Jake Owen earns his ninth No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart as “Made For You,” released on Big Loud Records, lifts 2-1 in its 50th week on the list (dated May 8). It increased by 5% to 28.7 million audience impressions in the tracking week ending May 2, according to MRC Data.
The song, which Benjy Davis, Joey Hyde and Neil Medley wrote and Joey Moi produced, is the fourth single and third No. 1 from Owen’s sixth LP, Greetings From… Jake Owen, which debuted and peaked at No. 8 on Top Country Albums in April 2019, marking his seventh top 10.
“Made” joins “I Was Jack (You Were Diane)” (one week at No. 1, August 2018) and “Homemade” (one, March 2020) as Country Airplay leaders from Greetings.
“Rounding out this album with a third No. 1 is something I am so proud of,” Owen marvels. “I chose Big Loud Records as my partner because I know what they are capable of. I knew they could take me and my music to another level. Working with the team and Joey Moi is a huge advantage. I am also so proud of the songwriters on this song. Neil Medley, Joey Hyde and Benjy Davis … it’s their first No. 1 song as writers. These moments are so special and I’m fortunate to be a small part of it. Finally, I’m thankful for country radio for supporting this song, and my career for all these years. We have great champions out there at radio and this is a testament to that. I love country music. I’m living a dream.”
‘SOUL’ MUSIC Eric Church adds his 10th Top Country Albums top 10 as Soul starts at No. 2 with 53,000 equivalent album units (42,000 in album sales) in the week ending April 29, according to MRC Data. Released April 23, Soul is the top-selling album of the week across all genres and arrives as Church’s fourth No. 1 on the Top Album Sales chart. On the all-genre, multi-metric Billboard 200, Soul starts at No. 4, marking his seventh top 10.
Soul is one of Church’s three new albums, collectively dubbed Heart & Soul. On last week’s May 1-dated Top Country Albums chart, Heart, released April 16, entered at No. 3. Meanwhile, &, released exclusively to members of Church’s Church Choir fan club, arrives on Top Country Albums at No. 12 with 11,000 units, all in album sales. Heart & Soul contains 24 tracks; Heart and Soul house nine each, while & sports six.
The project was produced by Jay Joyce, while Church had a hand in writing 22 of the 24 tracks.
Lead track “Stick That in Your Country Song” reached No. 22 on Country Airplay and No. 23 on the airplay-, sales- and streaming-based Hot Country Songs list in July 2020. Sophomore single “Hell of a View” bumps 3-2 for a new high on Hot Country Songs (9.1 million U.S. streams, up 9%) and pushes 9-6 on Country Airplay, up 13% to 20.1 million audience impressions.
‘SETTLING’ IN Miranda Lambert scores her 16th Hot Country Songs top 10 as “Settling Down” lifts 11-8. The track, which she co-wrote, ascends with 15.3 million in radio reach (up 9%), as it rises 14-13 on Country Airplay, and 6.3 million streams (up 20%).
Lambert last hit the Hot Country Songs top 10 with “Bluebird,” which peaked at No. 3 last August and led Country Airplay the same month, becoming her sixth No. 1.
‘ALL’ RIGHT Luke Combs banks his 11th straight career-opening Country Airplay top 10 (counting properly promoted singles) as “Forever After All” hops 11-8 (19.8 million, up 17%). Each of Combs’ 10 previous singles hit No. 1, a record career-opening streak since the chart began in 1990.
‘GONE’ STILL GOING Dierks Bentley rolls up his 26th Country Airplay top 10 as “Gone” rises 13-10 (16.6 million, up 17%). The single follows “Living,” which led Country Airplay for a week in September 2019, becoming his 17th No. 1. “Gone” is the lead single from his forthcoming 10th studio album.
