Olly Murs said it “didn’t happen” after securing his fifth UK number one album with “Marry Me” on Friday.
The 38-year-old singer-songwriter went straight to the top of the charts after six years, despite being heavily criticized on social media this week for the lyrics on one of his tracks being branded as “controlling”.
Former X Factor runner-up Olly said: “Wow it’s been six years since I’ve had a number one so thank you all the fans you’ve all been absolutely amazing!
Success: Olly Murs, 38, said he “didn’t arrive” after securing his fifth UK number one album with ‘Marry Me’ on Friday
“Thanks to my wonderful team, The Official Charts Company, I’m just so excited to have a number one album. Marry Me is number one this week!
“It’s so amazing, I don’t think it’s really sunk in yet. It’s a lot of hard work that went into this work, thank you very much!’
The album’s success follows criticism of his song “I Hate You When You’re Drunk,” with fans branding the lyrics “controlling,” while his fiancé Amelia Tank then reportedly jumped to his defense.
Triumph: The singer-songwriter stormed straight to the top of the charts after six years since his last number one
Addressing the conviction at BBC Breakfast this week, he said: “It’s obviously annoying to think people took it that way because it wasn’t that intention.
“If you listen to the song and understand what kind of artist I am, it was just more in a cheeky, fun way.”
Olly, who joined The X Factor in 2009, defeated stiff competition for the top spot from pop megastar Taylor Swift with her album Midnights.
Meanwhile, Mariah Carey made a sparkling return to number one on the singles chart with “All I Want For Christmas Is You” and ended Taylor’s six-week reign at the top with “Anti-Hero”.
New tunes: Olly last week released his first album in four years, Marry Me, with the new offering inspired by the singer’s fiancé Amelia Tank (pictured last month)
Mariah’s track has only been number one on the UK Singles Chart once before, hitting the top in 2020 – 26 years after its release.
Sir Elton John and Ed Sheeran’s Merry Christmas also made the top 10, alongside Wham’s Michael Buble’s It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas and Last Christmas.
It comes after Olly insisted he still faces “stigma” in the music industry today due to his reality TV past.
The star, who released his new album Marry Me last week, says he’s grateful when other big artists praise his work as it boosts his confidence.
He told The Sun: “The music industry has been good to me, but there have been times when I’ve felt like because I’m coming off a reality TV show, there’s a bit of stigma around me.
Gratitude: The former talent show contestant recently said he’s grateful when other major recording artists praise him for his work (pictured as a contestant on The X Factor in 2009)
“So to have support from the likes of Sir Tom Jones, Lewis Capaldi, Stormzy, Ed Sheeran and Paul Weller (who wrote the track ‘Let Me In’ for his 2015 album ‘Never Been Better’) means a lot to me .
“They all treated me with respect when I met them.”
Olly said he was proud of his 13-year show business career.
The star admitted he was initially concerned at the new attention and adoring fans that came with the fame.
And while he admits he’s sometimes had to ask others for help, he says he doesn’t feel the loneliness and isolation that come with stardom.
Controversy: The album’s success follows criticism for his song I Hate You When You’re Drunk, with online users linking to his fiancee Amelia Tank (pictured)
Olly released his first album in four years, Marry Me, last week, with the new offering inspired by the singer’s fiancée, Amelia Tank.
He recently revealed that his partner inspired most of the tracks and found it “fun” to write songs about their relationship.
He told The Sun: “I didn’t know how fun it would be to write a little bit about me and Amelia – it’s not just about us, but there’s an element of Amelia in every song that I relate to can and can obtain.
“It’s great to have a moment in my life where I feel so content at home and so happy.
“Things are in the best possible place they could be — at least until you start talking about wedding plans, which is stressful as hell. But now I’m concentrating on work again and I have nothing to worry about at home. It’s so calm and beautiful.”
Olly has so far released two songs from his latest album – ‘I Hate You When You’re Drunk’ and ‘Die of a Broken Heart’ after signing with EMI Records and he’s hoping to take the charts by storm after he has collaborated with BTS songwriter David Stewart and Jessica Agombar.
He said: “I’ve never done that before. It felt weird texting the same people over and over. But I loved the routine and the consistency. We just kept writing good songs. They had a great vibe and enthusiasm and hunger.’
His 2018 album You Know I Know peaked at number two on the UK Official Albums Chart.
Sweet: Olly Murs announced he was engaged to Amelia earlier this year after popping the question about a romantic beach vacation after three years of dating