X Factor's Louisa Johnson charts at number 9, worst-performing winner's single ever - Telegraph Celebrity news X Factor's Louisa Johnson charts at number 9, worst-performing winner's single ever Louisa Johnson's X Factor winner's song has entered the charts at number nine, the worst position in the show's history X Factor 2015 finalist, Louisa Johnson Photo: PA By Hannah Furness , Arts Correspondent 6:00PM GMT 18 Dec 2015 Follow Louisa Johnson, the X Factor winner, has entered the UK charts at number nine: the worst performance from a winner's single in the show's 11-year history. Johnson would traditionally have been aiming for Christmas number one with her cover of Bob Dylan's Forever Young, following in the footsteps of previous winners who have sailed to the top of the charts. But despite singing her way to victory in the ITV talent show last Sunday , she has achieved combined sales of just 39,000 with the single.

Last year's X Factor winner Ben Haenow achieved 214,000 combined sales with his winner's single, Something I Need, during its first week on sale and went on to take the Christmas number one spot. Photo: ITV Shayne Ward' s That's My Goal sold 740,000 copies in its first week in 2005, going on to reach the 1.11m mark in the UK. Alexandra Burke's cover of Hallelujah sold 576,000 in 2008, while even the show's very first winner Steve Brookstein sold 204,000 copies of Against All Odds. Johnson's chart position follows a difficult series for X Factor, with ratings dropping to a low of 5.39 million. Unlike former contestants, a change in the Official Charts, which saw it move from Sunday to Friday, meant Johnson has not had a full week of sales under her belt. While it is not impossible for the song to gain momentum and climb the chart, it will now struggle to reach Christmas number one : a position the majority of X Factor winners have enjoyed.

All previous winners have reached number ones with their debut single, with even Joe McElderry - who missed out on the Christmas number one to Rage Against the Machine - climbing a week later. The X Factor did, however, give a boost to One Direction's single History, which reached its highest position of number 11 after their performance of the song on Sunday's final. Adele's 25 is set to become the fastest album to sell two million copies in UK chart history. By midnight on December 17, the singer's third album had reached 1.97 million sales, and it has now almost certainly hit the two million mark - having sold between 46,000 and 61,000 copies a day for the past week. Photo: ITV 25, which remains in the top spot on the album chart for the fourth consecutive week, will likely achieve this record after 29 days on sale - beating her previous album 21, which took 13 weeks to reach the two million mark. On the singles chart, Justin Bieber set a new record as the first artist ever to log four consecutive weeks at numbers one and two, with his tracks Love Yourself and Sorry.

The biggest selling X Factor winner's singles revealed Google + The X Factor celebrates 13 series of Saturday night domination and unmissability in 2016, and as we start out on the journey to find the new champion, we look back at the 12 who came before. As diverse artists as they all are, they have at least two things in common – first of all, they won the show and released a winner’s single. And secondly, they all released at least one album. So when we count out the numbers, who comes out on top? It’s the ultimate display of public approval, the actual purchase of their music. When the studio lights have gone down and they’re on their own, did their onscreen popularity guarantee them hefty sales? Winner's singles It’s a close-run thing when it comes to singles, with the Top 2 artists benefitting from the digital age. There have been four million-selling winner’s singles and it’s pretty close at the top. 3: Shayne Ward – That’s My Goal The second winner of The X Factor, all the way back in 2005, super-talented Shayne Ward was the first winner to score a million-seller.

Shayne is also the only champion so far to release a totally original song – everyone else has launched their career with a cover version. Despite not having the advantage of convenient downloads when he won, Shayne still shifted an impressive 740,000 copies in his first week on sale. That’s My Goal has sold a total of 1.11 million copies in the UK. Currently taking a break from music, you can find Shayne running the knicker factory in Coronation Street. MORE: Look back at Shayne Ward's full Official Chart history, including 4 Top 10 singles 2: James Arthur – Impossible Finishing a very close second is 2012’s winner James Arthur, who scored the fastest-selling single of the year with this Shontelle cover. Impossible has sold 1.294 million copies in the UK. MORE: Look back at the Official Top 100 Singles of 2012 here 1: Alexandra Burke – Hallelujah The champion is Series 5’s victor Alexandra Burke, who was the first X Factor winner to have her single immediately available for download.

Alex still managed to sell over 570,000 physical copies of her cover of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah, and altogether the song cleared a million copies in just four weeks – over 576,000 in its first sales week alone. It’s sold a total of 1.297 million copies in the UK, giving Alexandra another win to add to her haul. MORE: Look back at Alexandra Burke's full Official UK Chart history, including 3 Number 1 singles And the rest… There’s one more million seller courtesy of 2010’s winner Matt Cardle, whose Biffy Clyro cover When We Collide has sold 1.01 million copies. Series 3 winner Leona Lewis has a million in her sights – she’s currently on 916,000 with A Moment Like This.

