10 First-Timers on Billboard’s Charts This Week: Wyatt Flores, Ye Vagabonds, Nicotine Dolls & More

Xander Zellner
·8 min read

Billboard has more than 200 different weekly charts, encompassing numerous genres and formats.

While established artists often compete for a spot on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart and Billboard 200 albums ranking, which track the most popular songs and albums of the week, respectively, up-and-coming talents typically start off on genre-specific lists.

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Here’s a look at 10 titles by artists who appear on surveys for the first time on the Dec. 2-dated charts:

Wyatt Flores

The singer-songwriter from Stillwater, Okla., arrives on Billboard’s charts for the first time with his breakout single “Please Don’t Go,” and his two sets The Hutson Sessions and Life Lessons. The track, released in July 2022 via OEG Records, debuts at No. 43 on Hot Country Songs with 3.4 million U.S. streams (up 26%) Nov. 17-23, according to Luminate. TikTok has been a significant factor in the song’s growing profile, as a portion has been used in over 40,000 clips on the platform.

Flores’ 2022 debut four-track EP The Hutson Sessions (which includes “Please Don’t Go”) debuts at No. 19 on the Heatseekers Albums chart with 3,000 equivalent album units earned, and his new seven-track set Life Lessons enters at No. 24 (2,000 units). Flores released Life Lessons Nov. 17 on OEG/Island/Republic Records – his first release on a major label.

Flores is currently on the road on his Times Are Getting Hard Tour, which runs through mid-December. On Dec. 7 and 8, he’ll support recent Billboard first-timer Charles Wesley Godwin at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium.

Ye Vagabonds

The Irish folk duo, comprising brothers Diarmuid and Brían Mac Gloinn, scores its first Billboard chart appearance, thanks to “The Parting Glass,” with boygenius. Released Nov. 17 on Interscope Records, the collaboration debuts at No. 10 on the Alternative Digital Song Sales chart with 1,000 sold.

“The Parting Glass” is a traditional Scottish folk ballad, also popular in Ireland. It’s often sung at the end of a gathering of friends, similar to “Auld Lang Syne.” On the new version, boygenius’ Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus trade vocals, while the Gloinn brothers provide instrumentation. The song was released as a tribute to the late Sinead O’Connor, who also recorded it for her 2002 album, Sean-Nos Nua. The cover art for the new song is a photo of O’Connor, with proceeds going towards the Aisling Project, an after-school initiative to help children growing up in disadvantaged areas of Dublin, Ireland.

Ye Vagabonds have released three LPs: Ye Vagabonds (2017), The Hare’s Lament (2019) and Nine Waves (2022).

Nicotine Dolls

The New York City-based band lands on Billboard’s charts for the first time, thanks to its cover of Tina Turner’s classic hit “The Best.” The song, released Nov. 17 on Nettwerk Music Group, debuts at No. 9 on Rock Digital Song Sales with 1,000 sold. TikTok has been a key factor in the song’s rise, as the cover went viral on the platform leading up to its official release.

Nicotine Dolls are fronted by lead singer Sam Cieri and also comprises John Hays (guitar), John Merritt (bass) and Abel Tabares (drums). Cieri appeared on NBC’s America’s Got Talent in 2022 and was part of the second national tour of the musical Once (playing one of the leads, Guy) in 2016-17.

Turner’s original recording only reached No. 15 on the Hot 100 in 1989, but has since become one of her seminal songs. The track is her second-most-streamed song in the U.S. in her career (after “What’s Love Got To Do With It”), since Luminate began tracking music data in 1991.

Ocean Alley

The Australian psychedelic rock band draws its first Billboard chart placement with its single “Confidence.” The song, released in 2018 on the act’s album Chiaroscuro, debuts at No. 27 on the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart with 2.6 million U.S. streams (up 35%), boosted by buzz on TikTok. It’s also new at No. 15 on Hot Alternative Songs and No. 21 on Hot Rock Songs.

Ocean Alley, from the Northern Beaches of New South Wales, Australia, has released four LPs: Lost Tropics (2016), Chiaroscuro (2018), Lonely Diamond (2020) and Low Altitude Living (2022). The latter two sets both reached No. 3 on the Australian Albums chart. The band comprises Nic Blom, Baden Donegal, Lach and Mitch Galbraith, Angus Goodwin and Tom O’Brien.

