Tyla’s ‘Water’ Hits No. 1 on U.S. Afrobeats Songs Chart – Stopping the 58-Week Run of Rema & Selena Gomez’s ‘Calm Down’

Trevor Anderson
·2 min read

South African singer Tyla achieves a milestone week in her young career as “Water” climbs to No. 1 on Billboard’s U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart (dated Oct. 21). The track rises from No. 2 and halts the record 58-week monopoly of Rema and Selena Gomez’s “Calm Down,” which had led the list each week since Sept. 10, 2022.

The coronation also marks Tyla’s first No. 1 rank on any Billboard chart.

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“Water,” released on FAX Records/Epic Records, takes over following gains in both streaming and sales, the two metrics that contribute to U.S. Afrobeats Songs. In the former category, “Water” surged to 8.3 million official U.S. streams in the Oct. 6-12 tracking week, a 29% swell compared to the previous week, according to Luminate. Sales, too, are up by a double-digit percentage, with 1,500 downloads sold in the U.S. in the same period, a 26% week-over-week improvement. Although the track was already posting gains, the arrival of its official music video on Oct. 6 sparked further momentum.

In addition to its streaming and sales rallies, “Water” is making a splash on U.S. radio. The single races 39-26 on the latest Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, up 64% in plays for the tracking week. Similarly, it rockets 47-29 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart thanks to 2.9 million in audience, up 91% from the prior week. On Rhythmic Airplay, “Water” debuts at No. 38 following a 127% gain in plays in the last week. The song is also nearing the threshold of the 40-position Pop Airplay list.

Thanks to the rising tide across all metrics, “Water” benefits on many multi-metric U.S. Billboard charts, most notably, on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100. There, despite the arrival of 22 Drake tracks from the superstar’s new album, For All the Dogs, which forced many songs to tumble on the list, “Water” is one of two exceptions (the other: Noah Kahan’s “Stick Season”) to improve in position, as it ascends 67-63 in its second week on the chart.

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