Canadian pop megastar Justin Bieber has returned to the top spot in the UK singles chart after his temporary ‘demotion’ over the festive period. The 21-year-old had urged his fans to give their support to the NHS Choir in their bid to claim the prestigious Christmas number one. However, it was business as usual come the first chart of the New Year, with Bieber dominating the top positions.

Bieber dominating UK singles chart

Not only did the precocious singer scoop the number one spot with “Love Yourself”, he also backed that success up with the tracks “Sorry” and “What Do You Mean?

” claiming the second and fourth spots, respectively. All three tracks feature on his latest album entitled “Purpose”.

Recent weeks have ably demonstrated the power of Bieber at present, yet he was gracious in his public backing for the charity single – a mixture of “Bridge Over Troubled Water” and “Fix You” - as he indicated that “for one week it’s OK not to be No 1.” All proceeds from the charity single will benefit worthy charities including Carers UK and Mind among others.

NHS Choir reigned for one week only

A Bridge Over You” duly took that honour and in doing so provided a timely boost to the collection of nurses, doctors and other NHS staff from Lewisham and Greenwich that came together to form the NHS Choir.

The choir’s sales of an amazing 127,000 copies outstripped Bieber’s more than respectable 97,000 total.

Gracious acceptance

With a staggering 72 million followers on Twitter, Bieber’s reach is extensive. When news filtered through of the NHS Choir’s success, he tweeted his best wishes by stating that it was “what Christmas is all about.

@Choir-NHS congrats.”

Little joy for X Factor winner

Not only was Bieber left behind in the scramble, but also the usually reliable X Factor winning source for Christmas number one was for once found wanting, this year in the form of Louisa Johnson. Despite being the original favourite with the bookies, she managed just twelfth spot in the Christmas chart with her cover of the Bob Dylan song “Forever Young”.

Adele continues to sell well

Adele’s triumphant comeback to the Music scene continued to be reflected in the post-Christmas charts. Her single “Hello” split Bieber’s domination by rising back to number three spot in the first chart of 2016, while the impressive “25” remained at the top of the album charts.