Working to serve Lorde a third ace at pop radio, “Tennis Court” has officially ascended into the Top 40 on Mediabase’s rolling airplay chart.
Not yet a royal performer on the charts, the critically acclaimed song is nonetheless gaining steady traction at the pop format. The 40th-most-played song for the seven days ending May 9, its estimated audience of 4.26 million was the format’s 37th-largest.
While Lorde’s song is beginning to ascend from the bottom of the chart, two tracks involving buzzworthy rapper Iggy Azalea are aggressively flirting with the chart’s upper reaches. They were the format’s biggest airplay gainers for the seven days ending May 9.
“Fancy (featuring Charli XCX),” Azalea’s entry as a lead artist, is presently knocking on the door of the top 10. The format’s second biggest spin gainer for the week, “Fancy” was the 12th-most-played song over the past seven days. Popular in big markets, its audience of 51.58 million ranked as Top 40 radio’s 9th-largest.
Ariana Grande’s “Problem,” which features Azalea, is continuing its explosive run. As the week’s greatest airplay gainer, the song enjoyed a lift to #21 on the rolling Mediabase airplay chart. Its audience of 26.69 million was the 20th-largest for a song at pop radio.
Other notable stories within the pop radio airplay chart:
— Currently #3, Justin Timberlake’s “Not a Bad Thing” stands a chance of reaching #1. John Legend’s “All of Me” and Jason DeRulo’s “Talk Dirty (featuring 2 Chainz),” the format’s top two songs, both endured declines in airplay this week.
— American Authors’ “Best Day of My Life” is currently at a peak of #4. Because its upward movement is slowing, it might not have much higher to rise on the Top 40 airplay chart.
— Paramore’s “Ain’t it Fun,” on the other hand, absolutely will rise higher. Currently at a peak of #7, the song is the week’s greatest airplay gainer within the Top 10 (and the fifth-largest overall). An ascent into the Top 5 (ahead of Katy Perry’s #3 song “Dark Horse” and Pharrell’s #4 song “Happy,” which are both falling) is certain, and a climb to an even higher position is likely.
— Calvin Harris’ “Summer,” the week’s fourth-biggest airplay gainer, ascended to #18 on the Mediabase airplay chart. Its hefty audience of 46.28 million, however, was pop radio’s eleventh-largest for the week.
— Nico and Vinz’ “Am I Wrong,” which recently surged into the Top 10 on iTunes Single Sales chart, remains a force at radio. It was Top 40 radio’s 19th-most-played song for the seven days ending May 9.
— One Direction’s new ballad “You & I” rose eight places to become the 29th-most-played song at pop.
— Jason DeRulo’s “Wiggle (featuring Snoop Dogg),” which blased into the Top 10 at iTunes this week, was the 49th-most-played song at pop radio over the trailing seven days. Its airplay gain exceeds that of every song outside of the Top 30.