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Chart Beat

Moroccan-Canadian Singer Faouzia Earns First-Ever Billboard Canadian Hot 100 Entry With ‘Unethical’

The song has made its chart debut nearly a year after its release following a viral resurgence on social media.

Faouzia

Faouzia

Courtesy Photo

Faouzia has landed on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100 for the first time.

The Moroccan-Canadian singer debuts at No. 97 with her track, “Unethical,” on the chart dated Sept. 19. It’s a major moment for the independent artist, born Faouzia Ouihya, as she earns her first-ever placement on the chart.


It’s been just over a year since Faouzia released “Unethical,” ahead of her 2025 debut album, Film Noir. The song is a dramatic, orchestral pop ballad that bears a striking resemblance to cinematic tracks from the 2010s. Detailing the betrayal of a toxic relationship, it builds into a massive, moody orchestral wall of sound that complements Faouzia’s powerful vocal delivery.

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“Breakin' all my bones, tryna hold you close / Cut my heart right out my body? / Tearing off my skin just to let you in / Isn't it a bit unethical?” she ponders on the nearly four-minute track.

Recently, Faouzia released a deluxe version of Film Noir, and “Unethical” is having a resurgence on social media. Upon news that the song became the singer’s first song to receive over a million Spotify daily streams on September 2, the singer posted that “i’ve been crying all morning . i love you so much . i am forever grateful."


Kane Brown and Shania Twain are also stomping onto the Canadian Hot 100 this week.

“Boots” is a reimagining of Twain’s 1995 song “Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under,” one of her first big hits. “Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under” was included on 1995’s The Woman In Me, and reached No. 17 on the Billboard Canadian Albums chart in 1997.

While Twain’s original was a scathing takedown of an unfaithful lover, Brown’s version is a response from a committed lover.

Describing it as “a guy’s version” of Twain’s track, Brown says “It’s not the same sound. It’s some of her same melodies, but then a whole different thing. So you’re getting a completely different, new song.”

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Brown’s description is apt, with lyrics like: “Your lips are all that I’m kissin’/ When I’m gone, you’re all that I’m missin’.”

Twain is hot on the heels of her latest album, Little Miss Twain, which landed in the top 20 on the Billboard Canadian Albums chart. The album is a thematic return to her early days, even before her chart breakthrough, as a teenage country singer in Northern Ontario.

Another country hitmaker is having a momentous week on the Canadian Hot 100.

Ella Langley's gigantic hit “Choosin’ Texas” spends its 19th week at No. 1, tying with Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus’ “Old Town Road” for the third longest leading Canadian Hot 100 hit of all time behind Alex Warren's "Ordinary" and Shaboozey's "A Bar Song (Tipsy)."


Ahead of Miley's forthcoming tenth studio album, title track, “Bass Persuades,” debuts on the Canadian Hot 100 at No. 20. That's 15 spots higher than in the singer’s home country, where it lands at No. 35.

The song ushers in a new era for the singer, formerly known as Miley Cyrus, now opting for a one-name moniker. “Bass Persuades” explores new genre territory for the artist, too: leaning on an '80s-inspired synth-pop sound and a driving rhythm. Many have pointed out the track’s similarities to Dua Lipa’s “Training Season,” which borrows from a similar decade musically. That track reached No. 11 on the Canadian Hot 100.

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For a third week, Noah Kahan’s The Great Divide holds down the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Canadian Albums chart, while Ella Langley’s Dandelion sits at No. 2. Further down, a third Dolly Parton compilation album lands on the chart, following the singer’s death. 2022’s Diamonds & Rhinestones: The Greatest Hits Collection arrives at No. 20.

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Find all of Billboard Canada's charts here.

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bbno$. Coach shirt and jeans.
Ed Gumuchian
bbno$. Coach shirt and jeans.
FYI

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