Billboard’s Producer Spotlight series highlights creatives currently charting on Billboard’s producer rankings. Whether they are new to the industry or have been churning out hit after hit, the intention is to showcase where they are now, and their work that’s having a chart impact.
Olivia Dean is having a major moment on Billboard’s charts, thanks largely to her breakthrough single “Man I Need,” now sitting in the top five on the latest Billboard Hot 100 (dated Nov. 29).
And alongside her breakthrough is her go-to collaborator Zach Nahome, who jumps from No. 5 to No. 1 on this week’s Hot 100 Producers chart — his first time leading a Billboard chart in any capacity. Nahome is the principal producer behind Dean’s album The Art of Loving, having produced or coproduced all 12 of its tracks.
The album ranks at No. 7 on the Billboard 200 after reaching a new No. 5 peak last week, marking her first top 10 album.
Nahome reaches No. 1 on Hot 100 Producers thanks to five production credits on the Hot 100 this week, all from Dean’s album. Here’s a recap:
- No. 4, “Man I Need”
- No. 18, “So Easy (To Fall In Love)” (coproduced with John Ryan and Julian Bunetta)
- No. 55, “A Couple Minutes”
- No. 82, “Nice to Each Other”
- No. 97, “Let Alone the One You Love” (coproduced with John Ryan, Julian Bunetta and Matt Zara)
While all five tracks contribute to Nahome’s chart points, “Man I Need,” “A Couple Minutes” and “Nice to Each Other” give him the biggest boost, as he’s credited as the sole producer on all three tracks. “Let Alone the One You Love” is also a big contributor too, debuting at No. 97 this week. The song raked in 4.7 million official U.S. streams, a 45% increase from the week before, likely boosted by Dean’s Nov. 15 performance of the song on Saturday Night Live, where she was the musical guest. The song also surged 842% in digital song sales to just under 1,000 downloads sold.
“Man I Need” became the first Hot 100-charting hit for both Dean and Nahome. Before that, Nahome had charted once before with a production credit on PinkPantheress’ “Reason,” which reached No. 39 on Hot Rock & Alternative Songs in 2021.
Beyond Dean and PinkPantheress, Nahome has also produced songs for Bakar, gnash, slowthai and Biig Piig.
Billboard’s Hot 100 Producers chart is based on total points accrued by a producer for each attributed song that appears on the Hot 100. So, for Nahome, all five of his current Hot 100 entries contribute to his points total for Hot 100 Producers. For a song such as “So Easy (To Fall In Love),” which is credited to three producers, all three would split the song’s points equally.
The full Hot 100 Producers chart and full genre rankings can be found on Billboard.com.
