Lady Gaga barely blocks Pommelien Thijs from Number 1

Lady Gaga continues to dominate the chart with “Abracadabra” as it enters a fourth week at Number 1 on my personal list. She propelled the new single up to the top following the release of her comeback album Mayhem. As “Abracadabra” ascended to the summit, Lady Gaga earns her first solo Number 1-hit since 2011’s “Judas” and her seventh overall. She also recently scored a massive chart-topper with “Die With a Smile” in a duet with Bruno Mars. That song recently became one of the longest-running hit singles on the official Dutch Top 40 and the longest-reigning daily Number 1-hit in Spotify history. With the solo “Abracadabra”, Lady Gaga returned to top form, echoing back to her heyday in the early 2010s. The album Mayhem also saw substantial success across the globe, debuting atop the chart of 22 nations, including the Billboard Hot 200. However, with four weeks leading and counting, competition is getting tougher and tougher.

Enter, Pommelien Thijs, the ever-reigning queen of Belgian pop music. She broke through in 2019 as the lead on the musical tv-series #LikeMe which was very popular amongst Belgian youths. She then collaborated with Dutch singer Jaap Reesema on “Nu Wij Niet Meer Praten” in 2020, which became the Christmas Number 1 on my personal chart. Following numerous single releases, her final breakout came with her debut album Per Ongeluk which became an unmatched success on the Belgian charts. It spawned the platinum-certified “Erop of Eronder” on this list and kickstarted Pommelien Thijs her run of hits. Just this year, she earned her second Number 1-hit with “Het Midden” featuring Dutch singer-songwriter MEAU. Meanwhile, she also garnered critical acclaim on Netflix’s Knokke Off. Destined to continue her unmatched streak, Pommelien Thijs now soars up a whopping thirty places to #2 with the new folk-inspired “Atlas”. She is only barely kept from scoring her third Number 1-hit. “Atlas” is the supposed lead single for her upcoming second studio album. With that kind of momentum, perhaps 2025 will be the year of Pommelien Thijs.

This time last year, Ariana Grande made her highly anticipated return to the music industry with her seventh studio album Eternal Sunshine. It was an international success and received acclaim from fans and critics alike. It spawned the #2-hits “yes, and?” and “we can’t be friends”, however, they failed to match the dizzying heights of Ariana Grande’s previous hit singles. In the meantime, focus shifted to her acting career, starring in the critically acclaimed musical film Wicked as Glinda the Good, which earned her an Oscar nomination. Following all that buzz, Ariana Grande now finally gave us the long awaited deluxe edition of Eternal Sunshine. It is accompanied by the short film Brighter Days Ahead, directed by Ariana Grande herself. The single “twilight zone” earns the highest new entry of this week at #12. Ariana Grande quietly earns her landmark fortieth Top 40-entry. She scored her first Top 40-hit more than twelve years ago with “The Way” featuring Mac Miller. Since then, Ariana Grande has scored nine Number 1s and thirty Top 10-hits. She ranks as one of the best-scoring artists of all time.

Further down, Dutch singer-songwriter MEAU debuts at #35 with the heartfelt “Vergeef Me”. She’s scored the biggest Dutch female solo hit of all time with 2021’s “Dat Heb Jij Gedaan” – an undisputed modern classic. Though she initially struggled to line up another hit single, last year, MEAU returned with the Top 10-song “Stukje Van Mij” and the Number 1-duet “Het Midden” with Pommelien Thijs. “Vergeef Me” signals a new era for the young talent, one that also includes a sold-out live show at the AFAS Arena in Amsterdam. Meanwhile, the country music renaissance that started around the mid-2020s continues to flourish, with Canadian singer-songwriter Cameron Whitcomb making his Top 40-debut with “Medusa”. Just last year, multiple country artists made their breakthrough appearance on my list – like Morgan Wallen or Dasha – while Beyoncé took Cowboy Carter all the way to Number 1. Cameron Whitcomb first rose to prominence on American Idol and has been releasing country ballads ever since. “Medusa” starts off at #39.

Newly certified

“Pink Pony Club” – Chappell Roan PLATINUM