Madonna Hits Five Billboard Charts For The First Time

Madonna has been a fixture of the Billboard charts for the better part of a half-century now, but that doesn’t mean she’s done trying new things. This week, the singer appears on a handful of lists with her new single “Popular,” a collaboration with The Weeknd and rapper Playboi Carti. With one tune, the superstar reaches not only more than half a dozen rankings but several she’s never landed on in her storied career.

Billboard splits its R&B and hip-hop genres into three fields: R&B, rap, and the hybrid R&B/hip-hop, which is something of a catch-all. Each of those three categories comes with several charts underneath the genre header, including one called “Hot,” which is a general look at the most-consumed tracks that fit under that umbrella, one for sales, one for streams, and one for airplay. While “Popular” hasn’t yet become a radio smash, it is doing well with streams and sales, which has propelled the cut to a number of these tallies.

“Popular” debuts on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, but it’s not Madonna’s first appearance. Back when the lines between genres were a bit blurrier, in her early days, the singer sent a handful of cuts to the list, though she hasn’t been found on this tally since 1995. Madonna’s latest opens at No. 14. On the R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Sales chart, Madonna scores her first sales win as “Popular” debuts at No. 4. And on the R&B/Hip-Hop Streaming Songs chart, the track lands at No. 11, marking the Grammy winner’s first appearance.

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Over on the more specific R&B rankings, “Popular” is doing even better, since there is less competition as hip-hop tunes aren’t eligible for these lists. Madonna, The Weeknd, and Carti debut their track at No. 4 on the Hot R&B Songs chart, bringing Madge there for the first time. “Popular” nearly conquers the R&B Streaming Songs chart as well, as it opens in the runner-up rung.

After decades in the music industry, Madonna earns another new No. 1 hit this week as “Popular” debuts atop the R&B Digital Song Sales chart. The pop icon earns her first R&B No. 1 with the new track, which beats every other tune labeled R&B by Billboard, at least when it comes to purchases.

At the same time, “Popular” also narrowly misses out on becoming another top 40 hit for the superstar on the Hot 100. The single, taken from the upcoming soundtrack for the TV show The Idol, which The Weeknd spearheads, arrives at No. 43. The cut also hits the Digital Song Sales list, which ranks the bestselling titles of any genre, coming in at No. 13, but Madonna isn’t new to either of these two rankings.

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