Charts analysis: Sienna Spiro becomes youngest No.1 British solo female artist since 2014

In another week of low consumption and tiny margins, Great Expectation climbs 2-1 for Sienna Spiro, to become the first chart-topper for the 20-year-old singer/songwriter from London. The last British female artist to top the chart at a younger age with a solo release was Ella Henderson, 18 when she was No.1 with Ghost in 2014.(Ghost, incidentally, was replaced at No.1 by Gecko (Overdrive), a collaboration between Dutch DJ Oliver Heldens and British singer Becky Hill, who were 19 and 20 at the time, respectively, but we’re looking here at solo singles, so Hill does not qualify). Trailing former incumbent Choosin’ Texas (1-2, 26,552 sales) by Ella Langley in all of the week’s sales flashes, Great Expectation finally emerged triumphant on consumption of 28,147 units (1,789 digital downloads and 26,358 sales-equivalent streams), an increase of 11.41% week-on-week. Spiro co-wrote Great Expectation with the song’s producers, Omer Fedi and Michael Pollack. Israeli Fedi previously co-wrote and produced Montero (Call Me By Your Name), No.1 for Lil Nas X in 2021; and Unholy, No.1 for Sam Smith & Kim Petras in 2022, while New Yorker Pollack co-wrote Lewis Capaldi’s 2022 No.1, Forget Me and Miley Cyrus’ 2023 No.1, Flowers. Pollack also co-penned and co-produced Cyrus’ new hit, Bass Persuades – the highest of five new entries this week at No.31 (9,960 sales) – alongside Cyrus herself. The title track of Cyrus’ upcoming 10th album, it is her 33rd Top 75 hit (including one as Hannah Montana) and her 28th Top 40 entry. Spiro’s biggest hit until Great Expectation emerged was Die On This Hill. After peaking at No.9 last November, Die On This Hill eventually hit ACR and exited the Top 75 but rallied on the release of its – and Great Expectations’ – parent album Visitor. Having successfully returned from ACR, it has improved its chart position five weeks in a row, and jumps 13-11 this week on consumption of 15,604 units, just two notches below its peak. It is, of course, her most-consumed title, with a to-date tally of 865,149 units. Her third concurrent hit, and seventh chart entry in total, Pure, holds at its No.36 peak (9,118 sales). Both are also Fedi & Pollack co-writes from the Visitor album. Sparked into life by its use in the box office smash, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Loser has been in the Top 20 for several weeks for Tame Impala, and finally becomes his second Top 10 single, climbing 12-10 (15,756 sales). Training Season’s ongoing viral revival sees Dua Lipa’s 2024 No.4 hit Training Season return to the Top 10 for the first time since, vaulting 18-7 (17,600 sales). The rest of the Top 10: Movin’ To The Sun (3-3, 24,590 sales) by Hugel, Imael Angel & Ultra Naté, Boston (4-4, 23,879 sales) by Stella Lefty, Rein Me In (7-5, 19,219 sales) by Sam Fender & Olivia Dean, The Cure (8-6, 18,936 sales) by Olivia Rodrigo, Man I Need (10-8, 16,917 sales) by Olivia Dean and 9 To 5 (5-9, 16,101 sales) by Dolly Parton. Rein Me In is the most-consumed track for the 11th week in a row, and 21st week in total, with unadjusted consumption of 38,030 units. While 9 To 5 continues in the Top 10, Jolene (6-17, 13,301 sales) and Islands In The Stream (with Kenny Rogers, 9-21, 11,384 sales) exit the top tier for the late Dolly Parton. Slovakian singer Adéla makes a sensational debut at No.2 with her debut album Prima, whose impetus is largely generated by her maiden hit, Ain’t In LA, which powers 26-12 (14,189 sales) this week, and is joined by her second hit, Nicole Kidman (No.50, 8,138 sales) from the same album. Also new to the chart: Gass (No.61, 7,228 sales), a collaboration between Manchester rapper Nemzzz and American rapper Travis Scott, from the former’s new mixtape, Locked In, delivering Nemzzz’s second hit and Scott’s 50th; SaWadiKa (No.66, 6,542 sales), the 16th hit for Thai-born K-Pop singer/rapper Lisa, including nine with Blackpink; and Burn Down The Disco (No.72, 6,248 sales), the third hit for James Marriott. The biggest climber is Babydoll, the debut hit for 28-year-old Welsh singer/songwriter Jamie Miller. Surging 67-46 (8,334 sales) on its second frame for Miller – who finished third on The Voice UK in 2017 – it is unrelated to Dominic Fike’s 2024 No.5 hit of the same title. There are also new peaks for: Earrings (15-13, 13,542 sales) by Malcolm Todd, Bloodstream (17-14, 13,509 sales) by Alyssa Grace, My Body Isn’t Ready (19-15, 13,369 sales) by Sombr, Stop The Wedding (23-16, 13,366 sales) by Ashe, Orbiter (28-26, 10,229 sales) and Willing And Able (39-38, 9,004 sales) by Noah Kahan, Good Girl (54-47, 8,321 sales) by Cloonee & Prospa feat. Tristan and Comes And Goes (74-70, 6,341 sales) by Kettama. Sienna Spiro’s current No.1 is the first hit to include Expectation in its title, nearly 74 years into singles chart history. We already have a (pluralised) second, in the form of Expectations by Olivia Rodrigo, which popped onto the chart at No.56 a fortnight ago. It disappeared last week but now returns at a new peak of No.55 (7,731 sales). First released in 2010 on his debut album All I Want Is You, Sure Thing was not a hit at the time for Miguel but climbed as high as No.4 in 2023, after exploding on TikTok. It has gone viral all over again for the 40-year-old R&B singer from California, with four consecutive weeks of strong growth seeing it move from ACR to SCR and restoring it to the chart at No.27 (10,226 sales). It is by far his most consumed track with a to-date tally of 2,078,342 units. Overall singles consumption is up 1.56% week-on-week to 29,212,444 units, 2.18% below same week 2025 sales of 29,861,948 units. It is the fifth week in a row they have been below same week 2025 levels. Paid-for sales are down 7.89% week-on-week at 250,232, 6.66% below same week 2025 sales of 268,097. PHOTO: Mathias Apap

