Lil Nas X’s ‘Old Town Road’ Leaps to No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100
Plus, Billie Eilish earns first her top 10 with “Bad Guy,” from her first Billboard 200 No. 1 album, “When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?”
Lil Nas X blasts from No. 15 to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with his debut hit and viral smash “Old Town Road.”
Plus, Billie Eilish scores her first Hot 100 top 10, as “Bad Guy” bounds onto the chart at No. 7. The song is her from
Additionally, Ariana Grande‘s “7 Rings,” which falls to No. 3 on the Hot 100 after eight weeks at No. 1, becomes her first leader on the Radio Songs chart.
Let’s run down the top 10 of the newest Hot 100 (dated April 13), which blends all-genre U.S. streaming, radio airplay and digital sales data. All charts will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (April 9).
“Old Town Road” becomes the 1,086th No. 1 in the Hot 100’s 60-year history. Here’s a look at highlights of the list’s new leader by Atlanta native Lil Nas X, whose real name is Montero Lamar Hill; he was born April 9, 1999, and, thus, celebrates his 20th birthday tomorrow with a host of chart honors to unwrap.
No. 1 in streaming: “Road” roars to No. 1 on the Streaming Songs chart, from No. 7, up 60% to 46.6 million U.S. streams in the week ending April 4, according to Nielsen Music. The song wins the Hot 100’s top Streaming Gainer award for a third consecutive week.
“Road” also rises 11-3 on Digital Song Sales, surging by 83% to 22,000 downloads sold in the week ending April 4, as it claims top Sales Gainer honors for the second time in three weeks.
The song additionally gains by 190% to 11.9 million all-format audience impressions in the week ending April 7, as it continues to approach the Radio Songs chart.
Debut ‘Moves’: While Lil Nas X is the first artist to take an initial Hot 100 entry to No. 1 since Bradley Cooper just five weeks earlier, thanks to Cooper’s duet “Shallow” with Lady Gaga, Lil Nas X is the first artist unaccompanied by another act to top the Hot 100 on a first try since Cardi B, whose “Bodak Yellow (Money Moves)” spent three weeks at No. 1 in October 2017.
Lil Nas X is the first male artist (in a lead role) to lead the Hot 100 in a first visit since
15 to 1: “Road” makes the second-biggest jump to No. 1 on the Hot 100 this year. “Shallow” soared 21-1 following its win for best original song at the 91st Academy Awards.
Quick ‘Road’ to No. 1: “Road” reaches No. 1 on the Hot 100 in just its sixth week on the chart. While the song it replaces at the summit, Grande’s “7 Rings,” debuted at No. 1, “Road” marks the fastest flight to No. 1 for an artist’s debut entry (in a lead role) since Zayn’s “Pillowtalk” opened on top in February 2016.
As Zayn was already known as a former member of powerhouse boy band One Direction, Lil Nas X makes the swiftest ascent to No. 1 on the Hot 100 for an act with no prior Hot 100 history at all since Baauer blasted in at the top spot with his five-week leader “Harlem Shake” in March 2013.
Columbia in command: After buzz began building for “Road,” Lil Nas X signed with Columbia Records. Now, the label boasts its first Hot 100 No. 1 since The Chainsmokers’ “Closer,” featuring Halsey, reigned for 12 weeks from September through November 2016.
“Road” is the first debut Hot 100 No. 1 for an artist on Columbia since OMI’s “Cheerleader” stood atop the chart’s pyramid for six weeks in 2015.
NIN at No. 1: As “Road” samples Nine Inch Nails’ track “34 Ghost IV,” from the industrial rock band’s 2008 album Ghosts I–IV, NIN’s Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross sport co-writing and co-producing credit on “Road.” (Lil Nas X also earns a writing credit, while YoungKio additionally claims producer credit.)
Reznor and Ross make their first trip to No. 1 on the Hot 100 as writers and producers. As a band, NIN hit a No. 17 Hot 100 high in August 1999 with “The Day the World Went Away” (written and co-produced by Reznor).
No. 1 hip-hop & rap: “Road” concurrently becomes Lil Nas X’s first No. 1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Songs charts, leaping from No. 7 on each list.
‘Road’ ahead: “Road” should benefit on next week’s charts (dated April 20) thanks its new remix, featuring Billy Ray Cyrus, released Friday, April 5; data for the remix’s first full tracking week will feed next week’s tallies, which will reflect the streaming and sales week of April 5-11 (with both the remix and original version counting toward the song’s singular chart placement).
Post Malone‘s former one-week Hot 100 leader “Sunflower (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse),” with Swae Lee, rebounds 3-2 and Grande’s “7 Rings” descends to No. 3 after eight weeks at No. 1, her career-best rule among her two toppers; “Thank U, Next” led for seven weeks beginning in November.
Still, “7 Rings” becomes Grande’s first No. 1 on Radio Songs, rising from No. 2 despite a 3% percent dip to 88.7 million in audience. Grande previously reached a No. 2 high on the chart with “Problem,” featuring Iggy Azalea, in 2014 (and sent five subsequent singles to No. 3, including “Next”).
Post Malone’s solo single “Wow.” drops to No. 4 on the Hot 100 from its No. 2 peak; Halsey‘s former two-week No. 1 “Without Me” falls 4-5; and Cardi B and Bruno Mars‘ “Please Me” retreats 5-6 after reaching No. 3.
Billie Eilish notches her first Hot 100 top 10, as “Bad Guy” vaults onto the chart at No. 7. The song is her from album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, which arrives as her first Billboard 200 No. 1. She outdoes her prior best Hot 100 rank, as fellow Asleep song “Bury a Friend” reached No. 14 in February.
After the official video for “Bad Guy” premiered March 29, the song starts at No. 2 on Streaming Songs with 34.7 million U.S. streams. On Digital Song Sales, the track enters at No. 7 (16,000 sold).
“Bad Guy” is one of five songs that Eilish places in the Hot 100’s top 40, joined by “Friend” (41-25); current pop radio single “When the Party’s Over” (a re-entry at No. 29, a new high); “Wish You Were Gay” (84-31); and “Xanny” (new at No. 35). (She had previously appeared in the top 40 only with “Friend.”)
Jonas Brothers‘ “Sucker,” which started as the trio’s first No. 1 on the March 16-dated Hot 100, lifts 9-8, while achieving top Airplay Gainer honors for a fourth week. The track becomes the group’s first Radio Songs top 10, pushing 12-8 (69 million, up 24%).
Marshmello and Bastille‘s No. 2 Hot 100 hit “Happier” backtracks 6-9, while ruling the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart for a 29th week, and J. Cole‘s No. 4-peaking Hot 100 hit “Middle Child” slips 7-10.
Find out more Hot 100 news on Billboard.com this week, and, for all chart news, you can listen (and subscribe) to Billboard‘s Chart Beat Podcast and Pop Shop Podcast and follow @billboard and @billboardcharts. And again, be sure to visit Billboard.com tomorrow (April 9), when all charts, including the Hot 100 in its entirety, will refresh. The next issue of Billboard magazine is on sale Friday (April 12).
Source: billboard.com