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Global Chart Report
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'Billie Jean' turns back to no.1
Sunday, May 24, 2026
by Fred Chuchel, Dresden

 

What a great surprise!! 43 years after its seven week run atop the Global Track Chart, Michael Jackson's classic 'Billie Jean' returns to the summit of the Global Track Chart for an eighth week with 231,000 points. The musical biographical film 'Michael' ensures that many of Michael Jackson's biggest hits returns to the international hitlists. It's the third time that 'Billie Jean' reaches the top three, the song was seven weeks at number one in March / April 1983 and placed no.2 on the Year-End Chart 1983. After Michael Jackson's death it returned and peaked at no.3 in the calendar week 28, 2009. With a total of 11,294,000 points 'Billie Jean' reaches no.52 on our historical ALL TIME CHART. Broken down by sectors the song gets 195,000 points by streaming (down 3,5%), 32,000 points by sales (down 11%), but only 4,000 points by airplay (down 2%). Justin Bieber's 'Beauty And A Beat', a collab with rapper Nicki Minaj, ruled the Global Track Chart

the last four weeks and sails now at no.3 with 215,000 points (183,000 points by streaming, 28,000 points by sales, and 4,000 points by airplay). Sandwiched between 'Billie Jean' and 'Beauty And A Beat' places 'Swim' by BTS (Bangtan Boys) at the runner-up slot with 217,000 points (down 5% with 166,000 points by streaming, 13,000 points by sales, and 38,000 points by airplay). With the release of three new albums by Canadian rapper and singer Drake, six of his new songs entering the Top 40, led by 'Janice STFU', which bows at no.5 with 202,000 points (170,000 points by streaming, 30,000 points by sales, and only 2,000 points by airplay). Outside our Top 40 waiting among other 'Self Aware' by Temper City at no.43, 'Bangaranga' by Dara at no.51, 'Rein Me In' by Sam Fender & Olivia Dean at no.59, and 'Be Her' by Ella Langley at no.60 for their first appearance on the hitlist. With three simultaneously released albums in the top five of our Global Album Chart, Drake sets a historic record. The 18-track effort 'Iceman' leads the hitlist easily with 443,000 equivalent sales (222,000 points by streaming + 21,000 points by sales). 'Habibti' follows at no.4 with 109,000 points (99,000 points by streaming + 10,000 points by sales) and 'Maid Of Honour' bows at no.5 with 108,000 points (99,000 points by streaming + 9,000 points by sales). Between these three sets are last week's number one 'Cortis' 'GreenGreen' at the runner-up slot with 135,000 consumption units (5,000 points by streaming + 130,000 points by sales) and Noah Kahan's 'The Great Divide' at no.3 with 121,000 equivalent sales (104,000 points by streaming + 17,000 points by sales). And now, as every week, additional stats from outside the current Global Album Top 20 in alphabetic order. The first figure means last week's sales, the second figure the total sales: '1989' by Taylor Swift 17,000 / 17,516,000, '1989 (Taylor's Version)' by Taylor Swift 10,000 / 7,596,000, '21' by Adele 14,000 / 34,479,000, '25' by Adele 9,000 / 26,188,000, '30' by Adele 8,000 / 7,299,000, 'After Hours' by The Weeknd 24,000 / 12,255,000, 'Cowboy Carter' by Beyoncé 9,000 / 2,518,000, 'Divide' by Ed Sheeran 19,000 / 22,973,000, 'Eternal Sunshine' by Ariana Grande 21,000 / 5,743,000, 'Evermore' by Taylor Swift 8,000 / 7,160,000, 'Fireworks & Rollerblades' by Benson Boone 14,000 / 4,282,000, 'Folklore' by Taylor Swift 18,000 / 13,309,000, 'Future Nostalgia' by Dua Lipa 17,000 / 10,437,000, 'GNX' by Kendrick Lamar 12,000 / 4,301,000, 'Guts' by Olivia Rodrigo 26,000 / 5,975,000, 'Hit Me Hard And Soft' by Billie Eilish 49,000 / 8,318,000, 'Hurry Up Tomorrow' by The Weeknd 17,000 / 2,999,000, 'I Barely Know Her' by Sombr 40,000 / 2,240,000, 'I've Tried Everything But Therapy' by Teddy Swims 20,000 / 4,521,000, the soundtrack to 'K-pop Demon Hunters' 47,000 / 4,818,000, 'Mayhem' by Lady GaGa 22,000 / 3,354,000, 'Midnights' by Taylor Swift 13,000 / 13,522,000, 'One Thing At A Time' by Morgan Wallen 32,000 / 10,723,000, 'Red (Taylor's Version)' by Taylor Swift 9,000 / 7,242,000, 'Short n' Sweet' by Sabrina Carpenter 43,000 / 7,478,000, 'So Close To What' by Tate McRae 30,000 / 3,626,000, 'Sour' by Olivia Rodrigo 38,000 / 13,988,000, 'SOS' by SZA 50,000 / 14,041,000, 'Starboy' by The Weeknd 28,000 / 10,775,000, 'Stick Season' by Noah Kahan 35,000 / 6,790,000, 'The Highlights' by The Weeknd 16,000 / 11,068,000, 'The Rise And Fall Of A Midwest Princess' by Chappell Roan 16,000 / 5,089,000, 'The Secret Of Us' by Gracie Abrams 18,000 / 4,328,000, 'The Tortured Poets Department' by Taylor Swift 29,000 / 12,264,000, 'Tropicoqueta' by Karol G 23,000 / 1,688,000, and 'When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?' by Billie Eilish 14,000 / 13,541,000.


