A Confession
I may live to regret admitting this publicly, but this Sunday afternoon I'm going with my daughter to see one of the singalong cinema screenings of K-Pop Demon Hunters that are being held as a special event this weekend. The fact that the fuss about an animated film sold for a song to a streaming service is now in such demand that millions of dollars of tickets are now being sold for people to see it on a cinema screen should be yet another clue that this thing is a quite an extraordinary phenomenon.
What are we going to sing along to? Why the hit records of course, music that is itself in such demand that it is rushing the charts en masse and with proper physical releases of the soundtrack album now scheduled for later in September - something that was barely contemplatable when it first went online two months ago.
The KPDH soundtrack maintains its iron grip on the singles chart, Golden holding firm for a second week in a row and a third in total for the fictional Huntr/X. Meanwhile the evil (but with hearts of gold) Saja Boys continue to knock on the door in their own right, Soda Pop rising to a new peak of No.3 and Your Idol also steaming upwards at No.6. Both of the real-world Twice tracks that feature on the soundtrack but which through chart loopholes are allowed to chart in their own right are also now Top 40 hits. Takedown is at No.31 and Strategy is now No.35.
There are at least two other Huntr/X tracks that are absent from the chart due to artist rules but which would also be contending for high ranking chart places. The previously-charted How It's Done is one, but also knocking on the door (as evidenced by its position at No.20 on the unfiltered streaming chart) is the movie's climactic number What It Sounds Like. The soundtrack to the moment Rumi and her friends find their voices again, reuniting to recreate the Honmoon and banish Gwi-Ma from earth forever (trust me, this all makes sense when you watch it), it is actually one of the more moving and inspiring pop songs you've heard this year. It is in many ways a crying shame that it has remained invisible to the charts, so it seems only right to celebrate it here instead.
So yeah, this is the summer of K-Pop Demon Hunters. It is practically the only story to be told.
Another Story
Practically, but not actually though. The other story of the summer is the rise of Olivia Dean from highly praised also-ran, known only for an Amazon Christmas song, to a major chart star in her own right. To further whet the appetite for the release of her second album The Art Of Loving she lands herself the highest new entry of the week as Man I Need takes a bow at No.8. It is joined in the Top 10 by existing hit Nice To Each Other which after four weeks away rebounds to No.9 to land a new peak of its own. Her duet with Sam Fender Rein Me In, previously a No.6 hit, almost makes the cut as well as that too rises back to No.11. Fender is of course the primary artist on that track, meaning it doesn't count against Olivia Dean's quota. So as a result she has a fourth single on the chart, Lady Lady which first peaked at No.55 last month but which now rises to a new high of No.38. The 26 year old from Haringey is, perhaps unwittingly, the biggest non-animated deal going right now. And in truth that is nothing less than a joy to see as well.
Yeah, pop music is really good right now. Why pretend otherwise. The other breakout star of 2025 has to be Sombr, and he continues to prove he is by no means a fluke. His latest track 12 To 12, equally as compelling as its predecessors, rises once more and is this week's No.14. At some point it has to chart two places higher, you just know it does.
We Know All Their Names Now
Their presence in Britain for live dates means that Blackpink's Jump is refusing to go away in a hurry. A No.18 hit at the end of July, it has been on the rebound for the past fortnight and now climbs once more to No.22. As noted on these pages, the only issue with K-Pop groups is that their hit records tend to be one and done, peaking in the first week and then vanishing from the charts as fast as they came. That makes the ones with staying power all the more notable. This is now Jump's sixth week as a Top 40 hit single, something the four women have never achieved before.
Also edging upwards slowly but surely is Lola Young's d£aler, the track having now moved 34-33-31-27 where it rests this week. She still needs a smash hit to rival Messy to become properly worthy of the attention being paid to her, but keep the faith. It will come.
Also doggedly refusing to give up, Coldplay's 25 year old viral sensation Sparks. Now 10 weeks on from its surprise chart return it edges to a new peak of No.28. A reminder though, with two Oasis classics still floating around this still isn't the oldest single in this week's Top 40.
WTAF
Those missing the hits that make no sense whatsoever to anyone over the age of 20 will welcome the one further new Top 40 arrival of the week. The admittedly quite seductive (if lyrically direct) WGFT from Gunna & Burna Boy climbs 60-34. That's enough to make it the American star's first Top 40 hit single since One Of Wun reached No.30 in May last year, while his Nigerian buddy is himself back in the Top 40 for the first time since his cameo turn on one of the versions of Coldplay's We Pray in September last year. Or if you prefer this to be in reference to his actual hit records, this is his biggest hit proper since his own Cheat On Me reached No.19 just under two years ago.
Your albums champion this week is a new release for a change, Tom Grennan storming to No.1 with the gloriously titled Everywhere I Went Led Me To Where I Didn't Want To Be. That gives him a back to back hat-trick of chart-topping albums following Evering Road in 2021 and What Ifs And Maybes in 2025. Just a shame this one doesn't contain anything resembling a chart single, save for opening gambit Higher which reached No.78 in October last year - just a few weeks before his Amazon exclusive offering It Can't Be Christmas (which doesn't feature on the album) gave him a best-ever chart peak of No.3. He's still a name, but perhaps not in the way he wishes to be.
