USA
Billboard Report (excerpt)
'Choosin' Texas' ranks still at no.2
Tuesday, October 20, 2026
by Keith Caulfield & Gary Trust, Los Angeles

Taylor Swift's “Patient Zero” leads the Billboard Hot 100 for a third total and consecutive week, having debuted as her 16th career No. 1. The single is one of four new cuts on the deluxe

version, released Sept. 25, of Swift’s 2025 album, The Life of a Showgirl. “Patient Zero,” on Republic Records, totaled 12.8 million official streams (down 27% week over week), 28.2 million radio airplay audience impressions (up 8%), 27,000 downloads sold (up 246%) and 151,000 physical copies sold (up 12%) in the U.S. Oct. 9-15. The track drops 2-3 on the Streaming Songs chart after a week at No. 1; holds at its No. 15 high on Radio Songs; and logs a third week at No. 1 on Digital Song Sales. Boosting the song’s totals in the tracking week were the arrivals of its acoustic and piano versions, for digital download and on streaming services, and its 7-inch vinyl version sold in Swift’s webstore. “Patient Zero” gives Swift a 52nd week career week atop the Hot 100, combining all her chart-toppers. She is one of five acts with the milestone equivalent of a year or more at No. 1 over the list’s 68-year history. Dominic Fike’s “Babydoll” climbs 13-10 on the Hot

100, led by 48.4 million in radio reach (up 4%), along with 5.6 million streams, in the tracking week. The Florida native charted four previous Hot 100 entries (which peaked between Nos. 81 and 99) in 2021-25 before “Babydoll” broke through, thanks, in large part, to new traction on TikTok. He has since added a second top 40 hit, “White Keys,” which reached No. 32 in April. In Billboard Philippines’ July digital issue cover story, Fike mused about the new attention on “Babydoll,” which was released on his 2018 EP, Don’t Forget About Me, Demos. “I was making an album in upstate New York, and it was just me and, like, five dudes … we were in a cabin in hoodies, drinking coffee,” he said of the song’s ascent at last. “The initial shock of it was very chill … and then I got to live out the reality of it happening, which was cool.” Fike’s third studio album, How To Quit Smoking, is due Oct. 30. Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” holds at No. 2 following its record 24 weeks atop the Hot 100. It concurrently ties Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” for the most weeks – 26 – totaled at No. 1 on Streaming Songs (19.8 million, down 5%, Oct. 9-15). Stella Lefty’s “Boston” keeps at No. 3 on the Hot 100 and Morgan Wallen’s “Been by Now” is steady at No. 4, with both having hit No. 2. Tame Impala and Jennie’s “Dracula” lifts a spot back to its No. 5 Hot 100 high. Adéla’s “Nicole Kidman” ascends 9-6 for a new Hot 100 best; Ariana Grande’s “Hate That I Made You Love Me” holds at No. 7, after it led in its debut week in June; and Olivia Rodrigo’s “Stupid Song” repeats at No. 8, after peaking at No. 3. Karol G’s “BbY Wow,” with Judeline and rusowsky, rises 10-9 on the Hot 100, after reaching No. 6. Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl logs a 15th nonconsecutive week atop the Billboard 200 chart (dated Oct. 24), earning 87,000 equivalent album units in the United States in the week ending Oct. 15 (down 7%), according to Luminate. The set returned to No. 1 two weeks ago, after it was reissued in a deluxe edition on Sept. 25 with four previously unreleased songs, including the Billboard Hot 100-topper “Patient Zero.” Of The Life of a Showgirl’s 87,000 equivalent album units earned in the latest tracking week, SEA units comprise 47,000 (down 28%, equaling 48.37 million on-demand official streams of the set’s tracks; it moves 2-4 on Top Streaming Albums), album sales comprise 37,000 (up 38% after a stock replenishment of some physical editions in Swift’s official store; it rebounds a spot for a ninth week at No. 1 on Top Album Sales) and TEA units comprise 3,000 (up 95%). The rest of the top five on the Billboard 200 is comprises of former No. 1s: Olivia Rodrigo’s you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love rises 3-2 (65,000 equivalent album units, down 1%); Morgan Wallen’s I’m the Problem climbs 5-3 (55,000, down 1%); Ella Langley’s Dandelion ascends 6-4 (53,000, down 3%); and Noah Kahan’s The Great Divide steps 7-5 (45,000, down 3%). Drake’s Habibti falls 2-6 with 43,000 equivalent album units earned (down 39%) after it vaulted 116-2 a week ago after following its reissue with four additional songs. Olivia Dean’s The Art of Loving is up a spot to No. 7 with 35,000 units (up 1%) and Noah Kahan’s Stick Season lifts 9-8 with 33,000 units (down 1%). Greta Van Fleet collects its fourth top 10-charted project as Palace for the People premieres at No. 9. The set earned 30,000 equivalent album units in its opening frame. Album sales comprise 26,000 of that sum (it debuts at No. 2 on Top Album Sales), SEA units comprise 4,000 (equaling 3.89 million on-demand official streams of the set’s tracks) and TEA units comprise a negligible sum. First-week sales of the set were bolstered by its availability across five vinyl variants, two CD variants, one cassette and a digital download. Rounding out the latest Billboard 200’s top 10 is Drake’s former No. 1 Iceman, which rises 11-10 with nearly 30,000 equivalent album units (down 2%).

