This week 16-year-old New Zealand songstress Lorde topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart with her song “Royals,” making her the youngest artist to do so in 26 years. The song dethroned Miley Cyrus’ “Wrecking Ball,” which ruled the chart for the past two weeks.
The last time a 16-year-old had a No. 1 on the chart was in 1987 with Tiffany and her hit “I Think We’re Alone Now.” Music legend Stevie Wonder holds the title of being the youngest person to have a No. 1 on the chart. He was 13 years old when “Fingertips-Part 2” reached No. 1 in 1963. The youngest female solo artist to accomplish this feat was 15-year-old Little Peggy March in 1963 with “I Will Follow Him.”
In addition to a #1 single, Lorde has received many other honors with “Royals.” Last month, she was the first woman to top Billboard’s Alternative Songs Chart in 17 years. It crowned the chart for seven weeks, making it the longest reign for a female to ever top the Alternative Songs chart. The record was previously held by Alanis Morissette’s “You Oughta Know,” which topped the chart for five weeks in 1995. In addition, Lorde is the first female singer to have a debut Hot 100 song go to No. 1 since Carly Rae Jepsen’s 2012 summer smash “Call Me Maybe.”
Lorde‘s debut full-length album, Pure Heroine, was released earlier this week.
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