Top Ten Territory:

For a sixth week Leona Lewis rules the Swiss singles chart. And for a fifth week "Bleeding Love" (Fl 1.6, Wal 14-16, USA 41-21, CAN 21-16) is the most listened to song on Swiss radio. Her album "Spirit" holds at #4 after starting at the top. Talk about the first new face of 2008...

It's interesting to note that "Bleeding Love" now matches the length at #1 of its pre-predecessor "Apologize", which has spent seven of the last eight weeks in runner-up position. This week again OneRepublic hold at #2 with the song co-written by its lead singer Ryan Tedder.

On its way up is Schnuffel. The creation of the Jamba company to star in its ringtone commercials thus eclipses the peak position of Flat Eric. This puppet had a Europe-wide #1 hit with "Flat Beat" in 1999 but luckily peaked here at #4. So Schnuffel might become the second non-human to land a top hit in Switzerland following in the footsteps of the similarly Jamba-created animal Crazy Frog. In Germany (fourth week) and Austria (second week) it still rules the charts.

Although women and female-led acts dominate the top 10 it is not as dramatic as on the airplay top 10 where seven solo female singers occupy a top 10 ranking: besides Leona Lewis this is Duffy (Air 6-2), Gwen Stefani (Air 5-4), Stefanie Heinzmann (Air 4-5), Adele (Air 15-7), Yael Naim (Air 10-9) and Kylie Minogue (Air 12-10). Sales-wise Duffy cracks the Big Ten, bringing the still reigning UK champion "Mercy" (NL 3 new) up 15-9. And the Alison Sudol-moniker A Fine Frenzy does the same by bringing "Almost Lover" (Air 20-14, D 15-11, A 9-5) definitely into the top 10 (CH 12-10). Both songs are still not released on CD and chart solely on downloads.

The New Stuff:

Sina scores double this time. Her album "In Wolkä fische" is this week's highest new entry only beaten by Amy Winehouse's "Back To Black" which tops the survey for an eighth non-consecutive week. And with "Wänn nit jetz wänn dä" (CH 25 Top, Air 40-43) she scores her highest solo ranking on the singles chart. The potential summer hit (listen to it and you will instantly start making vacation plans) in my eyes is released a bit too early in the year. Only the collaboration on Polo Hofer's remake of his own "Alperose" last year brought her higher: #15. Her album is her fourth top 2 success albeit only "Wiiblich" in 1995 made it all the way.

A bunch of US stars makes it onto our survey this time. "Low" (CH 31 new, D 19 new, A 33 Top, USA 2-3, CAN 1.8) was the longest-running Hot 100 hit of 2007 only now finishing a ten-week run atop the US chart. For rapper Flo Rida it marks his Swiss chart bow, for featured guest T-Pain it is his third entry here albeit his highest. Rapper Snoop Dogg's try at singing comes in at #34 as "Sensual Seduction" (Air 85-68, D 16-23 Ex 16, A 40-44, NL 63 new, USA 10-12 Ex 7, CAN 76-67 Ex 54), his 18th chart single and the first in over a year, has reached the US top 10. OneRepublic follow up its big debut success with the equally easy-flowing "Stop And Stare" (CH 77 new, Air 37-39, A 59-54 second week, NL 52 new, USA 27-24 Ex 20, CAN 24-21) and Janet Jackson returns with her album "Discipline" and her 26th chart single "Feedback" (CH 51 new, Air 66-81, NL 59 new, Fl 35-32, USA 19-28 Ex 19, CAN 3-6) which so far is her third not to reach the top 50.

An interesting collaboration is the one by Algerian-born French rapper Sinik and British singer/songwriter and adult-favourite James Blunt. Actually being named Thomas Gérard Idir the 27-year-old Parisian already visited our survey in summer of 2006 with his #70 hit "Ne dis jamais" featuring Vitaa. Now from his third proper full-length album "Le toit du monde" the track "Je réalise" (CH 60 new, Wal 29-20, F 3-3) is taken.

Börni Höhn, born on 11. August 1986, was one of the finalists on the third season of Swiss reality TV show 'MusicStar'. Now the Avril Lavigne-influenced singer makes her chart bow at #64 with "Scream My Name" (Air 85 new).

One of quite a lot successful Swiss acts currently is Adrian Stern. Last fall he spent a first week inside the singles chart at the anchor position with "Unhaltbar". Now he returns a bit higher, at #78, with the title cut of his new album "Lieber Lieder" (Air 30-44) which in its second week drops 8-11.

The last of this week's nine new entries belongs to a song which competed for the German ticket to the Eurovision Song Contest. Hannover-based quartet Marquess around lead singer Sascha Pierro has some trouble following up its huge #1 hit "Vayamos compañeros" from last year. "You And Not Tokio" struggled and in two weeks climbed not higher than #80. Now "La histeria" (D 20 new) also starts only at #82.

Jumpin', Jumpin':

Biggest mover of the week thanks to a just-released CD single is David Guetta. His former album track "Delirious" (Air 46-45, A 50-42, Wal 34 new, F 25-16) featuring vocals by Tara McDonald first was ranked last July/August and in four weeks peaked at #73. Now with a physical release the track rockets up 69-23 in a twelfth chart week and thereby is the fourth consecutive hit inside the top 25 for the Frenchman. Surprising when you consider that out of his first seven chart singles only one did that. But what still eludes him is a top 10 entry! "Love Is Gone" still ranks as his biggest hit but stopped for three non-consecutive weeks at #11 late last year.