"Self Aware" is the debut single by the Israeli alternative rock band Temper City, released on 15 February 2026. Upon its release, the song went viral on the video-sharing app TikTok.
Background Temper City was formed by three musicians, Chen Kordova and Aviv Barenholtz of the duo "Sync", and Eytan Peled in Los Angeles, California. Kordova and Barenholtz have worked together since they were 12 years old, and previously produced songs for prominent Israeli artists such as Noa Kirel and Netta Barzilai. The three have previously collaborated on the songs "Why So Serious" and "Where We Are" on British label NoCopyrightSounds.
The song combines influences from indie rock and alternative pop. It is characterized by a "dark" and rhythmic sound, which has been compared to the works of Steve Lacy, Hozier, Cage the Elephant, and The Neighbourhood.
TikTok virality Temper City began teasing the song on TikTok on 28 January 2026, via clips of them recording the song in the middle of the desert. The snippets highlighted the second half of the pre-chorus and the first half of the chorus. The song quickly gained widespread recognition, due to its stylistic similarities to 2010s indie rock bands such as Cage the Elephant and The Neighbourhood, as well as its emotional lyrics.
Commercial performance According to Luminate, the song earned 128,000 official on-demand streams in the United States during the week of its release (13–19 February 2026). The figure rose to 388,000 the following week, an increase of 201%, before climbing to 849,000 (up 118%) in the week of 27 February – 5 March. By 6–12 March, the song exceeded 1.12 million weekly streams, marking a further 32% increase.
The song also entered the US Billboard Hot 100 chart at number 51, making them the first Israeli band to achieve this feat.
Charts
Weekly charts + Chart (2026) Peakposition Australia (ARIA) 10 Canada (Canadian Hot 100) 25 Croatia International Airplay (Top lista) 27 France (SNEP) 30 Global 200 (Billboard) 12 Greece International (IFPI) 27 Israel (Mako Hitlist) 28 Israel Airplay (Media Forest) 5 Italy Airplay (EarOne) 24 Italy Airplay (EarOne) 74 Latvia Airplay (LaIPA) 5 Latvia Streaming (LaIPA) 5 Lithuania (AGATA) 8 Luxembourg (Billboard) 7 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) 11 Panama Streaming () 90 Portugal (AFP) 34 Russia Streaming (TopHit) 97 San Marino Airplay (SMRTV Top 50) 31 Singapore (RIAS) 16 Slovenia Airplay (Radiomonitor) 6 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) 14 Turkey International Airplay (Radiomonitor Türkiye) 1 US Billboard Hot 100 35 US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard) 8 US Pop Airplay (Billboard) 38 Venezuela Airplay (Record Report) 41 Venezuela Rock Airplay (Record Report) 1
Monthly charts + Chart (2026) Peakposition Belarus Airplay (TopHit) 44 CIS Airplay (TopHit) 6 Estonia Airplay (TopHit) 36 Kazakhstan Airplay (TopHit) 38 Latvia Airplay (TopHit) 40 Lithuania Airplay (TopHit) 34 Moldova Airplay (TopHit) 8 Panama Streaming (PRODUCE) 104 Russia Airplay (TopHit) 11 Ukraine Airplay (TopHit) 17
Certifications
Release history + Release history Region Date Format(s) Label United States August 18, 2026 Contemporary hit radio Thirty Knots
References