Warren Zeiders’ first entry on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart, “Pretty Little Poison,” ascends to the top of the tally dated March 2. The single advanced by 15% to 33.1 million audience impressions during the Feb. 16-22 tracking week, according to Luminate.
The song is any act’s first Country Airplay hit to reign since Nate Smith’s “Whiskey on You” in February 2023.
“I am so honored to have my first No. 1 at country radio,” Zeiders tells Billboard. “I’m just a dude from Pennsylvania who started singing in his childhood bedroom. I never thought I’d have a song on country radio, much less it’d be No. 1 just a couple years into making music. I put everything I had into this song and I’ll never be able to thank the fans, my team and country radio enough for its success. This is my first No. 1 … Lord willing, it ain’t my last.”
Zeiders, 24, initially received traction by posting covers on TikTok, where he boasts 2.6 million followers. He co-authored his new leader with Ryan Beaver and Jared Keim; Ross Copperman produced it. The song is the title cut from his LP that arrived at its No. 12 high on Top Country Albums last September.
Meanwhile, “Pretty Little Poison” halts the record-tying 10-week Country Airplay command of Smith’s “World on Fire.”
‘Bar’ Walks Into Top 10
Morgan Wallen’s “Man Made a Bar,” featuring Eric Church, climbs into the Country Airplay top 10 (12-9; 18 million, up 9%). Wallen earns his 14th top 10 – and one of two on the latest list: Thomas Rhett’s “Mamaw’s House,” on which he’s featured, hops 8-6 (23.5 million, up 6%).
Church notches his 18th Country Airplay top 10 and his first since “Heart on Fire,” which hit No. 5 in April 2022.
Top 40 ‘Texas’
Beyoncé makes her first appearance in the Country Airplay top 40 as “Texas Hold ‘Em” surges 54-34 (2.8 million in audience at the format, up 156%) in its second week. The single became the superstar’s first entry on the chart, as well as her historic first No. 1 on the multimetric Hot Country Songs survey.
The track also jumps 38-25 on Pop Airplay and debuts on Adult Pop Airplay (No. 28), Adult R&B Airplay (No. 28), Rhythmic Airplay (No. 36), R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay (No. 36) and Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay (No. 40).
All charts dated March 2 will update on Billboard.com Tuesday, Feb. 27.
