Lauren Daigle‘s Look Up Child logs its milestone 100th week at No. 1 on Billboard‘s Top Christian Albums chart, extending its record for the most time atop the tally in the list’s 41-year history.
On the survey dated Aug. 28, the release returns to the summit with 5,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending Aug. 19, according to MRC Data.
Daigle’s third full-length arrived at No. 1 on the Top Christian Albums chart dated Sept. 22, 2018, with 115,000 units. It concurrently started at No. 3 on the all-genre Billboard 200, boasting the largest week for a Christian music album since the latter began ranking by equivalent album units in late 2014.
The set has earned 1.9 million equivalent album units to-date, including 800,000 in album sales. It has been bolstered by the multi-genre hit “You Say,” which dominated the streaming-, airplay- and sales-based Hot Christian Songs list for a record 132 weeks. The song also led Christian Airplay for 17 frames and crossed over for a two-week stay atop Adult Contemporary.
As Look Up Child claims its 100th week at No. 1 on Top Christian Albums, Billboard caught up with Daigle for her reaction, as well as to find out what new music she has planned.
Lauren, first, a big congratulations. This album arrived before most of us knew what “pandemic” meant. As the album was released in what was essentially a different world, and as it’s still No. 1, why do you think it has resonated?
The thing that is so special about music is that it really can be timeless. Throughout the record-making process for Look Up Child, I remember saying I just wanted it to be a timeless body of work. I want it to be something that even in 20 years, 30 years, people can still pull up and listen to.
I think that’s the beauty of music as a whole. It can impact you in one way for a certain season or period of time, and then it can mean something completely different in seasons or years that follow.
It can be the same exact song, but it just hits you a different way due to whatever your circumstances are. I think that’s what this record is doing for people. It’s bringing them to a place of home that they remembered back in 2018, reflecting on good memories and good moments. They’re finding a sense of home in the lyrics and in the sentiment of the record. I feel like when tragedy strikes or when chaos strikes, it’s a beautiful thing to return home and to remind yourself that there is still good out there, and I think that’s what people are doing with this record.
Did you have any idea at all that the album would be so successful, and what’s the best part of that? Many listeners may have heard their first faith-based album because of your work.
This kind of successful, no. I guess it all depends on what your level of success is and what success means to you. If we’re talking about charts, I would definitely say that this record surprised.
But when you’re making a record, you hope that it would be something that’s palatable, and tangible, and livable with people. To see these charts and to see the things that have come from the [commercial] success of this record is really beautiful because it means people are still holding onto it or finding it for the first time.
It’s amazing to me,. It really blows my mind. I would say I had desired that it would be successful, but to see how effective it has become has been really beautiful. The best part of that is seeing how people have used the album and how it’s walked with them through a really difficult time or beautiful season. That’s the best part of this type of an accomplishment.
Are you writing or recording or planning a follow-up album?
Plans on the new record … yes, I’ve been writing and I’m in the process of seeing what the theme is going to be. Like, what are some elements that stand out from the songs I have written? But I still have a ways to go. The goal would be 2022 that a new record drops, but we shall see. I am writing, but we’re about to go on tour so I’m taking a pause from writing and then I’ll start back up.
Source
