Does Tinashe Already Have a Breakout Hit From Her Acclaimed ‘Popstar’ Album?

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This week: One track from Tinashe’s rapturously received Popstar album begins to separate from the pack, a perennial Girl in Red streamer is hitting harder than ever this autumn, and a reboot of a long-beloved sitcom helps boost some new R&B favorites.

Tinashe’s ‘Popstar’ Moment Eyes Breakout Hit In ‘Melatonin’

After 15 years of relentlessly innovative work, a highly publicized stint in record-label purgatory and sporadic moments of crossover commercial success, multi-platinum singer-songwriter Tinashe finally snagged her first Billboard 200 top 10 album with the aptly titled Popstar this week (chart dated Oct. 10).

The 16-track set features several buzzy singles, but the dance-pop banger “Melatonin” is posting the most notable gains. Initially dropped as a pre-release single on Aug. 13, “Melatonin” surged 255% in streaming activity following the full release of Popstar. In the week preceding the album’s release (Sept. 18-24), “Melatonin” collected 405,000 official on-demand U.S. streams, according to Luminate. During Popstar release week (Sept. 25-Oct. 1), “Melatonin” earned 1.44 million official streams.

Not only has the song marked Tinashe’s inaugural appearance on Hot Dance/Pop Songs (No. 10), but the track has also continued to grow in Popstar’s second week of release. During the four-day period of Sept. 25-28, “Melatonin” logged 697,000 official on-demand U.S. streams. A week later (Oct. 2-5), that figure improved by 40% to over 980,000 official streams.

With Popstar maintaining its buzz and Tinashe hitting the stage for a few shows in the coming week — including an opening set for the Arizona stop of Harry Styles’ massive Together, Together tour — “Melatonin” just might end up following in the Billboard Hot 100 footsteps of “2 On,” “Nasty” and “No Broke Boys.” — KYLE DENIS

‘Fell in Love’ Again and Again: Girl in Red Seasonal Staple Sees Even Bigger ‘October’ Gains

It’s that time of year where every new month brings with it the return of an appropriate streaming staple to pop culture prominence. Two months ago it was Taylor Swift’s “August,” and last month it was of course Earth, Wind & Fire’s “September” — which actually returned to the Hot 100 this year, for the first time since its original late-’70s run. Now, it’s alt-pop singer-songwriter Girl in Red‘s time.

“We Fell in Love in October” has proven a sweater-weather perennial every autumn since its 2018 release, having reached as high as No. 14 on Billboard‘s Hot Rock Songs chart (in 2019) and No. 104 on the Global 200 (in 2024) thanks to those annual streaming bumps. This year, it’s of course back once again, already racking up 4.3 million official on-demand U.S. streams for the week ending Oct. 1, according to Luminate — with that total sure to increase in this tracking week, the first full week of the song’s titular month.

And so far this October, it’s also outpacing where it was through this point in the month last year. It’s racked up over 4 million streams through the month’s first five days, where from Oct. 1-5 in 2025, it had only amassed a little over 3.7 streams, a 7.5% increase. Could that mean it’s also ticketed for a Hot 100 appearance, which would be a first for both the song and Girl in Red? It’s possible — and regardless, if these seasonal streaming bumps keep going up in 2026, look out for what an already Michael-boosted “Thriller” could end up doing this holiday season. – ANDREW UNTERBERGER

‘A Different World’ Netflix Reboot Boosts Songs by kwn & Devon Culture

Netflix’s reboot of the classic sitcom A Different World premiered on Sept. 24 — and its syncs are already having a sizable impact on streaming.

Kwn’s “Hopeless Romantic,” which closes out the 10th and final episode of the show’s first season, is up 345% in streaming activity following the series premiere. In the week leading up to the premiere (Sept. 18-24), “Hopeless” pulled over 137,000 official on-demand U.S. streams. The following week (Sept. 25-28), “Hopeless” jumped to over 613,000 official streams. Those gains continued into the show’s second week of release, with “Hopeless” earning 537,000 official streams during the four-day period of Oct. 2-5, marking a 148% jump from the week prior (Sept. 25-28; 216,000 official streams).

In the first episode of the season, rising R&B singer-songwriter Devon Culture performs his new “A Time More Perfect” single in an in-show performance. During the four-day period of Oct. 2-5, “Perfect” collected 38,000 official on-demand U.S. streams, marking a 94% jump from the 19,000 streams it pulled the week before (Sept. 25-28).

Between these notable syncs and Brandy lending her voice to the reimagined themed song, the 2026 iteration of A Different World is clearly on a mission to be as in tune with the culture as its predecessor was. — KD