Many of the biggest and most talked-about pop stars of the past several decades have been solo females, as the genre seems to favor talented women over their male counterparts. More often than not, the Best New Artist Grammy goes to a solo female, passing over many male acts.
While a number of beloved male vocalists have seen their ability to craft smashes diminish, one would not know that is the case in the American music industry by looking at this week’s Pop Airplay chart, Billboard’s ranking of the most successful tracks across top 40 stations. The highest two rungs are filled by men known for working on their own, and this frame, one of them blocks the other from not only a new champion, but a historic winner.
Justin Bieber’s “Yukon” Fails to Hit No. 1
Justin Bieber climbs to the runner-up spot on the latest edition of the Pop Airplay chart. His single “Yukon,” taken from his surprise album Swag, which dropped last summer, improves its standing to No. 2. More than half a year into its run, “Yukon” is closer than ever to becoming a leader, though it will have to wait for another period to make another go at the top spot.
Bruno Mars’s “I Just Might” Holds In the Top Spot
Bruno Mars commands the Pop Airplay chart for yet another week with “I Just Might,” which is stationary in the penthouse. The lead single from Mars’s comeback set The Romantic has now spent three frames as the most successful pop cut in America. “I Just Might” has lived in first place for as long as “When I Was Your Man,” “Just the Way You Are,” and “That’s What I Like.”
Justin Bieber Could Match Bruno Mars’s Record
If Bieber and Mars can swap spots in the coming weeks, “Yukon” will become a historic success for the Canadian Grammy winner. Bieber has already racked up 11 No. 1s on the Pop Airplay chart, and he is currently tied with Rihanna, Katy Perry, and Maroon 5 for the third-most rulers of all time.
“I Just Might” recently became Mars’s twelfth No. 1 on the tally. If “Yukon” can ascend just one spot, Bieber will match Mars’s record – and do so in a very specific fashion. Here are all of Justin Bieber’s No. 1s on the Pop Airplay chart:
- “Cold Water” with Major Lazer and MØ
- “Daisies”
- “Despacito” with Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee
- “Ghost”
- “I Don’t Care” with Ed Sheeran
- “Intentions” with Quavo
- “Love Yourself”
- “Peaches” with Daniel Caesar and Giveon
- “Sorry”
- “Stay” with The Kid Laroi
- “What Do You Mean?”
“Yukon” Joins Other No. 2 Hits by Justin Bieber
“Yukon” is one of four singles by Bieber that have – at least thus far – stalled in the runner-up spot on the Pop Airplay chart. Previously, “Let Me Love You” with DJ Snake, “Lonely” with Benny Blanco, and “Beauty and a Beat,” which features a verse by Nicki Minaj, have also failed to dominate by one frustrating spot.
Justin Bieber’s Top 10 Hits That Have Missed No. 1
Throughout the more than a decade he has spent as a pop icon, Bieber has sent 22 tunes into the Pop Airplay ranking’s top 10. Half of those have climbed all the way to No. 1, and he has seen as many tracks fail to soar all the way to the uppermost space as he has seen run the show.
Here are all of Justin Bieber’s songs that have reached the Pop Airplay chart’s top 10 but not No. 1:
- “10,000 Hours” with Dan + Shay
- “As Long As You Love Me” with Big Sean
- “Beauty And A Beat” with Nicki Minaj
- “Boyfriend”
- “Holy” with Chance The Rapper
- “I’m The One” with DJ Khaled, Quavo, Chance The Rapper and Lil Wayne
- “Let Me Love You” with DJ Snake
- “Lonely” with Benny Blanco
- “No Brainer” with DJ Khaled and Chance The Rapper
- “Where Are U Now” with Skrillex and Diplo
- “Yukon”
Taylor Swift Claims the Most Pop Airplay Chart No. 1s
Taylor Swift continues to lead all artists in terms of the greatest number of rulers on the Pop Airplay rundown, as she has already racked up 15. Two of those former leaders, “The Fate of Ophelia” and “Opalite,” are featured on her most recent album The Life of a Showgirl, and those tunes currently appear on the list. So, too, does “Elizabeth Taylor,” the third promotional cut from her project, which this frame holds at its No. 19 high, just three weeks into its time on the roster.
