Genre-bending group Phony Ppl earns their second consecutive top ten single on Billboard’s Adult R&B Airplay chart, as “Nowhere But Up” rises from No. 11 to No. 9 this week.
The catchy song, produced by Ivan Barias (Musiq Soulchild, Ledisi), took 11 chart weeks to achieve its top ten placement, two more weeks than its lead single, “Fkn Around.”
In its ninth week, “Fkn Around” placed at No. 10 in early May 2020, giving the band its first top-ten single. It peaked at No. 9 on the Adult R&B chart.
“Fkn Around” also marked Phony Ppl’s first top ten on R&B radio (formerly urban adult contemporary radio).
“We had no clue that [this song] was going to be something that the radio would be interested in or something that would be top 10 worthy on Billboard charts. It’s a blessing, honestly,” the group’s vocalist Elbee Thrie told Rated R&B.
Released in September 2022, “Nowhere But Up” was promoted as the second official single from Phony Ppl’s third album, Euphonyus.
“’Nowhere But Up’ is exactly where Phony Ppl’s is headed; and for the song.. this colorful demonstration of a sexy sweaty seductive chase, forces your body to move and groove sooo good, that you might just have to run-it-back when it ends,” said Thrie.
“Nowhere But Up” has nearly 734,000 streams on Spotify since releasing last September.
Phony Ppl delivered their recent album Euphonyus last November on 300 Entertainment.
It featured guest appearances by JoJo, Leon Thomas, and The Soul Rebels, along with production contributions from Barias, Kaytranada, Alissia Benveniste, Aja Grant and Thrie of Phony Ppl.
That December, Euphonyus nabbed the No. 12 spot on Rated R&B’s 30 Best R&B Albums of 2022 list.
“Euphonyus is as sweet-sounding as its title and is as colorful as its cover art. It’s Phony Ppl’s most thrilling and daring project to date,” Rated R&B’s Keithan Samuels wrote.
Phony Ppl were recently announced as performers for the Governors Ball Music Festival. The three-day event takes place June 9 through June 11 at Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens, New York.
Revisit Phony Ppl’s “Nowhere But Up” below.
