RJ Thompson had a bit of a surprise in 2021, when his second album Lifeline debuted inside the Top 5 of the Official Albums Chart.
It was a great moment for the North East-based singer-songwriter, and a true show of the power independent artists can wield when they engage fanbases.
But can lightning strike twice? As RJ's third album, Yearbook, releases today, we jumped on a Zoom with him to discuss the great success of Lifeline and whether he feels any pressure to ensure the follow-up charts a similar path in the UK. "It was very weird," RJ says, remembering the time last year around Lifeline's release. "It wasn't really in my head that [the chart success] was going to happen.
I made the record in my room, and basically tried to figure out how to market an album during lockdown. "It was only when someone sent me he Official Chart Update [which reveals mid-week listings for the Official Albums Chart ahead of Friday] and it was mindblowing.
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