Record Of The Month: 'Stop The Wedding!' by Ashe
Shortly after marrying her second husband in 2025, Ashe reflected on her first marriage
and how her ex-husband's behavior during their wedding had foreshadowed their divorce.
This realization inspired her to write the song, in which she pleads to her younger self
to leave her prior marriage before the problems could begin.

United Kingdom
Music Week Report (excerpt)
Jamie Miller's 'Babydoll' reaches no.2
Monday, October 19, 2026
by Alan Jones, London
 
In the week that her UK track consumption surpasses 125 million, and Karma becomes her 31st song to pass the million mark, Taylor Swift is No.1 for the third time in a row with Patient Zero, the introductory single from the expanded Encore edition of her album, The Life Of A Showgirl. Patient Zero is the third

of Swift’s eight No.1s to spend its first three weeks on the chart at No.1, emulating Anti-Hero (2022) and The Fate Of Ophelia (2025). After first week consumption of 46,993 units, and second week consumption of 38,456 units, Patient Zero turned in its best tally yet, with a tertiary frame of 55,413 units, with 1,591 digital downloads and 20,130 sales-equivalent streams dwarfed by sales of 33,692 CDs. In three variants, the CDs started to ship last week, when they contributed 10,940 sales. Their latest contribution raises the overall CD sales of Patient Zero to 44,632 units. Earlier this year, Swift’s seventh No.1, I Knew It I Knew You shifted 42,492 CDs in a week, on its way to overall CD sales of 47,764, making it the biggest selling CD since X Factor winner Ben Haenow’s 2014 coronation single, Something I Need, which sold 47,001 on its first week, and 92,040 overall. Among 2020s singles, The Beatles’ Now And Then is the only other track to exceed 40,000 sales

on CD, with a to-date tally of 47,484. Swift has now spent 23 weeks at No.1 in her career, all but two of them in the 2020s. Without CDs, Patient Zero would have spent only one week at No.1 without CDs, and this week’s No.1 would be Babydoll, which instead jumps 3-2, for Jamie Miller, with consumption growing 22.66% week-on-week to 34,389 units. A finalist in the 2017 series of The Voice UK, Miller has had to wait nine years to achieve his first hit but Babydoll is currently the second-highest charting song by a contestant in the long-running show, trailing only Gecko (Overdrive), a 2014 No.1 hit for first season (2012) finalist Becky Hill and Dutch DJ Oliver Heldens. Also ascending to a new peak, Stop The Wedding! is growing at a faster rate, increasing consumption 25.40% week-on-week at it climbs 4-3 (32,176 sales) for Ashe. The rest of the Top 10: Great Expectation (2-4, 28,483 sales) by Sienna Spiro, Nicole Kidman (8-5, 22,702 sales) by Adéla, Boston (6-6, 21,795 sales) by Stella Lefty, Choosin’ Texas (5-7, 21,225 sales) by Ella Langley, The Cure (7-8, 20,633 sales) by Olivia Rodrigo, Rein Me In (11-9, 17,807 sales) by Sam Fender & Olivia Dean and My Body Isn’t Ready (10-10, 17,097 sales) by Sombr. Overall singles consumption is down 1.20% week-on-week to 29,566,787 units, 4.74% below same week 2025 sales of 31,039,026 units. Paid-for sales are up 6.67% week-on-week at 271,140, 6.60% above same week 2025 sales of 254,358. Nearly 20 years after his chart debut and more than four years since his last album, Jamie T maintains his record of making the Top 5 with every release and reaches No.1 for the second time, with sixth studio album, Ghosts (100 Days Of Morning) debuting at the summit. First week consumption of 18,494 units – 9,866 CDs, 6,565 vinyl albums, 461 cassettes, 379 digital downloads and 1,223 sales-equivalent streams – is enough for the 40-year-old singer/songwriter (real name Jamie Treays) to effect the 16th change of leadership at the top of the chart in as many weeks. The album’s first week consumption is 8.95% below the 20,311 units that earned his last album, The Theory Of Whatever, a No.1 debut in 2022. In fact, only one of Jamie T’s previous albums has had a smaller first week tally. His introductory album, Panic Prevention, debuted and peaked at No.4 and did so with his highest first week sale of 42,041 in 2007. Follow-up Kings & Queens debuted at No.2 on sales of 27,807 copies in 2009; third album Carry On The Grudge, debuted and peaked at No.4 while selling 19,925 copies in 2014; and fourth album Trick managed just 10,684 units when debuting at No.3 in 2016. Panic Prevention is his most successful album with to-date consumption of 322,546 units, followed by Kings & Queens on 188,480 sales, Carry On The Grudge on 132,183, Trick on 48,725 and The Theory Of Whatever on 42,928 units. Opening at No.9 (6,742 sales), She’s The Best, is the fourth studio album, sixth Top 75 and fourth Top 10 entry for South African-born Australian singer/songwriter Troye Sivan. The rest of the Top 10: You Seem Pretty Sad For A Girl So In Love (3-3, 10,910 sales) by Olivia Rodrigo, The Essential (4-4, 9,578 sales) by Michael Jackson, The Art Of Loving (7-5, 8,156 sales) by Olivia Dean, Visitor (6-6, 8,007 sales) by Sienna Spiro, 50 Years: Don’t Stop (9-7, 7,150 sales) by Fleetwood Mac, Time Flies: 1994-2009 (10-8, 6,751 sales) by Oasis and The Highlights (11-10, 6,690 sales) by The Weeknd. Overall album sales are down 1.96% week-on-week to 2,412,445 units, 6.27% below same week 2025 sales of 2,573,931. Physical product accounts for 303,854 sales, 12.60% of the total.