This week, 24kGoldn and iann dior’s record “Mood” climbed into the top 10 of the Hot 100 in its fourth week on the chart, reaching No. 8 with the distinction of top airplay and streaming gainer honors. The track, released by RECORDS/Columbia, has been boosted by an unusual multi-genre appeal, which sees it spending its second straight week at No. 1 on the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs and Hot Alternative Songs charts, while maintaining a slot at No. 5 on the Hot Rap Songs chart.
And that’s helped RECORDS CEO Barry Weiss earn the title of Billboard’s Executive of the Week, for helping shepherd the song to huge gains across the board. And while this is the first top 10 for 24kGoldn, Weiss isn’t expecting it to be his last. “He’s been building through old-fashioned artist development and a series of prior hits leading up to this,” he says. “He’s not some flash in the pan, one-hit TikTok artist that seems to occupy so much of the industry’s attention these days.”
What were the key decisions you have made that led to the success of “Mood”?
Barry Weiss: The key decision was choosing this as the single among a bevy of other great candidates. Goldn is a sensational writer with a host of hits in his pocket. The RECORDS team felt this song had urgency and great commercial appeal based on an earworm of a chorus and a guitar lick, which is a key underlying hook in the song as well.
The song is the top streaming gainer this week and No. 3 on the Streaming Songs chart. What strategy have you used to support its success there?
It’s a streaming monster as evidenced by it being the No. 2 Spotify record in the world behind Cardi B‘s “Wap.” [Ed. Note: Cardi’s business partner, Brooklyn Johnny, was previously Billboard’s Executive of the Week.] He’s a darling at digital service providers and on TikTok and YouTube, so we’ve built him up from the success of prior singles to get him great placement and exposure on all of these platforms and services. He’s been building through old-fashioned artist development and a series of prior hits leading up to this. He’s not some flash in the pan, one-hit TikTok artist that seems to occupy so much of the industry’s attention these days.
“Mood” is also the top gainer on airplay. What’s been key to bring programmers onboard?
The song is a huge word of mouth buzz record. That’s a good place to start. That said, Columbia has done a sensational job getting radio on board early as the song is exploding with the consumer. They did a fantastic job on his last song, “City Of Angels,” at alternative radio. “Mood” started immediately at that format, followed by Top 40 and rhythm crossover. [Columbia executive vp/head of promotions] Peter Gray and Columbia took a top-down, major-market approach from day one.
What is the biggest factor in helping a record break through today?
There are lots of factors that help a record break through these days. This one checks every single box. Big at TikTok, radio, streaming services, and he was a XXL Freshman cover artist, which was announced as the single was released. “Poetry in motion” is the best way to qualify this one.
Did you have to adapt any strategies to help make “Mood” a hit?
The simple answer is that the record is a one-listen monster global smash. We’re still in the music business and the music is still the thing that counts most.
To nominate the next executive of the week, email biz@billboard.com
