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“As the volume of digital distribution reaches new heights, a new Billboard chart will better detail how songs are competing in that emerging market,” read a story on page six of the Jan. 22, 2005, print issue, announcing the arrival of the Digital Song Sales chart.
Two weeks later — as we were fervently filling up our iPods with up to thousands of favorites, and taking music on-the-go more easily than ever before — paid downloads first contributed to the multimetric Billboard Hot 100.
Sales of songs had impacted the Hot 100 dating to the chart’s Aug. 4, 1958, start (then via retailers’ self-reported ranked lists. By the late 1990s and early 2000s, however, singles — which had evolved from 7-inch vinyl to cassettes and CDs — were disappearing from the marketplace, as labels began holding back song releases to entice consumers to buy (more expensive) full albums instead. The shift resulted in the Hot 100 in that period increasingly reflecting radio airplay reach.
The launch of the iTunes Store, among other digital retailers, brought single sales back, and by the mid-2000s, Billboard’s charts reflected the trend. For more than a decade beginning in the mid-2000s, the No. 1 sales hit each week regularly sold more than 100,000 downloads in the U.S., according to Luminate. In December 2015, Adele’s “Hello” ran up a weekly-record 1.1 million in digital sales.
While streaming has since taken over as the most accepted currency of on-demand song consumption — and vinyl, cassette and CD singles are again among consumer offerings — paid downloads remain a part of the Hot 100’s formula 20 years on.
As Billboard celebrates the top-performing artists, albums and songs of the first 25 years of the century since 2000, browse below, the acts with the most No. 1s on the Digital Song Sales chart in that span.
Plus, check out Top Artists of the 21st Century, Top Billboard 200 Albums of the 21st Century and Billboard’s Top Hot 100 Songs of the 21st Century charts, as well as all coverage of Billboard’s 21st Century charts here.
Billboard’s Top Artists, Top Billboard 200 Albums and Top Hot 100 Songs of the 21st Century recaps reflect performance on weekly charts dated Jan. 1, 2000, through Dec. 28, 2024. The Top Artists category ranks the best-performing acts in that span based on activity on the Billboard 200 and Billboard Hot 100. (Titles released prior to mid-1999 are excluded, although such entries that appeared on the Billboard 200 or Hot 100 in that span contribute to the calculation of the Top Artists chart.)
29, Taylor Swift
Drake and PartyNextDoor are here to spice up your Valentine’s Day. The OVO pairing shared the tracklist to their anticipated $ome $exy $ongs 4 U joint project on Thursday (Feb. 13), just a day before it hits streaming services. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The effort is […]
When it comes to making love songs, arguably no other genre has mastered that craft to the degree of R&B.
Its smooth melodic mix of jazz, blues and gospel rhythms, coupled with emotion-packing vocals, dates back to the ‘40s. Since then, the genre has undergone various iterations in its ongoing evolution — soul, funk, hip-hop, neo-soul, contemporary and alternative — while heavily influencing other genres along the way, such as rock n’ roll, country and pop.
Lyrical themes have run the gamut as well, from freedom, protest and pride to joy, pain and simply surviving. But when it comes to the subject of love in particular, R&B brims with colorful and insightful takes on every phase of that rollercoaster emotion: first encounter, between the sheets, courtship, break-up, make-up, marriage, divorce … then taking aim once again with the aid of Cupid’s arrow.
So in celebration of love and Valentine’s Day — and also in recognition of Black History Month — Billboard has compiled a chart-based tally of the Top 50 R&B Songs of All Time. Going back 60 years, the list encompasses the genre’s rich legacy of legendary solo singers and groups, as well as their contemporary counterparts delivering slow-burning ballads, bouncy bops and midtempo paeons to love. All of which are connected by one throughline: Love never goes out of style. And neither do these timeless gems.
Billboard’s Top 50 R&B Love Songs of All Time is based on weekly performance on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart from Jan. 30, 1965, (then the Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles chart) through Feb. 1, 2025. The tally is comprised of songs whose main theme revolves around romantic love versus love of self and others, heartbreak or strictly physical attraction. Songs are ranked based on an inverse point system, with weeks at No. 1 earning the greatest value and weeks at lower spots earning the least. Due to changes in chart methodology over the years, eras are weighted differently to account for chart turnover rates during various periods.
