Khalid earns his first No. 1 on Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart as “Talk” climbs 2-1 on the list dated July 20. The song ascends to 29.6 million in audience in the week ending July 14, according to Nielsen Music, a 14% surge compared with the prior week. The audience improvement lands “Talk” the chart’s weekly Greatest Gainer prize.
Before “Talk,” Khalid previously reached a No. 2 high on R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay with “Location” in May 2017. He also appeared on the list through a featured turn on Logic’s “1-800-273-8255,” which also included a guest turn from Alessia Cara. The triple-billed track spent one week on the ranking, at No. 49 in November 2017.
“Talk” signifies a key triumph for Khalid in the R&B market, after multiple singles in the past years found strong reception in the pop and rhythmic spheres but made little headway in the R&B/hip-hop radio sector. After the success of “Location,” the singer-songwriter’s debut release, follow-up single “Young Dumb & Broke” climbed to No. 17 on Billboard’s Pop Songs airplay chart in early 2018. Later that year, his duet with Normani, “Love Lies,” topped the Pop Songs list for two weeks, and “Better” reached No. 5 in March. None, however, managed to enter the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay ranking.
In addition to its R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay coronation, “Talk” logs a fourth term atop the Pop Songs chart. With its dual reign, it becomes the first title to lead both lists since Bruno Mars’ “That’s What I Like” in 2017. The tune also topped the Rhythmic Songs airplay chart for two weeks in May.
The mighty “Talk” airplay across several formats helps the track secure a fifth straight week atop the all-genre Radio Songs chart. The single, Khalid’s first career leader there, rises 5% to 133.2 million in audience in the week ending July 14.
Strong radio airplay helps “Talk” notch an eighth consecutive week in the top five of the Billboard Hot 100 (down 3-4), while it commands the Hot R&B Songs tally for a 12th frame.
“Talk” features on the Khalid’s second studio album, Free Spirit. The set, released in April, spent 12 weeks at No. 1 on the Top R&B Albums chart and became Khalid’s first chart-topper on the Billboard 200, where it reigned for one frame. Source: Billboard
