casablancas and more, gave a well-timed boost to the original record to help it land at the summit. She faced stiff competition back in June when the original was beaten to No. 1 by Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department.

This is Charli’s second No. 1 album in the U.K. following 2022’s Crash. The record also is named the bestselling album on vinyl, and the LP was the most purchased in independent record shops this week. She already had a No. 1 on the Official Singles Chart in the summer with the remix of “Guess,” which features Billie Eilish.

The former Housemartins singer Paul Heaton lands at No. 2 with The Mighty Several. Heaton had a string of No. 1 albums in the 1990s with his band The Beautiful South, and two further chart-toppers with fellow Beautiful South vocalist Jacqui Abbott in 2020 and 2022.

Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet still has a hold on the British public as her album lands at No. 3, while Coldplay’s Moon Music and Chappell Roan’s The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess round out the top five.

Elsewhere in the top 10, there are appearances from James Blunt following the reissue of his 2004 album, Back to Bedlam, which landed at No. 7. Following a fan vote, the singer had promised to legally change his name to Blunty McBluntface if his album went to No. 1. Back to Bedlam originally spent 10 non-consecutive weeks at No. 1 and is one of the bestselling albums in British music history. 

Lady Gaga’s Harlequin, which is a companion album and featured songs from Joker: Folie à Deux, also had a boost following the shipment of physical LPs and finished at No. 11. 

Kendrick Lamar rarely lends his stamp of approval publicly, but K. Dot gave his co-sign to a rapper in his former Top Dawg Entertainment family.

Lamar declared Doechii to be the “hardest out” with an Instagram Story post on Thursday (Oct. 17), which featured the Florida native’s cover art to her acclaimed Alligator Bites Never Heal mixtape.

She returned the favor, reposting the IG Story thanking Dot for giving her the spotlight. “Thank you Dot, you the greatest,” the 26-year-old wrote.

Doechii added in a separate post: “Getting your flowers while you can smell them >>>”

Kendrick with the Doechii co-sign: “the hardest out ” pic.twitter.com/LxshwzicSR

— Pigeons & Planes (@PigsAndPlans) October 18, 2024

She joined the TDE family in 2022, while Lamar left the label that helped turn him into a rap titan later that year following the release of Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers.

Kendrick also shared The Barbershop short film starring Doechii, which was created in collaboration between his pgLang agency and Cash App. Calmatic directed the clip featuring Doechii, serving up some financial literacy in a straight-forward format as she explains interest in its simplest terms.

“I’m at a place now where I’m starting to make a budget and set financial goals for my future,” Doechii said in a statement. “I think it’s so important to be honest with each other when we talk about money, which is why I’m excited to be part of this campaign and share what’s been working for me.”

Lamar doesn’t speak out often when it comes to publicly wrapping his arms around younger artists. In the past, he gave his stamp of approval to XXXTENTACION’s 17 project in 2017. “Listen to this album if you feel anything. raw thoughts,” he tweeted at the time. “5th listen.”

Billboard’s Friday Music Guide serves as a handy guide to this Friday’s most essential releases — the key music that everyone will be talking about today, and that will be dominating playlists this weekend and beyond. 

This week, Morgan Wallen shakes things up, ROSÉ links up with Bruno Mars and Gracie Abrams adds to a breakthrough project. Check out all of this week’s picks below:

Morgan Wallen, “Love Somebody” 

On the first taste of his follow-up to last year’s blockbuster album One Thing at a Time, Morgan Wallen rearranges his tried-and-true formula, mixing his country twang with Latin rhythms on “Love Somebody” — but still prioritizing a massive chorus for his stadium crowds.

ROSÉ & Bruno Mars, “APT.” 

As her BLACKPINK group mates forge ahead with solo careers of their own, ROSÉ, who shined on her 2021 two-pack R, has teamed up with Bruno Mars for “APT.,” a slick pop confection full of clap-along refrains that will inspire wide-ranging shimmying if it ever gets a proper live performance.

Gracie Abrams, The Secret of Us (Deluxe) 

Gracie Abrams continues the most successful year of her career with this deluxe edition of sophomore album The Secret of Us, which boasts both her quick-rising hit “I Love You, I’m Sorry” as well as emotionally piercing new tracks like the delightfully pissed-off “That’s So True.”

Bon Iver, SABLE, 

Five years after his most recent Bon Iver album, Justin Vernon returns with a triptych of songs that echo previous highs from his most well-known musical project: “Things Behind Things Behind Things” recalls the mighty indie-folk of his sophomore album, while “SPEYSIDE” is as hushed and gorgeous as the landmark debut For Emma, Forever Ago.

Yeat, Lyfestyle 

Yeat started the year with his compelling full-length 2093, and new album Lyfestyle finds the futuristic rapper on a creative tear, raging over hazy synths and trap beats alongside guests like Kodak Black, Lil Durk and Don Toliver.

