Coachella 2017

Harry Styles' 'Sign of the Times' Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard + Twitter Top Tracks Chart

Harry Styles crashes in at No. 1 on the Billboard + Twitter Top Tracks as “Sign of the Times” arrives at the summit of the April 22-dated list.

Billboard + Twitter Top Tracks is a weekly ranking of the most shared and/or mentioned songs on Twitter in the U.S., ranked by the volume of shares over a seven-day period (Monday to Sunday). The latest chart’s reflects data collected in the week ending April 9.

The rock-leaning track is Styles’ first solo release outside of One Direction, and makes him the third soloist from the group to begin at No. 1 on Top Tracks with a debut single. Zayn, who departed the boy band in March 2015, started at the top with “Pillowtalk” in February 2016, while Niall Horan’s “This Town” similarly opened at No. 1 with “This Town” last October.

Unsurprisingly, One Direction’s massive Twitter fan base, at 31.7 million worldwide followers, has helped its members zoom to No. 1 upon their maiden solo releases. The U.K. group’s seven No. 1s shares the record for most No. 1s on the Top Tracks chart with Ariana Grande, and they own a record 25 top 10 visits since the chart began in 2014.

Styles’ first solo release makes him eligible for the Social 50 chart, where he debuts at No. 3.

Back on Top Tracks, Future rockets 31-3 with “Mask Off” as the Mask Off social media challenge begins paying chart dividends. The challenge involves musicians playing orchestral instruments to the tune of “Mask Off,” often synched up to the rapper’s rhymes. Future himself shouted out the challenge on Twitter on April 2, with a simple “#maskoffchallenge” tweet.


The social buzz has translated into improved sales and streams for “Mask Off.” The song jumps 18-11 on the Billboard Hot 100, aided by an 8-7 lift on the Streaming Songs chart and 24.2 million streams in the U.S. in the week ending March 6, according to Nielsen Music.

Meanwhile on Top Tracks, Halsey also earns a top five debut for “Now or Never,” which starts at No. 5. The debut gives the pop/alt-singer her sixth top 10 hit on the chart.

Halsey released “Never” on April 4 with its accompanying music video. The clip, which seems to draw inspiration from Baz Luhrmann’s 1996 film Romeo + Juliet, has gathered 8.2 million worldwide views on YouTube through April 12.

The “Never” arrival triggers a 112 percent increase in Halsey’s Twitter mentions, up to 73,000 in the week ending April 9, according to Next Big Sound. The bump in activity helps Halsey re-enter the Social 50 chart at No. 32.

“Never” previews the singer’s second full-length effort, Hopeless Fountain Kingdom, due out June 2. The set follows her debut LP, Badlands, which started at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and has earned 1.2 million equivalent album units, according to Nielsen Music.

Additionally, Kyle’s “iSpy,” featuring Lil Yachty, debuts on Top Tracks with a No. 16 entrance. The song, which currently sits at No. 4 on the Hot 100, arrives after its music video release on April 7. The clip features Kyle and Yachty’s heads superimposed on kids’ bodies as they embark on a beach adventure, and has collected 7 million worldwide views on YouTube.