Double number-one success for West Sussex singer-songwriter Russell Hastings

Felpham singer-songwriter Russell Hastings is celebrating the second number one from his new album with his long-time From The Jam collaborator Bruce Foxton.

Their third studio album together, The Butterfly Effect came out on October 28. Lula hit the top spot; now She Said has done likewise.

“It was great sitting there like in the old days listening to the Sunday night chart run-down and then Mike Read announced the new number one is and it’s you! Dream come true stuff!

“Lula was the first single to go to number one off The new album The Butterfly Effect under Foxton & Hastings got lots of airplay worldwide and then I forgot about She Said, the second single released, being in the charts until I received an email saying it was at number two then the following week it shot to number one. Elated is the word!

"It’s the Heritage Charts, which is us oldies I guess? The album did very well for us and is still selling well. I am grateful to be able to do what I love.”

“The Butterfly Effect started with the song Lula during lockdown, the song which is now the single. I was just sitting there with my acoustic guitar and my wife was making dinner. I was wondering what was going to happen with the pandemic and I just played the opening sequence to the song.

"I got my iPhone out and recorded it and I sent it off to Bruce about a week later and he sent it back with the bass lines and when we were allowed to, we finished it off and recorded it about five or six months later. And songs just kept flowing. I'm really proud of this record. It feels very different. It is about playing whatever we wanted to."