Zara Larsson’s “Lush Life,” which spent a whopping twenty seven weeks on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart, finally cracks the actual Hot 100.
The song debuts at #97 on this week’s edition of the chart, which ranks songs based on combined activity from sales, streaming and airplay.
Epic Records first promoted “Lush Life” to US radio last year, but it failed to gain much traction. The label had considerably more luck with Larsson’s MNEK duet “Never Forget You,” which reached the Top 5 at pop radio and Top 15 on the Hot 100.
As “Never Forget You” was taking off in the US, “Lush Life” enjoyed success overseas. The combination of that international buzz and Larsson’s growing US profile (thanks to “Never Forget You”) kept “Lush Life” on the radar, and it has posted solid US streaming numbers throughout the year. Combined with non-trivial sales volume, the weekly streaming activity facilitated the song’s long tenure on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart.
With interest made clear by the song’s international reception and US streaming activity, Epic opted to relaunch “Lush Life” as the follow-up to “Never Forget You.” The relaunch included a renewed push at US radio and the release of an alternate version of the Vevo-certified music video.
The resulting increases in activity allow for this week’s Hot 100 debut.