Sistek & Sadie Rose Van

Both artists score their first Billboard chart entry, as their collaboration “Pull You Closer,” released Sept. 29 on Armada Music, begins at No. 36 on Dance/Mix Show Airplay (up 17% in plays). Sistek, a DJ and producer from Santiago, Chile, has been releasing music since 2017. He has also collaborated with Rosie Darling, Ethan Hodges and Mark Mendy, among others. Sadie Van Rose, from Southern California, has released over a dozen songs, all since 2019, including tracks with Ryan Ennis and Matoma.

Maxine Ashley

The singer-songwriter reaches Billboard’s charts for the first time with her single “Somebody Else.” Released Oct. 13 on JBR, it debuts at No. 40 on Rhythmic Airplay (up 34% in plays). Ashley has been releasing music since 2014. She dropped her debut four-track EP Intuition in 2019 and collaborated with Black Coffee and Sun-El Musician on “You Need Me” in 2021. The song is from Black Coffee’s Subconsciously, which won for best dance/electronic music album at the Grammy Awards in 2022.

Saxl Rose

The multi-instrumentalist, producer and touring musician earns his first-ever Billboard chart hit, thanks to his featured appearance on Jacob Webb’s “All In.” The song, released in August on Next Paradigm, debuts at No. 23 on Smooth Jazz Airplay (up 32% in spins).

Saxl Rose (real name: Antonio Hancock; his name is a play on his go-to instrument, the saxophone, and Guns N’ Roses’ Axl Rose) has performed onstage alongside many other artists, including Chris Brown, Paramore, The Used and Wiz Khalifa. Earlier this year, he collaborated with Motionless in White on a “synthwave” version of the group’s viral track “Werewolf.” He is also active on social media, where he posts videos of himself adding his signature saxophone solos to popular songs.

Cody Webb

The singer lands his first Billboard-charting hit, thanks to “Out of This World.” The track, which he self-released in November 2018, debuts at No. 24 on the Holiday Digital Song Sales chart with 1,000 sold. Webb released his debut self-titled six-track set in 2016. He has served up a string of songs in 2023 alone, including “If Daddy Didn’t Have a Truck,” “Don’t Grow Up Too Fast” and “Peaches.” Outside of his own recorded music, he’s also written songs for other artists, including Luke Combs (“Memories Are Made Of”).

Riordan

The DJ makes his Billboard chart debut with “Needle on the Record.” The song dropped Nov. 10 on REALM Records and debuts at No. 11 on Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales. Riordan, from the United Kingdom, has released eight house tracks on streaming services, all since 2020.

Melinda Lindner

Lindner notches her first Billboard chart hit thanks to her new cover of “White Christmas.” The song, released Oct. 20 on her holiday album Melinda Lindner… At Christmas on Heaven Records, debuts at No. 25 on Adult Contemporary. Lindner has been releasing music, including other covers of popular hits, since 2020. She released her debut eight-track studio album It Only Happens With You in July.

Lindner’s new recording was produced by Michael Lloyd who, notably, hit the Hot 100 in 1975 as a member of the trio Cotton, Lloyd & Christian with its cover of Peter and Gordon’s “I Go to Pieces.” He also produced songs by Shaun Cassidy and the Osmonds in the ‘70s and Belinda Carlise’s No. 3-peaking 1986 hit “Mad About You.”

Irving Berlin wrote “White Christmas” for the 1942 film Holiday Inn, and it has since become a holiday standard. Bing Crosby’s recording, with Ken Darby Singers and John Scott Trotter and His Orchestra, debuted on the Hot 100 in 1958 (the chart’s inaugural year) and peaked at No. 12 in 1962. The song has re-entered the Hot 100 every year since 2018. Last season, it reached No. 16, its highest rank since its 1962 peak. One other version of “White Christmas” has charted on the Hot 100: The Drifters’ 1956 classic, featuring Clyde McPhatter and Bill Pinkney, reached No. 88 in 1962.

“It’s been a forever dream of mine to have my first Billboard hit,” Lindner tells Billboard. “‘White Christmas’ is one of my and my mom’s very favorite holiday songs. It has a very special place in my heart.”

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