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22 Feb 2024

Watch Eddie Vedder & Post Malone Duet on ‘Better Man’ to Help Raise $1 Million for EB Research

Eddie Vedder and Post Malone joined forces — both onstage and off — for a good cause.

The two stars sang a duet of Pearl Jam‘s “Better Man” last week for the second annual Reportin’ for Duty benefit honoring late actor Leslie Jordan, which this year took place at Humble Baron at Nearest Green Distillery in Shelbyville, Tenn., and raised more than $1 million for the EB Research Partnership. And on Thursday (Feb. 22), Posty shared a video of their performance on YouTube, giving fans who didn’t attend a chance to see him take the stage with Vedder.

The clip finds both Vedder and Malone wielding acoustic guitars as they take turns singing lines from the 1994 track, a No. 2 Alternative Airplay hit for Pearl Jam. The event also featured performances from The War and Treaty, Jelly Roll, Ruby Amanfu, Jake Wesley Rogers and Dan Spencer.

“I can’t find words to say how powerful and inspiring it was to be gathered with such incredible musicians under one small roof for a cause that’s so impactful on young people’s lives,” Vedder said in a statement. “I had chills. Had tears. And all the while with a grin of positivity and action.”

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“I love when music connects me to great people like Eddie, and good causes like EB Research Partnership,” added Post. “Eddie is someone I look up to as a dad, a musician, and a person. I’m honored that he’s brought me into the EB community.”

Eddie and Jill Vedder founded EBRP in 2010 alongside a group of parents of children with Epidermolysis Bullosa, a life-threatening genetic skin disorder. According to Mayo Clinic, the condition “causes fragile, blistering skin” in response to “minor injury, even from heat, rubbing or scratching.”

As of now, there is no cure for EB — something the Vedders’ foundation aims to change within the next decade. Eddie continued in his statement, “The generosity of all who were involved is tremendously appreciated and will help us continue to fund research aimed at curing EB by 2030.”

Watch Eddie Vedder and Post Malone perform “Better Man” together below.

22 Feb 2024

Best Country Songs Featuring ‘Texas’ in the Title

With Beyoncé making history at the pinnacle of Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, beckoning listeners to the dancefloor with “Texas Hold ‘Em,” the Houston, Texas native gives a tip of the hat to her homestate–the music, the heatwaves and the whiskey.

Texas, home to more than 29 million residents as of 2021, has produced scores of country music’s biggest artists over the decades, including George Strait, George Jones, Kacey Musgraves, Miranda Lambert, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, The Chicks and Tanya Tucker. But also, as the sounds of Texas Country meshed with the Red Dirt sounds emanating from Oklahoma over the years, the Lone Star State has provided fertile grounds for artists such as Pat Green, Josh Abbott Band and Flatland Cavalry.

According to the 2023 Texas Music Industry Economic impact Report, the music industry in Texas, including music businesses supporting a range of musical genres and music education, fostered an economic impact in 2022 that included nearly 90,000 permanent jobs, $4.6 billion in annual earnings and more than $10.8 billion in annual economic activity. Of course, Texas is also home to Austin, billed as “The Live Music Capital of the World,” with approximately 250 live music venues representing a range of musical styles.

The list of iconic artists—native Texans and non-Texans alike—who have tipped their hats to the Lone Star State has included Jimmie Rodgers, Elvis Presley, Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys, Gary Moore, Stevie Ray Vaughan and more. Some songs pay homage to the state’s wide open spaces, Texan cuisine, rodeo culture, or the grit and determination of its cowboys and cowgirls. Other tracks mourn ex-lovers, devote lyrics to putting specific Texas towns in a greater spotlight, or center on stories from the state’s history.

Here, we look at 10 more songs featuring “Texas” in the title that nod to the Lone Star State.

22 Feb 2024

Live Nation Had Another Record Year as Its Business Went Global & Fans Continued Flocking to Shows

Live Nation had another record year in 2023, topping the all-time highs reached in 2022 when artists hit the road in heavy numbers after COVID-19 restrictions shut down the touring business for most of 2020 and 2021.  

The concert promoter and ticketing giant had revenue of $22.7 billion in 2023, up 36% from the prior year, thanks to record levels of attendance, ticket sales and sponsorships. Adjusted operating income (AOI) was $1.86 billion, up 32% year-over-year and double the AOI from 2019, the last full year before the pandemic.  

