This week’s Phil’s Future Five includes a look at songs from Luke Combs, Ella Langley, and Bella Kay, among others.
Programmers love to say they “follow the audience,” but a number of them only do that when the audience and the impact week are holding hands.
The minute a record requires a little nerve, a little imagination, or – heaven forbid – stepping out (cue dun dun dah SFX), suddenly we need three meetings, two weeks of callout, and one corporate blessing from someone whose station still plays a song in power because it tested well in (checks notes) Q4 of 2024, with Q3 momentum, in the key demo of the key demo’s demo.
That is why Phil’s Future Five exists.
To help you quickly spot records outside the Top 30, regardless of format, that are positioned to break before everybody else acts like they discovered “fire.” Gen Z reference, not caveman reference, though in some of radio’s case, both feel weirdly accurate.
To the hundreds of programmers I’ve managed, I always say: Test three. Add two. Own one.
—
CHR: Bella Kay – “iloveitiloveitiloveit”
Current Mediabase Position: #36
While the song is spelled like my keyboard got stuck, Bella had a strategy behind the track, her aesthetic, her rollout and asking the audience to make it the theme song for bad decisions.
There is also a major stat here that is much bigger than “nice streaming story, call me later.” She has the most-streamed 2026 release by any female artist on Spotify!
So yes, by all means, keep waiting if you want your station to be the theme song for bad decisions.
Why Move Now: See above
Risk Level: Low
Prediction: CHR Top 5
Early Believers: Cox, SiriusXM, Adams Radio Group, Steven’s Broadcasting
—
Rhythmic: Don Toliver – “E85”
Current Mediabase Position: #30
If a song talks about being in a car – your number one listening location- and is produced by Travis Scott, has tempo for spring, and is doing well over 11 million streams this week, you don’t need a twelve-person task force to decide whether to play it, and you don’t t need to wait for Atlantic to call you and tell you they are switching singles.
In a format where absolute stiffs can chart when the machine drives it, this is one that actually deserves to be driven. Hit the gas, E85 pun intended.
Why Move Now: A better storyline than a lot of records already getting spins.
Risk Level: Medium
Prediction: Top 10
Early Believers: Audacy, Summit, Lotus, Reynolds
—
Country: Ella Langley – “Be Her”
Current Mediabase Position: #30
Ella Langley feels like what happens when Dolly Parton, Stevie Nicks, and Jaclyn Smith all walk into a writer’s room. She has the look. And she has a point of view. She has the work ethic, and most importantly, she has the songs.
I saw her in person a few weeks ago, and she’s the real deal. An artist with both range and repeatability. “Be Her” keeps the momentum going, while “Dandelion” and “Loving Life Again” make it clear she is not some one record, one format fluke.
And her profile only got bigger this week after taking home iHeart’s Best New Country Artist honor. You know, that award show from the company with the lowercase i, uppercase H branding choice. Not to be confused with Apple, which basically turned the lowercase i into ip. iSee you, iHeart.
Why Move Now: She can work across multiple lanes without losing the room she came from.
Risk Level: Very low
Prediction: #1
Early Believers: Audacy, Connoisseur, Summit
—
Country: Luke Combs – “Be By You”
Current Mediabase Position: #73
Maybe because I was a two-time presenter at CRS earlier this month, but yes, this week I am putting two country songs in Future Five.
Luke Combs is a great example of a nice guy not finishing last.
Arena headliner, podcast superstar guest, family man, balancing the road with being home for his three young boys; somewhere Taylor Sheridan is already writing.
Multiple stories have talked about how deliberately he is scheduling his 2026 run around family life, which only adds to me rooting for him even more.
Right now, Luke has two of the top 10 songs at Country radio, and “Be By You” is here waiting to go in your concert promo and hopefully your playlist.
Why Move Now: Broad format trust, and a public narrative that makes him feel connected.
Risk Level: Very low
Prediction: #1
Early Believers: Bonneville, Audacy, Cumulus
—
Outside the Lines Pick of the Week
CHR / Hot AC: Sienna Spiro – “The Visitor”
Current Mediabase Position: #275
In the last three weeks, The Hollywood Reporter profiled her as a breakout artist, the Chicago Sun-Times called her “the next ‘it’ girl,” and her single “The Visitor” is the No. 1 trending song in the U.K.
Internationally, it is already making noise, No. 14 in Ireland, and No. 43 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S.
At just 20, Sienna’s early story has a little Adele vibe, the same kind of young but old soul arrival that gave us 19, 21, and 25; perfect Adele albums and Powerball numbers.
Why Move Now: Critical co-signs, chart proof, and an Olivia Dean-meets-Adele energy.
Risk Level: Medium
Prediction: Top 20
Early Believers: None
Phil’s Future Five is not just to identify records that will chart. It is to get back to judging songs for what they are, what they sound like, and putting the fan first.
Not what the email says, not what another market did, and not what feels safest in a meeting full of people trying not to be blamed.
I’ll see you in two weeks with five more (covers crystal ball).
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. Sign up for our newsletters to stay updated and get the latest information right in your inbox.
Phil Becker is a weekly music columnist for Barrett Media who has built his career at the intersection of creativity, strategy, and operations leading brands, marketing, and content teams across more than 200 radio stations worldwide.
Known for being ahead of the curve, he was the first to integrate social influencers into broadcast brands, launch station apps years before his peers, and pioneer AI air personalities before anyone else in the world.
With leadership roles at Clear Channel, Citadel, Cox Media Group, Alpha Media, and international ventures—as well as owning and operating stations—Phil blends entrepreneurial vision with operational discipline in the messaging and marketing space. He also hosts the Phil-Osophy podcast.