Further down the tally, 2014's winner Ben Haenow notched up a healthy 508,000 sales of Something I Need, while the very first winner of the show Steve Brookstein scores a sales tally of 204,000 for his winning single Against All Odds, originally a hit for Phil Collins and a Number 1 in 1999 for Westlife and Mariah Carey. In last place on the list is 2015's winner Louisa Johnson. Her Bob Dylan cover Forever Young is the only winner's single not to reach Number 1 (it peaked at 9) and has sold 79,000 units in total. Here’s the full Top 12 ranking of all The X Factor’s winning singles so far… © 2016 The Official Charts Company. All rights reserved. Debut albums So once the winning single is out, talk turns to debut albums, but who had the selling power for their very first long-player? Let’s just say this is pretty much a one-horse race.

1: Leona Lewis – Spirit Way out in front of all her fellow winners is 2004’s victor Leona Lewis, whose debut album Spirit has sold an incredible 3.13 million copies, making it one of the bestselling albums of all time in the UK. Leona is behind only Adele and Amy Winehouse when it comes to bestselling albums by British female acts . Spirit’s success may well have been helped along, of course, by Leona’s launch single Bleeding Love, which is a million seller and was Number 1 for an astonishing seven weeks. 2: Alexandra Burke – Overcome Another Top 2 result for our singles’ winner, Alexandra’s debut album Overcome has shifted almost 820,000 copies since its release in 2009. The album contains three Number 1 singles, Hallelujah, Bad Boys and Start Without You. 3: Shayne Ward – Shayne Ward Good news for Shayne Ward too: he scores Number 3 position in our albums countdown too, with his debut shifting 539,000 copies. And the rest… The only group to win The X Factor, Little Mix, score the fourth bestselling debut.

Even though it peaked at Number 3, DNA comes in with a sales tally of 388,000 so far. 2009 winner Joe McElderry comes in 9th place, with just 33 or so copies edging him ahead of Steve Brookstein. Ben Haenow's self-titled collection finishes in last place, with 70,000 copies shifted in its lifetime. Here’s the full rundown… All the X Factor winners EVER: But where are they now? - Mirror Online TV All the X Factor winners EVER: But where are they now? As viewers start to warm to this year's X Factor contenders - we ask did the show bring any winners true happiness? Share Stars: All the X Factor winners EVER (Photo: Getty / Rex) Share Get celebs updates directly to your inbox + Subscribe Could not subscribe, try again laterInvalid Email Video Loading Click to play Tap to play The video will start in 8Cancel Play now Share this video Watch Next Let's take a look at some of the X Factor's past winners, to see how they've done since. Which X Factor Winners have been most successful?

X Factor winners' top 40 singles Leona Lewis has clearly been one of the biggest success stories in terms of top 40 singles. Surprisingly, very few contestants have had number one singles beyond their winner's single. Only Leona, Alexandra and Little Mix have topped the chart more than once. X Factor winners' number 1 singles It should perhaps be noted that One Direction , who came third in the 2010 X Factor, have had four number ones and 15 top 40 singles, leaving all of the winners in the dust. Steve Brookstein 1 Top 40 singles Steve was the very first winner of the X Factor, back in 2004. Fresh from his victory, his winner's single, a cover of Phil Collins' Against All Odds was pipped to Christmas number one by the Band Aid 20 revamp of Do They Know It's Christmas? But Steve's debut climbed to number one in its second week on the chart. His debut album, Heart and Soul went in at number one, but that was his last taste of success.

He was dropped by SonyBMG just eight months into his contract and became embroiled in a feud with Simon Cowell over his treatment on the show. Most recently, he made headlines after linking devastating 7/7 London terror attack to his number one album. Steve wrote a book about his time on The X Factor, slating Cowell and co, entitled Getting Over the Ex, which was a best-seller on Amazon. Shayne Ward 6 Top 40 singles Shayne Ward , who won the second series in 2005, bagged the X Factor's first Christmas number one. He was given a million-pound contract with Cowell's Syco label, who released his debut album in 2006, which was certified four times platinum in Ireland, and platinum in the UK. His follow-up album, Breathless, was an even greater success in Ireland, but peaked at number two in the UK. The lead single from Breathless, No U Hang Up, not only hit the top spot in Ireland, but has an undeniably great title.

He was dropped by Syco in 2011 after poor sales of third album Obsession, and went on to appear on Dancing on Ice and star in 80s-themed West End musical Rock of Ages. Shayne is still releasing music and recently bagged a role in Coronation Street. Leona Lewis 13 Top 40 singles Leona is generally considered the X Factor's first bona-fide star. She began to study at London fame academy the Brit School, but left aged 17 to "get out there." After winning the 2006 series, she released a cover of Kelly Clarkson's A Moment Like This, which made it to Christmas number one selling more copies than the rest of that week's top 40 combined. Her first post-X Factor single, Bleeding Love stayed at number one for seven weeks, and also topped the chart in Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, France, Germany, Norway, Swizerland, Belgium, The Netherlands, Austria, Canada and the United States. Since then she's had a string of hit singles and albums, recorded the theme song for Avatar and embarked on two world tours.

