Twenty One Pilots' 'Heathens' tears up rock charts with big debut
Twenty One Pilots' new single "Heathens" picks up where the duo left off with the music from its album Blurryface, debuting big on multiple Billboard charts dated July 9, including No. 2 on Hot Rock Songs.
The song, the act's contribution to the Suicide Squad film soundtrack, reaches the No. 2 spot on the chart after a potent combination of sales, streaming and radio airplay following its June 17 release. As a result, Twenty One Pilots now hold down the chart's top three spots, with "Ride" enjoying its third week at No. 1 after unseating "Stressed Out," which sits at No. 3. It's the first time in Hot Rock Songs' history (it debuted in 2009) that the top three songs have been by the same artist.
The song also debuts at No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 (the same week as predecessor "Ride" moves 13-10 into the chart's top 10), becoming the week's Hot Shot Debut.
The blistering debut of "Heathens" is due in part to the 95,000 downloads it sold in the week ending June 23 (according to Nielsen Music), good enough for a No. 1 bow on Rock Digital Songs and Alternative Digital Songs as well as No. 2 on the genre-spanning Digital Songs chart. It's the band's third No. 1 on both charts; "Stressed Out" and "Ride" each reached the peak of both for multiple weeks. It also starts at No. 2 on Rock Streaming Songs with 9.2 million clicks in the tracking week.
Additionally, "Heathens" debuts at No. 18 on Alternative Songs and at No. 16 on Rock Airplay, both the best debuts the pair has achieved on either radio-based chart. Previously, lead Blurryface single "Tear in My Heart" started at Nos. 22 and 24, respectively.
"Heathens" is part of a star-studded soundtrack to Suicide Squad, which is scheduled for an Aug. 5 release, the same day the film (starring Will Smith, Jared Leto, Margot Robbie and Common) premieres in theaters. Skrillex, Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Imagine Dragons and Kehlani are also among the artists contributing original songs.
Check out more from Suicide Squad in the gallery below!
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