Each Friday, Chart Beat presents "Bubbling Under," a weekly look at new and noteworthy acts making their way toward Billboard chart success.
Up this week: Imagine Dragons, Wolf Gang, Kristen Kelly and Kevin McCall.
In just three months, Las Vegas rock band Imagine Dragons has gone from making its first appearance on a Billboard chart to reaching the top 10 on Alternative Songs (No. 10 this week) and Triple A (No. 8) with debut KIDinaKORNER/Interscope single "It's Time." On the Billboard 200, the band's Continued Silence EP debuts at No. 165. Following the release of the single's video, the band was spotlighted as MTV's PUSH artist of the week beginning April 16. The group plays the Firefly Music Festival in Dover, Del., July 21. "There is something deeply personal and yet incredibly exciting about sharing new songs with a live audience for the first time," lead vocalist Dan Reynolds says. "We can't wait to have that communal experience."
U.K. rock artist Wolf Gang (given name Max McElligott) is on the verge of his Billboard chart debut, as his swirling, MGMT-esque single "The King and All His Men" (Elektra/Atlantic) is approaching the Alternative Songs chart. Among the outlets supporting the track are WFNX Boston, KNRK Portland, Ore., and KNND Seattle. The news gets even better for Wolf Gang: He'll open for Coldplay for 12 dates on the band's U.S. tour in June and July.
Kristen Kelly bullets at No. 47 on Country Songs with her major-label debut single, "Ex-Old Man" (Arista Nashville). The Lorena, Texas, native previously released two independent albums with duo-turned-group the Modern Day Drifters. Kelly's new album boasts format star power, as veteran Tony Brown and songwriter/artist Paul Overstreet are set to serve as co-producers. The set is expected this fall.
Kevin McCall, the name associated with Chris Brown's R&B/Hip-Hop Songs hits "Deuces" and "Strip" as a featured artist, is flirting with the chart's border with "Naked," his debut single as a lead. McCall is signed to RCA and Chris Brown Entertainment, the latter singer's management brand. "Naked," which features Big Sean, debuts on the survey's Bubbling Under chart at No. 7, rising by a chunky 83% in audience, according to Nielsen BDS.
Reporting by Keith Caulfield, Wade Jessen, Karinah Santiago and Gary Trust of the Billboard charts department
