JLS Tops UK Singles Chart With "Beat Again"

The British boyband JLS (Jack The Lad Swing) went straight in at the top of the UK Singles Chart on last Sunday with their brand new single "Beat Again." The 4-member R&B band, who were runners-up in the 5th series of ITV reality talent show "The X Factor" last year, coming 2nd to Alexandra Burke, but now they have the biggest-selling #1 debut single this year, has now replaced Gaga's "Just Dance", and Pixie Lott's "Mama Do", and took the #1 spot from Euro-pop band Cascada. "Beat Again" sold over 100,000 copies to be crowned the biggest selling first week, the Official Charts Company said, with only Dizzee Rascal's Bonkers having higher weekly sales in 2009.

JLS appear to be a boyband on the brink of success. Industry insiders are already heralding them as the biggest and most successful launch since Westlife a decade ago. Their single "Beat Again" shot to the top of the charts this week and is shaping up to be one of the hits of the summer. The band's website is the 3rd biggest in the world for a Sony act, trailing only Beyoncé and American Idol's Adam Lambert. George Ergatoudis, head of music at Radio 1, says: "There's definitely room for an exciting new boy band, to strike a balance with all the great new female artists." JLS is due to release their debut album later in the year, and have inked a contract with Epic stateside.

Alexandra Burke | "Hallelujah" (Live)

Alexandra Burke was born on 25 August 1988 in London, and winner of the 5th series of UK television singing talent show "The X Factor". Alexandra became the current European record holder for single sales over a period of 24 hours, selling 105,000 copies of her debut single, "Hallelujah", in one day. "Hallelujah" went on to become the Christmas #1 single of 2008. It is the 1st time that an X Factor winner has topped the end of year chart in the UK with their winner's single, and making Alexandra the 1st British female solo artist to sell a million copies of a single in the UK.

At the X Factor's final, she sang what would become her debut single, a 1984 song by Leonard Cohen, "Hallelujah", for the 1st time. Finally, with over 8 million votes cast in total, Alexandra was revealed as the winner with 58% of the final vote, which is 1 million more votes than JLS in the final. Alexandra's cover of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah", which she performed on the show, is available as a digital-download now, and will be released on CD next Wednesday (December 17th).