Saints March In
A year ago, Saints of Valory competed in Billboard’s Battle of the Bands competition. Fast forward to this week and the quartet logs its first entry on a songs chart, as “Neon Eyes” (Atlantic) debuts on Triple A at No. 27. The song appears on the EP “Possibilities,” which bowed on Heatseekers Albums at No. 21 in July. The band shot the video for “Neon Eyes” at “an otherworldly location on the salt flats and sand dunes of Utah,” vocalist Gavin Jasper says. “We wanted a young and adventurous feel, [to] capture the emotion of the song.”
‘Home’ Team
Following in the footsteps of British boy band One Direction, American vocal group Midnight Red is popping with its single “Take Me Home.” (Unlike One Direction, Midnight Red doesn’t shy away from choreographed dance moves.) The quintet is signed to Capitol through RedOne’s 2101 imprint and has garnered leading radio support from SiriusXM’s 20 on 20 channel. The song’s party-by-the-river video has collected 1.7 million views on YouTube.
‘Last’ Is First
Sebastian Mikael posts his first title on Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop, as “Last Night” (Capitol), featuring Wale, debuts at No. 37. The song samples Al B. Sure!’s 1988 slow jam “Nite and Day.” Mikael began his career in his native Sweden as De-Lor (French for “gold”) before moving to the United States to study music in 2008. While at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, he released his “J’Adore” mixtape, which caught the ears of industry executives.
Martin Makes U.S. Bow
Dani Martin arrives on Latin Pop Airplay at No. 39 with “Cero” (Sony Music Latin), marking his first visit to a U.S. Billboard chart. Martin rose to fame as the vocalist for Spanish pop/rock group El Canto del Loco and enjoyed success abroad with his first solo set, “Pequeno,” in 2010. “Cero,” which Martin co-wrote with Luis Fernando Ochoa (Shakira, Alejandra Guzman), appears on his self-titled album (Sept. 17).
Reporting by Keith Caulfield, Amaya Mendizabal, Rauly Ramirez and Gary Trust.