Morgan Wallen’s new album “I’m The Problem” was No. 1 for a second week following its debut the previous week. Wallen continued to mark some notable milestones this week. First, his album ran contrary to the tendency for high-profile releases to experience significant declines in their second week. “Problem” only saw a 42% drop after its debut week, moving 286,000 units compared to 493,000 the first week. It was the smallest such decline since March 2024, when “american dream” by 21 Savage dropped by 41%, from 133,000 to 78,000. In the case of Wallen’s album, moving another 300,000 units in its second week after debuting on nearly 500,000 units is an exceedingly rare feat.

The achievement can be attributed to persistently strong streaming numbers. In its second week, “Problem” logged 330 million streams, marking only a 28% decline from the previous week. This translated to 256,000 units, keeping it at the top of the Top Streaming Albums chart. Album sales decreased by 79% to 28,000 units but Wallen secured No. 1 on the Top Album Sales chart nonetheless.

Second, Wallen had three albums in the Top 10 over the week. “One Thing At A Time” was No. 4 and “Dangerous: The Double Album” landed at No. 10. Having three or more albums in the Top 10 is a rare accomplishment across history, and one that’s only recently been seen. Only three other artists have pulled it off, with the first instance dating back to December 1966, when Herb Alpert held Nos. 3, 7, and 10. And it would be another 50 years before we saw anything like it again. In 2016, following Prince’s passing, five of his albums were in the Top 10, and three the next week. In Prince’s case, the record-setting showing was the result of an outpouring of public adoration following his death.

For living artists, attention is typically placed only on their most recent album, and with releases typically being spaced at least a year apart, the achievement is all the less likely. Wallen has joined Taylor Swift, who broke this unwritten rule for the first time in 60 years with her “Eras Tour” and “Taylor’s Version” releases. In July 2023, she had four albums in the Top 10, taking Nos. 1, 5, 7, and 10. Then, in December that same year, she rewrote the rulebook on popularity yet again with five albums at Nos. 1, 3, 5, 6, and 10. After Kendrick Lamar permanently cemented his name in pop culture history earlier this year in February with his Super Bowl halftime show, he had albums at Nos. 1, 9, and 10. But Wallen’s another story altogether. His previous two albums continue to thrive through streams, and his latest has only ignited even wider interest in his entire back catalog.

Alex Warren’s “Ordinary” took No. 1. The song has seen consistently strong figures, with over 20 million streams and approximately 7,000 downloads each week over the past month, while airplay went up 10 to 20% week by week. This steady progress could be seen in the way it progressively climbed the chart, vying for the top against Lamar and SZA’s 13-week champion, “luther”. The competition reached a peak two weeks ago as the margin between the two narrowed to almost nothing, leading those watching to wonder whether “Ordinary” could overtake it. Even when Wallen’s latest album shook up the Hot 100 landscape last week, Warren continued his climb, with “Ordinary” rising to No. 4 and successfully overtaking “luther,” which fell to No. 5.

Looking closer, “Ordinary” was streamed 21 million times—nearly the same as the previous week and putting it at No. 4 on the Streaming Songs chart. Wallen, of course, had the Top 3. With 8,000 downloads, “Ordinary” topped the Digital Song Sales chart. Radio airplay increased by 15% over the week, pushing the song from No. 7 to No. 5, and it remains a hit on the airwaves. By contrast, Nos. 2 through 4 on the radio chart have been around a long while now and are past their peak. If “Ordinary” has what it takes to reach No. 1 on radio, that means its airplay time can still go up another 40%. In other words, there’s room to grow.

Let’s think a little deeper about the song’s potential for success. To start, five songs have reached No. 1 so far this year. Of these, Wallen and Tate McRae’s duet “What I Want” and “4X4” by Travis Scott have debuted at No. 1. Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ duet “Die With a Smile” and Lamar and SZA’s “luther” took 20 weeks and 13 weeks, respectively, to reach the top. “Ordinary,” meanwhile, reached No. 1 in its 16th week. The average time to climb to No. 1 this year has been 10.2 weeks, the longest since 2020. The overall average since 1991 has been 8.4 weeks. Even with so many songs debuting at No. 1 these days, is this latest handful of slower climbs to the top a signal that the more traditional way to No. 1 is still alive and kicking? It could be argued that the path has merely evolved. “Die With a Smile” and “luther” debuted in the Top 10 with robust streaming numbers out the gate, then steadily picked up on the radio over time. This more sustainable approach helps maintain the popularity of a songs over a longer period of time so they’ll stick around at or near the top of the chart.

