BlocBoy JB, Harry Styles, Ariana Grande & Every Artist to Debut Their First Hot 100 Hit in the Top 10

On the latest Billboard Hot 100 chart (dated Feb. 24), Memphis native BlocBoy JB makes his Billboard chart debut, as “Look Alive,” featuring Drake, soars in at No. 6.

“Alive” arrives with 34 million U.S. streams in the week ending Feb. 15, according to Nielsen Music, helping the song concurrently debut at No. 2 on Streaming Songs, behind another Drake hit, “God’s Plan,” which rules the Hot 100 for a fourth week. “Alive” also enters at No. 6 on the Digital Song Sales chart with 32,000 downloads sold.

With “Alive,” BlocBoy JB joins an exclusive class of artists who have debuted their first Hot 100 entry in the chart’s top 10. We dug through all 203 songs that have launched in the top 10 in the Hot 100’s 59-year history and found only 22 acts to debut their first Hot 100 entry in the chart’s top 10. (Disclaimer: We removed all 10 artists from the top 10 of the inaugural Hot 100, dated Aug. 4, 1958, and one-off collaborative groups, such as Artists for Haiti and American Idol Finalists).

Harry Styles last achieved the feat, as the One Direction member debuted his first solo single, “Sign of the Times,” at No. 4 last April. Before that was Skip Marley, as a featured artist on Katy Perry’s “Chained to the Rhythm,” which opened at No. 4 in March. 

In chronological order, here are all the artists (in lead and featured roles) to debut their first Hot 100 entry in the top 10.

Title, Artist, Debut Position, Debut Date

“Get Back,” The Beatles with Billy Preston, No. 10, May 10, 1969

Preston made his Hot 100 debut on the 17th of The Beatles’ record 20 No. 1s. The song helped launch Preston’s career, as he would go on to land 16 additional Hot 100 entries, including two solo No. 1s: “Will It Go Round in Circles” in 1973 and “Nothing From Nothing” in 1974.   

“This Is for the Lover in You,” Babyface feat. LL Cool J, Howard Hewett, Jody Watley & Jeffrey Daniel, No. 8, Oct. 26, 1996

Daniel made his solo Hot 100 debut as a featured artist on Babyface’s song, featuring the all-star lineup of LL Cool J, Hewett and Watley. While the other acts had established themselves with other singles, Daniel had also become known as a member of R&B group Shalamar. The track remains his first and only solo entry on a Billboard chart. Shalamar, however, scored one top 10 hit with “The Second Time Around” in 1980.   

“Barbie Girl,” Aqua, No. 7, Sept. 6, 1997

The Eurodance group broke into the mainstream with its novelty hit, which debuted and peaked at No. 7. Its second and final Hot 100 entry, “Lollipop (Candyman),” reached No. 23 the following year.

“Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It,” Will Smith, No. 3, Feb. 28, 1998

Will Smith was already a household name when “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It” debuted at No. 3, thanks to his work as The Fresh Prince, with DJ Jazzy Jeff. He even reached the top 10 once before under the pseudonym, with the duo’s “Summertime” in 1991. But we include “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit it” on the list because it was his first Hot 100 hit billed under his own name. The track would later spend three weeks at No. 1. (One more caveat: Smith also led the Radio Songs chart for four weeks in 1997 with his breakout solo hit “Men in Black”; because that song was not available for purchase as a commercial physical single, however, it wasn’t eligible to appear on the Hot 100, per rules at the time.)

“Come With Me,” Puff Daddy feat. Jimmy Page, No. 10, June 27, 1998

The legendary Led Zeppelin guitarist has appeared on the Hot 100 with one title as a solo act, as featured on this Puff Daddy song. The track would peak at No. 4. Notably, Led Zeppelin as a group earned one top 10 on the Hot 100: “Whole Lotta Love,” which reached No. 4 in 1970.

“Doo Wop (That Thing),” Lauryn Hill, No. 1, Nov. 14, 1998

Hill became the first artist to debut a first entry on the Hot 100 at No. 1, a feat that only five other acts have since achieved. The song would spend two weeks at the summit. Like Smith and Page, she also first broke through in a group, as Fugees began charting on Billboard tallies in 1994 and hit No. 2 on Radio Songs in 1996 with “Killing Me Softly.”

