American Idol 2021 winner Chayce Beckham “23” tops Billboard Country Airplay Chart
Congratulations to Chayce Beckham. His American idol 2021 winners single “23” rose from No. 6 to No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart (dated April 6), becoming his first chart topper on the list.
The single gained by 22% to 28.2 million audience impressions during the March 22-28 tracking week, according to Luminate.
“I’m so grateful for my family, my team and all the country music fans around the world who made this possible,” Chayce told Billboard in a statement. “Thank you to country radio for embracing this song and making this all a dream come true for me.”
As “23” hits No. 1 in its 60th week, Billboard reports, it completes the longest trip to the top since Dylan Scott’s “Can’t Have Mine” did so in its 62nd frame last December.
Additionally, “23” makes the biggest jump to the Country Airplay No. 1 position since Thomas Rhett’s “Angels Don’t Always Have Wings” also soared 6-1 last September.
“23” is Chayce’s second entry on the chart. His Lindsay Ell duet “Can’t Do Without Me” hit No. 46 in June 2022. The Apple Valley, Calif. native won season 19 of American Idol in 2021. He performed “23” as his original “winners single” live on the show. He had written the song a year before and became the first contestant to win the competition performing an original song.
Chayce is the first ABC era American Idol winner to top the Country Airplay Chart
Chayce is the fourth Idol winner to top Country Airplay, joining Carrie Underwood (16 No. 1s, after she won in 2005), Scotty McCreery (five; 2011) and Kelly Clarkson (one; the inaugural winner in 2002). Additionally, Chayce is the first of the ABC era winners to summit the chart. FOX cancelled American Idol after season 15 in 2016. ABC revived the show in 2018.
Also, “23” is the first Country Airplay No. 1 written by a single person since Luke Combs’ cover of Tracy Chapman’s self-authored “Fast Car” topped the chart for five weeks beginning last July.
Chayce’s record label, 19 Recordings/Wheelhouse Records/BMG didn’t send “23” to radio after his win. Instead, it took streaming numbers to steadily climb for months before the label decided to give the song a shot.
What’s next for Chayce: Debut album drops April 5
Next, for Chayce: He’s getting ready to go out on tour with American Idol judge Luke Bryan this summer. For tickets and all touring updates, visit www.ChayceBeckham.com. But first, the country singer will drop his debut album, Bad For Me, on April 5.
Produced by Bart Butler (Jon Pardi, Midland, Warren Zeiders), apart from “23” (Ross Copperman), Bad for Me puts the country singer’s songwriting centerstage. Crafting a series of deeply personal stories, his mix of dusky Western sonics and rock energy come to the forefront, as fiddle, steel and loping rhythms stand beside his rustic vocal. Chayce penned or co-penned 9 of the 13 tracks on Bad for Me.
Featuring “23” that’s streaming over 4.6M per week, the former fork-lift driver’s debut includes several tracks he wrote entirely by himself before he won American Idol, including the poignant fan-favorite “Mama” that he actually performed on the show, along with the barroom rocker “Drink You Off My Mind.”
