With a long list of occupation titles, from singer to director, Murs has made his mark on the UK music industry and beyond. What was Olly’s first hit?
Olly Murs came out with his debut single, “Please Don’t Let Me Go”, in 2010 after performing Michael Jackson’s “You Are Not Alone” with his fellow X Factor Finalists in November of 2009.
Since the release of his 2010 smash hit, what has Mr Murs been up to? What is his favorite song that he’s published? Keep reading to find out more.
A Flying Start
After coming runner-up on his time on The X Factor, “Please Don’t Let Me Go” was Murs’ first single to reach top spot on the UK Singles Charts, obtaining Gold status from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) in the process.
As part of his first album aptly titled, Olly Murs, “Please Don’t Let Me Go” spent a total of three weeks within the top 10 on the UK charts, reaching the number 2 slot in Scotland.
According to Murs, the song was about someone he was previously dating. “It wasn’t a major relationship” he told Digital Spy back in 2010, adding, “Sadly she kept giving me the impression that she didn’t like me as much, and ultimately it didn’t work out, so that’s where the idea of me singing ‘Please Don’t Let Me Go’ came from.”
Record Breaker
He continued on from there, eventually gaining four singles in peak position on the UK Singles Charts. These included “Heart Skips a Beat” ft. Rizzle Kicks, “Troublemaker” ft. Flo Rider, and “Dance With Me Tonight”.
“Troublemaker” was a massive hit in 2012, but his most famous song to date is “Dance With Me Tonight”, which was released on the 18th of November in 2011 as part of his In Case You Didn’t Know album.
It may have been his fourth single to get to the number one spot on the UK Singles Charts, but it was one of his most successful pieces of music. In addition to snagging the top place in the UK, it even reached 7th position on the Hungary charts and 20th in Belgium.
Former music and entertainment magazine, Hit The Floor, gave Olly’s chart topper a glowing review that year, stating “this is a great do-wop 50’s style number that will no doubt reach the uppermost rankings of the chart.”
Few can forget his first live performance of the track with The Muppets on The X Factor in 2011, which was later added to the UK soundtrack for 2012’s The Muppets film.
Keeping up with his momentum, Olly created three more albums between November of 2012 and 2016. Right Place Right Time, Never Been Better, and 24 Hrs all had one song each that climbed to peak chart position in the UK.
Still On the Move
His most recent work, You Know I Know, was released on November 9th of 2018 and is a double album full of his greatest hits, alongside some brand-new songs. “Moves” ft Snoop Dogg was written by Ed Sheeran and got a Silver certification from the BPI with over 200,000 sales.
Since his time in the spotlight, Murs has reflected on his personal favorite tunes that he’s released. In 2018 he revealed to Official Charts that his favorites are constantly changing, and that his top three singles are “probably my best.”
However, he did disclose some of his other personal bests. “Kiss Me is a song I love so much. Dear Darlin’ as well is a big favorite of mine, I’ve been lucky enough to have hits over the years.”
Although he hasn’t released a new album in the last couple of years, Olly has still been quite active on Twitter and Instagram, plus he has joined TikTok where he shares plenty of content to his 1.7M+ fans.