Colton Dixon’s ‘Boat’ Docks at No. 1 on Hot Christian Songs and Christian AC Airplay

Singer-songwriter Colton Dixon scores his first No. 1 on Billboard’s streaming-, airplay and sales based Hot Christian Songs survey as well as Christian AC Airplay (both charts dated Nov. 5).

The 31-year-old Murfreesboro, Tenn. native’s latest single “Build a Boat” ascends 2-1 on both lists. The song hits the Hot Christian Songs summit as it drew 1.2 million U.S. streams and sold 1,000 downloads in the Oct. 21-27 tracking week, according to Luminate.

“Boat” rebounds 2-1 on Christian Digital Song Sales for a sixth frame at No. 1 after first reaching the apex on Sept. 17, becoming his third leader.

On Christian Airplay “Boat” floats 4-2 for a new best. It increased by less than 1% to 6.6 million impressions in the week ending Oct. 30. On Christian AC Airplay the single climbs 2-1 with a 3% increase in plays. Dixon earns his first No. 1 on both Hot Christian Songs and Christian AC Airplay. It’s his 14th Hot Christian Songs entry which includes two additional top 10s. His first appearance “You Are” reached No. 10 in 2013 and 2014’s “More of You” hit No. 9 that September. On Christian AC Airplay “Boat” follows “Miracles” which reached No. 8 in October 2020, giving Dixon his third of four top 10s.

“Boat” was co-written by Dixon, Pete Becker, Mikey Gormley, Johan Linbrandt and Seth Mosley.

“To anyone who had anything to do with this song, thank you,” Dixon tells Billboard. “Even more than having my No. 1 across these formats, I’m so grateful that so many people have applied the meaning of this song to their own story. Faith looks crazy sometimes, but the reward waiting on the other side far outweighs the sacrifice.”

Dixon, who competed during season 11 of American Idol in 2012, performed “Build a Boat” during his first appearance on the Grand Ole Opry on Oct. 24.