September 13, 2005 11:57

Antony & The Johnsons album sales soar

‘I Am A Bird Now’ flies up the charts following Mercury Prize win

Antony & The Johnsons’ ‘I Am A Bird Now’ is flying up the charts since winning the 2005 Nationwide Mercury Prize.

Record store HMV have reported that sales of the album have increased twenty-fold since it won the prize a week ago (September 6).
The LP has now soared from 135 to 16 in this week’s UK album charts, which marks the first time ‘I Am A Bird Now’ has ever been in the Top 20 since its' release in March 2005.

HMV Head Of Music Phil Penman said: “The Nationwide Mercury Prize just keeps getting better and more influential every year and its effect on sales of shortlisted albums becomes more pronounced.”
He added: “This year has been no exception and we have seen a huge interest in the winning album by Antony & The Johnsons since they pretty much stole the show with their spellbinding performance at last week’s Mercury Prize awards."

Antony & The Johnsons sales rise in the highest ever reported in the 14-year history of the Nationwide Mercury Prize.

Frontman of the band Antony Hegarty said: “Being part of the Nationwide Mercury Prize has proven to be an inspiring experience and an honour – I met so many wonderful artists. It’s such a great forum for celebrating the fantastic diversity of the music scene at the moment.”