Taylor vs Rihanna vs Sam & Kim: It's a three-way battle for the UK's Number 1 single

Can Rihanna's first new music in six years defeat the competition to secure the superstar her 10th Number 1 single?
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It’s a three-way battle for dominance on the Official Singles Chart this week.

Rihanna’s big comeback track Lift Me Up (taken from the upcoming Black Panther: Wakanda Forever original soundtrack) is in an incredibly close race with Taylor Swift’s current chart-topper Anti-Hero and Sam Smith & Kim Petras’ former chart-topper Unholy for Number 1.

With less than 300 chart sales separating the top three with four days of tracking left, it’s still all to play for. Unholy (3) previously reigned at Number 1 for a full month, while Lift Me Up (2) represents Rihanna’s first new material in six years.

Her last Number 1 came in 2017 with Wild Thoughts, alongside DJ Khaled and Bryson Tiller. If Life Me Up does ascend, it would be Rihanna's 10th to top the Official Singles Chart. The tender hymf-inflected ballad is expected to be the first of two new tracks from the Wakanda Forever OST, with more new music set to follow Ri's upcoming Super Bowl headline half-time show early next year.

MORE: Rihanna's Top 40 biggest songs in the UK

But don’t count Tay out just yet - after an incredible record-breaking Official Chart Double with Midnights last week, Anti-Hero (1) will be a hard act to beat.

Three tracks could hit new peaks inside the UK Top 10 this week; Oliver Tree and Robin Schulz’s unstoppable Miss You (5), Stormzy’s Hide & Seek (6) and a possible first Top 10 hit Venbee & Goddard with Messy In Heaven (10).

After years of hype, SZA’s Shirt is finally here, tracking to debut at Number 15 midweek.

Meghan Trainor and her doo-wop bop Made You Look is the biggest gainer on today’s Official Chart First Look, currently up ten to Number 18.

The Official Singles Chart Top 100 is revealed on OfficialCharts.com every Friday at 5.45pm. Follow the Top 40 countdown live on BBC Radio 1’s Official Chart show with Jack Saunders.

Official Chart First Look Top 20 - October 30, 2022

LW TW TITLE ARTIST
1 1 ANTI-HERO TAYLOR SWIFT
NEW 2 LIFT ME UP RIHANNA
2 3 UNHOLY SAM SMITH & KIM PETRAS
6 4 FORGET ME LEWIS CAPALDI
8 5 MISS YOU OLIVER TREE & ROBIN SCHULZ
7 6 HIDE & SEEK STORMZY
3 7 LAVENDER HAZE TAYLOR SWIFT
10 8 PSYCHO ANNE-MARIE & AITCH
11 9 CUFF IT BEYONCE
14 10 MESSY IN HEAVEN VENBEE & GODDARD
9 11 I AIN'T WORRIED ONEREPUBLIC
12 12 UNDER THE INFLUENCE CHRIS BROWN
4 13 SNOW ON THE BEACH TAYLOR SWIFT FT LANA DEL REY
5 14 I'M GOOD (BLUE) DAVID GUETTA & BEBE REXHA
NEW 15 SHIRT SZA
15 16 BIG CITY LIFE LUUDE & MATTAFIX
13 17 BAD HABIT STEVE LACY
28 18 MADE YOU LOOK MEGHAN TRAINOR
17 19 CALM DOWN REMA
16 20 ANOTHER LOVE TOM ODELL

©2022 Official Charts Company. All rights reserved.

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Alfred Lock

0

FINALLY!!------Rihanna is ------back-----in --------the-------------------CHARTS!

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thierry henon

1

Welcome back RIHANNA!! We miss you girl!!

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thierry henon

1

MEGHAN TRAINOR is back guys!! Hopefully a brand new Top 20 this Friday with the addictive MADE YOU LOOK...

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thierry henon

1

Sad to see I'M GOOD dropping that much this week! Already on ACR?

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thierry henon

1

Really hope ANti HERO drops this week!!

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thierry henon

1

Will love to see RIRI at number 1! A welcome back to the music scene after 6 long years!!