Her Christmas track One More Sleep in 2013 was a hit but her recent music has failed to make waves in the charts. Leon Jackson 2 Top 40 singles Pint-sized Scottish crooner Leon Jackson charmed his way to winning the 2007 season of X Factor. An outsider to win the show, his victory over rival Rhydian Roberts was described as "the biggest shock in the history of reality TV betting." His winner's single, an arrangement of Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston's duet When You Believe, was Christmas Number one that year, reportedly selling 40 copies a minute in Woolworths at its peak. But that was his last taste of the top spot. Follow-up single Don't Call This Love peaked at number three, and debut album Right Now only made it to number four. The album's poor sales prompted Syco to unceremoniously drop Jackson, and he was voted the second biggest reality TV flop in a national survey - only losing out to Steve Brookstein. Since then he's kept writing and recording, and did an acoustic tour in 2010, but further hits have failed to materialise.

Alexandra Burke 8 Top 40 singles Alexandra Burke was hotly tipped to be the next Leona, and although she hasn't had quite the rampant success, she's done better than most. After beating JLS to win the X Factor, her winner's single, a cover of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah was the 2008 Christmas number one, despite a campaign to have Jeff Buckley' version of the song beat her to it. Since then she's had a string of hits, several BRIT and MTV award nominations and toured with Beyonce. On top of her UK success she bagged a £3.5m, five album US deal with Epic records but hasn't had a hit for a number of years. Joe McElderry 4 Top 40 singles Joe's winner's single, a cover of Miley Cyrus' The Climb, was caught up in one of the X Factor's biggest controversies - and was the first to be beaten to the Christmas top spot for four years. It was kept off the top by Rage Against The Machine's Killing In The Name, after a Facebook campaign in protest against the show's grip on the Christmas number one tradition.

His debut album, Wide Awake, peaked at number three and dropped out of the top 40 within three weeks. In total, the album had sold just over 100,000 copies by December 2010. His contract with Syco expired in 2011 and wasn't renewed. He's since spoken of his unhappiness about his time with Syco, but that the split was "amicable." A consummate reality TV star, Joe also won Popstar to Opera in 2011 and The Jump in 2014. He is now appearing in Tommy The Rock Opera alongside Blue's Antony Costa in Blackpool. Matt Cardle 4 Top 40 singles Essex heartthrob Matt Cardle triumphed in the 2010 X Factor. His winner's single - a cover of Biffy Clyro's only ballad, Many of Horror (retitled When We Collide) - regained Syco's grip on the festive top spot, where it stayed for three weeks. His debut album, Letters, stayed on the chart for 16 weeks, peaking at number two.

Unfortunately, follow-up singles fared less well and he parted ways with Syco and Columbia records in 2012. Since then he's released a couple of moderately well received albums and continues to tour, but he's not seen the same success as the act that came third in 2010 - a little group called One Direction. He also collaborated with Mel C on the track Loving You which reached number 14 in the singles chart in 2013. Little Mix 10 Top 40 singles For a band cobbled together from failed solo auditions, Little Mix have done OK for themselves. Their winner's single, a cover of Damien Rice's Cannonball, charted at number one the week before Christmas, but was knocked off by the Military Wives. Since then, though, they've had unprecedented success in the US, earning the highest debut US album chart position by a British group - an accolade previously held by the Spice Girls. They've sold 5million singles and 2.5million albums worldwide, and are now promoting their new album third studio Get Weird, featuring the number one hit Black Magic.

James Arthur 3 Top 40 singles James Arthur won series nine of the X Factor, and his winner's single Impossible hit the number one spot, selling more than 1.25million copies in the UK. He was knocked off the top spot by the Justice Collective's Hillsborough Disaster charity single He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother, which was that year's Christmas number one. His eponymous debut album debuted at number two in the UK, but after that, the wheels started to fall off. He became involved in a number of controversies, most notably about the use of homophobic lyrics in a song , which led to high profile Twitter face-offs with celebrities including Frankie Boyle and Matt Lucas. And there's not many careers that can come back from iTunes offering refunds on your album due to public outcry. Arthur was later dropped from Syco but continues to perform live. Sam Bailey 1 Top 40 singles Sam Bailey beat rivals "little" Nicholas McDonald and Luke "hairy" Friend to victory in last year's X Factor. Her winner's single, a cover of Demi Lovato's Skyscraper was the first since 2010 to take the Christmas number one spot.

