It really is that sweet! Sabrina Carpenter finally earns her first ever Number 1

That’s that her espresso! Sabrina Carpenter earns her first ever Number 1 hit as “Espresso” soars up to Number 1 this week. A hot and sun-kissed sing-a-long hit, it truly is the first summer hit of the year. Initially released to promote her set at Coachella Festival, the song was well received and then took off by storm. Sabrina Carpenter previously scored a string of small Top 40-singles, including the alleged Olivia Rodrigo-diss track “Skin” and the gold-certified “Feather”. “Espresso” gave Sabrina Carpenter her best debut to date on Global Spotify and my personal list, entering at #16, beating “Feather” by ten places. It has now surpassed all her previous singles, finally giving Sabrina her long awaited breakout and her first ever chart-topper.

After months of radio silence and media speculation, Dutch pop singer Maan finally makes her highly anticipated comeback. In 2022, she scored her biggest chart year yet with “Stiekem”, a synth-pop duet with Goldband. It was an international hit and broke several official chart records. On my personal list, “Stiekem” spent eight weeks at Number 1, was certified diamond and became the best-scoring Dutch song of all time. But after all that success, Maan disappeared, leading to tabloid speculation about her mental health. She now returns, more sure of herself than ever, with “Paranoia”, a dark synth-pop song produced by her boyfriend and Goldband-boy Karel Gerlach. It marks a stark departure from her early simple pop music. “Paranoia” debuts at #7 this week, earning Maan her sixteenth Top 10-hit to date.

Speaking of breakout acts, country singer Dasha breaks into the Top 10 with “Austin”, peaking at #8 on this week’s chart. Dasha is the latest addition to a string of cross-over country stars. Never a highly popular genre on my list, country music has suddenly spawned some big charting hits, mostly thanks to viral TikTok sounds. Just last year, Luke Combs and Zach Bryan scored their first Top 10-hits. This year saw the release of Beyoncé surprise country album, which spawned the already classic Number 1 “Texas Hold ‘Em”. Dasha now joins this growing list of cross-over country hits with “Austin”. Dasha co-wrote the song, which went viral on TikTok and then became her first Billboard hit, and now, her first Top 10 on my own list.

The late 2010s and early 2020s saw the rise of many female solo stars, but very few were as successful as Britain’s Mabel. Emerging with the knock-out Number 1 “Finders Keepers” in 2017, she then went on to score a string of Top 10-hits, including the multi-platinum “Don’t Call Me Up”. In 2022, Mabel released her sophomore album About Last Night.., which although enjoyable, failed to produce major hits like its predecessor. “Let Them Know” had its moment though, reaching the Top 5 and acquiring gold status. Since then, the “Fine Line”-singer has kept to herself in the studio, now surprising us with the small standalone single “Vitamins”. It makes a lowkey debut at #22 and her first appearance in the Top 40 since “Let Love Go”.

Speaking of comebacks, Madison Beer makes her Top 40-return with “Make You Mine” at #28. The single is boosted by its new music video, which sees the Megan Fox look-a-like paying homage to the cult horror film Jennifer’s Body. It marks Beer her biggest debut since 2020’s “Selfish”. Dutch DJ-trio Kris Kross Amsterdam debut at #37 with “Queen of My Castle”, a shameless rip-off of “King Of My Castle” by Wamdue Project – a Top 3-hit on my list in 1999. The DJs are supported by Romanian hit singer Inna, best-known for her 2000s hits such as “Hot”. Fifth Harmony’s Normani makes her return with “1:59” featuring Gunna, the lead single for her much delayed debut solo album. We last saw her in the Top 10 with Cardi B on “Wild Side” – her new single is off to a rough start, entering at #40, her lowest debut to date.

Newly certified

“Texas Hold ‘Em” – Beyoncé PLATINUM