Lauren Daigle "You Say" Tops Billboard AC Chart for Second Week & Sets Record in the Process

The ballad is the first song to have topped both AC & Christian Airplay.

Lauren Daigle lands her first No. 1 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary radio airplay chart, as "You Say" ascends from #2 to #1 on the Aug. 10-dated ranking.

The ballad dethrones the longest-leading hit in the chart's history: Maroon 5's "Girls Like You," after 33 weeks in charge.

With "You Say" having topped the Christian Airplay chart for 17 weeks beginning last September, the song is the first to have led both that list and the AC survey. (AC launched, as "Easy Listening," in 1961, while Christian Airplay originated in 2003.)

"You Say" concurrently tops the airplay-, streaming- and sales-based Hot Christian Songs chart for a 54th week, a reign second only to the 61-week domination of Hillsong UNITED's "Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)" in 2013-15.

Meanwhile, "You Say" parent album Look Up Child rules Top Christian Albums for a 42nd week, with 12,000 equivalent album units (up 5%), according to Nielsen Music.

Skillet's Victorius Debuts at No. 1 on Top Rock Charts & #17 Overall

Skillet is celebrating the No. 1 debut on both the Top Rock and Christian SoundScan charts of their latest critically-acclaimed LP, VICTORIOUS. The album also entered at No. 3 on Billboard's Top Current Album chart, and Top 20 at No. 17 on the Billboard Top 200 chart. Of note, the sales for VICTORIOUS were garnered without using a concert ticket/album sale redemption offer, something quite common with many top selling albums today. Sales were achieved by traditional album sales through retailers including Walmart, as well as streaming and webstores like Spotify, Amazon and iTunes.

Marvel recently welcomed Skillet as a guest on their This Week in Marvel Podcast, and in line with such, also coming this fall, front man John Cooper recently collaborated with Z2 Comics for “Eden: A Skillet Graphic Novel” unveiling late August, which also features the bonus so
ng "Dreaming of Eden" with purchase.

NF's New Album Debuts at #1

NF has topped the Billboard charts with The Search, now the #1 album in America and the biggest-selling week for a rap album this year. Released on NF Real Music/Caroline, The Search sold 130,000 equivalent album units, with 84,000 in full album sales, making The Search the biggest selling album for a rap set this year.

This marks the rapper’s second consecutive album to land at number one on the Billboard Top 200, following 2017’s multi-platinum certified Perception. NF surprised the industry with Perception’s success, and he proved his place atop the music industry with The Search - selling more than double his previous chart-topping album. On the streaming side The Search racks up over 60 million streams in it’s first week debut.

Operating from outside of the system and against all odds, NF quietly and unassumingly ascended to the forefront of modern hip-hop on his own terms.

NF’s independently released Perception debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 as well as No. 1 on the Top Rap Albums and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts. It was the ultimate underdog story of 2017, and as Forbes noted “NF’s success speaks to what can be done these days outside of the traditional system.”

NF Releases New Single on Heels of Stratospheric Viral Impact of “When I Grow Up"

ollowing the stratospheric viral impact of the recently released “When I Grow Up , ” chart-topping rapper NF  shared a new single and music video entitled “Time” today. Listen HERE . This marks the third song issued from his forthcoming album— The Search coming July 26, 2019. Fans may pre-order the album HERE .

Recently, NF shook the internet with “When I Grow Up.” The video trended on YouTube at #1 for multiple days and racked up over 20 million global video views as well as over 12 million audio streams in less than two weeks. The first single “The Search” has amassed upwards of 30 million global audio streams and over 20 million video views to date. Both “The Search ” and “When I Grow Up ” debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at #70 (NF’s highest debut ever) and #78 respectively.

 

Following the arrival of The Search, the artist will launch the 29-date headline run, The Search Tour . It kicks off on September 12 and takes NF across North America, culminating with his debut at Colorado’s Red Rocks Amphitheatre on October 13 and wrapping up in California October 26.

 

 

Every online ticket order of 2 or more tickets for the 2019 U.S. NF headline tour will include 1 physical CD copy of NF’s forthcoming album The Search . Tickets and tour information available at nfrealmusic.com . 

 

Operating from outside of the system and against all odds, NF quietly and unassumingly ascended to the forefront of modern hip-hop on his own terms. His independently released, Perception, shocked the industry by debuting at #1 on the Billboard Top 200 and shone a light on a fervent fan-driven movement surrounding the artist. It also bowed at #1 on the Top Rap Albums and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Chart. It represented the ultimate underdog story of 2017, as chronicled by  The New York Times,  Rolling Stone and Forbes, with the latter noting, “NF’s success speaks to what can be done these days outside of the traditional system.”

 

Now certified Platinum in the U.S., Perception has earned more than two million album equivalent units worldwide while cumulative streams have surpassed 3.5 billion. Singles like “Let You Down” – 3x Platinum and a No. 1 Pop radio hit in the U.S., and certified Platinum or higher in seven additional countries – “Lie” and “If You Want Love” further expanded NF’s fanbase, paving the way for his sold-out, 87-date 2018 Perception World tour of North America and Europe, numerous festival appearances and the direct support slot on Logic’s Bobby Tarantino Vs Everybody arena tour.

A Ragamuffin Benefit For Rick Elias

Rick Elias, a founding member of A Ragamuffin Band, was recently diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. Friends and colleagues have banded together to produce a benefit concert designed to help defray the enormous expenses associated with the treatment of his insidious disease.

A Ragamuffin Benefit for Rick Elias: The Jesus Record Live concert event, which is slated for February 2, 2019, at Christ Community Church in Franklin, Tennessee, is an opportunity for friends and fans of the award-winning singer/songwriter and producer to gather, raise money for his medical expenses, and hear The Jesus Record performed live in its entirety. The concert will feature performers from the original recording, including Elias, Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, A Ragamuffin Band (Elias, Mark Robertson, Jimmy Abegg, and Aaron Smith), and more. Even the sound engineer, concert producers, graphic artist, select session players and others who contributed to the original album are donating their time for this significant evening.

The historic Jesus Record was scheduled to be the ninth release by the late Rich Mullins (1955-1997). When Mullins met an untimely death, his foundation, band, and record company determined to move forward with recording the project in Rich's honor with guest artists who were his friends. The project included two discs; Disc One--the nine rough song demos recorded by Mullins, and Disc Two--the studio version of the same songs, produced by Rick Elias. The Jesus Record was released on July 23, 1998. Shortly thereafter, A Ragamuffin Band toured the U.S., featuring music from The Jesus Record on their Homeless Man Tour.

"Earlier this year, I received a diagnosis that turned my world upside down," Elias confesses. "Nevertheless, we remain in God's faithfulness. My family and I are so thankful for the community that has rallied around us during this time. We are really looking forward to performing The Jesus Record live for the first time in 21 years."

Tickets to A Ragamuffin Benefit for Rick Elias: The Jesus Record Live concert event may be purchased online at eventbrite.com/e/the-jesus-record-live-a-ragamuffin-benefit-for-rick-elias-tickets-54243200874?aff=erellivmlt.

All proceeds from the event will go toward medical treatment for Elias's brain cancer. Those who are unable to attend the concert can still support this worthy cause by making a generous donation to the Rick Elias Medical Expenses GoFundMe campaign. To donate, visit gofundme.com/rick-elias-medical-expenses.