Since then, she's supported Beyonce at a live show in Birmingham and had the first X Factor number one album since Alexandra Burke's 2009 debut. There was some controversy about her previous music industry experience. Despite being billed as a prison warden, she was revealed to have performed on cruise ships, in clubs and at music festivals for years before hitting big on the reality show. She released her autobiography and in February 2015, it was announced via Sam's Twitter account that she had parted ways with Syco Music. Ben Haenow The biggest selling post-X Factor debut singles revealed! 21 October 2013 The biggest selling post-X Factor debut singles revealed! Once their time on The X Factor was over, which contestant had the biggest post-competition debut single? We count down the Top 10. Google + Once their time on The X Factor was over, which contestant had the biggest post-competition debut single? We count down the Top 10. The X Factor is the biggest talent contest of them all. Every year hopes and dreams are made or broken, and it’s all thanks to you.

And when it’s over, the champions release their winners’ single, of course, which is almost always a guaranteed instant Number 1. But what happens when these brand-new popstars no longer have the backing of a show watched by millions? As last year’s winner James Arthur prepares to release his first proper debut single You’re Nobody ‘Til Somebody Loves You, we started to wonder who’s had the biggest smash with their first non-X Factor track. For the winners, it’s their ‘debut proper’. For those who didn’t make it, it’s just a debut. We count down those first post-X Factor hits. (Remember, winners’ singles from the final aren’t included here, so don’t panic if your fave isn’t here.) 10. Amelia Lily – You Bring Me Joy (2012) Amelia Lily was the comeback kid of the 2011 X Factor finals. Voted out in Week 1 in a shock twist, she turned that surprise vote on its head and returned as a wildcard voted back into the show by the public in Week 6. You Bring Me Joy was a Xenomania-produced slice of pumped-up pop.

PEAK POSITION: 2 SALES: 203,000 CHART FACT: Amelia had two more Top 40 hits with Party Over and Shut Up (And Give Me Whatever You Got). WHERE IS SHE NOW? Amelia is currently recording her debut album. 9. Diana Vickers – Once (2010) Diana Vickers is the Lancashire lass who caught judge Cheryl Cole’s eye on the Girls Aloud star’s first year on The X Factor in 2008. She finished fourth, bowing out in the Week 9 semi-final. Gutted. She had the last laugh, though, when her debut single Once went straight in at the top of the Official Singles Chart. PEAK POSITION: 1 SALES: 221,000 CHART FACT: Diana’s debut album Songs From The Tainted Cherry Tree was a Number 1 on the Official Albums Chart in May 2010. WHERE IS SHE HOW? Diana is promoting her second album Music To Make Boys Cry, which has so far peaked at Number 37. 8.

Shayne Ward – No Promises (2006) Our first winner in the countdown – but definitely not our last – Manchester-born Shayne was the clear frontrunner on the second series of The X Factor, winning the show and going to Number 1 with his winners’ single That’s My Goal. This follow-up kicked off a solo career that saw him release three Top 40 albums. PEAK POSITION: 2 SALES: 238,000 CHART FACT: Shayne’s winner's song sold 1.1 million copies. Ooh,and in case you're interested (we were), he shares a birthday with fellow X Factor contestant Amelia Lily – 16 October – although Amelia is 10 years younger. WHERE IS HE NOW? Post-pop, Shayne went on to star in West End musical Rock Of Ages as wildman rockstar Stacee Jaxx and was a contestant on spangly celeb ice skating show Dancing On Ice. If you’re out there, Shayne, let us know what you’re up to! 7.

Cher Lloyd – Swagger Jagger (2011) She was mouthy and boisterous but had a voice as sweet as pie, and Cher Lloyd was the talk of the tabloids. From her very first audition, all eyes were on the controversial Worcestershire teen. She managed to ignore the ‘haters’ long enough to get all the way to the final, although she was first to be eliminated that night, finishing fourth overall. Her post-X Factor debut Swagger Jagger pretty much answered all her critics. PEAK POSITION: 1 SALES: 243,000 CHART FACT: Cher had two further Top 40 hits, With Ur Love and Want U Back. Her album Sticks + Stones reached Number 4 on the Official Albums Chart. WHERE IS SHE NOW? She is poised to release her second album, which she says is called Sorry I’m Late. Don’t be sorry, Cher, just get a watch – it’s easier for all of us that way. 6.

Olly Murs – Please Don’t Let Me Go (2010) Olly Murs is the cheeky chappy who, in the 2009 series of The X Factor, won the hearts of the nation – well, most of them. Joe McElderry may have walked off with the crown, but it was Olly who reaped the rewards of being runner-up. PEAK POSITION: 1 SALES: 421,000 CHART FACT: Olly has had four Number 1s on the Official Singles Chart – this one, Heart Skips A Beat (tune!), Troublemaker and his biggest selling single Dance With Me Tonight, which has shifted 728,000 copies. WHERE IS HE NOW? Olly is about to release a repackaged version of third album Right Place Right Time and is to feature on his idol Robbie Williams’s new album Swings Both Ways. 5. Little Mix – Wings (2012) Perrie, Jesy, Leigh-Anne and Jade are the first band to feature in our countdown, and the only girlband.

