Cässo vs. Doja vs. Tate: a close three-way battle for Number 1

Cässo and Doja Cat enter an exciting race for this week’s Number 1, only separated by a few combined streams. Cässo pulls ahead with his breakout “Prada”, earning a second consecutive week atop the chart.  The single remixes D-Block Europe and Raye’s 2020-collaboration “Ferrari Horses”, and marks Cässo and D-Block Europe their first ever chart-topper while Raye collected her second. Doja Cat finishes in second place with “Paint the Town Red”, the lead single for her upcoming fourth studio album. It went viral on TikTok overnight – not a rarity for Doja’s singles – and is currently topping the worldwide lists. If “Paint the Town Red” were to dethrone Cässo next week, Doja Cat will earn her third Number 1-hit on my list; she previously reached the top with “Say So” in 2020 and “Kiss Me More” in 2021.

Cässo and Doja Cat are not the only one aiming for Number 1 – Canadian pop star Tate McRae enters the competition at #3 with “Greedy”, earning the highest debut of the week. Tate broke through in 2020 with the viral “You Broke Me First”, which was quickly succeeded by a string of streaming hits. “She’s All I Wanna Be” became a platinum success on my personal list, while “10:35” with Tiësto was a chart hit in Europe. She now returns with “Greedy”, a straightforward pop song that samples fellow-Canadian Nelly Furtado’s smash hit “Promiscuous”. The single was heavily teased before its release on TikTok, which helped it earn Tate’s biggest opening week to date. On my personal list, Tate now earns her third Top 10-hit. “Greedy” matches “You Broke Me First” and “She’s All I Wanna Be” as her highest peaks to date.

The so called ‘Padamic’ continues as Australian pop royalty Kylie Minogue moves into the Top 10 with her latest single “Tension”, peaking at #7 this week. The release is the second official single of Kylie’s upcoming sixteenth studio album of the same name. It previously spawned the comeback smash “Padam, Padam” which helped earn Kylie her first Number 1-hit in over eleven years. “Tension” is set to become a strong follow-up success, supported by Kylie her concert at Radio 2 in the Park this past weekend. It was acclaimed by fans and critics, with many citing her live performances of “Can’t Get You Out of My Head” and “Padam, Padam” as the set’s highlights. As “Tension” peaks at #7 this week, Kylie earns her twenty-seventh Top 10-entry.

Newcomer Kenya Grace debuts at #27 with her viral hit “Strangers”. The South-African producer and singer recently signed to Major Recordings, a dance label owned by Warner. She has a strong footing in the drum-and-base community, but is now crossing over to more mainstream waters. It marks her first ever Top 40-entry on my personal chart. Further down, Drake teams up with SZA on “Slime You Out”, the second single from Drake's upcoming eighth studio album, For All the Dogs. Its single cover uses a picture of Halle Berry covered in green slime, which caused controversy online as the Bond girl did not give Drake her permission to use the picture. It is good for a debut at #35, earning Drake his landmark thirtieth Top 40-entry while SZA collects her seventeenth.

As the summer comes to an end, it is time to rank the biggest songs of the summer of 2023. Peggy Gou ranks first with her smash breakout “(It Goes Like) Nanana”. It spent five weeks at Number 1 – the most for any song this year – and has become one of the biggest dance hit singles in recent memory. In second place is Dua Lipa her “Dance The Night”, taken from the massively successful Barbie Soundtrack. Her Barbie-colleagues Billie Eilish and Nicki Minaj & Ice Spice also rank inside the Top 10 biggest summer songs. Other notable songs on this ranking are Leigh-Anne solo debut “Don’t Say Love” [#7] and Irish singer Jazzy her breakthrough “Giving Me” [#9]. Female artists easily have the upper hand, the only male act to rank inside the Top 10 is Fred Again.. with “Danielle” [#10].

Ranking Song of the Summer 2023

“Where She Goes” – Bad Bunny GOLD

“Barbie World” – Nicki Minaj, Ice Spice & Aqua GOLD

“(It Goes Like) Nanana” – Peggy Gou 2 X PLATINUM

Ranking Song of the Summer 2023

1. “(It Goes Like) Nanana” – Peggy Gou
2. “Dance The Night” – Dua Lipa
3. “What Was I Made For?” – Billie Eilish
4. “Padam, Padam” – Kylie Minogue
5. “Vampire” – Olivia Rodrigo
6. “People” – Libianca
7. “Don’t Say Love” – Leigh-Anne
8. “Barbie World” – Nicki Minaj & Ice Spice
9. “Giving Me” – Jazzy
10. “Danielle (Smile on My Face)” – Fred Again.. & 070 Shake