Hot 100 First-Timers: Tommy Richman Redeems With 'Million Dollar Baby'

Tommy Richman makes his first appearance on the Billboard Hot 100 chart (dated May 11) as his new single, “Million Dollar Baby,” reaches No. 2.

Released on April 26 on ISO Supremacy/PULSE Records, the song is debuting with 38 million official streams in the US, 302,000 in early radio and 4,000 downloads sold in its first week of release (April 26-May 2), according to Luminate.

Since they started the Hot 100 in 1958, only five other acts have debuted in the top two without prior history on the chart. Lauryn Hill first accomplished the feat on the November 14, 1998 survey when “Doo Wop (That Thing)” debuted at No. 1. Before that, however, the Fugees had recorded three songs with her as a member. Fantasia was second, with a No. 1 start for “I Believe” after the win American Idol in 2004. In 2013, Baauer opened at No. 1 with his viral hit “Harlem Shake.” Zayn followed in 2016 when his debut solo single “Pillowtalk” reached No. 1. Similar to Hill, One Direction had recorded 29 songs with him as a member. Most recently before Richman, last August Oliver Anthony Music became the first act to debut on the Hot 100 with no previous chart history in any ranking when “Rich Men North of Richmond” debuted at No. 1.

(Also, notably, Artists for Haiti debuted at No. 2 in 2010 with its charity single “We Are the World 25: For Haiti.” The supergroup included dozens of A-list artists and chart veterans, including Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, Celine Dion, P!nk and Usher.)

Prior to this week, Richman had one chart appearance: Brent Faiyaz's “Upset,” featuring Richman and Felix!, peaked at No. 12 on Hot R&B Songs and No. 33 on Hot R&B/Hip- Hop Songs last November.

“Million Dollar Baby” has benefited from attention on TikTok, where it has been recorded 150,000 clips on the platform to date.

Hailing from Woodbridge, Va., Richman was the first artist signed to Faiyaz's Supremacy ISO imprint, in partnership with PULSE Records. Richman also opened for Faiyaz on his F*ck the World, It's a Wasteland tour. “I'm grateful and amazed at the support from Brent, ISO Supremacy and the PULSE Records team, which motivates me,” Richman said at the time. “Having the opportunity to open for Brent on his sold-out tour is an absolute honor and to be signed to PULSE Records, a creative community that truly understands music and supports artists, I couldn't ask for more.”

In a 2023 interview with Miami New Times, Richman discussed the difficulties of breaking into the music industry as a Virginia-based artist. “There's a lot of passion through the scene back home, and I feel like it's because a lot of people don't shake well,” he said. “It's really hard to get your voice heard there. That's probably why a lot of people left Virginia, like Pharrell and Timbaland. It is very important for an artist to leave his nest. That way, you can appreciate where you're coming from.”

Richman released his debut album, Alligator, in 2022 on Boom.Records. In September, he left the five-wheeler The rushvia ISO Supremacy.

Richman Rules Streaming Songs

Richman reaches his first No. 1 Advertising sign'The Streaming Songs chart via the chart-topping entry for “Million Dollar Baby.” He is the second act to capture the first Streaming Songs leader with an initial entry in 2024, following Benson Boone, whose “Beautiful Things” led for a week in February.

Unlike “Million Dollar Baby”, “Beautiful Things” climbed to No. 1 in its third week on the chart. The last act before Richman to debut a chart-topping single? Kim Petras, whose “Unholy,” with Sam Smith, debuted at the summit in October 2022. Taking the achievement a notch further: Since Petras co-led “Unholy,” the latest act, as Richman, launched a first Entry to the top of Streaming Songs without paid partners before this week was Olivia Rodrigo, with “Drivers License” in January 2021.

Notably, “Million Dollar Baby” represents the sixth No. 1 debut on Streaming Songs in 2024. By comparison, nine songs debuted at the top of the chart in all of 2023.

Richman Banks First R&B/Hip-Hop No. 1

Richman also enters the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot R&B Songs charts at No. 1 with “Million Dollar Baby.”

Meanwhile, Faiyaz's “Upset,” featuring Richman and Felix!, returns to Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs at No. 40, with 4.2 million streams, up 94% from last week.

Likewise, after “Upset” initially peaked at No. 12 on Richman's only previous visit to Hot R&B Songs in November, it simultaneously pushes its top 10 count to 2 as, along with “Million Dollar Baby” bowing at No. 1, the “Upset”. re-enters No. 7.

—Kevin Rutherford and Trevor Anderson contributed to this report