One Direction and Justin Bieber albums: Fandoms unite as Made In The AM and Purpose share release date

The battle between One Direction and Justin Bieber has officially kicked with both pop acts releasing their respective albums Made In The AM and Purpose today (13 November 2015). Although the boy band and Canadian singer are competing for the number one spot on the charts, the majority of their fans appear to be united in supporting both records.

Bieber, 21, has released his fifth studio album Purpose while 1D, consisting of Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Liam Payne, have dropped Made In The AM, their last LP before taking a lengthy break. Bieber's fans appear to have embraced the mature sound of Purpose compared to 2012's Believe, with one commenting: "#purpose is such a mature sound it's genius! The album is lit and it's definitely gonna change opionions on Justin! Excellent job JB [sic]," while another Belieber said: "This album was SO WORTH THE THREE YEAR WAIT. I'm so incredibly proud of Justin and I'm so excited about this new era."

Directioners have also warmly received Made In The AM, the group's fifth album and first without former bandmate Zayn Malik. One fan tweeted: "#MadeInTheAM is incrdible! Couldn't have turned out better! I'm so proud of how far the guys have come :3 They're so good!" while another supporter said: "All the songs in this album are just so beautiful and feels like the boys put a lot of feelings to this album im in love."

Despite the chart battle, many are fans of both artists and expressed their support for Purpose and Made In The AM. One tweeted: "So incredibly proud of Justin Bieber & One Direction. they've both bounced back from a set back and out done themselves yet again." Another said: "Can not fault the One Direction album or the Justin Bieber album," while one other commented: "I can't choose between the new album justin bieber or 1D, but for now I'm more attracted to a new album 1D.I Don't know why @onedirection."

In the US, Bieber is winning the race early on with Purpose soaring to number one in the charts, leaving 1D's Made In The AM trailing behind in second place. In the UK, Purpose is at number two while its rival is at number four, with pre-orders of Adele's forthcoming album 25 sitting in between them at three. Previous sales projections could not make out a clear winner in the race, with industry experts concluding the competition between Bieber and 1D was "neck and neck".

For more entertainment news follow A-List on Twitter @Alistinsider