Olivia Rodrigo's endurance matters more than her chart peaks

let’s grade pop stars' recent performance on the charts feat. Olivia Rodrigo, Gracie Abrams, Adéla, and Audrey Hobert

It’s been a few weeks since I ended my weekly chart roundups (you can find the full story and explanation here). But as I promised, I’m still very much interested in what’s happening on the charts, and I know many of you are, too. Today, I’m going to walk you through a new way I’m thinking about the charts over the last few weeks by breaking down a winner, a loser, and two wild cards that help explain what’s happening in pop music on the charts right now.

Winner: Olivia Rodrigo's endurance matters more than chart peaks

Olivia has had an absolutely dominant run this spring and summer with her 3rd album You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So In Love. TBH, I was a little skeptical of just how warmly this would be received. Of course, Olivia is a major pop star, but the reception of Guts was somewhat softer than Sour’s. You Seem Pretty Sad hasn’t beaten the chart peaks of Sour (one week at #1 for “drop dead” vs. eight for “Drivers License” plus one for “Good 4 U”). However, its longevity is proving her star power is far from diminished, and if anything, it has only grown.

The stat that’s really blowing my mind? Last week, she still had seven songs on the Hot 100 in the ninth week since the album’s release, including three tracks in the Top 40. For comparison, Harry Styles had a huge debut with Kiss All the Time. Disco Occasionally. Like Olivia, each of its tracks (12 total) hit the Hot 100 in its first week, but by week three, only six remained. And in the comparable ninth week, only “American Girls” was left on the chart at #40.

A breakthrough hit like “As It Was” or “Driver’s License” can be career-making for artists. But the thing that really sets an artist up for long-term success is a dedicated fan base returning to your music over and over. This summer, Olivia Rodrigo has proven that we should expect her to be around for the long haul, because her fans (myself included) are still going crazy for this album.

the teen pop star label was always too small for Olivia Rodrigo’s ambitions

Loser: Gracie Abrams’s #1 album hides a misstep on her way to Main Pop Girl status

Gracie Abrams should absolutely be proud of scoring her first #1 album on the Billboard 200 with Daughter From Hell. As with Olivia, those first week sales numbers prove a level of dedication from her fans that are nothing to sniff at.

But Gracie, with her Taylor Swift endorsements and big time press tour, was clearly going for something beyond just dedicated fans with this rollout. Where I think she fell short of her superstar aspirations is around the reception to the songs. Unfortunately, the singles from new album Daughter From Hell just haven’t hit the way her breakout single “That’s So True” did in 2024. While that track reached #6, new lead single “Hit The Wall” peaked at #26, below even her second best performer “I Love You, I’m Sorry.” Follow ups “Look At My Life” (peaking at #54) and “Good Reason” (peaking at #51) didn’t even crack the Top 40.

The reality in 2026 is that established artists very rarely have a breakout hit from an album after its release; the pre-release singles are the chance to show what you’ve got and have them connect, so I wouldn’t expect any higher peaks this time around from Gracie. All told, Daughter From Hell is more of an up and down performance than the straight to stardom hit that many of us expected after “That’s So True.” These numbers point more towards Gracie being a popular niche artist (a la Charli xcx) than a true Main Pop Girl, at least so far.

Wild Cards: Audrey Hobert and Adéla are showing two pathways to chart hits in 2026

Speaking of niche artists, two pop singers with very different sounds and aesthetics have made their debuts on the Hot 100 this month. I think looking at them in comparison is helpful to think about the way the popularity of music is traveling these days.

Let’s start with Audrey Hobert, the co-writer of “That’s So True,” whose 2025 release “Sue Me” entered the Hot 100 at #98 a few weeks ago. I mentioned with Gracie that established artists don’t tend to see their songs rise much after release, but breakouts like Audrey tend to have more of a runway. As she’s hit the festival circuit this summer in support of her debut album Who’s The Clown?, she’s been building momentum slowly but surely in a path that looks like Chappell Roan’s 2024 (though on a much smaller scale, to be fair). When I saw her at Gov Ball in June, I was shocked by the huge crowd singing along to every word at the early afternoon set, though maybe I shouldn’t have been when so many of my friends love her as much as I do. I’ll be interested to see how Audrey capitalizes (or doesn’t) on this moment - it feels ripe for a deluxe edition or new loosey single.

Adéla has been seeing something closer to a slow and steady climb as she is releasing singles ahead of her new era. “KGB” (and the accompanying video with iconic choreo) was on repeat in my household this spring, but “Ain’t In LA” is the breakout hit that’s earned her a debut week on the Hot 100. Whether it’s due to the TikTok trend of people living outside big cities using the track or the song’s sound that recalls Miley’s “We Can’t Stop,” Adéla has found a connection here and seems ready to ride it as far as it goes.

Of these two artists, it reads to me that Audrey has the more dedicated fans but Adéla has higher hit potential. The next moves they make could be pivotal in determining if they’re ready to play with the big dogs or are a better fit for alt pop. Adéla needs to connect beyond virality, and Audrey needs to feed the fanbase with new material.

---

What songs and artists have caught your eye on the Hot 100 lately? As the Top 10 continues to move as slowly as ever, I had a lot of fun this week looking for stories further down the charts that you may not have noticed.

Thanks for reading Track Ten! On Thursdays I publish the “encore:” shorter pieces like chart check ins, roundups of the best new alt pop, and album reviews. On Mondays I publish essays analyzing the past and present of pop stardom. Can’t wait for the next piece? Check out my essay on Charli xcx's evolution from failed pop star to niche legend or Rated, my series scoring albums’ commercial and artistic success.