Peggy Gou reclaims Number 1 with the summer anthem “(It Goes Like) Nanana”

Supported by an increase in streaming figures and solid playlisting, DJ Peggy Gou leaps to Number 1 with her global smash hit “(It Goes Like) Nanana”. The dance-pop song is a full on vintage rave record with a summer synth that has shades of Eurodance. It’s very reminiscent of summer hits of the late 1990s and the early 2000s. Before its official release, the single already caught waves on the internet, which is not surprising, as Gou already has a devoted online fanbase. As “(It Goes Like) Nanana” returns to the top for a second week, Peggy Gou dethrones Olivia Rodrigo’s “Vampire”, which spent one week atop my list following a spectacular debut.

Indie darling Caroline Polachek finally moves up into the Top 10 with “Welcome to My Island”, after being stalled at #11 for three consecutive weeks. The experimental pop song – very reminiscent of Kate Bush’s work – reaches a new peak at #9 on this week’s chart. The song was originally included on her fourth album Desire, I Want to Turn Into You, which was acclaimed by critics and has been credited as one of the best albums of the year so far. Polachek her “Welcome to My Island” is further supported by a remix featuring pop heavyweight Charli XCX.

Further down, Fred Again.. – still boosted by his set at Down The Rabbit Hole two weeks ago – moves to #11 and #13 with “Danielle” and “Turn on the Lights Again”, respectively. Dutch indie singer Froukje returns to #14 with “Naar Het Licht”, matching the song its original peak. Beyoncé & Kendrick Lamar soar into the Top 20 with the electric “America Has a Problem”, finishing at #18. It is the third single of Beyoncé’s Renaissance to peak inside the Top 20. Anne-Marie and Shania Twain follow closely at #19 with “Unhealthy”, earning Twain her first Top 20-record in over twenty years.

British singer Tom Grennan scores the highest debut of the week with “How Does It Feel” at #27. It is the lowest highest debut of this year so far. The song is boosted by the release of Grennan his new album What Ifs & Maybes. Jorja Smith makes a comeback at #31 with “Little Things”. She last charted in 2019 with “Be Honest” featuring Burna Boy. Nathan Dawe & Joel Corry dial it up at #37 with “0800 Heaven”, supported by frequent featured artist Ella Henderson. Irish-Jamaican singer Jazzy rounds out the debuts with “Giving Me” at #39 – the song is already a massive hit in the United Kingdom, where it reached Number 1 on Spotify.

As 2023 has passed its halfway point, I have decided to rank the biggest hit singles of 2023 so far. Maan and Goldband their “Stiekem” comes out on top, despite not having peaked at Number 1 in this calendar year. It recently crossed the 190,000 points-milestone, earning the duet diamond status on my personal chart. It is the first ever Dutch single to accomplish this feat. Miley Cyrus finishes in second place with “Flowers” – the comeback hit spent five weeks at Number 1 and became Cyrus’s biggest single to date. Calvin Harris & Ellie Goulding their trance anthem “Miracle” comes out third right now, but could peak even higher in the final year-end ranking, as the single is still charting. Rounding out the Top 5 so far is Goldband their synth hit “Rommel” [#4] and Raye her breakout “Escapism” [#5]. Afrobeats also occupy multiple spots in the year-end ranking so far – Ayra Starr her “Rush” [#11] and Libianca with “People” [#12] both became big Top 3-hits, while Rema finally broke the Top 10 with “Calm Down” [#14] after more than twenty-four weeks. 00s pop divas also resurged to the top of the charts, following in Beyoncé footsteps – Shakira scored her tenth Number 1-hit with her eponymous collab with Bizarrap [#7], while Kylie Minogue topped my list for the first time in twelve years with “Padam, Padam” [#10].

Biggest songs of 2023 so far

1. “Stiekem” – Maan & Goldband

2. “Flowers” – Miley Cyrus

3. “Miracle” – Calvin Harris & Ellie Goulding

4. “Rommel” – Goldband

5. “Escapism” – Raye & 070 Shake

6. “Boy’s a Liar, Pt. 2” – PinkPantheress & Ice Spice

7. “Shakira: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53” – Bizarrap & Shakira

8. “Kill Bill” – SZA

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

10. “Padam, Padam” – Kylie Minogue