British band Glass Animals fly to Number 1 with their sleeper hit “Heat Waves”

Upon initial release, “Heat Waves” by Glass Animals seemed to fly under the radar, only barely peaking inside the Top 40. After newfound success on TikTok, however, the British band have arguably scored the sleeper hit of the year as they shoot to Number 1 this week, moving fourteen places straight to the top. It is also becoming a success across Europe, peaking inside of the Top 10 in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Germany. Success is further supported by some great live performances and big streaming numbers. The Glass Animals dethrone Sam Fender’s “Seventeen Going Under”, which falls back to Number 3 after a single week atop the chart. Its biggest competition is Elton John and Dua Lipa their “Cold Heart”, which steadily remains at second place this week.

Puerto Rican singer Farruko jumps into the Top 10 with his summer-sounding “Pepas”, a Latin-EDM song that is taking the Dutch charts by storm. Success is supported by popularity in Dutch nightclubs and growing success on streaming services. Farruko is no stranger to success, as he US Latin Billboard Hot 200 twice and frequently reached the Top 40 in Spanish and Portuguese-speaking nations. On this list, “Pepas” moves up ten places, ultimately peaking at Number 10.

The highest debut of the week is scored by American singer-and-actress Chlöe with her debut solo single “Have Mercy”, the lead single of her upcoming debut solo album. She is one half of the acclaimed duo Chloe X Halle with her younger sister Halle Bailey; together, they scored their first Top 10-hit “Do It” [#9]. Their album Ungodly Hour was also a massive success, being one of the most-streamed albums of 2020. Chlöe starts off her solo career strongly, promoting her song at the MTV Video Music Awards and extensive playlisting on Spotify. On this list, it has already paid off, as “Have Mercy” debuts at Number 14 this week.

At Number 25, the 2019-song “Love Nwantiti” by Nigerian artist CKay debuts, aided by viral success on Spotify and TikTok. It is further supported by many remixes with many local artists for localized variations, such as Frizzo from Germany and Franglish from France. At Number 32, Dutch DJ Tiësto and Colombian singer Karol G debut with “Don’t Be Shy”, Tiësto’s follow-up to his big hit “The Business”. At Number 39, an unlikely collaboration debuts; South Korean teen idols BTS with British rock-pop group Coldplay, together on “My Universe”.

Twenty year ago, Kylie Minogue and Victoria Beckham took on each other in a fierce and close chart battle for Number 1. Fresh from her comeback album Light Years, Kylie released “Can’t Get You Out of My Head”; a classic mirror-ball anthem, while Posh Spice tried to prove she’s more than capable of scoring hits on her own with “Not Such an Innocent Girl”. While on most international charts Kylie crushed Victoria with ease – especially in the United Kingdom – but on this chart, the Number 1-position was initially scored by Victoria. It was a very close battle, though, as Kylie debuted just behind the solo Spice Girl. In the next week,  “Can’t Get You Out of My Head” became the superior song and moved to Number 1, where it would ultimately stay for eight weeks. Victoria Beckham would later claim another chart-topping single with “A Mind of Its Own”. To relive the fierce chart battle, click this link or check the Top 10 below this list.