It’s been a packed spring for music, between a half-dozen major pop releases, an all-consuming rap beef, and surprise hits from new and old faces alike. Yet somehow, the person who’s come out on top isn’t Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar, or Sabrina Carpenter. It’s time to raise a Bud Light to Post Malone, the unlikely winner of this season in pop music. Posty just capped off his case by scoring his second No. 1 hit in a month, for “I Had Some Help,†his debut country single with the genre’s new crossover giant, Morgan Wallen. That, of course, followed “Fortnight,†his No. 1 with Taylor Swift. And remember, he nabbed a feature on the Bey album, too, with the fan favorite “Levii’s Jeans.â€
Malone’s “Help†release went about as peachy as a genre pivot for a major star could: He showed his country bonafides with a star-studded set at country festival Stagecoach a few weeks before its release, then debuted the song at the Academy of Country Music Awards a few days after. Past Wallen, his country era got co-signs from Brad Paisley, Dwight Yoakam, and Reba McEntire. Yet Malone didn’t have to give up his pop power to get in with the country crowd. “Fortnight†is still sitting in the charts at No. 8 this week.
It’s a remarkable twist after Malone failed to crack the “Hot 100†top ten on his last album, Austin. “Fortnight†was a surefire chart-topper, as any Swift lead single is these days, but it took some canniness to release “Help†right after. And it obviously couldn’t have happened without Malone, who continues to prove that he’s a consummate genre-shifter and can get along with nearly everyone on the charts.
Post Malone may have had some help to achieve what he has this season, but at the end of the day, it’s his name that’s spent more weeks in 2024 atop the “Hot 100†than Swift or Beyoncé. Really, Posty should be feeling like a pop star.