Mart-Out
Some internal industry news to start with, as earlier this week Official Charts announced to the press that Chief Executive Martin Talbot will be stepping down at the end of next month.
It is a name that most will perhaps know only in passing, frequently quoted in news releases whenever something newsworthy takes place in British music. But the influence of the former Music Week editor has been extensive and wide-ranging. He joined the business as Managing Director in 2007, rising to become Chief Executive in 2013. Under his stewardship the previously industry-facing business transformed into a genuine consumer brand, turning officialcharts.com into a true online destination and perhaps fulfilling a role of selling just why a chart position matters in a manner that traditional music brands were no longer doing. The business also expanded into other territories, Official Charts now compiling not only the numerous UK listings but also the official charts for IRMA in Ireland and SNEP in France.
In his time at the helm the shape and form of the music industry has changed beyond all recognition, with the charts having to be responsive and adaptive to every technological advance. In 2007 digital downloads were only just beginning to grow proper market share, with physical singles still as important as before. Today it is all about the stream, be it audio or visual with alternate formats such as ringtones and NFTs contemplated and discarded along the way. To have steered this while navigating the sometimes competing interests of the numerous stakeholders who determine the direction of the charts is no mean feat at all.
So it is a genuine end of an era, his leadership will be genuinely missed by all the staff of Official Charts as well as those of us honoured to regard him as a contact and a friend.
Normal Service Resumes
Following last week's Harry Styles worship we now return you to our regularly scheduled singles chart. Almost needless to say this now means Reign Me In nips smartly back to the top of the Official UK Singles chart as the Sam Fender & Olivia Dean track picks up where it left off with its fourth week in total at the summit, this in its 40th week as a Top 100 hit single. It appears for now that the ACR axe is the only thing that will remove it, but as we’ve noted previously, this single has a miraculous talent for avoiding it time after time. And as it increased consumption again this week, said ACR clock is reset once more.
Harry Styles is also overtaken by Bella Kay, the American star's iloveitiloveitiloveit returns to the No.2 peak it too vacated a week ago. The track still lacks anything resembling an official video or even a lyric video visualiser which seems an odd omission. Her two other hits of the moment actually take a step back this week: The Sick falling to No.34 and Steady dipping to No.59. The race to be No1. was far narrower than you might think, Reign Me In taking the crown by just over 1,200 units. Both singles exceed the 60,000 mark making them by some distance the clear market leaders.
Oh, and before anyone asks, Man I Need would once more only be No.3 if it were not on ACR (it is a non-mover at No.10 in the real world). But still with a huge sale all of its own.
Hazard Warning
Harry does at least manage two weeks atop the Official UK Albums chart as Kiss All The Time, Disco Occasionally sneaks a second week in pole position. Matching the six weeks in total that Harry's House enjoyed at the top may possibly be beyond it but who knows. Its three charting singles retain their order, but all are starting a freefall. Last week's No.1 American Girls dips to No.3, Aperture begins its second drift downwards at No.6 while Ready Steady Go takes the biggest tumble of all with a ten place drop to No.15.
PinkPantheress' Stateside is at No.4, now fully three weeks removed from its No.3 peak, but it is still knocking on the door. Meanwhile it continues to contribute to Zara Larsson's unexpected celebrity spring. Uncredited on this track, she has two other tracks in the Top 20, the revived Lush Life returning to the Top 10 at No.8 and while her "current" hit Midnight Sun returns to the No.20 peak it first scaled six weeks ago.
Oh My She Is Amazing
The highest new entry of the week can consider itself unlucky not to have immediately made the Top 10, but give it time. The Visitor is the third Top 40 hit of recent months for Sienna Spiro, and in line with its predecessors Die On This Hill and You Stole The Show it is, in a word, magnificent. Over a backing that is 90% piano and just a tiny snivel of strings she lets rip once more with a powerful soul ballad which grabs your heart with an iron grip and refuses to let go. Die On This Hill remains her crowning glory for now, but you suspect this is the hit that will build on those foundations. The Visitor is this week's No.11. And if it doesn't go at least one better than that next week you are entitled to wonder why.
Generic Blokes
Also surely destined to go Top 10 at some point is Tame Impala's Dracula. The fact that it didn't this week is surely a source of shame to us all, but he and his invisible friend Jennie continue to ooze in the right direction with a climb to No.14.
Also brand new this week is Noah Kahan continues his quest to avoid being lost in the mire of Generic American Blokes. A swift follow-up to No.10 hit The Great Divide, his second hit of 2026 is Porch Light which opens its account at No.19, eight places above its still-loitering predecessor. Both tracks are the opening teasers from his forthcoming new album which is still a month away from release.
Precious few singles in the lower half of the Top 40 move by more than a few places as the whole mid-table singles market remains settled in place. Alas we are denied a new record being set as after five weeks rooted to the spot Ella Langley's Choosin' Texas (which returned to the top of the US charts last week) edges to a brand new peak of No.33. From where, you never know, it may move further. Albeit slowly.
