Update: An eleventh hour confirmation reveals that Cher Lloyd’s “Sirens” will also seek Top 40 adds this week. Details on that track have been added to the below report.
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Two songs that gained notoriety in commercials, a rap-sung effort not involving Rihanna, Big Sean or Drake, a buzzworthy single that samples from Spongebob Squarepants and a pop queen’s effort to take back her throne are set to make for one very interesting week at radio.
Hoping for the same warm welcome recently afforded to Nico & Vinz’ “Am I Wrong,” 5 Seconds of Summer’s “She Looks So Perfect,” Katy Tiz’ “The Big Bang” and Rixton’s “Me & My Broken Heart,” five songs officially impact Top 40 radio this week.
While some have been gaining ground in advance of their official impact dates, it is this week that the songs will get their truest taste of reality. When it comes to Top 40, are they right for right now?
Get to know the five songs set to impact the format the week of April 7:
Afrojack – Ten Feet Tall
Outside of his minor hit “Take Over Control,” DJ/producer Afrojack has never managed to translate his immense genre popularity into meaningful Top 40 airplay for a track on which he is the lead artist (he was billed as featured on Pitbull’s number one “Give Me Everything”). “Ten Feet Tall,” featuring Wrabel on vocals, represents his latest attempt at achieving that crossover.
Best known for its inclusion in Bud Light’s Super Bowl ad, “Ten Feet Tall” has been gaining Top 40 radio momentum ahead of its official impact date. It was the format’s 45th-most-played song for the seven days ending April 6.
AJR – I’m Ready
Known best for its Spongebob Squarepants sample, AJR’s “I’m Ready” is surely the most intriguing and unusual of the week’s newcomers.
“I’m Ready” initially made waves in 2013 when the band consisting of Met brothers Adam, Jack and Ryan Tweeted the track to a number of celebrities. Sia Furler was struck by the song and introduced the New York-based trio to her management. The notoriety spiraled from there, and the band is now on the cusp of a Top 40 impact.
Though not yet a top 40 (or even 50) song at radio, “I’m Ready” did score an impressive 17 adds last week.
Cher Lloyd – Sirens
Along with Leona Lewis, Little Mix, One Direction and several others, Cher Lloyd proves that while “The X Factor” might have flopped as a US television series, international editions remain viable tickets to stardom.
But while her star might be still be burning bright, it, at least as far as her presence in the US goes, has yet to return to the luminance of her 2012 run. That run, fueled by the success of single “Want U Back,” gave Lloyd a lofty profile in the United States.
With “Sirens,” she hopes to recapture that North American glory.
HAIM – Forever
HAIM’s 2012 debut offering, “Forever” seemed a distant memory for the sister trio that had since garnered interest in “The Wire” and begun promoting 2014 single “If I Could Change Your Mind.”
Then the Target ad happened.
Positioned at the center of Target’s latest “Styles” television campaign, “Forever” began to develop a second wind. It surged into the Top 200 on iTunes (leaving current single “Mind” in its rear view) and began to generate excitement from a mainstream audience unfamiliar with the act that had already captivated so many indie/alt music critics.
Naturally, the HAIM team decided to ship “Forever” to Top 40 radio.
Lady Gaga – GUY
Having already earned spins (and 18 new adds last week), “GUY” was the past week’s 43rd most played track on Top 40/Mainstream radio. This week, however, it looks to make a splash befitting one of pop’s most recognizable and successful stars.
It represents Gaga’s third chance to launch something buzzworthy from “ARTPOP.” Previous singles “Applause” and “Do What U Want” charted well but failed to make the same waves as the lengthy lineup of successes from earlier albums “Born this Way” and “The Fame.”
My Crazy Girlfriend – Crazy Stupid Love
Formed by the union of Myah Marie, Cosmo and Laze & Royal, My Crazy Girlfriend is thus far the lowest-profile act seeking Top 40 adds this week. But it is not without buzz, and after previously pushing “Go F**k Yourself” across web channels, it represents the foursome’s opportunity to score a big break at mainstream radio.
Combining elements of dance-pop and hip-hop, the video “Crazy Stupid Love” earned a modest–but not insignificant–14,000+ YouTube views in its first week of release.