Charts analysis: Alex Warren scores second consecutive No.1 album with Wildchild

In a week where there are 11 new entries to the Top 75 – the highest tally so far in 2026 - and a new peak for a 40-year-old album, leadership of the chart changes hands for the 10th week in a row, as 25-year-old Californian singer/songwriter Alex Warren debuts atop the list with his second album, Wildchild. Racking up first week consumption of 24,309 units (5,952 CDs, 8,613 vinyl albums, 361 cassettes, 3,056 digital downloads and 6,327 sales-equivalent streams), Wildchild was already home to four hits, and unleashes another two this week. It secures Warren’s highest weekly sales yet, surpassing the 20,843 units that its predecessor, You’ll Be Alright Kid achieved as it surged 25-1 after being expanded from an EP to a full-length album in July 2025, having originally debuted at No.47 42 weeks earlier. Although You’ll Be Alright, Kid is home to the multi-platinum smash, Ordinary – which spent 13 weeks at No.1 last year – and five other charted songs, it has amassed a comparatively modest 510,056 units and is the 91st most-consumed artist album of the 2020s. It rebounds 26-21 (4,293 sales) this week, its 77th in a row in the Top 40. Manchester quintet Courteeners are one of the most consistent and successful indie bands of the last 20 years securing eight consecutive Top 10 albums – their entire output of studio albums plus a 10th anniversary ‘re-wired’ version of their 2008 debut St. Jude, which charted separately – thus far. Their first compilation, God Bless The Band – which cherry-picks from all of their albums hitherto and adds a couple of new songs – becomes their ninth, debuting at No.2 (11,535 sales). Following the release of a much-expanded 40th Anniversary Edition, Bananarama’s third album, 1986 release True Confessions, shoots back onto the chart at No.6 (8,462 sales), surpassing not only its own original subdued peak of No.46, but becoming the trio’s highest-charting studio album ever, surpassing the No.7 peak of their 1983 debut set, Deep Sea Skiving. Their only album to chart higher is their Greatest Hits Collection, which reached No.3 in 1988. Dolly Parton’s 2022 compilation Diamonds & Rhinestones: Greatest Hits reaches another new peak (6-5, 9,735 sales) in the first full week since her death. The rest of the Top 10: The Essential (2-3, 11,131 sales) by Michael Jackson, You Seem Pretty Sad For A Girl So In Love (4-4, 10,906 sales) by Olivia Rodrigo, Visitor (7-7, 8,328 sales) by Sienna Spiro, The Art Of Loving (8-8, 8,242 sales) by Olivia Dean, 50 Years: Don’t Stop (11-9, 7,412 sales) by Fleetwood Mac and The Highlights (10-10, 7,317 sales) by The Weeknd. After debuting at No.1 last week, Jenius slides to No.35 (3,435 sales) for Paul Heaton. Also exiting the Top 10: It Goes On (5-105, 1,869 sales) by Westside Cowboy, Thrasher (3-137, 1,544 sales) by Brandon Flowers and DMA’s album of the same name, No.9 last week and now uncharted (729 sales). It is very rare that an act from Mexico makes the chart, rarer still for a female rock trio to do so, and completely unheard of for a Mexican female rock trio comprised entirely of sisters to do so – until now. Monterrey band The Warning fulfil all three of those