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17 Apr 2023

Miley Cyrus Holds Atop Billboard Global Charts, Drake, Peso Pluma & Fifty Fifty Highlight Top 10 Moves

Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” remains the biggest song in the world, as it notches a 12th week at No. 1 on both the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts (dated April 22).

Plus, Drake’s “Search & Rescue” debuts at No. 2 on the Global 200 and Peso Pluma reaches the top five of both tallies for the first time – with two hits: “Ella Baila Sola,” with Eslabon Armado, and “La Bebe,” with Yng Lvcas, as Eslabon Armado and Yng Lvcas also achieve initial top five hits.

Additionally, South Korea’s Fifty Fifty enters the Global Excl. U.S. top 10 as its breakthrough hit “Cupid” shoots 22-9.

The Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. surveys, which began in September 2020, rank songs based on streaming and sales activity culled from more than 200 territories around the world, as compiled by Luminate. The Global 200 is inclusive of worldwide data and the Global Excl. U.S. chart comprises data from territories excluding the United States.

Chart ranks are based on a weighted formula incorporating official-only streams on both subscription and ad-supported tiers of audio and video music services, as well as download sales, the latter of which reflect purchases from full-service digital music retailers from around the world, with sales from direct-to-consumer (D2C) sites excluded from the charts’ calculations.

‘Flowers’ Leads, ‘Search’ Lights Up Global 200

Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” adds a 12th week at No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200, with 75.5 million streams (down 9%) and 18,000 sold (down 6%) worldwide April 7-13. It breaks out of a tie with The Kid LAROI and Justin Bieber’s “Stay” (11 weeks at No. 1, 2021) for the third-longest command since the chart began, after only Harry Styles’ “As It Was” (15 weeks, 2022) and Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” (13 weeks, 2020-23).

Drake’s “Search & Rescue” surges onto the Global 200 at No. 2. After it arrived April 7 (a day after he announced the song’s pending release), it begins with 52.2 million streams and 4,000 sold worldwide through April 13.

Drake claims his 28th Global 200 top 10, twice more than runner-up Taylor Swift’s total (14) since the survey started.

Peso Pluma jumps to the Global 200’s top five for the first time – with two songs: “Ella Baila Sola,” with Eslabon Armado, bounds 9-3, powered by its 17% gain to 74.5 million streams worldwide, and “La Bebe,” with Yng Lvcas, climbs 7-4, up 4% to 71.5 million global streams.

Along with Peso Pluma, from Mexico, quartet Eslabon Armado (from California) and Yng Lvcas (also from Mexico) likewise achieve initial top five Global 200 hits.

Rounding out the Global 200’s top five, The Weeknd and Ariana Grande’s “Die for You” dips 3-5, after reaching No. 2.

Cyrus Reigns, Peso Pluma, Fifty Fifty Fly on Global Excl. U.S.

As on the Global 200, Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” posts a 12th week at No. 1 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart, with 58.2 million streams (down 10%) and 10,000 sold (down 2%) outside the U.S. April 7-13. The song is now within one week of Harry Styles’ record 13-frame rule with “As It Was” since the list began.

Also as on the Global 200, Peso Pluma roars to the Global Excl. U.S. top five with two tracks: “La Bebe,” with Yng Lvcas (7-2; 54.2 million streams, up 2%, outside the U.S.), and “Ella Baila Sola,” with Eslabon Armado (8-5; 51.8 million streams, up 12%, outside the U.S.) All three acts rank in the Global Excl. U.S. top five for the first time.

The Weeknd and Ariana Grande’s “Die for You” rebounds to its No. 3 best, from No. 5, on Global Excl. U.S. and Karol G and Shakira’s “TQG” holds at No. 4, after it led for a week in March upon its debut.

Elsewhere in the Global Excl. U.S. top bracket, Fifty Fifty hits the top 10 for the first time as its breakthrough hit “Cupid” pierces the region with a 22-9 vault, up 35% to 40.2 million streams and 13% to 1,000 sold outside the U.S.

The four-piece – Aran, Keena, Saena and Sio – is the seventh K-pop group to have reached the Global Excl. U.S. top 10, joining BTS (10 top 10s), BLACKPINK (four), IVE, NewJeans, TWICE (two each) and BIGBANG (one).

The Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts (dated April 22, 2023) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (April 18). For both charts, the top 100 titles are available to all readers on Billboard.com, while the complete 200-title rankings are visible on Billboard Pro, Billboard’s subscription-based service. For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.

17 Apr 2023

Judy Collins, Shelly Peiken & More Honored at 2023 She Rocks Awards

Judy Collins, Shelly Peiken, Noelle Scaggs and more were honored at the 2023 She Rocks Awards, which were held at The Ranch in Anaheim, Calif. on Thursday (April 13).

The 11th annual event, sponsored by The Women’s International Music Network (the WiMN), honored the accomplishments of a diverse group of women representing all facets of the music industry.

The event kicked off with a set from Toronto-based band The Beaches. The all-woman quartet won their second Juno Award, rock album of the year, last year for Sisters Not Twins (The Professional Lovers Album).

Laura Whitmore, founder of the Women’s International Music Network and She Rocks co-producer, welcomed those in attendance.

The night proceeded with Legend Award honoree Collins, who quoted Mae West in her acceptance speech and lead the audience in an a cappella rendition of her 1971 hit “Amazing Grace.” Collins has a 59-year span of Grammy nominations. She was nominated for best folk recording in 1964 for her third studio album, Judy Collins #3, and was nominated again last year for best folk album for Spellbound, her 55th album. She won a 1968 Grammy for her hit rendition of Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now.”

Dreaming Out Loud honoree Peiken encouraged the crowd “to not be afraid to grow up.” Peiken is a two-time Grammy nominee, for co-writing Meredith Brooks’ 1997 smash “Bitch” and for best spoken word album for Confessions of a Serial Songwriter.

