Welcome to 2025’s first edition of Mason’s Observations, a weekly highlighting of the biggest songs blowing up now, as tabulated from multiple streaming charts, radio airplay and audience reaction via requests on the LIVE, nationally syndicated Liveline Hit Radio night show. Without opinions and claims to be genius, we are able to detect future hits early, standout golds and recurrents, and spot the titles that record labels are hyping up to high positions on the charts with no audience support.
Here are this week’s booming breakthroughs!
SZA – “BMF”: Finally, something upbeat from the stunning Solána Rowe (that’s her real name). Her 2022 album SOS broke all kinds of records and solidified Sza as a major pop star. Now two years later, it’s been re-released as Lana and includes a ton of new music like “30 for 30” with Kendrick Lamar (the rhythmic single) and “BMF” (which stands for “Blowin’ Money Fast”) for Top 40. “Saturn” was the first single, released in February 2024 and hit #1 on Pop and Rhythmic airplay along with “Snooze”. Both still sit in the Top 50 on Spotify in America, in addition to “BMF” which is #14 (the highest of all her music right now). SZA is also a featured artist on Kendrick Lamar’s “luther” from his GNX album (#2 on Spotify, #32 on Top 40, #16 on Rhythmic and #9 on Liveline already). They’re going on tour together this year and we think it’s likely Sza will make an appearance at Kendrick’s Superbowl Halftime show.
“BMF” was originally supposed to be called “Boy from South Detroit” and featuring Lizzo. It samples the iconic “Girl from Ipanema” and was scrapped by SZA’s manager Punch who told her that the song wasn’t impressive enough to include on the original SOS. As usual, KMVQ/San Francisco leads the charge with 56 spins this past week. Their iHeart competitor KYLD gave it 31 spins. In recent days, it has also cracked double-digit spins at WXSS/Milwaukee, Sirius Hits 1, and WPLW Raleigh, N.C. Definitely one to keep an eye on.
The Marias – “No One Noticed”: It’s our first time ever writing about a band. Lead singer Maria Zardoya was performing at a bar in Los Angeles when she met her partner Josh Conway who was managing the sound. They began writing and dating almost immediately after meeting and recruited close friends Edward James for keyboards and Jesse Perlman on guitar. They’ve been a group since 2016 and have released two albums, also touring and opening for Halsey on her 2022 Love and Power Tour. It seems like “No One Noticed” them until this song came out in May 2024. TikTok has helped it blow up and Billie Eilish gave it support after singing along to it in an Instagram story. In 2021, they signed to Atlantic Records who is now promoting this song very hard. It’s #22 on Billboard, #4 on their Hot Rock & Alternative chart and #28 on Top 40 airplay with the majority of those spins being evening and overnights. It might be time to move it into other dayparts, as the song is also #30 on Spotify in America and #97 Global. We’ve also had a couple requests for it on Liveline but it’s not Top 20 yet. It’s so different from everything else and is extremely memorable.
Buried Treasures of the Week
Soulja Boy – “Kiss Me Thru The Phone”: Riding the success of “Crank That”, Soulja Boy really only had two other hits: His feature on Savage’s “Swing” and 2009’s “Kiss Me Thru The Phone” which hit #3 on Billboard, #5 Pop and #1 Rhythmic airplay. 2008-2012 saw the birth of dance-pop and over-produced party anthems which have since become staples of every Top 40 station’s gold library. What you rarely hear though, are the major rhythmic hits from that era. Today, rap is the most popular genre of music and those old songs are still big with all ages. It’s melodic, catchy and a song we’ve been getting lots of requests for since Liveline started nearly 5 years ago. Fun fact: It was #1 on John Garabedian’s Saturday night syndicated Open House Party for 7 weeks straight, then lingering in the Top 20 for another 6 weeks!
P.S. Soulja Boy used to make $100k per month from people calling the song’s “678-999-8212”, which was his fan-line. Now, it doesn’t really go anywhere as it’s owned by a Georgia-based advertiser. RIP.
Goo Goo Dolls –“Iris”: One of the best-selling singles of all time was also Pop Radio’s #1 song of 1998. Many people were surprised when they saw it on our list of Liveline’s 50 most-requested throwbacks of 2024, where it finished at #44. Today, it’s an AC, Hot AC and Alternative staple while Top 40 hasn’t touched it at all in the past two weeks (and probably MUCH longer). It’s been in the Top 200 on Spotify in America since February 14, 2017. “Iris” has over 2 billion streams on Spotify and is one of the most well-known songs, ever. Gen Z is all over it. TikToks and Reels feature it constantly. It’s not “too old”. It’s STILL big. Besides, Top 40 hangs onto “…Baby One More Time” (from the same year) and “No Scrubs”. Guys and girls love this song. Kids call for it. It has a special meaning to people. In a throwback-dominant era of Top 40 radio, we are lucky to have the raw numbers and charts that show us which ones are still relevant after all these years… This is it!
As a reminder, The Weeknd’s “Dancing In The Flames” (which finally died on radio airplay this week), never even made it onto this chart (and we still haven’t received more than one request for it since its release).
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It’s nice to see the Marias are finally getting there due. Atlantic not working run your mouth to top 40 is such a missed opportunity, it was the most requested song on many alternative stations over the past two years so I’m not surprised that with that buzz, they’re at least Giving them a punt through top 40. Of course the Billie Eilish thing helps because, CHR loves crossover.
While we are on the topic of Iris, firstly, I must say personally, if that song ever comes on the radio, I don’t care how over plate it is, I’m cranking it up immediately. I would describe that song as comfort food! When I think of bands like creed, or maybe even lesser-known bands like vertical horizon who have been going on tours and selling them out, what’s fascinating to me isn’t just that this music is making a comeback, but that a new generation is embracing it. You may be too young to remember the heyday of Hey I know I listened to Creed six years ago and Nickelback six years ago, bought their albums, and played them all the time, but they’re so uncool. It’s awesome to see that wearing off and to see some of the biggest hit music, actually get recognized for what it is, hits!
At that time, sound scan was the gold standard, in the way that streaming is becoming that today. Today’s CHR would do well to glean lessons from the late 90s top 40, not just to golds. Of course you’re working with the predecessor who understood This and capitalized on it, and perhaps single-handedly made top 40 relevant again in the late 90s and early 2000s.
I was wondering what your impression of the Marías song would be. I liked their song “Run Your Mouth” that I heard on a Triple A station once or twice.
One of my friends who doesn’t like much rap music at all really likes “Kiss Me Thru the Phone,” finds it cute and silly. It’s a bit too much of a trifle for me, but seeing people enjoy it does warm my icy heart slightly. My impression of the durability of the rest of his catalog is very different from yours, however. I’m not entirely sure if I heard that “Swing” song you mentioned a single time back then (or since!), even though I was decently plugged into current music at the time. Meanwhile, “Turn My Swag On” (the direct follow-up to “Kiss Me…”) was very clearly a big song with lasting impact, including being referenced in other hits by Willow (“Whip My Hair”) and Beyoncé (“Hold Up”). “Pretty Boy Swag” from the next album was also big and returned to the conversation nearly a decade later when its uncredited influence on Ariana Grande’s “7 Rings” became a point of controversy. These are all songs that I’ve heard somewhere in the wild without looking for them long after they were on the airwaves. Just because an artist hasn’t paid the fee for RIAA certifications since 2007 doesn’t mean that all the uncertified hits they had weren’t actually hits. (OK, I’ll maybe believe that “Soulja Girl” is forgotten now. I don’t think I’ve heard it a single time since and don’t even really remember how it goes.)