Justin Timberlake Scores First UK No. 1 Since ‘SexyBack’

Justin Timberlake’s “Mirrors” became his first solo U.K. No. 1 single for six-and-a-half years on Sunday’s new sales charts, as Emeli Sandé’s “Our Version of Events” stayed atop the album survey.

Timberlake’s one previous chart-topping single in the U.K. was “SexyBack” in September 2006. That came after three of his releases peaked at No. 2 (“Like I Love You,” “Cry Me A River” and “Rock Your Body”), as would another straight afterwards, “My Love” featuring TI. He’s had two other singles bestsellers as a collaborator, on Timbaland’s “Give It To Me” in 2007, with Nelly Furtado, and Madonna’s “4 Minutes” in 2008, also featuring Timbaland.

“Mirrors” outstripped south London band Bastille’s “Pompeii” by some 13,000 sales last week, according to the Official Charts Company.

“Pompeii” follows Bastille’s No. 21 success last October with “Flaws,” and both tracks are on their debut album “Bad Blood,” released in the U.K. today (Monday). One Direction’s Comic Relief single “One Way Or Another (Teenage Kicks),” which topped the chart last week, fell to No. 3.

East London rapper Wiley scored a third top ten hit with “Reload,” featuring Chip (formerly known as Chipmunk), at No. 9. Pink’s “Just Give Me A Reason,” featuring Nate Ruess, climbed 16-10.

Sandé’s album sales had advanced to 1.66 million by last Saturday at midnight, as “Events” spends a 55th consecutive week in the U.K. top ten. That’s second only for a debut album behind the Beatles’ 62 weeks for “Please Please Me” in 1963 and ’64, a record Sandé is on course to overtake at the end of April.

Mumford & Sons held at No. 2 on the new chart with “Babel,” with the “Les Miserables” score album back up 5-3 and Island’s Ben Howard steady at No. 4 with “Every Kingdom.” Four new titles started inside the top ten, led by “Amok,” the debut album by Atoms For Peace, featuring Radiohead’s Thom Yorke, their producer Nigel Godrich and Flea of Red Hot Chili Peppers.

West End musical star and show tunes vocalist Michael Ball debuted at No. 8 with “Both Sides Now,” his 18th chart album and sixth top tenner in an album chart career dating back to 1992. Josh Groban, meanwhile, made the U.K. album top ten for the first time with “All That Echoes.”

Former Smiths mainstay and widely-travelled collaborator Johnny Marr made his chart debut in his own name with “The Messenger,” a new entry at No. 10.

London indie band Palma Violets just missed out on a top ten debut at No. 11 with “180.” Further down the chart, there was a No. 24 start for “Lost In You” (Sony), a new studio set by 80-year-old veteran entertainer Petula Clark.

Modern-day progressive music figurehead Steven Wilson, of Porcupine Tree, entered at No. 28 with his solo set “The Raven That Refused To Sing.” UMTV/Universal’s “BRIT Awards 2013″ collection started a second week atop the compilation chart.

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