Billie Piper becomes the youngest artist ever to reach Number 1; Melanie “Scary Spice” Gulzar-Brown becomes the Spice Girls’ first member to go solo

Billie Piper writes chart-history as she climbs to her first ever Number 1 with Because We Want To. She is the youngest artist ever to achieve a chart-topper on this list, as she was only fifteen years old at the time of recording. She is also the first ever female solo-act hailing from the UK to achieve the peak position. Other female acts from the United Kingdom have peaked above the list, such as the Spice Girls, but no other independent female has managed before. Billie Piper’s hit dethrones The Boy Is Mine, which held the crown for five consecutive weeks.

Producer Mousse T., pop duo Hot 'n' Juicy and singer Inaya Day step into the Top 10 with the raunchy Horny ‘98. The three acts are slowly becoming an international hit. Most of the success is due to South Park, as the popular tv-show uses the song on the soundtrack “Chef Aid: The South Park Album”. Horny ’98 already debuted on the Official UK Charts at Number 2, whilst the single is climbing other European charts rapidly. On this list, Horny ’98 peaks at Number 8 this week. It took the trio six weeks to achieve their first Top 10-hit.

Earlier last month, Geri Halliwell decided to leave the Spice Girls due to personal reasons. She is not the first Spice Girl to go solo though, as Melanie Brown “a.k.a. Scary Spice” enters the list with her first independent release I Want You Back. Melanie Brown collaborates with rapper-singer Missy Elliott, whom she met on the Spiceworld Tour in the United States. The girls hit the studio together and made a killer hit. Missy Elliott has had success on this list before, having scored the Top 10-single Not Tonight alongside Lil’ Kim.

The single marks a new chapter in Melanie Brown’s music career after spending almost four years with the Spice Girls. With the girls, she scored eight consecutive Number 1-hits on this list. The Spice Girls are the best-selling girl group in history and are seen as a phenomenon that took over the world. Their debut single Wannabe is the best-scoring single of all time on this list, having amassed over 190,000 points. Melanie Brown ventures out on her own, opening with I Want You Back at Number 11.

All Saints receive a Gold Certification for their hit single Under the Bridge. The single became the girls’ second Top 10-hit, peaking at Number 4 after a six week-climb. The song is a cover version of the original by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. As of this week, the single amassed over 40,000 points.