“‘It truly means a lot to me that God would even lend me his songs,’ he marvels.
Kirk Franklin notches his record-breaking seventh No. 1 on Billboard‘s Gospel Airplay chart, as “Just for Me” lifts 2-1 on the June 6-dated tally.
Franklin takes sole lead for the most leaders in the history of the chart, which launched in March 2005, passing James Fortune & FIYA and Tamela Mann, each with six No. 1s.
“Wow, I am truly humbled by this,” Franklin told Billboard after receiving word of his new No. 1. “The fact that so many people would still support my music after all these years, it truly means a lot to me, [and] that God would even lend me his songs and that people would still find comfort in them. I truly appreciate this recognition, and I don’t take it for granted at all. There are a lot of really dope artists out there, and that you allow me to be one of them means a lot.”
“Just” is the second single from Franklin’s LP Long Live Love, which debuted as his 13th No. 1 on Top Gospel Albums in June 2019 and reigned for 13 weeks. Lead single “Love Theory” ruled Gospel Airplay for 15 frames starting in April 2019.
On the streaming-, airplay- and sales-fueled Hot Gospel Songs chart, “Just” holds at its No. 3 high, thanks to 2.5 million in radio reach and 121,000 U.S. streams. “Just” is tucked behind “Love Theory,” which holds at No. 2 after controlling Hot Gospel Songs for 39 weeks starting in February 2019.
