Pommelien Thijs becomes the first Belgian female solo artist to hit Number 1 over 22 years

Following a sold-out show in The Netherlands, Belgium its reigning queen of pop music caries herself to the top of my chart with “Atlas”. She first 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” and started Pommelien Thijs her string of Top 40-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. As “Atlas” becomes her third Number 1-single to date, Pommelien Thijs also becomes the first Belgian female solo artist to peak at Number 1 in over 22 years. The last to achieve this feat was Kate Ryan, who spent three weeks atop the list in 2002 with the dance classic “Désenchantée”.

This week’s list of new debuts is packed – leading the pack is Miley Cyrus with the lead single to her upcoming visual album “End of the World” at #15. Inspired by Pink Floyd's The Wall (1979), the new album is stated to be all about healing. It is also inspired by the soft rock sound of the 1970s which has become very popular again as of late. Miley Cyrus her last album Endless Summer Vacation was a big global success for the pop icon. On my chart, lead single “Flowers” spent five weeks at Number 1 and eventually became her best-scoring release to date. It fared even better globally, where it was the best-selling single of 2023, earning 2.7 billion streams. Follow-ups “River” and “Jaded” achieved Top 10-peaks. Following up that type of success will always be tricky, but with a debut at #15 ahead of four other songs, Miley Cyrus could manage to do just that. With “End of the World”, Miley Cyrus scores her twenty-seventh Top 40-entry to date.

Utrecht-based sorority U.V.S.V. / N.V.V.S.U. make a surprise Top 40-debut with “Lotje”, a song that celebrates the sorority its 125th anniversary. It is not uncommon for Dutch fraternities or sororities to make a song to celebrate a lustrum. It is performed by president Jopke van Dobbenburgh and producer Roeland Beelen, who sing about a French woman who likes to ski. It is not the first time Dutch student acts achieve national success – boy band Turfy Gang and singer-producer Antoon both first performed at Dutch student parties before breaking out on streaming services or TikTok. Meanwhile, British pop icon Ed Sheeran makes his return to the charts with Persian-inspired “Azizam” at #19. Several Iranian and Indian artists took part in the recording of the song, making it an exceptional track in Sheeran his somewhat predictable discography. Though he has somewhat of a scrutinized reputation nowadays, it cannot be overstated how successful Sheeran was in the 2010s – he scored three big Number 1s on my chart, including the multi-platinum “Thinking Out Loud” and “Castle on the Hill”.

Meanwhile, Dutch folk music celebrates a new massive hit with “Echte Liefde Is Te Koop” by Samuel Welten. The young singer auditioned for The Voice Kids back in 2012 and has become a performer at locals pubs since. After an audio became popular on Dutch TikTok, his song has become an overnight success. Boosted by nationwide chart success, Samuel Welten makes his Top 40-debut up at #31 this week. Further down, indie-pop princess PinkPantheress rounds out the new entries with “Tonight” at #35. She is best remembered for her breakout Number 1-duet “Boy’s a Liar” with Ice Spice. Her debut album Heaven Knows spawned a small string of singles, including the sleeper hit “Nice To Meet You” with Central Cee. She also collaborated on the Barbie Soundtrack.

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