Stranger Things star reaches UK number one thanks to show's soundtrack

Joe Keery of Stranger Things fame has managed to top the UK Singles Chart for the first time thanks to his own song featuring on the show's soundtrack.

Keery, who plays Steve Harrington in the hit Netflix show, has been releasing music under the pseudonym Djo since 2019.

And while Keery has seen good success across the board, with many of his songs netting tens of millions of streams, one song in particular has gone on to dwarf the rest of his catalogue.

As of 9th January 2026, Djo's 'End of Beginning' has knocked Taylor Swift's 'The Fate of Ophelia' off the top of the UK Singles Charts after seven weeks.

'End of Beginning', a synth-pop track first released in September 2022 on the Djo album 'Decide', first saw success thanks to its popularity on TikTok, leading to it being reissued as a single in March 2024.

Its popularity would skyrocket, however, following the song being featured in the finale of Stranger Things season 5.

At the time of writing, 'End of Beginning' has now cracked 2 billion streams on Spotify, and helping to lift Djo to being the 84th most listened-to artist in the world on the platform.

This is not the first time that Stranger Things has prompted a new wave of popularity for a single.

Stranger Things season 4 famously saw Kate Bush's 'Running Up That Hill' from the Album 'Hounds of Love' top the UK Singles Chart for the first time, 37 years after it initially peaked at number three.

The song has received similar streaming success, sitting at over 1.5 billion streams on Spotify three years later.

With Stranger Things concluding after five seasons, and no season 6 on the horizon, Harrington (or rather, Djo) will perhaps be looking to move away from acting and place greater emphasis on his music.

It may not be over quite yet, however, with fans continuing to speculate as to the existence of a secret episode 9, with the conspiracy potentially having a real impact on TV going forward.

Stranger Things seasons 1-5 are available to stream on Netflix.

Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.