The singer-songwriters’ combined streams rise from 2 million to 6 million after Saturday’s event.
Erykah Badu and Jill Scott saw their combined streams more than tripled after the two contested in the first female battle of the popular Instagram Live #Verzuz series on Saturday night (May 9).
The two singer-songwriters collectively pulled 6.7 million U.S. streams on Saturday and Sunday for their total song catalogs, according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data, compared with a 2.1 million haul for the Thursday and Friday preceding the showdown. Badu and Scott’s livestream drew more than 700,000 attendees at its peak and set a new series viewership record, overtaking the nearly 525,000 who tuned in to see Babyface battle Teddy Riley on April 20.
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Badu’s best streaming track was “On & On,” which rose to 378,000 streams post-Verzuz, compared with its 165,000 beforehand, a 129% boost. The single, Badu’s debut, topped the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart for two weeks in 1997 and won the singer Grammys for best R&B female vocal performance and best R&B song.
After “On,” the Texan’s top five streamed tunes finished as “Next Lifetime” (331,000, up 341%), “Didn’t Cha Know” (260,000, +172%) “Bag Lady” (216,000, +177%) and “Other Side of The Game” (189,000, +168%).
For Scott, her highest streams came from “A Long Walk,” which registered 220,000 clicks following the event from 66,000 in the leadup (up 232%). “Walk” instigated one of the night’s buzziest moments on social media when Badu jokingly took credit as the tune’s songwriter.
Wrapping up Scott’s top five: “The Way” (195,000, +195%), “He Loves Me (Lyzel in E Flat) [188,000, 221.6%], “Crown Royal” (149,000, +607%), and “Gettin’ in The Way” (129,000, +485%).
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The next #Verzuz battle is scheduled for May 16, with Ludacris competing against Nelly.
