Froukje and S10 reach career high trying to best Sabrina Carpenter

Sabrina Carpenter and the top spot are back together, and if that’s true, that means Sabrina gets a third week at Number 1 with “Taste”. She has been dominating 2024 incredibly well – “Taste” is her third consecutive Number 1-hit this year. It has an infectious hook and a killer music video, starring Scream queen Jenna Ortega as a Camila Cabello stand-in, and heavily draws inspiration from classics such as Death Becomes Her. Sabrina Carpenter her reign is threatened though, as Dutch duo Froukje and S10 both move to second place with their kiss off-anthem “Ik Haat Hem Voor Jou”. The indie pop darlings collaborated before twice, with their highest peak being #3 for “Nooit Meer Spijt”. They now best that previous success, earning Froukje and S10 their highest charting positions to date. Froukje previously peaked at #2 before solo with “Als Ik God Was”, while S10 also peaked at #2 with “De Leven”.

The biggest breakout star of 2024 can be up for debate – Noah Kahan and Chappel Roan both emerged out of nowhere, while Sabrina Carpenter suddenly churned out three big Number 1s. The Netherlands’ biggest breakout star of the year, however, is, without any challenge: Roxy Dekker. The 19-year-old singer scored her first hit last year when “Satisfyer” debuted in the Top 10, which then turned out to be the first of five consecutive Top 10-debuts. Follow-up “Sugardaddy” shot straight to Number 1, while collaborations with De Bankzitters and Ronnie Flex both proved equally successful. Her live shows in The Netherlands have become sell-out events, with officials even fearing overcrowding. Roxy Dekker does face tough criticism online though, with many claiming she’s a nepo baby or industry plant. She addresses these rumours head-on on her new song “Industry Plant”, which debuts at #4 this week, her fifth consecutive Top 10-debut. It has sparked controversy upon release as the song seemingly samples Bruno Mars’s “Finesse”, but Dekker debunked these claims by saying its an ode to the new jack swing genre.

Student anthems are persistently popular in The Netherlands, especially in the student cities. Some of the student stars have transitioned into the mainstream, such as Antoon with three Number 1s or Roxy Dekker. They, however, are not all students themselves, they are just extremely popular amongst that demographic. Expect for Turfy Gang: who originated at a hockey club for students. They were picked up by FunX radio and soon broke out into the mainstream with their student-focused hits. “Buren” was a breakout on my personal chart in 2021, quickly followed by “Padellen”, both going Top 20. They are now up for their third Top 20-hit with “Ushuaia”, an ode to the popular club in Ibiza. It has become a big hit on Spotify as well, set to become their biggest release to date. On my list, it settles for #15 this week. “Buren” remains their highest peak at #11.

Further down, Ronnie Flex lines up the follow-up to his platinum-certified Number 1-song “Gaan We Weg?”, the energetic “Chin, Chin”, an ode to a popular club in Amsterdam. He is supported by Dutch hip hop its biggest stars: producer-singer Antoon, longtime collaborator Kraantje Pappie and protégée ADF Samski. The single starts off at #36 this week. Purple Disco Machine also returns with a new hit song up his sleeve, namely “All My Life”. The German producer has scored a string of small hits since the breakout “Hypnotized”, including last year’s #2-surprise “Substitution”. On “All My Life”, Purple Disco Machine is joined by Belgian record producer “The Magician”, who scored an international hit in 2014 with Years & Years.

As the last quarter of 2024 approaches, it is time to rank the biggest singles of 2024 so far. Leading the pack since the summer, is Sabrina Carpenter her breakout “Espresso”. It notched up seven weeks atop my chart and has not left the Top 20 since its release. With over 135,000 points, it is currently certified triple platinum, nearly reaching quadruple status. Her follow-up “Please, Please, Please” was revealed as my song of the summer last week, while it ranks seventh on the year-end ranking so far. “Taste” has been a runaway hit for Sabrina as well, but will need more time to catch up. In second place ranks the Dutch disqualified Eurovision entry “Europapa” by Joost. It topped my list for six weeks, boosted by the huge controversy surrounding this year’s Eurovision. Roxy Dekker – perhaps the Dutch answer to Sabrina Carpenter – ranks third with “Sugardaddy”, which became her first Number 1 following a big debut, while her duet “Gaan We Weg?” with Ronnie Flex ranks ninth so far, the biggest collaboration of 2024 so far. Big breakout stars Noah Kahan and Chappel Roan follow closely with “Stick Season” and “Good Luck, Babe!”, respectively. Both artists suddenly rose to the top this year and immediately proved they weren’t one-hit-wonders as their previous singles then flooded my list. Dua Lipa caps off the year-end ranking with her singles off Radical Optimism:  “Training Season” in eighth place and its lead single “Houdini” holding in tenth.

Newly certified

“Taste” – Sabrina Carpenter GOLD

“Die with a Smile” – Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars GOLD

“Neverender” – Justice & Tame Impala GOLD

Biggest songs of 2024 so far

1. “Espresso” – Sabrina Carpenter

2. “Europapa” – Joost

3. “Sugardaddy” – Roxy Dekker

4. “Stick Season” – Noah Kahan

5. “Good Luck, Babe!” – Chappel Roan

6. “Texas Hold ‘Em” – Beyoncé

7. “Please, Please, Please” – Sabrina Carpenter

8. “Training Season” – Dua Lipa

9. “Gaan We Weg?” – Roxy Dekker & Ronnie Flex

10. “Houdini” – Dua Lipa