Boosted by BRIT awards, Sam Smith grabs UK chart top spot

[February 24, 2014]  LONDON (Reuters) — English singer-songwriter Sam Smith seized the top spot in Britain's music charts on Sunday with his track "Money On My Mind", ending Clean Bandit's four-week stint at number one, the Official Charts Company said.

It said Smith's success at the BRIT awards, where he won the Critics' Choice award, had helped him sell 108,000 copies with his debut track. It was the first time the winner of that award had debuted in the top spot, it said.

The British pop world's show of the year was held earlier this month.

Smith's success pushed Clean Bandit's "Rather Be" down to third place, while Pharrell Williams took the second spot with his track "Happy".

A collaboration between Christina Aguilera and A Great Big World — a song called "Say Something" — went in straight at number four.

In the albums chart, British band Bastille stormed back to number one with their record "Bad Blood", thanks, the Official Charts Company said, to their own success at the BRITs, where they were named as the Best British Breakthrough act.

The Arctic Monkeys, who also did well at the awards, climbed nine places to finish at number two with their album "AM".

(Reporting by Andrew Osborn; editing by Larry King)

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