OCC

Beyoncé has her first U.K. No. 1 in 14 years, as “Texas Hold ‘Em” blasts to No. 1.
The country-tinged song powers to No. 1 on the Official U.K. Singles Chart, published Friday, Feb. 23, following a No. 9 debut the previous week.

Lifted from the forthcoming LP Renaissance Act II (via Columbia/Parkwood Ent) project, due out March 29, “Texas Hold ‘Em” is Beyonce’s sixth U.K. No. 1. Bey’s last was her Lady Gaga collaboration “Telephone,” which she dialed up for a chart leader back in March 2010.

Before that, the Houston, TX-raised star’s last solo No. 1s were 2008’s “If I Were a Boy,” “Beautiful Liar” with Shakira (2007), “Déjà vu” with Jay Z (2006) and “Crazy in Love” with Jay Z (2003). As a member of Destiny’s Child, Bey bagged a brace of U.K. No. 1s – “Independent Women” (2000) and “Survivor” (2001).

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Following 2023 breakthroughs by Luke Combs and Morgan Wallen, and now a No. 1 with “Texas Hold ‘Em,” country music is “undergoing something of a resurgence” in the U.K., notes the OCC, a market typically dominated by electronic, pop, rock, hip-hop and indie music.

The runner-up on the latest tally is Benson Boone’s “Beautiful Things” (Warner Records), up 3-2 for a new chart peak, while Teddy Swims’ “Lose Control” (Atlantic) completes the podium, up 4-3, also a peak position.

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The top new entry belongs to Dua Lipa’s “Training Season” (Warner Records), new at No. 4, for the British pop star’s 15th U.K. top 10 single.

Ariana Grande’s “yes, and?” (Republic Records) is on the rise, up 10-7, following the release of a new remix featuring Mariah Carey. “Yes, and?” has a U.K. chart peak of No. 2.

Stranger Things star Joe Keery nabs his first U.K. top 40 appearance with “End of Beginning” (AWAL/DJO), through his DJO project. “End of Beginning” rockets 100-11. That’s an “extraordinary” effort, notes the OCC, for an artist known to millions for his central character in Netflix’s Stranger Things Steve Harrington, the bully-turned-reliable chum with great hair.

Finally, Calvin Harris and Rag’n’Bone Man’s collaboration “Lovers In a Past Life” (Columbia), debuts at No. 19, for Harris’ 43rd top 40 single, and Rag’n’Bone Man’s sixth. The pair previously joined forces on 2019’s “Giant” — both are giant men — which peaked at No. 2.

Idles leads an all-new top three on the midweek U.K. chart with Tangk (Partisan), the British rock outfit’s fifth studio album.
Based on midweek sales and streaming data published by the Official Charts Company, Tangk is predicted to snag the crown, and give the Bristol, England five-piece a fourth U.K. top 10, including the 2020 chart topper, Ultra Mono. Idles scored two nominations for the 2024 Grammy Awards (best rock album for Crawler and best rock performance for “Crawl!”).

Chart victory is not assured.

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Paloma Faith has a chance of scoring the title with her sixth album The Glorification of Sadness, new at No. 2 on the chart update. The Glorification of Sadness (RCA) should give the British pop singer a sixth consecutive U.K. top 10, a tally that includes her first No. 1 in 2017 with The Architect.

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Completing the podium on the Official Chart Update is Liverpool rock act Crawlers, with The Mess We Seem To Make (Polydor), their debut album. It’s new at No. 3, for what should give the four-piece its first U.K. top 10 appearance.

After one week at the chart summit, Noah Kahan’s Stick Season (Republic Records) looks likely to tumble, down 1-4. Kahan nabbed his first chart double last week, when Stick Season and its title track led the respective Official Charts.

Meanwhile, Derby, England pair Pet Needs (brothers Johnny and George Marriott) eye a top 10 berth with their third collection Intermittent Fast Living (Xtra Mile). It’s set to debut at No. 7, for their first impression on the chart.

Finally, veteran indie-rock act Cast is on track for a first top 10 spot in 25 years, and fourth overall with Love is the Call (Cast Recordings), new at No. 8 on the chart blast, while former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett could bag his first top 10 album in 44 years with his latest solo effort The Circus and the Nightwhale (Inside Out), new at No. 9 on the chart update. Hackett last cracked the top 10 back in 1980 with Defector.

All will be revealed when the Official U.K. Albums Chart is published late Friday, Feb. 23.