Miguel, “Adorn”
BBR Music Group/BMG Nashville has added to its artist roster, signing singer-songwriter Alexandra Kay to the label, Billboard can reveal.
BBR Music Group/BMG Nashville is also home to artists including CMA/ACM entertainer of the year winner Lainey Wilson, Billboard 200 chart-topper Jelly Roll, and “Try That in a Small Town” hitmaker Jason Aldean.
“There is not a better team that could be on this journey with me,” Kay tells Billboard. “I truly, from the bottom of my heart, think I am in the best hands in Nashville. I’m proud of my journey and am really excited to see what BBR can do with pouring gas on this fire.”
Kay is celebrating her new label deal by giving fans a taste of her new music, with the upcoming song “Cupid’s a Cowgirl” to release on Feb. 21.
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“It was just a really magical moment where we were just fed the song from the heavens and we were the outlet for it, and we had so much fun writing it,” Kay says.
Last year, Kay opened arena shows on Jelly Roll’s Beautifully Broken tour, and opened for Morgan Wallen’s sold-out Hyde Park show in London. On Feb. 23, she’ll launch her headlining Cupid’s A Cowgirl Tour in the U.S. and Canada, plus visit the U.K. and Europe on her All I’ve Ever Known Tour. Last year, she also teamed with Jelly Roll for the song “Leave The Light On,” as part of the soundtrack for the film Twisters.
“Having known Alexandra for a number of years, I came away from every interaction impressed not only with her talent, passion and work ethic, but also her strategic mind and determination to build a career not for a moment, but for a lifetime; a career anchored in the strong bond she is building with audiences around the world,” Jon Loba, president, Frontline Recordings, Americas, BMG, said in a statement. “It felt much like when I was first getting to know Jelly Roll. So, it was ironic when, completely separate from me, he saw the same qualities and invited her to tour with him last year. We are so excited to welcome Alexandra to the BMG family and look forward to continuing to help her build that lifetime career.”
The label deal marks a new milestone in a career that has already seen Kay find success on the Billboard charts and on the road. Illinois native Kay made her Grand Ole Opry debut in 2022. Her upcoming Europe shows will mark a return for Kay, who has previously performed at London, England’s C2C festival. Kay has also notched four top 10 songs on Billboard’s Country Digital Song Sales chart, including “Best Worst Ex” with Julia Cole, as well as “That’s What Love Is,” “Backroad Therapy” and “Everleave.”
She released her debut project, All I’ve Ever Known, in 2023; that same year, Kay rose to No. 12 on Billboard’s Emerging Artists chart. All I’ve Ever Known centered around healing from heartbreak after weathering a divorce, with songs including “Everleave” and “Painted Him Perfect.” Kay tells Billboard that her forthcoming album will have a decidedly more upbeat flair.
“I’m so excited for everybody to get a taste of this new era from me. I look back at All I’ve Ever Known, and it was a divorce album, and I look at that as I was surviving during that time. I’m thriving in this record and I know who I am. It’s full of confidence. It’s full of a healed heart that’s just wide open and ready to accept love again. And it’s definitely the most pop-leaning thing I’ve ever done, which is something that I’ve really been wanting to dip my toes into.”
After taking over Genesis frontman duties for the gone-solo Peter Gabriel in the mid-’70s, drummer-singer Phil Collins had gradually built up his popularity, his industry renown and his pop songwriting prowess over the course of a decade. He’d become a solo star after breaking off from his group in the early-’80s, but continued to gather momentum with the band as well, and also emerged as a go-to collaborator for much of the era’s pop and rock aristocracy. By 1985, it would all come together in one year that saw Collins absolutely flood the zone with hit singles, big collaborations, bigger performances, headline-capturing pop culture moments and even an acting turn on TV’s hottest primetime drama.