The ladies all auditioned as soloists in the eighth series of The X Factor but were put together as Little Mix (initially known as Rhythmix) when judges saw their potential. Once the winner's single – a cover of Damien Rice’s Cannonball – was out of the way, it was time for the girls to put their own stamp on their material. And boy did they! PEAK POSITION: 1 SALES: 464,000 CHART FACT: Little Mix have had four Top 40 hits and a Top 5 album. Cannonball has sold 475,000 copies and is their biggest seller. WHERE ARE THEY NOW? They are about to release a brand-new single Move (which is pretty good, FYI) and their second album will follow. 4. JLS – Beat Again (2009) Time for another set of runners-up, this time the guys who lost out to Alexandra Burke in the 2008 series. JLS – Aston, Marvin, Oritse and JB – could easily have won with their slick harmonies and impressive moves, but it wasn't to be.

Undeterred, they landed a record contract and scored their first of five Number 1s on the Official Singles Chart with this cautionary tale of a misdiagnosis by a bungling cardiologist. (Not quite, actually – Lyrics Ed.) PEAK POSITION: 1 SALES: 564,000 CHART FACT: JLS have sold over 3.4 million singles in the UK and have had 11 Top 40 hits and four Top 3 albums, including one Number 1. WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Incredibly, the boys are about to call it a day. Their farewell greatest hits, Goodbye, is out November 18. Say it ain’t so! (It is so.) 3. Alexandra Burke – Bad Boys (2009) Alexandra Burke was a winner who truly overcame all the odds. Rejected by Louis Walsh at the judges’ house round of the 2005 series of The X Factor, she returned in 2008 and ended up racing ahead of bookies’ favourite Diana Vickers.

This attitude-packed banger was Alexandra’s second of three Number 1s on the Official Singles Chart and showed the world Alexandra was not your average pop princess. PEAK POSITION: 1 SALES: 755,000 CHART FACT: Alexandra’s winner’s single, Hallelujah, is still the best-selling debut single of any UK X Factor act, selling over 1.2 million copies. Alexandra has had eight Top 40 hits and a chart-topping debut album, Overcome. WHERE IS SHE NOW? Alexandra recently released a special EP, #NewRules, and is currently recording her third album. 2. One Direction – What Makes You Beautiful (2011) Our highest-place non-winners on the countdown didn’t even come in second – Zayn, Liam, Harry, Niall and Louis ended up a respectable third in the 2010 series, just ahead of Cher Lloyd and behind runner-up Rebecca Ferguson and winner Matt Cardle . Any disappointment they have about not taking the title must surely have evaporated by now, as they enjoy global success with a string of hits.

Feel-good anthem What Makes You Beautiful was their first Number 1, but there were more to come… PEAK POSITION: 1 SALES: 890,000 CHART FACT: What Makes You Beautiful is 1D ’s biggest selling single. The guys have had two further Number 1s, 2012’s Little Things and 2013’s Comic Relief single One Way Or Another (Teenage Kicks). WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Everywhere! Their third album Midnight Memories is out in November and they’re going on another world tour in 2014. 1. Leona Lewis – Bleeding Love (2007) You knew she had to be in here somewhere, and where else but the very top for Leona Lewis , who was the favourite of the third series of The X Factor from the very first moment she opened her mouth to sing. Leona’s global smash Bleeding Love is Londoner Leona’s biggest selling single, and she’s the only X Factor winner to overtake sales of her winner’s single with a subsequent release. And sales for One Moment Like This were pretty impressive – over 902,000 at the last count.

But the Ryan Tedder-penned Bleeding Love smashed through the million mark to top the charts both sides of the Atlantic and launch a true superstar. PEAK POSITION: 1 SALES: 1,074,000 CHART FACT: Leona has had three Official Singles Chart Number 1s (the third was Run) and two chart-topping albums. Her debut, Spirit, has sold 3.1 million copies, which is pretty wow when you think about it. WHERE IS SHE NOW? Leona has just recorded a Christmas album on which, according to mentor Simon Cowell, Leona sounds the best she's ever sounded. Is that even possible?! Watch our interview with Leona Lewis on the million-selling Bleeding Love: So how will James Arthur’s first post-X Factor album fare? Keep your pop-loving peepers on the Official Singles Chart, aired on BBC Radio 1 on Sundays from 4pm and published right here on OfficialCharts.com on Sundays from 7pm.