“Get Over Yourself,” Eden’s Crush, No. 8, March 31, 2001

The girl group, which included Nicole Scherzinger, earned one Hot 100 entry in its career, as “Get Over Yourself” debuted and peaked at No. 8. The song was also the group’s first and only single. The act’s profile was boosted from it having formed on American Idol precursor series Popstars. Speaking of Idol …

“This Is the Night,” Clay Aiken, No. 1, June 28, 2003

Aiken lost to Ruben Studdard in Idol‘s second season, but the former’s first single became just the 11th to debut at No. 1 on the Hot 100 and the first since Hill’s “Doo Wop.”

“Flying Without Wings,” Ruben Studdard, No. 2, June 28, 2003

Released simultaneously with Aiken’s “This Is the Night,” Studdard’s debut single opened just below Aiken’s in the same week. At least his Idol win was a pretty good consolation prize.

“I Believe,” Fantasia, No. 1, July 10, 2004

2004 Idol champ Fantasia continued the trend of the show’s finalists launching their first singles in the Hot 100’s upper reaches. The next year …

“Inside Your Heaven,” Carrie Underwood, No. 1, July 2, 2005

… Underwood’s Idol coronation song opened at No. 1. It remains the country superstar’s only Hot 100 No. 1, although she’s notched 15 No. 1s on Hot Country Songs.

“Inside Your Heaven,” Bo Bice, No. 2, July 9, 2005

Bice’s version of “Inside Your Heaven” scored a No. 2 debut on the Hot 100 the week after Underwood’s version debuted. The ranks mirrored the acts’ 1-2 finish on Idol that season.

“New Soul,” Yael Naim, No. 9, Feb. 16, 2008

Naim’s catchy piano tune stands as her first and only entry on a Billboard songs chart. The hit would peak at No. 7, aided by an Apple MacBook Air commercial.

“Don’t Stop Believin’,” Glee Cast, No. 4, June 6, 2009

The troupe made its Hot 100 debut with two songs simultaneously. Its cover of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’ ” opened at No. 4 (besting the original’s No. 9 peak in 1981) and its take on Amy Winehouse’s “Rehab” debuted at No. 98. “Believin'” remains the cast’s highest-peaking of 207 charted songs on the Hot 100, the record among all acts.

“6 Foot 7 Foot,” Lil Wayne feat. Cory Gunz, No. 9, Jan 1, 2011

Cory Gunz’s first and only Hot 100 entry came as featured on Lil Wayne’s track, which debuted and peaked at No. 9 in 2011.

“Harlem Shake,” Baauer, No. 1, March 2, 2013

Baauer’s huge single “Harlem Shake” shook the world, thanks heavily to viral fan videos featuring the song’s audio, and spent five weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100.

“The Way,” Ariana Grande feat. Mac Miller, No. 10, April 13, 2013

With one charting single to her name, Grande’s career was off to a strong start. Her first entry, “The Way,” featuring Miller, earned the singer her first of eight top 10s to date.

“We Might Be Dead by Tomorrow,” Soko, No. 9, March 29, 2014

The first and only Hot 100 entry for French artist Stephanie Sokolinski debuted and peaked at No. 9. It also marks the song’s only week on the Hot 100, as it earned a week at No. 1 on the Streaming Songs chart thanks to its inclusion in Tatia Pilieva’s viral video “First Kiss.”

“Pillowtalk,” Zayn, No. 1, Feb. 20, 2016

Zayn was the first One Direction member to turn solo, and he did so in style. His first solo single blasted to a No. 1 debut on the Hot 100, where it reigned for two total weeks.

“Chained to the Rhythm,” Katy Perry feat. Skip Marley, No. 4, March 4, 2017

Skip Marley scored his first Hot 100 entry in 2017, as well as the first Hot 100 top 10 for any member of reggae’s esteemed first family.

“Sign of the Times,” Harry Styles, No. 4, April 29, 2017

Following Zayn, Styles became the second 1D member to debut in the top 10, as his first solo single launched at its No. 4 peak.

“Look Alive,” BlocBoy JB feat. Drake, No. 6, Feb. 24, 2018

With a big assist from Drake, BlocBoy JB is the latest artist to debut in the top 10 with a first Hot 100 entry, sparked by the track’s No. 2 entrance on Streaming Songs.