The race is presently too close to make a guarantee, but Ariana Grande’s “thank u, next” definitely has a strong shot of claiming #1 on this week’s Mediabase pop radio airplay chart.
“thank u, next” received 13,516 spins during the first five days of the January 13-19 tracking period. Up 7% from the count at this point last week, the tally slots Grande’s tune at #1 on the building/real-time chart.
“thank u, next” does not hold a big lead. Panic! At The Disco’s building #2 “High Hopes” is only 26 spins behind. Halsey’s building #3 “Without Me” trails by a modest 332 spins.
“thank u, next” does, however, hold the clear momentum advantage. “High Hopes” is actually decelerating, while “Without Me” is only up 4% week-over-week. If the songs remain on their current trajectories, “thank u, next” will finish the week at #1.