Oh, and just in case you were wondering, here’s 11–20 in the countdown: Hillsborough single is Christmas number one - BBC News BBC News Hillsborough single is Christmas number one 23 December 2012 Read more about sharing. Close share panel Media captionBBC Radio 1's Reggie Yates was joined by Holly Johnson, Mel C and Guy Chambers on The Official Chart. Video courtesy Metropolis The Hillsborough tribute single, He Ain't Heavy He's My Brother, is this year's Christmas number one. Released under the name The Justice Collective, it features names such as Robbie Williams and Sir Paul McCartney. It is raising money for the families of 96 Liverpool fans who died in a crush at Hillsborough stadium in 1989. A cover of The Hollies' 1969 hit, it sold 269,000 copies, 45,000 more than X Factor winner James Arthur's single Impossible which dropped to number two.

Arthur, who had been ahead in the race earlier in the week according to the Official Charts Company, now has total sales of 713,000, making him the most successful X Factor winner since Alexandra Burke in 2008. Image caption Sales had been 'absolutely huge' in Liverpool, HMV said Liverpool Walton Labour MP Steve Rotheram, who backed the Hillsborough campaign, said: "We have done in nine weeks what it normally takes nine months or more to achieve, working with a phenomenally dedicated team all of whom have worked for free." Margaret Aspinall, chair of the Hillsborough Families Support Group, said it was "brilliant news". She added: "The families will be delighted. We haven't had very good Christmases for a long time so this is an extra gift. "It's obvious that it's got a lot of support and they've got the message across to everybody. It's truly amazing." Music retailer HMV said demand for the record had been "absolutely huge" in Liverpool. Its Liverpool branch initially ordered 12,000 copies of the CD but had to restock in the middle of the week after selling out.

Many customers bought multiple copies, including one man in his 20s, who bought 96 copies - one for each of the supporters who died as a result of the tragedy. "We haven't seen anything like that since Band Aid," said HMV spokesman Gennaro Castaldo. Festive hits Although demand for the single was not as high around the rest of the UK, Castaldo said "it was still clearly substantial, and it would have needed to be for the song to overtake an X Factor single". Unusually, both the Hillsborough single and the X Factor song were available on CD - increasingly a rarity in an era when downloads account for 99% of all single sales. The rest of the festive top five was filled by American artists - although Britney Spears does attempt a British accent in her duet with Will.i.am, Scream And Shout, which was at number three. BBC Radio 1's Official Chart Show Rihanna's Stay was at four, while Bruno Mars's Locked Out Of Heaven was this week's number five. Several classic Christmas songs made their annual reappearance lower down in the top 40, led by The Pogues' Fairytale Of New York at number 12.

Other seasonal hits included Mariah Carey's All I Want For Christmas Is You, Wham's Last Christmas and Wizzard's I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day. Unsigned artist Alex Day, who has a cult following on YouTube, managed to get his festive single Stupid Stupid to number 25. This was something of a comedown for the Essex musician who reached number four in last year's Christmas chart, beating Coldplay in the busiest week of the year for record sales. Another novelty hit in this year's top 40 came courtesy of Shahid Nazir, now perhaps better known as "One Pound Fish Man" after his market stall jingle became a viral hit on YouTube. His song, cunningly titled One Pound Fish, was at number 29. In the album chart, Emeli Sande took the Christmas top spot with her debut record Our Version Of Events. Featuring the singles Heaven, Next To Me and Read All About It - which Sande performed at the Olympic Closing Ceremony - it is the UK's biggest-selling album of 2012, shifting 1.32 million copies since it was released in February.

The rest of the top five featured Olly Murs, Michael Buble, Bruno Mars and Neil Diamond. X Factor 2013 winner's UK single release date set for Christmas No.1 race | Metro News Sarah Deen for Metro.co.uk Friday 8 Nov 2013 9:34 am The X Factor winner’s single will be out on Christmas No.1 week this year (Picture: Rex Features) The debut single of this year’s X Factor winner will be released in Christmas No.1 week on December 16. This release date will put the single back in the Christmas number 1 race as the festive chart-topper is announced on Sunday December 22. For the last two years, the first single of winners James Arthur in 2012 and Little Mix in 2011 were rolled out the week before but they still managed to reach the top spot the week before Christmas. The final of the ITV show takes place the day before the release on December 15 which, says the Official Charts Company, is the start of the sales period for the Christmas number 1.

The X Factor has a strong track record when it comes to Christmas hits, with previous winners Leona Lewis, Alexandra Burke, Shayne Ward, Matt Cardle and Leon Jackson all topping the charts at Christmas in their respective years. Last year’s winner James Arthur’s single Impossible reached No.1 the week before Christmas (Picture: File) Joe McElderry and his cover of The Climb by a pre-twerk Miley Cyrus was the first X Factor winner’s single not to make it to the top spot. He lost out to a social media campaign that saw Rage Against The Machine’s Killing In The Name take the coveted spot instead. This weekend will see current contestants such as Rough Copy, Abi Alton, Sam Callahan, Luke Friend and Sam Bailey compete for their place in the competition. Should one of them win, their single will battle it out for the Christmas number 1 against 11-year-old choirboy Jack Topping, Britain’s Got Talent finalists Richard & Adam and a cover of Wizzard’s I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday by Big Reunion stars Blue, Atomic Kitten, 5ive, Liberty X and B*witched.

