Toronto Singer-Songwriter Sam Drysdale Debuts on the Billboard Canada Airplay Charts With 'Cold Water'

Sam Drysdale is feeling the chill on the Billboard Canada airplay charts.

The Toronto-based singer-songwriter’s track “Cold Water” arrives on the Billboard Canada CHR/Top 40 airplay chart at No. 30, dated October 18.

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With a quintessential indie-folk sound that amplifies an acoustic guitar, steady drum beats and chant-like vocals, Drysdale muses on how heartbreak feels like the end of summer, comparing the struggle of moving on from a past lover to the unfortunate final days of warm weather.

“But loving you is jumping into cold water/ I wonder if I’ll ever breathe again,” he sings, effortlessly describing the feeling of submerging in freezing temperatures and questioning if he will ever recover from the pain.

Drysdale is one of the many artists using their social media platforms to elevate their artistry. Last year, his track “Only The Strong Survive” from his third EP, Bonnie’s Sad Songs, went viral, amassing over three million streams on Spotify. The success of the song reached a wide audience and helped establish him as an emerging voice in Canadian music.

“Cold Water” is slowly creeping up in streams, and now it's becoming a fixture of radio playlists.

This weekend, he’s set to perform at the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame Legends show in Toronto, which will honour artists like Gino Vannelli, Andy Kim, Jane Siberry, Triumph and more.

Rock band Autumn Kings are earning a new debut on Mainstream Rock. Their track “Hellbound” arrives at No. 35. It serves as the title track on their 2024 LP.

For the former Ontario natives – who are now based in Detroit, Michigan — the song holds a unique space in the rock genre, blending heavy guitar riffs with tinges of Lebanese music, inspired by soundscapes that co-frontman Jake Diab says he grew up listening to with his dad.

On YouTube, the group detailed the track’s meaning, saying “it speaks to the whole idea of conquering learned helplessness,” and conquering one’s “victim mentality,” emotionally charged feelings that many have faced in the years preceding the pandemic.

“[It’s about] getting to that place where you feel you have more ownership of your own life,” they shared. “[When] you can radically confront the issues that you’re experiencing in your life and try not to give up, as cliché as it sounds, it’s pretty amazing the results that you find."

Despite its heavy-handed sound and title, Autumn Kings' song crafts an uplifting message for listeners to turn their lives around, with lyrics like: "This is the moment where I wake up/F--k an alarm, put up my arms," performed by co-leads Diab and Joe Coccimiglio.

There are a select few Canadian artists entering this week’s airplay charts.

Sofia Camara’s “Girls Like You” enters AC at No. 24, already a proven airplay success on All-Format, CHR/Top 40 and Hot AC. Loud Luxury and Natalie Jane’s track “UH OH!” makes no mistakes as it debuts at No. 37 on that same chart, following its arrival on CHR/Top 40 last month. Singer-songwriter Owen Riegling makes a splash on Country, arriving at No. 42 with “Taillight This Town.”

Topping the charts is Alex Warren’s “Ordinary,” which continues its months-long reign on All-Format, AC and Hot AC. A few weeks ago, Justin Bieber’s “Daisies” knocked Warren out of No. 1 on CHR/Top 40, and he has remained there, earning a fourth week at the top.

On Country, Scotty McCreery & Hootie & The Blowfish’s “Bottle Rockets” sits at No. 1 in its third week. Canadian rockers Three Days Grace hold down the top spot with “Apologies" on Mainstream Rock, while long-running Canadian rock band Big Wreck rises from No. 5 to No. 3 with “Believer,” slowly creeping up in advance of their album The Rest of the Story on Oct. 24.

After a lively SNL debut, meanwhile, Role Model’s “Sally, When the Wine Runs Out” tops the Modern Rock for the seventh week.

Check out the Billboard Canada Airplay charts here.