Parker McCollum Secures First-Ever No.1 Single With ‘Pretty Heart’
Christmas came early for rising star Parker McCollum! The Texas native, who was recently named a Country Now Artist To…
Parker McCollum; Photo by David McClister
Christmas came early for rising star Parker McCollum!
The Texas native, who was recently named a Country Now Artist To Watch in 2021, earned his first No.1 single this week as his breakout hit, “Pretty Heart,” tops both the Billboard and Mediabase country airplay charts this week.
The regretful track was co-written by the Texas native alongside Randy Montana and is the lead single from his Hollywood Gold EP, which was released earlier this year.
“To have this song really and truly succeed on big time radio is a dream come true,” McCollum shared. “And for it to happen during such an insanely crazy year makes it just that much more special.”
The singer/songwriter also reacted to the news via social media.
“We did it y’all! Just a kid from Conroe, TX who dreamed about playing country music now has the #1 song in the country this week,” he wrote. “No beer songs or dirt roads or trucks or nothin. Just honest songwriting. We did it our way! Best fans in the world made it happen! THANK YOU!”
Additionally, “Pretty Heart” was recently certified Gold by the RIAA and has averaged over 5 Million streams weekly.
Written by
Lauren Jo Black
Lauren Jo Black, a University of Central Florida graduate, has immersed herself in the world of country music for over 15 years. In 2008, she co-founded CountryMusicIsLove, eventually selling it to a major record label in 2015. Following the rebranding of the website to Sounds Like Nashville, Black served as Editor-in-Chief for two and a half years. Currently, she assumes the role of Editor-in-Chief at Country Now and oversees Country Now’s content and digital footprint. Her extensive experience also encompasses her previous role as a Country Music Expert Writer for Answers.com and her work being featured on Forbes.com. She’s been spotlighted among Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. Black also spent time in front of the camera as host of Country Now Live, which brought live music directly to fans in 2021 when the majority of concerts were halted due to the pandemic. During this time, she hosted 24 weeks of live concerts via Country Now Live on Twitch with special guests such as Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Jordan Davis, Brett Young, and Jon Pardi. Over the course of her career, she has had the privilege of conducting interviews with some of the industry’s most prominent stars, including Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson, and many others. Lauren Jo Black is a longtime member of the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.