“I Hope” reigns for 20 weeks
Warner Music Nashville’s Gabby Barrett breaks the Billboard Hot Country Songs record as “I Hope” is now the longest-leading No. 1 by an unaccompanied female artist in history with a 20 week reign. The 3x platinum debut song appears on the newcomer’s debut album Goldmine, which was released earlier this year.
“Wow, I’m blown away,” shares Barrett. “This year has been absolutely crazy for all of us, so to have this kind of year career-wise feels surreal. I’m so grateful for every step that my team, my fans and most importantly my family have taken to bring us here. Thank you to all of you, and to Country radio, for making this possible!”
Earlier this summer, Barrett made history by becoming the first female artist to chart within the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 with a song unaccompanied by any other artists that also charted on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart since 2012 (Taylor Swift, with “Red”), the first woman to claim both the No. 1 spot on Hot Country Songs and a Hot 100 Top 10 with a debut solo single in 45 years, and the first artist overall to achieve both the No. 1 at Country Airplay and the Hot 100 Top 10 crown with a debut since Florida Georgia Line’s “Cruise.”
Putting the cherry on top of her breakout 2020, Barrett was the only country artist included in Rolling Stone’s 10 Biggest Breakthrough Artists of 2020, and listed as one of Forbes’ 30 Under 30 in Music. “I Hope” was the most-streamed country song of the year, selected as one of the best songs of 2020 by Associated Press, Billboard, Taste of Country, and Sounds Like Nashville, with the Hot AC chart-topping version featuring Charlie Puth named to Rolling Stone’s 10 Best Country Collaborations of 2020 and Best Pop Collaborations of 2020.
Building momentum, her Top 25-and-rising single “The Good Ones” just surpassed 100 million on-demand streams and is officially certified gold by the RIAA. American Songwriter summarizes it all, noting simply: “there’s a new wave of artists hitting country music…and perhaps the one creating the most buzz is Gabby Barrett.”
