Sabrina Carpenter’s “Taste” becomes the longest-running #1 of the year

Sabrina Carpenter remains unstoppable, smashing chart records left and right. As the delightfully evil “Taste” manages a seventh consecutive week at Number 1, the third single off Short ‘n Sweet becomes the longest-running Number 1-song of 2024 so far. It matches “Espresso” its seven-week reign, though that lead single accomplished that feat non-consecutively. It is very rare for artists nowadays to earn multiple long-running Number 1-singles in one calendar year, harking back to the heyday of the Spice Girls or Dua Lipa’s impressive run with Future Nostalgia. Sabrina Carpenter is not in the clear though, as Addison Rae bids for the crown position with her surprise breakout “Diet Pepsi”. The single surged to second place last week, launching the Charli XCX-protégée to dizzying new heights of success on my personal chart.

The Little Mix solo adventure continues as JADE finally releases her sophomore single. While every Little Mix-alumna easily managed a Number 1-hit with their respective debuts, the follow-up singles have proved to be trickier to land. Leigh-Anne’s “My Love” with Ayra Starr was a respectable hit, but Jesy Nelson’s “Bad Thing” and Perrie’s “Tears” both underperformed massively. JADE shakes up the formula a little bit by first releasing a promotional single with “Midnight Cowboy” – currently at #13 – before releasing the official second single: “Fantasy”. Easily mistakable for Jessie Ware-song, this is an disco-driven ode to JADE’s biggest musical inspiration Diana Ross. “Fantasy” is off to a great start at #5, earning the Little Mix-star her second solo Top 10-hit. “Angel of My Dreams” is back up in the Top 20, continuing to be the most-successful solo Little Mix-song to date.

Hannah Mae is currently on the Dutch tv-series Beste Zangers, on which she covers other big singers’ songs. Meanwhile, her own material is boosted up my personal chart, months after its initial release – “Ik Wil Dat Je Liegt” with Belgian singer Maksim peaks at #7 this week. They released the heartfelt duet in May, becoming an immediate hit in Belgium where Maksim is currently very popular. Success in The Netherlands came much more slowly, namely due to Belgian artists being less popular here. As “Ik Wil Dat Je Liegt” finally moves into the Top 10 in its fifteenth charting week, Hannah Mae earns her third Top 10-hit while Maksim his very first. Coincidentally, Hannah Mae her very first hit on my own chart was also a collaboration with a famous Belgian singer, namely “Wat Wil Je Van Mij” with Metejoor, which ultimately peaked at Number 1 and gave Hannah Mae her well-earned breakthrough. Meanwhile, Maksim becomes the second #LikeMe-star – a popular tv-series in Belgium – to score a Top 10-hit on my chart, preceded ofcourse by Pommelien Thijs.

Under Interscope Records, American singer-songwriter Gigi Perez experienced viral fame on TikTok when “Celene" and "Sometimes (Backwood)" went viral. However, she left the label last year, slowly cultivating a devoted fanbase. Going down a decidely more queer route, her new material is very open about her lesbianism. Enter, “Sailor Song”, a song about a woman who looks like Anne Hathaway. It’s shooting up the charts worldwide, while on my personal list, it peaks at #10 this week. She is another already respected, but not massively establsihed, artist who suddenly launches to chart-topping success year after going viral on TikTok, joining megastars such as Chappell Roan or Noah kahan.

Further down, Gracie Abrams lines up her second Top 40-hit with “That’s So True” at #28, taken from the deluxe version of her sophomore album. Her breakout “I Love You, I’m Sorry” is up at #8 as well. Australian DJ Sonny Fodera debuts at #36 with the late summer song “Somedays”, which samples the enduring classic “Piano in the Dark” by Brenda Russell. On the song, Fodera is supported by Irisih DJ and singer Jazzy, who we last saw on the Top 3-hit “Giving Me” last year. “Piano in the Dark” is also one of the most-sampled songs to date on my chart, being interpolated on the Bingo Players’ 2011 Top 10-hit “Cry (Just a Little)”, Flo Rida’s club classic “I Cry” in 2012 and on Inna her “Stuck in Limbo” just this year.

While Dutch stars often have chart-topping success on the Belgian national charts, Flamish or Belgian singers often struggle to break the Dutch market. However, as Belgian #LikeMe-actors-turned-singers Maksim and Pommelien Thijs currently scale my personal Top 40, I have decided to rank the biggest Belgian singles of all time on this chart. In the 1990s, pop group Clouseau scored multiple hits, among them the highlight “Passie”. At the turn of the millenium, the Belgian take-over began when girl group K3 scored their first Number 1-hit “Heyah Mama” – the first of six. They went on to score 33 Top 40-hits, the most of any girl group of all time. In the meantime, Kate Ryan rose to fame and scored dance hits across the globe, including the Number 1 “Désenchantée”. In the late Noughties and early 2010s, Stromae received critical acclaim for combining hip hop and electronic music, topping several charts across Europe. On my chart, “Papaoutai” became a massive multi-platinum hit – the biggest Belgian hit of all time. More recently, Belgian singers singing in Dutch are becoming more popular, especially in collaboration with Dutch acts. Metejoor and Pommelien Thijs both scored a Number 1 duetting with Hannah Mae and Jaap Reesema, respectively. Pommelien Thijs also scored a big solo hit with “Erop of Eronder” last year. For a full rundown of the biggest Belgian songs of all time, see the list below.

Newly certified

“Guess” – Charli XCX & Billie Eilish GOLD

“Diet Pepsi” – Addison Rae GOLD

“Please, Please, Please” – Sabrina Carpenter 2 X PLATINUM

Biggest Belgian songs of all time

1. “Papaoutai” – Stromae

2. “Oya Lélé” – K3

3. “Nu Wij Niet Meer Praten” – Jaap Reesema & Pommelien Thijs

4. “Désenchantée” – Kate Ryan

5. “Tele-romeo” – K3

6. “Formidable” – Stromae

7. “Kuma Hé” – K3

8. “Erop of Eronder” – Pommelien Thijs

9. “Heyah Mama” – K3

10. “Alle Kleuren” – K3

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

12. “Blub, ik ben een vis!” – K3

13. “Alors on danse” – Stromae

14. “L’Enfer” – Stromae

15. “Passie” – Clouseau