requirements, and secure their introductory Top 75 entry with fifth album, Everything’s Falling, debuting at No.16 (4,833 sales). Their profile raised by their stint as support act for Yungblud on his UK tour earlier this year, they reached No.114 with their last album, Keep Me Fed, in 2024. Comprising 26-year-old Daniela, 24-year-old Paulina and 21-year-old Alejandra Villareal – all of whom sing and play instruments – they are the first Mexican act to make the album chart since guitar duo Rodrigo Y Gabriela and legendary guitarist Santana did so in 2019. Also new to the Top 75: The Roaring Waves (No.24, 4,122 sales), a collaboration between 76-year-old prog rock veteran Steve Hackett, and 66-year-old Marillion guitarist Steve Rothery, delivering the former’s 22nd charted album since he left Genesis in 1977, and the latter’s first away from Marillion; Marrow Deep (No.27, 3,855 sales), the ninth studio album, and seventh chart entry for American heavy metal band Mastodon; and Thank You (No.28, 3,849 sales), the debut solo album for 60-year-old Mike D (Michael Diamond), a rapper and drummer with The Beastie Boys from the band’s inception in 1981 to its 2012 disbandment. Outside the Top 30: This Mirror Weighs A Ton (No.33, 3,854 sales), the eighth studio album and seventh chart entry for American rock band Interpol; Live (No.45, 2,954 sales), the eighth chart album by Pulp, recorded at their O2 gig in June 2025, shortly after More – their first new album of studio material in 24 years – reached No.1; Czarface Meets Frankie Pulitzer (No.55, 2,641 sales), the first chart album for hip-hop trio Czarface (7L, Esoteric & Inspectah Deck) and 48-year-old actor Tom Hardy under his rap alias, Frankie Pulitzer; Timeless (No.62, 2,496 sales), a posthumous compilation of previously unreleased recordings by Prince, delivering his 40th chart entry; and Something Real (No.72, 2,354 sales), the first album by Manchester indie quintet, The Guest List. Now Yearbook 1971 debuts atop the compilation chart on sales of 4,322 copies (4,076 CDs, 246 digital downloads), becoming the 17th regular Now Yearbook release to reach No.1, the 25th including Now Yearbook Extra editions. Overall album sales are up 0.34% week-on-week to 2,391,827 units, 3.45% below same week 2025 sales of 2,477,251. Physical product accounts for 359,143 sales, 15.02% of the total.

Charts analysis: Choosin' Texas hits No.1 in 34th Top 75 chart week for Ella Langley

ACR giveth, ACR taketh away…No.1 four times in weeks it wasn’t the UK’s most consumed track courtesy of ACR handicapping its rivals, Sam Fender & Olivia Dean’s Rein ...

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Charts analysis: Paul Heaton claims first solo No.1 with Jenius

A veteran of three No.1 albums fronting The Beautiful South and two with former The Beautiful South colleague Jacqui Abbott, the estimable Paul Heaton finally tops the chart ...

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Charts analysis: Rein Me In breaks another record with 23rd week at the top

Racking up an unprecedented 23rd week at No.1, Rein Me In breaks another record for Sam Fender & Olivia Dean, surpassing the total 22 weeks that versions ...

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