Best friends Ed Sheeran and Harry Styles made musical headline upon the release of the Official Top 40 albums of 2017 so far. In it, OfficialCharts.com named Ed Sheeran's album "Divide (÷)" as the "runway leader" in their half-year snapshot. Meanwhile, Styles' self-titled debut album "Harry Styles" is so far the biggest album released in the second quarter, the charts revealed.
Sheeran's return
Sheeran's album broke chart records, heading straight to number one upon its release. It ruled the Official Singles Chart, even with Sheeran busy making songs for other artists.
According to the Official Top 40 chart, 2017 "certainly seems to belong to Ed Sheeran so far." "Divide" has garnered a total of 2 million in physical sales, downloads, and album streams. Roughly 1.2 million of album sales come from physical copies. The chart continues to reveal that "Divide" has earned 371,000 downloads and has earned 415,000 streaming equivalent sales. The album has also reached one billion views on YouTube.
Styles' takeover
Following its release on May 12th, 2017, the album "Harry Styles" has garnered glowing reviews. The One Direction member once again proved his vocal strength in the 10-track album, which was also released on vinyl. "Harry Styles" also debuted at number one, and with 109,000 album sales shifted so far, it ushers past Kendrick Lamar's "DAMN.," which debuted at number two.
Styles' album has been called "defiant" and a "rare generation-spanning, forward-thinking retro album" by Variety. Other members of One Direction, such as Louis Tomlinson, has also announced a solo album in the works.
Friendly competition
In April, Sheeran's rule on top of the charts has been ended by Styles' single "Sign of the Times," but Sheeran said he was "genuinely pleased" with the results.
Sheeran also contributed a surprise celebrity question for Styles as part of the promo for "Harry Styles" on BBC Radio 1's "Breakfast Show" with Nick Grimshaw. Sheeran and Styles enjoy a friendship that spans years, with the two photographed together on several occasions. Styles also has a close relationship with Grimshaw.
Though Sheeran and Styles have both won big in chart rankings, they are flanked by other respectable artists.
Drake ranked third on the official charts with the album "More Life," Little Mix ranked fifth with "Glory Days," and Adele ranked number eight with "25." Sheeran's second album, "Multiply (x)", was also on the list at number four, and his album "+" holds the tenth spot.
Bruno Mars also made it to the list, with "24K Magic" ranking 11th, and the Weeknd ranking 14th with "Starboy."