GLOBAL NO.1 - 40 YEARS AGO ... "Kiss" was released on February 5, 1986, as the lead single from Prince's eighth studio album, Parade (1986). The song started as a rough acoustic demo, with a verse and chorus written by Prince. He gave his demo to the funk band Mazarati. But in the end, Prince decided to finish the song and added the signature guitar and falsetto vocal. The distinctive "ah-wah-ah" backing vocals were taken from 60s icon Brenda Lee. "Kiss" went to the number one position in the United States and reached the Top 10 in United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, Australia, the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, Ireland, and New Zealand.


USA
Billboard Report
(excerpt)
Drake makes history at Nos.1, 2 & 3 on Billboard 200
Tuesday, May 26, 2026
by Keith Caulfield & Gary Trust, Los Angeles


Drake takes over the top of the Billboard 200 albums chart as his three new albums, IcemanHabibti and Maid Of Honour, debut at Nos. 1, 2 and 3, respectively, on the chart dated May 30.

All three albums were released on Friday, May 15. It’s the first time that an artist has held the top three on the Billboard 200 concurrently since it began publishing on a regular, weekly basis in March 1956. Iceman also yields Drake his 15th No. 1 album, pushing him ahead of Jay-Z for the most No. 1s among solo men and R&B/hip-hop artists, and tying him with Taylor Swift for the most No. 1s among soloists. Only one act is ahead of Drake and Swift: The Beatles, with a record 19 No. 1 albums. While Iceman had been teased for months before it dropped, the existence of the other two albums was only announced during a livestream on May 14, shortly before the trio of titles was released. Iceman enters with 463,000 equivalent album units earned in the United States in the week ending May 21, marking the second-largest week of 2026 for an album and the biggest week of the year for an R&B/hip-hop set. Habibti and Maid Of Honour launch with 114,000 and

