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11/13/15 : The Battle For No. 1

  • by Meaghan D'Amico
  • Oct 9, 2015
  • 4 min read

Friday release days are always exciting but when arguably the two biggest names in pop release a record on the same day, it makes it an even bigger deal. The tabloids have been buzzing about the Novemeber 13, 2015 release date for these two huge pop stars and trying to pit them against each other.

British boy band One Direction recently announced their upcoming fifth studio album, Made in the A.M., to be released November 13, 2015 as a follow up to last year’s Four. All of their previous albums have ended up at the number one spot on the Billboard 200 within the first week. This album is expected to be their last album for quite some time, as they announced a hiatus that will go into effect in March of next year. Their upcoming fifth album marks their first album as a quartet and first without Zayn Malik. There are currently two singles out from their latest album: “Drag Me Down” and “Infinity.”

If you have ever been on Twitter then you know that One Direction (or 1D) fans are a force to be reckoned with when they are trying to get a single to number one or make a music video break a record. Directioners, as they’re called, often promote the single or album so much that the actual band doesn’t have to do a lot as far as online promotions. The band dropped the surprise lead single, “Drag Me Down” at 1:30am EST on July 31. They’re not the first band to drop a surprise single or album, but their fans did everything they could to make “Drag Me Down” the number one song in every country; succeeding in getting it to the number one spot on the first day in 82 countries. About a month later they dropped the video for “Drag Me Down,” which currently has over 105 million views on YouTube. Most recently, on September 22 the band made the official announcement for the new album along with the release of their single “Infinity.”

On the other side of pop domination and rising back to stardom, is Justin Bieber, or as his fans call him, JB or Biebs. He recently announced his new record, Purpose also due for release on November 13, 2015. Purpose marks Justin Bieber’s real return to pop music. His loyal fans, Beliebers, stood by him through several scandals and stints

in rehab, and are as excited as ever to get Justin Bieber’s album to number one. The Beliebers are pushing to make Justin’s comeback a huge success. The single “What Do You Mean?” is the first glimpse of what to expect of his forthcoming release after these rough years. The song debuted at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart and is his first

single to open at #1. This also makes him the youngest male artist to have a single open at #1 on the Billboard charts.

Bieber had friends use signs and numbers to count down until “What Do You Mean?” was released on August 29th. His album roll out is a lot more in the public eye than One Direction. Every interview Biebs has done, the media asks him about the release date and the plans after the album drops. From a marketing standpoint, One Direction gains points because of their surprise drops. This tactic has lead to a lot of mystery regarding whether or not another new track will come out before the November 13 release date and it’s very exciting for all the fans.

Although this is One Direction’s fifth album, it’s their fifth in five years, which is unprecedented and something rarely attempted by artists. On the other hand, this is Justin’s first album in 3 years. Despite his checkered past and his less than stellar behavior, his fans are still anxiously awaiting the record and the eventual tour that will take place to promote it. Justin Bieber played his first show in several years earlier this summer at the Billboard Hot 100 in Wantagh, NY. He received not only a warm reception, but fans that were shouting lyrics to all of the old classics such as “Baby,” “Boyfriend,” and “One Less Lonely Girl.”

Expect not just the fan bases, but also both bands to be firing on all cylinders to reach the number one spot with their new albums. One Direction and the Directioners might launch Made in the A.M. into the number one spot since it is going to be their last album before their impending hiatus. However, a number one spot for Justin Bieber would

cement him back into mainstream music after a tumultuous year and after his #1 track, “What Do You Mean,” the Beliebers may make it happen. The chart positioning for these two records will be quite interesting given the circumstances. I expect them to be the top two records opening week due to all of the hype and excitement surrounding them, but who will be #1?

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