Mariah Carey Scores Her First New No. 1 In Almost Two Decades

Mariah Carey returns to No. 1 on Billboard’s Adult R&B Airplay chart with “Type Dangerous,” her first new non-holiday radio leader in 19 years. LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 17: (FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY) Mariah Carey accepts the iHeartRadio Icon Award onstage at the 2025 iHeartRadio Music Awards at Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California on March 17, 2025. Broadcasted live on FOX. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for iHeartRadio)

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For more than two decades, Mariah Carey was one of the most reliable hitmakers in the American music industry. The singer-songwriter scored a historic number of leaders on the Hot 100, and many of her tunes became radio favorites as well. Decades into her career, Carey is still racking up wins on a number of Billboard lists — some of which didn’t exist when she started — in some ways, she’s playing catch-up.

As the songstress prepares to release her upcoming sixteenth album Here For It All in September, the set’s lead single returns her to No. 1 for the first time in years.

“Type Dangerous” Rises to No. 1

“Type Dangerous” lifts from the runner-up spot on the Adult R&B Airplay chart to No. 1, giving Carey just her third champion on the radio ranking. That seems like a fairly small number for one of the most successful R&B artists of all time, but many of her early tracks were released before Billboard introduced the roster.

Mariah Carey First Hit No. 1 20 Years Ago

Carey first ruled the Adult R&B Airplay chart in July 2005, when “We Belong Together” earned its first of eight weeks at No. 1. She returned to the summit the following summer with “Fly Like a Bird,” which went on to live on the Adult R&B Airplay tally for a full year and racked up six weeks at No. 1.

Mariah Carey’s First New No. 1 in Almost Two Decades

Billboard notes that “Type Dangerous” earns Carey her first new No. 1 on the Adult R&B Airplay chart in 19 years. The music magazine also points out that, excluding her holiday fare — especially “All I Want for Christmas Is You” — “Type Dangerous” is the Grammy winner’s first leader on any of Billboard’s airplay tallies in nearly two decades.

“Type Dangerous” Is Largely on the Decline

“Type Dangerous” can be found on half a dozen Billboard rankings at the moment, almost all of which are centered around radio attention. As it hits No. 1 on the Adult R&B Airplay list, the track declines on another four airplay tallies, including the Pop Airplay, Adult Pop Airplay, R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, and Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay rosters.

Thanks to its continued success at the adult R&B format, Carey manages to climb once more on the Hot R&B Songs chart, where “Type Dangerous” has previously topped out at No. 7.

“Sugar Sweet” Launches on Several Radio Lists

As “Type Dangerous” begins to descend, Carey’s even newer single, “Sugar Sweet” — a collaboration with Shenseea and Kehlani — dips on a handful of sales and general consumption rosters. At the same time, it opens inside the top 40 on both the Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay and R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay charts.