Everyone seems to think the Hot 100 is broken. Each week, I count down the biggest songs, take a look at what’s trending up in the weeks ahead, and let you know if I think Billboard got it right.
counting down
Billboard Hot 100 #1: Golden by HUNTR/X
7th week at #1
Up in all three metrics Billboard uses for calculation
33.8 million streams
33.9 million radio airplay
8,000 sold
Billboard 200 #1 Album & Song: Safe (Feat. Kehlani) from Am I The Drama? By Cardi B.
200,000 Equivalent Album Units
110,000 Streaming Equivalent Albums - 145.72 million streams
88,000 Traditional Sales
2,000 Track Equivalent Albums
Safe debuts at #26 on the Hot 100
This is a really healthy debut week, especially when it comes to streaming - there is clearly both a lot of organic interest (people streaming for free) and a deep enough fan base willing to buy albums. I’m guessing she’s wishing for a top 10 debut for Safe, but there’s a depth with 12 tracks on the Hot 100. Big congrats to Cardi for the strong come back after 7 years off!
Spotify Weekly US #1: Golden by HUNTR/X
#1 for 9 weeks
12,483,992 streams this week (down 921,017)
Youtube Weekly US #1: Golden by HUNTR/X
#1 for 13 weeks (this is getting crazy!)
14,303,088 streams this week (down -1,513,423)
Soda Pop and Your Idol are beginning to close in on Golden with Your Idol gaining over 3 million streams compared to last week - will be interested to see if it overtakes Golden.
TikTok Weekly US #1: Drug Dealing by Big yella
Is this chart telling me anything useful? TBD!
Billboard Global 200 #1: Golden by HUNTR/X
#1 for 11 weeks
r/Popheads Chart: WHERE IS MY HUSBAND! By Raye
Debut at #1
my last.fm: Fame is a Gun by Addison Rae
Wish I had gotten tickets/wish tickets in New York weren’t $250+ resale…
trending up
Sugar on My Tongue - Tyler, the Creator: One of only 3 gainers on the Spotify top 20 this week (which felt a little random to me, especially when it’s drooping on the Hot 100), moving up to 15 with a previous peak of 9.
Safe - Cardi B. feat. Kehlani: Debuts at 26 on Hot 100, 12 on Youtube, and 50 on Spotify. Not sure if this song has legs - I think it’s kind of bland? Like I shared last week, I prefer Pick It Up and have since then also gotten turned on to Bodega Baddie!!
Iris Out - Kenshi Yonezu: Jumps to #5 on the Global 200. Has not yet appeared on Hot 100, Spotify, or Youtube. Don’t have a lot else to say at the moment?
NEW - Gorgeous by Doja Cat: I’m really rooting for Doja with this era, and find it kind of odd that she had a bigger smash when disavowing pop entirely vs. now when she’s embracing it. Also such a good video!! Justice for Jealous Type.
NEW - TIT FOR TAT by Tate McRae: I have to say I love the trend of releasing a single while you’re on tour to capitalize on the buzz, even if it’s somewhat detached from the album/era.1 Was not planning to cover this (I like it just fine but didn’t jump out at me) but it’s currently sitting at #2 on the Spotify daily charts, so excited to see what happens with it!
consensus pick: Golden by HUNTR/X
Remember when I was so glad to have something fun and new and poppy to replace Ordinary? It’s really not Golden’s fault, but the domination of Kpop Demon Hunters in the top 10 as well as general lack of movement is bumming me out. There’s not a single new song in the top 25 this week despite a huge launch from Cardi.
contrarian pick: Folded by Kehlani
This is a bit random but there aren’t any songs in the Hot 100 top 25 this week that jumped more than 5 spots2, and Folded managed to jump 3 with a new peak at 22. On Spotify, it jumped 30 spots to enter at 90, and on Youtube it reached a new peak of 14. Pairing this with a decent debut of Safe and its designation as the single from Am I The Drama?, I think this points to some juice for Kehlani that could carry Folded up to the top 10 in the weeks to come (despite me finding it pretty sleepy).
What tracks did I miss? Comment below to see if your recommendation makes my list next week.
See: Good Luck Babe! as the prime example
I was really hoping that Raye would sneak onto the Hot 100 even at a low level so I could justify picking WHERE IS MY HUSBAND? which is all over my streams the past week. But alas…