Alex Warren is up at #1, while Antoon and Ariana Grande storm the Top 10 with new releases

To say Alex Warren has humble beginnings might seem a bit odd. The American-born singer was first relevant when he was as a member of the collaborative TikTok group Hype House from 2019 to 2022. Though successful, that group was pestered by controversy and online criticism as well. It did make all members hugely popular though, and Alex Warren was no exception. While some of those influencers switched to acting or modelling, quite a few influencers chose to become singers. Dixie D'Amelio had a short-lived musical career with flops like “Be Happy”, while Bella Poarch had a small viral moment with “Build a B*tch”. It’s a common phenomenon in The Netherlands as well. Famke Louise scored a string of Top 10-hits though pestered by the general public, and YouTuber-and-DJ Monica Geuze had a Top 10-hit with “Laten Gaan” during Ronnie Flex’s heyday. LA-based star Addison Rae’s initial debut, “Obsessed”, was another swing-and-a-miss from an influencers with a weak voice, but after teaming up with Charli XCX, stunned both her friends and enemies with “Diet Pepsi”. She’s now a Grammy-nominated headliner with a string of big hits already. With the way paved for him, Alex Warren’s scoring even bigger. His previous song “Ordinary” was massive hit, especially in the United States, yet it only reached #33 on this chart. He’s now new at Number 1 with “Fever Dream”, another big international hit for the American singer, and with this more upbeat production, his first big hit on this chart as well! The music video with Paris Hilton helps a bit as well. It currently holds the top spot for a second consecutive week.

Antoon is on a roll! The producer-and-singer broke through in 2021 with the sing-a-long Number 1-hit “Hyperventilatie”, after which much of his back catalogue flooded the Dutch and Belgian charts. Few EPs and a debut album followed, which spawned more Number 1-hits on my personal charts and saw Antoon collaborating with many high-profile Dutch stars. In the meantime, Antoon revolutionized the Dutch pop sound as he produced many of the biggest Dutch hit singles of the last five years. He was the mastermind behind Roxy Dekker’s first Top 10-hit “Satisfyer” and he produced the collaborative hit singles by Froukje & S10. At the start of 2026, Antoon released his sophomore studio album which continued the electro-pop sound that has become Antoon’s trademark, but his lyricism showed a softer side, exploring the passing of his late mother and the hardships of fame. But Antoon is not one to sit still and watch – no, he already surprises us with another fresh single this week: “De Enige” at #4. It’s an instantly catchy pop summer song that has already went viral on TikTok. “De Enige” is the highest new entry of this week, beating stiff competition.

Only a few spots down, Ariana Grande proves her penmanship on the lead single “Hate That I Made You Love me”. It’s the first release of her upcoming eighth studio album, Petal. It comes at the end of a small musical hiatus of sorts. Much of her focus lately had been directed at acting, having starred as Glinda the Good in the popular Wicked films. “Hate That I Made You Love Me” continues the slower, mid-tempo R&B-sound she established on predecessor Eternal Sunshine, though this time around, the song is written solely by Ariana Grande herself. The song dissects Grande’s complicated relationship with the public eye and her fans, a theme she’s been exploring ever since “No Tears Left to Cry” after the Manchester Bombings. “Hate That I Made You Love Me” debuts at #7 this week, earning Ariana her thirty-second Top 10-hit to date. This continues the long-running tradition of Ariana Grande’s lead singles debuting inside the Top 10: “Yes, And?” debuted at #2, “Positions” at #5, “thank, u next” at #1 as did “No Tears Left to Cry”, “Dangerous Woman” debuted at #5 and “Problem” entered at #1. Only her very first charting single, “The Way” off her debut album, failed to enter immediately inside the Top 10, debuting at #15 instead.

Speaking of successful musical comebacks; Lily Allen launched herself back onto the charts with her tell-all hit album West End Girl last year. It saw her air all the dirty laundry about her relationship with actor David Harbour and it left no stone unturned. Lead single “Pussy Palace” became Lily’s first big hit in over thirteen years and it reintroduced Lily’s hard-hitting and raw style to a whole new audience. A possible remix edition of West End Girl has been rumoured for a good while now, and this week, it seems like the project might be real as “Beg For Me” has been remixed and released a single featuring Little Mix-alumna JADE. The remix debuts at #16. Further down, JADE’s Little Mix-sis Leigh-Anne closes off her debut era with the surprise release “Tight Up Skirt” at #30. Leigh-Anne told on radio that this will be the final single from her debut album. “Love Me Not”-singer Ravyn Lenae rounds out the new entries of this week with her new “Handle” at #38. Though fans of her will most likely dislike the song’s odd new sound, it feels like a good continuation from the American budding star.

Newly certified

“Drop Dead” – Olivia Rodrigo GOLD

“White Keys” – Dominic Fike GOLD