‘Girl’ Power: Carly Pearce & Ashley McBryde Crown Country Airplay Chart

Carly Pearce and Ashley McBryde‘s “Never Wanted to Be That Girl” jumps to No. 1 on Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart (dated May 14). In the week ending May 8, the song increased by 15% to 23.4 million audience impressions, according to Luminate.

“Girl” – which Pearce and McBryde wrote with Shane McAnally – becomes just the third duet between two solo women to top Country Airplay, dating to the chart’s January 1990 inception. The previous such collab led just four weeks ago, when Elle King and Miranda Lambert’s “Drunk (And I Don’t Wanna Go Home)” dominated on the April 16 dated-chart. The only other such leader: Reba McEntire’s “Does He Love You,” with Linda Davis, for a week in November 1993.

More from Billboard

• First Country: New Music From Dylan Scott, Jimmie Allen, Kane Brown, Randy Houser & More

• Future Triples Up Atop Artist 100, Billboard 200 & Hot 100 Charts for First Time

• Future Sends All 16 Songs From 'I Never Liked You' Onto Billboard Hot 100

“Reba and Linda … Miranda and Elle … now Ashley and me,” Pearce beams to Billboard. “There’s something about two girls talking – or singing— that just hits home. And the fact that we’re not just singing it, but also that we wrote it … that’s the icing on the cake. The only thing that makes this better is seeing my friend Ashley getting her first No. 1. Now that is something to celebrate.”

Says McBryde, “Carly, Shane and I were focused on writing a song we loved that day. We were three individuals unafraid of being honest. That was our compass. Now here we are with a No. 1 song at country radio to remind us of how rewarding honesty can be.”

“Girl” brings McBryde to the Country Airplay summit after she previously peaked at a No. 11 best with “One Night Standards” in September 2020. Pearce achieves her third leader on the list, following “Every Little Thing” (one week, November 2017) and “I Hope You’re Happy Now,” with Lee Brice (one week, June 2020).

Lambert Launches

Miranda Lambert’s Palomino gallops onto Top Country Albums at No. 2. Released April 29, it bows with 36,000 equivalent album units earned (24,000 in album sales) in the week ending May 5.

The 15-song set follows Lambert’s The Marfa Tapes, with Jack Ingram and Jon Randall, which debuted and peaked at No. 7 last May (14,000 units). Palomino is Lambert’s eighth solo LP and follows seven straight career-opening No. 1s, from 2005’s Kerosene through 2019’s Wildcard.

‘Wasted’ Wins Again

Morgan Wallen’s “Wasted on You” returns to No. 1 on the multi-metric Hot Country Songs chart, after led in its debut week (Jan. 23, 2021), concurrent with the chart start of parent LP Dangerous: The Double Album. The set’s current radio single pushes 12-11 on Country Airplay (16.1 million, up 10%) and tallied 10.3 million streams and 3,000 sold in the tracking week.

The song’s nearly 16-month gap between reigns is the longest in the Hot Country Songs chart’s history. It returns to the top after Wallen added his fourth leader, “Don’t Think Jesus,” which debuted at No. 1 on the April 30 chart.

That Tune ‘Name’

Parmalee’s “Take My Name” hits the Hot Country Songs top 10, as it leaps 18-9, up 49% to 6.2 million official U.S. streams in the tracking week. It also sold 1,800 downloads. On Country Airplay, the song pushes 13-10 (16.2 million, up 23%). Parmalee adds its fifth top 10 on Country Airplay and its third on Hot Country Songs. It’s the follow-up to “Just the Way,” with Blanco Brown, which led Country Airplay for a week in March 2021, becoming Parmalee’s second No. 1, and reached No. 3 on Hot Country Songs.

Click here to read the full article.