Dua Lipa shatters the Spice Girls’ nearly 27-year-old record as she claims her thirteenth Number 1-hit

Training season is officially over  as Dua Lipa debuts at Number 1 again with “Training Season”, the second single for her upcoming third studio album, setting the highest opening numbers of the year so far. Dua Lipa earns her record-breaking thirteenth Number 1-hit to date. She finally breaks the Spice Girls’ 27-year-old record and becomes the sole act with the most Number 1s of all time. The Spice Girls held the impressive record since 1997 when “Spice Up Your Life” debuted atop the chart. They extended the record up to twelve Number 1s, the last being the 2007-reunion single “Headlines”. Dua Lipa matched that record last year when “Houdini” debuted atop my list. “Training Season” also earns Dua a cumulative sixty-forth week at Number 1 – also making her the artist with the most weeks spent at Number 1. She was again tied with the Spice Girls, who spent sixty-three weeks at Number 1 from 1996 till 2007. For an overview of all of Dua’s chart records, see the lists below.

In 2022, Beyoncé made her long awaited comeback with Renaissance, a house-inspired album and the first of a trilogy of albums. Last week, after starring in a Super Bowl LVIII commercial for Verizon, Beyoncé announced the double A-sided lead single for the second album of the trilogy: “Texas Hold ‘Em” / “16 Carriages”. The single debuted at #25 this week, with only three full days of tracking. It now moves up to #5, earning Beyoncé her thirty-fifth Top 10-hit. The previous lead single, “Break My Soul”, became a record-setting phenomenon on my personal chart. It became her eighth Number 1-hit and made her the first artist to score a Number 1 in three consecutive decades. If “Texas Hold ‘Em” can replicate that level of success, is yet to be seen. She is off to a strong start already.

Last year, Dutch singer Hannah Mae scored a Number 1-hit on my chart as a feature on Metejoor his  “Wat Wil Je Van Mij”. It spent one week atop the chart and was certified platinum, while it became a national success in both Belgium and the Netherlands. Solo success stalled, however, with the follow-up singles failing to find footing on the charts. Near the end of the year, she released “Waterdicht”: a very personal ballad dedicated to her mother who was struggling with mental health issues. The single received acclaim from critics and became a sleeper hit. This week, “Waterdicht” breaks my Top 10 at #10, earning Hannah Mae her first ever solo Top 10-hit and her second one overall.

One of the Netherlands’ most celebrated and acclaimed artists of the past few years is, with no doubt, Eefje de Visser. The Dutch alternative-pop singer emerged in the early 2010s with the acclaimed debut Het Is, which quickly caught critics’ attention. In 2020, she released Bitterzoet, a synth masterclass in storytelling and instrumentals. It earned Eefje all the awards in the subsequent award season and she headlined an acclaimed tour across the Netherlands, including stops at Lowlands Festival and Down the Rabbit Hole. Real chart success with singles, however, seems to be missing. On my personal chart, she has scored four small hits, the biggest being “De Parade”, which barely missed out on becoming a Top 10-hit. This week, Eefje earns her fifth Top 40-entry with “Heimwee”, the lead release for her upcoming fifth album. It debuts at #24, the highest new entry aside from Dua Lipa’s Number 1-debut.

Further down, two more songs enter the chart. Dutch indie singer MEAU debuts with the sensitive “Stukje Van Mij”. We best recognize MEAU from her breakout Number 1-song “Dat Heb Jij Gedaan” which ranks as the best-scoring Number 1-hit by a Dutch female solo artist of all time. American indie pop darling Caroline Polachek secures her second Top 40-single to date with “Butterfly Net”. She recently released the deluxe edition of her hit album Desire, I Want To Turn Into You. It previously spawned the breakout song “Welcome to My Island”, which reached my Top 10 and was remixed to feature Charli XCX.

Newly certified

“Popular” – The Weeknd, Playboy Carti & Madonna GOLD

Acts with the most Number 1s

Dua Lipa (13)

Spice Girls (12)

Britney Spears, Little Mix, Shakira (10)

Acts with the most weeks at Number 1

Dua Lipa (64 weeks)

Spice Girls (63 weeks)

Adele (46 weeks)

Britney Spears (36 weeks)

Girls Aloud, Shakira (33 weeks)

Longest-running Number 1s of all time

“New Rules” – Dua Lipa (13 weeks)

“Fight For This Love” – Cheryl (12 weeks)

“Wannabe” – Spice Girls (11 weeks)

“Don’t Start Now” – Dua Lipa (10 weeks)

Decade year-ends

1990s: “Wannabe” – Spice Girls

2000s: “Warwick Avenue” – Duffy

2010s: “New Rules” – Dua Lipa

2020s: “Stiekem” – Maan & Goldband