“I’m just finding my time at this point in my career,” Peiken said. “And there are many more adventures ahead. It’s truly an honor to be in the company of giants past, present and future.”

Powerhouse honoree Scaggs of Fitz & the Tantrums spoke of her inspiration for starting the organization Diversify the Stage (DTS). “I wanted young people to feel like they had a place in the industry,” said Scaggs. “It’s incredible to see our community standing up in ways I never got to see growing up; women are in greater positions of power to build new ways of thinking and actions that are truly moving the needle and bringing confidence to young people who may have felt they didn’t have a place here, or that the glass ceiling could never be broken. It’s important that young people see their reflections in this industry, to have people who share their identities, who have a familiar journey, this is what the DTS mission is, ensuring no human will ever feel dis-included in this space, because they see their reflections, in front and behind the scenes.”

Champion Award honoree, Stacey Ryan, COO of the School of Rock, spoke about the work needed to elevate more women into executive positions, and the importance of organizations like the Women’s International Music Network for mentoring young, up-and-coming women in the music industry. Her award acceptance was followed by an all-female School of Rock Band performing En Vogue’s 1992 smash “Free Your Mind.”

The night culminated with a performance from guitarist Gretchen Menn, She Rocks Inspire Award recipient, who led her band in an original song followed by a rendition of Led Zeppelin’s 1972 classic “Rock and Roll” with fellow Zepparella member Holly West on bass and lead vocals helmed by guest Laura Clapp.

Founded in 2012, the Women’s International Music Network unites women who work within all facets of the music and audio industries. The organization produces the She Rocks podcast, the LIVE: Front & Center web series, WiMN She Rocks Spotlight Showcase Series and the She Rocks Awards, and is founded by music industry veteran Laura B. Whitmore. For more information, go here.

Here’s a complete list of 2023 She Rocks Awards honorees:

Legend Award: Judy Collins, singer/songwriter icon; Grammy-winner and two-time Grammy Hall of Fame inductee

Powerhouse Award: Noelle Scaggs, co-frontperson for Fitz and the Tantrums and founder of Diversify the Stage

Dreaming Out Loud Award: Shelly Peiken, Grammy-nominated songwriter

Tone Setter Award: Mary Spender – guitarist, singer, songwriter and YouTube star

Mad Skills Award: Michelle Bell – vp of creative for Roc Nation

Vision Award: Lisa S. Johnson, photographer and author of 108 Rock Star Guitars and Immortal Axes

Groundbreaker Award: Katherine Wing, vp of marketing for Roland, drummer

Champion Award: Stacey Ryan, chief operating officer for School of Rock

Excellence Award: Helen Culleton, chief operating officer for Audiotonix

Inspire Award: Gretchen Menn, guitarist and founding member of Zepparella

Heart and Soul: Brad Tolinski, former Guitar World editor and author

17 Apr 2023

LMYK Talks New Jam & Lewis-Produced Album ‘DESSERTS,’ How Opposites Inspired the Project: Interview

LMYK is a singer-songwriter who debuted in November 2020, and her music has touched listeners around the world via anime works after being featured as the ending themes of Vinland Saga, The Case Study of Vanitas and other series. Two years and four months after her debut, the enigmatic artist — LMYK are the initials of her real name, but that’s about all we know of her profile — has finally completed her first album, a collection of 12 tracks that expresses her thoughts on life and death, joy and pain and other concepts that she has contemplated in the years since she was a child, given shape as if guided by sounds.

This project, called DESSERTS, was produced by Jam & Lewis, the producer team famous for their collaborations with numerous superstars including Janet Jackson, Mariah Carey and Hikaru Utada. Although the tracks included on the set are pop songs, they’re distinctive in that they were created using methods different from those commonly used in commercial music, and are precious musical works that carry listeners out to the sea of the mind and thoughts that people aren’t usually aware of. In this interview, writer Yukako Yajima spoke with LMYK on behalf of Billboard Japan about the inspirations and themes of her debut project.

Now that you’ve completed your first album, what do you think underlies these twelve tracks? In other words, what is fundamentally important to you in making music, or what’s the essence of LMYK that naturally overflows into the music you make?

Being alive. Questioning that. I think I’m always aware of the transience of time. Questioning being alive, and transience. Those things naturally go into my music. I also like humor. Maybe it’s because I’m originally from the Kansai area (where there is a long-standing culture of stand-up and other forms of comedy). [Laughs]

Your sense of fun can be felt throughout the album in a balanced way. I see what you mean about “questioning being alive.” We look within ourselves and at others, and by observing others, we understand ourselves again. I thought that kind of cycle was being depicted in each of the twelve songs. That sense of understanding oneself because others exist, is it something you’re strongly aware of? 

There is a dual relationship  between “you” and “I”. There are aspects that we share that are exactly the same, and those that are unique to each individual. “Separated” and “connected,” I feel both. Even if we’re physically separated, we are fundamentally the same and feel connected. We can’t see it, we can’t imagine it, we don’t know it… It’s a mystery.

I get the impression that your music uses sounds to delicately express things like emotions and the natural order of the world that we humans don’t understand, things that we haven’t yet been able to put into words or that science hasn’t yet been able to prove. Is expressing such things important to you?

I think the sounds probably take me there naturally. When you play sounds, it’s a different world, isn’t it? The sounds take you to places that you can’t put into words, or to places that exist at the root of existence. Maybe it’s a place where thought can’t catch up. Language “solidifies” things. So it’s like being in between thoughts. When you play sounds, you naturally go there.

The sense of being able to connect through sounds to feelings, phenomena, something like the root of existence, before it becomes thought or language. How about what you said before about the transience of time, why do you think that’s one of your central themes?

