Josh Ross Has the No. 1 Country Hit in Canada with ‘Hate How You Look’ on the Billboard Canada Airplay Charts
After hitting the top 10 on Billboard Canada’s first-ever year-end Top Canadian Artists chart, the country star has a new reason to celebrate.
Josh Ross is continuing his ascension on the Billboard Canada Country Airplay chart.
Dated Dec. 13, the rising country singer’s hit “Hate How You Look” moves up one spot to No. 1, knocking chart juggernaut Morgan Wallen to No. 3 with “I Got Better.”
“Hate How You Look” arrived on the Country airplay chart back in September, slowly rising each week. Three months later, the Waterdown, Ontario-native has reached the top spot. His claim to No. 1 follows the news that Ross secured No. 9 on Billboard Canada’s inaugural year-end Top Canadian Artist chart, alongside fellow country singer Cameron Whitcomb.
Ross earned seven entries on the 2025 Canada Country chart and Radio Songs charts, including “Hate How You Look” at No. 109 on the Country chart.
The track is an addictive up-tempo track with relatable lyrics about a former flame moving on. It highlights Ross’s signature rich vocal rasp, as he confidently sings: “Girl, I hate how you look moving on,” over a rock-leaning guitar and strong, succinct drums.
Of its brash title, Ross told Billboard that the decision was intentional: “You wonder,” he shared, “is it actually just going to be a mean song? Like, ‘I just hate how you look.’ And then you listen to it, you realize that it’s a guy that’s like, ‘Dang, she looks good,’ and you’re actually kind of complimenting her. I’m a fan of titles like that.”
He continued: “It’s the coolest thing when the lyric is really meant to be a sad lyric, but it still like feels aggressive. It feels like if I was to hear it on radio, it kind of sticks out a little different.”
Outside of Country, “Hate How You Look” has become a hit on multiple charts. This week, Ross rises 7-4 on All-Format and is sitting at No. 55 on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100, with a previous peak at No. 47.
Ross has become a hitmaker south of the border, too, earning his first top-five position on the U.S. Country Airplay chart with “Single Again” at No. 2 earlier this year — now “Hate How You Look” has peaked in the same position, showcasing Ross’s reach. Yet, a homecoming is inbound, as Ross is set to bring his No. 1 Country radio hit across Canada as he embarks on a nationwide tour in 2026.
Elsewhere on the Airplay charts, Ross’s collaboration with Frank Walker and Norma Jean Martine, “Lay It On Me,” climbs 32-27 on the CHR/Top 40chart.Another Canadian has a song debuting in the CHR/Top 40 chart.
Toronto singer-songwriter Adam Rodway’s “Runaround” clinches the ranking at No. 33.
The newcomer earns his first-ever track on the Airplay charts. While his debut single dates back to 2022, the pop-leaning artist has been consistently releasing music since last year, with “Runaround” marking Rodway’s fifth single of 2025.
Powered by a plucky acoustic guitar and catchy pop beats, “Runaround” is a catchy song that just surpasses the two-minute mark. On the track, Rodway finds himself delivering a blunt message to someone he’s in a complicated relationship with, as they’re caught in an inconsistent dynamic that only serves the other party. “Hit me with the runaround / But I don't wanna run for you,” he earnestly sings.
The music video is an ode to his hometown, as Rodway sings in front of a Shell gas station with his guitarist, hits the chorus while standing against the city’s apartment complex backdrop and hops in his car to drive through the downtown core — a local Dollarama is easy to spot.
Rodway has taken note of his radio placement, encouraging fans to tune in. “‘Runaround’ getting spins on top 40 radio 🤯,” he wrote on social media. If you listen to the radio keep your ears open, you might hear it!”
Rodway joins this week’s only other debut: “Living Easy” by Saskatchewan rock trio Black Tea on Mainstream Rock.
At the top, Taylor Swift’s “The Fate of Ophelia” maintains her No. 1 placement on All-Format, AC, CHR/Top 40 and Hot AC. Coming in swiftly behind her is Justin Bieber’s Daisies on All-Format and CHR/Top 40, Alex Warren’s “Ordinary” on AC and the HUNTER/X’s KPop Demon Hunters hit “Golden” on Hot AC.
On the Mainstream Rock chart, “Asking For A Friend” by Foo Fighters sits at No. 1 for a third week, while Winnipeg’s Boy Golden earns a second week at the top on Modern Rock.
Check out the Billboard Canada Airplay charts here.
