Pommelien Thijs and MEAU make an unexpected jump to Number 1 with their middle-of-the-road “Het Midden”

In an unexpected move, Pommelien Thijs and MEAU make an unexpected jump all the way up to #1 with their collaboration “Het Midden” in its fourteenth week the Top 40. The two singers previously collaborated on “Droom Het Donker Weg”, which was included on Pommelien Thijs her mega-selling debut. Despite never receiving a proper single release, thus making it ineligible to chart, it was popular on streaming. “Het Midden” fulfills the girls’ promise for new music, now earning Pommelien Thijs & MEAU both their second Number 1-song. Firstly, Dutch independent singer-songwriter MEAU broke through in with “Dat Heb Jij Gedaan”, an emotional ballad about bullying, which went on to peak atop my chart for four weeks and eventually became the highest-scoring solo song by a Dutch female artist of all time, taking the record from Esmée Denters. Since her breakthrough, MEAU struggled to score another proper hit, but did further establish herself as an artist with festival and talk show appearances. Meanwhile, Pommelien Thijs is arguably the most popular Belgian singer out there right now, period. She shot to stardom as an actress on #LikeMe, before scoring the Christmas Number 1-hit of 2020 on my chart with “Nu Wij Niet Meer Praten”. Success continued with the follow-up hits, including “Erop of Eronder”, and a very successful acting job on the Netflix drama Knokke Off.

Further down, Little Mix’s JADE claims 2025 as the year of the It girl with her new solo release of the same name. Following their hiatus in 2021, the Little Mix-girls continued their solo journeys last year. JADE was the last alumna to have a go at it solo, debuting with the hyper-experimental “Angel of My Dreams” in July. Though it missed the top spot upon its initial release, it later secured the Number 1-spot as well, making Little Mix the first girl group from which every member also scored a solo chart-topper. JADE’s “Angel of My Dreams” also surpassed the success of her ex-bandmates, becoming the best-scoring Little Mix-solo hit to date. Follow-up single “Fantasy” debuted and peaked at #5, but has underperformed on the UK Singles Charts. The new “IT Girl” has been teased ever since JADE went solo and has captivated a strong online discussion, but if that translates into proper chart success, we’ll have to see. On my personal chart, “IT Girl” debuts at #6, earning JADE her third solo Top 10-hit yet. Out of all the Little Mix-girls, JADE now has the most solo Top 10s on my personal chart.

Further down, Dutch couple-turned-singers – or was it the other way around? – Suzan & Freek make their return to the charts with “Ken Je Dat Gevoel?” at #25 this week. The musical duo rose to fame in 2018 when “Als Het Avond Is” became a mega-selling national hit. Since then, Suzan & Freek scored ten consecutive Top 10-hits, being credited with boosting the newfound popularity of Dutch pop in the 2020s. Their latter releases, however, have not had the same impact as their earlier hits, with the recent “Verleden Tijd” stalling at a mere #33. A comeback could be in the shops for the new duo. They have recently went on a trip to Australia, Japan and New Zeeland, finally enjoying a well-earned break from touring. The new “Ken Je Dat Gevoel?” was inspired by their journeys, yet, it still feels like the same Suzan & Freek-sthick we’ve come to expect.

While Teddy Swims is still climbing up the charts with the soulful “Bad Dreams”, he already lines up his next hit with “Are You Even Real” featuring Giveon. Teddy his “Lose Control” was a smashing hit across the globe though it failed to crack my Top 20. Perhaps with Giveon on his side, he’ll have more success. Giveon is best known for his 2021-hit “Heartbreak Avenue” and his collaboration “Peaches” with Justin Bieber. Dutch singer S10 debuts at #34 with the CharlI XCX-esque single “Have Fun” – arguably her most straight-up pop song to date. It is to preceed her upcoming third studio album which also includes the Top 20-hit “Mijn Haren Ruiken Naar Vuur”. Dutch students-turned-boy group Turfy Gang round out the new entries with the disco-sounding “FHM500” at #38. The single refrences the FHM Top 500, a ranking of the Netherlands’ hottest female celebrities. Turfy Gang is now up for their fourth Top 40-entry on my chart, making them one of the best-charting Dutch boy groups of all time, surpassing Mainstreet and B-Brave.

As Little Mix’s JADE secures another Top 10-debut with her fourth single, I have decided to rank the biggest girl group-gone-solo singles of all time. Girls Aloud’s Cheryl Cole her first solo effort “Fight For This Love” comes out on top with more than 190,000 points. It also ranks as the third best-scoring song of all time and being certified diamond. It was the first of Cheryl her six solo Number 1s, which also includes the multi-platinum “Call My Name”. Beyoncé follows closely with “Crazy in Love” and “Telephone” in second and third place, respectively. The Spice Girls’ Geri Halliwell bests her five ex-bandmates with her rendition of “It’s Raining Men” which was a big song after it was included on the soundtrack for Bridget Jones. In fact, the Spice Girls are the only girl group from which every member has scored a gold-certified solo hit, though Little Mix is the only girl group from whicj every member has scored a solo Number 1. Amongst her ex-bandmates, JADE’s “Angel of My Dreams” is the best-scoring solo hit by any Little Mix-alumna. Perrie follows in second place with the Ed Sheeran-penned “Forget About Us”, while Leigh-Anne’s first two singles “Don’t Say Love” and “My Love” rank third and fourth, respectively. For a small list of these statistics, see the list below this chart.

Newly certified

“People Watching” – Sam Fender PLATNUM

“I Love You, I’m Sorry” – Gracie Abrams PLATINUM

The best-scoring ex-girl group songs

1. “Fight For This Love” – Cheryl

2. “Crazy In Love” – Beyoncé & Jay-Z

3. “Telephone” – Lady Gaga & Beyoncé

4. “It’s Raining Men” – Geri Halliwell

5. “Call My Name” – Cheryl

6. “Dilemma” – Nelly & Kelly Rowland

7. “Havana” – Camila Cabello

8. “Never Be the Same Again” – Mel C & Lisa ‘Left Eye’ Lopez

9. “Halo” – Beyoncé

10. “When Love Takes Over” – David Guetta & Kelly Rowland

The best-scoring solo Little Mix hits

1. “Angel of My Dreams” – JADE

2. “Forget About Us” – Perrie

3. “Don’t Say Love” – Leigh-Anne

4. “My Love” – Leigh-Anne & Ayra Starr

5. “BOYZ” – Jesy Nelson & Nicki Minaj