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On this Vintage Pop Stardom episode of the Greatest Pop Stars podcast, we look back at Collins’ singular 1985, and examine how an unassuming, plain-looking drummer became one of the most ubiquitous pop stars of the MTV generation. Host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Chris Molanphy of Slate and the Hit Parade podcast to talk all things Phil Collins, as Molanphy shares his memories of becoming a devout (if occasionally slightly abashed) Phil fan as a teen, and Unterberger explains how an unofficial New York-celebrated holiday — one coming up very soon on the calendar — expanded his own love for Phil as a young adult.
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We then dive all the way into the deep end on Collins’ 1985, which started with hits, peaked with hits and ended with even more hits — but in between, also included a gig on Miami Vice as Phil the Shill, appearances on both coasts’ Live Aid festivities (including with a quasi-reunited Led Zeppelin), and an Oscars snub so galling it still rankles the nice-guy pop star to this day. And of course, we do get into those hits, including the agony and the ecstasy of “Do They Know It’s Christmas,” the possibly purloined groove and confusing (in more ways than one) title of “Sussudio,” and the underappreciated knife-in-the-gut divorce rock of “Separate Lives.” We end with the unlikely question: Was Phil Collins actually the Greatest Pop Star of 1985?
Check it out above — along with a YouTube playlist of some of the most memorable moments of Phil’s 1985, all of which are discussed in the podcast — and subscribe to the Greatest Pop Stars podcast on Apple Music or Spotify (or wherever you get your podcasts) for weekly discussions every Thursday about all things related to pop stardom!
And if you have the time and money to spare, please consider donating to any of these causes in the fight for trans rights:
Transgender Law Center
Trans Lifeline
Gender-Affirming Care Fundraising on GoFundMe
The Trevor Project
Halsey announced the dates for her upcoming spring/summer 2025 Halsey: For My Last Trick tour. The 32-city Live Nation-promoted outing in support of last year’s The Great Impersonator album is slated to kick off on May 10 at the Toyota Pavilion at Concord in Concord, CA and criss-cross the country for shows in Phoenix, Los Angeles, Dallas, Nashville, Tampa, Charlotte, Toronto, Chicago and St. Louis, before winding down on July 6 at the Yaamava’ Theater in Highland, CA.
They’ll have plenty of friends along as well, with Del Water Gap, The Warning, Evanescence, Alvvays, Hope Tala, Royel Otis, Sir Chloe, flowerlove, Magdalena Bay and Alemeda joining on select dates. On Thursday morning (Feb. 13), the singer released a playful, minute-long trailer for her first headlining tour in three years.
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It opens with a blue-haired Halsey hopping out of a golf cart as a harried assistant comments on the singer’s Smurf-colored locks and they respond, “I always said I’d be buried in this wig and, figured I probably should be.” The frenzied walk-and-talk then finds them rejecting a selection of black suits and enthusiastically greeting her hair and make-up person before making the executive guest list decision that Joe Jonas is not among the JoBros who will make the cut.
“Joe cannot come honey,” they say while making nice with an adorable grade school choir singer, only to walk away and whisper, “lose the kid, it’s way too sad.” She then spots her photo shoot set-up — an open coffin surrounded by three gigantic bouquets of flowers — dubbing it “perfect! It’s exactly how I pictured it,” before taking a phone call informing her that the whole thing has been called off.
Fans can sign up for the artist presale now through Monday (Feb. 17) at 11:59 p.m. ET here, with an artist presale kicking off on Feb. 19 at 10 a.m. through 10 p.m. local that day. More presales will run throughout the week in the lead-up to the general on-sale beginning on Feb. 21 at 10 a.m. local time here.
Check out the tour promo video and dates below.
Halsey
Courtesy Photo
You may not always be able to sing them at work in full voice, but over the past half century Saturday Night Live has given us some of the most hilarious, surprisingly tuneful (and often NSFW) musical shorts and original comedy tunes in TV history.
From second season cast member Bill Murray’s smarmy Nick the Lounge Singer’s groovy original Star Wars theme song to Eddie Murphy’s dead-on impersonation of soul legend James Brown and Adam Sandler’s seasonal classic “Hanukkah Song” and howling Opera Man bits, the sketches work because — as former cast member Maya Rudolph said in one of the recent anniversary specials — “when you can really sing, that’s when you’re the funniest.”