It makes me think about life and death. The fragility of human beings. It’s hard to tell if humans are strong or weak. They have both sides. They’re fragile, but also powerful and resilient. The passage of time also feels different depending on what you’re doing, doesn’t it?

It sure does. Is there a reason why you began thinking about the passage of time and life and death in this way?

I lost my mother when I was 18. It was a huge shock at the time. Death is perceived differently depending on how important a person is to you, but when you lose something absolutely irreplaceable, you lose a part of yourself as well. That’s how big the impact is and it really shakes us up.

So that was one of your major motivators in making music.

Yes. I started making more music a few years after that, so I think maybe it’s related. It could be all the stuff that I had pent up inside.

Your music also feels like it brings down something from another world that’s not our reality. For example, in “Sorakara” you sing about something “falling from the sky (sora kara furu).”

That’s the earliest song on the album, from around 2017. The title means “from the sky,” and it’s about a region on the far side of the sky that we don’t understand or the other side of life. The feeling of being connected to those things but also not understanding them. I don’t understand exactly what I meant by “sora kara furu” either, but it felt right. When I create a piece of music, it’s a combination of parts that clearly make sense to me and parts that are more abstract.

Do you remember what you were thinking five or six years ago　when writing “Sorakara”?

Looking back objectively now, I think I was acting tough. There are lyrics in the song where I say “I know,” “I don’t need it” and “I have no complaints.” The words came naturally from me at the time, but when I read them later, I think I was trying to be strong. But that’s also typical of me.

Chronologically, “Weak” is also an earlier song, but would you say it expresses something exactly the opposite?

Yes, “Weak” is really honest. It admits my own weakness without any hesitation. But there’s also the question, “Is it OK to be weak and to need your love?”

The philosophy expressed in your songs often feels like it hits the truth. “Sorakara” is one and the bridge of “Little bit lonely” is another.

What is expressed in the lyrics of my music is something I think about all the time. Where does human suffering come from? Why do we suffer? What’s the difference between “suffering” and “having a hard time” and “feeling exhausted”? Human suffering can lead to one choosing to take its own life — the emotions behind behavior and where those emotions come from are things that interest me.

Which is closest to the sense you have when you make music: do you write songs from your own conclusions, or do you use sounds to express what’s going through your mind, or is it about wanting to affirm someone?

Now that you mention those three… I feel all of them while I’m working. Because when you affirm yourself, you’re also affirming others. I often write while thinking about people who are important to me, and I write music about things that I think I’ll never come to a conclusion about, and things that I feel but can’t put into words. I also write about things that I think I’ve come to a conclusion about, but it might not really be a conclusion. I guess I do what I do because I think maybe someone else will feel the same way as me when I find an answer to something that doesn’t need an answer.

So the thoughts and feelings you have are expressed not only in the lyrics but also in the music itself. As you mentioned at the beginning, that’s probably because sounds connect to your unconscious and you select the notes that inspire you. Do you usually start writing your songs sound first?

I have a notebook where I write down lyrics, and usually start from a lyrical idea or concept. 

When I make a track, I often look for sounds or create from sounds I like. I get inspired by what resonates with me and what I like, by using plug-ins and changing effects.

After making the track, I go, “Those lyrics I wrote before fits this track” and combine them.

You took your demos for this album to L.A. to complete them, right?

I went to L.A. for two weeks in April and two in June last year. I have fond memories of working with Jimmy (Jam) and Terry (Lewis) to finish up the demos I brought with me. The songs were brought close to completion all at once there.

For example in “Smiley” and “Tendency,” you combine Japanese and English and even Korean to make rhymes. What was your inspiration for this?

I think there’s music I listened to as a child that’s become embedded in me with rhymes that feel good. I can’t give specific examples, but I used to listen to Hikaru Utada a lot, so I guess it’s the music she created as a bilingual singer that influenced me.

Why do you call this album DESSERTS?

DESSERTS represents the pleasures in life that alleviate the burden that comes with living as a finite being in spacetime. Alleviating that burden is what surviving means. In that process, emotions are born, like feelings of joy and sadness that we all share. I thought those emotions were honestly expressed on this album. And also, the questioning the root of those emotions that arise. So the emotions on the surface and the fundamental root of our existence that causes those emotions are expressed in all the songs on this project. When you read DESSERTS backwards, it’s “STRESSED,” so I wanted to communicate the relationship between pleasure and pain and how they are inextricably linked.

Your music feels to me like it overflows with zest for life. Could it be that this is because your desire to live comes across naturally in the music from the thought process you shared with us today?

I’m always overwhelmed by how beautiful the physical life is through my five sense despite the pain that comes with it, so that probably comes across. I feel both pain and beauty very strongly. I also feel beauty in the transience of finite things.

The things you can feel with your five senses are so fleeting. And if you don’t recognize them fully, they slip away.

Thoughts can go forward and backward. That’s also why humans can survive. We can write songs and create art with our imagination, and thinking ahead can prevent the risk of dying. For humans, it’s what’s called “a gift and a curse” in English. Both a strength and a weakness.

The album DESSERTS that expresses what you shared with us today will probably be an important and tangible part of your life going forward. I’m sure listeners will also find it valuable, and the more I hear you talk about it, the more I feel glad that you’re making music.

I also feel glad that I came across the act of making music. This album is filled with what I honestly wanted to express at various moments in the past five years. It contains parts of me that probably won’t change in the future, and also things that I could only feel at that moment in time. Everything that I felt at the time is valuable to me. There are lots of songs that I wrote over the past five years that aren’t included in this album, so I’d like to finish those, too. I’m looking forward to releasing more music.

