Nearly nine months since arriving on the Adult R&B Airplay chart, Maeta’s “Through the Night,” featuring Free Nationals, finally reaches No. 1 on the list dated March 30. By reaching the summit in its 35th week, it completes the second longest trek to the top in the chart’s 30-year history.
“Through the Night,” released on Roc Nation, captures the flag after a 6% jump in plays that made it the most-played song on U.S. monitored adult R&B radio stations in the tracking week of March 15-21, according to Luminate.
Singer-songwriter Maeta achieves her first Adult R&B Airplay No. 1 through her third chart appearance. Her first, “Bitch Don’t Be Mad,” peaked at No. 14 in 2023, while 2023’s “(S)EX,” went one rank higher.
Featured artist Free Nationals, who frequently perform as a backing band for Anderson .Paak, claim their initial Adult R&B Airplay leader with their first try.
With its 35-week journey to its coronation, “Through the Night” wraps the second longest trek, in terms of weeks on the chart, to reach No. 1. It trails Snoh Aalegra’s “I Want You Around,” which crowned the list in its 43rd chart week, in March 2020.
Here’s a look at the songs with the longest marches to reach No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay:
Weeks to No. 1, Song Title, Artist, Date Reached No. 1
- 41, “I Want You Around,” Snoh Aalegra, March 14, 2020
- 35, “Through the Night,” Maeta featuring Free Nationals, March 30, 2024
- 34, “Step in the Name of Love,” R. Kelly, Nov. 1, 2003
- 33, “Love Calls,” Kem, Sept. 13, 2003
- 32, “Permission,” Ro James, Sept. 10, 2016
- 31, “Please Don’t Go,” Tank, May 19, 2007
- 31, “For the Rest of My Life,” Robin Thicke, Jan. 11, 2014
- 31, “I’m Baby,” Ambre featuring Jvck James, May 6, 2023
- 30, “Anything,” Jaheim featuring Next, June 22, 2002
- 30, “Never Would Have Made It,” Marvin Sapp, July 26, 2008
Elsewhere, “Through the Night” slips from 21-22 from its peak on R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, which ranks songs by combined audience from adult R&B and mainstream R&B/hip-hop radio stations. Despite the position drop, the single improved to 5.1 million in audience, a 6% gain over the prior week.
