Sam Fender and Olivia Dean Make UK Chart History
Olivia Dean, 27, and Sam Fender, 32, have set a new UK chart record with their collaboration "Rein Me In." The song has become the longest-running number one single by a British act.
Spending 16 weeks at the top of the UK charts, the duet surpassed Wet Wet Wet's 1994 hit "Love is All Around" and matched Canadian artist Bryan Adams' "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You."
Fender, who initially released the track on his third solo album over a year ago, described witnessing the song break records as
"been ridiculous" and "an excuse to party."
He also praised Grammy winner Olivia Dean, stating:
"Olivia putting the alternative narrative on it made the song really universal – that opened the floodgates. There's two sides to the story. And, it's a toe tapper! It's officially a banger!"
Olivia Dean Breaks UK Chart Record
The collaboration finally reached number one after 35 weeks on the charts. Dean has been hailed as the new UK queen of pop, particularly following the Brit Awards' focus on northern artists.
The duet was released in June of the previous year as a remix of Fender's solo album track. The song presents a two-way conversation about the end of a relationship, with Fender noting that the track is
"all the better"for Dean's contribution.
Fender and Dean first performed the collaboration live in early June during one of Fender's London Stadium concerts. A video of their performance quickly went viral on social media platforms.
"Rein Me In" marks Fender's first number one single, while the pop-rock ballad is Dean's second chart-topping hit, following the success of her single "Man I Need."
Additional Records and Future Milestones
On the same day, the duo set further records by achieving the longest consecutive run in the UK top 40 and the most weeks in the UK top 10 for any non-Christmas single.
However, one record remains unbroken: the longest-running number one by any artist. This record is held by American singer Frankie Laine, whose song "I Believe" spent 18 weeks at number one in 1953.
