Dermot Kennedy claims Ireland’s biggest album of 2020 with Without Fear. The singer-songwriter from Rathcoole’s debut album enjoyed an incredible 2020, ending the year as the country’s most physically purchased, downloaded and streamed album of the last 12 months, totalling 43.7k units.
Without Fear – released in October 2019 - spent the entirety of 2020 in the Official Irish Albums Chart Top 10, helping Dermot become the longest-running Number 1 debut album of the millennium, with 15 weeks in total at the top spot. He is also the first Irish soloist in modern chart history to claim the Official Irish Chart double. Without Fear finishes the year in pole position ahead of Lewis Capaldi’s Divinely Uninspired To A Hellish Extent (2).
The top new album release of 2020 came courtesy of Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia (5) - the British popstar’s second album spawned four Top 5 singles on the Official Irish Singles Chart.
Late rapper Pop Smoke secured the best-performing debut release of 2020 in Ireland with Shoot For The Stars, Aim For The Moon, and the eighth best seller overall.
Taylor Swift’s surprise-released lockdown album Folklore claimed 2020’s biggest opening week and ranks in seventh place overall for the year.
Bruce Springsteen claims the year’s fastest-selling album (physical sales and downloads) with Letter To You – The Boss’s ninth Number 1 in Ireland and ninth place in the end-of-year rankings.
Niall Horan scored the biggest new homegrown release of 2020 with Heartbreak Weather (12).
