Texas-born singer-songwriter Parker McCollum achieves his first No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart, as his launch single “Pretty Heart” hikes 5-1 on the list dated Dec. 26.
In the tracking week ending Dec. 20, the song increased by 13% to 29.4 million audience impressions, according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data.
“I finally can say I have a No. 1 song in country music,” McCollum beams. “Billboard has been a staple in my mind for so many years and now to see my name at the top gives me chills.”
The 5-1 leap for “Pretty” marks the second such surge to the Country Airplay penthouse in as many months. On the chart dated Nov. 7, Matt Stell’s “Everywhere But On” bounded 5-1, becoming his second leader.
Meanwhile, McCollum’s rookie song hits No. 1 in its 50th week on Country Airplay, completing the longest drive to the summit for a freshman single. It passes the most recent debut No. 1, Jameson Rodgers’ “Some Girls,” which reached the apex in its 49th frame on Oct. 31.
“Pretty,” which McCollum wrote with Randy Montana, is from McCollum’s six-song EP Hollywood Gold (named after a horse his grandfather once owned). The set debuted and peaked at No. 10 on Top Country Albums in October.
Plus, McCollum reaches No. 1 for the first time on Billboard’s all-genre Emerging Artists chart. (The survey ranks the most popular developing artists of the week, using the same formula as the all-encompassing Billboard Artist 100, which measures artist activity across multiple Billboard charts, including the Billboard Hot 100, Billboard 200 and the Social 50.)
MESSAGE ABOUT A ‘BOTTLE’ Kelsea Ballerini notches her seventh Country Airplay top 10, a sum that includes four leaders, as “Hole in the Bottle” pushes 12-10 (17.8 million, up 9%). It’s her first top 10 since “Miss Me More” (No. 2, June 2019).
A TOP 10 ‘FOR CHRISTMAS’ Dan + Shay (Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney) unwrap their 10th top 10 on Hot Country Songs, which blends airplay, sales and streaming data, as the pair’s holiday single “Take Me Home for Christmas” soars 19-3.
In the tracking week ending Dec. 17, “Christmas” drew 12 million U.S. streams (up 97%) and sold 6,000 downloads (up 12%). On Country Airplay, it makes the chart’s highest entrance, dashing in at No. 48 (1.4 million, up 179%).Dan + Shay performed the track on the 2020 season finale of NBC’s The Voice on Dec. 15.
ROSE BLOOMS Lily Rose’s “Villain” enters Hot Country Songs at No. 43. Her first entry on the ranking, released on Dec. 15, sold 11,000 downloads in the week ending Dec. 17, as it launches at No. 2 on Country Digital Song Sales.
“Villain” first drew buzz following snippets that Rose recently posted on TikTok. She is the latest artist to springboard from the social media platform to Billboard’s country charts, following fellow viral hitmakers Priscilla Block, Andrew Jannakos, Trey Lewis and SarahBeth Taite.
