Diana Ross Reaches One Billboard Chart For The First Time In Her Career
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BusinessHollywood & EntertainmentDiana Ross Reaches One Billboard Chart For The First Time In Her CareerByHugh McIntyre,Senior Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Hugh McIntyre covers music, with a focus on the global charts.Follow AuthorDec 15, 2025, 08:30am ESTDiana Ross scores her first hit on one Billboard chart after "Upside Down" was used in season five of Netflix's Stranger Things. LOS ANGELES - 1987: Singer Diana Ross poses for a portrait in 1987 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry Langdon/Getty Images)Getty ImagesDiana Ross does not record and release music at the pace that she used to, but at the age of 81 and after such a storied career, she has certainly earned the right to do whatever she likes. The celebrated superstar does play live regularly and occasionally drops brand new tunes or sees older projects become chart hits for the first time. This week in America, Ross nabs a new bestseller on one chart – and her first career win – as one of the most popular TV shows streaming today sends her right to a Billboard ranking thanks to a high-profile sync.“Upside Down” Debuts as a Bestseller in AmericaRoss debuts on the R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Sales chart this week with “Upside Down.” The bouncy cut opens at No. 12.Diana Ross Reaches a Billboard Chart for the First TimeDespite being one of the bestselling and most successful artists in American history, Ross has never before appeared on the R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Sales chart. Much of her output predated many of Billboard’s current rankings, and certainly the introduction of platforms like iTunes and Amazon, which fuel any tally published by the company with the phrase “digital song sales” in its title.MORE FOR YOU“Upside Down” Launches as Christmas Classics ReboundRoss claims the only debut this frame on the R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Sales chart, although the holiday season helps multiple classics return to the roster. Chuck Berry’s “Run Rudolph Run,” Eartha Kitt’s “Santa Baby,” The Drifters’ “White Christmas,” and Donny Hathaway’s “This Christmas” all rebound and become bestsellers again. Just one non-Christmas cut, “Burning Blue” by Mariah the Scientist, also reenters the sales tally, breaking back in at No. 9.Stranger Things Boosts Diana Ross Back Onto the Charts“Upside Down” becomes a hit in America again thanks to the Netflix series Stranger Things. The Ross song is featured in the first installment of episodes that begin season five, the final in the long-running program. Billboard reports that streams of “Upside Down” jumped 373% compared to the frame before Stranger Things unveiled brand new episodes.Kate Bush Also Benefits from Stranger Things’s ReturnLONDON - 12th MAY: English singer Kate Bush performs live on stage at Hammersmith Odeon in London on the penultimate date of her European tour, 12th May 1979. (Photo by Pete Still/Redferns)RedfernsRoss is not the only artist to benefit from the Stranger Things comeback. The show helped turn “Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)” by Kate Bush into a smash in America several years back, and ever since, the program has been a true hitmaker in the music industry. This frame, “Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)” returns to half a dozen Billboard charts. The decades-old classic also surges into the top 10 on four additional rosters that it appeared on last week. Bush’s famous track nearly reconquers the Alternative Digital Song Sales chart, pushing from No. 7 to No. 2.Joe Keery Surges as Djo With “End of Beginning”Joe Keery, one of the stars of Stranger Things, also releases music under the moniker Djo. His smash hit “End of Beginning” rebounds onto multiple Billboard-published rosters. The global win even blocks Bush from the highest rung on the Alternative Digital Song Sales list, meaning Stranger Things-related cuts are the two bestselling alternative smashes in the country right now.HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 06: Joe Keery attends the Los Angeles Premiere of Netflix's "Stranger Things" Season 5 at TCL Chinese Theatre on November 06, 2025 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)FilmMagicDiana Ross Quickly Turned “Upside Down” Into a No. 1 HitRoss released “Upside Down” as the lead single from her eleventh solo album, Diana. The track was a fast hit in America as it rocketed to No. 1 on the Hot 100, capitalizing on the sounds of disco, which were still popular at the time. “Upside Down” still stands as her second-longest-running solo ruler on the Hot 100, coming in behind only “Endless Love,” a collaboration with Lionel Richie. It is one of her half-dozen solo champions on the most competitive songs tally in the U.S.ForbesDiana Ross Scored One Of The Most Important Hits Of Her Career 55 Years AgoBy Hugh McIntyreEditorial StandardsReprints & PermissionsLOADING VIDEO PLAYER...FORBES’ FEATURED Video