Harry Styles’ “Watermelon Sugar” could reach #1 at pop radio as soon as this week.
The summer hit received 5,049 Mediabase-monitored pop radio spins during the first two days of the July 26-August 1 tracking period. Up 10% from the count at this point last week, the tally slots “Watermelon Sugar” at #1 on Mediabase’s building/real-time chart.
The week is still young, and “Watermelon Sugar” does not hold a huge lead over the building #2 song. Dua Lipa’s “Break My Heart,” the current runner-up on the building chart, received 5,004 spins during the first two days of the tracking period. As a result, it is far too early to make guarantees about which song will finish the week on top.
“Watermelon Sugar” does, however, seem to have a clear momentum advantage. Whereas it is up 10% from last week’s mark, “Break My Heart” is up 3%. If both songs remain on those trajectories, “Watermelon Sugar” will close the week at #1.
And even if “Watermelon Sugar” ends up missing the top spot this week, it would be a virtual lock to take over next week. The common industry assumption, moreover, is that “Watermelon Sugar” will enjoy a multi-week reign whenever it does hit #1.
The official Mediabase pop chart will arrive on Sunday.
