Marvin Winans, of the legendary Winans family, launches at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Gospel Songs chart (dated July 26) with “Forgiveness.” The song is the last track on Justin Bieber’s new LP, SWAG, which opens at No. 1 on the Top Streaming Albums chart, as well as Top R&B Albums, and No. 2 on the Billboard 200. (Of the set’s 21 cuts, the other 20 are by Bieber, eight with co-billed guests.)
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SWAG starts with 163,000 equivalent album units earned in the United States July 11-17, according to Luminate. “Forgiveness” (at a tidy 1:30 in run time) drew 3.8 million official U.S. streams in that span and concurrently tops Gospel Streaming Songs.
“Forgiveness” was written as a worship song by Rick Founds. It was initially titled “Let My People Go” and is from the Winans’ LP by that name, which led Top Gospel Albums for a week in 1986. They’ve since added three more leaders on the chart, through 1999.
“Forgiveness” becomes Winans’ second No. 1 on Hot Gospel Songs (which began in 2005), and his first as a lead act. He topped the list the first time as featured on Andrae Crouch’s “Amen,” for four frames starting in April 2012.
As “Forgiveness” enters Hot Christian Songs at No. 3, it becomes the Detroit native’s first top 10, in his initial appearance on the chart.
Winans is one of the founding members of the Winans, along with his brothers Carvin, Michael and Ronald. The group released its first album, Introducing the Winans, in 1981. The siblings are among 10 born to Delores and David, also known as “Mom” and “Pop” Winans.