The UK Singles Chart is one of many music charts compiled by the Official Charts Company that calculates the best-selling singles of the week in the United Kingdom. Since 2004 the chart has been based on the sales of both physical singles and digital downloads, with airplay figures excluded from the official chart. Since 2014, the singles chart has been based on both sales and streaming, with the ratio altered in 2017 to 150:1 streams and only three singles by the same artist eligible for the chart. From July 2018, video streams from YouTube Music and Spotify among others began to be counted for the Official Charts. This list shows singles that peaked in the Top 10 of the UK Singles Chart during 2023, as well as singles which peaked in 2022 and 2024 but were in the top 10 in 2023. The entry date is when the song appeared in the top 10 for the first time (week ending, as published by the Official Charts Company, which is six days after the chart is announced).
Ninety-eight singles were in the top 10 this year. Seventeen singles from 2022 remained in the top 10 for several weeks at the beginning of the year, while "Stick Season" by Noah Kahan was released in 2023 but did not reach its peak until 2024. "Calm Down" by Rema, "Escapism" by Raye, "Merry Christmas" by Ed Sheeran and Elton John, "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" by Brenda Lee, "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" by Michael Bublé, "Firebabe" by Stormzy, "Fairytale of New York" by The Pogues featuring Kirsty MacColl and "Let Go" by Central Cee were the singles from 2022 to reach their peak in 2023. Bugzy Malone, Miguel, PinkPantheress, Coi Leray, Lizzy McAlpine, Ice Spice, Fred Again, Sonny Fodera and Noah Kahan were among the many artists who achieved their first top 10 single in 2023.
"Last Christmas" by Wham!, originally released in 1984, returned to the top of the chart in the first week of 2023. The first new number-one single of the year was "Escapism" by Raye featuring 070 Shake. Overall, fifteen different songs peaked at number-one in 2023, with Lewis Capaldi (2) having the most songs hit that position.
Background Multiple entries Ninety-eight singles charted in the top 10 in 2023, with eighty-nine singles reaching their peak this year (including the re-entries "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree", "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" and "Fairytale of New York" which charted in previous years but reached peaks on their latest chart run).
Miley Cyrus achieves a streaming career best and second prestigious Chart Double On 20 January 2023 (26 January 2023, week ending), Miley Cyrus debuted at number-one in the UK Singles Chart with "Flowers", which became her third number-one, and her first since "Wrecking Ball" topped the charts in October 2013. "Flowers" boasted 92,000 chart units and exceeded 9.9 million streams, Cyrus' biggest number in its first week. It was also the UK's largest first week activity since "As It Was" by Harry Styles in April 2022. Cyrus went on to achieve the prestigious Chart Double for the second time in her career in March 2023 when during the song's ninth week at number one, the album Endless Summer Vacation debuted at the top of the UK Albums Chart, ten years after this was achieved when Bangerz and "Wrecking Ball" topped both the albums and singles charts, respectively.
Sleeper hits gain chart success On 27 January 2023 (2 February 2023, week ending), Miguel entered the top 10 of the UK Singles Chart at number 10 with "Sure Thing", which gave the American singer his first UK top 10 hit. Originally released in 2010, the song saw a resurgence in popularity worldwide in late 2022, due to a viral dance trend on TikTok. It eventually peaked at number 4 on 10 February 2023 (16 February 2023, week ending).
Miguel was not the only artist to win big with a previously unheralded song. The Weeknd's 2016 album track "Die for You", taken from the album Starboy, took off on TikTok after Ariana Grande was added to a remix of the song. This led to the song entering the UK top 10 for the first time at number 4 on 3 March 2023 (9 March 2023, week ending), before rising to number 3 the following week, and staying in that position for two weeks. The song was also a big hit in the United States, topping the Billboard Hot 100 shortly after its ascension in the UK.
Taylor Swift went onto achieve success with a sleeper hit later on in the year. On 7 July 2023 (13 July 2023, week ending), Swift earned her 22nd top-ten single with "Cruel Summer", taken from the album Lover. The song initially peaked at number 27 in September 2019 following the album's release, but saw a resurgence in popularity as Swift embarked on The Eras Tour resulting in the song subsequently becoming a single and entering the UK top 10 for the first time at number 6 and later peaking at number 2.
BTS members achieve solo success Two of the seven members of the South Korean collective BTS, Jimin and Jung Kook, secured one and four solo UK top 10 entries, respectively, in 2023, with Jung Kook making history as the first South Korean solo artist to achieve four solo UK top 10 singles.
Jimin secured the first top 10 solo single from any of the band entering at number 8 with "Like Crazy" on 31 March 2023 (6 April 2023, week ending).
On 21 July 2023 (27 July 2023, week ending), Jung Kook entered at number 3 with "Seven", featuring American rapper Latto, which became the highest-charting debut for a solo Korean act in UK chart history. On 6 October 2023 (12 October 2023, week ending), Jung Kook became the first Korean solo artist to secure two UK top 5 singles after his collaboration with Jack Harlow, "3D", debuted at number 5. On 27 October 2023 (2 November 2023, week ending), Jung Kook's collaboration with The Kid Laroi and Central Cee, "Too Much", debuted at number 10, and Jungkook set yet another record by becoming the first Korean solo artist to secure three solo UK top 10 singles. That record was bettered on 10 November 2023 (16 November 2023, week ending), when he secured his fourth consecutive top 10 hit with "Standing Next to You", which debuted at number 6.
