Viral Country Singer Bayker Blankenship Debuts on Billboard Canadian Hot 100 With the Melancholy 'Maxed Out'
The first-timer arrives on the chart at No. 76, as Sabrina Carpenter, Koe Wetzel and Charli XCX also make new debuts this week.
Bayker Blankenship 'Maxed Out' Acoustic Video
A new country artist is making his mark on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100 this week.
Bayker Blankenship of Livingston, Tennessee has landed on the chart for the first time with "Maxed Out," a melancholy tune about being down on your luck and low on available credit. With a relaxed pace and a touch of grit in Blankenship's voice, the song strikes a poignant tone.
The song has been gaining steam online, appearing on Spotify's Viral 50 USA playlist as well as charting on Billboard's Hot Country Songs and Hot Rock & Alternative Songs, though it hasn't hit the U.S. Hot 100 yet. But that doesn't mean it won't soon — another viral artist, Lay Bankz, hit the Canadian Hot 100 earlier this year before she landed on the U.S. counterpart.
The song is only Blankenship's second single, following 2021's "Can't Get Enough," but the singer has built an impressive following online, with nearly half a million TikTok followers, where he posts his song clips as well as covers of country stars like Zach Bryan and Dylan Gossett. Blankenship, who is releasing with Santa Anna Label Group, could join their ranks soon, if he can keep up momentum.
@baykerblankeshipmusic WE HIT 500K STREAMS on MAXED OUT!!! Love y’all so much!!!#acoustic #cover #maxedout #original @Lowbowz
Elsewhere on the chart this week, Sabrina Carpenter has a top five debut with her earworm "Please Please Please," which lands at No. 5, behind her other candidate for song of the summer, "Espresso," at No. 4. Eminem's "Houdini" falls from No. 1 to No. 3.
Breakout country singer Shaboozey's "A Bar Song (Tipsy)" retakes the top spot on the Canadian Hot 100. The Beyoncé collaborator has hit No. 1 in Canada, which he has yet to do on the American Hot 100.
Singer-songwriter Koe Wetzel has two debuts on the chart this week, with Jessie Murph collab "High Road" landing at No. 38, while "Sweet Dreams" lands at No. 86. With her new album Brat getting rave reviews, Charli XCX is also making an entrance this week, for single "360" debuting at No. 70.
It's been a minute since a Canadian has debuted on the Canadian Hot 100 — stay tuned to see if recent releases by popular acts like Charlotte Cardin or Orville Peck make their way onto the Hot 100 this summer. Kaytranada's new album Timeless debuted at No. 30 on the Billboard Canadian Albums chart this week, so one of his singles could make its way there too.
Check out the full charts here.
