USA
Billboard Report (excerpt)
'Opalite' shines as Taylor Swift's 14th No.1
Tuesday, February 24, 2026
by Keith Caulfield & Gary Trust, Los Angeles

Swift ties Rihanna for the third-most Hot 100 No. 1s, after only The Beatles (20) and Mariah Carey (19), dating to the chart’s start. “Opalite” is Swift’s ninth No. 1 since 2020, extending her

mark for the most this decade. “Opalite” tops the Hot 100 (after initially peaking at No. 2 upon its October debut) sparked by a surge of physical sales that shipped to consumers and new remixes released during the tracking week. Earlier in February, its official video premiered. “Opalite” drew 11.4 million official streams (down 20% week over week) and 58.9 million radio airplay audience impressions (up 17%) and sold 168,000 (up 2,290%) in the U.S. Feb. 13-19. The single falls 11-17 on the Streaming Songs chart, after reaching No. 2 upon its debut (it soared by 70% in streams a week ago after the Feb. 6 arrival of its video); jumps 7-3 for a new high on Radio Songs; and blasts 7-1 on Digital Song Sales, where it becomes Swift’s record-extending 31st leader. Of the 168,000 sales for “Opalite” Feb. 13-19, 144,000 were physical (six CD singles, including for each of its remixes, and one vinyl version) and 24,000, digital. The song claims the highest overall weekly

sales since Jason Aldean’s “Try That in a Small Town” (175,000; Aug. 5, 2023) and the top physical total since Travis Scott’s “4X4” (165,000; Feb. 8, 2025). Bruno Mars’ “I Just Might,” up 10-6 after it spent its first two weeks on the Hot 100 at No. 1 in January, climbs 2-1 on Radio Songs (65.3 million, up 7%). He lands his 11th airplay leader, matching Mariah Carey for the second-most since the chart began in December 1990, after Rihanna’s 13. Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” rebounds 4-2 two weeks after it became her first Hot 100 No. 1. Olivia Dean’s “Man I Need” holds at No. 3 after reaching No. 2 on the Hot 100. Notably, thanks to Swift, Langley and Dean, three solo women rank Nos. 1, 2 and 3 for the first time since the chart dated Nov. 4, 2023, which Swift also led, with “Cruel Summer,” followed, in order, by Doja Cat’s “Paint the Town Red” and SZA’s “Snooze.” Bad Bunny’s “DtMF” drops to No. 4 on the Hot 100 a week after it hit No. 1. He boasts three songs in the Hot 100’s top 10, as “Tití Me Preguntó” descends 7-9, after reaching No. 5, and “Baile Inolvidable” recedes to No. 10 from its No. 2 high. Alex Warren’s “Ordinary” lifts 6-5 on the Hot 100 after 10 weeks at No. 1 beginning last June. Also in the Hot 100’s top 10, Humtr/x’s “Golden” rises 9-7, after eight weeks at No. 1 starting in August, and Swift’s “The Fate of Ophelia” rebounds 12-8. Bad Bunny’s DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS returns to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart for a fifth nonconsecutive week on top, rising a spot to lead the Feb. 28-dated chart. The ascent comes after the 2025 set spent two weeks in the runner-up slot following his Super Bowl halftime show performance (Feb. 8), a week after its win for album of the year at the Grammy Awards (Feb. 1). Bad Bunny’s 14-Minute Super Bowl Halftime Medley Debuts on 3 Billboard Charts. In the tracking week ending Feb. 19, the effort earned 135,000 equivalent album units in the United States, according to Luminate (down 46%). The album reached No. 1 in its second week (and first full tracking week) on the list, dated Jan. 25, 2025, and then spent the next two weeks at No. 1. It returned to the top for a fourth week (May 17), following its initial vinyl release. Of DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS’s 135,000 equivalent album units earned in the latest tracking week, SEA units comprise 106,000 (down 43%, equaling 112.54 million on-demand official streams of the set’s tracks; it holds at No. 1 on Top Streaming Albums for a sixth nonconsecutive week), album sales comprise 28,000 (it climbs 3-1 on Top Album Sales for its second week atop the list) and TEA units comprise 1,000. After debuting at No. 1 a week ago, J. Cole’s The Fall-Off slips to No. 2 with 81,000 equivalent album units earned (down 71%). Don Toliver’s former leader, Octane, rises 4-3 (79,000, down 19%) and Morgan Wallen’s likewise chart-topping I’m the Problem climbs 7-4 (77,000, up less than 1%). Olivia Dean’s The Art of Loving rounds out the top five, stepping 8-5 (72,000, down 5%). Brent Faiyaz notches his second top 10-charting project on the Billboard 200 as Icon arrives at No. 6 with 58,000 equivalent album units earned. Of that sum, SEA units comprise 44,500 (equaling 45.7 million on-demand official streams of the set’s songs; it debuts at No. 7 on Top Streaming Albums), album sales comprise 13,500 (his best sales week; it debuts at No. 5 on Top Album Sales) and TEA units comprise a negligible sum. The album’s first-week sales were boosted by the availability of signed editions on Faiyaz’s webstore. Bad Bunny’s former No. 1 Un Verano Sin Ti, from 2022, slips a spot to No. 7 on the latest Billboard 200 with 52,000 equivalent album units earned (down 35%). Charli XCX arrives at No. 8 with her soundtrack to the film Wuthering Heights, garnering the singer-songwriter her third top 10 album. The set debuts with 51,000 equivalent album units earned. Of that sum, album sales comprise 26,000 (it debuts at No. 3 on Top Album Sales), SEA units comprise 25,000 (equaling 24.85 million on-demand official streams of the set’s tracks; it debuts at No. 19 on Top Streaming Albums) and TEA units comprise a negligible sum. Of the set’s first-week sales, 72% came from vinyl purchases (across two variants). The film Wuthering Heights, directed by Emerald Fennell and starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi, was released in U.S. movie theaters on Feb. 13. Closing out the top 10 of the latest Billboard 200 are two former No. 1s: Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl is steady at No. 9 (50,000 equivalent album units, down 7%) and the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack is a non-mover at No. 10 (40,000, down 4%).