As artists went on tour in record numbers, there was ample fan demand to soak up the increased supply of live music. Concert attendance climbed 20.3% to 145.8 million. Attendance in North America rose 16.6% to 81.3 million and international attendance spiked 25.4% to 64.5 million. The biggest attendance gains came from stadium shows — notably Metallica, Beyonce and Luke Combs — which grew 60% to 29 million. The number of concerts — individual shows and festivals — rose 15.3% to 33,629 in North America and 13.5% to 16,430 internationally.  

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The rise of K-pop and Latin music, along with Live Nation’s Dec. 2021 acquisition of Mexican promoter OCESA, led to an increasingly international concert business. Live Nation’s top 50 tours had 50% more international acts in 2023 than five years ago, and additional international dates meant tours had 15% more shows on average.  

“Our digital world empowers artists to develop global followings, while inspiring fans to crave in-person experiences more than ever,” said president/CEO Michael Rapino in a statement. “At the same time, the industry is delivering a wider variety of concerts which draws in new audiences, and developing more venues to support a larger show pipeline.  

The concerts division’s full-year revenue increased 39% to $18.76 billion as demand increased across markets and venue types. At Live Nation’s owned and operated venues — branded as Venue Nation — attendance increased 13% to 55 million and ancillary per-person revenue had double-digit growth. At its amphitheaters, per-person spending increased 10% to over $40. Because Live Nation owns and operates those venues, its bottom line benefits from increased fan spending on items such as beverages, food and merchandise.  

At Ticketmaster, revenue rose 32% to $2.96 billion and AOI improved 35% to $1.12 billion. Total fee-bearing gross-transaction value (GTV) rose 30% to $36 billion — North America GTV rose 26% while international GTV jumped 42%. The number of fee-bearing tickets sold increased 17% to over 329 million. New clients accounted for 21 million additional tickets old, with about 80% of those coming from international markets. 

The sponsorship and advertising division’s revenue increased 13% to $1.1 billion and its AOI rose 14% to $675.1 million. Led by growth in beverage, technology and financial services sectors, Live Nation’s sponsorship business had over 100 partners with multi-million-dollar, multi-year commitments.

In the fourth quarter, historically a slow period compared to the spring and summer months, Live Nation’s revenue rose 36% to $5.8 billion. The concerts division’s revenue soared 44% to $4.87 billion. The company’s AOI rose 20% to $116.9 million in the quarter.

Looking ahead, “we expect all our businesses to continue growing and adding value to artists and fans as we deliver double-digit operating income and AOI growth again this year, with our profitability compounding by double-digits over the next several years,” Rapino added. Through mid-February, Live Nation has sold 57 million concert tickets, up 6% year-over-year, and Ticketmaster had $13 billion in fee-bearing gross-transaction-volume for events so far in 2024, a double-digit increase. In addition, the company has booked 75% of its expected sponsorship commitments, also a double-digit increase from the prior-year period. 

22 Feb 2024

‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’: 5 Rusicals We’d Like to See in Upcoming Seasons

Musical theater and the art of drag go hand in hand — both involve costumes, wigs, makeup and occasionally over-the-top performances. So it’s no wonder that RuPaul’s Drag Race struck gold when it learned to mash the two together.

For nearly a decade, the Rusical challenge ascended beyond its humble origins, becoming a mainstay of nearly every season. Beginning with “Shade: The Rusical” back in season six, the theatrical exercise asked queens to deliver their best renditions of musical caricatures. Whether singing live or lip syncing along with a pre-recorded track, the goal remained the same: sell your role to the judges.

As season 15 contestant Loosey LaDuca explained to Billboard last year, the Rusical challenge works best because it is just that: a challenge. “You can’t just skate by in the Rusical — you can’t just go, ‘Oh, I hope to get through and be safe.’ You need to make an impact,” she said. “It’s a difficult challenge; you’re putting on a pretty extensive show, and having to learn it and perform it very quickly.”

The challenge itself may still be intact, but the artifice surrounding the Rusical has vastly changed. Throughout the numerous permutations of the challenge, the plot structures used for each Rusical have varied — some seasons employed entirely original creations, while others adapted the life stories of pop divas, historical figures, politicians and reality television stars to create a musical narrative.

