So here we go, week two of our ‘Hits on Horizon’ feature. A good start is to see how some of the week one picks are fairing.
From the Pop world, both Ed Sheeran‘s “Azizam” and Miley Cyrus’ “End Of The World” started strong, as expected. Alex Warren‘s “Ordinary” is a solid smash, with additional Hot AC programmers embracing it. The audience grew another two million in streams this week to over 18 million for the week.
If you are a Pop or Hot AC programmer…DON”T MISS this one!
For this week, I want to throw three choices out there. Lady Gaga‘s “How Bad Do You Want Me” and Myles Smith‘s “Nice To Meet You” are the first two. I spoke with one programmer who told me he thinks Hot AC needs to embrace Myles and make him core to the format! The third option this week is The Weeknd‘s “Open Hearts”.
For Country this week, Lainey Wilson‘s “Country’s Cool Again” is a top choice. I also like Jordan Davis’ “Bar None,” Ella Langley‘s “Girl You’re Taking Home,” and Morgan Wallen‘s “Money On Me.” Some of the best songwriting and hooky songs are currently in this format!
From the Rock world, Devil Wears Prada‘s (No, this has nothing to do with Meryl Streep) “Ritual” is a straight-up hard-driving track. It has a good hook for Active Rock.
In the Alt world, I think Neiked & Portugal The Man‘s “ Glide” is a potential winner. I’m also liking Haim‘s “Relationships”.
From R&B/Rhythm, J Cole‘s “cLOUDs,” and Coco Jones‘ “Taste” stand out. Another fun, catchy song is Rob49‘s “WTHELLY.”
Let’s see next week if these songs continue to grow in their formats or beyond.
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Jim Ryan is a Music Radio columnist for Barrett Media. In addition, he runs Jim Ryan Media LLC, a consulting company which assists major market radio brands and top talent including national radio personality Delilah. Prior to relaunching his consultancy in 2025, Jim spent 15 years with Audacy/CBS Radio, serving as SVP of Programming. Among his responsibilities included programming WNEW-FM and WCBS-FM. His career includes additional programming stops in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Houston. Jim was voted the #2 PD of 2024 in Barrett Media’s Top 20 series in the AC category. He can be reached by email at Jim@JimRyanMedia.com.
