Beyoncé Gets a ‘B’Day’ No. 1 as ‘Morning Dew (Donk)’ Tops Adult R&B Airplay

Beyoncé celebrates her 45th birthday (Sept. 4) with news of her latest No. 1 on Billboard’s Adult R&B Airplay chart, “Morning Dew (Donk),” which leads the list dated Sept. 12.

The single ascends from No. 3 to secure its status as the most-played song on panel-contributing adult R&B radio stations in the United States for the Aug. 28-Sept. 3 tracking week, according to Luminate.

“Morning Dew,” released and promoted through Parkwood/Columbia, secures Beyoncé her fourth Adult R&B Airplay No. 1. It follows “Love on Top,” which reigned for seven weeks in 2012 and a pair of 2022 champs: “Break My Soul,” a two-week leader and “Make Me Say It Again Girl,” a collaboration with Ronald Isley and the Isley Brothers that ruled for five weeks.

Notably, “Morning Dew” captures the summit in its sixth week on the chart, passing “Make Me Say It Again Girl” for the fastest rise to No. 1 among Beyoncé’s chart-toppers. The latter required seven weeks to reach the top slot.

“Morning Dew,” a surprise release that dropped July 4, became Beyoncé’s 32nd solo career entry on Adult R&B Airplay and 10th top 10. Before its official release, the single was long the speculation of Beyhive lore. The song was reportedly originally recorded in 2013 around the singer’s Beyoncé album era; a snippet leaked in 2021 before a fuller version made its way online two years later, even sparking TikTok trends.

Upon its official release, “Morning Dew” was announced as a preview of the 20th anniversary edition of her album B’Day, which arrived today via retail and streaming services. The expanded set, comprising 31 tracks, features official releases of collaborations with Pharrell Williams, Maluma and Selena. The original B’Day, released in 2006, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart and launched Beyoncé’s biggest Billboard Hot 100 hit, the No. 1 smash “Irreplaceable,” as well as other successes in “Beautiful Liar,” with Shakira (No. 3), “Deja Vu,” feat. Jay-Z (No. 4) and “Ring the Alarm” (No. 11).

Elsewhere, “Morning Dew” climbs 8-7 on the Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart and jumps 5-3 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, which combines audience totals from adult and mainstream R&B/hip-hop stations. On the latter, thanks to its strength at both contributor formats, the song reached 13.8 million audience impressions in the tracking week, up 18% from the prior week and secures the weekly Greatest Gainer award for the largest audience gain.