Brooke Simpson, who competed for Miley Cyrus' team on the recently-concluded thirteenth season of NBC's The Voice, sang the Christmas classic "O Holy Night" on the show's Dec. 18 episode. Subsequently, her recording flies in at No. 1 on Billboard's Hot Christian Songs chart.
(The song tops the tally dated Jan. 3, marking a rare Wednesday-dated chart, instead of the usual Saturday, as Billboard is adjusting how it dates its charts and magazine issues.)
Simpson finished third on this season's installment of The Voice. Competing for Blake Shelton's team, Chloe Kohanski won, with Addison Agen placing second. Behind Simpson, country singer Red Marlow finished fourth.
Simpson's No. 1 debut on the Hot Christian Songs chart, which blends airplay, sales and streaming data, is powered by the song's sales of 28,000 downloads in its first week (ending Dec. 21), according to Nielsen Music.
The 26-year-old Simpson, from Hollister, North Carolina, earns her second No. 1 debut on Hot Christian Songs in the last three weeks. Her version of the classic hymn "Amazing Grace" (performed on the The Voice's Dec. 3 episode) bowed at the summit on Dec. 23. That arrival was also sparked by sales, as "Grace" pushed 25,000 downloads in its first week.
Simpson's latest coronation on Hot Christian Songs marks The Voice's ninth No. 1 on the chart, all of which have debuted on top.
Here's a recap:
"Amazing Grace," Meghan Linsey, May 23, 2015
"Great Is Thy Faithfulness," Jordan Smith, Dec. 5, 2015
"Hallelujah," Jordan Smith, Dec. 19, 2015
"Amazing Grace," Braiden Sunshine, Dec. 26, 2015
"Mary Did You Know," Jordan Smith, Jan. 2, 2016
"Me and Jesus," Sundance Head, Dec. 17, 2016
"To Worship You I Live (Away)," Christian Cuevas, Dec. 24, 2016
"Amazing Grace," Brooke Simpson, Dec. 23, 2017
"O Holy Night," Brooke Simpson, Jan. 3, 2018
Simpson is the second artist to notch more than one No. 1 debut on Hot Christian Songs with a performance from The Voice. As noted above, Jordan Smith scored three No. 1 entrances.
