tmn charts Chart Analysis February 28, 2020

SZA & JT make swift Hot 100 debut with ‘The Other Side’

Former Assistant Editor

SZA and Justin Timberlake have achieved one of the fastest debuts on the TMN Hot 100 powered by Radio Monitor.

‘The Other Side’ dropped in Australia on Wednesday evening at 10pm AEDT, giving it just 26 hours before the end of the airplay chart week.

With JT’s excellent pedigree at radio in this country and the addition of fellow US singer-songwriter SZA, the track debuted at #45, a remarkable achievement.

It was the second-highest debut of the week after new 5SOS track ‘Old Me’, which had almost six extra days to rack up airplay.

After ‘The Other Side’ dropped, Melbourne’s The Fox spun it 10 times in those 26 hours, playing the track on average more than once every three hours.

Hit Perth, 2DayFM and several Hit regional stations spun it seven times, while many others including KIIS Sydney and Melbourne played the tune five times in just over a day.

At this rate, SZA and JT should easily break the Top 10 next week and could even threaten the Top 5 on the chart.

The tune is from the upcoming Trolls World Tour soundtrack. Timberlake’s single from the first Trolls movie has racked up a massive 144 weeks on the Hot 100.

Meanwhile, The Weeknd has another #1 on the TMN Hot 100, with ‘Blinding Lights’ coasting past Dua Lipa’s ‘Don’t Start Now’ this week.

‘Blinding Lights’ tops the chart in its 13th charting week, in a week where ‘Before You Go’ by Lewis Capaldi (#3) and ‘What A Man Gotta Do’ by Jonas Brothers (#5) reach new peaks.

The track becomes The Weeknd’s third chart-topper at Australian radio and first in over four years, after 2015 releases ‘The Hills and ‘Can’t Feel My Face’ both went to #1.

Starboy’ featuring Daft Punk went close, peaking at #2.

Airplay across commercial radio, as well as support from triple j, has been instrumental in landing the achievement for the US singer-songwriter.