Disappointing but not remotely surprising reports today say Marcus Collins is one doomed-to-fail single away from being abandoned by his record label.
The 2011 X Factor runner-up rush-released an album of half-baked original songs and divisive cover versions in March, just three months after the talent search’s Grand Final in December. It charted at No. 7 but was in the Top 40 for only three weeks, and lead single ‘Seven Nation Army’ entered and peaked at No. 9.
It sold 24,343 units in its first week – which, in fairness, is more than Pixie Lott’s Young Foolish Happy (18,503) and The Saturdays’ On Your Radar (18,044) shifted in the same time period, but these talent show graduates have a lot of sink-or-swim pressure on them with debut albums, and Collins is sinking quite quickly – particularly when you compare his sales to those of his predecessors.
The Daily Star Sunday reckons that it’s basically now a case of either new single ‘Mercy’ being a hit, or the idea of a second album being released by Sony being chucked out the window. A source says:
“Marcus’s sales have been really disappointing. Although his album went in at number seven, it only spent three weeks in the Top 40. No-one expected him to flop but he’s one of the most unsuccessful runners-up in the show’s history. He has to pull it out of the bag with his second single. If that bombs, there’s unlikely to be a third.”
The song is not in the Top 100 radio airplay or TV airplay charts at the moment, so the signs ain’t good.
Well whadyaknow… a rush-released record that fails to meet its artist’s potential does not make for chart success after all. Who knew?!