110,000 units, respectively. Of Iceman’s 463,000 equivalent album units earned in the latest tracking week, SEA units comprise 449,000 (equaling 462.2 million on-demand official streams of the set’s 18 tracks; it debuts at No. 1 on Top Streaming Albums), album sales comprise 13,000 (only available as a digital download, it debuts at No. 5 on Top Album Sales) and TEA units comprise 1,000. Of Habibti’s starting sum of 114,000, SEA units comprise 108,000 (equaling 110.63 million on-demand official streams of the set’s 11 tracks; it debuts at No. 2 on Top Streaming Albums), album sales comprise nearly 6,000 (it debuts at No. 12 on Top Album Sales) and TEA units comprise a negligible sum. As for Maid Of Honour, of its first-week total of 110,000, SEA units comprise 104,000 (equaling 105.48 million on-demand official streams of the set’s 14 tracks; it debuts at No. 3 on Top Streaming Albums), album sales comprise 6,000 (it debuts at No. 11 on Top Album Sales) and TEA units comprise a negligible sum. For the first time in nearly a year, the top four titles on the Billboard 200 each exceed 100,000 equivalent album units earned for the week. Following Drake’s trio of albums is Noah Kahan’s The Great Divide, which falls to No. 4 after three weeks atop the list. In its latest tracking week, The Great Divide earned 101,000 equivalent album units (down 24%). Following Kahan on the latest Billboard 200 is a trio of former No. 1s. Ella Langley’s Dandelion dips 2-5 (98,000 equivalent album units earned, down 2%), Wallen’s I’m the Problem falls 4-6 (84,000, down less than 1%) and Michael Jackson’s Thriller slips 5-7 (63,000, down 5%). Jackson’s best-of collection Number Ones is next, as it drops 6-8 (60,000, down 8%). Lucki lands his first top 10-charted album as Dr*Gs R Bad bows at No. 9 with 51,000 equivalent album units earned. Of that sum, SEA units comprise 45,000 (equaling 48.39 million on-demand official streams of the set’s tracks, his best streaming week; it debuts at No. 9 on Top Streaming Albums), album sales comprise 6,000 (his best sales week; it debuts at No. 13 on Top Album Sales) and TEA units comprise a negligible sum. First-week sales of the album got a boost from multiple physical variants, including signed editions. Rounding out the top 10 on the latest Billboard 200 is BTS’s former leader Arirang, falling 8-10 with 42,000 equivalent album units earned (down 4%). Drake claims one of the most triumphant weeks in the history of the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart, led by his “Janice STFU” debuting at No. 1. The song marks Drake’s 14th career Hot 100 leader — breaking him out of a tie with Michael Jackson for the most among solo males over the chart’s 67-year archives. Drake additionally charts a new single-week record 42 songs on the Hot 100 — surpassing Morgan Wallen, who charted 37 for a week last May. With 40 debuts (likewise, thus, a single-week record), he also becomes the first act ever to have accumulated more than 400 career entries on the chart. “Janice STFU,” from Iceman, arrives with 40.7 million official streams, 2.1 million radio airplay audience impressions and 3,000 sold in the U.S. May 15-21. The single launches atop the Streaming Songs chart, where it’s Drake’s record-extending 22nd No. 1, with the second-biggest streaming week of 2026, after only Bad Bunny’s “DtMF,” which drew 43 million in February, following his Super Bowl LX halftime show performance. “Janice STFU” has the highest sum for an R&B/hip-hop title in more than a year, since Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s “Luther” logged 45.2 million for a week in March 2025. “Janice STFU” also opens at No. 6 on Digital Song Sales. Drake also becomes the first artist with as many as 10 No. 1 debuts on the Hot 100. (His only leaders to start not at the bottom, but not on top: “In My Feelings,” No. 6; “Work,” No. 9; “One Dance,” No. 21; and “What’s My Name?,” No. 83.) All eight of his No. 1s this decade have debuted at the summit. Also new in the top 10 are following Drake songs: “Ran to Atlanta,” feat. Future & Molly Santana (38.5 million) at no.2, “Whisper My Name” (34.5 million) at no.3, “Shabang” (32.9 million) at no.4, “National Treasures” (31.7 million) at no.6, “Make Them Cry” (30.1 million) at no.7, “Dust” (29.1 million) at no.8, “2 Hard 4 the Radio” (27.1 million) at no.9, “Make Them Pay” (25.3 million) at no.10. As Drake splashes into unchartered chart waters, “Janice STFU” interpolates Lykke Li’s "I Follow Rivers." That song became a top 10 hitin multiple countries in 2011-12 for the Swedish artist, although it has never reached a U.S. Billboard chart. Drake holds nine of the Hot 100’s top 10 for a second time, after becoming the first artist with such a haul on the Sept. 18, 2021, chart, the debut week for his album Certified Lover Boy. Only Taylor Swift has bested him, with three clean sweeps of the Hot 100’s top 10, thanks to the explosive chart debuts for 2022’s Midnights (the top 10), 2024’s The Tortured Poets Department (a record top 14) and last year’s The Life of a Showgirl (top 12). One song, thus, interrupts Drake’s presence in the latest Hot 100’s top 10: Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” at No. 5, down from 10 nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1. The track is essentially even week over week in streams (27.7 million), while up 3% to 49.6 million in radio reach and 26% to 9,000 sold — helped by her record-setting night at the Academy of Country Music Awards May 17.


