U.K. MIDWEEKS: LIAM LOOKING AT #3

Liam Payne has started at #3 on the U.K.’s Official Singles Chart with solo debut “Strip That Down” f/Quavo (Capitol) while Linkin Park have the highest new entry on the midweek Albums tally with One More Light (Warner Bros.) at #2.

Payne is 325 combined sales behind #2 “I’m the One” (Black Butter/Def Jam) by DJ Khaled. Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee and Justin Bieber are still #1 with “Despacito” (Polydor). Can Payne rocket ahead of the competition by week’s end and join his former bandmates Harry Styles and ZAYN in scoring a debut #1 solo single in Blighty? The remaining singles in the Top 5 are non-moving: Shawn Mendes stays at #4 with “There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back” (Virgin EMI) and Clean Bandit and Zara Larsson do the same at #5 with “Symphony” (Atlantic).

On the Official Albums midweek update, Ed Sheeran is back on top with ÷ (Atlantic) sitting 2.4k combined sales ahead of Linkin Park. Styles follows at #3 with his self-titled Columbia debut and Rag’n’Bone Man is #4 with Human (Columbia). The second highest new album entry this week looks set to be Erasure with 17th LP World Be Gone (Mute) at #5.