After a busy chart last week, we’re back to another virtually dead week for new entries – though some of last week’s newcomers are heading up the chart.

1. Alex Warren – “Ordinary”

Two weeks. Streaming is up by about a quarter from last week, and it has a massive 80% lead over the number two single (the previous number one, “Pink Pony Club”), so this is a big hit. There’s spillover interest in his other singles too: “Carry You Home” and “Burning Down” reached new peaks last week at 20 and 28, but now climb to 10 and 23 respectively.

“Ordinary” is still making slow headway in Warren’s native USA, but it’s reached number one in Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Norway and the Netherlands.

26. Leon Thomas – “Mutt”

Debut hit. This is the title track from his second album, and it’s been out for six months. It’s been climbing from the lower reaches for a month, but a remix with Chris Brown seems to be responsible for kicking it into the top 40.

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It’s a busy week for once! And this wasn’t in the script…

1. Alex Warren – “Ordinary”

This entered at number 7 five weeks ago, dropped out of the top 10 in its second week, and has been climbing ever since. It’s his first UK number 1; the track has also been a number 1 in several European countries. He has two other tracks on the chart: “Carry You Home”, which enters the top 20 for the first time (having first charted last September, though it went away for a while); and “Burning Down”, which climbs to a new peak of 28 (it first charted briefly in October and re-entered in February).

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Is the theme of 2025 going to be “records that were overlooked several years ago”, then?

1. Chappell Roan – “Pink Pony Club”

Two weeks. It has a lead of more than 15% over the number 2 single, but she does have a new single out – the first actually new single she’s released since breaking through last year – so we’ll see what the first week audience is for that.

4. Doechii – “Anxiety”

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We have a new number one, depending on how you define “new”. Plus! For the commenter last week who asked “what the f___ is that ketamine fuelled muppet orgy”, I explain who Zig and Zag were.

1. Chappell Roan – “Pink Pony Club”

Yes, it’s a quiet week and that’s part of it. But this did actually grow in sales/streams this week, and it was over 20% of “Not Like Us” at number 2. Despite 2024 being a breakout year for her, this is her first UK number 1. In fact, her Wikipedia discography only lists one previous number one anywhere in the world – “Good Luck Babe” was a number 1 in Ireland.

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This is a fairly busy week in terms of chart movement, but quite a quiet one in terms of actual listening…

1. Kendrick Lamar – “Not Like Us”

Two weeks, but it has the lowest chart score for a number 1 single in 70 weeks. It holds on by default more than anything else. He still has two other singles in the top 10, both with SZA: “Luther” at 6 and “All the Stars” at 7.

10. Tate McRae – “Revolving Door”
25. Tate McRae – “I Know Love”

Her third album “So Close To What” enters the album chart at number 2, which is her best position to date – her first two albums reached 7 and 5. This turns out to be a bigger deal than I’d expected in terms of the singles chart, as she maxes out her three songs, with “Sports Car” returning to the top 10 and hitting a new peak of number 3. It becomes her joint highest placing single along with “You Broke Me First” (2020) and “Greedy” (2023).

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In which a Canadian manages to lose a popularity contest with an American in 2025.

1. Kendrick Lamar – “Not Like Us”

The Superbowl half time show has never been a big deal in the UK before, but apparently this is a special year for some reason. “Not Like Us” reached number 6 on release last May and hung around for a decent amount of time – it had thirteen weeks in the top 40. It re-entered at 27 two weeks ago after the Grammys and climbed to 2 last week. Meanwhile, “Luther” climbs 10-4 and “All the Stars” climbs 11-5, so Kendrick has the maximum three tracks in the top 10.

Kendrick’s previous UK peak was number 4, shared by “Squabble Up” last year and, um, Taylor Swift’s “Bad Blood” from 2015. (“Luther” also climbs to that position this week.) The enduring popularity of “Not Like Us” would probably be galling for Drake at the best of times, but as it happens, he has a new album out this week. I’m sure we’ll be seeing the singles from that momentarily, right?

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Apparently we’re paying attention to the Superbowl half time show now, are we?

1. Lola Young – “Messy”

Four weeks. The logjammed top five which we’ve had of late is finally broken as a result of most of the tracks involved being hit by the downweighting rule, which was to be expected. We’ll come to their replacements in a bit.

7. Alex Warren – “Ordinary”

This is his first top 10 hit; his previous best was number 23 for “Carry You Home”, which rebounds to 28 this week. It’s a heartfelt ballad built to a familiar template, but pretty well done if you like that sort of thing. His other previous hit, “Burning Down”, re-enters at number 34.

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It’s the Grammys week, and it turns out that that has a noticeable impact on the top 40 these days. Plus, the Weeknd has an album out.

1. Lola Young – “Messy”

Three weeks and a very comfortable 20% margin over the number 2 single (which is still “APT” by Rosé & Bruno Mars – the top 5 is static for a second week running.

6. Lady Gaga – “Abracadabra”

This is the second single from her upcoming album, but she also premiered the video during the Grammys. It’s a third consecutive top 10 hit for Lady Gaga, something she hasn’t managed since 2011. It’s very much a track in the vein of her imperial phase, though what on earth it’s about, I haven’t a clue.

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My god, a busy week on the singles chart. It’s been so long.

1. Lola Young – “Messy”

Two weeks. Her other credited single – as a guest on Tyler, The Creator’s “Like Him” – is at 36.

And one thing hasn’t changed – the top five is entirely non-movers.

6. Central Cee & Dave – “Sailor Song”
13. Central Cee & Lil Durk – “Truth in the Lies”

Central Cee’s album “Can’t Rush Greatness” is officially his first studio album, but it’s his second number one, because the album chart doesn’t care if you call it a mixtape. It gets the maximum three singles, with last week’s “GBP” hanging in there at number 7.

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At last, we have the first new number one of the year.

1. Lola Young – “Messy”

This has had a long road to number 1. The track was released last May. It didn’t make the top 100 until November and didn’t reach the top 40 until just before Christmas. It spent the last three weeks stuck at number 3. Lola Young herself has been around for years and seems to be a rare case of a major label sticking by someone until the hits came.

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