Plus, when you really, really love the music you’re spoofing, it shows, as in the legendary “More Cowbell” sketch and, of course, Justin Timberlake and Andy Samberg’s ribbon-rung new jack surprise, “D–k in a Box.” Whether they’re parody songs, topical tunes or just left-field jams about crypto currency or airport sushi, the show has always found a way to balance earworm singability with LOL lyrics.
In the recent Questlove-directed Ladies & Gentleman… 50 Years of SNL Music primetime special, Rudolph — an accomplished vocalist herself, and daughter of legendary soul singer Minnie Riperton — explained that Murphy’s eerily spot-on version of Stevie Wonder was so perfectly funny, “not because he’s dressed as Stevie Wonder… it’s funny because he’s pulling off the musicality of Stevie Wonder.”
Parody songs and original musical bits have been a part of the show’s fabric since the Not-Ready-For-Primetime-Players debuted on Oct. 11, 1975 with a cast including future legends Chevy Chase, Laraine Newman, Dan Akroyd, John Belushi, Jane Curtin, Garrett Morris, Gilda Radner and others. But the volume, quality and virality of the show’s for-laughs songs have rocketed to new heights over the past 20 years thanks to a string of stone cold killer tunes from the Samberg-led writing/producing trio The Lonely Island.
Their roster of must-pass-around bits are among the modern era’s most beloved, including such chart-worthy ditties as “Lazy Sunday” — the first SNL digital short to blow up on a then-nascent YouTube — to “Motherlover,” “Jizz in My Pants,” “I’m on a Boat” and “I Just Had Sex.”
The trio’s golden ear for musical comedy gold has continued to keep SNL buzzing in our ears as recent casts have added in such modern marvels as “Murder Show,” “Yolo” and “This is Not a Feminist Song,” as well as former writer and frequent guest host John Mulaney’s bonkers off-Broadway-worthy musical extravaganzas. And if you missed A Complete Unknown star Timothée Chalamet’s 2020 ode to his favorite miniature mount, “Tiny Horse,” the first time — saddle up, it’s a whole ride.
Though the list of our favorites is way longer — and you won’t find any of Belushi’s iconic Blues Brothers bits here, because they featured covers of classic blues songs, not originals — here are our 50 favorite SNL original songs/musical shorts ever, as we prepare for the all-star prime-time SNL 50 special on NBC airing this Sunday (Feb. 16).
“Hotline Bling Parody”
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Kanye West’s hate speech had landed him in another legal battle. A former Jewish employee has filed a claim against him for anti-semitism and more.
Variety Magazine is reporting that an unidentified woman who once worked at YEEZY is seeking damages against Kanye West. Jane Doe claims the performer harassed her and other workers via text messages because of her Jewish faith. Some of the hateful messages included “I Am A Nazi,” and “Welcome to the first day of working for Hitler.” She details that the harassment started in January of 2024. A couple of weeks later Kanye issued an apology in Hebrew but started using similar hateful language towards the staff shortly after.
The marketing executive suggested Kanye West denounce any ties to Nazism in an effort to better position his forthcoming album at the time Vultures Vol. 1. This suggestion was communicated to Ye by another employee to which West allegedly responded “I Am A Nazi” via text. Jane Doe says she was terminated from the company in March 2024 only to be rehired shortly after with her salary doubled. Later in June she claims Kanye sent out another text to several employees asking “What the F*** Is Everybody Here Getting Paid?” He targeted her a series of messages including “Come destroy me bi***.”
The suit not only alleges that Kanye West was guilty of religious discrimination but also gender discrimination and wrongful termination. “Ye waged a relentless and deliberate campaign of antisemitism and misogyny against my client,” said the plaintiff’s lawyer, Carney Shegerian. “His appalling treatment of women and fixation on Nazism, evident in abusive texts where he repeatedly calls himself Hitler, expose his motives. We need to stop excusing Ye’s behavior. As a father, husband, and employer, he must be held accountable. Ye dared my client to sue, and we will see him in court.”
