James Marriott reveals story behind his number one album Don’t Tell the Dog

James Marriott has revealed the nerve-wracking reality of chasing a UK number one, after his album Don't Tell the Dog beat Sabrina Carpenter and Oasis to the top spot in 2025. The YouTuber-turned-musician explains artists receive their award and film their acceptance interview on the Tuesday, three days before the official result is confirmed on the Friday. "You have no idea if you've got it or not," he tells The Independent. "There's probably an archive of artists holding number one awards and doing interviews — and they don't get it." The Swiss-born, Brighton-based multihyphenate performs at Latitude Festival 2026, taking place 23-26 July at Henham Park, Suffolk. Tickets are available at latitudefestival.com. Watch more on Independent TV: https://tinyurl.com/yc7ukx9n The Independent is the world’s most free-thinking newsbrand, providing global news, commentary and analysis for the independently-minded. Subscribe: https://bit.ly/Subscribe-to-Independent Find us on social: TikTok / https://www.tiktok.com/@independent Instagram / https://www.instagram.com/the.independent/ X (Twitter) / https://twitter.com/Independent Facebook / https://www.facebook.com/TheIndependentOnline Download the iOS & Android app: https://tinyurl.com/2s3ts5dh Sign up to our newsletters: https://tinyurl.com/2bmw565x Help to support truly independent journalism. Every dollar you contribute will directly fund additional special reports and investigations from a free-thinking, award-winning newsroom you can trust: https://www.independent.co.uk/donations