After a couple slower weeks for movement in the top tier of the Billboard Hot 100, big things are going down on this week’s chart (dated Oct. 31), thanks to a handful of new releases from some major hitmakers.
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The week’s highest debut comes from still-rising hitmaker Tate McRae, who lands a new career high as a lead artist on the chart with the No. 2 bow of her new single “Housewife.” It’s joined in the Hot 100’s top five by Olivia Rodrigo’s “Expectations” — which had previously peaked at No. 20 on the chart in its solo version, but now bounds 63-3 thanks to a new remix with Chappell Roan — and by Zach Bryan’s new Lana Del Rey-featuring “Lies,” which enters at No. 4. (All three, of course, come just short of passing Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas,” which returns for a 25th week atop the chart.)
Which of the new top five hits is most likely to keep contending into the new year? And will anything else unseat “Texas” this year before the holiday rush hits? Billboard staffers answer these questions and more below.
1. Tate McRae’s “Housewife” debuts at No. 2 on the Hot 100 this week, already making McRae’s highest-charting song as a lead artist. On a scale from 1-10, how big a deal would you say this entrance is for her?
Christopher Claxton: It’s a big deal since she beat out new releases from Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo and some of music’s biggest names. I’ll give this moment a 8 out of 10 — but it may deserve an even-higher score, considering that while “Housewife” landed at No. 2 on the Hot 100, it debuted at No. 1 on both of Billboard’s global charts.
I think this shows how an artist can make a major impact even without landing at No. 1. “Housewife” is already connecting with listeners around the world, and between its global chart debuts and its Hot 100 performance, Tate is starting this era with real gas.
Hannah Dailey: I’ll say 8 and save my 10 for when she debuts at No. 1 — but the runner-up slot is still fantastic, and shows how much heat she’s packing as a pop it-girl going into this next era.
Joe Lynch: 9. I could even be persuaded to say 10 — after all, if not for the unprecedented blockbuster that is “Choosin’ Texas,” McRae would have scored her first No. 1 as a solo artist, and that’s major. Regardless, she debuted at No. 1 on both Billboard global charts. This is a huge moment — her pop star power is no longer something to be debated or qualified but accepted.
Michael Saponara: 9. This really couldn’t have gone much better for Tate McRae. She releases “Housewife” and delivers the live debut of the single at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, where she was born to perform on the runway. It’s her highest Hot 100 debut as a lead and was the most streamed song in the country. She and Ryan Tedder continue to build on one of the most potent artist-producer relationships in pop. Whenever there’s a ceiling seemingly placed on Tate, she drives her sports car right through it. The only reason this isn’t a 10 is because she just missed out on unseating Ella Langley.
Andrew Unterberger: I think a 7.5 is reasonable. A No. 2 peak is hardly a new stratosphere for an artist who’s already had two No. 3s (“Greedy” and “Tit for Tat”), but outpacing such starry competition and giving “Choosin’ Texas” enough of a scare that chart-watchers were on the edge of their seat for the final couple days of the tracking week… it just proves that McRae’s really running with the big dogs of pop music now.
2. Just below “Housewife,” Olivia Rodrigo and Chappell Roan’s “Expectations” jumps 63-3 after the first full week of the new remix’s release. Is that No. 3 landing spot higher, lower or about what you would’ve expected for the all-star team-up?
Christopher Claxton: Honestly it’s about where I expected. We had a stacked week with drops from Taylor Swift, Zach Bryan with Lana Del Rey and Tate of course. So many huge artists with even larger fanbases releasing at once makes chart positions a bit difficult. But they made more progress than we might realize, 63 to 3 is a huge jump and that’s definitely something to celebrate.
Hannah Dailey: These are two of the biggest names in pop in 2026, and all of us are starved for any sort of new Roan material. It makes sense to me that it debuted in this position and is about what I expected, maybe even slightly higher.
Joe Lynch: So you’re asking about my expectations for “Expectations”? I was anticipating a top five jump given the Chappell-Olivia dream team and No. 3 is squarely in the middle of that — it’s a great placement for this silly, unserious (in a fun way) song. Roan adds a level of defiant camp to this song that makes it make so much more sense than the original IMO.
Michael Saponara: Initially it was higher than I expected for a song that’s been out for more than four months, but when you get a pair of Gen-Z’s pop titans colliding on a remix, who are also good friends, the vault to the top five makes sense.
Andrew Unterberger: No. 3 feels perfect, honestly. I know a lot of pop fans were holding out hope for a No. 1 — I won’t pretend I wasn’t one — but I never actually believed it was too likely; no matter how star-studded or well-considered a remix may be, it’s still a remix, and far more likely to boost an already-established megahit than generate a totally new one. And considering this is now one of the best-performing songs from one one of the best-performing albums of the year, I’d say the “Expectations” remix still more than did its job there.