Record Of The Month
'Fever Dream' by Alex Warren is his new smash and the first sign of a new album?


United Kingdom
Music Week Report
(excerpt)
'Rein Me In' rules a 12th week
Monday, May 25, 2026
by Alan Jones, London

 
Drake released 41 new songs (and two previously released tracks) last Friday (May 15), across three albums. Some put up a spirited fight to earn him his seventh No.1 but all ultimately fell short, leaving Rein Me In to claim pole position for the fourth week in a row, and 12th week in total for Sam

Fender & Olivia Dean, on consumption of 47,622 units (14 vinyl singles, 597 digital downloads and 47,011 sales-equivalent streams). Securing its 31st week in the Top 10 and 48th consecutive week in the Top 40 – the former tally being exceeded by only seven songs, the latter by five – the track continues to slow, with consumption off 5.10% week-on-week to its lowest level – and the lowest for a No.1 for 12 weeks. Only seven songs have spent longer at No.1, and Rein Me In now shares the leadership for most weeks at No.1 by a duo with Wham!’s Last Christmas. Rein Me In and Last Christmas also share second place for most weeks at No.1 in the 2020s, with only Ordinary (13 weeks) by Alex Warren reigning longer. Unless it outperforms the market next week, however, Rein Me In will fall into ACR the following frame. As for Drake, debuting at No.2 with Janice STFU (39,645 sales), No.3 with National Treasures (36,862 sales), and No.6 with Make Them Cry

