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Justin Bieber backs rivals The NHS Choir for the 2015 Christmas Number 1: 'It's ok not to be Number 1'
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The 2015 Christmas Number 1 race took a dramatic twist this afternoon, with Justin Bieber throwing his support behind his closest rival, the Lewisham & Greenwich NHS Choir.
Justin’s single Love Yourself has topped the Official Singles Chart for the past three weeks and was leading the race by a handful of sales – but he took to Twitter this afternoon (December 23) to encourage his 72 million followers to support the Choir.
The Tweets said:
I'm hearing this UK Christmas race is close...but the @Choir_NHS single is for charity. So...
— Justin Bieber (@justinbieber) December 23, 2015
so for 1 week it's ok not to be #1. Let's do the right thing & help them win. It's Christmas. @Choir_NHS good luck https://t.co/ORCtFY1k4i
— Justin Bieber (@justinbieber) December 23, 2015
This is what it's all about. Merry Christmas :)
— Justin Bieber (@justinbieber) December 23, 2015
Within an hour, the tweets had received over 100,000 likes and 70,000 retweets.
Bieber’s support could make all the difference to the race. This morning It emerged that the NHS Choir's A Bridge Over You had closed the gap overnight and was just 662 combined sales behind Love Yourself. The battle is now the closest festive chart race in years, since Rage Against The Machine's Killing In The Name took on Joe McElderry's The Climb in 2009 and ultimately won.
And with two days remaining until this year's Official Christmas Number 1 is announced (at 1pm on Christmas Day), there's every chance the Choir could bag it at the last minute.
Martin Talbot, Chief Executive, Official Charts Company, said: "It was already looking too close to call this morning, but Justin Bieber’s call to arms really could make all the difference between the NHS Choir winning the Christmas race or not. It is a fantastic gesture – and could mean we are all Beliebers this Christmas Day."
The NHS Choir's A Bridge Over You is being released in support of the hard work done by doctors, nurses, midwives and many others in the NHS. Proceeds from the single are going to charities including Carers UK and Mind.
MORE: Read our interview with those behind the NHS For Christmas Number 1 campaign
Sales and streams of songs between 00.01am on Friday, December 18 and midnight on Thursday, December 24 will count towards the 2015 Official Christmas Singles Chart.
The Official Christmas Singles Chart Top 40 will be counted down on BBC Radio 1’s Official Chart Show with Greg James between 10am - 1pm on Friday, December 25, and also revealed on BBC One's Top of the Pops. The full Top 100 will be revealed on OfficialCharts.com at 5.45pm. More info here.
MORE: How to help your favourite song to be Christmas Number 1
Image: Rex/Shuttershock
Remind yourself of every Official Christmas Number 1 in our gallery below:
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tarotworldtour.wordpress.com
He is trying to do a good thing. I wish he would have mentioned Kylie, too. tarotworldtour.wordpress.com
Luigi Carollo
I know Christmas Number 1 is a very important tradition with so many songs that made history, but this year all this fuss about how close the race is seems a bit like talking about nothing. The strongest competitor against the NHS Choir is a song that's already 5 weeks old and spent most of those weeks at number 1. This means both songs are not selling huge; and for Love Yourself we're not even talking about real sales 'cause it's streaming that keeps Justin Bieber so high on the charts. In the meantime, there's an artist who's really shattering every conceivable record all around the world with her new album, with REAL (and physical!) sales and she's a british artist...
AnitaZinger
It's all about the Biebs, he thinks he's Beebus Christ. His little army of sheeple have been given their orders, now follow them so Biebs can feel his majestic power.
I Am A Stegosaurus
HAHAHA funny (!)
Alfred Lock
Wether it's true or not Bieber has shown he has a heart for the true spirit of Xmas and for once has done the right thing. Remember Simon Cowell put back the release of his first X Factor winner Steve whathisname in 2004 so Band Aid 20 could rightfully be Xmas No.1.
James Keen
Bloomin' Bieber. He knows he won't be Number One because the NHS Choir were selling twice as many copies as 'Love Yourself' 12 hours before he tweeted that utter baloney. The increase of sales for the NHS Choir was caused by the them making "high profile appearances on Chris Evans' BBC Radio 2 show and ITV1's This Morning", stated by the Official Chart news a couple of days ago. NOT by Bieber "throwing his support behind" them. Bieber jolly well knew he won't be number one, so he issues those tweets to make it seem as if he helped the NHS Choir to achieve their "dreams" by being Christmas Number One, when in reality Bieber has done NOTHING to help them. Bieber is only tweeting that for his own attention to say "I helped them get to number one", when really he didn't, as the NHS Choir were outselling him before he issued those tweets.
CJ
Christopher Jackson
I'd say that it's. Not so much about Christmas number 1. He said himself that it's for charity, and if he's encouraged his hundreds of thousands of sheep to think differently and perhaps even buy the NHS choir download, I think that it's a great thing. I've never supported Bieber until this.
J
James
I'm gutted it's number one it's an awful version of a classic song mixed with an absoultely awful song
I Am A Stegosaurus
Still want Biebs to win, but with Sorry if that's possible to achieve. But I'd rather Love Yourself than the NHS choir thing. It's getting a bit boring at no. 1 but it's better than a CHOIR.
I Am A Stegosaurus
I'll swear they're updating it every hour.
R
RB
10. 12.18.2015 (UK): Justin Bieber sets a new Official Chart record today as the first artist ever to log four weeks at Numbers 1 and 2 consecutively. The previous record holder was The Beatles, who logged three consecutive weeks at Numbers 1 and 2 in 1967/68 (48 years) with Hello Goodbye and Magical Mystery Tour (EP).
11. 12.21.2015 (US & UK): Justin Bieber has three singles in the top five on the Hot 100 and the U.K.’s Official Singles Chart, the Bieb's has set a new record as the only artist in history to achieve this double feat.
So you see, he has nothing to gain by winning, he already broke the 48 year old record! So quit with your insults. It's for a good cause.
KieranS
Because he knows he's going to get #2 but can say he made it happen anyway... He's one big BORE!!
KieranS
If you can't beat them join them. he makes me YAWN!!
Rachid Maalouf
No he was leading but he just did it in the spirit of Christmas why does everybody have o make him look bad no matter what he does??
Many Faces
Well I give him credit for this, it's like in the He-Man Xmas special when Skeletor decided to be nice in the final scene because it was Xmas.
Egerton Yorrick
Maybe but maybe not. Why assume the worst? It's Christmas.
atomicsoul
perfect cynicism
drew
he makes himself look bad