Hot 100 First-Timers: Warren Zeiders Scores First Entry With ‘Pretty Little Poison’

Singer-songwriter Warren Zeiders notches his first Billboard Hot 100 chart hit, as “Pretty Little Poison” debuts at No. 86.

The song, released in March through 717/Warner/WEA, arrives with 5.8 million U.S. streams (up 17%), 3.3 million radio airplay audience impressions (up 10%) and 1,000 downloads sold (up 1%) in the Aug. 11-17 tracking week, according to Luminate. It also rises 38-37 on Country Airplay, having become Zeider’s first entry on the survey.

The song’s recent gains can partly be attributed to hype leading up to the release of Zeiders’ debut studio album, Pretty Little Poison, which includes “Poison,” on Aug. 18.

TikTok has been a factor in the song’s growing profile, as a portion of the track has been used in over 65,000 clips to date. (TikTok does not presently contribute directly to Billboard‘s charts.)

“Poison” concurrently pushes 24-22 on Hot Country Songs, marking Zeider’s highest-charting entry. He previously charted five songs on the list: “Ride the Lightning (717 Tapes)” (No. 30 peak in 2021); “Outskirts of Heaven,” featuring Craig Campbell (No. 49, 2021); “Dark Night (717 Tapes)” (No. 40, 2022); “Wild Horse (717 Tapes)” (No. 35, 2022); and “Up to No Good” (No. 50, 2022).

Zeiders (real name: Brady Zeiders), from Hershey, Pennsylvania, scored his first Billboard chart appearance with “Ride the Lightning (717 Tapes)” in July 2021. The song went viral on TikTok, ahead of its Hot Country Songs debut, and led to a record deal with Warner.

“Warren is a gifted songwriter and storyteller, has the confidence and drive to work harder than anyone, understands all the modern tools at an artist’s fingertips to market and promote themselves, and is just a great human being,” Aaron Bay-Schuck, co-chairman and CEO of Warner Records, said upon Zeiders’ signing. “We just had the best time getting to know one another and both [co-chairman/COO] Tom [Corson] and I felt that Warner Records was a natural fit for Warren.”