Halestorm & The Pretty Reckless Rule Male-Dominated Rock Charts
Halestorm launches at No. 1 on Hard Rock Albums, while The Pretty Reckless tops Mainstream Rock Songs, both flying the flag for women in the genre.
Two female-fronted hard rock bands continue to make waves in the heavily male-dominated rock genre.
Halestorm, led by singer Lzzy Hale, scores its first No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Rock Albums chart (dated May 2), a career high rank on the Billboard 200 (No. 5), and its best-ever sales week as Into the Wild Life starts with 52,000 copies sold in the week ending April 19, according to Nielsen Music. The band notched its previous best week with its prior studio album, 2012’s The Strange Case Of…, which opened at No. 7 on Top Rock Albums and No. 15 on the Billboard 200 with 24,000 sold.
With the group’s third full-length album also arriving atop Hard Rock Albums, Halestorm scores its second leader on the list, becoming the only female-fronted group to top the chart twice since it originated in 2007. (Case crowned the chart in 2012.)Meanwhile, fellow female-fronted act The Pretty Reckless, led by singer (and actress) Taylor Momsen, hits No. 1 for a third time on the Mainstream Rock Songs airplay chart with “Follow Me Down,” setting the record for most leaders by an act with a female vocalist since the chart launched back in 1981.
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As all three of the band’s entries (“Follow” follows “Messed Up World” and debut hit “Heaven Knows,” both last year) have hit No. 1 on Mainstream Rock Songs, the Pretty Reckless is only the second group to send its first three charted songs to the top. 3 Doors Down first tripled up in 2000-01 with “Kryptonite,” “Loser” and “Duck and Run.”
Halestorm Makes History on Mainstream Rock Songs Chart
Meanwhile, Halestorm became just the fourth female-led act to score at least two No. 1s on Mainstream Rock Songs, as “Apocalyptic” lead the March 28 chart. The band previously reigned in 2013 with “Freak Like Me.” (The only such others with multiple No. 1s, along with the Pretty Reckless and Halestorm, are the Pretenders and Stevie Nicks).
Halestorm and the Pretty Reckless are the only two female-fronted bands to lead Mainstream Rock Songs since Alannah Myles’ “Black Velvet” topped the chart in 1990.