Brabant DJ Jan Berendsen, better known as Jengi, is doing well. The song peaked at number 1 on the WorldWideClub 20 and along with its debut on the Dutch Top 40, it also entered the official UK chart.

Jengi – who celebrates his 27th birthday today – already uploaded the song Bel Mercy online in 2020. Almost three years later, it became popular thanks to a toddler dancing in ski goggles. You can hardly imagine anything crazier. The song was heard in a video posted by a Russian travel organization on Instagram on 2 January 2022. The video featuring infectious dancing girls on tables was reused on 7 November 2022 to advertise a ski trip to Dombaj.

Techno Ski Kid
9 days later, Beatport posted the video on TikTok and it quickly spread across the internet. People start dancing like toddlers in the video, becoming known by names like Dancing Ski Baby, Mountain Rave Baby, and Techno Ski Kid. Other people try to make their little ones dance in the same way. Through all this, Bel Mercy reaches millions of viewers.

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Call me
Mercy Bell is a remix of the intro to Mercy, a song by Kanye West, Big Sean, Pusha T and 2 Chainz that reached number 13 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 2012. It contains vocals from two old dancehall records: Dust A Sound Boy by Super Beagle from 1988 and Cu Oonuh by Reggie Stepper from 1993. Jengi cleverly combines this with the music of Dutch hop tune Bel Me by Amsterdam hip-hop collective HydroBoyz from 2011. It is this combination of Bel Me and Mercy that gives the song its name: Mercy Bell.

Number 93
Bel Mercy is the highest entry in the Dutch Top 40 this weekend. The song Jengi debuted at number 36. In the UK, it had a more modest debut. There he was ranked 93rd. This was his first listing in both countries. Thanks to this listing, Jengi’s name can be included in the list of Dutch DJs who have appeared in the British hit parade. That includes Armin Van Buuren, Martin Garrix, Afrojack, Nicky Romero, Sam Feldt and of course Tiësto. The latter is currently at number 18 in the UK charts with 10:35.

Today
Since the title comes from Bel Me, Bel Mercy is actually a Dutch title. The fact of the inclusion of a Dutch title in the English hit parade is of course very special. However, this is not unique. In 2014, Bakermat reached number 15 with the song Today, in which he edited Martin Luther King’s famous speech. In the UK, the song was released under a slightly different name: One Day (Today).

Wait and see
With Jengi joining the list in the UK, it remains to be seen whether Jengi will be a success in more countries. However, the opportunity definitely exists. We’ll keep an eye on it. For now, we look forward to Friday with great anticipation. It will then be known whether Bel Mercy was on the (ski) lift to the top and if so, how many places she managed to gain.

(09-01-2023)