Joseph's Hit 40

For the second week in a row, we have a #1 debut, and this week it comes from my most anticipated single release for a long time. Harry Styles released his solo single Sign of the Times on Friday and just hours later (I type my chart up on Friday evenings), he topped my chart, becoming the first song to top my chart on release day since Sorry by Justin Bieber in October 2015. It's the second 1D solo single to make #1 after Louis Tomlinson's Just Hold On last December, and overall it's Harry's twelfth #1 hit. Sign of the Times isn't the first time he's made my chart as a solo artist in fact, as leaked demo Don't Let Me Go briefly made my chart in 2013. It saw a resurgence this week but not quite enough to re-enter my top 40.

Harry Styles
2013 27 Don't Let Me Go | DEMO | 28-32-27-38-X (4 weeks)
2017 01 Sign of the Times | 1 | 1-... (1+ weeks)

One Direction: Debut Solo Singles
2016 06 PILLOWTALK (ZAYN) | 1 | 30-6-15-27-36-X (5 weeks)
2016 05 This Town (Niall Horan) | 1 | 24-5-9-14-17-23-28-38-X (8 weeks)
2016 01 Just Hold On (Louis Tomlinson & Steve Aoki) | 1 | 1-2-4-6-11-14-22-29-34-37-X (10 weeks)
2017 01 Sign of the Times (Harry Styles) | 1 | 1-... (1+ weeks)

Earning their third top 5 hit this week are American boyband The Tide. They debuted in my chart around a year ago with promotional single Young Love, which made it to #2, before scoring their first #1 hit with Click My Fingers in August. Put the Cuffs On Me is this week's highest climber, up 24 places to #4, although fails to shift either of last week's top 2 songs, which both drop a place but are holding strong.

The Tide
2016 02 Young Love | 1 | 13-2-4-6-13-22-26-35-X-10-7-9-12-19-25-29-37-X (16 non-consecutive weeks)
2016 01 Click My Fingers | 2 | 13-1-7-4-3-9-14-19-26-29-33-34-37-32-35-34-X-26-X (17 non-consecutive weeks)
2017 04 Put the Cuffs On Me | 3 | 28-4-... (2+ weeks)

Rag'n'Bone Man re-enters at #8 this week with Skin, after it previously made #14 in its first chart run. Skin becomes the British singer/songwriter's first top 10 hit, following on from Human which made #16 at the end of last year.

Rag'n'Bone Man
2016 16 Human | 1 | 39-X-18-16-23-26-33-X (6 non-consecutive weeks)
2017 08 Skin | 2 | 22-31-19-18-14-22-32-X-8-... (8+ non-consecutive weeks)

Debuting outside the top 10 is will.i.am, who returns after just under a year with new single Fiyah. Previous hit Boys & Girls made #12, and is his first song to chart without a featured artist since Bang Bang charted at #19 in 2013. His fellow The Voice Kids UK coach Pixie Lott makes her chart return at #21, alongside Anton Powers who is the only artist to score their debut hit this week. Baby is Pixie's first chart hit since Caravan of Love, which made #9 in 2014. Also on the topic of The Voice UK, previous contestant Becky Hill is new at #25 with Rude Love - not her highest peak overall but her highest as a solo artist, beating her only other hit Losing (#30).

Alongside Harry Styles and Rag'n'Bone Man, there are new chart peaks this week for Julia Michaels, Machine Gun Kelly and Martin Jensen.