ABC/Chris HolloLady A are kicking off 2021 on a high note, as their “Champagne Night” officially crowns the Billboard Country Airplay chart for the week dated January 9.
That milestone comes in the song’s 37th week on the chart, making it the longest climb Lady A has ever made to the top spot. It surpasses “What If I Never Get Over You,” which took 35 weeks to get to the top of the chart, and marks the trio’s 11th hit to ever top Billboard’s Country Airplay chart.
“Champagne Night” is also a unique song for the trio in that it began during an April 2020 episode of NBC’s televised songwriting competition Songland. Lady A were the guest artists in one installment of the show, as songwriting hopefuls competed to have their song selected by the band to record. They ultimately chose “Champagne Night,” which was originally titled “I’ll Drink to That,” by songwriter Madeline Merlo.
“This has been a special song for us for so many reasons,” the band’s Hillary Scott tells Billboard. “We loved it so much that it became a single: The first-ever radio single to be released from Songland. So for the fans to love it as much as we do and for it now to be at No. 1, it feels like the best way to celebrate the first week of the new year.”
“Champagne Night” comes off Lady A’s 2019 studio album, Ocean. That project also includes “What If I Never Get Over You.”
By Carena Liptak
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.