Kirk Franklin and GloRilla Debut on Top With 'This Time'

Kirk Franklin has set a new mark on Billboard's Hot Gospel Songs chart. "This Time," featuring GloRilla, opens at No. 1 on the chart dated Oct. 10. He is the first artist to reach 10 No. 1s since the chart began in 2005. Billboard

Billboard confirmed the result on Oct. 7. The song was released on Sept. 25. It is the lead single from Franklin's album I Am What I Am, due on Oct. 30.

The No. 1 is built on three measures. "This Time" drew 1.7 million chart-eligible U.S. streams in the week ending Oct. 1. It drew 2.5 million in U.S. radio audience and sold 1,000 copies in the same week. All three figures come from Luminate, the data provider behind Billboard's U.S. charts.

The pairing has worked before. Franklin and GloRilla previously spent two weeks at No. 1 in 2024 with "Rain Down on Me." That song also featured Maverick City Music, Kierra Sheard and Chandler Moore. GloRilla has now reached No. 1 with each of her two entries on Hot Gospel Songs.

Franklin stands clear of the field. Maverick City Music and CeCe Winans are next with six No. 1s each. His longest-running leader remains "Wanna Be Happy?," which spent 45 weeks at No. 1 in 2015-16. "Love Theory" followed with 44 weeks on top in 2019-20.

For listeners, the new single points to a larger project. I Am What I Am is Franklin's first double-album. The 14-track set is organised as a seven-song contemporary gospel collection and a seven-song traditional gospel set recorded live. "This Time" interpolates Mandrill's 1972 song "Children of the Sun."