Sam Fender returns to Number 1 for a fifth big week

Sam Fender sets up for 2025 to be his biggest year on this list yet, as his “People Watching” returns to the top for a fifth non-consecutive week. It continues to be the North Shields-born singer his longest-running Number 1 to date. “People Watching” came after a near three-year-long break from the music industry, only releasing a duet with Noah Kahan on “Homesick” to please the fans. It is the lead single to his upcoming third studio album of the same name, which is highly anticipated by critics and fans. The previous Seventeen Going Under spawned a whopping six Top 10-hits – including two Number 1s – and made Sam Fender one of the most-successful rock artists of all time. Meanwhile, the Geordie star his “Wild Long Lie” returns to the Top 10 once more, while the new “Arm’s Length” secures the highest debut of the week at #13. The latter marks Sam Fender his seventeenth Top 40-hit to date. His reign is not secure, though, as Lola Young closes in with her breakout “Messy” up at #2, ready to claim her the top position for herself next week.

Bad Bunny makes his return to the Top 10 this week with his new viral hit “DtMF” at #7. The Puerto Rican rapper and singer broke into the mainstream in the late 2010s, soaring to the top of the charts in collaboration with Cardi B or Dua Lipa. Known as the "King of Latin Trap", Bad Bunny is credited with helping Spanish-language rap music achieve mainstream popularity in the worldwide market. He also holds the most-streamed album on Spotify with his album Un Verano Sin Ti. On this chart, some of his biggest hits have missed the list alltogether, his most successful songs being “Dakiti” or “Noche De Anoche”. With the new “DtMF”, Bad Bunny is set to score his biggest solo song yet. “DtMF” is a plena-inspired song that has inspired an emotional TikTok-trend, boosting its worldwide charts power.

Mabel her R&B-revival continues to take shape with the Afrobeats-infused “All Over You” at #19. No new album announcement has been made, but her recent singles have indicated Mabel is returning to the sound she established on her early singles “Thinking of You” or “Finders Keepers” with newfound maturity. The previous “Vitamins” was a Top 10-hit last year, while follow-ups “Look At My Body” and “Female Intuition” charted in the lower levels of my personal list. Mabel remains best-known for her dance-infused hits she scored around the turn of the decade, including the multi-platinum “Don’t Call Me Up”, though Mabel herself expressed those songs felt inauthentic to who she has become as an artist. On “All Over You”, Mabel is supported by King Promise, Ghanaian singer-songwriter who’s been on the rise. With Afrobeats its genre now more successful than ever – thank you, Rema and Tyla – Mabel could have another proper hit single on her hands, and one that feels truly like Mabel.

Further down, Tate McRae debuts at #21 with the Nelly Furtado-esque “Sports car”, the third single of her upcoming album. Endlessly teased on TikTok beforehand, the new song continues the sound Tate McRae successfully established on her massive Number 1-hit “Greedy”. It is preceded by the Top 10s “It’s Ok, I’m Ok” and “2 Hands”, both to be included on the new record. London’s MC Central Cee returns with “GBP” at #31 with fellow-UK rapper Savage 21. The song highlights both rappers’ very different routs and impacted the UK chart last week. Beabadoobee – real name Beatrice Laus – makes a surprising return to the Top 40 with her first solo hit “Real Man” at #35. The British-Filipino singer rose to prominence during the COVID-lockdown when her song “Coffee” was sampled on Powfu his sleeper hit “Death Bed”, which peaked at #2 whilst everyone was at home. Beabadoobee has released multiple albums in the meantime, performed at the Eras Tour and was nominated for the Rising Star Award at the 2020 Brit Awards.

Newly certified

“São Paulo” – The Weeknd & Anitta GOLD

“2 Hands” – Tate McRae GOLD