Zara Larsson’s resurgent 2026 adds another milestone, as the Swedish pop star’s “Midnight Sun” rises three places to No. 1 on Billboard’s Pop Airplay chart (dated June 27).
Larsson lands her second leader on the list, a week after her and PinkPantheress’ “Stateside” reached the top spot. She becomes the first artist ever to post two initial No. 1s in consecutive weeks, dating to the chart’s October 1992 start.
Meanwhile, only two acts previously claimed their first two Pop Airplay No. 1s back-to-back overall. In December 2003, OutKast’s “Hey Ya!” began a nine-week command, which ended when the duo’s “The Way You Move,” featuring Sleepy Brown, took over the following February for three weeks. In June 2014, Iggy Azalea’s “Fancy,” featuring Charli xcx, hit No. 1 for three weeks. Directly after, Ariana Grande’s “Problem,” featuring Azalea, led for two weeks that July.
(Beyond acts’ first two Pop Airplay No. 1s, Mariah Carey, Halsey, Grande and Doja Cat have also replaced themselves atop the chart with consecutive leaders; unlike Larsson, none notched two new No. 1s in a span of two weeks.)
Meanwhile, Larsson charts four titles on Pop Airplay for a seventh week — she’s the only act to achieve the feat this year. Alongside “Midnight Sun” and “Stateside,” which dips to No. 2, Tyla’s “She Did It Again,” featuring Larsson, climbs 29-27 for a new best and 2016’s “Lush Life” holds at its No. 28 high.
“Midnight Sun” is the title track from Larsson’s fifth studio set, which peaked in the top five on Top Dance Albums and the top 40 of the Billboard 200 in May.
“For the first time in a long time, I’m on the Billboard charts. I’m reaching so many new heights 10 years into my career, which is exciting and a testament to never giving up,” Larsson, Billboard’s 2026 Women in Music Breakthrough award winner, recently mused. “This change really came with the creation of Midnight Sun. Sometimes I think of my career like this car I’ve been sitting in. I’ve known where we’ve been heading, but I’ve been in the back seat. With this album, I was like, ‘Guys, I feel like I should drive.’ ”
All charts dated June 27 will update on Billboard.com Tuesday, June 23.
