Beyoncé’s “Break My Soul” freshens up R&B radio’s top 10 after it reaches No. 8 in its third week. At the time of this publishing, the motivational dance track motored to this region with 7.4 million audience impressions from airplay at more than 80 radio stations.
Previously, Beyoncé’s last top 10 entry on R&B radio was “Before I Let Go,” a lively rendition of Maze featuring Frankie Beverly’s 1981 classic. It eventually claimed the top five on this list in July 2019, after it became her first top 10 visit in five years.
Before “Before I Let Go,” the last song by Beyoncé to make the top 10 cut was 2014’s “Drunk in Love.” featuring Jay-Z. A year later, the Grammy-winning track, lifted from her self-titled surprise album, went 3x multi-platinum in March 2015.
Among all the songs Beyoncé had charted on R&B radio in a lead role, “Love on Top” takes the highest honor. The gold-certified throwback, taken from her 2011 album, 4, topped the chart back in March 2012. It won Best Traditional R&B Performance at the 55th Grammy Awards.
This week, “Break My Soul” made history when it vaulted eight places to No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, netting Beyoncé’s 20th top 10 as a soloist. She joins Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney as the only woman and second Black person to have reached the top 10 of the Hot 100 at least 20 times as a solo star and ten times as a group member.
Beyoncé also rubs noses with the likes of Mariah Carey, Janet Jackson, Whitney Houston and Stevie Wonder, after “Break My Soul” put her behind the velvet rope for totaling 20 or more top 10 Hot 100 hits. She is one of 23 artists — both soloist and group — to achieve this recognition.
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“Break My Soul” is the lead single from Beyoncé’s forthcoming full-length Renaissance, which releases July 29 via Parkwood Entertainment/Columbia Records. The album is Beyoncé’s seventh proper effort and is the follow-up to 2016’s Lemonade.
Of Renaissance, Beyoncé wrote on Instagram, “Creating this album allowed me a place to dream and to find escape during a scary time for the world. It allowed me to feel free and adventurous in a time when little else was moving.”
She continued, “My intention was to create a safe place, a place without judgment. A place to be free of perfectionism and overthinking. A place to scream, release, feel freedom. It was a beautiful journey of exploration. I hope you find joy in this music. I hope it inspires you to release the wiggle. Ha! And to feel as unique, strong, and sexy as you are.”
Earlier this year, Beyoncé scored her first Oscar nomination for “Be Alive.” It was nominated for Best Original Song at the 94th Oscars. She performed the tune she co-wrote and co-produced with Dixson for the King Richard film at the ceremony.
“I’m very blessed to have a great team behind me. When the opportunity came, I said yes and did my best. When I turned my part of the song in, it wasn’t quite a complete thought. It became complete when she did what only Beyoncé can do,” Dixson told Rated R&B about collaborating with Beyoncé on the song for King Richard.
