Britney Spears easily fights off 2Pac and secures a fifth week at Number 1

Britney Spears earns herself a fifth week at Number 1 with ...Baby One More Time. The single is speedily becoming a global phenomenon, topping almost every worldwide chart it enters. Most notably, the single topped the Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Official Charts. The hit single continues to face competition from 2Pac with Changes, who now enters a third back-to-back week in the second position. Britney Spears does manage to hold her position easily, as she is aided by her controversial music video.

Sasha steps into the Top 10 with If You Believe. Sasha is a new German singer-songwriter who is currently having his international breakthrough with If You Believe. Sasha is very reminiscent of the current pop boys, such as Robbie Williams and Ronan Keating. On this list, Germany has produced some big hits, including the chart-toppers Captain Jack by Captain Jack, and Be My Lover by La Bouche. This week, Sasha scores his first ever Top 10-hit with If You Believe after a six week-climb. The single peaks at Number 8.

TLC had their fair share of controversies over the past few years. The girl group filed for a huge bankruptcy in 1995 following less than favorable deal from manager Pebbitone Reid, whom mismanaged their funds. Pebbitone and LaFace Records went on to charge for expenses such as airline travel, hotels, promotion, music videos, food, clothing, and other expenses. According to the members of TLC, ironically, the more successful the album became, the more they were in debt. Following the financial problems, some alleged feuds between the girls. TLC now return with a new single, a first since their last song in 1995.

TLC their new single is No Scrubs, a big new hit. The release already topped the Billboard 100 and is entering the Top 10 worldwide. On this list, the single becomes TLC their fourth Top 10-hit. The girls first entered the Top 10 before with the chart-topper Creep and followed success with Waterfalls and Red Light Special. The girls’ last song to enter this list was Baby-Baby-Baby in June 1996. This week, No Scrubs peaks at Number 10.

Billie Piper scores the highest debut of the week. The English teen-singer was one of last year’s biggest breakthrough artists. Billie Piper became the youngest artist to ever score a Number 1-hit, doing so with Because We Want To, and became the first ever British solo female artist to hit the top spot. Billie Piper then released a string of hits, including Girlfriend and She Wants You. Billie Piper now releases Honey To the Bee as the fourth and final single of her debut hit album “Honey To The B”. The new release debuts at Number 28 this week.

Bryan Adams and Melanie C receive a Platinum Certification for their chart-topper When You’re Gone. The single spent three weeks above the list and made Melanie C the first ex-Spice Girl to score a solo Number 1-hit. The single marked the first male-female duet since 1997’s Wereld Zonder Jou by Marco Borsato and Trijntje Oosterhuis to crown the list and paved the way for Bryan Adams his comeback and Melanie C her solo career. The song has amassed over 65,000 points as of this week. The single is the second-best-scoring release of the year so far.