Tommy Richman took the Billboard charts by storm with “Million Dollar Baby.” The hit single has topped the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart and debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, but who is the artist behind the viral hit? Keep watching to find out more!

Tetris Kelly: 
“Million Dollar Baby” is everywhere. The ’80s punk-inspired track has catapulted Tommy Richman into the top five of the Hot 100 and shows no signs of slowing down. But who is Tommy Richman? How did he get his start? And what’s next for him? This is Billboard Explains Tommy Richman’s Journey to the Billboard Charts.

Hailing from Woodbridge, Va., Tommy first began releasing music on platforms like Spotify and SoundCloud back in 2016. He went on to release his song “Pleasantville” on YouTube as a freshman in college and received positive reactions from users online. Following the song’s release, Tommy dropped out of college to pursue music full time. He went on to sign to Brent Faiyaz’s independent record label, ISO Supremacy, and partnership with Pulse Music Group. He teamed up with Brent and Felix! on Faiyaz’s Larger Than Life track “Upset,” which debuted at No. 12 on Billboard‘s Hot R&B Songs chart and reached a peak of No. 6.

Tommy went on to release singles “Soulcrusher” and “Selfish” in 2024 before he unleashed the viral TikTok hit “Million Dollar Baby.” The track debuted at No. 1 on Billboard Streaming Songs chart with 38 million official U.S. streams in its first week, according to Lumenate. It debuted at No. 2 on the Hot 100 and topped the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Since it hit the charts, “Million Dollar Baby” has remained steady in the top 10 of the Hot 100.

So what’s next for Tommy?