Queen B Reign Continues: Beyoncé Dominates Adult R&B Airplay with Latest Chart-Topper

Celebrating her 45th birthday, Beyoncé has achieved another significant milestone with her latest single, “Morning Dew (Donk),” ascending to No. 1 on Billboard’s Adult R&B Airplay chart. The track, leading the list dated September 12, climbed from No. 3, cementing its status as the most-played song on adult R&B radio stations across the United States during the August 28-September 3 tracking week, as reported by Luminate.

“Morning Dew,” released and promoted by Parkwood/Columbia, marks Beyoncé’s fourth No. 1 hit on the Adult R&B Airplay chart. This success follows her previous chart-toppers: “Love on Top,” which held the top spot for seven weeks in 2012, and two 2022 hits, “Break My Soul” (a two-week leader) and her collaboration with Ronald Isley and the Isley Brothers, “Make Me Say It Again Girl,” which reigned for five weeks.

Notably, “Morning Dew” reached the summit in just its sixth week on the chart, establishing a new record for Beyoncé's fastest ascent to No. 1, surpassing “Make Me Say It Again Girl,” which took seven weeks. The single, a surprise release on July 4, also marks Beyoncé’s 32nd solo career entry and 10th top 10 hit on the Adult R&B Airplay chart.

The song has a history rooted in speculation, long a subject of “Beyhive” lore. Reportedly recorded in 2013 during the singer’s self-titled album era, a snippet leaked in 2021, with a fuller version appearing online two years later, even sparking TikTok trends. Its official release was announced as a preview for the 20th-anniversary edition of her seminal album, B’Day, which became available via retail and streaming services concurrently.

The expanded 20th-anniversary edition of B’Day features 31 tracks, including official releases of collaborations with artists such as Pharrell Williams, Maluma, and Selena. The original B’Day album, released in 2006, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart and spawned some of Beyoncé’s most iconic hits, including the Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 smash “Irreplaceable,” as well as other successful singles like “Beautiful Liar” with Shakira (No. 3), “Deja Vu” featuring Jay-Z (No. 4), and “Ring the Alarm” (No. 11).

Beyond its Adult R&B Airplay success, “Morning Dew” has also made strides on other charts. It climbed from 8-7 on the Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart and jumped from 5-3 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, which aggregates audience totals from both adult and mainstream R&B/hip-hop stations. On the latter, the song garnered 13.8 million audience impressions during the tracking week, an impressive 18% increase from the prior week, earning it the weekly Greatest Gainer award for the largest audience gain.