“California Gurls” Breaks Record

July 8th, 2010

Grant Trimboli

After becoming the fastest-rising single at pop radio in more than four years, Katy Perry’s “California Gurls” has shattered another record by scoring more than 13,000 spins in one week for the second consecutive week on both the BDS and Mediabase charts. “California Gurls” has become the all-time Mediabase Top 40 airplay record holder with 13,167 spins in one week — an average of 92 spins per week at a pace exceeding 13 times per day.

“Katy has set records and turned radio upside down,” says Greg Thompson, executive vice-president for promotion at Capitol Records. “This track has broken all-time spins records, and achieved massive Hot 100 audience numbers of historic proportion.”

“California Gurls,” the first single from the two-time Grammy-nominated pop sensation’s upcoming album Teenage Dream, has indisputably become the summer anthem of 2010. An irresistible, hook-filled clarion call to throw on Daisy Dukes and a bikini top, the track has spent 3 weeks at No. 1 at pop radio (setting the record for the quickest ascent to the top spot since Gwen Stefani’s “Hollaback Girl” in May 2005) and made the biggest leap to No. 1 since Mariah Carey’s “Shake It Off” in September 2005. It has also spent 8 weeks at No. 1 on the iTunes Singles chart. “California Gurls,” which features Snoop Dogg, has also set records for Perry’s label Capitol Records, enjoying the fastest ascension to No. 1 at Hot AC ever for a Capitol artist and the quickest rise to No. 1 for one of the label’s artists’ tracks since Bobbie Gentry’s “Ode to Billie Joe” in 1967. Last week, “California Gurls” reached an audience of 140 million, also the largest ever for a Capitol artist. It is expected to reach an audience of 150 million Hot 100 listeners this week.

“California Gurls” is just a taste of what’s to come when Perry unleashes Teenage Dream, which will be released by Capitol Records on August 24th in the U.S. and Canada; and August 30th in the rest of the world.