Feb 9, 2022

ROTTERDAM, NETHERLANDS: US singer Britney Spears performs in Rotterdam, 07 May 2004 during her sole ... [+] concert in the Netherlands for her 'The Onyx Hotel Tour.' Spears' 2004 European tour includes a series of concerts across Europe between 30 April and 05 June 2004. AFP/CONTINENTAL (Photo credit should read -/AFP via Getty Images) AFP via Getty Images Last week, Britney Spears returned to the Billboard charts with a new single, though it’s one she likely didn’t have much to do with. Now, just days later, that same tune has become a somewhat surprising radio hit, and it gives the pop star her first win on one of the most competitive tallies published by the music magazine in at least half a decade. Altego’s “Toxic Pony,” a mashup of Spears’ “Toxic” and Ginuwine’s “Pony,” debuts on this week’s Pop Airplay chart, which ranks the tunes that reach the largest audience at pop radio in the U.S. The inventive song opens at No. 40, in last place. The catchy cut is one of four new arrivals on the list, with rising smashes by Imagine Dragons (“Enemy” with JID, No. 35), Tiesto and Ava Max (“The Motto,” No. 37) and even the cast of the animated film Encanto (“We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” No. 38) also joining in on the fun. “Toxic Pony” brings Altego to the Pop Airplay chart for the first time, while Ginuwine has appeared on the tally with five singles, including this latest placement. Spears adds to her already impressive total with the mashup, which is now her thirty-sixth cut to appear on the ranking. As one of the most successful pop stars of all time, she is certainly no stranger to the tally, but until now, it had been quite a while since she landed a new hit. Spears returns to the Pop Airplay ranking with a new release for the first time since 2016, when she scored her last two charting singles, until now, that is. That year, she appeared on the ranking of the biggest pop radio hits with “Make Me” featuring G-Eazy, which peaked at No. 20, as well as “Slumber Party” with Tinashe, which rose as high as No. 27. Both tracks were taken from her most recent album Glory. Shortly before “Toxic Pony” reached the Pop Airplay tally, it appeared on two other rankings , ones which focus on another genre entirely. Earlier this month, the single sat at No. 7 on the R&B Digital Song Sales chart, which lists the bestselling R&B-only tracks in the U.S. The hybrid hit marked the Grammy winner’s first placement on that roster, and in its second week, it falls slightly to No. 9. The same cut landed at No. 17 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Sales chart (where it currently sits at No. 23), bringing Spears back to that list for just the second time in her career. MORE FOR YOU