When it comes to hot adult contemporary radio, the initial reaction to Mariah Carey’s new “Infinity” was of the decidedly modest variety.
The song, which is cut from her upcoming “#1 to Infinity” compilation album, received 5 monitored Mediabase adds in conjunction with its official Hot AC radio impact.
Those adds, which put “Infinity” in a tie for 8th-most added this week, came from Corpus Christi’s Beach 96.5, Fort Wayne’s 97.3 WMEE, Modesto’s B93, Long Branch’s Fun 107.1 and West Palm Beach’s 97.9 WRMF. None of those stations broadcasts in a major airplay market.
Because many songs earn Hot AC adds at a methodical pace, one should not use this week’s modest count as proof that Mariah Carey’s “Infinity” is dead on arrival. Songs with single digit opening week add counts routinely grow into solid performers on the Hot AC airplay chart.
One should, however, take the add count as proof that “Infinity” was not scorching out of the gate. Neither Carey’s name value nor the caliber of the song prompted Hot AC programmers to view it as an instant smash.
That reality should not necessarily be surprising: hot adult contemporary/adult pop has not historically been a top format for Carey.
She has, however, been able to occasionally gain traction on the format’s airplay chart. Most recently, she reached #30 with “#Beautiful.”