For someone who isn’t known as a musician, Travis Kelce is certainly enjoying great success on the Billboard charts lately. The football player and beau to Taylor Swift reaches a pair of rankings this week for the first time with his debut musical release.
Kelce joined his brother on the tune “Fairytale of Philadelphia,” a reworking of the Christmas classic “Fairytale of New York” by the Pogues and Kirsty MacColl. The tune was recorded and released to raise funds for charity, and while the two Kelces likely had low expectations, their collaboration has turned out to be something of a hit.
“Fairytale of Philadelphia” debuts highest on the Holiday Digital Song Sales chart. Billboard only recently brought the tally back to measure the bestselling tracks in the U.S. that are specific to the holiday season. The ranking is almost entirely filled by Christmas cuts, though at least one Thanksgiving tune appears as well.
This week on the Holiday Digital Song Sales chart, the Kelce brothers debut “Fairytale of Philadelphia” at No. 1. It marks their first leader on the tally, and one of their only champions on any Billboard chart. In the past tracking period, their joint single sold another 4,500 copies, according to Luminate.
The same track also simultaneously appears for the first time on a very different ranking. “Fairytale of Philadelphia” debuts at No. 43 on the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart, which tracks the most-consumed tunes in America that fit somewhere under the rock umbrella. It also marks the first win for both Kelce brothers on the rocking tally.
“Fairytale of Philadelphia” reaches the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart thanks in large part to strong sales. The tune rises to No. 1 on this week’s Rock Digital Song Sales list after debuting in the runner-up rung last time around. All those purchases, paired with what is likely very low streaming and radio consumption, were clearly enough to send it to the main rock chart.