Hot 100 First-Timers: Malcolm Todd Arrives With Breakthrough Hit ‘Chest Pain (I Love)’

Malcolm Todd is officially a Billboard Hot 100-charting artist for the first time thanks to his breakthrough single, “Chest Pain (I Love).”

Released in December on Columbia Records, the song debuts at No. 68 almost entirely from 7.7 million official U.S. streams (up 45%) April 4-10, according to Luminate. It also reaches the top 10 on both Hot Alternative Songs (13-9) and Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (16-10).

Todd first appeared on Billboard’s charts dated Dec. 14, 2024, when “Chest Pain (I Love)” debuted on the now-defunct TikTok Billboard Top 50. It hit No. 3 later that month. TikTok has continued to help popularize the song, as its official audio has soundtracked over 400,000 clips on the platform to date. Another variation of the song has been used in over 1.5 million TikToks. Todd’s repeated “I love” refrain is highlighted in most of the videos, which often center around creators and the people or things they love.

Todd, 21, from Los Angeles, has since charted one additional song: “Bleed,” with Omar Apollo, reached No. 12 on Hot Alternative Songs and No. 20 on Hot Rock & Alternative Songs in March.

The streaming bump in the latest tracking week for “Chest Pain (I Love)” can be partly attributed to the arrival of Todd’s self-titled debut full-length LP, released April 4. The 14-track album, which includes both “Chest Pain” and “Bleed,” opens at No. 13 on Top Alternative Albums and No. 23 on Top Rock & Alternative Albums with 12,000 equivalent album units. Todd previously dropped two EPs: Demos Before Prom, in 2022, and Showers Shoes, in 2023.

Todd concurrently climbs 22-14 for a new high on the Emerging Artists chart.