–This interview by Yukako Yajima first appeared on Billboard Japan

17 Apr 2023

Here Is the Lyric Translation to Bad Bunny & Grupo Frontera’s ‘un x100to’

When two ‘perfect worlds’ join forces, a new heartbreak anthem gets delivered. On Monday (April 17), Grupo Frontera and Bad Bunny officially dropped “un x100to” (one percent) after Benito showed off his cumbia-dancing skills on his TikTok account before a surprise announcement posted on Sunday (April 16) afternoon.

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Produced and composed by Latin hitmaker Edgar Barrer, the romantic cumbia-norteño — backed by the captivating percussion and an accordion melody, and Grupo Frontera’s signature tunes — narrates the story of a person who misses their ex and makes a phone call with one percent of battery left on their phone.

Below, read the full lyrics translated into English.

I have 1% left
And I’ll use it to tell you how sorry I am.
That if they see me with another at a club, I’m just wasting time
Baby, why am I lying to you?
That they saw me happy is not true

nothing makes me laugh anymore
Only when I see the photos and videos I have of you
I went out with another to forget you, and she had the perfume that you like
I light it up to go to sleep
Because I sleep better if I dream that you are here
If you knew that I wrote to you
I have not sent the messages, they are all still there
Wow, how much it has cost me
Maybe I did you a favor when I left your side
Drunk looking at your photos. It hurts to see that you have improved
You don’t have gray days, and the scars no longer hurt
And I am thinking whether to tell you that

I have 1% left
And I’ll use it to tell you how sorry I am.
That if they see me with another at a club, I’m just wasting time
Baby, why am I lying to you?
That they saw me happy is not true, (hey)

I haven’t thought about you in a long time
Drunk, your Insta I checked
Baby, I already know that you are doing well
That you don’t have to know about me, hey, hey
Living in a hell that I set on fire myself
Playing with you as if it were the ten
I feel that I am no longer in your heart, now I am at your feet’
Begging you, drowning in tequila
The boys’ are asking me out
I have a good time, but I always end up missing you
Drowning in tequila, hey
‘Las morritas’ texting me, hey
Where is the peda today, but

I have 1% left
And I’ll use it to tell you how sorry I am.
That if they see me with another at a club, I’m just wasting time
Baby, why am I lying to you?
That they saw me happy is not true, (hey)

And this is Grupo Frontera
And the ‘compa’ Bad Bunny

17 Apr 2023

Morgan Wallen No. 1 on Hot 100, Drake Debuts, Eslabon Armado & Peso Pluma Bring Regional Mexican to Top 10

Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” leads a busy Billboard Hot 100 top 10, adding a third nonconsecutive week atop the chart. It first ruled last month, marking the country singer-songwriter’s initial No. 1.

The song is from Wallen’s LP One Thing at a Time, which notches a sixth week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart.

Elsewhere in the Hot 100’s top tier, Drake’s “Search & Rescue” launches at No. 2. It marks the superstar’s record-extending 68th top 10.

Plus, Eslabon Armado and Peso Pluma log a historic Hot 100 top 10 with “Ella Baila Sola”: Their first top 10 each is also the first regional Mexican top 10 in the chart’s 64-year history.

The Hot 100 blends all-genre U.S. streaming (official audio and official video), radio airplay and sales data. All charts (dated April 22, 2023) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (April 18). For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

Wallen’s “Last Night,” released on Big Loud/Mercury/Republic Records, drew 36.6 million streams (up 4%) and 34.5 million radio airplay audience impressions (up 16%, good for the chart’s top Airplay Gainer award for a second consecutive week) and sold 10,000 downloads (up 6%) in the April 7-13 tracking week, according to Luminate.

The track falls to No. 2 on the all-genre Streaming Songs chart, after five weeks at No. 1; holds at No. 3 on Digital Song Sales, following at the summit; and ascends 21-17 on Radio Songs. A multi-format radio hit, it pushes to No. 13 on the Country Airplay chart, No. 20 on Pop Airplay and No. 21 on Adult Pop Airplay and debuts at No. 27 on Adult Contemporary.

“Last Night” concurrently leads the Hot Country Songs chart, which uses the same methodology as the Hot 100, for a 10th week. It became just the 20th song to have topped both lists – and the first by a solo male unaccompanied by any other acts since Eddie Rabbitt’s “I Love a Rainy Night” ruled Hot Country Songs for a week and the Hot 100 for two weeks in 1981.

As “Last Night” has now ruled Hot Country Songs for 10 weeks and the Hot 100 for three, it’s the first song among those that have topped both charts with that many weeks atop that pair of tallies since Taylor Swift’s “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” also ran up 10 and three weeks at No. 1, respectively, in 2012-13.

Drake’s “Search & Rescue” bounds onto the Hot 100 at No. 4. After it premiered April 7 (a day after he announced the song’s pending release), it begins with 33.8 million streams, 6.9 million in radio airplay audience and 3,600 sold through April 13.

The track opens at No. 1 on Streaming Songs, becoming Drake’s record-furthering 16th leader. (While the song’s sum of raw streams is the week’s second highest, after Wallen’s “Last Night,” “Search & Rescue” tops the chart due to the application of weighting to all titles’ paid/subscription and ad-supported on-demand streams and programmed/radio streams.)

Drake posts his record-extending 68th Hot 100 top 10, and first of 2023.

Most Billboard Hot 100 Top 10s:

  • 68, Drake
  • 40, Taylor Swift
  • 38, Madonna
  • 34, The Beatles
  • 32, Rihanna
  • 30, Michael Jackson
  • 29, Elton John
  • 28, Mariah Carey
  • 28, Stevie Wonder
  • 27, Janet Jackson

“Search & Rescue” is also Drake’s record-padding 35th top five Hot 100 hit (distancing himself further from runners-up The Beatles’ 29); his 174th top 40 hit (ahead of Taylor Swift, second with 105); and his 294th entry overall (with the Glee Cast second with 207). (He adds his 20th top two hit; The Beatles and Mariah Carey lead with 23 each.)

