Ledisi scores her second No. 1 on Billboard’s Adult R&B Airplay chart as “I Need to Know” leaps from No. 3 to lead the list dated May 27. The single ascends after an 8% gain in weekly plays that made it the most-played song on U.S. monitored adult R&B radio stations in the week ending May 18, according to Luminate.
The new champ continues a recent rotation atop Adult R&B Airplay. “I Need to Know” is the fourth leader in the last four weeks, following, in order, Ambré’s “I’m Baby,” featuring Jvck James, Ravyn Lenae’s “Skin Tight,” featuring Steve Lacy and Tank’s “See Through Love,” featuring Chris Brown. The last month’s No. 1s marks the first time four different songs have led the Adult R&B Airplay chart in four consecutive weeks since June – July 2012, when Estelle’s “Thank You,” in its second nonconsecutive week at No. 1, Jill Scott’s “Blessed,” Usher’s “Climax” and John Legend’s “Tonight (Best You Ever Had),” featuring Ludacris, each passed the baton.
“I Need to Know” is Ledisi’s second Adult R&B Airplay chart-topper and follows the two-week reign of “Anything for You” in 2020. The maiden champ was a milestone achievement for the veteran performer on multiple fronts: In addition to securing her first Adult R&B Airplay champ with her 17th entry, the song also won Ledisi her first Grammy Award, for best traditional R&B performance, after 13 previous nominations.
Elsewhere, “I Need to Know” rises 22-20 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, which ranks songs by combined audience totals from adult R&B and mainstream R&B/hip-hop radio stations. There, the single added 12% in weekly audience to reach 6.8 million impressions. The move secures Ledisi’s fourth top 20 on R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, following “Pieces of Me” (No. 19 in 2011), “I Blame You” (No. 20, 2014) and “Anything for You” (No. 13, 2020).