More Christmas number ones from the past 50 years: From The Beatles to The X Factor machine | The Independent Christmas number ones from the past 50 years: From The Beatles to The X Factor machine This year's winner Sam Bailey has topped the festive singles chart for 2013 Monday 23 December 2013 15:25 BST Click to follow The Independent Culture X Factor winner Sam Bailey is the latest star of the show to take the Christmas number one. But it wasn't always this way... Rex Features It’s a very merry Christmas for Simon Cowell as The X Factor wins the battle of the Christmas charts – for the sixth time since the franchise appeared on our television screens a decade ago. This year's winner, Sam Bailey, clinched the number one spot with her debut single "Skyscraper". But the seasonal charts haven’t always been dominated by the singing competition. Despite this year's unsuccessful attempt to secure AC/DC’s "Highway to Hell" the top spot, in 2009, Rage Against the Machine's "Killing in the Name" bucked the X Factor trend by scuppering Joe McElderry’s attempts to claim the festive number one.

Both The Beatles and the Spice Girls have had a trio of Christmas top hits over the past 15 years and there have been some more unusual victors in the form of Bob the Builder and Mr Blobby. Not forgetting the choirs - Military Wives in 2011 and St Winifred's School Choir back in 1980 - the race to the top has been an interesting one to say the least. Take a look back at the festive victors of the past 15 years: Past Christmas number one singles Past Christmas number one singles 1/15 2013: Sam Bailey – 'Skyscraper' This year’s X Factor winner sold 149,000 copies of her debut single 'Skyscraper', making it one of the fastest selling tracks of 2013. The Demi Lovato cover beat Pharrell Williams’ 'Happy' to claim the top spot and become the sixth Christmas number one to come out of the show’s 10 year stint. The proceeds will go to Great Ormond St Hospital and charity Together for Short Lives.

2/15 2012: The Justice Collective – 'He Ain't Heavy, He’s My Brother' The Hillsborough tribute single, featuring artists including Robbie Williams and Sir Paul McCartney, raised money for the families of the 96 Liverpool fans who died in a crush at Hillsborough stadium in 1989. The cover of The Hollies’ 1969 hit sold 269,000 copies, beating X Factor winner James Arthur’s single 'Impossible'. 3/15 2011: Military Wives with Gareth Malone – 'Wherever You Are' 2011's festive hit came from 100-strong choir The Military Wives, put together by Gareth Malone for the BBC Two series The Choir. 'Wherever You Are' sold 556,000 copies in the week leading up to Christmas and the lyrics were based on love poems written between the wives and their absent husbands. The Government donated VAT raised on the single to charities supporting servicemen and women.

4/15 2010: Matt Cardle – 'When We Collide' X Factor winner Matt Cradle sold 439,000 copies of his debut single, despite Facebook-led campaigns to stop the talent contest’s domination of the charts. The original version of Cardle’s song – 'Many Of Horror', by Biffy Clyro – sold about 40,000 copies to secure eighth place in the chart. 5/15 2009: Rage Against the Machine – 'Killing in the Name' In one of the most dramatic Christmas chart battles in recent years, Rage Against the Machine clinched the top spot after a successful Facebook campaign to prevent The X Factor single securing the Christmas number one for the fifth successive year. 'Killing in the Name' sold 500,000 downloads, 50,000 more than X factor winner Joe McElderry’s 'The Climb'. 6/15 2008: Alexandra Burke – 'Hallelujah' Leonard Cohen’s track claimed the number one, number two and number 36 spots in the 2008 Christmas chart.

X Factor winner Alexandra Burke secured the top spot, selling 576,000 of her 'Hallelujah' cover, while Jeff Buckley’s 2008 version came second. The original 1984 anthem just slipped into the charts at 36. It was the first time two versions of the same song had taken the top two spots since Tommy Steele and Guy Mitchell managed the feat with 'Singin' The Blues', in January 1957. 7/15 2007: Leon Jackson – 'When You Believe' The then 18-year-old X Factor winner became the third contestant to achieve the coveted Christmas number one. The former Gap sales assistant, who was forced out of his home by his mother just before his X Factor audition, sold 275,000 copies of his debut single 'When You Believe'. Originally recorded by Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey, it was the fastest-selling single of 2007. 8/15 2006: Leona Lewis – 'A Moment Like This' One of the biggest successes to come out of The X Factor, Leona Lewis started off on a high.

