Chase Rice
Alexa King*Chase Rice earns his fourth top 10 on Billboard's airplay-, sales- and streaming-based Hot Country Songs chart, as "Drinkin' Beer. Talkin' God. Amen.," featuring Florida Georgia Line, leaps 13-8 on the July 10-dated list.
The track surged by 66% to 6.5 million U.S. streams in the week ending July 1, according to MRC Data, helped by more prominent placement on Amazon Music's Country Heat playlist beginning June 25. It also gained by 10% to 1,300 sold.
On Country Airplay, the song rises 8-7, up 11% to 21.6 million impressions in the week ending July 4.
"God," which Rice co-wrote, becomes his fourth Hot Country Songs top 10. He last reached the tier with "Eyes on You," which peaked at No. 3 in April 2019. "Eyes" became Rice's first Country Airplay No. 1, leading for two weeks the following month.
FGL, the duo of Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley, banks its 20th Hot Country Songs top 10, a sum that includes six leaders. Notably, Rice co-penned FGL's debut hit "Cruise," which reigned for a then-record 25 weeks in 2012-13, aided by its remix with Nelly.
Meanwhile, FGL doubles up in the Hot Country Songs top 10 with its latest Nelly team-up, "Lil Bit," which holds at its No. 3 high. It drew 11.3 million streams in the tracking week (up 9%) and ascends 2-1 on Country Streaming Songs, marking FGL's fifth leader on the chart and Nelly's first.
GARY GETS BACK Gary Allan's first studio set since 2013, Ruthless, enters Top Country Albums at No. 8 with 11,000 equivalent album units earned (9,000 in album sales) in its first tracking week.
The release, which Allan produced with Tony Brown, Greg Droman, Jay Joyce and Mark Wright, awards Allan his ninth Top Country Albums top 10, with all having arrived in the tier. His last album, Set You Free, bowed atop the tally in February 2013, becoming his third No. 1.
PERFECT 10 Luke Combs' "Forever After All" dominates Hot Country Songs for a 10th week and Country Airplay for a sixth frame.
"Forever," which arrived at the Hot Country Songs summit last November and has now added nine more weeks in a row at No. 1, drew 32.8 million in airplay audience and 10.4 million streams and sold 3,600 in the tracking week.
Combs banks his second single to top Hot Country Songs for double-digit weeks, after "Beautiful Crazy" reigned for 11 in 2019. The only other acts with multiple such No. 1s since the chart began as a multi-metric genre ranking in 1958: Florida Georgia Line (three) and Sam Hunt (two). Only 28 of 1,565 total No. 1s, or less than 2%, have dominated for 10 or more weeks each.
On Country Airplay, "Forever" is the 22nd No. 1 to rule for six or more weeks, among 866 total toppers, or just over 2%, since the chart originated in 1990. It's Combs' second, after "Beautiful Crazy" ruled for seven frames in 2019. Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw have each charted three such No. 1s, while Faith Hill, Toby Keith, Lonestar and Keith Urban have also tallied two apiece.
NEWS
Lola Young has joined forces with Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) to release a new T shirt for the charity’s Lifelines collection.
The shirt supports CALM’s suicide prevention work, with proceeds helping to fund vital resources such as its helpline and CALMzone mental health app.
CALM introduced the Lifelines range last year, with Fontaines D.C., Blossoms and Inhaler also contributing their own designs to the collection.
Young’s design includes the words, “There’s a flicker of light. There’s always morning after the night”, taken from her track ‘Flicker Of Light’.
“I wrote this song about realising there is hope. I have often felt like there isn’t, but there is always a reason to keep going,” Young said. “That’s even when you don’t want to get out of bed, you do, and that is amazing, and you’re still here, and you’re still alive, and if anything, that’s something to be proud of.”
CALM CEO Simon Gunning also shared his appreciation for the collaboration, saying: “We couldn’t be more grateful to Lola for supporting ‘Lifelines’ and showing just how powerful music can be as a force for good.”
Priced at £30, the T shirts come in both standard and boxy fits and are available to purchase here.
Young has regularly spoken about her experiences with mental health. She returned to performing earlier this year after calling off her 2025 tour because of exhaustion. The decision followed her collapse during a performance in New York City. During her time away, she later discussed receiving support for addiction and attending AA meetings as part of her recovery.
In an interview with NME in May, Young explained that she believes “all healing journeys are never ending”, although she is now “definitely in a much better place”. She also said she feels “excited and ready to perform and to release music”.
Reflecting on the encouragement she received after publicly discussing those challenges, Young said: “My fans inspire me in the same way I hope to inspire them. I feel like I’ve never tried to be especially honest… it just comes very naturally to me.”
“I don’t really have any other choice but to be honest, so if people connect to that, and that’s amazing.”
Several musicians have also applauded the ‘Messy’ singer for honestly addressing the pressure placed on touring performers. Lily Allen said she was “in awe” of the BRIT and Grammy winner, while Victoria Canal credited Young with bringing greater attention to the damaging impact demanding tour schedules can have on artists’ mental wellbeing.
When NME asked whether musicians were beginning to establish firmer boundaries around their health, Young replied: “I never intended it to start a movement, but I hope that it does in some way.”
