22-year-old Markell Clay approaches his first chart appearance as "Magic" builds beneath Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop. The Philadelphia-born/Chesapeake, Va.-raised singer/songwriter first basked in the national spotlight in 2010 as a contestant on the "Wild-Out Wednesday" segment on BET's "106 & Park." Clay is signed to Atlanta independent label I.M. Music and working with producer Jamezzz Bonn.
WHITE DENIM
Formed in 2006, rock band White Denim is on the verge of earning its first charted single with "Pretty Green" (Downtown). The cut is lifted from the group's new album "Corsicana Lemonade," which debuts at No. 4 on Heatseekers Albums (3,000 sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan). The single is percolating under the Alternative Songs and Triple A airplay charts, with support from 26 combined reporters, according to Nielsen BDS. Alternative WEQX Albany, N.Y., leads with 32 plays for the song in the Oct. 28-Nov. 3 tracking week.
OBB
Sibling trio OBB, shorthand for Oswald Brothers Band, makes its first visit to the Christian Songs tally, opening at No. 45 with "Come on Home," a track from the threesome's self-titled EP, released nearly a year ago. Signed to Curb, the Georgia natives are working on their first full-length album. The trio is part of the worship team at Atlanta's Passion City Church, a congregation founded by Louie Giglio and Chris Tomlin.
Reporting by Keith Caulfield, Wade Jessen, Rauly Ramirez and Gary Trust of the Billboard charts department