Entertainment

Justin Bieber and Ed Sheeran hit number one with I Don’t Care

The duo’s new track sold almost as much as Ariana Grande’s 7 Rings did in its first week earlier this year.
The duo’s new track sold almost as much as Ariana Grande’s 7 Rings did in its first week earlier this year.

Justin Bieber and Ed Sheeran have topped the charts with their new single I Don’t Care.

The duo’s track has amassed 123,825 combined sales, having been downloaded 22,000 times and streamed 13 million times over the past week, the Official Charts Company said.

The upbeat dancehall-influenced number, reminiscent of Sheeran’s Shape Of You, is only the second number one single this year to reach more than 100,000 combined sales in its first week.

Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran is back at number one (OfficialCharts.com)

The only other song to do so this year is 7 Rings by Ariana Grande, which notched up 126,240 combined sales in the first seven days in January.

I Don’t Care’s success marks Sheeran’s sixth UK number one and Canadian pop star Bieber’s seventh, putting him on a par with artists including Sir Elton John, Kylie Minogue and U2, who have each had seven chart-toppers.

Last week’s number two, Old Town Road by rapper Lil Nas X, has retained its position, ahead of Vossi Bop by Stormzy, which is down from number one to number three.

Scottish singer-songwriter Lewis Capaldi is at number four and Piece Of Your Heart by Meduza featuring Goodboys rounds off the top five.

Over on the albums chart, Pink has landed her third week at number one with Hurts 2B Human.

It has claimed the highest in both physical sales and digital downloads over the past week but When We Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? by Billie Eilish is the most-streamed of the week.

The previous chart-topper is in second place, ahead of The Greatest Showman Soundtrack at number three, the Bohemian Rhapsody soundtrack by Queen at number four and George Ezra’s Staying At Tamara’s at number five.

Sheeran has also seen a boost for his album Divide due to the success of his Bieber collaboration, having climbed six places to number eight this week.