Top 10 in sales of X Factor winner singles

X Factor logo Credit: X Factor/Syco

With Sam Bailey No1 in the midweek charts she's looking well on the way to getting the coveted Christmas top spot. But with 67,000 copies of her debut single 'Skyscraper' sold so far - how does it compare to other X Factor winner's singles?


1. Shayne Ward - That's My Goal - 2005

  • Copies sold in first week: 742,180

  • First chart position: 1

  • Christmas chart position: 1

  • Weeks at Number One: 4

  • X Factor first week sales ranking: 1

Series Two winner Shayne Ward is yet to be knocked off the top spot with his X Factor's winner's single first week sales.

Unusually this song was rush released the Wednesday before Christmas as it wash't ready when the Mancunian shop assistant was crowned winner the previous Saturday night.

Even so it sold more than 700,000 copies in five days - 313,000 of these in its first two days on sale, and then went on to become the second biggest-selling single of 2005, easily claiming the Christmas Number One spot.


2. Alexandra Burke - Hallelujah - 2008

  • Copies sold in first week: 576,046

  • First chart position: 1

  • Christmas chart position: 1

  • Weeks at Number One: 3

  • X Factor first week sales ranking: 2

In 2009 Alexandra Burke stole the nation's hearts when in the final, she almost had a nervous breakdown on live television while performing a duet with her musical idol Beyonce.

Then, when she was announced series winner, she was similarly shocked, and blubbed her way through the second live performance of her first single, a cover of Leonard Cohen's 'Hallelujah'.

It stormed the Christmas chart, and is the second best selling X Factor winner's single of all time.


3. Leona Lewis - A Moment Like This - 2006

  • Copies sold in first week: 571,253

  • First chart position: 1

  • Christmas chart position: 1

  • Weeks at Number One: 4

  • X Factor first week sales ranking: 3

Leona Lewis remains the biggest selling artist to emerge from the X Factor with 4.4 million singles sales and 3.9 million albums sales to her name.

She got all that started off in style with her winner's single 'A Moment Like This'. It was originally penned for the first winner of American Idol Kelly Clarkson as the 2003 series' winner's single - and it served the same purpose for Leona in 2006, safely securing her the Christmas top spot.


4. James Arthur - Impossible - 2012

  • Copies sold in first week: 490,000

  • First chart position: 1

  • Christmas chart position: 2

  • Weeks at Number One: 3

  • X Factor first week sales ranking: 4

James Arthur's debut is one of the fastest selling singles in X Factor winner's history.

In the week after claiming series glory - 490,000 copies of 'Impossible' were sold - but surprisingly the cover version originally released by Barbadian singer-songwriter Shontelle, wasn't enough to get him the Christmas top spot.

It was released a week before the chart race began, and was narrowly beaten by the Justice Collective - a charity single for the victims of the Hillsborough disaster, including contributions from Robbie Williams and former X Factor contestant Rebecca Ferguson, with a cover of The Hollies' He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother.


5. Joe McElderry - The Climb - 2009

  • Copies sold in first week: 450,838

  • First chart position: 2

  • Christmas chart position: 2

  • Weeks at Number One: 1

  • X Factor first week sales ranking: 5

Joe McElderry's Miley Cyrus cover had everything it needed to get the Christmas Number One spot - massive promotion, an even bigger key change, and Saturday night prime time TV exposure - but all that was derailed by an online campaign to stop Simon Cowell's supposed monopoly on the top of the festive charts.

The battle was won by a re-release of 'Killing In The Name Of' by Rage Against The Machine - perhaps not the best single as a stocking filler!

Nevertheless, it beat Mr McElderry's very respectable 450,000 single sales - by around 52,000 copies & downloads. The X Factor winner did however claim the top spot the following week.


6. Matt Cardle 'When We Collide' - 2010

  • Copies sold in first week: 439,007

  • First chart position: 1

  • Christmas chart position: 1

  • Weeks at Number One: 3

  • X Factor first week sales ranking: 6

Biffy Clyro fans didn't take too kindly to the reworking of the Scottish rock group's hit 'Many Of Horror (When We Collide)', which was simply titled 'When We Collide' when launched as Matt Cardle's winner's single.

It shifted double Little Mix managed a year later, and reclaimed the Christmas Number One spot after Simon Cowell's talent act was kept at bay by Rage Against The Machine in 2009.

It became the 5th highest selling X Factor winner's single since the series began.


7. Leon Jackson - When You Believe - 2007

  • Copies sold in first week: 275,742

  • First chart position: 1

  • Christmas chart position: 1

  • Weeks at Number One: 3

  • X Factor first week sales ranking: 7

Leon Jackson took on an almighty duet by arguably the biggest singing divas in history for his winner's single.

'When You Believe' was a worldwide smash for Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey - which the 2009 winner did his best to emulate.

In the years when it seemed inevitable a Simon Cowell managed artist would go straight in at Christmas Number One, Leon Jackson got the gift he was looking for, but with nowhere near the number of first week sales we've come to expect of late.


8. Little Mix - 'Cannonball' - 2011

  • Copies sold in first week: 210,000

  • First chart position: 1

  • Christmas chart position: 2

  • Weeks at Number One: 1

  • X Factor first week sales ranking: 8

Despite being the fastest selling single of 2011 - Little Mix hold the unenviable record for having one of the lowest selling X Factor winner's singles.

Their cover of Damian Rice's'Cannonball', which was originally released by the Irish folk singer in 2003, sold 210,000 copies in its first week - the lowest since 2004's winner Steve Brookstein.

And again, released the week before the Christmas chart - they missed out on being on top on the big day - instead it belonged to the Military Wives led by Gareth Malone - the 100 strong choir of the wives of servicemen on tour in Afghanistan, with Wherever You Are.


9. Steve Brookstein - Against All Odds - 2004

  • Copies sold in first week: 127,701

  • First chart position: 2

  • Christmas chart position: 2

  • Weeks at Number One: 1

  • X Factor first week sales ranking: 9

Phil Collins' classic Against All Odds was chosen as the first winner's song when X Factor burst onto our screens 10 years ago.

But against the might of Band Aid 20's reworking of 'Do They No It's Christmas', it was no match, and managed number 2 in the race for Christmas Number One 2004.

It did however climb to pole position when the New Year came. It is the lowest selling X Factor winner's single since the series began.


???. Sam Bailey 'Skyscraper' - 2013

  • Copies sold so far: 67,000

  • Midweek chart position: 1

Sam Bailey is currently Number One in the midweek singles chart. As of last night she's sold 67,000 copies of her debut single "Skyscraper', which is a cover version of Demi Lovato's original.

So that's well behind the likes of Shayne Ward and James Arthur at this time in their fledgling careers.

Could this mean we've got X Factor fatigue? Or will Sam Bailey trump on album sales? We'll just have to wait and see!

Read: Sam Bailey to release 'fastest album in X Factor history'

Watch: Who's fighting Sam Bailey to be Christmas Number One?

All figures are courtesy of the Official Charts Company