Beyoncé holds all the cards as “Texas Hold ‘Em” blasts into the U.K. top 10.
The new single, the first from Bey’s forthcoming Renaissance Act II (Columbia/Parkwood Ent) project, bows at No. 9 on the Official U.K. Singles Chart, published Friday, Feb. 16.

With that fast start, the pop superstar bags a 22nd U.K. top 10 single. Act II will mark Bey’s eighth studio record, four of which have gone to No. 1 in the U.K. 

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Three cuts from Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign’s Vultures 1 (YZY) fly into the Official Chart – the maximum allowed from any one album. All crack the top 20, led by “Carnival” (at No. 12), “Burn” (No. 17) and “Back To Me” (No. 18).

At the top of the tally is Noah Kahan’s “Stick Season” (Republic Records), which logs a seventh straight week at No. 1. With its parent album climbing to the summit of the Official U.K. Albums Chart, Kahan has his first career U.K. chart double. A new edition of the Stick Season album yields the track “Forever,” which arrives at No. 31 for his fifth U.K. top 40 single.

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Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s Saltburn-powered “Murder On The Dancefloor” (Polydor) holds at No. 2 on the Official Singles Chart, less than 600 combined units ahead of Benson Boone’s “Beautiful Things” (Warner Records), the OCC reports. “Beautiful Things” lifts 5-3, a new peak position for the 21-year-old Washington-born singer-songwriter.

Also on the rise is YG Marley’s “Praise Jah in the Moonlight” (YG Marley Music), up 9-5. That’s a career high for Marley, the grandson of the late, great Bob Marley and son of Ms. Lauryn Hill.

English singer and TV presenter Wes Nelson enjoys a top 40 debut with “Abracadabra” (Moor), his collaboration with homegrown R&B favorite Craig David. It’s new at No. 37, following the pair’s live performance on ITV’s Love Island All Stars, for Nelson’s fourth U.K. top 40 single and David’s 26th. 

Finally, Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car” (Rhino) returns to the top 40 following her rare performance of the ‘80s hit at the 2024 Grammy Awards. “Fast Car” reenters at No. 38, after Chapman and country star Luke Combs performed the song on the Grammys on Feb. 4, marking Chapman’s first live television appearance since 2015. Originally released in 1988, “Fast Car” reached its peak of No. 4 in 2011, and has been introduced to country audiences by Combs’ faithful rendition which appeared on 2023’s Gettin’ Old and became a U.S. hit.

Noah Kahan’s “Stick Season” (via Republic Records) is sticking around in the U.K., where it’s predicted to notch a seventh consecutive week at No. 1.
Based on midweek sales and streaming data published by the Official Charts Company, “Stick Season” is the clear favorite, accumulating double the tally of its nearest competitor.

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That distant rival is Teddy Swims’ “Lose Control” (Atlantic) which is primed for a new peak position, lifting 3-2 on the Official Chart Update.

There’s a chance Kahan could snag his first chart double. His Stick Season LP rises to No. 2 on the midweek albums tally — an all-time high — with Declan McKenna and his third album What Happened To The Beach? (via Columbia) the only objects currently blocking his path.

Meanwhile, Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s 2001 hit “Murder on the Dancefloor” (Polydor) continues to feel the Saltburn bump, dipping 2-3 on the singles chart blast.

Meanwhile, Benson Boone’s “Beautiful Things” (Warner Records) is poised to do something it has never done before; it’s set to gain 8-4 for a new peak position. The 21-year-old Washington native currently leads the Billboard Global 200 chart with his rock ballad.

Ella Henderson and Rudimental’s “Alibi” (Atlantic) scaled a new peak last week, rising 24-16 in its fourth week. The only way is apparently up for “Alibi,” which is poised for a No. 12 spot on the national chart. “Alibi” samples the late Coolio’s hit “Gangsta’s Paradise” (which in turn sampled Stevie Wonder 1976 single “Pastime Paradise”), a 1995 hit which logged two weeks at No. 1 and finished the year as the U.K.’s second biggest-selling single.

Finally, Norwegian producer Kygo and U.S. singer Ava Max are expected to crack the U.K. top 20 for the first time with “Whatever” (Columbia/Kygo), improving 28-19 on the chart blast.

The EDM tune samples “Whenever, Wherever,” is the lead single from Shakira’s debut English-language studio album, Laundry Service, from 2001.

All will be revealed when the Official U.K. Singles Chart is published late Friday, Feb. 16.