Wizkid feat. Brent Faiyaz, “Piece of My Heart” 

To preview his upcoming sixth album Morayo, Wizkid has corralled Brent Faiyaz for a slinky love jam that doesn’t shy away from old-school R&B pleasures while also allowing the Nigerian superstar to showcase his nimble flow.

Farruko, CVRBON VRMOR 

Fans of Farrago’s signature hits and remixes will find plenty to enjoy on new album CVRBON VRMOR, as the Puerto Rican singer often pushes the tempo with the same vigor as “Pepas” — but the sprawling, 26-track project also includes mid-tempo delights like “Vibe” and “Blessings.”

Kylie Minogue, Tension II 

The viral success of “Padam Padam” helped draw attention to Kylie Minogue’s Tension, the pop veteran’s most complete project in years; with Tension II, Minogue offers another electro-tinged dance kaleidoscope, still delivering onomatopoeic hooks and sounding reinvigorated.

Riley Green, Don’t Mind If I Do 

Alabama singer-songwriter Riley Green has been turning heads in Nashville for a bit, and new album Don’t Mind If I Do aims at the mainstream with polished balladry and concise country jams that abide by the history of the genre.

Editor’s Pick: Mk.gee, “Rockman” 

Mk.gee’s debut album Two Star & The Dream Police has been fiercely beloved by tastemakers and indie fans since its February release, and the elastic bounce of new single “Rockman” plays out like a victory lap, with the harmonies reaching high and evoking celebration.

Amid the outpouring of grief and love in the wake of Liam Payne‘s shocking death at 31 on Wednesday following a fall from his hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina came a touching reminder from the former One Direction and solo star’s recent past to put things into perspective.

That prompt came from BBC Radio 2 host Scott Mills, who on Thursday (Oct. 17) played a letter Payne wrote to his 10-year-old self in 2020 and read on BBC Radio 1 as part of a pandemic series. Mills noted that during the COVID-19 shutdown, Payne came on his show to participate in the project asking artists to speak to their younger selves, and, looking emotional, added that the singer’s take now feels especially “poignant” in light of his tragic death.

“Dear 10 year old Liam. Get ready! It’s about to get a little bumpy,” Payne says in a fuzzy close-up video in which he’s wearing headphones. “Cherish every moment with your loved ones right now as there’s only a few more family holidays to enjoy, life is about to turn surreal. You know that thing you love, singing, keep it up and when you turn 14 something magical is going to happen and I’m not talking about puberty.”

The singer tells his 5th grade self that not only will he audition for “one of the biggest music shows in the world,” The X Factor, but that he will also meet the future mother of his now seven-year-old son Bear, Girls Aloud member Cheryl Cole.

“I know it seems early but just trust me it’s all gonna work out however it’s supposed to. I suggest you watch Back to the Future, it might help,” Payne joked at the time. “You are now famous and it feels like you’ve peaked way too early you cocky little bugger, but you have barely even started yet. Take it down a notch and remember it’s a marathon not a sprint,” he said, noting that his first audition for X Factor in 2008 as a solo act — where judge Simon Cowell said he wasn’t quite ready yet — wasn’t even “base camp” in his wild ride to global stardom.

“For a while you’ll feel like giving up. But don’t, as you’re about to meet four other guys on the same track as you,” he said of his second try in 2010, when Cowell paired him up with his eventual 1D mates: Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson.

“When you first meet them it’s going to be chaos but just remember to enjoy yourself, stay young at heart as that’s what this point of your life is all about. Forgive more and learn to listen,” Payne counseled. “You will have the most amazing time of your life, travel the world and live a life you barely imagined. Then it will end for a while and you’ll be left with nothing but the steering wheel.”

Payne also told his young self that after 1D’s hiatus in 2016 things would feel “scary” for a bit, “like you’re alone, but you are not. You’re about to start a totally new journey with the most amazing person you’ve ever met, your son Bear.”

Bear, Payne’s only child, was born in 2017, a year before he and Cole split. “Don’t doubt yourself at this Dad thing, just look at all the things you’ve learnt along the way, surely that must mean you have a lot to give,” he said. “Be grateful and try to remember very day you’re doing something you love that took ten years to build. The first single will skyrocket and you’ll never see it coming but stop with the self doubt and you’ll be fine.”

The letter ends with Payne giving a “big hug” to his mom, dad and his entire family.

Payne’s death has prompted tributes from around the globe, including personal notes from all his former 1D mates and a are joint statement from the living members on Thursday, as well as tributes from Payne’s family and his former school.

Local authorities said that believe Payne was not sober at the time of his death, reporting that they found substances that appeared to be narcotics and alcoholic drinks in his room. A preliminary autopsy confirmed that Payne died from multiple traumas and internal and external hemorrhages sustained from the impact of a fall from the third-story of the Casa Sur hotel in the Palermo district in Argentina. 

In the moments leading up to the star’s death, a hotel manager called 911 to report that a guest was “overwhelmed with drugs and alcohol” and “destroying [their] entire room”; by the time police arrived on scene, Payne had already fallen from the balcony of his room and died due to his injuries.

Watch Payne reading his letter below.

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