Chase & Status Earn First U.K. No. 1 with Stormzy Collab ‘BACKBONE’

Chase & Status have claimed their first-ever U.K. No. 1 single on the Official U.K. Charts with “BACKBONE,” a DnB-heavy collaboration featuring Stormzy.

For Stormzy, this track marks his fourth time topping the charts, following his previous hits “Vossi Bop” (2019), “Take Me Back to London” with Ed Sheeran (2019), and “Own It” with Ed Sheeran and Burna Boy (2020).

Reacting to the major achievement, the British electronic duo told Official U.K Charts: “We knew that connecting with Stormzy was going to create something special, but we didn’t expect a KO reaction like this. To see him running out at our show at The Milton Keynes Bowl, in his best man’s suit—straight from a wedding and in front of 45,000 people—was insane! One of the greatest British MCs to ever do it, spitting over DnB & for it to go straight into No. 1? It couldn’t get any better for us.”

“BACKBONE” dominated the charts this week, racking up 6.4 million streams to secure the top spot.

Billie Eilish’s “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” also made waves, returning to its previous peak at No. 2. Her recent collaboration with Charli XCX, “Guess,” held strong in the Top 5 at No. 4, while another track, “WILDFLOWER,” continued its steady climb, now sitting at No. 36.

In the dance music scene, “Kisses” by Bl3ss, CamrinWatsin, and bbyclose moved up to No. 6, securing its place as a standout hit of the summer.

JADE re-entered the U.K. Top 10 with “Angel Of My Dreams,” which soared eight spots to No. 10, thanks to the release of its “S.A.D (sad. angelic. dramatic.) Version”‘. The achievement makes her the first Little Mix alum to have a solo single spend two weeks in the Top 10.

Just outside the Top 10, “Move” by Adam Port, Stryv, and KeineMusik climbed to a new peak at No. 11, while Chappell Roan’s “HOT TO GO” rose to No. 12, with another track, “Red Wine Supernova,” reaching No. 31.

In the U.K. Top 20, Sonny Fodera, Jazzy, and D.O.D’s “Somedays” made a significant jump to No. 19, and Indian rapper Hanumankind, along with producer Kalmi, saw their track “Big Dawgs” rise to No. 21.

Madonna’s classic hit “Like A Prayer” made a return to the U.K. Top 40 at No. 27, thanks to its feature in the new blockbuster Deadpool & Wolverine. Originally released in 1989, the song spent three weeks at No. 1 and now enjoys its 10th week inside the Top 40, just in time for Madonna’s 66th birthday.

Other notable movements include Calvin Harris & Ellie Goulding’s “Free,” which reached No. 35, and Gracie Abrams securing her third Top 40 single with “I love you, I’m sorry” at No. 38.

Jessica Lynch

Billboard