Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” is currently the number one song in the country. In the two weeks since Billboard’s decision to remove the song from their Hot Country Songs chart after they determined it did “not embrace enough elements of today’s country music,” the song’s popularity has increased exponentially.
The trap/country track is reportedly expected to break the all-time US single week audio streaming record, a record currently held by Drake’s “God’s Plan.” And as an apparent cherry on top, “Old Town Road” is officially back on the country charts.
According to Billboard, the song has debuted at number 53 on their Country Airplay chart. The chart measures both the number of times a song was played on a country radio station and the projected audience that the song has reached. According to Nielsen Music the song experienced a whopping 2,655% gain in audience in just one week. “Old Town Road” had only drawn five plays on country radio during the week ending in March 31, but drew 140 plays during the week ending in April 7, with 78 of those plays coming between April 5 to the 7 after the arrival of the song’s remix with Billy Ray Cyrus.
“If it’s country enough for Billy Ray Cyrus, it’s country enough for me,” Katrie Kruz, program director of a Country station in Madison, Wisconsin, told Billboard. “People are finding the song everywhere else, in all genres. I’d rather they find it on my radio station.”
