Coi Leray Hits No. 1 on Emerging Artists Chart Thanks to ‘Players’

Coi Leray rises to No. 1 on Billboard’s Emerging Artists chart (dated Feb. 18), becoming the top emerging act in the U.S. for the first time, thanks to her single “Players.”

The song, released in November via Uptown/Republic Records, jumps 38-28 in its sixth week on the Billboard Hot 100, with 29.1 million radio airplay audience impressions (up 20%), 9.4 million U.S. streams (up 23%) and 5,000 downloads sold (up 2%) Feb. 3-9, according to Luminate.

The track became Leray’s fourth entry on the Hot 100, after “No More Parties,” featuring Lil Durk (No. 26 peak in 2021); “Big Purr (Prrdd),” with Pooh Shiesty (No. 69, 2021); and “Blick Blick!,” with Nicki Minaj (No. 37, 2022).

“Players” also holds at its No. 4 high on Hot Rap Songs and ascends 13-10 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. It additionally pushes 6-4 on Rap Airplay and 9-6 on Rhythmic Airplay, holds at its No. 11 best on both R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay and Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay and climbs 28-23 on Pop Airplay.

Just below Leray, Samara Joy jumps 45-2 on Emerging Artists thanks to gains following her best new artist win at the Grammy Awards Feb. 5. Joy’s 2022 LP Linger Awhile rises to No. 1 on Jazz Albums, Traditional Jazz Albums and Heatseekers Albums, leading all three lists for the first time, and debuts at No. 158 on the Billboard 200. Plus, her self-titled 2021 set debuts at No. 7 on both Jazz Albums and Traditional Jazz Albums.

Joy became the first jazz act to win best new artist at the Grammys since Esperanza Spalding in 2011.

The Emerging Artists chart ranks the most popular developing artists of the week, using the same formula as the all-encompassing Billboard Artist 100, which measures artist activity across multiple Billboard charts, including the Hot 100, Billboard 200 and the Social 50. (The Artist 100 lists the most popular acts, overall, each week.) However, the Emerging Artists chart excludes acts that have notched a top 25 entry on either the Hot 100 or Billboard 200, as well as artists that have achieved two or more top 10s on Billboard’s “Hot” song genre charts and/or consumption-based “Top” album genre rankings.

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