USA
Billboard Report (excerpt)
'Choosin' Texas' ranks still at no.2
Tuesday, October 20, 2026
by Keith Caulfield & Gary Trust, Los Angeles

Taylor Swift's “Patient Zero” leads the Billboard Hot 100 for a third total and consecutive week, having debuted as her 16th career No. 1. The single is one of four new cuts on the deluxe

version, released Sept. 25, of Swift’s 2025 album, The Life of a Showgirl. “Patient Zero,” on Republic Records, totaled 12.8 million official streams (down 27% week over week), 28.2 million radio airplay audience impressions (up 8%), 27,000 downloads sold (up 246%) and 151,000 physical copies sold (up 12%) in the U.S. Oct. 9-15. The track drops 2-3 on the Streaming Songs chart after a week at No. 1; holds at its No. 15 high on Radio Songs; and logs a third week at No. 1 on Digital Song Sales. Boosting the song’s totals in the tracking week were the arrivals of its acoustic and piano versions, for digital download and on streaming services, and its 7-inch vinyl version sold in Swift’s webstore. “Patient Zero” gives Swift a 52nd week career week atop the Hot 100, combining all her chart-toppers. She is one of five acts with the milestone equivalent of a year or more at No. 1 over the list’s 68-year history. Dominic Fike’s “Babydoll” climbs 13-10 on the Hot

100, led by 48.4 million in radio reach (up 4%), along with 5.6 million streams, in the tracking week. The Florida native charted four previous Hot 100 entries (which peaked between Nos. 81 and 99) in 2021-25 before “Babydoll” broke through, thanks, in large part, to new traction on TikTok. He has since added a second top 40 hit, “White Keys,” which reached No. 32 in April. In Billboard Philippines’ July digital issue cover story, Fike mused about the new attention on “Babydoll,” which was released on his 2018 EP, Don’t Forget About Me, Demos. “I was making an album in upstate New York, and it was just me and, like, five dudes … we were in a cabin in hoodies, drinking coffee,” he said of the song’s ascent at last. “The initial shock of it was very chill … and then I got to live out the reality of it happening, which was cool.” Fike’s third studio album, How To Quit Smoking, is due Oct. 30. Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” holds at No. 2 following its record 24 weeks atop the Hot 100. It concurrently ties Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” for the most weeks – 26 – totaled at No. 1 on Streaming Songs (19.8 million, down 5%, Oct. 9-15). Stella Lefty’s “Boston” keeps at No. 3 on the Hot 100 and Morgan Wallen’s “Been by Now” is steady at No. 4, with both having hit No. 2. Tame Impala and Jennie’s “Dracula” lifts a spot back to its No. 5 Hot 100 high. Adéla’s “Nicole Kidman” ascends 9-6 for a new Hot 100 best; Ariana Grande’s “Hate That I Made You Love Me” holds at No. 7, after it led in its debut week in June; and Olivia Rodrigo’s “Stupid Song” repeats at No. 8, after peaking at No. 3. Karol G’s “BbY Wow,” with Judeline and rusowsky, rises 10-9 on the Hot 100, after reaching No. 6. Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl logs a 15th nonconsecutive week atop the Billboard 200 chart (dated Oct. 24), earning 87,000 equivalent album units in the United States in the week ending Oct. 15 (down 7%), according to Luminate. The set returned to No. 1 two weeks ago, after it was reissued in a deluxe edition on Sept. 25 with four previously unreleased songs, including the Billboard Hot 100-topper “Patient Zero.” Of The Life of a Showgirl’s 87,000 equivalent album units earned in the latest tracking week, SEA units comprise 47,000 (down 28%, equaling 48.37 million on-demand official streams of the set’s tracks; it moves 2-4 on Top Streaming Albums), album sales comprise 37,000 (up 38% after a stock replenishment of some physical editions in Swift’s official store; it rebounds a spot for a ninth week at No. 1 on Top Album Sales) and TEA units comprise 3,000 (up 95%). The rest of the top five on the Billboard 200 is comprises of former No. 1s: Olivia Rodrigo’s you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love rises 3-2 (65,000 equivalent album units, down 1%); Morgan Wallen’s I’m the Problem climbs 5-3 (55,000, down 1%); Ella Langley’s Dandelion ascends 6-4 (53,000, down 3%); and Noah Kahan’s The Great Divide steps 7-5 (45,000, down 3%). Drake’s Habibti falls 2-6 with 43,000 equivalent album units earned (down 39%) after it vaulted 116-2 a week ago after following its reissue with four additional songs. Olivia Dean’s The Art of Loving is up a spot to No. 7 with 35,000 units (up 1%) and Noah Kahan’s Stick Season lifts 9-8 with 33,000 units (down 1%). Greta Van Fleet collects its fourth top 10-charted project as Palace for the People premieres at No. 9. The set earned 30,000 equivalent album units in its opening frame. Album sales comprise 26,000 of that sum (it debuts at No. 2 on Top Album Sales), SEA units comprise 4,000 (equaling 3.89 million on-demand official streams of the set’s tracks) and TEA units comprise a negligible sum. First-week sales of the set were bolstered by its availability across five vinyl variants, two CD variants, one cassette and a digital download. Rounding out the latest Billboard 200’s top 10 is Drake’s former No. 1 Iceman, which rises 11-10 with nearly 30,000 equivalent album units (down 2%).

