Sam Smith & Kim Petras‘ ’Unholy’ Hits No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100
Written by djfrosty on October 24, 2022
Sam Smith and Kim Petras‘ “Unholy” ascends to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart, marking each artist’s first leader on the list.
Plus, Lil Baby launches three songs in the Hot 100’s top 10 – “California Breeze”; “Forever,” featuring Fridayy; and “Real Spill” – at Nos. 4, 8 and 10, respectively, upping his count to 13 career top 10s. All three tracks are from his new album It’s Only Me, which bounds in at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
The Hot 100 blends all-genre U.S. streaming (official audio and official video), radio airplay and sales data. All charts (dated Oct. 29, 2022) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (Oct. 25). For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.
“Unholy,” released on EMI/Capitol Records, tallied 25.3 million streams (up 9%), 21.5 million radio airplay audience impressions (up 40%) and 19,000 downloads sold (up 60%, aided by 69-cent sale-pricing, as well as the release of live and instrumental versions and Disclosure and Acraze remixes) in the Oct. 14-20 tracking week, according to Luminate.
The single tops the Streaming Songs and Digital Song Sales charts for a fourth week each and jumps 44-25 on Radio Songs.
“Unholy” debuted at No. 3 on the Oct. 8-dated Hot 100 and spent its next two weeks each at No. 2 prior to its coronation, as it becomes the 1,143rd No. 1 in the Hot 100’s 64-year history. It was released Sept. 22, after Smith and Petras began teasing the single on TikTok in August, and its official video premiered Sept. 30. As announced Oct. 17, the song will appear on Smith’s forthcoming fourth LP, Gloria, due Jan. 27.
Smith & Petras’ First No. 1 Each
Smith and Petras each top the Hot 100 for the first time, Smith with their 20th entry on the chart and Petras with her first. Smith had previously reached a No. 2 top peak with “Stay With Me” in 2014, among seven total top 10s.
“Unholy” dethrones Steve Lacy’s “Bad Habit” after the latter led the Hot 100 the last three weeks. “I love you, Steve Lacy – I think ‘Bad Habit’ is a great song – but move out of the way!” Petras teased as “Unholy” ranked at No. 2.
First, And ‘Don’t Want to Be the Last’
Smith and Petras are the first publicly non-binary and transgender soloists, respectively, to top the Hot 100.
“I just really don’t want to be the last,” Petras told Billboard. “There’s always been incredible and talented trans artists. I’m just happy that Sam gave me the chance to shine here. It feels like people are finally ready for us to succeed, and that fills me with a lot of joy.”
Smith also recently shared with Billboard, “People understanding us… is just the best feeling in the world. Because there’s nothing bad happening here, it’s all love. No one’s taking anything from anyone. People are just trying to live in their own skin on this earth.”
No. 1 in Streams & Sales for 4th Week
As “Unholy” leads both Streaming Songs and Digital Song Sales for a fourth week each, all from its debut, it’s the first title to top both tallies in its first four weeks on each list since Adele’s “Hello” also led both charts in its first four weeks on each survey in November-December 2015.
Capitol, EMI Commands
Thanks to “Unholy,” Capitol Records notches its first Hot 100 No. 1 since Lewis Capaldi’s “Someone You Loved” began a three-week reign on the chart dated Nov. 2, 1019.
Meanwhile, the EMI imprint appears atop the Hot 100 for the first time since EMF’s “Unbelivable” led for a week in July 1991. (EMI also ruled the chart for a week in May 1991 via Roxette’s “Joyride.”) EMI was revived in 2020 and had since released two Hot 100 top 10s prior to “Unholy,” both by Elton John: “Cold Heart (Pnau Remix),” with Dua Lipa (on Rocket/EMI/Mercury/Interscope; No. 7 peak in January), and “Hold Me Closer,” with Britney Spears (EMI/Mercury/Interscope; No. 6 debut and peak to-date, September).
Britain’s Big Year
With Smith born in London, “Unholy” is the third Hot 100 No. 1 this year by a British act in a lead role, following Harry Styles’ “As It Was” and Glass Animals’ “Heat Waves.” (Petras is from Germany.)
2022’s trio of Hot 100 No. 1s by lead British acts marks the most in a year since 1989, when six such songs reigned (Phil Collins’ “Two Hearts” and “Another Day in Paradise”; Mike + The Mechanics’ “The Living Years”; Fine Young Cannibals’ “She Drives Me Crazy” and “Good Thing”; and Simply Red’s “If You Don’t Know Me by Now”). (With the ’80s a strong period for British acts, a single-year record 13 such hits ruled in 1985.)
Rihanna at No. 1
Meanwhile, another Hot 100 chart-topper plays into “Unholy,” as Rihanna receives a shout-out in the song’s lyrics. Rihanna has scored 14 No. 1s, the third-most after The Beatles (20) and Mariah Carey (19).
Lacy’s “Bad Habit” descends to No. 2 on the Hot 100, with 47 million in airplay audience (up 9%), 20.5 million streams (up 2%) and 2,000 sold (down 1%). The track concurrently tops the multi-metric Hot Rock & Alternative Songs, Hot Rock Songs and Hot Alternative Songs charts for a ninth week each and the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot R&B Songs charts for an eighth frame each. It became the first song to rule all five rankings (dating to October 2012, when Billboard‘s main genre-based song charts adopted the Hot 100’s methodology).
Styles “As It Was” holds at No. 3 on the Hot 100, after 15 weeks at No. 1 – the fourth-longest reign in the chart’s history. Still, the song, which debuted at No. 1 on the April 16-dated list, extends its record for the most weeks, 29, logged in the top three, encompassing its entire run on the chart so far. The track also adds a 10th week at No. 1 on Radio Songs (61.4 million in audience, up 1%).
Lil Baby debuts three songs on the Hot 100 in the top 10: “California Breeze,” “Forever,” featuring Fridayy, and “Real Spill,” at Nos. 4, 8 and 10, respectively. Streaming almost entirely drives the songs’ entrances, as they start at No. 2 (23.2 million streams), No. 3 (19.9 million) and No. 5 (19.1 million), respectively, on Streaming Songs.
Lil Baby notches his 11th, 12th and 13th Hot 100 top 10s, with all three tracks from his album It’s Only Me, which soars in as his third Billboard 200 No. 1, with 216,000 equivalent album units.
Fridayy earns his first Hot 100 top 10, in his second appearance, following his featured turn (with Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z and John Legend) on DJ Khaled’s “God Did” (No. 17, September).
Post Malone’s “I Like You (A Happier Song),” featuring Doja Cat, dips 4-5 on the Hot 100, after reaching No. 3; OneRepublic’s “I Ain’t Worried” keeps at its No. 6 best; and Morgan Wallen’s “You Proof” drops to No. 7 from its No. 5 high, as it leads the multi-metric Hot Country Songs chart for a 10th week.
Elsewhere the Hot 100’s top 10, Nicki Minaj’s “Super Freaky Girl” slips 8-9, after it opened atop the Aug. 27 chart, as it tops the multi-metric Hot Rap Songs tally for a 10th week.
Again, for all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram and all charts (dated Oct. 29), including the Hot 100 in its entirety, will refresh on Billboard.com tomorrow (Oct. 25).
Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.