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Way ahead for One Direction and Ed Sheeran

18/09/2011

Brand new British boy band One Direction fly to the top of the Official Singles Chart to land the biggest one sales week of the year so far with debut release What Makes You Beautiful, while singer/ songwriter Ed Sheeran sees his major label debut + take the prime spot in this week's Official Albums Chart.

Clocking up over 153,000 sales since last Monday, One Direction have leapfrogged artists such as Bruno Mars, Olly Murs, Jennifer Lopez, DJ Fresh, Wanted, Example and Adele, all of whom have broken through the 100,000 sales-in-one-week barrier this year, with one of the most eagerly anticipated debuts of 2011.

The Official Charts Company spoke to the boys who said: "To be Number One is simply amazing but to top it off by being the biggest selling first week single of the year is something that we could have never imagined. We just want to say a huge 'thank you' to all the fans who bought the single - they are the best fans in the world and we love them all! We wouldn't be here without them so we are truly grateful."

Band members Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan, Harry Styles and Zayn Malik met as individual contestants on last year's X Factor but joined forces at the suggestion of X Factor judge Nicole Scherzinger. A place in the final three as one of the competition's most popular-ever acts and their subsequent signing to Simon Cowell's Syco label set the foundations for today's phenomenal chart smash.  

One Direction release their debut album later this year.

There are no other new entries in this week's Official Singles Chart Top 10 but Will Young, whose own career was launched from reality talent show Pop Idol in 2002, sees his latest single Jealousy re-enter at Number Nine up from last week's 12 having previously peaked at Number Five last month.

The Official Albums Chart also witnesses another British debut release to take the top spot courtesy of 20-year-old singer/ songwriter Ed Sheeran’s first major-label album +, which tallies over 100,000 sales in its first week.  This feat follows singles' successes, You Need Me I Don’t Need You (January 2011) which peaked at Number Four and The A Team (May 2011) which peaked at Number Three. Previously, Sheeran released five EPs independently, having left home for London at the age of 16 to pursue his career in music. His UK-wide tour this October is already sold out.

The Official Albums Chart Top 10 sees two other new entries: A Creature I Don’t Know from Mercury-nominated folk singer/ songwriter Laura Marling is straight in at Number Four, equaling the personal best chart performance of her previous album, last year's I Speak Because I Can; and indie-rockers Kooks land their third Top 10 album with Junk Of The Heart straight in at Number 10 which follows the Number Two Inside In Inside Out (2006) and the Number One Konk (2008).

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Notes to Editors
 
1.   Chart information quoted from this release must be credited to the Official Charts Company.
 
2.  The Official Charts Company is a joint venture between record labels' body the BPI and ERA, the Entertainment Retailers Association. The Official Charts Company is responsible for the commissioning, marketing, distribution and management of the UK's industry standard music and video charts and is endorsed by the BVA (British Video Association).
 
3. The Official Charts Company compiles its charts from sales information gathered across all key distribution (or entertainment) channels including all major high street retail chains, independent stores, supermarkets, mail order internet retailers and digital music service providers. This market research sample equates to 99% of the total UK Singles market; 98% of the total UK Albums market and 90% of the total UK DVD market.
 
For further information contact:
Amy Howard, Official Charts Company.
T: 01480 860 530  M. 07768 891 264
E: amy@theofficialcharts.com
W:  www.theofficialcharts.com
The Chart Show with Reggie Yates, Sundays  4pm-7pm, BBC Radio 1.
The Official Chart Update with Greg James, Wednesdays 3.30pm-4pm, BBC Radio 1
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/chart/
Jo Whiley features Official Albums Chart highlights, Mondays between 8 and 9pm, BBC Radio 2                                                                                                                                            

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