Disney Encanto’s We Don’t Talk About Bruno storms straight into the lead as the UK’s biggest single of 2022 so far, according to Official Charts Company data.
The track – performed by Encanto cast members Carolina Gaitán, Mauro Castillo, Adassa, Rhenzy Feliz, Diane Guerrero and Stephanie Beatriz – became the first-ever original Disney song to reach Number 1 on the Official Singles Chart in January, where it reigned for seven consecutive weeks.
We Don’t Talk About Bruno boasts 581,000 combined UK chart sales so far in 2022, including a staggering 84 million streams – the most-streamed song of 2022 so far. It’s the most popular music video of the year-to-date also, its official music video has been streamed over 28 million times so far this year, that's three times more plays than any other non-Encanto song has managed in the same period.
In total, there are four Encanto tracks in the year-to-date Top 40 - Jessica Darrow provides Encanto’s second entry on the list with Surface Pressure (7), which peaked at Number 3 back in January. with The Family Madrigal at Number 15, and What Else Can I Do at 26.
It's a Disney takeover across the board at the end of the first quarter, the Encanto soundtrack also tops the list of 2022’s official biggest compilation albums so far, with the movie’s companion record shifting 153,000 in total chart sales this year.
Encanto may be a proven streaming powerhouse, but across the rest of the list we see huge streaming volumes too, in fact the UK’s Top 40 songs of the year so far have amassed a staggering 1.3 billion streams in the first quarter of the year alone.
Fireboy DML claims the second-biggest song of 2022 overall with the infectious Peru, featuring Ed Sheeran. The track earned the 27-year-old Nigerian singer – real name Adedamola Adefolahan – his first-ever spot on the Official Singles Chart, peaking at Number 2 where it spent six weeks at the height of Encanto’s domination.
So far this year, Peru has racked up a total of 460,000 chart sales, and is the second most-streamed song of 2022 so far with 54 million audio and video streams. Peru is also the most physically-purchased track of 2022 so far thanks to its release as a CD single.
Ed Sheeran claims a hat-trick with a total of three singles in the year-to-date Top 5. Just behind Peru in third place is Shivers. So far, Shivers has notched up over 408,000 combined chart sales this year, including 49 million streams. Meanwhile, Bad Habits lands in fourth place, with a total of 404,000 including 51 million streams.
Dallas-born breakthrough artist Gayle smashes all the way into the Top 5 songs of the year so far. Gayle’s UK chart debut, the angsty break-up anthem abcdefu(5) became a viral TikTok sensation that transcended the app to top the Official Singles Chart back in January, seeing 17-year-old Gayle become one of the youngest acts ever to score a UK Number 1 single.
In fact, the track earned her a place alongside Jawsh 685 and Olivia Rodrigo as the third under-18 chart-topper in two years, earning a place also in the year-to-date Official Singles Chart with total UK chart sales of 398,000 and over 47 million streams in 2022.
At the time she hit Number 1, Gayle told OfficialCharts.com:
“The thought of my song being Number 1 in the UK is so hard to comprehend, but I’m just so excited and grateful. Thank you for being angry with me and hopefully we can feel all the emotions with each other again.”
Elsewhere in the Top 10, Lost Frequencies and Calum Scott’s collaboration Where Are You Now scoops the biggest dance track of 2022 so far, and the most-downloaded song of the year-to-date too, landing in sixth place overall in the list.
Sam Fender's Seventeen Going Under, performed by the North Shields singer at The BRITs earns the title of biggest rock song of 2022 so far, earning a placing in the Top 10 (9).
Meanwhile, just outside the Top 10, Dublin producers Belters Only land at Number 12 with Make Me Feel Good ft. Jazzy, while Australian producer Luude sees his rework of Men At Work’s chart-topping 1981 hit Down Under – featuring Colin Hay – at Number 14.
Reigning king of the Singles Chart Dave storms in at Number 19, having just last week set a new Official Chart record after Starlight became the longest-running Number 1 solo UK rap single, spending its fourth week at the summit.
Finally, other big new releases in 2022’s Top 40 songs include Canadian newcomer Lauren Spencer-Smith’s debut smash Fingers Crossed (20), Liverpudlian rapper Hazey’s Packs and Potions (34), Central Cee’s Obsessed with You (37) and BRIT School alumni Cat Burns’ TikTok viral track Go (38).
Martin Talbot, Chief Executive, Official Charts Company comments:
“It has been a truly musically multi-cultural start to the year in the UK. With the Latin-infused We Don’t Talk About Bruno and the Afrobeats-driven Peru leading the Official Singles Chart, the UK public has taken global sounds to their hearts. With Ed Sheeran, Sam Fender and Dave also taking places in the Official list of the Top 20 biggest hits of the year so far, the music landscape is as eclectic as it has ever been.”
