"To the Moon" (stylised all caps, also written "to the moon!" per its cover) is a song by Gambian-born England-based[1] rapper Jnr Choi, released as a single on 5 November 2021 independently,[2] and later through Epic and Black Butter Records. It is a drill track that samples British singer-songwriter Sam Tompkins's cover of Bruno Mars's "Talking to the Moon". It went viral on TikTok and was prominently playlisted by Spotify.[3]

"To the Moon"
The cover was based on billionaire and SpaceX founder Elon Musk's tweet "to the moon!"
Single by Jnr Choi and Sam Tompkins
Released5 November 2021 (2021-11-05)
RecordedAugust 2021
GenreDrill
Length2:31
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Parked Up
Jnr Choi singles chronology
"Top of the League"
(2021)
"To the Moon"
(2021)

Background

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Jnr Choi was born in Gambia and moved to London, where he pursued a career in modelling and also began rapping after a friend suggested the idea to him.[1][4] He collaborated with the producer Parked Up in August 2021, who sent him a beat. Jnr Choi wrote the lyrics for it and "sent it back the next day completely finished".[4]

Sam Tompkins is a singer-songwriter from Brighton who has had successful viral videos on TikTok. He released his debut EP Who Do You Pray To? in 2022.[5]

Temporary removal from streaming platforms

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"To the Moon" was temporarily removed from streaming platforms in January 2022 before being restored, which was considered to be in relation to the rights regarding its sample.[3] After being re-added, Tompkins received a co-lead artist credit.[3][6]

Remixes

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Two remixes to the song were released. One remix featured American rapper Gunna and was released on 25 March 2022. The second remix was a drill remix featuring American rappers Fivio Foreign and G Herbo alongside British rappers Russ Millions and M24, which was released on 29 April 2022.

Charts

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Certifications

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Certifications for "To the Moon"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Austria (IFPI Austria)[36] Gold 15,000
Canada (Music Canada)[37] Platinum 80,000
France (SNEP)[38] Platinum 200,000
Italy (FIMI)[39] Gold 50,000
Portugal (AFP)[40] Gold 5,000
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[41] Gold 10,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[42] Silver 200,000
United States (RIAA)[43] Platinum 1,000,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

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Release history and formats for "To the Moon"
Region Date Format Label Ref.
Various 5 November 2021 Self-released (initial)
[2][6]
Italy 4 February 2022 Contemporary hit radio Sony [44]
United States 15 February 2022 Rhythmic contemporary radio Epic [45]
Urban contemporary radio [46]

References

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  1. ^ a b Terihaj, Luka (18 September 2020). "Junior Choi is the new man about town". Sleek Mag. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  2. ^ a b "To the Moon – Single by Jnr Choi". Spotify. Archived from the original on 10 December 2021. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
  3. ^ a b c "Jnr Choi's Rocket 'To the Moon'". Hits Daily Double. 27 January 2022. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  4. ^ a b "One Step Ahead: Jnr Choi Breaks Down To the Moon". Gaffer. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  5. ^ "Sam Tompkins releases 'Who Do You Pray To?' EP & shares visuals for single 'My Brother'". Manila Bulletin. 20 March 2022. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  6. ^ a b "Discography Jnr Choi". irish-charts.com. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  7. ^ "ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. 28 February 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  8. ^ "Jnr Choi – To the Moon" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  9. ^ "Jnr Choi – To the Moon" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  10. ^ "Billboard Canadian Hot 100: Week of April 9, 2022". Billboard. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  11. ^ "Top Singles (Week 15, 2022)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  12. ^ "Jnr Choi – To the Moon" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  13. ^ "Billboard Global 200: Week of April 9, 2022". Billboard. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  14. ^ "IRMA – Irish Charts". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  15. ^ "Jnr Choi – To the Moon". Top Digital Download. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  16. ^ "2022 6-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. 11 February 2022. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  17. ^ "Jnr Choi – To the Moon" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  18. ^ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 7 February 2022. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  19. ^ "Jnr Choi – To the Moon". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  20. ^ "Local & International Streaming Chart Top 100 Week 03-2022". The Official South African Charts. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  21. ^ "Veckolista Singlar, vecka 7". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  22. ^ "Jnr Choi – To the Moon". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  23. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  24. ^ "Official Independent Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
  25. ^ "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  26. ^ "The Hot 100: Week of April 30, 2022". Billboard. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
  27. ^ "Pop Airplay: Week of July 9, 2022". Billboard. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  28. ^ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs: Week of April 16, 2022". Billboard. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  29. ^ "Rhythmic Airplay: Week of April 30, 2022". Billboard. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
  30. ^ "Rapports annuels 2022" (in French). Ultratop. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  31. ^ "Top de l'année – Top Singles – 2022" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  32. ^ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2022". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
  33. ^ "Hot 100 Songs – Year-End 2022". Billboard. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  34. ^ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 2022". Billboard. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  35. ^ "Rhythmic Songs – Year-End 2022". Billboard. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  36. ^ "Austrian single certifications – Jnr Choi – To the Moon" (in German). IFPI Austria. Retrieved 5 October 2022.
  37. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Jnr Choi – To the Moon". Music Canada. Retrieved 21 November 2022.
  38. ^ "French single certifications – Jnr Choi & Sam Tompkins – To the Moon" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  39. ^ "Italian single certifications – Jnr Choi – To the Moon" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 5 October 2022.
  40. ^ "Portuguese single certifications – Jnr Choi – To the Moon" (PDF) (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Retrieved 5 October 2022.
  41. ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('To the Moon')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 October 2022.
  42. ^ "British single certifications – Jnr Choi & Sam Tompkins – To the Moon". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
  43. ^ "American single certifications – Jnr Choi & Sam Tompkins – To the Moon". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  44. ^ "Jnr Choi "To the Moon" | (Radio Date: 04/02/2022)". radiodate.it (in Italian). Retrieved 20 February 2022.
  45. ^ "Top 40 Rhythmic Future Releases". AllAccess. Archived from the original on 2 February 2022. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  46. ^ "Urban/R&B Future Releases". All Access. Archived from the original on 15 February 2022. Retrieved 20 February 2022.