Hot 100 First-Timers: Artemas Debuts With Viral Hit ‘I Like the Way You Kiss Me’
Artemas is officially a Billboard Hot 100-charting artist.
The English-Cypriot singer-songwriter lands his first entry on the April 6-dated list, as “I Like the Way You Kiss Me” opens at No. 70. The song, released March 19, debuts almost entirely on the strength of its streaming sum: 8.3 million official U.S. streams – up 555% – in the March 22-28 tracking week, according to Luminate.
The single also opens at No. 8 on Hot Alternative Songs and No. 9 on Hot Rock & Alternative Songs, as well as No. 11 on Billboard Global Excl. U.S. and No. 19 on the Billboard Global 200, led by 34.7 million streams worldwide.
Artemas himself also vaults 42-11 on the Emerging Artists chart.
“Kiss Me” has been boosted by exposure on TikTok, where Artemas teased the song for weeks leading up to its official release. The song has soundtracked over 300,000 clips on the platform to date.
Artemas first appeared on Billboard’s charts in January, when his prior viral hit “If U Think I’m Pretty” debuted on Hot Alternative Songs and Hot Rock & Alternative Songs. It currently ranks at Nos. 22 and 26, after reaching Nos. 15 and 20, respectively, with 3.5 million streams (up 7%). “Pretty” has also been aided by TikTok, as the song has been used in over 200,000 clips.
Artemas (full name: Artemas Diamandis), from Oxfordshire, England, has been releasing music since 2020. He has self-released two full-length albums: I’m Sorry I’m Like This in 2022, and Pretty (which includes “If U Think I’m Pretty”) on Feb. 9.
One other song from Artemas’ catalog is also showing notable growth: “Cross My Heart,” from Pretty, has been used in 23,000 TikTok clips, helping the song rake in 400,000 streams March 22-28, up 61% from the previous week.
Xander Zellner
Billboard