Her debut single broke a world record after it was downloaded 50,000 times in 30 minutes and secured the top spot after selling 571,253 copies - outselling the rest of the Top 40 sales combined. It stayed in the top spot for four weeks. 9/15 2005: Shayne Ward – 'That’s My Goal' The winner of the second series of The X Factor started the ball rolling for a succession of Christmas number ones from the singing competition. Shayne Ward’s debut single sold 742,180 copies after only four days on sale. In the same year, The Pogues' reissued 1987 hit, 'Fairytale of New York', claimed third place. 10/15 2004: Band Aid 20 – 'Do They Know It’s Christmas?' The second reincarnation of the 1984 song 'Do They Know It’s Christmas?' included artists Bono, Daniel Bedingfield, Coldplay’s Chris Martin and Sir Paul McCartney.

The track was released in November, to benefit the Darfur region of Sudan, and became the biggest-selling single of 2004. 11/15 2003: Michael Andrews and Gary Jules – 'Mad World' In a rather sombre turn, little-known US singer Gary Jules topped the charts with his song composed by Michael Andrews. The cover of the 1982 hit by Tears For Fears beat The Darkness’ 'Christmas Time (Don’t Let the Bells End)', which had been widely expected to give the band their first number one. 12/15 2002: Girls Aloud – 'Sound of the Underground' Before The X Factor (such a time did exist) there was Popstars: The Rivals. The concept of the programme was to produce a boy band and a girl band, which would compete for the Christmas number one. Girls Aloud triumphed with their debut single 'Sound of the Underground', consigning rivals One True Voice to obscurity in the process.

13/15 2001: Robbie Williams and Nicole Kidman – 'Somethin’ Stupid' The starry duo claimed the top spot with their cover of Frank and Nancy Sinatra’s 1967 hit 'Somethin’ Stupid'. Taken from Robbie Williams’ album Swing When You’re Winning, the single sold 366,000 copies, making it the best-selling track of 2001. 14/15 2000: Bob the Builder – 'Can We Fix It?' Perhaps one of the worst Christmas number ones of all time, this adaptation from the BBC children’s programme sold 240,000 copies in one week. Bob, voiced by Neil Morrissey, co-star of Men Behaving Badly, managed to knock US rapper Eminem off the top spot with his light-hearted tune.

15/15 1999: Westlife – 'I Have a Dream”/ “Seasons in the Sun' The Irish boy band outsold festive favourite Cliff Richard’s single 'The Millennium Prayer' with their double A-side single featuring covers of the Abba song 'I Have a Dream' and Terry Jacks' 1974 number one 'Seasons in the Sun'. They become the second act to go straight to number one with their first four singles in the week they were released.

And here's 35 more Christmas chart-toppers 1998: Spice Girls – “Goodbye” 1997: Spice Girls – “Too Much” 1996: Spice Girls – “2 Become 1” 1995: Michael Jackson – “Earth Song” 1994: East 17 – “Stay Another Day” 1993: Mr Blobby – “Mr Blobby” 1992: Whitney Houston – “I Will Always Love You” 1991: Queen - "Bohemian Rhapsody"/ "These Are the Days of Our Lives" 1990: Cliff Richard – “Saviour’s Day” 1989: Band Aid II - “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” 1988: Cliff Richard – “Mistletoe and Wine” 1987: Pet Shop Boys – “Always on My Mind” 1986: Jackie Wilson – "Reet Petite" 1985: Shakin’ Stevens – "Merry Christmas Everyone" 1984: Band Aid - “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” 1983

: The Flying Pickets - “Only You” 1982: Renee and Renato -“Save Your Love” 1981: The Human League - “Don’t You Want Me” 1980: St Winifred's School Choir – “There’s No One Quite Like Grandma!

1979: Pink Floyd – "Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)" 1978: Boney M.

- "Mary's Boy Child - oh my Lord" 1977: Wings - "Mull of Kintyre" / "Girls' School" 1976: Johnny Mathis - "When A Child Is Born(Soleado)" 1975: Queen – “Bohemian Rhapsody 1974: Mud – “Lonely This Christmas” 1973: Slade – “Merry Xmas Everybody” 1972: Jimmy Osmond – "Long Haired Lover from Liverpool" 1971: Benny Hill - "Ernuie (The Fastest Milkman in the West" 1970: Dave Edmunds – “I Hear You Knocking” 1969: Rolf Harris – “Two Little Boys” 1968: The Scaffold – "Lily the Pink" 1967: The Beatles: “Hello, Goodbye” 1966: Tom Jones – "Green, Green grass of Home" 1965: The Beatles - "Day Tripper"/ "We Can Work It Out" 1964: The Beatles – “I Feel Fine”

Question: Which winner of the X Factor (UK) reached number 1 in the UK singles chart with their single 'Hallelujah'?
Answer: Alexandra Burke