Congratulations to Colton Dixon who nabbed his first No. 1 on Billboard’s streaming-, airplay and sales based Hot Christian Songs chart as well as Christian AC Airplay (Nov. 5).
The American Idol season 11 singer’s latest single “Build a Boat” rose from 2-1 on both charts. The song hits the top of the Hot Christian Songs list as it drew 1.2 million U.S. streams and sold 1,000 downloads in the Oct. 21-27 tracking week, according to Luminate.
The song rebounds 2-1 on Christian Digital Song Sales for a sixth time at No. 1 after first reaching the top on Sept. 17, becoming his third leader.
On Christian Airplay “Build a Boat” rises from 4-2 for a new best. On Christian AC Airplay the single climbs 2-1. The Murfreesboro, Tennessee native earns his first No. 1 on both Hot Christian Songs and Christian AC Airplay.
Colton made his Grand Ole Opry debut on October 24. Watch his live performance of “Build a Boat” below.
It’s his 14th Hot Christian Songs entry which includes two additional top 10s. His first appearance “You Are” reached No. 10 in 2013 and 2014’s “More of You” hit No. 9 that September. On Christian AC Airplay “Build a Boat,” written by Dixon, Pete Becker, Mikey Gormley, Johan Linbrandt and Seth Mosley, follows “Miracles” which reached No. 8 in October 2020, giving the singer-songwriter his third of four top 10s.
“To anyone who had anything to do with this song, thank you,” Colton told Billboard. “Even more than having my No. 1 across these formats, I’m so grateful that so many people have applied the meaning of this song to their own story. Faith looks crazy sometimes, but the reward waiting on the other side far outweighs the sacrifice.”
Colton and his wife Annie are parents to twin girls
Colton and his wife Annie welcomed identical twin girls in August 2020. The singer told People, “Becoming a dad is something I’ve always looked forward to. Whether seeing other kids with their parents or reminiscing on the times I had with my own when I was young, these are moments to be cherished.”
However, one of the twins was born without a pulse. “We never expected our little Ava Dior would arrive in the world without a pulse. In that moment, we had a choice: faith or fear,” Colton said. “We watched and prayed as the doctors and nurses resuscitated our daughter back to life.”
“After several days in the NICU, Dior was able to join us at home, happy and healthy. That was a great day,” he added. “Life doesn’t always happen the way we want it to, but we believe that life is more about the way we respond to things than what happens to us. We thank God and our amazing doctors and nurses for our two little miracles.”