(33,144 sales) is not too shabby. They are but the visible peak of a Drake mountain, which, under primary artist rules, sees a further 34 of the 40 other songs on his triumvirate of new albums – Iceman, Maid Of Honour and Habibti – ‘starred-out’ of the Top 75. The only Drake songs on the new albums previously released - What Did I Miss? from Iceman and Central Cee collaboration Which One? from Maid Of Honour, peaked at No.27 and No.4 last year. What Did I Miss? is ‘starred-out’ this week between No.17 and No.18 (20,686 sales), but Which One? is on ACR and outside the Top 75 (its unadjusted consumption is 10,208 units). Drake’s new hits raise his tally of Top 10 entries to 51, Top 40 entries to 100 and Top 75 entries to 155 – the most of any act. In the Top 200 Combined Tracks chart – where ACR and primary artist rules do not apply – 33 Drake tracks put in an appearance. Despite the buffeting from Drake, Michael Jackson continues to have three songs in the Top 10. All fall while increasing consumption slightly: Billie Jean dips 3-4 (24,916 sales), Human Nature 6-8 (28,509 sales) and Beat It 5-9 (28,396 sales). The Jackson 5’s 1970 chart-topper I Want You Back continues to advance, however, moving 27-26 (13,150 sales). A further 12 songs by Michael Jackson are ‘starred-out’ of the Top 75 under primary artist rules. Unlike the three allocated chart positions, they all suffer small diminutions in consumption. With Jackson and Drake making the biggest contributions, there are 59 songs ‘starred-out’ of the Top 75 in total. The rest of the Top 10: Dracula (2-5, 33,746 sales) by Tame Impala, Go (7-7, 31,196 sales) by The Chemical Brothers and Drop Dead (4-10, 25,331 sales) by Olivia Rodrigo. Overall singles consumption is up 0.96% week-on-week to 32,442,514 units, 1.52% above same week 2025 sales of 31,955,897 units. Paid-for sales are up 7.15% week-on-week at 278,077, 3.26% above same week 2025 sales of 269,287. Never one to duck a challenge, Drake becomes the first artist in chart history to simultaneously debut on the chart with three albums of new material, simultaneously unleashing a triple bill comprising Iceman, Maid Of Honour and Habibti. Cumulatively containing 43 songs – only two of which had previewed as singles – and a combined playing time of 150 minutes, they are all available only digitally (for download and streaming) at this juncture. Despite this, and very mixed reviews, they all make a significant initial impact on the chart with Iceman debuting at No.1 (44,129 sales including 428 digital downloads), Maid Of Honour at No.6 (10,931 sales) and Habibti at No.7 (9,748 sales). Raising his tally of Top 10 entries to 17, they join 2011 album Take Care (49-45, 2,894 sales) in the Top 75 for the 39-year-old Canadian rapper and singer. Iceman – trailed by No.27 hit What Did I Miss? – also spawns a trio of new hits, and its first week consumption (despite competition from Maid Of Honour and Habibti) is 50.06% greater than the 29,408 units Drake’s last studio solo album, For All The Dogs, sold as it debuted at No.1 in 2023. His biggest first week sale came in 2016, when his fourth album, Views, debuted at No.1 on consumption of 78,397 units. Views used to be his most-consumed set but with to-date consumption of 992,927 units, it lost that honour to Take Care six months ago. His second album, Take Care peaked at No.5 on debut in 2011, and has a career record of 97 weeks in the Top 75, including the last 45 consecutively. More impressively, it has racked up a massive 606 weeks in the Top 200, occupying every position between No.76 and No.200 at least once, except for No.77 and No.88, while increasing its career cume to 1,058,958 units. Iceman is Drake’s seventh No.1 album – and the 39th by a Canadian act. The others, and their tallies: 5: Celine Dion, Michael Bublé, 4: Arcade Fire, The Weeknd, 3: Avril Lavigne, Bryan Adams, Shania Twain, 2: Justin Bieber, 1: Alanis Morrisette, Neil Young, Nickelback. NB: one of their five members is American, but Arcade Fire identify as Canadian. Drake’s Top 10 trifecta is matched by Michael Jackson, whose dethroned The Essential dips to No.2 (30,778 sales) after a fortnight at No.1, while Thriller (5-4, 11,451 sales) and Bad (6-8, 8,989 sales) remain in the top tier. All experience small declines in consumption as do Off The Wall (39-37, 3,225 sales) and Dangerous (74-71, 2,321 sales). The rest of the Top 10: The Art Of Loving (4-3, 11,729 sales) by Olivia Dean, The Great Divide (3-5, 11,252 sales) by Noah Kahan, 50 Years: Don’t Stop (8-9, 7,884 sales) by Fleetwood Mac and Kiss All The Time: Disco, Occasionally (9-10, 7,669 sales) by Harry Styles. Overall album sales are down 0.13% week-on-week to 2,563,626 units, 1.32% below same week 2025 sales of 2,530,275. Physical product accounts for 240,716 sales, 9.39% of the total.

GLOBAL ALBUM CHART        GLOBAL TRACK CHART