Tomorrow’s Hits: St. Paul & The Broken Bones Break Through With ‘Call Me’
Each Friday, Billboard presents Tomorrow's Hits, a weekly look at new and noteworthy acts making their way toward Billboard chart success. Up this week: St. Paul & the Broken Bones, El Mayor Clasico…
St. Paul & the Broken Bones
“Call Me,” the debut chart single for Birmingham, Ala., sextet (and Thirty Tigers signees) St. Paul & the Broken Bones, jumps 15-11 as the Greatest Gainer on Billboard’s Adult Alternative Songs chart. Frontman Paul Janeway uses the St. Paul handle in honor of his musical background: he grew up with gospel and secular soul, both of which combine with rock to form the group’s layered mix. “The only secular music that I heard at all was a ’70s group called the Stylistics, and Sam Cooke. That was about it,” Janeway recalls. “The rest was all gospel music. When I was about 10, I was groomed to be a minister. My goal in life until I was about 18 was to be a preacher.” A turning point: “My pastor was the reason that I learned to play guitar. They would let me play guitar and sing in church.”
El Mayor Clasico
Dominican urban artist El Mayor Clasico is bubbling under Latin Rhythm Airplay with “Bello,” featuring Sensato (Gran Velero). New York’s WSKQ has helped champion the song, having first played it on May 13, according to Nielsen BDS. An unofficial video of the track uploaded on Sensato’s official YouTube channel in January has drawn more than 1 million worldwide views.
Ben Rue
Trending on Billboard
Recently signed to Arista Nashville, singer/songwriter Ben Rue gains traction at country radio with his debut single “I Can’t Wait (Be My Wife).” The Silverton, Ore., native competed in the first season of Fox’s “The X-Factor” and has since relocated to Nashville to further his career. He released “Wait” digitally April 28 and is prepping the release of its video.
Reporting by Wade Jessen, Amaya Mendizabal and Gary Trust of the Billboard charts department
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