Ed Sheeran Blocked From Another No. 1 By A Relative Music Industry Newcomer

Ed Sheeran still has several months to go before he releases his new album Play, but the English singer-songwriter has been steadily delivering singles from the project for weeks now. He’s clearly hoping to make his upcoming collection another massive commercial success, as many of his past releases have been. Sheeran recently shared “Old Phone” as the second official single from the project, but he’s not yet done with “Azizam,” which introduced the set. That earlier tune gives Sheeran another ruler on one list — and it almost opens in first place on multiple tallies.

“Azizam” Debuts at No. 1

“Azizam” launches at No. 1 on the Official Physical Singles chart this week. That ranking lists the bestselling individual songs on CD, vinyl, and cassette throughout the U.K. It earns Sheeran his ninth No. 1 and eighteenth top 10 on the tally, which means exactly half of all his tracks that have landed anywhere inside the upper reaches of the roster have also led the charge.

Ed Sheeran Misses No. 1 on Another Chart

The catchy cut nearly manages the same performance on the Official Vinyl Singles chart, a slightly more specific ranking that looks only at purchases on wax of either individual tunes or extremely short collections. “Azizam” opens in second place, losing to “Valentine” by Laufey.

That tune returns to the list for the first time in a little over a month and rebounds to No. 1 in its sixth frame. Sheeran scores his second top 10 hit on the Official Vinyl Singles chart as “Azizam” arrives. Only three of his tunes have ever placed anywhere on that tally throughout his career.

Ed Sheeran Scores Another Top 10 Hit

“Azizam” is a top 10 smash on all six rankings on which it appears in the U.K. In addition to debuting on both the physical and vinyl-only lists, it returns to No. 1 on the Official Singles Sales chart. At the same time, it holds the runner-up spot on the Official Singles Downloads roster and takes up space inside the uppermost region of both the Official Singles Official Streaming rankings as well.

“Old Phone” Begins its Chart Run

“Azizam” is not the only Sheeran tune that’s overperforming in the U.K. at the moment. “Old Phone,” the Grammy winner’s even-newer track, debuts on both the Official Singles chart and the Official Streaming list, becoming a top 40 success on both. This is just the beginning for the cut, which will likely rise. After launching in very low positions last frame on both the Official Singles Sales and Official Singles Downloads charts after only a few hours of activity, “Old Phone” dials up a new peak and climbs into the top five on both lists.