Michael Jackson's 'Billie Jean' Tops Billboard's Kids-Music Chart for a Second Month

Michael Jackson's 'Billie Jean' held the No. 1 spot on Billboard's Top Gabb Music Songs chart for a second consecutive month on the July 2026 survey, according to Billboard. The chart, launched in October 2024 in partnership with Gabb Wireless — a phone company marketed to kids and teens — tracks on-demand streams through the Gabb Music platform, whose catalogue is curated to include only kid- and teen-appropriate content. Those streams do not feed into any other Billboard chart.

The song's 2026 resurgence traces back to the release of the biopic Michael, which pushed 'Billie Jean' as high as No. 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 dated May 23, 2026. On the Top Gabb Music Songs chart, the track debuted at No. 3 on the May 2026 survey, then climbed to No. 1 in June. By the July tally, it held the top position for a second month running, with 'Beat It' following close behind.

Five Michael Jackson songs appeared across the 25-position July chart. 'Beat It' dropped two spots to No. 4, while 'Chicago' held at No. 8. The full top 10 read: 1. 'Billie Jean' (Michael Jackson), 2. 'Lush Life' (Zara Larsson), 3. 'Choosin' Texas' (Ella Langley), 4. 'Beat It' (Michael Jackson), 5. 'Ordinary' (Alex Warren), 6. 'Demons' (Josiah Queen), 7. 'The Cure' (Olivia Rodrigo), 8. 'Chicago' (Michael Jackson), 9. 'Earrings' (Malcolm Todd), 10. 'Beautiful Things' (Benson Boone).

Zara Larsson's 'Lush Life' reached a new peak at No. 2, up from No. 3 on the April 2026 list. Ella Langley's 'Choosin' Texas' returned to the top three for the first time since March, during a run in which the song has spent 18 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 — the chart that aggregates all-format US streaming, radio and sales data.

New entries made their presence felt. Olivia Rodrigo's 'The Cure' climbed four positions to a new peak at No. 7, after debuting at No. 11 in June. Malcolm Todd's 'Earrings' was the chart's top debut at No. 9 and also reached No. 20 on the Hot 100 dated July 25, 2026. Shakira and Burna Boy's 'Dai Dai', the 2026 FIFA World Cup anthem, entered at No. 11. 'Mad' by Leonardo Nam and Rita Ora, from the film Descendants: Wicked Wonderland, debuted at No. 12.

Rodrigo had a second entry: her earlier single 'Drivers License' debuted at No. 20 on the same July tally. Meanwhile, several songs dropped off the chart entirely, including Taylor Swift's 'I Knew It, I Knew You', Myles Smith's 'Stargazing', Djo's 'End of Beginning' and KATSEYE's 'Gabriela'.

What makes the Top Gabb Music Songs chart distinct is its audience. The Gabb Music catalogue is selected by the Gabb team to filter out explicit content, meaning the chart reflects what children and teenagers actively choose to stream when given a curated, ad-free library — not what adults push their way. A Michael Jackson biopic reviving a 43-year-old track for that audience is a reminder of how film releases can pull catalogue material into entirely new listening demographics.