Last week Ye’s X account, formerly known as Twitter, was deactivated due to similar rants where he referred to himself as a Nazi, complimented Adolf Hitler and even said “JEWS WERE BETTER AS SLAVES YOU HAVE TO PUT YOUR JEWS IN THEIR PLACE AND MAKE THEM INTO YOUR SLAVES.” Since then he has been dropped by his talented agency and Shopify suspended his http://www.yeezy.com e-commerce store.
Kanye West nor his representatives have yet to formally comment on the lawsuit.
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Reverend Al Sharpton is convening a gathering of top Black officials to address New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ relationship with President Donald Trump.
As news broke of the Justice Department recommending that federal charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams be dropped, one of Adams’ allies is acting on his concern about the situation. The Reverend Al Sharpton is gathering top elected Black officials to meet to determine whether they will pull support from Adams as Mayor and in the upcoming Democratic mayoral primary. “I have spoken to several elected officials and clergy, whom I convened early in the Mayor’s term, to meet between now and the weekend to decide where we will go,” Sharpton said. “Because we have clearly crossed the Rubicon.”
The longtime civil rights activist expressed his concern over Acting Deputy U.S. Attorney General Emil Bove’s memo, which states that the charges be dropped against Adams so that he can further President Donald Trump’s agenda of detaining and deporting more immigrants in New York City. “It is unheard of in a criminal justice proceeding to suggest you not deal with the criminal allegations for political or policy reasons,” Sharpton said, adding: “So if the mayor were to disagree with the president, does that mean they have the right to call a trial on him at any time? It certainly sounds like President Trump is holding the mayor hostage.” The memo did state that the DOJ can revisit the case at a later time.
The summit is expected to include House of Representatives Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, New York Rep. Gregory Meeks, New York State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, NY State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, and Attorney General Letitia James along with several clergy leaders. “A potential loss of Al Sharpton is huge because you don’t want him against you,” Fordham University political science professor Dr. Christine Greer said. ” He’s an organizer, a brilliant one at that, and has been for a very long time, and knows all five boroughs of New York City. But he also has a very strong, active, loyal collection of people who really do listen and respect his political analysis.”
As for Adams, he took the memo as vindication in a video address to the city on Tuesday, saying: “I thank the Justice Department for its honesty,” Adams said. “Now, we can put this cruel episode behind us and focus entirely on the future of our city. It’s time to move forward.”
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We’re only a few weeks into 2025 but from the looks of things Kendrick Lamar has the Midas touch going for him as everything he touches turns to gold and with Captain America: Brave New World struggling to garner much buzz, it couldn’t be a better time to announce that Kung-Fu Kenny done contributed a little something-something to the upcoming Marvel film.
In a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight, Captain America star, Anthony Mackie let it “slip” that the hottest revolutionary rapper in the world actually has a new song for the film’s soundtrack.
Say word?!
Casually talking about the film, Mackie revealed to ET that “Kendrick did the title song for my movie,” before catching himself and adding “Hope that’s not supposed to be a surprise!”
Well, it’s not a surprise anymore as heads are now curious to see what kind of bars Kendrick spits when rapping about a Black Captain America. As shocking as the revelation was, it actually makes sense as Kendrick did add a banger to the Black Panther soundtrack with the SZA assisted “All The Stars.” Now that Marvel is releasing another film with a Black superhero at the forefront, of course K. Dot would be lending his talents to such a project.
If at least a portion of the record 133 million viewers that tuned into Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl Halftime Show head to theaters just to hear what Kendrick laid down for the Captain America film, Marvel Studios is gonna make a pretty penny by the time it’s all said and done.
While fans are now eagerly awaiting the new Kendrick Lamar cut for Captain America: Brave New World, we at least won’t have to wait long as the film is set to hit theater this coming Friday (February 14).
Are you looking forward to seeing Captain America: Brave New World now that Kendrick Lamar crafted a new cut specifically for the film? Let us know in the comments section below.