Beyonce’s tribute to Kobe Bryant sparks notable sales and streaming gains for the diva’s “XO” and “Halo,” along with their respective parent albums following her opening medley at the NBA legend’s Feb. 24 memorial service at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
“XO” sold 3,000 downloads in the week ending Feb. 27, according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data, prompting a No. 9 return to the R&B Digital Song Sales chart and a No. 17 revival on R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Sales.
“Halo,” meanwhile, registered 2,000 sales in the same period. The total returns the cut to R&B Digital Song Sales at No. 12 and to R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Sales at No. 25.
Both songs’ weekly streaming totals rose, with “XO” exploding in week-over-week growth. The 2013 cut pulled 1.3 million on-demand U.S. streams in the week ending Feb. 27, up 258 percent from the previous week’s 362,000 streams. “Halo” posted a 1 percent gain to 3.5 million on-demand streams in the same window.
Gains from both the sales and streaming markets helped the two tracks’ parent albums on the charts as well. The 2008 set I Am… Sasha Fierce, which contains “Halo,” re-enters the Top R&B Albums chart at No. 24 and the Billboard 200 at No. 177. The move helps the superstar’s former Billboard 200 No. 1 album clock a 191th total week on the list, the most among her 12 charted projects .
Beyonce’s 2013 self-titled album, home of “XO,” climbes back at No. 25 on Top R&B Albums and No. 195 on the Billboard 200.
“XO” potentially received a secondary boost as many observers noted that the diva substituted some lyrics during the performance. The line “And I’m crashing into you” changed to “And I’m laughing into you,” while “You kill me boy XO” became “Just kiss me boy XO.”
Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and seven others died in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26.
Beyonce selected “XO” as her tribute song because it “was one of Kobe’s] favorite songs,” she explained during the ceremony. The sentiment was later echoed by Bryant’s wife, Vanessa, who posted a video to her Instagram account on Feb. 28 featuring her late husband and daughter as “XO” plays, with the tune’s lyrics as the post’s caption. The clip received more than 9.5 million views in its first six days.
