Parker McCollum Follows ACM Triumph With Second Country Airplay No.1
The Texan artist tops Billboard’s Country Airplay chart dated March 19 with ‘To Be Loved By You.’
Parker McCollum continues a spectacular month of March by landing his second No.1 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart, dated March 19, with “To Be Loved By You.” The news follows McCollum’s triumph at last week’s ACM Awards, at which he was named New Male Artist of the Year.
The MCA Nashville track climbs 2-1 in its 56th week on the chart, which it entered in February 2021. The artist tells Billboard: “I had always wondered if country radio would give me a chance. I could never have dreamed they would accept me the way they have. To say I have two No.1s is beyond anything I could imagine. Thank you.”
The new success follows McCollum’s first time as a country airplay champion, when “Pretty Heart” topped the last chart of the year in 2020. He performed that track at the ACM Awards. “To Be Loved By You” also returns to the Top 10 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs listing, which tabulates airplay, sales and streaming, climbing 11-8. The song previously reached No.6 on that chart three weeks ago.
Soon after the news broke of McCollum’s new No.1, a tweet from the account of country giant Randy Travis read: “Big congrats to my friend and Texas boy @ParkerMcCollum on his 2nd #1 hit on Country radio! Well deserved.” His fellow Texan replied: “Thank you Mr. Randy! Hope to have songs as good as yours one day! See you soon!”
McCollum, who will marry fiancée Hallie Ray Light this month, also realized a childhood dream at the weekend by playing to a sellout crowd at RodeoHouston, selling a reported 73,000 tickets. “It’ll be years before I truly look back and realize what happened this week,” he says.
“I was nervous that all my hard work and sacrifice wouldn’t be worth it in the long run. Well, after selling out Rodeo Houston and having my second #1 I can assure you all – it was damn worth it. Every single last bit of it was worth it.”
Buy or stream “To Be Loved By You” on Parker McCollum’s Gold Chain Cowboy album.