Record Of The Month
'I Just Might' by Bruno Mars is the first big global release of 2026
and also the first sign of his new album 'The Romantic', available February 27.

United Kingdom
Music Week Report (excerpt)
The collab 'Rein Me In' reaches number one
Monday, February 23, 2026
by Alan Jones, London
 
No.2 to The Fate Of Ophelia on debut as an album track from The Life Of A Showgirl last October, Opalite responds to its new status as a single by exploding 15-1, with consumption growing 157.88% to 47,509 units. It was a hard-won victory for the Taylor Swift track, which trailed former incumbent Raindance

Up agaach other for the 2026 Brit Awards in the categories British Artist Of The Year and British Album Of The Year a week tomorrow (February 28), Sam Fender & Olivia Dean are also jointly nominated for Song Of The Year with their collaboration Rein Me In, which sets up the ceremony nicely by jumping 5-1 this week. Fender’s first No.1 and Dean’s second, it was originally a solo track on Fender’s latest album, People Watching, with Dean adding vocals to a version included on the deluxe edition of the album. Previously uncharted, the track sprang into life as soon as the duet version was released, and sets a new chart record this week by reaching No.1 on its 35th consecutive week in the chart. After debuting at No.6 last June, it has been in the Top 40 ever since, never falling below No.34. Hitherto, the record for most consecutive weeks in the Top 75 before reaching No.1 is 19, set by Ed Sheeran’s Thinking Out Loud in 2014. Among non-