Declan McKenna is the frontrunner for the U.K. albums chart title with What Happened To The Beach? (via Columbia), this third album.
What Happened To The Beach? leads the midweek chart, and, should it hold its position, would give the English singer-songwriter his first leader.

Whatever happens when the weekly chart is published later in the week, McKenna will have a third top 40 to his name. His 2017 debut LP What Do You Think About The Car? peaked at No. 11, and his sophomore effort from 2020, Zeros, came in at No. 2. On that occasion, the Official Charts Company notes, the Rolling Stones’ reissue of Goats Head Soup scraped through by just 800 chart units for an historic No. 1.

The nearest competitor on the current chart blast is Noah Kahan and his breakthrough third album Stick Season (Republic Records), which is roughly 3,000 combined units behind in second place – its peak position.

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Stick Season’s ongoing success is fueled by the release of an expanded deluxe edition, featuring new tracks and collaborations with the likes of Sam Fender, Post Malone, Kacey Musgraves and Hozier, and, of course, its hit title track, which has led the Official U.K. Singles Chart for the past six weeks.

If there were any questions about Kanye West’s international popularity after his recent controversies, the U.K. albums chart could provide an answer. West’s collaborative album Vultures 1 (YZY) with Ty Dolla $ign finally dropped Saturday (Feb. 10), following months of delays. Based on midweek sales and streaming data, Vultures 1 is likely to swoop in at No. 3 for what would Ye’s eighth U.K. top 10 album and Ty Dolla $ign’s first.

Former Mercury Prize-winning British rapper Dizzee Rascal is eyeing a top 10 debut (and sixth overall) with Don’t Take It Personal (Big Dirte3), new at No. 6 on the Official Chart Update, while Swedish pop singer and songwriter Zara Larsson’s third album Venus (Black Butter/Sommer House) is on track for a No. 7 start, for what would be her second top 10 effort.

Meanwhile, Usher could score a top 10 touchdown following his halftime performance at the Super Bowl. The newly-married R&B star’s Coming Home (Mega Gamma) is new at No. 9 on the midweek chart and is set to become the U.S. artist’s seventh top 10 album.

Finally, Somerset, England originated prog-rock act Pineapple Thief is set to steal a career high and second top 40 appearance with It Leads To This (Kscope), new at No. 21 on the midweek tally, while Il Divo’s XX (Il Divo Music) could become the classical crossover act’s 12th Official Albums Chart top 40 appearance. It’s new at No. 35 on the chart blast.

All will be revealed when the Official U.K. Albums Chart is published late Friday, Jan. 16.

Noah Kahan hits the U.K. chart for six as “Stick Season” (via Republic Records) extends its reign.
The Vermont, U.S. singer and songwriter’s breakthrough folky number racks-up a market leading 8.3 million streams, the Official Charts Company reports, as it collects a sixth straight week at No. 1.

That’s the longest consecutive streak atop the Official U.K. Singles Chart since Dave & Central Cee’s “Sprinter” ran through the pack in the summer of 2023.

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“Stick Season” leads an unchanged top three, ahead of Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s “Murder on the Dancefloor” (Polydor) and Teddy Swims’ “Lose Control” (Atlantic), respectively.

There’s change, however, for Benson Boone’s “Beautiful Things”(Warner Records) which vaults 11-5, for the U.S. artist’s first career appearance in the U.K. top 10.

Another artist on the rise is YG Marley, grandson of the late, great Bob Marley, and son of Ms. Lauryn Hill, whose independently-released “Praise Jah In The Moonlight” improves 20-9. That’s Marley’s first-ever U.K. top 10 appearance.

Ella Henderson and Rudimental’s “Alibi” (Atlantic) has a new high point, lifting 24-16 in its fourth week. “Alibi” samples the late Coolio’s 1995 hit “Gangsta’s Paradise,” which logged two weeks at No. 1 and finished the year as the U.K.’s second biggest-selling single.

It’s a great week for The Last Dinner Party, the critically-lauded London band, whose debut LP Prelude to Ecstasy (via Island) blasts to No. 1 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart. The lead single from it, “Nothing Matters,” lifts 22-19 on the Official U.K. Singles Chart, published Friday, Feb. 9, for the five-piece band’s first U.K. top 20 appearance.

Also on the rise is Justin Timberlake’s “Selfish” (up 37-29 via RCA) and Michael Marcagi’s TikTok-powered “Scared To Start” (Warner Records), up 38-31 – a new career high for the singer-songwriter and Cincinnati native.

