In a landmark week for the Official Charts, Sam Fender has landed his first Number 1 single with his Olivia Dean collaboration, "Rein Me In." The track’s rise to the top has set a new record, becoming the longest slow climb to Number 1 in chart history.
After first entering the Top 40 in June 2025, the song spent an incredible 35 straight weeks moving up the chart before finally reaching the top spot. This breaks the previous record held by Ed Sheeran’s "Perfect," which took 22 weeks to reach Number 1 in 2017. The track had previously peaked at Number 5 on three different occasions, but its steady momentum has now paid off, confirming Fender as a major force on the charts.
This achievement is a huge moment for the North Shields singer songwriter, beating his previous best with "Seventeen Going Under," which reached Number 3 in 2021. For Olivia Dean, it has been an even bigger week as she celebrates a double success. She earns her second Number 1 with the Fender collaboration, while her solo single "So Easy (To Fall In Love)" rises to a new peak at Number 2. Her earlier Number 1, "Man I Need," is also climbing again, now sitting at Number 4.
Elsewhere, the chart is being driven by a strong wave of nostalgia. Zara Larsson’s "Lush Life" has made a full return, matching its original Number 3 peak almost ten years after its release, boosted by a viral 2016 themed trend on social media. At the same time, Milky’s 2002 track "Just The Way You Are" has entered the Top 20 for the first time in 24 years, reaching Number 14 following a popular Mall Grab remix.
The week also brings big movement from current stars. Charli xcx fills the lower end of the Top 40 with three songs from her Wuthering Heights companion album, while Bad Bunny claims the highest new entry of the week with "Tití Me Preguntó" debuting at Number 18. As the chart settles after this historic week, the spotlight remains on Sam Fender and Olivia Dean, whose record breaking climb has changed what it means to reach Number 1.
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