Dutch indie-singer Meau aims for Number 1, but is blocked by Sam Fender

Sam Fender his “Spit of You” earns a second consecutive week atop the chart, but a rising new star is following closely behind him. Dutch independent singer-songwriter Meau moves up to Number 2 with “Dat Heb Jij Gedaan”, leapfrogging Adele her “Easy on Me” with considerable ease. She is unable to surpass Sam Fender just yet, who is supported by his sophomore album Seventeen Going Under and multiple playlisting. “Spit of You” became the North Shields-born singer his fourth Number 1-hit on this chart and was met with universal acclaim from critics. If Meau were to further increase her streaming numbers, she could dethrone Sam Fender’s “Spit of You” next week. She recently peaked atop the Dutch Spotify Top 50 and recently broke the national hit parade.

Kris Kross Amsterdam, Antoon and Sigourney K. jump up sixteen spaces to Number 9 with the exhilarating “Vluchtstrook”. The new collaboration becomes Kris Kross Amsterdam their fifth Top 10-entry and their highest-charting single since the 2019 Top 10-single “Ik Sta Jou Beter” featuring Nielson. The single samples “Have You Ever Been Mellow?” by the Party Animals, which peaked atop the Dutch charts in 1996. Kris Kross Amsterdam previously translated or sampled classic 90s hits into Dutch hits, such as “The Boy is Mine”, “Een Moment Zonder Jou” or Toen Ik Je Zag”. This time around, the DJs are supported by popular Dutch singers Sigourney K. and Antoon. The latter previously topped my personal chart with “Hyperventilatie”, which went on to claim triple-platinum status and became one of the highest-scoring songs of 2021.

SZA scores the highest debut of the week with “I Hate U”, entering at Number 17. The single was originally solely released on SoundCloud, but after it became a fan favourite and went viral on TikTok, the American singer decided to release it as a proper single across various streaming media. SZA also recently revealed that her long-awaited second album is set to be released very soon, although with SZA, nothing is for sure. Earlier this year, the “Drew Barrymore”-singer scored her highest-peaking solo song to date with “Good Days”, which reached Number 2, and she finally earned her very first chart-topper as a feature on Doja Cat’s “Kiss Me More”.

At Number 28, Mabel enters with her cover of Cyndi Lauper 1984-classic “Time After Time”, which was especially recorded for this year’s McDonalds Christmas Advert. The original song topped the Billboard Hot 100 and is cited as “one of the best modern love songs of all time” by various sources. Further down, Dutch singer Maan enters the list with her newest song “Leven”, which is produced by the prementioned Antoon. Earlier this week Maan announced a headlining show at the Ziggo Dome, which is one of the Netherlands’ biggest live venues. At Number 39, George Ezra makes a comeback with his rendition of “Come On Home For Christmas”, which is this year’s Amazon Christmas Exclusive. Previous artists included the likes of Ellie Goulding and Jess Glynne.

We fondly remember the big Christmas and year-end Number 1s, but what about songs that did not top the chart? The Official UK Charts recently took a look at a selection of tracks that were knocked off the top or pipped at the post on the Christmas chart week, so I have decided to do the same. In 1996, two girl bands fiercely fought for the Christmas Number 1, resulting in the Spice Girls-classic “2 Become 1” taking the top spot. En Vogue thus settled for seconds with “Don’t Let Go (Love)”, which became the girls’ best-charting single to date. In 2002, Christina Aguilera’s “Dirrty” was denied the Christmas Number 1 by Nelly & Kelly’s “Dilemma”, which later became one of the XTina her best recognized singles of all time. In 2005, the Sugababes’ “Ugly” prevented rival girl group Girls Aloud from taking the crown with “Biology”. The girls were blocked again in 2008, when “The Promise” was kept off the top by Adele’s “Make You Feel My Love”. Girls Aloud-alumni Cheryl Cole, however, later claimed the Christmas Number 1 of 2009 with “Fight for This Love”. In 2016, best-selling girl band Little Mix pulled off the rare feat of occupying the Top 2 on the Christmas chart, with “Touch” and “Shout Out to My Ex” in first and second place, respectively. Rihanna was stalled at second place twice; first with “We Found Love” in 2011 and then again in 2013 with “The Monster”. For a full overview of the Christmas Number 2-singles, check the list below this chart.