Lady Gaga's new single 'Applause' nears the Top 10 after only seven hours on sale

The track's rush release doesn't seem to have damaged sales

The cover of Lady Gaga's new single 'Applause' (Inez + Vinoodh/ littlemonsters.com)

It took Lady Gaga's new single just seven hours to break into the Top 40, coming in at number 11 after yesterday's last-minute release.

The megastar's highly anticipated return, "Applause", was sent to radio stations and released on iTunes after a wave of online leaks.

The choppy, synthy track is the lead single from the upcoming album ARTPOP, and wasn't due for release until 19 August, with the LP to follow in November.

But the inauspicious start seems to have left the song's sales undamaged. According to the Official Charts Company, it had sold over 10,500 copies up to midnight last night, having only gone on sale that afternoon.

If it rises any higher, the song will be Lady Gaga's tenth Top 10 hit.