Maan & Goldband write chart history as “Stiekem” achieves Diamond status

One of the biggest hits of the past few years, is, without a doubt, “Stiekem” by Maan & Goldband. The song has been a long time in the making, as in August last year, Goldband were joined on stage by singer Maan during their critically acclaimed set at the Netherlands’ Lowlands festival, where Maan and band member Karel Gerlach revealed they were dating. In November, their uninventable duet was released as “Stiekem”. The synth-heavy cross-over proved to be a hit ten times over – soaring straight to Number 1 on my personal list for eight consecutive weeks. It went on to spend sixteen weeks inside my Top 3 and already became the best-scoring song of the 2020s so far. This week, “Stiekem” crosses the 190,000 points marker, earning it a Diamond certification on this chart. It is only the fourth single ever to achieve this record – the previous being the Spice Girls’ “Wannabe”, Cheryl Cole’s “Fight For This Love” and Dua Lipa’s “New Rules”. It is also the first ever Dutch single to achieve Diamond status. The song drops to #38 this week, possibly its last charting position, but it goes out with an incredible bang.

Meanwhile, Kylie Minogue enters a second consecutive week at Number 1 with her rhythmic “Padam, Padam”. It is the first single from her upcoming sixteenth studio album Tension, set to be released later this year. It became Kylie her eighth Number 1-hit on my personal chart last week, joining iconic songs such as “Can’t Get You Out of My Head” or “All the Lovers”. Additionally, Kylie became the third artist in chart history to earn a Number 1-hit in three consecutive decades. Purple Disco Machine aims to dethrone the Aussie pop legend with the Italo-inspired “Substitution”, but is stalled at #2 again this week.

Kris Kross Amsterdam move up fifteen places to a new peak at #7 with the summer-infused “How You Samba”. The single samples Bellini their 1998-smash “Samba de Janeiro”, which peaked at #15 on my personal list back in the 90s. Kris Kross Amsterdam are no strangers to sampling – some of their biggest previous hits sampled Olivia Newton-John’s “Have You Ever Been Mellow” or Cascada’s “Everytime We Touch”. They are supported by Mexican newcomer Sofía Reyes and British rapper Tinie Tempah. The latter previously scored some big Number 1-hits, including the multi-platinum “Girls Like” in 2016. With “How You Samba” up at #7, Kris Kross Amsterdam earn their seventh Top 10-hit, Sofía her very first, and Tinie Tempah his fourth.

The highest debut of the week is earned by American independent talent Caroline Polachek, entering at #19 with the electric “Welcome to my Island”. Polachek co-founded the indie pop band Chairlift in the late 2000s, before going solo in 2019. With her operatic voice – very reminiscent of Kate Bush or Marina & The Diamonds – Polachek quickly established a devoted fanbase. Her latest album Desire, I Want to Turn Into You received critical acclaim. This week, its fourth single “Welcome to my Island” debuts on my personal chart, supported by a riveting performance at Best Kept Secret Festival in the Netherlands last weekend. It is her first charting single on my list.

Further down, another Best Kept Secret artist makes their Top 40-debut: Belgian duo Charlotte Adigéry & Bolis Pupul enter at #29 with “Ceci N'est Pas un Cliché”. Their set at the three-day festival received critical acclaim from Dutch press. Sam Smith and Madonna join forces on the arrhythmic “Vulgar” at #36, which has received major coverage on the internet the past week. It marks Madonna her first chart appearance since 2015’s “Living For Love”. Dominic Fike rounds out the new entries with “Mona Lisa”, entering at #39.

Newly certified

“River” – Miley Cyrus GOLD

“I’ll Be Waiting” – Cian Ducrot GOLD

“Miracle” – Calvin Harris & Ellie Goulding 2 X PLATINUM

“Stiekem” – Maan & Goldband DIAMOND

The best-scoring Dutch singles of all time

1. “Stiekem” – Maan & Goldband
2. “Noodgeval” – Goldband
3. “Het Is Een Nacht (Levensecht)” – Guus Meeuwis & Vagant
4. “Hij Is Van Mij” – Kris Kross Amsterdam, Maan, Tabitha & Bizzey
5. “Hyperventilatie” – Antoon
6. “Drank & Drugs” – Lil Kleine & Ronnie Flex
7. “Blijven Slapen” – Snelle & Maan
8. “Per Spoor (Kedeng, Kedeng)” – Guus Meeuwis & Vagant
9. “Geef Mij Je Angst” – Guus Meeuwis
10. “Ademnood” – Linda, Roos & Jessica