In recent seasons, though, Drag Race seems to have found a formula that works — taking existing Broadway musicals and retrofitting them into a 12-minute cavalcade of drag hysteria. Spoofing properties like Moulin Rouge, Cats and most recently The Sound of Music, the Rusical format has blossomed into a ripe opportunity to poke fun at the art form itself.

So, what classic musical theatre productions deserve to get the Rusical treatment? Below, Billboard pitches five ideas for future based on beloved Broadway shows:

22 Feb 2024

Beyoncé’s New Era Is Giving Other Black Women in Country a Big Boost, Too

Welcome to Billboard Pro’s Trending Up column, where we take a closer look at the songs, artists, curiosities and trends that have caught the music industry’s attention. Some have come out of nowhere, others have taken months to catch on, and all of them could become ubiquitous in the blink of a TikTok clip. 
 
This week: Beyoncé’s country crossover drives extra attention (and streams) to other Black female country artists, a Stranger Things star is on the verge of a major pop hit and a smash biopic results in a booming Bob Marley catalog.

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Beyoncé’s New Country Era Is Already Lifting Up Other Black Women in the Genre 



When Queen Bey bet that she could break the internet (again) in her hilarious Verizon commercial during the 2024 Super Bowl on Feb. 11, that was a promise. Although Beyoncé has been in her country era for barely a week and a half, she’s already making history – and uplifting other Black women in the genre along the way. 

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The music icons two new songs — “Texas Hold ‘Em” (No. 1) and “16 Carriages” (No. 9) — concurrently debuted in the top 10 on Hot Country Songs, making Beyoncé the first Black woman in history to top that chart. While those two songs continue to rack in streams and sales, they’re also serving as gateways for audiences to explore the catalogs of other Black women in country. 

According to Luminate, Tanner Adell – who has scored a few minor hits such as “Buckle Bunny” and “Love You a Little Bit” — experienced a 188% increase in streaming activity from the period of Feb. 9-12 (230,000 official on-demand streams) to Feb. 16-19 (670,000 streams). On TikTok, Adell has seamlessly incorporated her love for Beyoncé and anticipation for her forthcoming LP into promotion of her own music. “If you’re waiting on Bey’s country album, you might like me,” she wrote in a Feb. 14 TikTok; the strategy has clearly paid off, as a Feb. 20 TikTok finds the young singer-songwriter celebrating “Buckle Bunny” (also released via Beyoncé’s home label Columbia) flying up the Shazam charts. 

Reyna Roberts, perhaps best known for 2020’s “Stompin’ Grounds,” collected around 200,000 official on-demand streams during the period of Feb. 16-19, marking a whopping 250% increase from 57,000 streams during Feb. 9-12. There’s also Billboard chart-topping R&B artist K. Michelle, who is currently prepping a long-awaited debut country album. The Memphis-bred star has released some standalone country songs, including “Tennesse” from last year’s I’m the Problem. That track garnered around 32,000 official on-demand streams during the period of Feb. 9-15, a massive 185% increase from the week prior (11,000 streams, Feb. 2-8). 

Of course, any discussion about “Texas Hold ‘Em” is incomplete without mentioning Rhiannon Giddens, the Grammy-winning multi-instrumentalist who plays banjo on the track. During the period of Feb. 16-19, Giddens’ catalog collected over 108,000 official on-demand streams, up nearly 50% from 73,000 streams during Feb. 9-12. In the visualizer for “Texas Hold ‘Em,” Beyoncé has her hair in a cross between a beehive and low ponytail, a style often sported by country music legend Linda Martell, the first Black woman to play the Grand Ole Opry. During the period of Feb. 16-19, Martell’s catalog received just over 12,000 official on-demand streams, marking a 275% increase from 3,000 streams during Feb. 9-12. And notably, Martell’s debut album, Color Me Country, provided the name of Rissi Palmer’s Apple Music Country radio show. Palmer – whose “Country Girl” (2007) made her the first Black woman to hit Hot Country Songs since Dona Mason in 1987 – earned over 5,000 official on-demand streams across her discography during the period of Feb. 16-19, a 110% increase from those she amassed Feb. 9-12. 

As Beyoncé’s new country era continues to unfold, expect to continue to see gains for Black women across country music. Looks like the Renaissance really isn’t over. — KYLE DENIS

‘Stranger Things’ Have Happened: Joe Keery’s Music Project Has a Burgeoning Smash



Over the course of his run on the Netflix global hit Stranger Things as the well-coiffed heartthrob Steve Harrington, Joe Keery has simultaneously dabbled in the music space, first as a member of the psych-rock band Post Animal and more recently with the synth-pop solo project Djo. Decide, Keery’s second full-length under the Djo alias, was released independently in September 2022 and featured his strongest writing and song construction to date, albeit with little commercial footprint.

Yet that last part has changed over the past few weeks: “End of Beginning,” a blissed-out mid-tempo anthem from Decide that was never released as a single and hasn’t received any promotional push, has gone viral in early 2024 — and will likely become a breakthrough hit for Djo.

The uptick was started by a TikTok trend, in which users have taken the chorus lyric, “And when I’m back in Chicago, I feel it/ Another version of me, I was in it/ I wave goodbye to the end of beginning” to soundtrack travel clips, either of Chicago or whatever their version of hometown wistfulness might be. “End of Beginning” has fully crossed over from TikTok at this point, though: on Spotify, Djo’s track has entered the top 10 of the U.S. Daily Top 200 and U.S. viral 50, as well as creeping up to No. 16 on Billboard‘s Hot Alternative Songs.

“End of Beginning” was earning hundreds of thousands of weekly streams by mid-January, but the song is skyrocketing in February: from Feb. 16-19, the track earned 5.27 million official on-demand U.S. streams, up more than 200% from the previous four-day tracking period (1.66 million streams from Feb. 9-12), according to Luminate. Keery, who was a scene-stealer in the latest season of Fargo last fall, re-joined the Stranger Things crew in January as production on season 5 began; by the time filming wraps, Keery will likely have the first Hot 100 hit of his career. – JASON LIPSHUTZ

So Much Things to Stream: Bob Marley’s Catalog Explodes With Biopic Debut



Following Bohemian Rhapsody and Rocketman, this month’s Bob Marley: One Love becomes the latest biopic of a legendary artist to electrify audiences (even as it divides critics). The movie has already brought in more than $50 million at the box office, setting Valentine’s Day records and exceeding even the most optimistic pre-release projections. And as it brings Marley’s music to a new audience — and reminds older audiences of its greatness — it has also resulted in a massive increase in the reggae icon’s music consumption, particularly on streaming.

Marley’s catalog has actually been on the rise across streaming services for all of 2024, with anticipation for One Love perhaps helping to gradually boost his weekly official on-demand U.S. streaming numbers from around 15 million for the week ending Jan. 11 to nearly 27 million for the week ending Feb. 8, according to Luminate. But Marley’s numbers have of course exploded following the movie’s Feb. 14 release — the movie racked up over 30 million official on-demand U.S. streams in the five-day period following the movie’s release (Feb. 15-19), up 62% from the 19 million it amassed over the five days prior. (The catalog was also up 112% in digital song sales over the same time span, from over 4,000 to nearly 9,000.)

The songs currently doing the best in Marley’s catalog over that period are some of his most famous, including “Three Little Birds” (2.5 million streams, 1,500 sales), “Jamming” (1.9 million streams, 600 sales) and of course, “One Love / People Get Ready” (1.7 million streams, 1,300 sales). Legend, Marley’s RIAA Diamond-certified canonical hits collection, has even re-entered the top 30 of the Billboard 200 as a result of the increase in activity. But another song that continues to benefit from the bump in Marley exposure is from one of Bob’s descendants: “Praise Jah in the Moonlight,” breakout hit from grandson YG Marley, which falls at No. 63 on the Billboard Hot 100 this week. “Praise” garnered 6.5 million streams over that period, up 12% from 5.8 million the previous five-day period. — ANDREW UNTERBERGER

22 Feb 2024

Roni Stoneman, ‘Hee Haw’ Star & Stoneman Family Musician, Dies at 85

Veronica Loretta “Roni” Stoneman, banjo player, comedian and cast member on the long-running television show Hee Haw, died Thursday (Feb. 22) at age 85.

Stoneman, known as “The First Lady of Banjo,” was born May 5, 1938, as the second-youngest of 23 children born to Hattie Stoneman and pioneering bluegrass musician Ernest V. “Pop” Stoneman, known for his 1925 recording of “The Sinking of the Titanic.” According to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, Ernest’s recordings later led executive Ralph Peer to set studio dates in Bristol, Tennessee to record Stoneman and other artists in 1927 — which would include the landmark first recording sessions for The Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers.

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Roni Stoneman was also part of the family band The Stoneman Family, which evolved from the band The Bluegrass Champs, which included family members Scott Stoneman and Donna Stoneman. The group won a competition as part of Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts in 1956. By the 1960s, Roni had joined the group on banjo. According to the Country Music Hall of Fame, the group recorded two projects for Starday Records in 1962 and 1963, and then recorded for MGM and World-Pacific. She also performed as part of the group on their syndicated 1960s television show Those Stonemans.

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In the 1960s, The Stoneman Family earned Billboard Hot Country Singles chart hits including “Tupelo County Jail” and “The Five Little Johnson Girls.”

In 1967, the first year the Country Music Association (CMA) Awards were held, the Stoneman Family was named vocal group of the year. Roni departed the group in 1971, and soon joined the cast of Hee Haw, working on the country variety progtam for two decades as a comedian and banjo player, and known for portraying Ida-Lee Nagger, the “Ironing Board Lady.” There, she worked alongside artists and comedians including Minnie Pearl, Buck Owens and Roy Clark. In 2007, Stoneman recounted her life story in the book Pressing On.

Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum CEO Kyle Young called Stoneman “a great talent and a strong woman,” commending her legacy in the genre. “For Roni Stoneman, known as ‘The First Lady of the Banjo,’ country music was a birthright and her life’s work,” he wrote. “The second youngest of 23 children born to Hattie and Ernest ‘Pop’ Stoneman, Roni was an integral part of a bedrock country music family, who were longtime fixtures in the country music scene of Washington, DC. For 18 years on ‘Hee Haw,’ she stole scenes as both a skillful banjo player and as a comical, gap-toothed country character.”

22 Feb 2024

30 Women Musicians Who Are Also Entrepreneurs: Rihanna, Selena Gomez, Beyoncé & More

Female artists are making strides in beauty, fashion, food and more.

Rihanna, Beyonce and Selena Gomez

Rihanna, Beyonce and Selena Gomez

Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Fenty Beauty by Rihanna; Kevin Mazur/WireImage for Parkwood; Mike Coppola/Getty Images for Rare Beauty

All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.

Who says you can’t have it all? For women musicians who also run their own businesses — such as multi-hyphenates Rihanna, Selena Gomez, Beyoncé and more — the title of “CEO” is just as important as “pop star.”

The past few years have seen a boom in woman-led businesses, within the music industry and beyond. Nowadays, it’s both common and celebrated for a chart-topping female artist to helm an enterprise on top of their music careers, be it in beauty, health, food, fashion or — in the case of a certain ambitious country legend — theme parks.

These junctures give artists an added outlet for the creativity and hard work that made them stars in the first place. And, when successful, they provide a more long-lasting way for musicians to ensure that their legacies continue on for generations to come.

In honor of Billboard‘s annual Women in Music celebrations — which this year culminate in a March 6 ceremony presented by Marriott Bonvoy, where Karol G, Charli XCX, Ice Spice and more women artists will receive awards — we’re rounding up some of the world’s biggest women musician-turned-moguls. The ladies on this list have developed trusted brand names, overseen global campaigns and sat at the heads of many a conference table, with several of them raking in millions in the process. In some cases, you may even realize that you’ve already picked up one of their products without knowing that a celebrity was behind it.

Prepare to be in awe of the hard work these women have put in. And, without further ado, keep reading to see 30 women musicians who hold down their own businesses below.

22 Feb 2024

After Italy’s Sanremo Song Contest, 7 Contenders Enter Billboard Global Charts

It was already understood that the songs of Sanremo 2024 were a success in streaming — in Italy and globally. In the days following its release, the “Sanremo 2024” Spotify playlist was the most listened-to playlist in the world, and seven of the top 10 tracks on the platform’s Debut Global chart came from the song contest.

Now that Billboard has updated its Global 200 and the Global Excl. US charts, the picture is even more complete. In the charts dated Feb. 24, four and seven songs from Sanremo 2024 appear, respectively.

The Global 200 includes Mahmood’s “Tuta Gold” (No. 52), Geolier’s “I p’ me, tu p’ te” (No. 91), Annalisa’s “Sinceramente” (No. 95) and winner Angelina Mango’s “La Noia” (No. 110).

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In the Global Excl. US chart, these same songs appear higher up (at Nos. 19, 33, 36 and 51, respectively), followed by three other songs of Sanremo 2024: Ghali’s “Casa Mia” (No. 87), Irama’s “Tu No” (No. 100) and The Kolors’ “Un ragazzo una ragazza” (No. 179).

Data provided by Luminate allows a more analytical look. The company traced the global streaming trends (audio and video) of Sanremo songs during the festival in the 50 most relevant markets worldwide (Italy and the United States included).

From Feb. 7-10 (the festival started Feb. 6 and crowned a winner Feb. 10), the first three positions were constantly dominated — in various orders — by Geolier, Mahmood and Annalisa. Only on Feb. 11 does winner Angelina Mango make her appearance.

Below are the top three positions day by day.

  • Feb. 7: “I p’ me, tu p’ te” by Geolier (3.4 million global audio and video streams), “Sinceramente” by Annalisa (3 million), “Tuta Gold” by Mahmood (2.6 million)
  • Feb. 8: “I p’ me, tu p’ te” by Geolier (3.4 million), “Tuta Gold” by Mahmood (3.2 million), “Sinceramente” by Annalisa (2.9 million)
  • Feb. 9: “Tuta Gold” by Mahmood (3.7 million), “I p’ me, tu p’ te” by Geolier (3.5 million), “Sinceramente” by Annalisa (3.1 million)
  • Feb. 10: “I p’ me, tu p’ te” by Geolier (3.85 million), “Tuta Gold” by Mahmood (3.78 million), “Sinceramente” by Annalisa (3.3 million)
  • Feb. 11: “Tuta Gold” by Mahmood (4.1 million), “I p’ me, tu p’ te” by Geolier (4.07 million), “La Noia” by Angelina Mango (3.9 million). These are also the highest figures on a daily basis

Since Billboard launched the two global charts in 2020, the most successful songs of Sanremo have regularly appeared. It has been a constant phenomenon since the 2021 edition, the first in which the Global 200 and Global Excl. US charts were active.

Last year, Lazza’s “Cenere” (No. 68), winner Marco Mengoni’s “Due Vite” (No. 80) and Mr.Rain’s “Supereroi” (No. 97) entered the Global 200. In the Global Excl. US, these songs appeared at Nos. 29, 32 and 42, followed by Madame’s “Il Bene nel Male” (No. 104) and Tananai’s “Tango” (No. 195).

In 2022, “Brividi” by Mahmood and Blanco (who won that edition) came close to the top 10, in 15th position. It was followed at a distance by Irama’s “Ovunque Sarai” (No. 118) and La Rappresentante di Lista’s “Ciao Ciao” (No. 158). On the Global Excl. US chart, those songs reached Nos. 7, 56, and 112, followed by Sangiovanni’s “Farfalle” (n. 112), Dargen D’Amico’s “Dove Si Balla” (n. 126) and Rkomi’s “Insuperabile” (n. 149).

22 Feb 2024

Daft Punk to Livestream Its 2003 Film ‘Interstella 5555’ in Honor of Daft Punk Day

Three years ago today, on Feb. 22, 2021, Daft Punk rattled the world with the announcement the duo was breaking up after 28 years together. The French icons have since marked the anniversary of this occasion by releasing a trinket from the vast Daft Punk vault on Feb. 22 in the two years since.

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And that date has come around again. To celebrate their unparalleled legacy, the French duo is screening its 2003 film, Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem, on its Twitch channel today. The screening begins precisely at 5:22 p.m. ET.

Overseen by Japanese animation legend Leiji Matsumoto and written and scored by Daft Punk’s Guy-Manuel de Homem Christo and Thomas Bangalter, Interstella 5555 is an hour-long “space opera” completing the story begun by the videos of singles “One More Time,” “Aerodynamic,” “Digital Love” and “Harder Better Faster Stronger,” all from the duo’s era-defining 2001 album, Discovery.

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In those videos, an evil impresario kidnaps and brainwashes an extra-terrestrial rock group, transforms them into prefabricated pop stars, brings them back to Earth and manipulates them to the top of the charts. Each “movement” of this silent film is accompanied by a track from Discovery.

“The project was born in 2000, when we flew out to Tokyo with an hour of music and our own script,” Bangalter said upon the film’s release in 2003. “Leiji gave us a warm reception, and after listening to the music, he came on board immediately. Three years later, our dream has come true.”

In terms of comeback rumblings, the French duo was said to be playing the 2024 Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony, a rumor that was quickly shot down by their team last fall. The pair did kinda sorta satiate the ongoing public demand for fresh Daft Punk material by releasing the “drumless” edition of 2013 classic Random Access Memories in November, in conjunction with the album’s 10-year anniversary.

22 Feb 2024

Could ‘Cruel Summer’ Become Taylor Swift’s Biggest Chart Hit?

While the top 10 of this week’s Hot 100 chart includes new entries from Beyoncé and Kanye West & Ty Dolla $ign — along with Noah Kahan collecting his first top 10 hit — one years-old smash is still going strong amidst the shakeups: “Cruel Summer” dips two spots to No. 6 this week in its 41st week on the chart.

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The viral resurgence of the synth-pop gem from Swift’s Lover, which was not released as a single during the 2019 album run, began in 2023 to coincide with the launch of her Eras Tour, eventually brought the song to the top of the Hot 100 last October, and has continued through the start of 2024 with no end in sight.

As the song spends another week in the upper reaches of the Hot 100, its unlikely run has prompted another improbable question: Could “Cruel Summer” become the biggest chart hit of Swift’s career?

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At this moment, “Summer” has climbed to No. 3 on the list of Swift’s biggest Billboard Hot 100 hits, behind her 2014 smash “Shake It Off” and “Anti-Hero,” the longest-running No. 1 of her career. See here the top 10 of Swift’s biggest Billboard Hot 100 hits, which is based on weekly performance on the Hot 100 (through Feb. 24, 2024), with further analysis below — and click here for the full top 50:

  1. “Shake It Off”
  2. “Anti-Hero”
  3. “Cruel Summer”
  4. “You Belong With Me”
  5. “Blank Space”
  6. “Love Story”
  7. “I Knew You Were Trouble.”
  8. “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together”
  9. “Bad Blood”
  10. “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever (Fifty Shades Darker)”

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.

Part of the reason why “Shake It Off” and “Anti-Hero” still outrank “Summer” is longevity: “Anti-Hero” spent 53 weeks on the Hot 100 and “Shake It Off” hung around for 50 weeks, while, as of now, “Summer” hasn’t cracked Swift’s top 5 longest-running Hot 100 hits. Here are Swift’s top 10 songs by weeks on the Hot 100:

  1. “Anti-Hero” (53 weeks)
  2. “Shake It Off” (50 weeks)
  3. “You Belong With Me” (50 weeks)
  4. “Love Story” (49 weeks)
  5. “Teardrops On My Guitar” (48 weeks)
  6. “Cruel Summer” (41 weeks)
  7. “Blank Space” (38 weeks)
  8. “I Knew You Were Trouble.” (36 weeks)
  9. “Our Song” (36 weeks)
  10. “Delicate” (35 weeks)

Meanwhile, “Summer” has logged four nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100 — the same number of weeks at “Shake It Off.” “Anti-Hero” became Swift’s longest-running No. 1 hit last year when it notched eight weeks atop the chart, while “Blank Space” had Swift’s second-longest run in the top spot, with seven weeks.

So how has “Summer” become Swift’s third-biggest chart hit, if other songs have spent more weeks at No. 1 or more time on the chart itself? By remaining a top 10 stalwart for months on end.

This week marks “Summer’s” 30th week in the top 10 of the Hot 100 — the most of any Swift song. “Anti-Hero” ranks second in frames spent in the top 10, at 28 weeks. “Summer” first reached the top 10 way back on the Hot 100 chart dated July 15, 2023, and became her longest-running top 10 hit earlier this month.

It’s impossible to say whether or not “Summer” will keep climbing up her personal list and become Swift’s biggest (or second-biggest) chart hit, or precisely the number of weeks and/or chart placements it will take to get there. And while the song dips two spots in the top 10 of the Hot 100, “Summer” still remains in the top 5 of Adult Pop Airplay, top 10 of Pop Airplay and top 20 of Streaming Songs, as well as No. 1 at Adult Contemporary for a fourth week.

“Summer” is still going strong as it climbs Swift’s all-time list of hits, adding another layer to the unlikely chart success of a song that was never supposed to be a chart hit. Who knows? Maybe “Summer” earns the top spot just as actual summer approaches.