Artists with the most Top 10 singles in the UK

They don’t call him the King for nothing, and while he may not have been with us since 1977, Elvis Presley is still unbeaten when it comes to Top 10s in the UK. 76 of his hits have reached the top flight, kicking off in 1956 with Heartbreak Hotel, right up to the 2005 re-release of Way Down – both tracks peaked at 2.

Representing the UK is our very own rock and roll golden boy, Cliff Richard, who’s made the Top 10 an astonishing 68 times as a credited artist, with his band the Drifters – better known as the Shadows – and then solo. His most recent Top 10, Thank You For a Lifetime, celebrated his 50th anniversary in music in 2008.

Top female artist is Madonna, whose 63 Top 10s put her in third place overall. Speaking of Top 10s, Madonna holds the record for most consecutive Top 10 peaks, scoring 36 between 1984 and 1994. Her first ever Top 10 was signature hit Holiday in 1984 and most recent Celebration in 2009.

MORE: Acts who have peaked at every position in the Top 10

A few hits behind, but still with a very impressive tally of 44, is the legendary Michael Jackson – his figure doesn’t include hits with the Jackson 5, the Jacksons, or any other uncredited appearances. Kylie Minogue rounds out the Top 5, one of only three women with over 30 Top 10s under their belts.

Irish band U2 are sixth, with 33 to their name, and while you may expect The Beatles to be higher (they’re eleventh, with 28), their star did burn brighter and briefer than many. One quirk is that if we included all his Beatles, Wings, solo singles and appearances on other tracks as a vocalist, Paul McCartney would be fourth with 55. However, it’s direct credits that count, and alone, Sir Paul has 19. The legendary Elton John scored his 32nd Top 10 hit and first a lead artist since 2004 in September 2021 with Dua Lipa collaboration Cold Heart (Pnau Remix).

There’s still plenty of scope for change in the upper reaches, with current regular Top 10 visitors likely to rack up even more, like Eminem (on 33), Rihanna (30), Drake (30), Calvin Harris (27), David Guetta (26) and Kanye West (21). ABBA also unprecedently joined the club in September 2021 when Don’t Shut Me Down became their 20th Top 10 hit and first for four decades.

MORE: Artists with the most Number 1 singles on the UK chart

Bubbling under on 19 Top 10 hits include Beyoncé and Little Mix, both of which could hit the coveted mark of 20 top flight hits soon.

There are 35 acts with more than 20 Top 10 peaks on the UK chart. Here’s the rundown:

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*Diana Ross’s Top 10 tally includes hits credited to “Diana Ross and the Supremes”, but not pre-1967 songs credited only to the Supremes.

** The Shadows’ total includes any hits credited to the Shadows — with or without Cliff Richard – but not those scored under their previous name of the Drifters.