Typically, when a single is promoted to radio stations in the United States, an artist and their team will focus on one format. Formats are largely centered around genres, though there are some that focus on subgenres or which straddle several styles.
“Dracula,” the incredibly popular collaboration between Tame Impala and Blackpink singer Jennie, is so difficult to classify that it is performing well across several radio formats in the United States simultaneously. This week, “Dracula” reaches a new peak on multiple airplay tallies, and it helps Jennie make history on one of them.
Jennie and Tame Impala Reach the Top 10
Twenty-eight weeks into its run on the Pop Airplay chart – with only a portion of those weeks seeing “Dracula” credited to both Tame Impala and Jennie, rather than solely the alternative act as was initially the case – the global smash breaks into the top 10. “Dracula” ascends from No. 11 to No. 9 on Billboard’s ranking of songs that garner the largest total audience impressions across all top 40 pop stations nationwide. Both Jennie and Tame Impala reach this competitive tier for the first time.
Jennie Makes K-Pop History
Jennie is now the fourth solo K-pop musician—any artist primarily associated with that genre—to achieve a top 10 hit on the Pop Airplay chart. The only two No. 1s in the chart’s history associated with K-pop come from solo female artists. Ejae, one of the three singers behind the K-Pop Demon Hunters track “Golden”—which is also credited to the girl group Huntr/x and Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami, who are not primarily known for their work in K-pop—followed “Apt.” by another Blackpink star, Rosé, and Bruno Mars. Both of those tracks spent multiple weeks topping the busiest of the three pop radio charts published by Billboard.
One other song by a K-pop soloist, Psy’s “Gangnam Style,” also worked its way into the top 10 over a decade ago. That K-pop smash, one of the first in American history, peaked at No. 10 at a time when such a performance was unprecedented.
“Dracula” Joins Six Other K-Pop Top 10 Hits
Only seven songs crediting any K-pop act have reached the top 10 on the Pop Airplay chart. In addition to the aforementioned “Apt.,” “Golden,” and “Gangnam Style,” a pair of BTS smashes have also pushed into this tier. “Dynamite” climbed to No. 5, while “Butter” stalled in seventh place a year later. Fifty Fifty’s “Cupid,” the K-pop girl group’s sole hit in America, danced its way to No. 7 before turning around.
“Dracula” Misses the Top 10 on One Other Chart
While “Dracula” is currently absent from the Adult Contemporary chart, it is improving its position on the Adult Pop Airplay tally concurrently with its top 10 breakthrough on the Pop Airplay list. On the Adult Pop Airplay rundown, “Dracula” misses the uppermost region by a single space, hitting a new high of No. 11. It seems highly probable that the collaboration will soon also become the seventh top 10 entry among K-pop acts.
“Dracula” Rises on Dance Radio
“Dracula” debuted on the Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart just last week. After opening at No. 38, the track ascends three rungs to No. 35 on the roster, which focuses on dance music and remixes. As it entered that tally, “Dracula” previously topped the Rock & Alternative Airplay chart. Now, it steps back to No. 2 while simultaneously climbing higher than ever on both pop and dance radio rankings.
Business Style Takeaway: The success of “Dracula” across multiple radio formats highlights the increasing challenge in genre classification and the potential for artists to reach broader audiences by defying traditional category boundaries. This trend suggests a strategic opportunity for record labels and artists to explore cross-genre marketing and promotion to maximize airplay and fan engagement.
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