SZA finally ascended to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 charts after a slow-burn and long stay at the No. 2 spot since "Kill Bill" was released in December 2021.
The ascent to the summit was long overdue for the R&B songstress, who has never had a No. 1 song up until now.
In a Billboard article, the publication's staffers reveled the success of the breakup revenge anthem, which has been on everyone's playlist since December 2022.
SZA 'Kill Bill' Finally Peaks At #1 on Billboard Hot 100
After 18 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 charts, SZA's lead single for "SOS," "Kill Bill," has finally reached the summit this week.
According to Billboard, the song racked up 86.5 million radio airplay impressions, which as actually a decline of 1%. However, it was her 32% gain on streams (28.3 million) and the 5,000 downloads on last week's tracking week. The boost atop was partly attributed to the release of Doja Cat's inclusion in a remix of the song, which is why the listing did not indicate Doja Cat's name.
Meanwhile, the song also reached a new peak on the Radio Songs chart at No. 2 and rebounded at No. 3 on Streaming Songs and back to its peak at No. 8 on Digital Song Sales.
However, "Kill Bill's" eventual peak at No. 1 has been expected by many from the publication, but they did not expect that it would take SZA 19 weeks to do so.
"Yes," a staffer said when asked if they were surprised by the song's longevity." "Not because it's not a great song, but because it doesn't scream "surefire smash single that is going to reside in the top 5 of the Hot 100 for one-third of a year."
Notably, SZA was also surprised that the song was successful, even if it just peaked at No. 2 back then.
Would 'Kill Bill' Still Be Iconic Even If It Didn't Reach No. 1?
Per the staffers, the No. 1 placement of the record cemented SZA's impact on the music industry, but that does not erase the fact that the song was good and equally iconic before it peaked at No. 1.
"I mean, I think it's very important just to add to SZA's stats and to have that "No. 1 moment," but whether or not it topped the chart wouldn't take away from its impact and significance," a staffer noted, even citing songs like "Pon De Replay" and "Drunk In Love" to be songs that have been equally iconic but have not reached the summit of the Hot 100.
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