The track concurrently crowns the multi-metric Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Songs charts upon its debut, marking Drake’s record-extending 27th and 28th No. 1s on the surveys.

We did some re-‘search’: “Search & Rescue” is the highest-charting Hot 100 hit with “search” in its title, surpassing Survivor’s No. 4-peaking love song “The Search Is Over” in 1985. (Honorable mention to the No. 3 classic “Love Potion Number Nine,” in 1965, by The Searchers.) Drake’s new hit is also the highest charting with “rescue” in its name. It bests The Rolling Stones’ “Emotional Rescue” (No. 3, 1980), followed by “Rescue Me” by Fontella Bass (No. 4, 1965).

Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” keeps at No. 3 on the Hot 100, after eight weeks at No. 1, beginning upon its debut in January. It claims a ninth week atop Radio Songs (93.5 million in audience, down 9%).

SZA’s “Kill Bill” retreats to No. 4 on the Hot 100, from No. 2, where it has spent eight weeks at its highpoint. It also dominates the multi-metric Hot R&B Songs charts for a 17th week. (Its new remix featuring Doja Cat arrived Friday, April 14, and will begin contributing to next week’s charts [dated April 29], with all versions of the song rolling up into one chart listing.)

Metro Boomin, The Weeknd and 21 Savage’s “Creepin’ ” dips 4-5 on the Hot 100, after hitting No. 3, and Rema and Selena Gomez’s “Calm Down” climbs 7-6 for a new high. The latter tops the Billboard U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart for a 33rd week, extending the longest rule since the ranking began a year ago (in partnership with music festival and global brand Afro Nation).

The Weeknd and Ariana Grande’s “Die for You” drops 5-7 on the Hot 100, following a week at No. 1 in March, and PinkPantheress and Ice Spice’s “Boy’s a Liar, Pt. 2” slips 6-8, after reaching No. 3. Still, the latter becomes each act’s first top 10 on Radio Songs (14-10; 40.9 million, up 3%).

Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero” descends 8-9 on the Hot 100, following a personal-best eight weeks at No. 1 in November-January. It has now spent 24 weeks in the top 10 – equaling Swift’s longest stay in the region, first set by “Shake It Off” in 2014-15. Next up, her “Blank Space” totaled 17 weeks in the top 10, also in 2014-15, followed by “I Knew You Were Trouble.” (16 weeks, 2012-13) and “You Belong With Me” (16, 2009).

Rounding out the Hot 100’s top 10, Eslabon Armado and Peso Pluma’s “Ella Baila Sola” soars 17-10, led by 24.4 million streams, up 30%, as it wins the Hot 100’s top Streaming Gainer trophy, and jumps 6-3 on Streaming Songs.

Quartet Eslabon Armado, from California, and Peso Pluma, from Mexico, each reach the Hot 100’s top for the first time – as “Ella Baila Sola” makes history as the first regional Mexican song ever to hit the Hot 100’s top 10. The genre has surged this decade, thanks in part to exposure on TikTok and other social media, with Gera MX and Christian Nodal’s “Botella Tras Botella” having become the first regional Mexican Hot 100 hit in May 2021, peaking at No. 60.

After “Ella Baila Sola,” Peso Pluma also has the second-highest-charting regional Mexican Hot 100 hit: “La Bebe,” with Yng Lvcas, rises to a new No. 17 best on the latest, April 22-dated chart. The next-highest-peaking such hits: Yahritza y Su Esencia’s “Soy El Unico” (No. 20, April 2022 – it debuted at that rank, the highest entrance for a regional Mexican song) and Fuerza Regida and Grupo Frontera’s “Bebe Dame” (No. 25, this January).

Among Latin genres, regional Mexican’s arrival in the Hot 100’s top 10 follows that of Latin pop, which, after English-language hits by Gloria Estefan in the 1980s (plus Los Lobos’ “La Bamba,” in Spanish) surged in the late ‘90s and beyond thanks to songs (in varying degrees of English and Spanish) by Enrique Iglesias, Jennifer Lopez and Ricky Martin, among other stars. At the same time, Marc Anthony helped tropical break through on the chart. In more recent years, Daddy Yankee and Luis Fonsi’s pop-centered, mostly-Spanish-language “Despacito,” featuring Justin Bieber, spent a then-record-tying 16 weeks at No. 1 in 2017, while, this decade, Bad Bunny, with Spanish-language songs, has carried the torch for Latin rhythm in the top 10.

As for Latin music overall, Eslabon Armado and Peso Pluma earn the Hot 100’s third Spanish-language top 10 this year, following two Latin pop hits: Bizarrap and Shakira’s “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53” (No. 9, January) and Karol G and Shakira’s “TQG” (No. 7, March).

“Ella Baila Sola” was released on Prajin Parlay/DEL Records, both of which likewise appear in the Hot 100’s top 10 for the first time.

The collaboration concurrently achieves a second week at No. 1 on the multi-metric Hot Latin Songs chart, where it became the first leader for both Eslabon Armado and Peso Pluma. “We didn’t expect for the song to make so much noise!” Pedro Tovar, lead singer for the former act, and the song’s sole author, told Billboard upon its coronation. “I really liked the song when I first wrote it, but I didn’t really expect it to be such a big hit. I previewed it on my stories on Instagram and, two days after, it went viral on TikTok, and that’s when I knew that the song was going to do big numbers.”

“Normally I don’t expect to chart with songs,” Peso Pluma marveled. “We just enjoyed the process of doing it.”

Again, for all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram and all charts (dated April 22), including the Hot 100 in its entirety, will refresh on Billboard.com tomorrow (April 18).

Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.

