Olivia Rodrigo returns at Number 1! Down The Rabbit Hole 2023 massively impacts the charts

2021’s biggest breakout star was – without a doubt – Olivia Rodrigo. Suddenly, the High School Musical actress soared to the top of the charts with her ballad “drivers license”. It became an unprecedented hit across the globe, ultimately becoming my personal highest-scoring song of 2021. Her debut album Sour and follow-up single “good 4 u” achieved similar success and cemented Rodrigo her status as a new big pop player. This week, after a full year of radio silence, Rodrigo returns with “Vampire”, the first single from her upcoming sophomore record Guts. It comes with production from Dan Nigro, with whom she collaborated on Sour as well. “Vampire” debuts atop my personal list with impressive numbers, earning the young talent her third Number 1-hit. It outperforms its nearest competition 3 to 1. It stands as one of the biggest debuts of this year so far.

This past weekend, Down the Rabbit Hole Festival held its eighth addition in Ewijk, the Netherlands. It was headlined by Fred Again.., Burna Boy and Paolo Nutini. The first of these three – British producer and DJ Fred Gibson – earns the highest debut of the week on my personal chart with “Danielle (Smile On My Face)” at #13. His set on Friday received critical acclaim and was the festival’s most-attended performer. “Danielle (Smile On My Face)” was first released in 2022 and later included on the third instalment of his Actual Life album series. He is supported by rapper 070 Shake, who also performed at the festival in the Fuzzy Lop. Her set was also listed as one of the festival’s highlights by Dutch press. With “Danielle (Smile On My Face)”, Fred Again.. earns his fifth Top 40-entry and 070 Shake her very second – following this year’s Number 1 “Escapism” with Raye.

A few places down, Sunday’s headliner Paolo Nutini debuts at #23 with “Through the Echoes”. His last set was also one of the weekend’s most memorable moments. It saw him play his biggest hits, including “Iron Sky” and “New Shoes”. He now returns with his first Top 40-entry on my chart in over nine years. “Through the Echoes” was the lead single of his fourth album Last Night in the Bittersweet, which was released last year.

The weekend’s special guest was Dutch indie-darling Froukje. Ever since her breakthrough in 2020, she was has pretty much played every major festival in the Netherlands. At this year’s edition of Down the Rabbit Hole, Froukje opened the Hotot Main and played surprise sets all across the weekend. A highlight was her intimate acoustic show on Sunday in the Bossa Nova. It is no surprise then that two of Froukje her biggest hits re-enter my personal Top 40 this week – “Zonder Gezicht” with S10 at #28 and “Als Ik God Was” at #30. S10 deserves a special shoutout as well, she was a last-minute addition to the line-up when Horace Andy was forced to cancel one hour before playing.

Amidst the DTRH-chaos, Shakira continues her remarkable comeback with “Copa Vacía”. Following a very public break-up with footballer Gerard Piqué, Shakira released an eponymous collaboration with producer Bizarrap. The tell-all kiss-off anthem shot straight to Number 1, earning the Colombian singer her tenth chart-topping hit. She then worked with Karol G on the fierce “TQG”, which peaked at #9 and was certified gold. Back on top of the charts across the globe, Shakira now continues her streak of hits with “Copa Vacía” featuring Manuel Turizo. It already proved to be a streaming success in most Latin countries and on Spotify. “Copa Vacía” debuts at #37 on my chart, earning Shakira her thirty-third Top 40-entry.

Newly certified

“Substitution” – Purple Disco Machine & Kungs GOLD

“Wat Wil Je Van Mij” – Metejoor & Hannah Mae PLATINUM

Biggest debuts of 2023 so far

1. “Rommel” – Goldband [#1]
2. “Vampire” – Olivia Rodrigo [#1]
3. “Flowers” – Miley Cyrus [#1]
4. “Don’t Say Love” – Leigh-Anne [#1]
5. “Padam, Padam” – Kylie Minogue [#3]
6. “Bad Thing” – Jesy Nelson [#6]
7. “Dance the Night” – Dua Lipa [#6]
8. “Red Flags” – Mimi Webb [#7]”
9. “(It Goes Like) Nanana” – Peggy Gou [#7]
10. “Kill Bill” – SZA [#9]