Max Martin now solely has the most No. 1s among producers in the history of the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart.
He tallies his 24th career leader as a producer on the latest, Jan. 27, 2024-dated Hot 100, as Ariana Grande’s “Yes, And?” blasts in at No. 1. He surpasses the late George Martin – who produced 19 of The Beatles’ record 20 No. 1s – for the most leaders among producers over the chart’s 65-year archives.
Grande, who earns her eighth Hot 100 No. 1 as a recording artist, Max Martin and ILYA co-wrote and co-produced “Yes, And?”
Max Martin first dominated the Hot 100 both as a producer and writer 25 years ago this month, when Britney Spears’ debut smash “…Baby One More Time” hit No. 1 on the Jan. 30, 1999-dated chart. He initially reached the ranking in both roles on the chart dated Oct. 28, 1995, when Backstreet Boys’ “We’ve Got It Goin’ On” debuted at No. 97. He notched his first two top 10s simultaneously on the July 12, 1997, chart, when Robyn’s “Do You Know (What It Takes)” and Backstreet Boys’ “Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)” rose to Nos. 9 and 10, respectively.
Among his triumphs, Max Martin co-wrote and co-produced the No. 1 hit on the Hot 100’s Greatest of All Time Songs retrospective: The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights.”
For the star Swedish producer (born Karl Martin Sandberg), “What’s so impressive is that he’s always in tune with the times, which has enabled him to stay relevant all these years,” Dave Penn, co-founder of Hit Songs Deconstructed, which provides in-depth analysis of Hot 100 top 10 hits, told Billboard in 2021. “A decade ago, he was opting for more clubby dance beats and EDM-styled synths. But toward the end of the 2010s, he had embraced hip-hop and started including trap beats in songs.
“But while he has adjusted certain aspects of his writing and producing style over the years,” Penn mused, “what’s interesting is that many things have remained essentially the same. Melody reigns supreme when it comes to mainstream hits, and Max Martin is still the undisputed champion of pop melody. As the saying goes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
Max Martin also ties the late John Lennon for the second-most Hot 100 No. 1s among writers, 26 each, after only Paul McCartney’s 32; McCartney and Lennon co-penned all 20 of The Beatles’ No. 1s.
Here’s a rundown of Max Martin’s unprecedented 24 Hot 100 No. 1s as a producer.