Finally, it’s a good week for Good Neighbours, the English indie-rock duo of Oli Fox and South London-based Scott Verrill, whose debut single “Home” (Some Action) cracks the top 40 for the first time. “Home” runs 81-40.

The Last Dinner Party feasts on the U.K. chart as Prelude to Ecstasy (via Island) blasts to No. 1.
The outright leader at the midweek point, Prelude to Ecstasy clocks 32,800 chart units in its first week, the Official Charts Company reports.

That’s the biggest opening week for a debut album by a band since 2015, when electronic pop act Years & Years accumulated 55,000 with their debut, Communion.

Also, according to the OCC, the Last Dinner Party’s first-week result includes more than 14,000 vinyl copies, for the fastest-selling debut album by a group on vinyl of the century, and the highest sales week for a vinyl album since Oasis’ The Masterplan remaster dropped last November.

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Based in London, the indie-rock five-piece (Abigail Morris, Lizzie Mayland, Emily Roberts, Georgia Davies and Aurora Nishevci) has some serious hype behind it.

The group snagged this year’s BRITs Rising Star Award and the BBC Sound Of 2024 poll, a brace that assures the Last Dinner Party status as the next big thing in music.

Prelude to Ecstasy features “Nothing Matters,” their breakthrough debut single which charted on the Billboard Hot 100 and the Official U.K. Singles Chart.

Also new to the Official U.K. Albums Chart, published Friday, Feb. 9, is Jamie Webster’s 10 For The People (Modern Sky), at No. 2. With that effort, the Liverpool, England singer and songwriter boasts a new career high, outdoing 2022’s Moments, which peaked at No. 3.

Glasgow, Scotland singer and songwriter Dylan John Thomas enjoys a top 40 debut with his self-titled debut album (via Ignition), new at No. 21, while Britpop-era psychedelic rock act Kula Shaker nabs a fourth U.K. top 40 whose latest release Natural Magick (Strange Folk), new at No. 22.

Finally, Taylor Swift fever spreads on the U.K. chart following the announcement of The Tortured Poets Department, her forthcoming 11th studio album. Several of Swift’s recordings spike on the tally, including 1989 (Taylor’s Version) (up 8-5), Midnights (up 15-6), Folklore (up 18-10), Lover (up 17-13), reputation (up 20-14), and Evermore (up 51-40), all through EMI. Announced during the 2024 Grammys broadcast, The Tortured Poets Department is due out April 19.

Benson Boone is about to complete the jump from viral star to the U.K. top 10.
The 21-year-old Washington native has three appearances on the Official U.K. Singles Chart, the standout with “Beautiful Things” (via Warner Records), which last week reached No. 11.

Prior to its release, Boone built buzz for the song by teasing it on TikTok and Instagram. Now, Boone is on the brink of his first top tier hit, as “Beautiful Things” lifts to No. 8 on the midweek tally.

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Boone recently announced his forthcoming album, Fireworks and Rollerblades, and its namesake world tour, and performed the single last week on Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Also on the rise is of Bob Marley’s grandson YG Marley, whose debut “Praise Jah In The Moonlight” (YG Marley Music) vaults 24-12 on the chart blast. “Praise Jah In The Moonlight” is co-written with Marley’s mom, Ms. Lauryn Hill.

Critically-lauded British newcomers The Last Dinner Party are heading for the U.K. albums chart title with Prelude to Ecstasy (Island), their debut album. And a new chart peak awaits for their single “Nothing Matters,” which last week entered the top 40 for the first time and is predicted to climb further, to No. 19.

At the top of the Official Chart Update is Noah Kahan’s “Stick Season” (Republic Records), which is cruising to a sixth consecutive week at No. 1.

Finally, Cat Janice is expected to make an impact on the Official U.K. Singles Chart with “Dance You Outta My Head.”

Behind the upbeat dance tune is a touching story.

The 31-year-old singer, from Washington, D.C., was diagnosed with sarcoma, a type of rare malignant tumor, in 2021. After going through chemotherapy and radiation treatment, the cancer returned, and she released this song as a final tune for her 7-year-old son, just after entering hospice care. “Dance You Outta My Head” (Cat Janice) debuts at No. 74 on the chart blast. All proceeds from the song will go to her son.

The Official U.K. Singles Chart will be published late Friday, Feb. 9.