10 First-Timers on Billboard’s Charts This Week: Meghan Patrick, Nation of Language, Tish Melton & More

Xander Zellner
·7 min read
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Billboard has more than 200 different weekly charts in its menu, 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 artists who appear on surveys for the first time on the Sept. 30-dated charts.

Meghan Patrick

Already a hitmaker in her home country, the Canadian singer-songwriter makes her first U.S. chart appearance thanks to her featured turn on Michael Ray’s “Spirits and Demons.” The song, released in June on Ray’s EP Dive Bars & Broken Hearts (via Warner Music Nashville/WMN), debuts at No. 57 on Country Airplay, up 24% to 725,000 in airplay audience, according to Luminate.

Patrick has charted 14 songs on the Canada Country radio chart, including five top 10s and one No. 1: “Walls Come Down” in 2018. She has also logged 12 songs on the Canadian Hot 100 Airplay chart. Patrick has released three LPs: Grace & Grit (which hit No. 26 on the Billboard Canadian Albums chart in 2016), Country Music Made Me Do It (No. 31, 2018) and Heart on My Glass.

Nation of Language

The Brooklyn-based synth band debuts on Billboard’s charts for the first time with its third studio album, Strange Disciple. The set, released Sept. 15 on [PIAS] Recordings, starts at No. 66 on Top Current Album Sales and No. 99 on Top Album Sales with 1,000 copies sold in its opening week, according to Luminate. Previously, the trio — which is comprised of Ian Devaney, Alex MacKay and Aiden Noell — released Introduction, Presence in 2020 and A Way Forward in 2021. On Sept. 7, the act embarked on a nearly 50-date tour in Europe and North America.

In a recent interview with Billboard, the band recalled having released its second LP as COVID-19 lockdowns were ending. “We were essentially touring the first and second albums at the same time,” Devaney said. “[This new tour is] the first time in quite a while where we are performing songs that people haven’t heard before.”

Tish Melton

Tish Melton is a Billboard-charting artist thanks to her debut single “Michelle.” The song, which was produced by Brandi Carlile and self-released Sept. 15, debuts at No. 13 on the Alternative Digital Song Sales chart with 1,000 downloads sold in its opening week.

The 17-year-old singer-songwriter is the daughter of author and activist Glennon Doyle, and is featured in Doyle’s 2020 memoir and New York Times best-seller, Untamed. Melton is slated to perform at Carlile’s Girls Just Wanna Weekend festival in January, alongside headliners Carlile, Sarah McLachlan and Janelle Monae. “’Michelle’ is simple, universal and one of my favorite songs I’ve written,” Melton mused in press release. “You care for someone so much while knowing it’s not their job to reciprocate it. I wrote ‘Michelle’ in my bedroom, but it didn’t really come to life until Brandi and I got into the studio together. Learning from Brandi has changed the way I think about my music. She’s a mentor and a friend.”

KenTheMan

The Houston rapper (real name Kentavia Miller) scores her first appearance on Billboard’s charts thanks to her breakout single “Not My N—a.” The song, released in 2022 on Roc Nation, debuts at No. 36 on the Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart (up 16% in plays). The song’s profile has also been boosted by an extended mix released in June.

TikTok has also been a contributing factor in the track’s growth, as a portion of it has been used in nearly 70,000 clips on the platform to date. (Activity on TikTok is not included in Billboard’s charts except for the newly launched TikTok & Billboard Top 50.) The song appears on KenTheMan’s album Back to the 304’n, which she released in July. She previously released 4 da 304’s in 2020 and What’s My Name in 2021, and has collaborated with 03 Greedo, 2 Chainz, Chase B and Kaliii.

Morgan Harper-Jones

The singer-songwriter lands on Billboard’s charts for the first time with her somber cover of Whitney Houston’s classic “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me).” Harper-Jones’ version, which she self-released in 2020 on her EP Breathe, debuts at No. 14 on the Alternative Digital Song Sales chart with 1,000 sold. The song’s new surge in attention can be attributed to the Netflix film Love at First Sight, which premiered Sept. 15 and features Harper-Jones’ cover. The movie also includes two original songs by the singer: “Lonely” and “Ships Passing.” Harper-Jones, from Manchester, England, has also released one EP, 2022’s six-track While You Lay Sound Asleep.

The late Houston’s original “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)” spent two weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100 in 1987. Three additional covers of the song have also charted: These Kids Wear Crowns’ cover reached No. 30 on the Canadian Hot 100 in 2011; the Glee cast’s version reached No. 43 on the Digital Song Sales chart in 2012; and a recent remix by Houston and the producer P2J, from the 2022 film Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody, reached No. 190 on the Global 200 in January.

Austin Williams

The newcomer from Pleasant View, Tenn., arrives on Billboard’s charts with his breakout song “Wanna Be Saved.” The single, released Sept. 15 on Truth or Dare Records, debuts at No. 20 on Country Digital Song Sales and No. 45 on the all-genre Digital Song Sales chart with 1,000 downloads sold. Williams began generating buzz for the song’s official release by posting teasers on TikTok, where he boasts more than 300,000 followers. One video on Williams’ page has garnered over 750,000 views. He has released eight other songs on streaming services.

Sunami

The hardcore punk band, from San Jose, Calif., charts for the first time with its self-titled album. The set, released in June on Triple B Records, debuts at No. 97 on Top Current Album Sales with 1,000 copies sold. That figure also sparks the group’s debut at No. 50 on the Emerging Artists chart. Sunami comprises Josef Alfonso (vocals), Mike Durrett (guitar), Theo Dominguez (bass) and Benny Eissmann (drums).

Cleo Sol

The singer-songwriter from London earns her first solo Billboard chart appearance with her new studio album, Heaven. The set, released Sept. 15 on Forever Living Originals, debuts at No. 18 on Heatseekers Albums with 3,000 equivalent album units earned in its opening week. She has released two additional albums: 2020’s Rose in the Dark and 2021’s Mother. Outside her solo work, Cleo Sol (real name Cleopatra Nikolic) is a member of the British R&B collective SAULT, which has released 11 studio set, all since 2019. One of them, Air, reached No. 2 on Billboard’s Classical Crossover Albums chart in August 2022.

Walker & Royce

The DJ duo enters Billboard’s charts thanks to its new collaboration with Diplo, “Diamond Therapy” featuring Channel Tres. The song, released Sept. 15 on Higher Ground, debuts at No. 47 on the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart with 514,000 U.S. streams earned in its first week. The act, from New York City, is comprised of Gavin Royce and Sam Walker. They released their debut LP Self Help in 2017 and have a string of tour dates lined up through February 2024.

Lumi Athens

The artist makes Billboard’s charts for the first time with his breakout song “Let Me See Ya Move!” with Cade Clair. The track, released on 25/7 in July, debuts at No. 26 on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs with 1.7 million U.S. streams. The song was boosted by additional sped-up, slowed and reverb versions. TikTok has also been a big factor in the single’s growing profile, as a portion of it has been used in over 30,000 clips on the platform. (Activity on TikTok is not included in Billboard’s charts except for the newly launched TikTok & Billboard Top 50.)

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