He’s second only to Taylor Swift. Tommy Richman, who spent hours working on his music tracks in the basement of his mother’s home in Woodbridge, Virginia, has made his debut on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart, sitting at spot number two. The rise of Richman’s “Million Dollar Baby” has been meteoric. While his music has only become popular recently, he’s been concentrating on his music career since the COVID-19 pandemic. The lockdown provided the chance to focus on his rap, R&B and funk music, and he has released several previous recordings. In early April, Richman posted a snippet of “Million Dollar Baby” on TikTok, showing him grooving with his friends to the track.

Love u mama we did it. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/R48u1DxS4a

— Tommy Richman (@tommyrichmann) May 6, 2024

On April 26, a radio version of “Million Dollar Baby” was released through ISO Supremacy and Pulse Records. Within days, Richman’s song was being highlighted in major market radio, including Power 105.1 in New York City. According to Variety, “Million Dollar Baby” debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard’s Hot 100, with 38 million streams and 302,000 radio airplay audience impressions, citing data by Luminate. It’s just the sixth time in history that an artist has debuted in the top two of the chart with no prior Hot 100 history, according to Billboard. In a 2023 interview with Miami New Times, Richman said he moved from the DMV to Los Angeles in 2022, recalling his musical roots in the Washington, D.C. suburbs. “When I would work in my mother’s basement for hours on tracks, and she’d be telling me to get a real job like most moms, I’d be like, ‘No, no, no, it’s gonna work out,'” Richman said. The only song topping “Million Dollar Baby” is Taylor Swift and Post Malone’s “Fortnight,” which remains at No. 1 for a second week.