17 Apr 2023

DannyLux Gets Hometown Support, Bad Bunny Makes History, Becky G Throws a Star Parade & More Memorable Latin Moments at Coachella 2023

More Spanish-language artists were featured last year at Coachella compared to this year. In 2022, over 20 Latin acts were on the lineup — the most ever featured at the festival — while this year’s number just cracked double digit. But those that were featured at the 2023 fest — including headliner Bad Bunny, Becky G, Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, Conexión Divina and DannyLux — performed enthralling, history-making sets during weekend one of the festival, and are set to do it all over again next weekend (April 21-23) in Indio, Calif.

Just days after the RIAA revealed that Latin music revenues in the United States had hit an all-time high last year, exceeding the $1 billion mark, global superstar Bad Bunny, who has massively contributed to the continuous growth of the genre, made history at Coachella on Friday (Apr. 14), becoming the first Latin act to close out the festival’s main stage. “Latinos have been rompiéndola (killing it) for some time now,” the Puerto Rican hitmaker said during his nearly two-hour show. “It’s the first time a Benito closes the festival. It may be the first time, but perhaps not the last time.”

That same day, just hours before Bad Bunny made history, Becky G rocked the main stage and paid tribute to her Mexican roots, spotlighting regional Mexican Music and its new generations of artists, which included special guests Marca MP, Jesús Ortiz Paz of Fuerza Regida and Peso Pluma.

Billboard tried to catch as many performances by Latin or Spanish-language artists as possible throughout the weekend. Here are some memorable moments from a few of those sets.

17 Apr 2023

Ozuna & Coors Light Team Up to Release ‘Chill Conmigo’: Watch

Ozuna and Coors Light join forces and kick off their newest campaign Ritmo Chill. In the spirit of the beer brand’s slogan “Made To Chill” — which is on par with Coors Light’s aesthetic of the Rocky Mountains — Ozuna heads towards the icy route but gives his newest song some heat with the tropical-laden single, “Chill Conmigo,” written and produced by the artist himself.

The visual follows the Puerto Rican-Dominican star in an office setting who’s ready to break free and go on a quest for chiller moments. So he climbs to the peak of the Rocky Mountains and discovers a loaded Coors Light cooler. “Yo solo busco un ambiente para vacilar con mi gente,” he sings against a joyous mix of Afrobeats and calypso pop. “I’m just looking for an environment to hang out with my people.” Then the scene transitions to the Ozuna enjoying himself at a spring break-styled pool party.

“Ritmo Chill is a musical program focused on helping consumers eliminate daily pressures by relaxing with good music and a cold Coors Light,” said consumer excellence senior manager, LatAm, Yaidi Clery in a statement. “The collab with Ozuna is a dream partnership because they both embody that spirit of taking things easy and letting go with good vibes. Just like Ozuna, Coors Light is ‘made to chill’.” 

Although Coors Light Latin America soft launched Ritmo Chill last year, which also includes a series of five playlists on Spotify titled “Chill with Friends,” “After Work,” “Beach Chill,” “Pool Time,” and Chill Vibes,” it’s the first time the division launches an original song and video with a Latin powerhouse performer for their campaign. 

Ozuna, a global reggaeton and Latin trap hitmaker, is a five-time No. 1 chart-topper on Hot Latin Songs. He has landed on the Top Latin Albums with all of his five albums, including two No. 1s, and has reached the Billboard Hot 100 twenty times to date with hits like  “Taki Taki,” “Te Boté,” “Monotonía,” “Criminal,” and more. In December, Ozuna performed live at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 closing ceremony.

17 Apr 2023

5 Must-Hear New Country Songs: Brett Young, Lauren Watkins, Kylie Frey & More

Billboard’s weekly must-hear country songs list offers a guide to some essential, recently released country tracks from both signed and independent country and country-adjacent artists.

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This week, Brett Young offers a romantic new tune, newcomer Lauren Watkins delves into jealousy, Kylie Frey returns with her first new music in a few years, and Austin Burke gets a co-sign from music legend Willie Nelson on a new track. Take a listen to this week’s picks below:

Brett Young, “Dance With You”

Young has made a name for himself with his soulful songs such as “In Case You Didn’t Know” and “Catch.” As his current country radio single, the heartbreak anthem “You Didn’t,” rises up Billboard’s Country Airplay chart, Young returns with a slow jam that’s a surefire wedding-season favorite. On this track he wrote with Jimmy Robbins and Jordan Minton, Young reassures his lover of his steadfastness and support, regardless of where life takes them. Perhaps offering a nod to the 1992 John Michael Montgomery hit “Life’s a Dance,” he maintains that his lover will always be the only one on his dance card.

Kylie Frey, “Red Dirt Cinderella”

Louisiana native and third-generation rodeo-er Frey has notched over half a dozen chart-toppers on the Texas regional charts to date, and she returns with “Red Dirt Cinderella,” her first new music in nearly three years. The song depicts someone who refuses to trade her Luccheses for a life of ballgowns and glass slippers. Instead, in her own nonchalant way, she saddles up and heads out, content to take on life on her own terms. This track’s relaxed vibe finds Frey’s earthy voice rippling over accordion, fiddle and guitar.

Lauren Watkins, “Shirley Temple”

Newcomer Watkins recently inked a deal with Nicolle Galyon’s publishing company Songs & Daughters, followed by signing with Big Loud Records. She recently released two new tracks, “Camel Blues” and “Shirley Temple,” the latter of which is a study in contrasts and jealousy. “Shirley Temple” finds Watkins driven by a man who has fallen for an angelic, straight-laced girl, in contrast to her own straight-shooting, challenging ways. There’s an effortlessly smoky quality to Watkins’ voice, with a style of direct-yet-poetic songwriting reminiscent of Kacey Musgraves or Miranda Lambert. Watkins wrote the track with Galyon and Meg McRee.

