From Lowlands to Number 1: Dutch hit-machines Maan & Goldband smash opening records with “Stiekem”

In August this year, The Hague’s pop sensation Goldband performed their critically acclaimed set at the Netherlands’ Lowlands festival. During their performance of “Ik Haat Je”, pop darling Maan joined the band onstage, where she and band member Karel Gerlach revealed they were dating. With romance in the air, fans began speculating a collaboration was in the works. This week, after months of anticipation, the synth-heavy cross-over “Stiekem” was released alongside an ambitious music video. On my personal list, “Stiekem” debuts at Number 1 supported by more than seventy combined streams, earning them the highest opening numbers of the year so far, smashing the record set by Taylor Swift with “Anti-Hero” three weeks ago. With the Number 1-debut, Maan earns her fifth chart-topping single, while Goldband earn their second. Maan extends her record as the Dutch female artist with the most Number 1-hits and her record as the Dutch act with the most weeks spent at Number 1 (twenty-three total).

Meanwhile, Taylor Swift her “Anti-Hero” is bumped down to second place after spending two weeks at the summit. Mimi Webb aims for the crown as her latest single “Ghost of You” climbs to a new peak at #4, supported by steadily increasing streaming figures. Sam Fender’s “Wild Grey Ocean” comfortably remains at #6, while current chart-toppers Goldband take “Noodgeval” into its eighteenth week inside the Top 10. Dutch independent hit-makers S10 & Froukje their duet “Nooit Meer Spijt” moves up one place to #9, following an excellent performance on Dutch television. It marks Froukje her highest peak to date, surpassing the #10-peaks of “Ik Wil Dansen” and “Zonder Gezicht”.

Just outside the Top 10, Beyoncé enters a fourth consecutive week at #11 with the viral TikTok single “CUFF IT”. If it wasn’t for all the Top 10-debuts in the past few weeks, Beyoncé would have peaked at #9 already. Perhaps next week we will see the Queen B charting higher. Joel Corry and Tom Grennan move up four places with their electric “Fearless (Lionheart)”, reaching a new peak at #14. Irish darling Dermot Kennedy also continues to scale the Top 20, peaking at #16 with “Kiss Me”. Harry Styles enters the Top 20 with his latest radio single “Music For a Sushi Restaurant”, finishing at #19 this week. All his twelve solo chart entries have now peaked in the Top 20 at least.

Further down, Tiësto and Tate McRae debut at #24 with their new collaboration “10:35”. The Dutch DJ and producer is no stranger to collaborating with some iconic female artists. He previously worked with Ava Max on “The Motto”, Colombian icon Karol G, and pop darling Charli XCX on the Top 10-single “Hot In It”. This time around, Tiësto is supported by Canadian teen singer Tate McRae, who has had a really successful year. Since her debut “You Broke Me First” in 2020, she has scored a string of catchy hits in supported of her debut album I Used To Think I Could Fly. Joining forces, “10:35” earns Tiësto his eighteenth Top 40-entry, while Tate McRae bags her ninth.

Raunchy Dutch indi-artist MEROL scores her second Top 40-hit with “Kus Me Even”, debuting at #34. It is the follow-up to her breakout “Vol”, which stills charts this week. The new single could precede an upcoming sophomore outing for the sultry singer. Selena Gomez debuts at #38 with “My Mind & Me”, the lead single to the soundtrack of her new documentary of the same name. It marks Selena Gomez her first solo appearance on my list since 2020’s “Boyfriend”. She has since then appeared as a feature with Coldplay and Blackpink, most recently attributing her vocals to Rema’s international hit “Calm Down”.