Sam Fender and Olivia Dean have made British music history as their hit collaboration, Rein Me In, becomes the longest-running Official Number 1 single in UK chart history. Reaching 19 non-consecutive weeks at the summit, the track surpasses the 73-year record held by Frankie Laine’s I Believe since 1953.
Having already broken the record as the longest-running Number 1 single in chart history, the duo lengthens their historic lead at the summit, keeping Shakira and Burna Boy’s World Cup anthem "Dai Dai" parked at Number 2 for a third straight week.
Fresh off securing the top spot on the Official Albums Chart, Ariana Grande makes a massive splash across the singles chart this week. The pop superstar secures three tracks inside the Top 20, led by former chart-topper "hate that i made you love me," which rebounds to Number 3. Meanwhile, fresh album cuts "petal" and "kiss me" land at Number 4 and Number 15 respectively, with Ella Langley's "Choosin' Texas" holding strong at Number 5.
The achievement sees Fender and Dean eclipse previous British chart milestones set by Wet Wet Wet’s Love Is All Around and Bryan Adams’ (Everything I Do) I Do It For You, both of which logged 16 weeks at Number 1.
In maintaining the crown, the powerhouse duo successfully denied global rap superstar Drake his first UK Number 1 single since 2020. Despite missing out on the absolute top spot, the Toronto artist still has immense cause for celebration. Drake managed to land three tracks simultaneously inside this week's Top 10: "Janice STFU" leads his charge as the highest new entry at Number 2, closely followed by "National Treasures" at Number 3, and "Make Them Cry" at Number 6. This incredible chart sweep officially pushes Drake's career tally of UK Top 10 singles to a monumental milestone of 50.
The song originally featured on Fender’s third and latest studio album ‘People Watching’, but later took on new life during his huge London Stadium gig last year, when he brought Dean out in front of the 80,000-strong crowd and performed a collaborative rendition.
Sam Fender joined Olivia Dean on stage at The O2 in London to perform “Rein Me In." pic.twitter.com/lYCXJtwLaM
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) May 2, 2026
The two of them would then join forces twice more at shows to share the duet – both held at Fender’s huge homecoming shows at Newcastle’s St. James’ Park, and last June, they officially released the track.
Sam Fender y Olivia Dean cantando juntos 'Rein Me In' nuevamente esta noche Londres 🩷🌟
📹: tayslondongirl pic.twitter.com/zoE9fgrTCT
— Sam Fender Argentina 🇦🇷 (@SamFenderUPDTS) May 2, 2026
Since then, it’s become a fan-favourite, winning the BRIT Award for Song Of The Year, and scoring Fender his first ever Number One single. The track broke the record for the most consecutive weeks spent in the Top 40 before reaching the top, and has now spent nine non-consecutive weeks at number one on the UK Singles Chart.