Austin Burke, “Crazy, Crazy”

Burke’s latest offering incorporates a 62-year-old country music classic, with revamped snippets of the Willie Nelson-penned 1961 hit “Crazy,” made famous by Patsy Cline. Burke’s song begins with a processed version of two verses from Cline’s chorus (laced in reverb and pitched higher than the original), which gives way to Burke’s crafted verses, both brisk and brokenhearted, about a guy who spends his time day-drinking and overthinking. “To tell you the truth/I’m going crazy, crazy over you,” Burke sings, showcasing the enduring relevance of the decades-old song, but fusing it with a hooky, singalong chorus and revisits the Cline vocal throughout the song. Burke wrote “Crazy, Crazy” with Brandon Day, and earned music legend Nelson’s stamp of approval on the track.

RaeLynn with JUDAH, “Somebody Else”

RaeLynn teams with Judah Akers, frontman for the band Judah & The Lion, on this new track, which features a hooky electro-acoustic melody, a singalong-worthy chorus, and a message of empathy. “We’re all talking, but nobody’s listening,” they sing over a pulsating backbeat, as they plead for less self-centered action and more looking out for those around them. Together, there is a surprisingly natural textural blend to their voices, with RaeLynn’s slightly gritty Texas twang layered over JUDAH’s warm, rough-hewn voice. RaeLynn is set to independently release an upcoming album, Funny Girl, via her own Daisy Rae Productions, on Aug. 21.

17 Apr 2023

E-40 Bet Joyner Lucas $50,000 That the Warriors Would Win the 2022 NBA Finals, and He’d Do It Again This Year

Have you ever bet on an NBA Finals series against a friend? If the answer is yes, then you have something in common with E-40 and Joyner Lucas — who put up $50,000 each last year when their hometown teams, the Golden State Warriors and Boston Celtics, squared off in the 2022 Finals, with the Warriors eventually winning the best-of-7 series in six games. 

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“The reason I was confident is because we’ve done this,” E-40, a longtime Warriors fan, tells Billboard. “We’ve got four rings, and these past 10 years, this decade has been ours.”

As confident as the Vallejo, California native was that his squad would emerge victorious from the 2022 championship, E-40 still tried to give Lucas multiple chances to call off the bet. The “Ramen & OJ” rapper admittedly made this wager with his heart and hometown in mind. 

“I don’t know what the hell I was thinking, to be honest with you,” Joyner tells Billboard. “I think I was just trying to show the hometown some love. I was confident about how it started off [with the Celtics going up 2-1], that we were going to take it.”

The Worcester, Massachusetts MC, who recently dropped “Blackout,” the latest offering off his forthcoming sophomore album, Not Now, I’m Busy, watched his money slip away right before his eyes as he performed at halftime during Game 6 of the Finals last year. The Warriors were crowned champions that evening, and if you ask E-40, he wouldn’t mind betting on his hometown team again. 

“I feel like we’re going to repeat, and once we win, I don’t know who’s going to step up and be like Joyner,” the West Coast legend tells Billboard. “I don’t know what rapper wants to do it. They can play with me if they want to. They can put a hundred up, they can put 200, whatever they want to do. I’m going with the Warriors.”

During Game 1 of the Western Conference Round 1 series between the Warriors and Sacramento Kings on Saturday night (Apr. 16), E-40 was involved in a verbal skirmish with security, resulting in his ejection from the arena. The incident stemmed from an earlier encounter with a heckling Kings fan, which prompted security to come and check on the matter. The West Coast veteran called out the Kings organization, citing “racial bias,” hoping those involved would be held accountable. The Kings responded with a statement and said that they are currently investigating the matter. A rep close to E-40 confirms to Billboard that he will not be attending Game 2 in Sacramento on Monday night (Apr. 17).

Prior to the incident over the weekend, Billboard caught up with E-40 and Lucas to discuss their friendly rivalry, the sources of their fandom, and their 2023 NBA playoff predictions. 

When did you become a fan of your team, and what really drew you to them?

E-40: I always liked sports. Baseball, basketball, football. And I always represented my soil. I love California, period. But I love Northern California more, you know what I’m saying? And so, me being a Warriors fan since I was young watching Rick Barry shoot free throws, underhanded. Watching that, I’ve been loving it.

I did a big thing in Vallejo, in my city at Dan Foley Park, where it was called the E-40 Fun Day. And I had all the kids out there, I’m talking about the whole Vallejo. Free barbecue, games. Had hella games out there, jumpers, everything you need. I even had the Warriors, RIP to the mascot that they had back then, but he came to the thing. He set up the whole Warriors thing.

The time I’m talking about was like 1998, somewhere around twenty-something years ago. I’ve always been a fan of the Warriors, but any team around here I would try to support. It’s always Warriors, 49ers, and the [San Francisco] Giants are my first priority.

Joyner Lucas: [For me], just growing up and watching the games and having a team where you’re from. Naturally, you want to support where you’re from. As you grow up, and you want to support your team, where you from, and you know there’s a lot of legendary players that have played on the Celtics. And these players that are on the team right now will be legendary as well. I just think that that’s really what it is.

Last year, you guys made a $50,000 bet on the NBA Finals. How did that come about? 

E-40: He wanted to bet me. He said, “Let’s bet.” I said, “Let’s bet a dollar, man. Let’s just do a little cool little gentleman’s bet, like $1. A dollar deal.” He wanted to big time me and just, “Nah, f–k that. Let’s bet $50,000.” He tried to punk me out, right? And he didn’t know I was trained to go, you feel me?

I say, “Okay, you sure?” Right? And he was like, “Hell yeah!” Even a day later, he posted it right away. He put it on Facebook and Instagram. I didn’t say anything. Maybe I re-posted what he put out or something, but he’s the one who started it. He wanted to talk Big Bronco. And I’m like, “Joyner.” A day later, I believe a day or two later, I say, “Man, it ain’t too late to back up out this bet.”

