Olivia Dean’s “Man I Need” makes it to nine weeks

Olivia Dean’s “Man I Need” is set to become one of the decade-defining hits of the 2020s, as the song makes it to nine weeks at Number 1. It has come at the end of a well-deserved breakthrough. Dean has been making waves in the underground music scene for a few years now, until her debut album helped her become BBC’s Artist of the Year and take over Glastonbury. With nine weeks atop my list, “Man I Need” continues to be the longest-running Number 1-hit of 2025. It also becomes one in six singles that spent nine weeks at Number 1. That can only signal that “Man I Need” is set to become one of the biggest songs of all time. Other songs that spent nine weeks at Number 1 include Adele’s “Hello” and Harry Styles’s “As It Was”. The longest-running Number 1-hit of all time is Dua Lipa’s “New Rules” which racked up thirteen weeks atop the chart in 2017. Olivia Dean still has a solid month to go if she wants to overtake Dua Lipa. For a full rundown of the longest-running Number 1s of all time – now also including Olivia Dean – see the list below.

Dutch pop-rock band BLØF return to the Top 10 for the first time in eight years with their new single “Hoe Hou Ik Dit Vast” at #8. The Zeeland-based group was one of the most popular and best enduring acts that broke through during the Dutch pop revival of the late 1990s. Student bands were all the rage and scored big hits in The Netherlands and Belgium. Whereas their contemporaries’ popularity faded throughout the Noughties, BLØF kept a steady string of hits, including Number 1s “Dansen Aan Zee”, “Holiday in Spanje” and “Alles is Liefde”. At the end of the late 2010s, BLØF was already a respected legacy act, though their Top 10-song “Zoutelande” proved BLØF could still deliver hits if they wanted to. On the new “Hoe Hou Ik Dit Vast”, BLØF is supported by newcomer Bente. She wrote the single. In fact, she’s written many songs for other artists, but this year, thanks to her appearance on popular tv -series Beste Zangers, Bente is now breaking through on her own. Bente made it into the Top 40 two times before, both with collaborations: first with 2021’s feminist anthem “Nee Is Nee” with Maan and then with the low-flying “Als Geen Ander” with Meau.

Earlier this year, popular music duo and couple Suzan & Freek made headlines when they announced Freek is terminally ill with lung cancer with no chance of recovery. They had to suddenly stop touring and they have asked Dutch media to leave them alone so they can be with family. To make matters even worse, Suzan also announced she is pregnant with their child and is due at the end of the year. It is a heartbreaking situation for all involved. Their news received a ton of media attention and garnered sympathetic responses from the entire industry. To support the couple in troubling times, Dutch radio stations all over the country played their album track “Lichtje Branden” – a song about staying strong in difficult times – all at the same time. This week, Suzan & Freek return with their first new material since the troubling news: “Niemand”. It has already earned them a big Number 1-debut on Spotify and tons of airplay and support. Their musical legacy in The Netherlands and Belgium is undisputable. Suzan & Freek have been credited with reviving Dutch pop songs in the late 2010s and have scored numerous streaming juggernauts and radio hits. On my personal chart, Suzan & Freek have earned nineteen Top 40-hits, including the 2019 Number 1-smash “Blauwe Dag”. Their new song “Niemand” starts off at #17.

Lola Young’s had quite the year. After breaking through with “Messy”, she’s done pretty much every festival out there and notched up quite the online discourse. It all took its toll when she fainted onstage recently. Her back catalogue has got her covered though – “Post Sex Clarity” emerges as a sleeper hit and debuts at #24. Further down, Dutch singer-songwriter Hannah Mae returns to the Top 40 with her new ballad “Wacht Op Mij” at #31. She emerged in 2023 as a feature on the Dutch-Belgian cross-over song “Wat Wil Je Van  Mij” with Metejoor, which peaked at Number 1. She quickly capitalized on the success and released her debut album. Her ode to her sick mother, “Waterdicht”, really resonated with audiences and received critical acclaim. “Wacht Op Mij” echoes similar themes, albeit a bit less catchy this time. Hannah Mae earns her sixth Top 40-hit.

Newly certified

“Man I Need” – Olivia Dean 2 X PLATINUM

Longest-running Number 1s of all time

“New Rules” – Dua Lipa [13 weeks]

“Fight For This Love” – Cheryl [12 weeks]

“Wannabe” – Spice Girls [11 weeks]

“Don’t Start Now” – Dua Lipa [10 weeks]

“My Heart Will Go On” – Céline Dion [9 weeks]

“Whenever, Wherever” – Shakira [9 weeks]

“Hello” – Adele [9 weeks]

“Hij Is Van Mij” – Kris Kross Amsterdam, Maan & Tabitha [9 weeks]

“As It Was” – Harry Styles [9 weeks]

“Man I Need” – Olivia Dean [9 weeks]