Step aside Drake, Ariana Grande, Travis Scott, and Nicki Minaj...at least, step aside where the Billboard charts are concerned. This week belongs to an artist you may have never heard of: Lauren Daigle. She landed at No. 3 in album sales in America (behind Paul McCartney and Eminem), with 115,000 units moved in her first week.
If you've never heard of Daigle before, a quick primer on her history. She's a Christian singer from Louisiana. Look Up Child is her second album; her first album, How Can It Be, was released in 2015. It went platinum. She is a two-time Billboard Music Award winner, a two-time Grammy nominee, an American Music Award winner, and a Gospel Music Awards Dove Awards winner.
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In addition to topping the proper album charts for the week, Daigle made history by landing at the top of Billboard's five core Christian charts simultaneously this week. Daigle's sophomore album is about encouraging people to look inward during turbulent times. "Every part of the music experience of Look Up Child, the album and the tour, shares a profound love, deep rooted joy, and hopefully a connection to the music for people to share," Daigle explained in a press release.
The album's first single, "You Say," has over 25 million streams on YouTube at press time.
Her tour, which is her first headlining outing, is presented by Food for the Hungry, a Christian charity whose work fights hunger and poverty internationally. The tour has already been expanded with additional dates (see them here). Daigle's follow-up to this success will be quick; she has announced she will release her first holiday album this winter. Behold: A Christmas Collection will be released on November 2.
"Music can exist for a moment, and then have the power to live legacies long," Daigle said in a press release. "I’m so grateful for the opportunity to passionately throw myself into what I love — my music. This outpouring of support overwhelms me."