Anne Wilson notches her second leader on Billboard‘s Christian Airplay chart as “I Still Believe in Christmas” bounds from No. 9 to No. 1 on the list dated Jan. 1.
The single drew 2.6 million audience impressions in the tracking week ending Dec. 26, according to MRC Data.
Wilson wrote the ballad with Jeff Pardo and Matthew West, the same triumvirate that penned Wilson’s debut hit, “My Jesus,” which ruled Christian Airplay for six weeks starting in August. It also logged four frames atop the streaming-, airplay- and sales-based Hot Christian Songs list.
“‘I Still Believe in Christmas’ means so much to me,” the 19-year-old Wilson, from Lexington, Ky., tells Billboard. “After losing my brother Jacob in a car accident four years ago, Christmas became the hardest time of year for me. I wanted to write a song that pointed all of us back to the true hope of Christmas, a song to remind us all that there is still joy in the midst of a really hard season. I pray this song continues to be a balm to your soul as you walk throughout this holiday season.”
Already the first female soloist in a lead role to hit No. 1 with a first entry on Christian Airplay since the chart began in June 2003, Wilson now expands upon her historic start with two leaders in her first two tries.
Overall, Wilson joins Zach Williams (2016, 2017) and Cory Asbury (2018, 2020) as the only artists to go two-for-two atop Christian Airplay out of the gate.
Meanwhile, the 9-1 surge for “Christmas” is the greatest leap to the summit by a woman in the chart’s history. Among all acts, Third Day’s “Cry Out to Jesus” made a record 13-1 flight in January 2006.
On Hot Christian Songs, “Christmas” soars 28-15 for a new high. Along with its airplay, it drew 485,000 streams in the tracking week ending Dec. 23.