consecutive runs, Mariah Carey’s 1994 release All I Want For Christmas Is You topped the chart on its 104th appearance in 2020, while Running Up That Hill, Kate Bush’s 1985 single that took more than 36 years before reaching the apex in 2022. Increasing consumption week-on-week by 15.13% to 43,425 units (six 7-inch vinyl, 440 digital downloads and 42,979 sales-equivalent streams) – its highest weekly tally yet but the lowest for a No.1 for 29 weeks - as it moved to the top of the chart, Rein Me In actually trailed in the week’s first sales flashes to Dean’s So Easy (To Fall In Love), following the latter’s release on heart-shaped red vinyl for Valentine’s Day. The vinyl eventually contributed 2,738 sales, helping So Easy (To Fall In Love) to jump 6-2 (38,504 sales), surpassing the No.3 peak it reached 12 weeks ago. Completing a notable treble, Man I Need – which became her first No.1 20 weeks ago – glides 8-4 (29,755 sales), giving Dean three songs in the Top 5 simultaneously for the first time, while achieving its highest position for 12 weeks. Its placing on the main chart affected by the fact it is on ACR, it is No.1 on the Top 200 Combined Tracks chart – where ACR and primary artist rules don’t exist - for the 10th time, on consumption of 58,889 units. That is its record 25th straight week above 50,000. Of course, Dean’s charge this week – and the 7-3 jump (34,746 sales) of Zara Larsson’s viral Lush Life to equal its 2016 peak albeit – is a serendipitous side-effect of the demise of last week’s top three, with Raindance (2-11, 20,725 sales) by Dave & Tems and Where Is My Husband! (3-12, 20,367 sales) by Raye newly relegated to ACR and exiting the Top 10, and Taylor Swift’s Opalite (1-8, 27,527 sales) suffering from a big dip in physical sales from 11,118 to 22, after stocks of its limited vinyl and CD editions were exhausted. Opalite did, however, benefit towards the end of the week from the release of no fewer than four remixes – by Chris Lake, Skream, Bunt and Ely Oaks – which helped to raise its digital downloads tally 59.04% week-on-week to 1,692 units, and also impacted its streams. The effects of his Grammy and Super Bowl performances both waning, Bad Bunny still has three songs in the chart, namely DTMF (4-5, 29,646 sales), Nuevavol (15-16, 18,273 sales) and – charting for the first time – his 2022 song Tití Me Preguntó (No.18, 17,583 sales), which replaces Baile Inolvidable as his third track under primary artist rules, as the latter track achieves lower consumption (12,662 units). Tití Me Preguntó is Bad Bunny’s eighth hit and despite not charting before is his fifth most-consumed title with a to-date tally of 239,498 units. Sombr’s new song, Homewrecker, debuted at No.14 last week, and now moves up to No.7 (27,848 sales) to become his fourth Top 10 hit. Completing the Top 10, I Just Might (9-6, 28,424 sales) rebounds for Bruno Mars, Stateside (10-9, 25,459 sales) reaches a new peak for PinkPantheress, and Aperture (12-10, 21,476 sales) regains Top 10 status for Harry Styles. Overall singles consumption is down 0.04% week-on-week to 31,541,829 units, 3.71% above same week 2025 sales of 30,414,262 units. Paid-for sales are down 7.03% week-on-week at 254,800, 0.82% above same week 2025 sales of 252,719. The Brat is back! – soundtracking Emerald Fennell’s new cinematic adaptation of Emily Brontë’s critically-acclaimed and only novel Wuthering Heights, Charli XCX’s album of the same name debuts at No.1 on consumption of 21,071 units (4,462 CDs, 7,713 vinyl albums, 328 cassettes, 488 digital downloads and 8,080 sales-equivalent streams). Delivering XCX’s eighth chart album – all of which have made the Top 40 – it consists of a dozen pop/rock tracks, all co-authored with producer Finn Keane. It secures XCX’s third No.1 album, following Crash, which debuted at No.1 in 2022 on consumption of 16,117 units; and Brat, which was No.2 on debut in 2024 on consumption of 27,234 units, and reached No.1 18 weeks later on consumption of 35,949 units, following the release of an expanded Brat And It’s Completely Different But Also Still Brat edition. The Essential Michael Jackson was absent from the chart on a technicality a fortnight ago, when his Number Ones compilation replaced it in the Top 10, but it returned to the top tier itself last week, and now jumps 8-6 (7,180 sales), achieving its highest chart position for 861 weeks – more than 16 years. Another compilation – Fleetwood Mac’s 2018 set 50 Years: Don’t Stop – climbs 4-3 (8,563 sales), revisiting the peak it first climbed five weeks ago, although it has achieved higher consumption in 12 prior weeks. The rest of the Top 10: The Highlights (5-4, 7,316 sales) by The Weeknd, Debí Tirar Más Fotos (2-5, 7,231 sales) by Bad Bunny, +-=÷× Tour Collection (10-7, 6,674 sales) by Ed Sheeran, Man’s Best Friend (7-8, 6,357 sales) by Sabrina Carpenter, You’ll Be Alright Kid (9-9, 6,049 sales) by Alex Warren and Short N’ Sweet (13-10, 5,559 sales) by Sabrina Carpenter. Overall album sales are down 0.05% week-on-week at 2,550,039 units, 1.84% below same week 2025 sales of 2,597,777. Physical product accounts for 301,393 sales, 11.82% of the total.