Meet the First-Timers on Our Charts This Week
An unexpected remix fueled by a dance challenge lands multiple artists their biggest chart milestones to date.
MOLIY, Silent Addy, Skillibeng and Shenseea all earn a landmark debut on the Billboard Hot 100 this week (May 31, 2025-dated charts) with their collaboration, “Shake It to the Max (FLY).”
The song debuts at No. 91, fueled by 6.4 million radio audience impressions (up 29% week-over-week), 6.2 million official U.S. streams (up 47%) and 1,000 sales downloads (up 44%) in the May 16-22 tracking week, according to Luminate.
“Shake It to the Max (FLY)” was first released in November 2024 with MOLIY and producer Silent Addy as the credited artists. The song generated momentum through social media after two remixes dropped in February: one with Skillibeng and Shenseea, and another with Kalash and Maureen. The former emerged as the breakout version, sparking a viral dance challenge. (All versions are combined into one listing for data reporting and chart rankings, and billed toward the version receiving the most chart points.)
Along with its Hot 100 debut, the song also spends a third consecutive week at No. 1 on Billboard’s U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart — it notably ended the 20-week reign by Tyla’s crossover smash “Push 2 Start.”
On the Hot 100, “Shake It to the Max” is a major milestone for all four artists. For MOLIY, 23, the Ghanaian-American singer-songwriter scores her second chart hit, following her 2021 team-up with Amaarae, “Sad Girlz Luv Money,” featuring Kali Uchis (No. 80 peak). Skillibeng also earns his second entry, after his guest appearance on Nicki Minaj’s “Crocodile Teeth” remix in 2021 (No. 100 peak). As for Silent Addy and Shenseea, it earns both artists their first-ever visits to the chart.
While this marks Shenseea’s first Hot 100 hit, the Jamaican dancehall star has already made waves across other charts. She’s previously charted three songs on Rhythmic Airplay: “Blessed,” with Tyga, “R U That,” featuring 21 Savage, and “Work Me Out” with Wizkid. She’s also landed two top five albums on Billboard’s Reggae Albums chart: Alpha (No. 2; 2022) and Never Gets Late Here (No. 4; 2024).
On top of its Hot 100 arrival, “Shake It to the Max” is also climbing in the U.S. radio landscape. The song jumps 25-20 on Rhythmic Airplay with a 27% gain in format plays for the tracking week, and 24-21 on Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay (up 13%).
Take a look at some of the other First-Timers across other charts below:
Jamal Roberts, John Foster & Breanna Nix
The top three finishers from the latest season of American Idol all make their chart debuts following the show’s May 18 finale. Jamal Roberts, the season’s winner, debuts at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Gospel Songs chart with his cover of Tom Odell’s “Heal.” Roberts first performed the cover on the April 28 episode, helping him advance to the top 10, and again during the finale. He released the official cover on DSPs on May 18, via 19 Recordings/BMG. “Heal” debuts with 908,000 official U.S. streams and 9,000 sales downloads.
Country up-and-comer John Foster finished in the runner-up spot on Idol and charts for the first time with his original track, “Tell That Angel I Love Her.” The song debuts at No. 2 on the Country Digital Song Sales ranking and No. 6 on Digital Song Sales (4,000 downloads).
Breanna Nix finished in third place and charts with her song “Higher.” It debuts at No. 40 on the Hot Christian Songs chart, fueled by 194,000 streams and 5,000 sales downloads — the latter figure helps it also start at No. 1 on Christian Digital Song Sales.
JJ
The Austrian-Filipino singer-songwriter (real name: Johannes Pietsch) arrives on Billboard’s charts for the first time after winning the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest with his genre-blending anthem “Wasted Love.” The track debuts at No. 73 on the Global Excl. U.S. chart and No. 167 on the Billboard Global 200 with 12 million official global streams. He made history as the first Eurovision winner of Asian descent. Several other Eurovision competitors also chart for the first time this week, including Estonia’s Tommy Cash, Germany’s Abor & Tynna, Norway’s Kyle Alessandro and Sweden’s KAJ.
Ax and the Hatchetmen
The Chicago-based alt-rock group scores its first chart entry with its new single, “Blurry Lights,” with Albert Hammond Jr. Released April 4 via Arista Records, the song debuts at No. 37 on Alternative Airplay thanks to a 47% surge in radio spins. The band, led by Axel Ellis and rounded out by Sal Defilippis, Hunter Olshefke, Nick Deputy, Phil Pistone and Quinn Dolan, earns its first taste of chart recognition, while Hammond Jr., best known as the long-time guitarist for The Strokes, continues his presence on the charts with a new generation of collaborators.
—Xander Zellner