Record Of The Month: 'Stop The Wedding!' by Ashe
Shortly after marrying her second husband in 2025, Ashe reflected on her first marriage
and how her ex-husband's behavior during their wedding had foreshadowed their divorce.
This realization inspired her to write the song, in which she pleads to her younger self
to leave her prior marriage before the problems could begin.

United Kingdom
Music Week Report (excerpt)
Jamie Miller's 'Babydoll' reaches no.1
Monday, October 26, 2026
by Alan Jones, London
 
Jamie Miller becomes , the first male solo artist to reach No.1 since Harry Styles in March, stepping up to the summit with his debut hit, Babydoll. Consumption surges 38.27% week-on-week to 47,548 units (5,906 digital downloads and 41,642 sales-equivalent streams) following the release of a duet

version or the track, teaturing American singer and actor Antonio ciprano First coming to notice as a finalist on The Voice UK in 2017, 29-year-old Miller, from Cardiff, released several singles without success before Babydoll, which he co-wrote with Australian singer/songwriter Hayley Warner and American songwriter Michael Blum, who also co-produced the track for him Moving 84-67-46-24-8-6-3-2-1, Babydoll reaches No.1 after climbing the Top 75 for seven weeks in a row (the Top 100 for eight weeks in a row), becoming the first song to have such a sustained rise without pausing or falling along the way since 2019/2020, when Tones And I's debut hit Dance Monkey rose 82-60-48-40-31-19-14-7-1. Dance Monkey went on to spend 11 weeks at No.1 and is the 27th biggest hit of the 21st century with to-date consumption of 4,521,183 units. Tate McRae's highest charting hits hitherto - You Broke Me First (2020), Greedy (2023) and Sports Car (2025) - all peaked at No.3.

