Hot 100 First-Timers: RAYE & 070 Shine With Collab Global Hit ‘Escapism’
Written by djfrosty on December 13, 2022
RAYE and 070 Shake each achieve their first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 chart (dated Dec. 17), as their team-up “Escapism” debuts at No. 100.
The song tallied 6.2 million official streams (up 215%) in the United States in the Dec. 2-8 tracking week, according to Luminate, with its profile boosted by TikTok, where it has been used in over 75,000 clips to date. The song has also benefitted from multiple versions available, including sped-up and slowed-down mixes and a live recording.
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“Escapism” concurrently bounds 73-27 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart and 115-36 on the Billboard Global 200. On the Official UK Singles survey, it rises to No. 2, the best rank for London native RAYE among four top 10s; 070 Shake appears on the chart for the first time.
RAYE (real name: Rachel Keen) has appeared on Billboard’s charts since 2016, having posted 14 entries on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs, including two top 10s: “Secrets,” with Regard (No. 8 peak in 2020), and “Bed,” with Joel Corry and David Guetta (No. 7, 2021). The only solo women with more total visits are Lady Gaga (33), FKA Twigs (20) and Grimes (15), dating to the list’s launch in 2013. “Secrets” also crossed over to Pop Airplay, reaching No. 39 in 2020.
Rapper and singer-songwriter 070 Shake (real name: Danielle Balbuena) has charted five songs on the Hot 100 as a writer, prior to “Escapism,” which she and RAYE co-authored: Kanye West’s 2018 tracks “Yikes” (No. 8 peak), “All Mine” (No. 11), “Ghost Town,” featuring PARTYNEXTDOOR (No. 16), and “Violent Crimes” (No. 27), and Beyoncé’s “Alien Superstar” (No. 19, this August). She’s also written songs for acts including DJ Khaled, Fabolous, Nas and Pusha T.
As a recording artist, 070 Shake’s “Lifetime” (billed as by Swedish House Mafia featuring Ty Dolla $ign and 070 Shake) reached No. 9 on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs and No. 33 on Pop Airplay in 2021. Her debut LP Modus Vivendi hit No. 10 on Heatseekers Albums in 2020, while her sophomore set You Can’t Kill Me, released this June on G.O.O.D./Def Jam, reached a personal-best No. 6 on Heatseekers Albums.