George Ezra joins LF System and Beyoncé in the race for Number 1

Scottish duo LF System continue their reign atop my personal list, as the summer hit “Afraid To Feel” earns a second consecutive week at Number 1. The catchy song is based of "I Can’t Stop (Turning You On)" by the 1970's soul band Silk. It has been a streaming smash hit and recently topped the UK Official Charts. Beyoncé edges in on LF System’s lead with her comeback single “Break My Soul”, which now spends a fifth consecutive week in the Top 3. George Ezra joins the race for Number 1 with his “Green, Green Grass”, the second single from his latest album Gold Rush Kid. The smooth singer previously scored another Top 3-hit this year with “Anyone For You” [#3].

Meanwhile, OneRepublic make their grand return to the Top 10 with “I Ain’t Worried”, jumping up five places to #8. The newest song is taken from the Top Gun: Maverick soundtrack starring Tom Cruise. With the film receiving raving reviews and viral success on TikTok, OneRepublic are set for a major comeback on the charts. On my personal list, “I Ain’t Worried” is OneRepublic’s first Top 10-hit since 2014’s “I Lived” [#10]. Their biggest song to date remains the multi-platinum Number 1-hit “Counting Stars”.

Fresh off his latest Number 1-single “Potion” with Dua Lipa, Calvin Harris already lines up his next big hit as “Stay With Me” rises seven places to #10. This time around, the Scottish DJ is aided by hit machine Justin Timberlake, the angelic Halsey and rapper Pharrell Williams. “Stay With Me” is Calvin Harris’s eighteenth Top 10-hit, while it marks Timberlake’s twenty-first, Halsey’s seventh and Williams’s tenth. Calvin Harris and Pharrell Williams have previously worked together on the Top 20-single “Heatstroke” and the Number 1-hit “Feels”.

Further down, American singer and guitarist Steve Lacy makes his chart debut at #14 with “Bad Habit”. The young talent first gained prominence as the guitarist of the R&B group The Internet, after which he released his debut EP titled Steve Lacy's Demo. Success continued with his debut album Apollo XXI, and most recently, his sophomore album Gemini Rights. His new single “Bad Habit” has been a major breakthrough, reaching the charts in the United States and the United Kingdom. Steve Lacy co-wrote the song with Diana Gordon, who also worked with Beyoncé on Lemonade.

At #24, British rapper Central Cee enters the chart with his new song “Doja”. He previously scored chart hits with “Obsessed with You” and “Commitment Issues”. The song samples Eve her “Let Me Blow Ya Mind”. A few places down, Billie Eilish returns at #35 with “TV” taken from her new EP Guitar Songs. To celebrate Billie Eilish’s new release, I’ve decided to rank her highest-scoring singles to date. Finally, nu-disco icon Jessie Ware debuts at #38 with the hypnotizing “Free Yourself”. She previously worked with Kylie Minogue on “Kiss of Life” and received critical acclaim for her LP What’s Your Pleasure.

Billie Eilish’s Top 5 biggest hits

1.      “Bad Guy” [#1 x 1 week]

2.      “Everything I Ever Wanted” [#2]

3.      “When The Party’s Over” [#8]

4.      “No Time To Die” [#5]

5.      “Therefore I Am” [#10]

Newly certified songs

“Afraid To Feel” – LF System GOLD

“Late Night Talking” – Harry Styles GOLD

“Green, Green Grass” – George Ezra GOLD