Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson top singles and album charts
The former bandmates’ double victory comes 15 years after One Direction topped the singles chart for the first time with What Makes You Beautiful.
Former One Direction bandmates Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson are each celebrating after going to number one in the singles and album charts respectively as solo artists.
Styles’ latest single Aperture went straight to number one, according to the Official Charts Company, in the same week it was announced that he is attempting to beat a record with his upcoming world tour.
Meanwhile, Tomlinson said he was “incredibly grateful” to his fans after landing his second number one album with How Did I Get Here?
His last album, Faith In The Future, also went to number one when it was released in 2022.
Tomlinson said: “I can’t quite believe I’m saying this, but How Did I Get Here? is this week’s official number one album.
“I’m so incredibly grateful for all the passion and dedication of the fans to help make it all possible. Thank you!”
The double victory comes 15 years after One Direction topped the singles chart for the first time with What Makes You Beautiful.
Styles and Tomlinson performed in the five-piece alongside bandmates Niall Horan, Zayn Malik and the late Liam Payne.
Aperture is Styles’ third number one solo single in the UK and is the lead track on his upcoming fourth solo studio album Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally, which is due to be released on March 6.
It comes after the singer added two more concerts to his Wembley Stadium run this summer, bringing it to 12 nights, in a bid to beat Coldplay’s record of 10 performances at the venue last year.
The 31-year-old will now also perform on July 1 and 4 as part of the Together, Together tour.
If successful, Styles will also beat pop superstar Taylor Swift’s record, set on the Eras Tour in 2024, of most concerts performed at Wembley by a solo artist during a single concert run.
His former chart-topper As It Was also re-entered the top 40 this week for the first time since 2024, at number 28.
Martin Talbot, chief executive at Official Charts, said: “It’s precisely 15 years this year since One Direction topped the official singles chart for the first time with What Makes You Beautiful and, after Robbie Williams last week demonstrated how enduring our pop-group-member-turned-solo-stars can be, it is fantastic to see Harry and Louis topping the official charts again this week.
“A reminder (if we ever needed one) of the timeless appeal of arguably the world’s favourite 21st-century boyband.”
One Direction scored the relatively rare “official chart double” in November 2012, as Little Things and Take Me Home topped the singles and albums charts respectively.
Elsewhere, Dave and Tems drop from the top spot to number two in the singles chart with Raindance while Djo is at number three with End Of Beginning, Raye is at four with Where Is My Husband! and the aforementioned Swift is at number five with The Fate Of Ophelia.
In the albums chart, Olivia Dean’s The Art Of Loving remains at number two ahead of Megadeth’s self-titled album at number three, Callum Beattie with Indi at number four and Fleetwood Mac’s 50 Years – Don’t Stop at number five.
Arctic Monkeys’ latest single Opening Night has gone straight to number 16, their highest charting single in 13 years after Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High? in 2013.
The single is taken from the upcoming War Child Records compilation HELP(2), which is due to be released on March 6.
After returning to the official singles chart top 40 for the first time in more than two decades last week, The Cure’s Boys Don’t Cry has elevated even further, moving up three places to 36.
