One Direction star Liam Payne on track for number three in charts with first solo single

Payne, the last member of the boy band to release his own music, is currently at number three in the Official Singles Chart with his track Strip That Down, which was released last Friday.

Following a pattern set by his fellow One Direction stars, the Wolverhampton singer will be the fifth and final member to hit the top 10 with solo music.

The 23-year-old and former Girls Aloud star Cheryl Tweedy welcomed baby son Bear to the world in March.

Harry Styles recently topped the chart with his debut solo single Sign of the Times, and his self-titled album reached number one last week.

Following One Direction taking a break last year, band members Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson have also been in the top 10. Horan's This Town hit number nine and Tomlinson's Just Hold On peaked at number two.

Zayn Malik, who quit the group in 2015, last year topped the charts with his debut single Pillowtalk.

At the mid-way stage of the week, Payne's single is just 325 equivalent sales behind the current number two, DJ Khaled's I'm The One.

Last week's number one Despacito, by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee, reworked with Justin Bieber, retains its position at the chart summit.

Payne, who grew up in Bushbury, last week revealed he was finding fatherhood a 'bit of a whirlwind' and that was 'doing it all herself at the moment because she wants to know what it feels like when I’m not there'.

He said: “She knows that I’m going on tour, so obviously she’s got a lot to deal with. Which is hard.

“I thought that I’d get the call saying, we need a nanny for this, but no, she’s doing everything. She’s really pushing herself with it, bless her.”

The new charts will be officially released on Friday.