Hot 100 First-Timers: Tommy Richman Cashes In With ‘Million Dollar Baby’
Written by djfrosty on May 7, 2024
Tommy Richman scores his first appearance on the Billboard Hot 100 chart (dated May 11), as his new single, “Million Dollar Baby,” soars in at No. 2.
Released April 26 on ISO Supremacy/PULSE Records, the song debuts with 38 million official U.S. streams, 302,000 in early radio airplay audience and 4,000 downloads sold in its first week of release (April 26-May 2), according to Luminate.
Since the Hot 100 began in 1958, only five other acts have debuted in the top two with no prior history on the chart. Lauryn Hill first achieved the feat on the Nov. 14, 1998 survey, when “Doo Wop (That Thing)” launched at No. 1; before that, though, Fugees charted three songs with her as a member. Fantasia was second, with a No. 1 start for “I Believe” after she won American Idol in 2004. In 2013, Baauer opened at No. 1 with his viral hit “Harlem Shake.” Zayn followed in 2016, when his debut solo single “Pillowtalk” arrived at No. 1; similar to Hill, One Direction had charted 29 songs with him as a member. Most recently prior to Richman, last August Oliver Anthony Music became the first act to premiere atop the Hot 100 with no prior chart history on any ranking when “Rich Men North of Richmond” debuted at No. 1.
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(Also notably, Artists for Haiti debuted at No. 2 in 2010 with its charity single “We Are the World 25: For Haiti.” The supergroup featured dozens of A-list artists and chart veterans, including Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, Celine Dion, P!nk and Usher.)
Before this week, Richman had notched one chart appearance: Brent Faiyaz’s “Upset,” featuring Richman and Felix!, reached No. 12 on Hot R&B Songs and No. 33 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs last November.
“Million Dollar Baby” has benefitted from attention on TikTok, where it has soundtracked over 150,000 clips on the platform to date.
Richman hails from Woodbridge, Va., and was the first artist signed to Faiyaz’s ISO Supremacy imprint, in partnership with PULSE Records. Richman also opened for Faiyaz on his F*ck the World, It’s a Wasteland Tour. “I’m grateful and amazed at the support from Brent, ISO Supremacy and the team at PULSE Records, which motivates me,” Richman said at the time. “To have the opportunity to open for Brent on his sold-out tour is an absolute honor and to sign to PULSE Records, a creative community that really understands music and supports artists, I couldn’t ask for more.”
In a 2023 interview with the Miami New Times, Richman discussed the difficulties of breaking into the music industry as a Virginia-based artist. “There’s a lot of passion through the scene back home, and I feel like it’s because a lot of people don’t get a fair shake,” he said. “It’s really hard to have your voice heard there. That’s probably why a lot of people from Virginia left, like Pharrell and Timbaland. It’s kind of key for an artist to leave their nest. That way, you can appreciate where you come from.”
Richman released his debut album, Alligator, in 2022 on Boom.Records. In September, he dropped the five-track The Rush, via ISO Supremacy.
Richman Rules Streaming Songs
Richman lands his first No. 1 on Billboard’s Streaming Songs chart via the chart-topping entrance for “Million Dollar Baby.” He’s the second act to land a first Streaming Songs ruler with an initial entry in 2024, following Benson Boone, whose “Beautiful Things” led for a week in February.
Unlike “Million Dollar Baby,” “Beautiful Things” rose to No. 1 in its third week on the chart. The last act before Richman to debut atop the list with a first charting song? Kim Petras, whose “Unholy,” with Sam Smith, started at the summit in October 2022. Splitting the accomplishment one level further: Since Petras was a co-lead on “Unholy,” the last act, like Richman, to launch a first entry atop Streaming Songs with no billed collaborators before this week was Olivia Rodrigo, with “Drivers License” in January 2021.
Notably, “Million Dollar Baby” represents the sixth No. 1 debut on Streaming Songs in 2024. Comparatively, nine songs debuted atop the ranking in all of 2023.
Richman Banks First R&B/Hip-Hop No. 1
Richman also storms onto the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot R&B Songs charts at No. 1 with “Million Dollar Baby.”
Meanwhile, Faiyaz’s “Upset,” featuring Richman and Felix!, returns to Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs at No. 40, spurred by 4.2 million streams, up 94% from the prior week.
Similarly, after “Upset” originally hit No. 12 in Richman’s sole prior visit to Hot R&B Songs in November, he simultaneously ups his top 10 count to two as, concurrent with “Million Dollar Baby” bowing at No. 1, “Upset” reenters at No. 7.
—Kevin Rutherford and Trevor Anderson contributed to this report