New York, NY (Top40 Charts) "
Flowers Need Rain", the 2x Platinum pop single from singer songwriter Preston Pablo, hit major milestones this week. It is the #1 track at Mainstream Adult Contemporary
Radio (Main AC) in Canada, as tracked by Mediabase Canada for the week of January 15, pushing ahead of global pop icons
Taylor Swift ("
Anti-Hero") and
Harry Styles ("
Late Night Talking") by garnering more spins at the format for the week.
The track is the first debut single from a Canadian-signed artist to reach the number one spot at Main AC Canadian radio since Carly Rae Jepsen's "
Call Me Maybe" in 2012 and the first non-holiday CanCon* single at #1 on the same charts since Michael Bublé's "It's a Beautiful Day" in 2013.
"
Flowers Need Rain" was one of the top 30 most listened to songs of 2022 (Mediabase Canada) and has been holding strong in the top five at radio across Mainstream AC, Hot AC, and Top 40 since October 2022; it was the #1 most Shazamed track in Canada; and has amassed over 51 million streams globally, in what has been a remarkable launch campaign for a promising artist who is just getting started.
Pablo, a Filipino-Canadian artist originally from Timmins, Ontario, is one of the first artists co-signed to Universal
Music Canada and 31 East, the label led by multi-platinum, Grammy-nominated producer-songwriters Banx & Ranx. Preston's year is off to a big start, with his latest track, "AY AY AY" named a "Future Bop" by the BBC
Radio 1 and CARAS announcing he will perform live on the JUNO Awards national broadcast from Edmonton in March.
* "
Flowers Need Rain" is defined as Canadian content (also known as 'CanCon') per the CRTC's radio regulations.
Preston
Pablo channels a fresh perspective on R&B and pop through his eloquent songwriting. Preston signed to 31 East/Universal
Music Canada in 2021 as he honed what he describes as a "modern vintage" style. "It's a blend of pop and R&B with a different twist, but I'm keeping all of the doors open," he states. "My favourite way to write songs is with piano or guitar. It starts from the classic side with instruments and evolves from there." After racking up nearly 20 million streams independently, he draws a big sound out of small-town roots on singles such as "Don't Break (My Soul)", and "
Flowers Need Rain" with Banx & Ranx. Landing the #1 spot on the Shazam Chart in Canada, achieving 2x platinum status, and reaching a Top 5 spot at Top 40 radio, "
Flowers Need Rain" showcases Preston's further emergence in popular music. With his honest lyrics and an R&B melody, the emerging artist released "Love You Bad" late last year, showcasing his ability to cross genres. Watch Preston for much more to come in 2023.
