"We always knews it was possible to reach outside of Norway with our music," says Nico Sereba.
Nico & Vinz's pop smash is called "Am I Wrong," but so far the song can only do right. The Norwegian duo's debut chart entry leapfrogged into the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 dated June 7, just its sixth week on the tally. On the June 21 Hot 100, the song dips to No. 8 from its No. 6 peak, but with a 9 percent gain in chart points. Nico & Vinz are still mostly unknowns stateside, although that hasn't stopped the song from taking over the airwaves: "Am I Wrong" leaps 14-10 on Radio Songs with a 22 percent jump to 83 million audience impressions, according to Nielsen BDS, and goes top 10 on Pop Songs (12-10) and Adult Pop Songs (11-7). It has sold 844,000 copies to date, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
Pop radio is embracing the song's world music-meets-soul vibe - think Akon singing over The Police - but it's a new sound for Oslo-born Nico Sereba and Vincent Dery, both 23. Before they recorded "Am I Wrong" in February 2013, the pair had worked together as a hip-hop duo called Envy since 2009.