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HazDaSprinter

1

mtv awards in dusseldorf.. who r ur hot contenders for awards

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HazDaSprinter

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also, congrats to stormzy and dave for their huge dubs at the grm rated award

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Michael Jenkins

0

I love both songs bur pulling for lift me up cause Rihanna is queen

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MKS

1

I am here for a Top 10 in 2022 that includes both Rihanna and Beyoncé! Let’s hope Rihanna can do enough to topple Taylor by Friday 🙃

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HazDaSprinter

-1

the reason i am acc happy for once for this chart battle means that there are no dance tracks to take the top spot (except prob unholy, i think). this year has been revolutionalised with dance tracks, after kate bush's running up that hill the chart turned for the worst. remember, hits like where are you now and where did you go put on a great challenge. i feel that stormzy will ge his major dub within the next few weeks, if not when the album comes out. the times we really saw good competition as dave and aitch, burna boy, central cee, fireboy dml, ed sheeran, ksi, tom grennan. some people like dance, i respect that, for i am a joel corry, jax jones, david guetta and dj khaled fan, but hits like afraid to feel, unholy and bota threw me off. doja should have got no1. lets hope hide and seek or a song from stormzy's album makes the dub.

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🧡 oliviasnoodles 🍜

1

the dance music scene is in the bin rn, the only way it can be saved is kygo making a chart comeback and martin garrix

yes, i know i praised messy in heaven, but that isn’t enough

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🧡 oliviasnoodles 🍜

2

also, W take on stormzy, hide & seek is one of two 10/10s in the top 40 right now and i’m really surprised it didn’t go there. that video he did with beta squad had me on the floor laughing as well

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HazDaSprinter

1

yep, he did 1 with chunkz as well. i swear stormzy has flair for being a youtuber as a rapper. that would be sick.

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Conor

3

I'm not 100% sure on Hide & Seek yet, i don't hate it but i don't fully love it. hopefully it grows on me and i'm glad stormzy is getting another hit!

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rayever

3

unholy isn’t a dance song what 💀💀

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🧡 oliviasnoodles 🍜

2

i can’t lie, i love sza, she’s one of my favourite artists, but i expected more from shirt - that being said, im still impatient for that album of hers

seeing miss you in the top 5 is sickening. literally one of the worst songs of all time. if this climbs any higher, im done commenting. just can’t get how anyone can even sit through that “song”.

taylor at number 1 for a second week is beautiful to see tho! <3

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Piran

5

'Messy In Heaven' in the Top 10! 🥳

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Aaron

1

my favorite DNB song of the year!

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Piran

2

My favourite is ‘Used To This by Wilkinson ft Issey Cross! 😊

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Aaron

1

Actually i changed my mind, i forgot about that song haha

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Piran

4

Omg Rihanna at #2! 😍

'Lift Me Up' took a few listens to grow on me, but I absolutely love it now!

Hoping it stays this high up on Friday & I wouldn't even mind if it eventually went all the way to the top. :)

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🧡 oliviasnoodles 🍜

1

why are you acting so surprised to see her this high up, it was bound to happen. she hasn’t released any solo material since 2016, until now lol

meanwhile, i’m still desperate for frank ocean to finally drop at least SOMETHING. 😤

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HazDaSprinter

1

yh me too ngl.

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Conor

1

sam & kim will overtake by friday i'm sure, looking at streaming numbers, but should hold to top 3

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HazDaSprinter

0

nope, its taylor or rihanna on this 1

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Piran

0

True, I think I posted out of excitement rather than surprise! 😅

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Conor

0

i'm sure you'll be right...

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Piran

1

‘Unholy’ pulled back last time, so yeah, it could very well do the same for the coming week. 🤔

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Conor

0

Nice to see Taylor still at #1, i think anti hero will hold on by friday

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Piran

4

Surprised that 'Snow On The Beach' fell as much as it did, but happy for 'Anti-Hero' heading for a second week at the top! 😊

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Conor

4

i think it'll be replaced by friday, probably by you're on your own kid

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Piran

1

That's a much better track for me, so I hope it can do it. :)