As 2026 enters its final stretch, the Official Charts Company has revealed the UK’s biggest songs and albums of the year so far, with Olivia Dean and Michael Jackson leading the charge.
In the singles race, Olivia Dean is cruising toward the top spot. Her enduring hit "Man I Need" has extended its lead as the year's biggest song, amassing over 173 million combined UK streams by the end of the third quarter. However, the competition remains fierce. Close behind at Number 2 is Sam Fender’s historic collaboration with Dean, "Rein Me In." The track made chart history in July by becoming the longest-running Number 1 in UK history, logging 23 non-consecutive weeks at the summit and securing 167 million streams.
Meanwhile, Alex Warren’s "Ordinary"—2025’s biggest song—proves its lasting power, climbing to Number 3 with 104 million streams this year. Other notable movers include Ella Langley’s "Choosin' Texas," which soared 13 places to Number 19, and Michael Jackson’s classic "Billie Jean" at Number 22. Olivia Rodrigo’s "drop dead" (34) and Justin Bieber's "Beauty and a Beat" (38)—buoyed by a viral Coachella set—both made their year-to-date Top 40 debuts.
On the albums chart, Michael Jackson has taken the lead. Following the release of his biopic Michael in April, The Essential Michael Jackson has surged to Number 1, racking up over 508,000 chart units. The King of Pop also claims two other Top 20 spots with Thriller (16) and Bad (20).
Jackson’s ascent pushed Olivia Dean’s The Art of Loving to Number 2, with Harry Styles' Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally. holding at Number 3. Elsewhere, Olivia Rodrigo’s you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love climbed eight places to Number 5, with over 305,000 units, while Oasis’s back catalogue—including Time Flies... (10)—continues to thrive ahead of their Live ’27 tour. Finally, rising star SIENNA SPIRO secured a new entry at Number 39 with her debut album Visitor.
