JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
For the first time, women known for country music have topped Billboard's singles and albums charts at the same time. NPR's Stephen Thompson has the story.
STEPHEN THOMPSON, BYLINE: On this week's albums chart, Megan Moroney's "Cloud 9" debuts at No. 1, giving the country music star her first ever chart-topper.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "CLOUD 9")
MEGAN MORONEY: (Singing) No, nothing else matters with your hands in my hair. I never want to leave where we are now. It's a long, long way, way down, down to cloud nine.
THOMPSON: Aided by physical sales on CD and vinyl, "Cloud 9" was a big seller in its first week, as well as one of the top streaming albums. It's a major step up for Megan Moroney, whose third album finds her taking her place among country music's biggest stars.
On the Hot 100 singles chart, another young singer hits No. 1. Ella Langley has the biggest country hit of the year so far with "Choosin' Texas."
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "CHOOSIN' TEXAS")
ELLA LANGLEY: (Singing) Drinking Jack all by myself. He's choosin' Texas, I can tell.
THOMPSON: Ella Langley and Megan Moroney represent a new generation of fresh faces in country music, but it's also a big week for young pop stars. One of the breakout sensations from this year's Winter Olympics was U.S. figure skater Alysa Liu, who won gold in the women's singles event. Shortly after winning, Liu participated in the Olympic figure skating gala, where she performed a routine to PinkPantheress' song "Stateside," featuring Zara Larsson.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "STATESIDE")
PINKPANTHERESS AND ZARA LARSSON: (Singing) You can be my American ha, ha boy. You can be my American ha, ha boy.
THOMPSON: This week, "Stateside" bounds up the charts, climbing from No. 41 to No. 13. The song's newfound success coincides with Liu's "Stateside" skate - another reminder that there's more than one way to transform a song from a sleeper to a full-fledged smash. Stephen Thompson, NPR Music.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "STATESIDE")
PINKPANTHERESS AND LARSSON: (Singing) If you can't be here with me. 'Cause I fly Stockholm to LA, leave my feelings on the plane. Worries fade away (fade away) when I hit the stage. I've been touring stateside, kissing my Swedish boy over FaceTime. Who knew? Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
