Following the tragic death of Liam Payne at 31, One Direction’s hits are predicted to make a comeback in the top 40 charts. According to the Official Charts Company, fans have been playing Night Changes, Story Of My Life and chart-topper What Makes You Beautiful in increasing numbers.
The boyband, consisting of Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik, Payne and Harry Styles, first gained fame on The X Factor in 2010 with their debut single What Makes You Beautiful, which has been performed at memorials for the singer over the weekend.
The UK charts could also see a rise in Payne’s solo tracks this Friday, with Teardrops, For You featuring Rita Ora and Strip That Down with Quavo all expected to be in the top 100. The projected positions for the One Direction songs are as follows Night Changes (16), Story Of My Life (21) and What Makes You Beautiful (47).
However, the number one spot is likely to be claimed by Joker actress Lady Gaga and fellow US singer Bruno Mars with Die With A Smile, potentially pushing Sabrina Carpenter’s Taste to second place. Sonny Fodera, Jazzy and D.
O. D’s Somedays might reach number three while Gigi Perez’s Sailor Song could hit number four, with Gracie Abrams’ I Love You, I’m Sorry rounding off the top five.
In celebration of its 40th anniversary, George Michael’s classic 1984 chart-topper Careless Whisper may re-enter the top 20 at number 12, according to the Official Charts Company.
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