I’m throwing him a life vest and stuff like that, and he’s still talking Big Bronco. You know what the man said? That man said, “F–k that. I don’t want to hear no mother f—–g kumbaya.” You know what I’m saying? That’s what he said.

Joyner Lucas: I felt like Jayson Tatum and those guys really wanted it, but I didn’t really take into account how long the Warriors been really doing it, and how seasoned they are. And E-40 gave me a lot of chances to back out of the bet, even when the Warriors were leading, but I didn’t want to back out because I’m a man of my word.

In the end, I took a really bad loss, but I’m going to be real with you: I didn’t expect us to lose the night that I performed. I thought we were going to win that night. Thought it was a home game, I thought we were going to win. I thought it was going to be great, but they lost the night that I performed. It was crazy, because even during halftime, we were down. When I went out and performed, it was like nobody was trying to hear that s–t. Nobody was trying to see me perform, because nobody was really in a good mood that [because they] were down, so it was just all bad all the way around, man. It wasn’t really a good night.

E-40: He said, “Send me the wire information.” Right? And I was like, “Okay.” I sent it to him, and then he hits me … I think it was the weekend, but he hits me and say, “As promised.” And he showed me the wire info. Right? 

I called him and I said, “That kind of hurt, didn’t it?” He said, “Hell yeah!” I said, “I know that would’ve hurt me no matter how much money I got.” It’s just $50K. That’s just a lot of money. He asked me what I’m going to do. “OG, what you going to do with the money?” I said, “I’m going to redo my swimming pool.”

40, being a season ticket holder, is there any player on the Warriors that you have a really good relationship with?

E-40: One of the people that I’m close with is Draymond [Green]. That’s my guy. I’m close to [Stephen] Curry too, but I’m super close to Draymond. Draymond is a great guy. We’ve played dominoes together. Before he moved to San Francisco, closer to the arena, he stayed out here by me.

And I would go over there, and his mom would be there. He used to say, “Mom’s making tacos today.” That’s our folks too. And we’d go over there, we eat tacos, play dominoes. And it’d just be nothing but just love. And we talk s–t to each other, especially on days off. We’d get a few glasses of wine, you feel me? And it’s just genuine love. 

I was at his wedding. Everybody that was somebody was up in that thing. Even LeBron and all of them. He invited me and my wife to the wedding.

What are your thoughts on the overall playoffs this year? What are your predictions? 

E-40: It’s going to be tough. We don’t know. This one is very unpredictable overall, because there’s so many good teams. The West is so tough, and all of these players are playing at a high capacity. Basketball has evolved. The players have evolved. I don’t know if it’s their workout plans, or technology, or how they eat. I don’t know what it is. But they didn’t play like this back in the days, good brother. Everybody’s good. You hear me?

Do either of you think your team can make it back to the Finals?  And if they do, are you planning on putting another bet on it this time around?

Joyner Lucas: I’m never betting on a single basketball player or game in my entire life. Never again will I ever bet on another basketball game ever again in life, ever. That was it.

I would hope that they would be able to get back. I would like to see it go the other way this time, but at the same time, again, it’s the experience of the Warriors, man. They showed last year that they had that experience over the Celtics. I don’t know if one year is going to change that. I don’t know. Hopefully, if they get back, they can capitalize and they take it home. That would be amazing for the city, and I think everyone would love to see that. Jayson, he’s having a hell of a year, so I guess we’ll see.

E-40: Absolutely. I feel like we’re going to repeat, and once we win, I don’t know who’s going to step up and be like Joyner. I don’t know what rapper wants to do it. They can play with me if they want to. They can put a hundred up, they can put 200, whatever they want to do. I’m going with the Warriors.

17 Apr 2023

Soundgarden and Vicky Cornell Reach Resolution Over Unreleased Chris Cornell Recordings

The long-running legal dispute between grunge icons Soundgarden and Vicky Cornell, the widow of late lead singer Chris Cornell, has been resolved. According to a statement posted on the social media account of the band and Cornell on Monday morning (April 17) the agreement will pave the way for the eventual release of Cornell’s final recorded vocals with the group.

“Soundgarden and Vicky Cornell, on behalf of the Estate of Chris Cornell, are happy to announce they have reached an amicable out of court resolution,” read the statement. “The reconciliation marks a new partnership between the two parties, which will allow Soundgarden fans around the world to hear the final songs that the band and Chris were working on. The two parties are united and coming together to propel, honor and build upon Soundgarden’s incredible legacy as well as Chris’s indelible mark on music history – as one of the greatest songwriters and vocalists of all time.

Two years after Cornell was found dead by suicide at age 52 in a Detroit hotel room on May 17, 2017, Vicky Cornell sued surviving band members guitarist Kim Thayil, drummer Matt Cameron and bassist Ben Shepherd and the band’s longtime business manager. The suit claimed what she described as attempts to “strong-arm” her into turning over seven unreleased audio recordings made by the singer before his death by allegedly withholding royalties owed to the estate.

Two months later, the band sued Vicky Cornell claiming she had no right to withhold the tracks from what was expected to be the group’s final album. In March 2020 Soundgarden asked a judge to dismiss Cornell’s lawsuit on procedural grounds and then they countersued her in May of that year over the proceeds of a Jan. 2019 tribute concert; those claims were dropped in July 2020.

Cornell filed a second lawsuit in Feb. 2021 in which she claimed the living members undervalued her share of the group, which was filed by more back-and-forth over the band’s March 2021 demands that Vicky Cornell turn over the keys to the group’s social media accounts.

At press time no additional information was available on when the unheard music will be released.

See the joint statement below.