Jimin and Jung Kook became the fourth and sixth separate Korean acts to reach the top 10, respectively. They join Psy (with "Gangnam Style" and "Gentleman"), Pinkfong (with the viral hit "Baby Shark"), their own group BTS themselves (who reached the top 10 with "Dynamite", "Butter", "Life Goes On" and "My Universe", alongside Coldplay), and Fifty Fifty who were the fifth (reaching the top 10 with "Cupid").
Ellie Goulding achieves the prestigious Chart Double On 14 April 2023 (20 April 2023, week ending) Ellie Goulding achieved the prestigious Chart Double for the first time in her career. During her second week at number one with "Miracle", the album Higher Than Heaven debuted at the top of the UK Albums Chart, tying Goulding with Adele as the British female artist with most number one albums.
Fifty Fifty make UK chart history On 5 May 2023 (11 May 2023, week ending) Fifty Fifty became the first K-Pop girl group to enter the top 10 of the UK Singles Chart when "Cupid" rose to number 9 after gaining popularity following a viral trend on TikTok. The song also surpassed the record for the highest-charting song by a K-Pop girl group set by Blackpink with "Sour Candy", a collaboration with Lady Gaga, which peaked at number 17 in June 2020.
Eurovision entries enter the top 10 simultaneously On 19 May 2023 (25 May 2023, week ending), four entries from the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 entered the top 10 of the UK Singles Chart simultaneously, the first time in the chart's 71-year history that feat was achieved. These included "Tattoo" (2) by Loreen, the entry for Sweden (which won the contest), "Cha Cha Cha" (6) by Käärijä, the entry for Finland (and also the first Finnish language song to ever enter the top 10 of the UK Singles Chart), "I Wrote a Song" (9) by Mae Muller, the entry for the United Kingdom and "Queen of Kings" (10) by Alessandra, the entry for Norway.
Dave & Central Cee score record-breaking number-one On 9 June 2023 (15 June 2023, week ending), Dave and Central Cee's collaboration "Sprinter" debuted at number-one in the UK Singles Chart, giving Dave his third number-one single and Central Cee his first. When "Sprinter" topped the chart, it clinched the biggest opening week of the year so far, accumulating 108,200 chart units, including a record-breaking 13.4 million streams - the biggest week of streams for a rap single ever in UK chart history, surpassing Stormzy's "Vossi Bop", which racked up 12.7m in seven days in May 2019. It also earned the biggest first week of streams since Adele's "Easy On Me" debuted with a record-breaking 24 million streams during its first seven days in October 2021.
Dave and Central Cee set yet another record on 4 August 2023 (10 August 2023, week ending) when "Sprinter" spent a ninth week at number-one, becoming the longest-running British rap number-one single in UK chart history.
Kylie Minogue makes a triumphant return and makes chart history On 16 June 2023 (22 June 2023, week ending), Kylie Minogue entered the UK top 10 at number 9 with "Padam Padam", which became her 35th top 10 single, later peaking at number 8. The song was also her first top 10 since "Higher", which peaked at number 8 in February 2011. Minogue also became the fourth woman in UK Chart history to earn a top-ten single in five consecutive decades (1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s and 2020s). The other artists to achieve this feat are Cher, Diana Ross and Lulu in the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and 2000s.
Barbie the Album sets records On 28 July 2023 (3 August 2023, week ending), Barbie the Album became the first-ever film soundtrack to land three singles in the top 5 of the UK Singles Chart simultaneously with "What Was I Made For?" by Billie Eilish (3), "Dance the Night" by Dua Lipa (4) and "Barbie World" by Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice with Aqua (5). Ice Spice also landed her first UK top 10 single in the process.
On 4 August 2023 (10 August 2023, week ending), Charli XCX entered the top 10 at number 9 with "Speed Drive", thus making Barbie the Album the first-ever film soundtrack to have four singles in the UK top 10 simultaneously.
All-female top six On 18 August 2023 (24 August 2023, week ending), for the first time in the history of the UK Singles Chart, female solo artists solely made up the entire top six of the chart. Billie Eilish claimed her second number-one single with "What Was I Made For?", scoring a last-minute victory over Dua Lipa's "Dance the Night" (2), both songs featuring on Barbie the Album. Joining Eilish and Lipa in the top five were Olivia Rodrigo's "Vampire" (3), Taylor Swift's "Cruel Summer" (4), and Peggy Gou's "(It Goes Like) Nanana" (5), while Rodrigo debuted at number 6 with the highest new entry of the week, "Bad Idea Right?". Additionally, the top eight that week consisted of female-led songs with Nicki Minaj, Ice Spice and Aqua's "Barbie World" at number 7 and Becky Hill and Chase & Status' "Disconnect" at number 8.
Kenya Grace becomes only the second British female solo act to top the UK Charts with a self-produced and self-written track On 13 October 2023 (19 October 2023, week ending), Kenya Grace topped the UK Singles Chart with "Strangers" during its fourth week in the top 10. Grace became the first female British solo act to top the UK Singles Chart with an entirely self-written and self-produced track since Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill" in June 2022. She also became the first British female act to reach number one with her debut solo single since Ella Henderson reached number one with "Ghost" in June 2014.
Taylor Swift secures her second Official Chart Double