For over a month now, Michael Jackson's music has been experiencing a massive surge in popularity on the charts. Billboard . Streaming and sales of his most popular works increased sharply in the week or two leading up to the release of the biopic of the same name in cinemas worldwide. «"Michael"» . Since then, as the film continues to gross millions of dollars at the box office every week, Jackson's name remains on dozens of charts around the world.
By now, many songs and albums familiar to most listeners had begun to lose popularity, but the late superstar had achieved impressive success. A decade and a half after his death, Jackson released a new hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, thus making history.
Michael Jackson's "Chicago" has entered the Hot 100 chart.
Jackson's "Chicago" debuted on the Billboard Hot 100. The song, released in 2014 on Jackson's posthumous compilation album Xscape , was never promoted as a single, yet it entered the Top 40 of the most popular songs in America. This week, "Chicago" debuted at No. 30.
Michael Jackson's stellar career is now in its sixth decade.
Jackson currently has 52 solo hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Billboard reports that with the release of "Chicago," the superstar becomes the first artist in history to have a track debut on the chart in each of the last six decades.
Jackson began his solo streak of Billboard Hot 100 chart success in 1971. "Got to Be There" debuted on the chart in October and peaked at No. 4 by December. From then on, even in the years following his death, Jackson managed to crack the chart with at least one new song every year.
«"Chicago" is Michael Jackson's first hit of the 2020s.
«"Chicago" marks Jackson's first entry into the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the 2020s. Before this week, his last appearance on the chart was in the summer of 2018. Jackson was credited on the song "Don't Matter to Me," which was featured on Drake's album. Scorpion . The composition quickly rose into the top 10, where it reached number 9.
Michael Jackson's song Stretch was released seven decades ago.
Jackson's tenure on the Billboard Hot 100 extends even further when including his work with the Jackson 5. "I Want You Back" entered the top 10, rising from No. 17 to No. 8 on the final 1969 list, dated December 27. Jackson's run of Billboard Hot 100 debuts now spans seven decades—an almost unheard-of achievement, considering the chart wasn't introduced until the late 1950s, about a decade before Jackson and his brothers first appeared.
The song "Chicago" debuted on the streaming service chart.
The song "Chicago" debuts on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for the first time, and also debuts on only one other chart. "Chicago" debuts at No. 21 on the Streaming Songs chart, giving Jackson his tenth career entry on the chart. The song also returns to the R&B/Hip-Hop Streaming Songs chart.
«"Chicago" reaches new heights on several charts.
This week marks the best week ever for "Chicago" on the charts. Billboard . Debuting on multiple charts, the track reached new peaks in four different categories. "Chicago" nearly conquered the R&B Streaming Songs chart, rising from 11th to 2nd place. It made a similar leap on the Hot R&B Songs chart, rising from 11th to 4th place. "Chicago" also reached new heights on two global charts, rising to 23rd and 41st places on the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. US, respectively.
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This article was originally published on Forbes.com.