‘Reacher’ Finale Makes a Sales & Streaming Hit Out of Mondo Cozmo’s ‘Shine’

Welcome to Billboard Pro’s Trending Up newsletter, where we take a closer look at the songs, artists, curiosities and trends that have caught the music industry’s attention. Some have come out of nowhere, others have taken months to catch on, and all of them could become ubiquitous in the blink of a TikTok clip.

This week: An Amazon Prime season finale makes a 2020s streaming hit out of a 2010s alt-rock anthem, while Randy Travis’ eternal love song keeps on burning and Snoh Aalegra scores a long-overdue viral breakout.

‘Shine’ Bright: Mondo Cozmo Soars With ‘Reacher’ Synch

“Everything will be alright/ If you let it go,” Josh Ostrander, the singer-songwriter who records under the name Mondo Cozmo, sings on the chorus to his alt-folk anthem “Shine.” Released on his 2017 album Plastic Soul, “Shine” was a minor hit for Mondo Cozmo, climbing to the top of the Adult Alternative Songs airplay chart eight years ago; now, the track has resurfaced in a major way, after it was featured in the season 3 finale of the Amazon Prime Video smash Reacher, which was unveiled on Thursday (Mar. 27).

“Shine” earned 116,000 official on-demand U.S. streams in the first four days that the season finale was available(Mar. 27-30) — more than 1000% the total of the same four-day period during the previous week (9,900 streams from Mar. 23-26), according to Luminate. Meanwhile, “Shine” went from a negligible amount of sales during the previous the week to 2,400 downloads from Mar. 27-30, and nearly a week after the finale was released, the single remains the most-Shazamed song in the country. Even if “Shine” doesn’t receive a revival on the scale of Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill,” if the song’s streaming and sales total keeps pushing upward, Mondo Cozmo could make a return to the Billboard charts. – JASON LIPSHUTZ

“Forever and Ever,” Again – Randy Travis Country Classic Becomes Streaming-Era Hit

First released in 1987, “Forever and Ever, Amen” became not only a Country Songs-topping smash for Randy Travis, but an enduring standard and a signature song. While the song has never remained far from pop culture (and the country world in particular), in the past month it has taken on new life, both as the title of Travis’ recently announced upcoming biopic, and as the source of an emotional Carrie Underwood cover – both of which were revealed at the Grand Ole Opry last month, to very positive reception. 

These new boosts, combined with the song’s lingering virality, have resulted in “Forever and Ever Amen” growing into a sizable streaming hit over the course of March. While the song was already racking up 1.8 million official on-demand U.S. streams for the final tracking week of February (ending Feb. 27), in the four weeks since that number has nearly doubled, as “Forever” amassed 3.5 million for the week ending March 27 – while the song’s digital sales have also exploded 565% for the same time period, to over 1,200.

If the song keeps growing, it could become a chart hit all over again – proving that the song really is as eternal as its title implies. – ANDREW UNTEREBRGER

Snoh Aalegra’s Has Her “Eyes” on TikTok Four Years After Song’s Release  

Snoh Aalegra has been an R&B darling for years now, but “In Your Eyes” could land her a legitimate hit single. The groovy Neptunes-produced single is a deep cut from the Swedish singer’s 2021 Temporary Highs in the Violet Skies LP, which earned a best R&B album Grammy nod and peaked at No. 24 on the Billboard 200. 

According to Luminate, streaming activity for “Eyes” has exploded nearly 540% over the next four weeks. Across the first few months of the year, the song naturally gained traction simply because users were discovering and vibing with it. On March 9, user @ruscowski11 posted a dance clip to “Eyes,” quickly kicking off a dance trend that spread to several different corners of the app. During the week of March 7-13, “Eyes” pulled 607,000 official on-demand U.S. streams, posting a 72% increase from the week prior, according to Luminate. In the first full week post-dance video (March 14-20), streams jumped a further 73%, topping out at 1.05 million streams. Last week (March 21-27), “Eyes” leapt another 51%, earning 1.59 million streams. The official “In Your Eyes” TikTok sound currently boasts over 62,000 clips on the platform. 

Between Ravyn Lenae and Janet Jackson scoring viral TikTok hits in recent weeks, it looks like Snoh Aalegra is the latest to ride the app’s R&B wave. – KYLE DENIS

New Lingo, New Viral Track: Rob49 Scores Big With “WTHelly” 

When Rob49 dropped “WTHelly” on March 21, the song earned 339,000 official on-demand U.S. streams in its first weekend of release (March 21-24). The following weekend (March 28-31), streaming activity for the song catapulted 373% to over 1.6 million streams. 

The impetus? TikTok of course! Over the past week, Ro49’s new single has completely taken over the app, with users sharing their shock and amusement at the song’s outro. “What the helly?/ What the hellyanté?/ What the helly on?/ What the helly, Berry?/ What the helly, Burton?/ What the helly, ‘Bron James?/ What the helly Cyrus?” he spits, making a seemingly everlasting pun out of the phrase “what the helly,” a NOLA-steeped take on the more universal “What the Hell.” On TikTok, the song’s official sound has already earned a whopping 87,5000 clips, including several posts like Wiz Khalifa and Love Island star Leah Kateb. 

With hits like “Wassam Baby” and “Trippin on a Yacht” already in the tuck, Rob49 is an eyeing another one with “WTHelly” — which has recently earned a Justin Bieber co-sign. – KD