‘X Factor’ winner Sam Bailey leads race for Christmas Number One

Talent show winner outsells nearest rival Pharrell by two copies to one after 24 hours

X Factor winner Sam Bailey is narrowly leading the race to be this year’s Christmas Number One.

Bailey, whose winner’s single is a cover of Demi Lovato’s ‘Skyscraper’, ahead on sales as of midnight last night (December 16). ‘Skyscraper’ has sold 45,000 copies thus far, twice as many copies as it’s nearest competition, ‘Happy’ by Pharrell Williams. Demi Lovato’s original version of ‘Skyscraper’ has also been given a sales boost and currently sits at Number 22.

Meanwhile, AC/DC‘s ‘Highway To Hell’ is currently at Number Four, having sold 32,000 copies thus far. A Facebook campaign is behind the 1979 track being back in the charts with fans hoping to recreate the 2009 success of Rage Against The Machine going up against that year’s X Factor winner, Joe McElderry. Campaigners can draw hope from the fact that at this point in the 2012 Christmas Number One race, James Arthur’s ‘Impossible’ was ahead of eventual winner The Justice Collective’s ‘He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother’.

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Official Charts Company chief executive Martin Talbot says, “Sam Bailey is out of the blocks and into a strong lead in the race to become this year’s Official Christmas Number One. But as we’ve seen time and time again, this is certainly not the week of the year to become complacent.

“With a host of acts snapping at Sam’s heels, including Pharrell, Leona, and the growing AC/DC campaign, anything could still happen between now and Sunday’s final whistle.”

This year’s X Factor final saw a record low number of people tune in to watch Bailey be crowned the winner. Just 8.5m people watched the first half of the final on Saturday night (December 14). The viewing figures improved for Sunday, with 11.5m tuning in for the final result, but the show still only managed an average of 9.75m overall.

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