5 First-Timers on Billboard’s Charts This Week: Michael Marcagi, Zach Top, The Ramona Flowers & More

Billboard has more than 200 different weekly charts, encompassing numerous genres and formats.

While established artists often compete for a spot on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart and Billboard 200 albums ranking, which track the most popular songs and albums of the week, respectively, up-and-coming talents typically start off on genre-specific lists.

Here’s a look at five artists who appear on surveys with initial entries on the Jan. 27, 2024-dated charts:

Michael Marcagi

The singer-songwriter and Cincinnati native arrives on Billboard’s charts with his breakthrough solo single “Scared to Start.” The song, released Jan. 12 on Warner Records, debuts at No. 13 on Hot Alternative Songs, No. 17 on Hot Rock Songs and No. 21 on Hot Rock & Alternative Songs with 2.6 million official U.S. streams and 3,000 downloads sold in its first week of release (Jan. 12-18), according to Luminate. Thanks to its sales sum, it also opens at No. 8 on the all-genre Digital Song Sales chart.

The track’s impressive start can be attributed in part to hype generated on TikTok. Marcagi first released a snippet of the song on the platform in November. Since then, it has soundtracked over 70,000 TikTok videos to date. Some independent artists have even begun posting their own covers of the song, some of which Marcagi has shared on his profile.

Marcagi has released only one other solo song on streaming services so far: “The Other Side,” on Dec. 11. He was previously in the band The Heavy Hours, which charted two songs on Adult Alternative Airplay: “Don’t Walk Away” (No. 21 peak in 2020) and “Wildfire” (No. 33 in 2021). He’s slated to release his debut EP in February. On Saturday (Jan. 20), he released a snippet of one unreleased track, “In the Light” on TikTok. He’s currently on the road supporting The Moss on a string of U.S. tour dates.

Zach Top

The Sunnyside, Wash., native landed his first Billboard chart entry with his breakthrough single “Sounds Like the Radio.” Released Jan. 8 via Leo33, the cut debuted at No. 56 on the Jan. 20-dated Country Airplay chart, and jumps to No. 46 on the latest, Jan. 27 survey (up 83% to 1.3 million in airplay audience).

The song is slated to appear on Top’s forthcoming debut LP Cold Beer & Country Music, due April 5. “Creating Cold Beer & Country Music has been an incredible journey,” Top recently shared in a press release. “This album is a labor of love, a reflection of my roots and a celebration of the timeless spirit of country music.”

Top is currently on the road touring with Flatland Cavalry. He has a string of tour dates lined up this spring, including a three-show stretch in April supporting Brothers Osborne, followed by a supporting turn on Lainey Wilson’s Country’s Cool Again Tour. He’s also scheduled to perform at several festivals, including Under the Big Sky, St. Pat’s in Five Points and Two Step Inn.

The Ramona Flowers

The U.K.-based group notches its first Billboard chart entry with its breakout hit “Up All Night,” featuring the legendary Nile Rodgers. Released Oct. 22 on Distiller Records, the song debuts at No. 39 on Alternative Airplay (up 20% in plays). The track appears on the new soundtrack to the NBA 2K24 video game, alongside Burna Boy, Ice Spice, Kodak Black, Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Wayne and more.

The quartet, which began in Bristol, has been recording and releasing music for over a decade, including three LPs: Dismantle and Rebuild (2014), Part Time Spies (2016) and Strangers (2018). The band has also released multiple EPs, most recently the five-track Hey You in May 2023. The Ramona Flowers is comprised of Dave Betts (keys, guitar), Steve Bird (vocals), Sam Dyson (guitar) and Ed Gallimore (drums).

Artemas

The up-and-comer lands his first Billboard chart hit with his viral track “If U Think I’m Pretty.” The song, which he self-released Oct. 24, debuted at No. 24 on the Jan. 20-dated Hot Alternative Songs chart and No. 39 on Hot Rock & Alternative Songs. On the latest Jan. 27 rankings, it ranks at Nos. 25 and 39, respectively, with 1.8 million streams (up 8%).

The song’s steady gains can be attributed to activity on TikTok, where the song has been used in over 100,000 clips to date. Artemas first released a snippet of the track in an Oct. 13 TikTok, which went viral. Artemas also released a grunge version of the track on Dec. 1, “Prettygrunge.wav,” which has also helped expand the song’s reach.

Artemas self-released his debut album I’m Sorry I’m Like This in 2022. He has released over a dozen songs on streaming services since.

Wilson Fairchild

The duo, comprised of cousins Langdon and Wil Reid, earns its first Billboard chart entry with its new third studio album Statler Made. The set, released Jan. 12 on Gaither Music Group, opens at No. 39 on Top Current Albums with 1,000 copies sold in its opening week. The pair concurrently starts at No. 22 on Emerging Artists.

Notably, Langdon’s father is Don Reid and Wil’s father is Harold Reid, the lead singer and bassist, respectively, of the Statler Brothers. The band has a legendary history on Billboard’s charts, tallying 66 hits on Hot Country Songs, and 39 albums on Top Country Albums. One of its biggest hit singles, “Flowers on the Wall,” reached No. 4 on the Hot 100 in 1966. The Statler Brothers are members of both the Country Music Hall of Fame and Gospel Music Hall of Fame.

Before Statler Made, Wilson Fairchild released Country On in 2012 and Songs Our Dads Wrote in 2017. The act originally performed under the name Grandstaff in the 1990s.

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