Self Aware
single
CoverTemper City - Self Aware.jpg
ArtistTemper City
Released15 February 2026
GenreAlternative rock
Length3:00
LabelThirty Knots
Writer
  • Chen Kordova
  • Aviv Barenholtz
  • Eytan Peled
Producer
  • Kordova
  • Barenholtz

"Self Aware" is the debut single by the alternative rock band Temper City, released on 15 February 2026.[1] Upon its release, the song went viral on the video-sharing app TikTok.[2][3]

Background

The band was formed by three musicians Chen Kordova and Aviv Barenholtz of the duo "Sync", and Eytan Peled. Kordova and Barenholtz have worked together since they were 12 years old, and previously produced hits for prominent artists such as Noa Kirel and Netta Barzilai. Peled, the band vocalist and songwriter, works on the Tel Aviv-Los Angeles commuter line.[4] The three have previously collaborated on the songs "Why So Serious" and "Where We Are" on British label NoCopyrightSounds.[5][6].

The song combines influences from indie rock and alternative pop. It is characterized by a "dark" and rhythmic sound, which has been compared to the works of Steve Lacy and Hozier.[7]

TikTok virality

Temper City began teasing the song on TikTok on 28 January 2026, via clips of them recording the song in the middle of the desert.[8] The snippets highlighted the second half of the pre-chorus and the first half of the chorus. The song quickly gained widespread recognition, due to its stylistic similarities to 2010s indie rock bands such as Cage the Elephant and The Neighbourhood, as well as its emotional lyrics.[2]

Commercial performance

According to Luminate, the song earned 128,000 official on-demand streams in the United States during the week of its release (13–19 February 2026). The figure rose to 388,000 the following week, an increase of 201%, before climbing to 849,000 (up 118%) in the week of 27 February – 5 March. By 6–12 March, the song exceeded 1.12 million weekly streams, marking a further 32% increase.[2]

The song also entered the US Billboard Hot 100 chart at number 97, making them the first Israeli band to achieve this feat.[9]

Charts

Chart performance for "Self Aware"
Chart (2026)Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[10]25
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[11]43
Global 200 (Billboard)[12]35
Greece International (IFPI)[13]27
Israel (Mako Hit List)[14]28
Italy (FIMI)[15]73
Italy Airplay (EarOne)[16]24
Latvia Airplay (LaIPA)[17]16
Latvia Streaming (LaIPA)[18]5
Lithuania (AGATA)[19]14
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[20]31
Norway (IFPI Norge)[21]15
Poland (Polish Streaming Top 100)[22]33
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[23]37
US Billboard Hot 100[24]73
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[25]15

References

  1. ^ "Self Aware - Single". Apple Music. Retrieved 16 April 2026.
  2. ^ Denis, Kyle & Unterberger, Andrew (18 March 2026). "‘Sinners’ and ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Soundtracks Up in Streams and Sales Following Big Oscars Wins". Billboard. Retrieved 16 April 2026.
  3. ^ כרמלי, יפתח (2026-04-15). "מתחת לאף שלנו: הישראלים שהפכו ללהיט ענק עם מאות מיליוני צפיות" (in Hebrew). mako. Retrieved 19 April 2026.
  4. ^ כרמלי, יפתח (2026-04-15). "מתחת לאף שלנו: הישראלים שהפכו ללהיט ענק עם מאות מיליוני צפיות" (in Hebrew). mako. Retrieved 2026-04-26.
  5. ^ Why So Serious (Video). NoCopyrightSounds. Retrieved 21 May 2026.
  6. ^ Where We Are (Video). NoCopyrightSounds. Retrieved 21 May 2026.
  7. ^ "בלי שאף אחד בארץ שם לב: שתי להקות ישראליות כבשו את העולם | אבי כלילי" (in Hebrew). www.maariv.co.il. 2026. Retrieved 2026-04-26.
  8. ^ "השיר הזה של "טמפר סיטי" הוא להיט ישראלי עולמי, אירוע שמתרחש אחת לכמה שנים"
  9. ^ כרמלי, יפתח (2026-04-15). "מתחת לאף שלנו: הישראלים שהפכו ללהיט ענק עם מאות מיליוני צפיות" (in Hebrew). mako. Retrieved 2026-04-26.
  10. ^ "ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. 1 June 2026. Retrieved 29 May 2026.
  11. ^ "Canadian Hot 100: Week of May 23, 2026". Billboard. Retrieved 19 May 2026.
  12. ^ "Billboard Global 200: Week of June 6, 2026". Billboard. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  13. ^ "Official IFPI Charts − Digital Singles Chart (International) − Εβδομάδα: 18/2026" (in Greek). IFPI Greece. Archived May 13, 2026 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved May 13, 2026.
  14. ^ "he:המצעד השבועי: היטליסט – שבוע 19, 2026 – 28.04 – 04.05.2026" [Mako Hit List: Weekly Chart – Week 19, 2026 | 28.04 – 04.05.2026] (in Hebrew). Mako Hit List. 5 May 2026. Archived 6 May 2026 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 6 May 2026.
  15. ^ "Top Singoli – Classifica settimanale WK 21" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 23 May 2026.
  16. ^ "EarOne Airplay: Week #16 dal 10/04/2026 al 16/04/2026" [EarOne Airplay: Week #16 from 10/04/2026 to 16/04/2026] (in Italian). EarOne. 17 April 2026. Retrieved 23 April 2026.
  17. ^ "Džastins Bībers atgriežas arī Latvijas mūzikas topā" [Justin Bieber is back on the Latvian music charts as well] (in Latvian). TV Net. 28 April 2026. Retrieved 28 April 2026.
  18. ^ "Latvijas dziesmu topu papildina divi jaunumi" [Two new entries have been added to the Latvian charts] (in Latvian). TV Net. 12 May 2026. Retrieved 13 May 2026.
  19. ^ "2026 22-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. 29 May 2026. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
  20. ^ "Official Top 40 Singles". Recorded Music NZ. 29 May 2026. Retrieved 29 May 2026.
  21. ^ "Singel 2026 uke 19". IFPI Norge. Retrieved 9 May 2026.
  22. ^ "OLiS – oficjalna lista sprzedaży – single w streamie" (Select week 15.05.2026–21.05.2026.) (in Polish). OLiS. Retrieved 28 May 2026.
  23. ^ "Veckolista Singlar, vecka 22, 2026" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
  24. ^ "Billboard Hot 100: Week of May 23, 2026". Billboard. Retrieved 19 May 2026.
  25. ^ "Hot Rock & Alternative Songs: Week of May 2, 2026". Billboard. Retrieved 29 April 2026.