Housewife, the first new song from her upcoming fourth album, surpasses them all, making its debut at No.2 this week (46,992 sales). McRae's 20th Top 75 single and ninth Top 10 entry, it is the highest of 10 debuts on the Top 75, and also sparks a 39.84% week-on-week increase in consumption of her current album, So Close To What, which rebounds 54-29 (3,603 sales), achieving its highest position for 28 weeks. While Cipriano's assist on Jamie Miller's No.1 doesn't earn him a joint artist credit on the chart, Chappell Roan's name is added to the credits of Olivia Rodrigo's new hit, Expectations, which explodes 35-3 (45,822 sales) this week. Normal convention is that once a song reaches the Top 40 its artist credit is frozen. This rule hasn't been applied for Expectations, which becomes Rodrigo's 12th Top 10 single and Roan's sixth, and whose change of credit was approved eight days ago, before it made the Top 40, but too late to be processed for last week's chart. For the record, however, streaming and digital sales of Expectations are higher for the duet version, whilst on Babydoll the solo version remains more popular. The duet version of Expectations is also the lead track on 7-inch and CD versions of the single, which contribute 3,570 and 2,599 sales, respectively. Only 1,726 sales separate the top three - the lowest figure so far this year. Country star Zach Bryan scores his first Top 10 single with Lies (No.7, 22,362 sales), a song from his new EP, Young Manhood And Other Donatable Organs. It also features Lana Del Rey who thus marks the 15th anniversary of her chart debut by scoring her 31st Top 75 and seventh Top 10 entry. After three weeks at No.1, the last two of which were heavily reliant on CD sales, Patient Zero slides to No.10 (19,891 sales) for Taylor Swift. No CD sales were detected this week but it sold 194 copies of two 7-inch variants with, presumably, more to come. The rest of the Top 10: Stop The Wedding! (3-4, 33,040 sales) by Ashe, Great Expectation (4-5, 29,225 sales) by Sienna Spiro, Choosin' Texas (7-6, 23,072 sales) by Ella Langley, Nicole Kidman (5-8, 22,205 sales) by Adéla and The Cure (8-9, 19,999 sales) by Olivia Rodrigo. Overall singles consumption is up 0.11% week-on-week to 29,600,331 units, 2.84% below same week 2025 sales of 30,465,054 units. Paid-for sales are down 7.91% week-on-week at 249,697, 0.13% below same week 2025 sales of 250,017.Scorching to the highest sales of any album for 18 weeks - and the highest by a group since Coldplay's Moon Music in 2024 - Fontaines DC's fifth studio album, Dopamine Chamber, debuts at No.1 on consumption of 70,105 units (14,235 CDs, 37,501 vinyl albums, 1,796 cassettes, 1,479 digital downloads and 15,094 sales-equivalent streams). It is the second No.1 for the rock quintet formed in Dublin 12 years ago, who comprise 31-year-old lead singer Grian Chatten, 32-year-old guitarist Conor Curley, 33-year-old bass guitarist Conor Deegan, 32-year-old drummer Tom Coll and 32-year-old guitarist Carlos O'Connell. The first four are founder members of the group, with O'Connor joining in 2016. All are credited with co-writing every song on the album. Dopamine Chamber secures the highest weekly sale yet for an album by the band, surpassing the 43,034 units their last album, Romance sold when it debuted and peaked at No.2 in 2024 - more than doubling their previous best of 19,983 units their third album, Skinty Fia, achieved when it opened at No. 1 in 2022. The only albums to open bigger than Dopamine Chamber in 2026 are Kiss All The Time: Disco, Occasionally (183,045 units) by Harry Styles and You Seem Pretty Sad For A Girl So In Love (102,814 units) by Olivia Rodrigo Romance's failure to reach No.1, by the way, was because it was scheduled against Sabrina Carpenter's Short N' Sweet. It is exactly four years (208 weeks) since any other album - namely The Car by Arctic Monkeys - had a higher first week sale than Romance and didn't debut at No. 1. In a Top 10 where the remainder of the titles together achieved only 301 units more consumption than Dopamine Chamber managed on its own, Olivia Rodrigo's late t album, You Seem Pretty Sad For A Girl So In Love is its (distant) nearest challenger, rebounding 3-2, a 16-week high, with consumption climbing 19.66% w PK-OD-WPP٥ 3 ٦ Building on the success of her 2024 debut album, What A Devastating Turn Of Events, which peaked at No.17 and has sold 25,845 copies, 27-year-old London singer/songwriter Rachel Chinouriri's second album, I Think | Spoke Too Soon, opens at No.9 (5,934 sales) The rest of the Top 10: The Essential (4-3, 9,675 sales) by Michael Jackson, The Art Of Loving (5-4, 8,056 sales) by Olivia Dean, Visitor (6-5, 7,748 sales) by Sienna Spiro, 50 Years: Don't Stop (7-6, 7,073 sales) by Fleetwood Mac, The Highlights (10-7, 6,884 sales) by The Weeknd, Time Flies: 1994-2009 (8-8) 6,157 sales) by Oasis and The Ones That Got The Plays (15-10, 5,825 sales) by Katy Perry. Overall album sales are up 0.85% week-on-week to 2,432,888 units, 5.67% below same week 2025 sales of 2,579,239. Physical product accounts for 333,376 sales, 13.70% of the total.