“Ordinary” shares similarities with these cases, but with slight differences. Debuting at No. 61 on the Hot 100 last February, it got off to a modest start, but once streaming picked up, it became practically unstoppable. That explains why “Ordinary” has been compared to emotional hits by other male artists like “Lose Control” by Teddy Swims and “Beautiful Things” by Benson Boone. “Lose Control” was No. 8 this week, marking its 93rd week on the Hot 100, an all-time record. “Beautiful Things” sat at No. 10, currently in its 70th week. Could “Ordinary” find itself in a similar position a year from now?

With “Ordinary” at No. 1, Alex Warren has become the seventh artist born since the year 2000 to top the Hot 100. The first was Billie Eilish in August 2019 with “Bad Guy,” followed by Jawsh 685 (“Savage Love”), 24kGoldn (“Mood”), Olivia Rodrigo (“drivers license”), the Kid LAROI (“STAY”), Tate McRae (“What I Want”), and now Alex Warren. As more 2000s babies turn 20, this list may eventually lose most of its significance, but for now, there’s still much to discuss.

That’s because Warren stands as a unique example of a Gen Z social media influencer who went from making popular viral content to becoming a breakout artist in the mainstream music market. His early career is intertwined with his time as part of the influencer collective the Hype House in 2019 and how he became part of the TikTok surge during the pandemic. In 2022, Warren went independent to focus on his music, followed by three million subscribers on YouTube and 14 million on TikTok. But music for Warren was never a mere side project taking backseat to his influencer brand. His steady progression through the Digital Song Sales, Emerging Artists, Pop Airplay, and Hot 100 charts represents a textbook case.

“Ordinary” reaching No. 1 is undoubtedly not where Warren is going to peak. At the same time the song topped the chart this past week, his collaboration with Jelly Roll, “Bloodline,” debuted at No. 32. This is Warren’s first song to debut directly into the Top 40. Given this great start, “Bloodline” is likely to gain traction on the radio even faster, while the cross-genre approach with a country star mirrors the success of other recent crossover hits in an attempt to reach broader audiences. “Bloodline” is also making waves abroad more rapidly this time, debuting at No. 19 on the Global 200.

What other influencers might follow a similar path, you ask? Addison Rae, another former Hype House member, seems to be a strong contender. Her recent singles “Diet Pepsi” and “Headphones On” received rave reviews and have already entered the Hot 100. She also released her debut album, “Addison,” on June 6.

“Essence Of Reverie” by BAEKHYUN debuts at No. 121 on the “Billboard” 200 and No. 4 on Top Album Sales. BAEKHYUN returns to the Artist 100 at No. 35 and is No. 1 on the Emerging Artists chart.

Jin’s EP “Echo” is No. 122 on the “Billboard” 200 and No. 6 on Top Album Sales. His song “Don’t Say You Love Me” is No. 12 on Digital Song Sales. The BTS member is No. 44 on the Artist 100 chart.

ROSÉ and Bruno Mars’ duet “APT.” is No. 22 in its 32nd week on the Hot 100. It also returns to the Streaming Songs chart at No. 35 and is Nos. 23 and 18 in airplay and digital sales, respectively. The BLACKPINK member’s album “rosie” stands at No. 168, marking its 25th week on the “Billboard” 200.

BOYNEXTDOOR’s fourth EP, “No Genre,” is No. 7 on Top Album Sales. The boy group is No. 69 on the Artist 100 and No. 3 on the Emerging Artists chart.

P1Harmony’s EP “DUH!” is No. 12 on Top Album Sales, while the group is No. 89 on the Artist 100.

The Stray Kids mixtape “HOP” is No. 18 on Top Album Sales. The group is No. 90 on the Artist 100. 
i-dle’s EP “We are” debuts at No. 35 on Top Album Sales. Meanwhile, LISA and Maroon 5’s collab “Priceless” is No. 44 on Radio Songs.

On the Emerging Artists chart, KATSEYE is No. 11, MEOVV is No. 13, and ZEROBASEONE is No. 15.

Finally, “Thunder” by SEVENTEEN debuts at No. 77 on the Global 200. Now, here’s a full K-pop look at that chart: