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Welcome to Billboard Pro’s Trending Up newsletter, 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: Taylor Swift’s most controversial album gets a bump in anticipation of an announcement that never materialized, Young Jeezy and Akon’s classic teamup gets an unlikely meme boost and an odd cover of a Sly Stone classic drives listeners back to the original.
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Taylor Swift’s ‘Reputation’ for Surprises Precedes Her on Streaming
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If you were watching the American Music Awards on Monday night (May 26), chances are pretty good you had your eyes peeled and ears open for a certain revelation from a certain pop superstar. Swifties had flooded the internet in recent weeks with predictions of a Taylor Swift Memorial Day Miracle – an appearance at the awards, most likely accompanied by an announcement of a new release, perhaps the long-awaited Reputation (Taylor’s Version) re-recording.
Unfortunately for the Swifties, the AMAs came and went without any appearances, announcements or drops from their fav. But hope clearly sprang eternal in the days leading up to the awards, at least on streaming: The 15 tracks on Reputation racked up a combined 11.3 million official on-demand U.S. streams across the first four days of this tracking week (May 23-26), ahead of the awards – a 14% gain from the equivalent period the prior, according to Luminate. And that bump was of course highest on Memorial Day, as the album racked up 2.4 million total streams on that day alone, a 29% gain from the prior Monday.
Jeezy and Akon’s 20-Year-Old Hit Scores Thanks to a ‘Holy Airball’
“Soul Survivor” was the breakout crossover hit 20 years ago for the rapper then known as Young Jeezy, as the Akon-assisted banger lifted to No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and helped establish his Let’s Get It: Thug Motivation 101 as one of the year’s biggest rap albums. Two decades later, the street anthem is once again delighting music fans, though through a relatively unlikely conduit: a TikTok meme about dating gaffes.
Tiktoker Hadley (@localyerbafein) stroke viral paydirt last week (May 21) when she shared a video that captured the story of a guy – presumably one she was seeing, or at least considering seeing – responding to her interest in law with a question about her watching the TV show Suits. The video ends with footage of Hadley serving as a courtroom attorney, with the caption “holy fckin airball” – all, of course, set to “Soul Survivor.” The clip quickly spread through the app, racking up 10 million views and 1.8 million likes, and inspiring a number of other users to share their own he-shoots, he-doesn’t-score stories, with Akon and Jeezy again serving as the soundtrack.
Consequently, the track exploded on streaming towards the end of last week. For the tracking week ending May 22, “Soul Survivor” amassed over 3 million official on-demand U.S. streams, according to Luminate – fully doubling its stream count from the prior week – and it should be headed for an even bigger tally this week, as TikTok keeps putting up one “holy fckin airball” after another.
‘Everyday’ Memeable: Sly & the Family Stone Classic Lifted by Revival of Unlikely Cover
In 2017, two greats of popular music – pop icon Cher and rap legend Future – teamed up for an unlikely collab cover of Sly & The Family’s soul-pop classic “Everyday People.” Their rendition was featured in a Gap commercial that showcased the star pair meeting up on a staircase on an otherwise-blank set to discuss how Cher can’t get the 1969 Hot 100-topper out of her head, leading to her crooning the song over a trappy beat. Meanwhile, Future attempts to fill in with harmonies and ad libs – in a mixture that, unsurprisingly, feels slightly less than organic.
The awkward commercial has recently begun to recirculate around the internet, resulting in pairs of TikTokers recreating the visual in endearing clips gently poking at the stilted chemistry of the original. The Cher & Future “Everyday People” is not currently available in full on DSPs, but of course the Family Stone original is there for the streaming – and folks have been evidently charmed enough by the improbable cover to revisit (or check out) the original. According to Luminate, over the first four days of this tracking week (May 23-26), “Everyday People” is up to 309,000 official on-demand U.S. streams from 256,000 over the same period in the prior week, a gain of 21%.
Rhapsody in Blue Shirt: Sam Gellaitry Single Rises Thanks to Viral Dance Proxy
In this week’s example of never knowing where a breakout hit might come from in 2025, we have Scottish dance producer Sam Gellaitry. His song “Assumptions,” from the 2021 EP IV, has begun to percolate on streaming over the past month, thanks to the Russian dancer Руслан Айдаев, now known to the internet as Blue Shirt Guy – who has been a meme of some degree for years already for his full-bodied dance moves, shot from behind.
Recent viral videos have paired the clip with Gellaitry’s throbbing electro-pop instrumental, resulting in it going nuts on TikTok all over again – with many of the app’s finest donning their best blue shirts and filming themselves shaking it from behind. Consequently, the four-year-old “Assumpstions” has risen to the top of Gellaitry’s Spotify page, and is now racking up over 2.2 million official on-demand U.S. streams a week, up 142% from three weeks earlier, according to Luminate.
Los Tigres del Norte play ‘How Well Do You Know Your Bandmates’ and they share who they think the worst cook is, who likes tequila the most, who spends the most money and more!
What did you think of the game? Let us know in the comments!
Leila Cobo: Welcome to Miami, Los Tigres del Norte! It’s so great to have you guys here.
Los Tigres del Norte: Thank you!
Now we’re going to see how well Los Tigres del Norte know each other.
Let’s see.
Who plays the most instruments?
Eduardo.
How many?
On stage, I play three: the saxophone, accordion and bass.
And off the stage?
Yes, just like that.
And you sing on top of that, so technically it’s four.
But when I have to play something at a party or sometimes in emergencies, I play the electric bass, piano, acoustic guitar, electric guitar.
So everything.
Yes, multiple.
Eduardo is multipurpose. Who tells the best stories?
Stories? What kind? Like in songs?
No, stories around the table.
Ah, anecdotal stories around the dinner table. It would be Óscar. Oh you know I’m good at it when we haven’t slept. It helps us wake up. He shares anecdotes, but also we share our anecdotes with him
Oh really?
Yes, I’m like that. Sometimes I’m desperate and nervous and they put me on a schedule. The funniest time was when I was coming with Luis from Colombia and we landed in Los Angeles for our connecting flight and I put my shoes on the wrong foot. Luis tells me, “you have your shoes on backwards,” and I look down and I’m like” they really are, no wonder they were hurting me a lot.”
In some aspects of life, being delusional isn’t typically looked at as a positive quality. But Tyler, the Creator believes delusion is a must for artists and creatives across the board.
Tyler participated in a “Tyler Talk” panel for Converse in London while on tour earlier this week, which saw him harp on the importance of having delusion when creating, and how artists need a solid team around them to align with their vision.
“To make stuff, you gotta be delusional,” he said around the 26-minute mark. “And when you’re delusional, you need people around you that trust you. Because what the f–k they gon’ trust? You say some normal stuff like, ‘The sky is blue.’ Yeah, you don’t need people to trust you to say that. I’m delusional, but I knew what I wanted to do since I was five years old.”
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Tyler later recalled a girl asking him about what career he would’ve pursued if he didn’t do music, but there was never another option for the Grammy-winning artist.
“My imagination doesn’t even go that far because this is the only thing I was supposed to do,” he explained. “Like, I was legit the 12-year-old delusional kid like, ‘So I’mma get a Grammy.’ and n—-s was like, ‘Shut up, Charizard just beat Pikachu.’ So, just be delusional.”
Tyler is gearing up to reunite with Converse to launch the 1908 Program. The California native put a modern spin on the Naut-1 and the Coach Jogger silhouettes, while still maintaining authenticity to the Converse legacy.
Fans around the globe can shop the archival collection on Converse’s website come June 20, while Los Angeles natives will be able to attend the 1908 Pop-Up shop on June 12 to get a first look at Tyler’s vision.
Tyler is still trekking across the globe as part of his 2025 Chromakopia: The World Tour, which will land in Glasgow for a pair of shows this weekend.
Watch the full Tyler Talk below:
The Jonas Brothers went back to their roots for every part of their forthcoming new album Greetings From Your Hometown, including its cover art. As unveiled on the band’s Instagram Thursday (May 29), the LP’s front features a cozy photo of Kevin, Nick and Joe clinking wine glasses while dining at a restaurant. On the […]
Source: Gary Miller / Getty
Rapper Kentrell D. Gaulden, better known by his stage name YoungBoy Never Broke Again or NBA YoungBoy, received a presidential pardon from Donald Trump on Wednesday
The 25-year-old Louisiana native, who has become one of the most streamed artists of his generation, expressed appreciation for the opportunity to move forward without the weight of his legal troubles. “This means everything to me,” Gaulden said in a statement. “It gives me the chance to grow—not just as an artist, but as a father and a man.”
YB also gave special recognition to Alice Marie Johnson, a key figure in Trump’s clemency efforts. Johnson, whose own drug-related life sentence was commuted by Trump during his first term after public advocacy from Kim Kardashian, has since played a central role in reviewing pardon cases. YoungBoy’s pardon comes after years of legal complications stemming from gun-related charges. He pleaded guilty in December to being a felon in possession of a firearm, closing a long chapter of legal entanglements that stretched across multiple states and interfered with his rising career.
Despite the setbacks, he has maintained a massive fanbase and consistent commercial success.
With this legal hurdle now behind him, Gaulden can focus on his music and personal life without the looming threat of past charges. The pardon represents more than just legal relief—it marks a clean slate for an artist whose story continues to evolve in the public eye.
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John Mellencamp is not happy with his home state after some Hoosiers booed a few famous New York Knicks fans — including Timothée Chalamet and Ben Stiller, who were sitting courtside — at Game 4 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals.
In a strongly worded post on X Thursday (May 29), the singer-songwriter — who attended the match two days prior to support the Indiana Pacers with his girlfriend, producer Kristin Kehrberg — wrote that he was “embarrassed when somebody, under whose direction I don’t know, called out some of the people who had made the trip from New York to support their team.”
“The audience booed these people,” he continued. “I’d say that was not Hoosier Hospitality. One could only say it’s poor, poor sportsmanship. I was not proud to be a Hoosier, and I’ve lived here my entire life.”
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Though Mellencamp didn’t mention Pat McAfee by name, the rocker was likely referring to the moment at Game 4 when the sports commentator rallied the crowd at Gainsbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis by saying over the speakers, “We got some big wigs from the big city in the building: Spike Lee is here. Ben Stiller is here. Timothée Chalamet is here. Let’s send these sons of b—-es back to New York!”
The Night at the Museum actor would later call the moment “weird” on X, adding, “We were happy to be there and cheer our team and other than that Indy fans were awesome.”
McAfee later explained on the platform, “They asked me to do that in the fourth quarter and I wasn’t gonna say no,” after which Stiller extended an olive branch by replying, “Come to game 5 Pat!!”
But Mellencamp isn’t letting what happened slide. “On behalf of most Hoosiers, I would like to apologize for our poor behavior,” he concluded in his note. “I’m sure the Pacers had nothing to do with this smackdown.”
Game 4 would ultimately end with the Pacers defeating the Knicks 130-121, putting the Indiana team at a 3-1 series lead. The next game will take place Thursday night at Madison Square Garden, aka the New York City hoopers’ home turf.
Chris Stapleton is known for his unmistakable, thousand-watt voice and singing searing songs such as “You Should Probably Leave” and “White Horse,” but it turns out the guy with the burly vocals is also pretty sentimental.
During an interview with actor Josh Brolin as part of Billboard‘s 2025 Country Power Players cover story, Stapleton took Brolin into the space where he keeps a massive collection of guitars. While Stapleton does show some impressive axes such as a guitar that once belonged to Waylon Jennings (a gift to Stapleton from his wife and fellow musician, Morgane), he pulls out another guitar in his collection to show to Brolin — one he considers irreplaceable.
“This is the guitar that I bought when I moved to town, when I moved to Nashville,” Stapleton said, removing a well-used, scratched up acoustic guitar from its case.
“If I had to walk out of here with one thing, it would be this,” Stapleton said. “All the other stuff, I would be sad about a lot of it, but whatever I’ve done, whatever I’ve made, has pretty much been built on this thing. I would say 90% of the things I’ve written in my life has been on this guitar.”
That’s quite the statement, considering that not only has Stapleton written hits recorded by himself, but also hits recorded by artists including Josh Turner, Kenny Chesney and George Strait.
“It’s not precious in a collector way to anybody because it was in a flood at some point,” Stapleton said. “There’s mud inside it, somebody used it as a canoe paddle, there’s a million crack repairs. Yeah, if I were to walk out of here with one thing, if you want to know what’s the most important thing, it’s probably this.”
Elsewhere in the wide-ranging interview, Stapleton discusses the importance of family, the origins of his friendship with Brolin, and the actor even discovers how Stapleton likes his Hattie B’s Hot Chicken order.
Watch the full video interview between Stapleton and Brolin above.
The Contenders is a midweek column that looks at artists aiming for the top of the Billboard charts, and the strategies behind their efforts. This week, for the upcoming Billboard Hot 100 dated June 7, we look at the chances of Morgan Wallen and Tate McRae’s star-powered duet to continue its reign on the chart.
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Morgan Wallen feat. Tate McRae, “What I Want” (Mercury/Big Loud/Republic): The combined star power of country superpower Morgan Wallen and rising pop phenom Tate McRae helped boost “What I Want” to being not just the highest-ranking of Wallen’s record-breaking 37 tracks on the Hot 100 last week, but the No. 1 song period – Wallen’s fourth and McRae’s first. The debut came on the back of 31.2 million official streams, according to Luminate, allowing it to bow atop the Streaming Songs chart and making up for its relative lack of radio presence as a new song.
That streaming presence should still be very pronounced in its second week, as the song continues to reign on the Spotify Daily Top Songs USA chart and the Apple Music real-time chart. And the song is already starting to make a radio impact: After debuting at Nos. 32 and 38 on Adult Pop Airplay and Pop Airplay, respectively, on this week’s charts (dated May 31), it’s pushing toward the top 25 on both. (On Country Airplay, it debuted at No. 55 this week but looks likely to fall off next week – granted it’s being promoted so far only to pop and adult formats.)
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If the song can hold for a second week, it will become the first multi-week Hot 100 No. 1 from I’m the Problem, pulling past the one-week No. 1 “Love Somebody,” which topped the chart last November. (It would still have another 14 weeks to go to tie the longest-reigning single from prior album One Thing at a Time, the 16-week No. 1 “Last Night” in 2023.)
Alex Warren, “Ordinary” (Atlantic): If not for Morgan Wallen’s I’m the Problem album debut, we might be talking about Alex Warren celebrating his first Hot 100 No. 1 single this week. After multiple frames of being at stuck at No. 2 behind Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s “Luther,” “Ordinary” finally moves ahead of that 13-week No. 1 – but still only ranks at No. 4 on this week’s chart, after falling behind three tracks from I’m the Problem.
Nevertheless, “Ordinary” should remain a strong contender for the top spot. It still ranks towards the top of the major streaming charts, and after reaching the Radio Songs top 10 this week, the song is now aiming for the top five; it’s up 16% in audience May 23-26 over the previous building week. It’s also challenging for No. 1 next week on Adult Pop Airplay, and could come for the crown on Pop Airplay not long after.
Meanwhile, Warren has a new song out in the Jelly Roll collab “Bloodline,” which should also be headed for a strong Hot 100 debut. But as shown with the success of recent artists like Teddy Swims and Benson Boone, having simultaneous follow-up hits can be more helpful than harmful to the original hits these days, so “Bloodline” doing well might boost “Ordinary” in its pursuit of the top spot.
Morgan Wallen, “Just in Case” and “I’m the Problem” (Mercury/Big Loud/Republic): Morgan Wallen will still be seeing an awful lot of himself in the rearview mirror, as his solo songs that rank at No. 2 and 3 on the Hot 100 this week — “Just in Case” and “I’m the Problem,” respectively – should remain big factors on the chart next week as well. Though the two songs rank behind “What I Want” on DSPs, they still have the head start on radio: “Just in Case” continues climbing Country Airplay, though it could be still outside the top 10 next week, after rising to a new No. 13 high this week. Meanwhile, “I’m the Problem” has ruled Country Airplay for six weeks already, and could be on pace for a seventh week at No. 1.
If one of these other I’m the Problem tracks is able to pass “What I Want” on next week’s Hot 100, Wallen would replace himself on top for the first time in his career – becoming the first artist to do so since… Kendrick Lamar just a couple months ago, after a Super Bowl-rebounded “Not Like Us” gave way to “Luther” and its months-long reign.
Jack Black’s “Steve’s Lava Chicken” — the shortest song ever to make the Billboard Hot 100 — adds another chart feat as the A Minecraft Movie song debuts at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Movie Songs chart, powered by Tunefind (a Songtradr company), for April.
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Rankings for the Top Movie Songs chart are based on song and film data provided by Tunefind and ranked using a formula blending that data with sales and streaming information tracked by Luminate during the corresponding period of April. The ranking includes newly released films from the preceding three months.
“Steve’s Lava Chicken” reaches No. 1 following its first month of tracking for Top Movie Songs; A Minecraft Movie debuted in theaters on April 4.
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The song earned 20.1 million official on-demand U.S. streams and sold 3,000 downloads in April, according to Luminate. That led “Steve’s Lava Chicken” to debut at No. 78 on the Hot 100 dated May 3, making it the ranking’s shortest song ever at 34 seconds (a longer, albeit less popular version is one minute and 15 seconds).
“Steve’s Lava Chicken” reigns over a trio of holdovers from the chart’s previous iteration, paced by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” from The Electric State (No. 2; 14.6 million streams, 1,000 downloads) and followed by Chappell Roan’s “Casual” from Novocaine (No. 3; 13.8 million streams) and Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ “Spitting Off the Edge of the World” from The Gorge (No. 4; 2.4 million streams, 1,000 downloads).
The next highest debut is courtesy of Rod Wave’s “Sinners,” from the movie of the same name, released April 18. Wave’s track bows at No. 5 via 14.3 million streams and 1,000 downloads.
More Sinners activity is possible upon the May chart, the movie’s first full month of tracking for the survey. The soundtrack debuted at No. 133 on the Billboard 200 dated May 10.
Eric Prydz‘s 2004 hit “Call On Me” also starts at No. 7 via a synch in Warfare, garnering 2.6 million streams and 1,000 downloads in April. Prydz’s track concurrently returned to Billboard charts via the Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales list in late April, bowing at No. 5. It peaked at the same position on Dance/Mix Show Airplay in 2004.
See the full top 10, which also features music from Snow White and Holland, below.
Rank, Song, Artist, Movie
“Steve’s Lava Chicken,” Jack Black, A Minecraft Movie
“Mary Jane’s Last Dance,” Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, The Electric State
“Casual,” Chappell Roan, Novocaine
“Spitting Off the Edge of the World,” Yeah Yeah Yeahs feat. Perfume Genius, The Gorge
“Sinners,” Rod Wave, Sinners
“Good Things Grow,” Snow White Cast, Snow White
“Call On Me,” Eric Prydz, Warfare
“Mother,” Danzig, The Electric State
“Party Up,” DMX, Holland
“(All Along the) Watchtower,” Devlin, The Gorge
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.
Disney fans, get excited. ColourPop just dropped its latest collaboration, and it’s Lilo & Stitch themed.
Released just in time for the 2025 live-action film adaptation, this collection features seven pieces of tropical-inspired makeup including glitzy eye shadow pallets, ultra-glossy lip glosses and unique pH-changing blushes that are sure to make your looks this summer pop.
Pricing for the collection ranges from $12 to $95 depending on if you snag a product bundle or not. If you’re looking to change up your makeup routine or are just a fan of the film franchise, this collection is right for you. With so much to pick from, we’re breaking down each product, giving you the in-depth scoop on every Stitch-inspired piece.
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Beach Dreamin’ Eyeshadow Pallet
A colorful “Lilo & Stitch” inspired eye shadow palette with 12 shadows.
The Beach Dreamin’ eyeshadow palette is a maximalist’s dream, equipped with 12 vibrant shades that’ll have you creating a million different eye-catching looks each time. These shadows are buildable and pack a punch of color, coming in clutch with matte, shimmer and pearlescent glitter finishes. The formula is built to last and is practically immune to creasing, a specialty of all of ColourPop’s pressed shadow formulas. While you can certainly dream up a few neutral-ish looks from this palette, this product is more for those adventurous makeup lovers.
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Crowd Favorite pH Colour-Changing Blush
A blush that changes to the pH of your skin.
Don’t let the look of this product fool you. It’s a blush, and a unique one at that. The Crowd Favorite utilizes a pH-changing formula that works with the pH and the warmth of your skin to create a unique pink shade for you. This blush is universally flattering for that reason. Just use your fingers or a brush to apply to the apples of your cheeks and watch the color change right before your eyes. It’s like magic — or at least we’d like to believe it is.
Keepin’ It Sweet Ultra Glossy Lip Set
A set of three lip glosses in a popsicle-inspired package.
These Keepin’ It Sweet Ultra Glossy glosses give the effect of just having sucked on an ice-cold popsicle, leaving your lips shiny and stained. We recommend the set because you’re getting three products for a value at $33 — that’s $11 per gloss.
This set features three berry-esque shades, including Experiment 626, Super Sweet and Surfer Vibes. Each shade also includes its own special flavor. Experiment 626 is a passion fruit flavor, while Super Sweet tastes like a freshly plucked coconut. Finally, Surfer Vibes is a guava flavor. These glosses are formulated with hyaluronic acid, an ingredient that works to help give you a hydrated pout every time.
Ohana Luminous Highlighter
A colorful highlighter with swirled pigments that look good on all skin types.
Who doesn’t want a beachy glow without stepping foot in the sun? I know we do. ColourPop’s Ohana Luminous Highlighter is a universal highlighter that works on pretty much all skin tones. This highlighter features a tie-dye effect in the pan that evokes tropical seaside views. Don’t let the vibrant hues scare you, though. Once you swirl your brush through the product, the pigments and shimmers combine to create a blinding shine every time. For our natural girlies, this product is buildable and ultra-creamy, melting into the skin for a more subtle finish.
Cute and Feisty Shadow Stix Duo
A duo eyeshadow stick in an aqua and purple-pink hues.
These eyeshadow sticks are a breeze to apply, and they’re cute to boot. Retailing for $16, this Cute and Feisty Shadow Stix Duo features two wind-up shadow sticks in shades Alien Vibes, a soft aqua blue; and He’s All Yours, a pink hue. Both shades are seemingly meant to replicate Stitch’s coloring, a sweet touch for those die-hard fans.
These sticks are ultra-creamy, gliding on the eyes without snagging. They also feature a whimsical duo-chrome shift that shifts and shimmers as you move. The built-in sharpener also ensures you get sharp lines every time. Just swipe on, blend with your fingers and boom, you’ve got an impactful eye look without breaking a sweat. No brushes required.
Disney Lilo and Stitch Collection Set
The full collaborative collection.
Can’t choose just one product? Not to fret. ColourPop has bundled the full collection, allowing fans of the franchise to experience each product for just $95. From lip glosses to blush and an eye shadow palette, the bundle is a one-stop shop for every step in your routine. You can certainly create some colorful looks with all of these products in your arsenal. While there are a few bundles in this collab to pick from, this one is a great value, especially considering you get the full collection.