3. Zach Bryan’s “Lies” No. 4 debut alongside Lana Del Rey marks his second (of two) top five Hot 100 hits to feature a big-name female duet partner, following the Kacey Musgraves-featuring, Hot 100-topping “I Remember Everything” in 2024. If Bryan wants to go three-for-three there, who should his third teamup be with?
Christopher Claxton: If Bryan wants to go three-for-three with female duet partners on the Hot 100, I think he should tap in with Megan Moroney. The two haven’t collaborated on a song yet, but they already have a connection: Megan joined Bryan for a performance of “Revival” in 2023 and has covered his music in the past. Moroney has had 15 songs appear on the Hot 100 but hasn’t scored a top five hit yet. Maybe the Emo Cowgirl is just the partner Bryan needs to make it a 3-peat.
Hannah Dailey: How about Tate McRae? If she topped the Hot 100 with Bryan, everyone might finally forget the time she did so with another more controversial country star — not to mention the fact that she’s a total force right now, and would elevate the profile of any track she guests on.
Joe Lynch: If we’re talking about concocting a can’t-miss-the-top five team-up, I would say Ella Langley is the obvious choice, and I would imagine they could cook up some compelling in-studio chemistry. But I feel like Lainey Wilson and Bryan could really cut loose together, too.
Michael Saponara: The first name that popped in my head was Ella Langley, whose chart dominance in 2026 speaks for itself, and that country combination is a sure-fire bet for commercial success.
Andrew Unterberger: The performers Bryan seems to have the most success with are the ones who have a foot in both the country and the pop worlds, with a little bit of an alt edge to them. So with that in mind, I’d advise him to eschew the slightly starrier names and enlist Avery Anna, who’s already had Hot 100 duet success both with another alt-skewing country star (“Indigo” with Sam Barber) and with an actual rock band (“Why Don’t You Say So” with Dexter and the Moonrocks). It’d be a natural fit, and probably a great look for both artists.
4. Of the three new top five hits, which would you say is the most likely to still be in the mix for the top spot well into 2027?
Christopher Claxton: I think Tate’s “Housewife” could have some staying power. When the track dropped it made an immediate impact, earning 55.9 million global streams and 6,000 sales worldwide during its first tracking week (according to Luminate). That 55.9 million number is already very high, but I feel like there’s still room to grow, especially if she continues to perform it live like, she did at the 2026 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.
Hannah Dailey: I think I’m going to say “Lies.” McRae’s single has the benefit of being a brand-new song as opposed to a remix of an already released track, while Rodrigo and Roan have the advantage of a bill with two big names rather than one. “Lies” has both. It’s also way more palatable for laid-back listening across genres and generations.
Joe Lynch: Tate’s for sure. The Rodrigo/Roan remix is delightful and will likely continue to be a strong streamer, but I don’t see it sticking around on radio through 2027 (likely another Olivia single will be out by then). “Lies” is a great duet but seems like it will drop out of the top 10 after a week or two, and it’s unlikely to become a mainstream radio mainstay. I could see it becoming a long-running Adult Alternative Airplay No. 1, though.
Michael Saponara: It’s gotta be “Housewife,” which feels like it has legit staying power and should be dominating radio airwaves shortly. The stage is set for Tate McRae to make another leap in the pop pantheon with her fourth album on the horizon for quarter one ‘27 and “Housewife” should remain a chart staple. My only worry for T8: Ryan Tedder said “Housewife” closes the book on McRae’s 2000s-era pop sound that she’s carefully sculpted, and fans should expect a sonic pivot when it’s album time.
Andrew Unterberger: Yeah, Tate ain’t even close to done yet. “Housewife” was ticking backup on streaming by the end of its first release week, and is still topping the daily listings on both Spotify and Apple Music, while also picking up steam on radio by the day. Not only does it feel like a safe bet for the first big stable chart hit of 2027, I also wouldn’t be surprised if it ended up going to No. 1 for the first time after the holidays — assuming “Choosin’ Texas” ever decides to start losing steam, anyway.
5. Prediction time: Will there be another No. 1 in between “Choosin’ Texas” and the holiday takeover in 2026?
Christopher Claxton: I unfortunately don’t see that happening unless Taylor Swift has a few more songs up her sleeve or we get a surprise drop from Beyoncé.
Hannah Dailey: Yes — it’ll take a real pre-Christmas miracle, but yes.
Joe Lynch: The easy (and safest) answer is to say no. But I’ll roll the dice and say sure — maybe Halloween pushes “Dracula” to the top spot, maybe Swift swings a return to No. 1, maybe McRae’s “Housewife” manages to lease out the top spot until Carey sets up shop at No. 1 for the holidays.
Michael Saponara: Yes, “Housewife.”
Andrew Unterberger: Yes, but only because I’m a Halloween No. 1 truther.
