State Champ Radio Author: djfrosty
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Just over one year ago, in Dec. 2023, Tate McRae released her celebrated second album, Think Later. The punchy pop project debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 – and introduced fans to McRae’s alter ego: Tatiana. She said in her Billboard cover story at the time that Tatiana is her tour persona, and described her as being “ballsy, so loud and obnoxious.” Those traits came alive on Think Later, especially on breakthrough hit “Greedy,” which became McRae’s highest-charting Hot 100 hit, peaking at No. 3.
On So Close To What, McRae dives deeper into that charismatic cool-girl confidence. She previewed the album with a three-peat of hits: “It’s Ok I’m Ok,” which hit No. 20 on the Hot 100; “2 Hands,” which hit No. 41; and “Sports Car,” which has hit a peak of No. 21 so far. The 15-track set, which clocks in at just under 45 minutes, features just two guests: Flo Milli on “bloodonmyhands” and McRae’s boyfriend The Kid LAROI on “I Know Love.” McRae teamed back up with songwriter-producer Ryan Tedder for much of the album, alongside collaborators including Amy Allen, Julia Michaels and Blake Slatkin, among others.
Earlier this week, Spotify hosted an intimate listening party of So Close To What in Los Angeles. McRae was not only in attendance, but also spoke with her friend and social media personality Jake Shane about the album’s inspiration and challenges. “The album title encapsulates how I felt turning 21,” she shared, “feeling like you’re finally a woman while also wrestling with how the media portrays you.”
She also confessed that “Tatiana, my alter ego, wrote a lot of the songs on the album – including ‘Sports Car.’”
Come March, McRae will head out on her second world tour, named after this album’s lead track, “Miss Possessive.” The outing begins in Mexico City and includes dates across Europe and North America, wrapping in September.
Until you can catch McRae in your city, So Close To What is out now. Below, find Billboard’s ranking of the album’s 15 tracks.
“Purple Lace Bra”
Kendrick Lamar remains untouchable at the top of the ARIA Singles Chart, extending his reign at No. 1 with ‘Not Like Us’ while securing another major win as ‘Luther‘ climbs to a new peak at No. 2.
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The latest chart, published Friday (Feb. 21), reflects the ongoing global dominance of Lamar, who has owned 2025 so far—from his record-breaking Super Bowl halftime performance to five Grammy wins, including Record and Song of the Year for ‘Not Like Us.’
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The Drake diss track, which has fueled one of the most publicized rap rivalries in recent memory, continues to drive massive streaming numbers, keeping it firmly at No. 1 in Australia for a second week. Meanwhile, ‘Luther,’ a standout from GNX, leaps from No. 8 to No. 2, further tightening Lamar’s grip on the chart.
He’s not done there—his 2018 Black Panther soundtrack hit ‘All The Stars’ with SZA makes a surprise resurgence, soaring from No. 22 to No. 8, re-entering the top 10 after the Grammy spotlight. Additionally, GNX track ‘tv off’ is on the move, climbing from No. 16 to No. 12 as Lamar maintains four songs in the top 20.
While Lamar dominates the chart, Rosé and Bruno Mars’ ‘APT.’ maintains a strong presence in the top three, slipping from No. 2 to No. 3 after previously peaking at No. 1 on the ARIA Chart last month.
On the homegrown front, Dom Dolla remains the highest-charting Australian artist this week, with ‘Dreamin’,’ though the club anthem takes a hit, sliding from No. 33 to No. 43. Despite the drop, the track has been a festival favorite, keeping him in the ARIA mix.
With multiple songs holding top positions across streaming platforms and radio airplay, Kendrick Lamar’s grip on 2025 remains unshaken. ‘Not Like Us’ continues to be one of the most talked-about hip-hop tracks of the decade, and as GNX builds momentum, it’s clear Lamar is set for an unstoppable run this year.
Over on the ARIA Albums Chart, Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet returns to No. 1, rebounding from No. 4. The pop star’s breakout album has been a global success, ranking as the third-biggest release of 2024 behind albums from Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish. The album’s deluxe edition, released on Feb. 14, helped boost its performance, alongside the debut of ‘Busy Woman’ at No. 22 on the singles chart.
Drake and PARTYNEXTDOOR, who’ve been lighting up Australia on the Anita Max Win Tour, land at No. 2 on the albums chart with their collaborative LP, $ome $exy $ongs 4 U, which dropped on Valentine’s Day.
Three tracks from the album make an impact on the singles chart, with Drake’s solo cut ‘Nokia’ entering at No. 28. The project follows Drake’s streak of No. 1 albums in Australia, including Views (2016), Scorpion (2018), Dark Lane Demo Tapes (2020), Certified Lover Boy (2021), and For All the Dogs (2023).
Brisbane artist Mallrat earns a top 40 debut with Light Hit My Face Like A Straight Right, entering at No. 35. It marks her third ARIA-charting project following Driving Music (No. 10 in 2019) and Butterfly Blue (No. 6 in 2022). Close behind, Canberra rock band Hands Like Houses enters at No. 36 with their fifth studio album, Atmospherics.
J. Cole shared his first offering of 2025 and there could be plenty more in the arsenal down the line. Via his Inevitable blog, the Dreamville boss released “Clouds” on Friday (Feb. 21).
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The dreamy tune, produced by DZL and Omen, finds Cole referencing the Donald Trump assassination attempt at a Phildelphia rally in June.
“I’m that bass in your trunk, the bullet that missed Trump/ The gun that jammed ’cause it seemed God had other plans,” he raps on the second verse.
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In a blog post, Cole provided some context on the track, which he cooked up a few days ago and lent a title to just minutes before sharing it with the world.
“Just wanted to share,” he wrote. “Made this a few days ago, then i added a second verse and was like “man I got a blog now, I can put whatever I want up there.” I didn’t have a title 20 minutes ago when I decided to really put this up. But now I got one… “cLOUDs”. – produced by DZL, Omen, and small contributions from me.”
Earlier this week, Cole shared a blog post promising he’d be more consistent with keeping fans in the loop with what should be a busy year for the Dreamville faithful.
“I knowwww mannnn. I’m off to a bad start with the consistency, but I’ma do better! Watch,” he wrote. “I been locked in on the music while also balancing family life. It’s a juggling act that a blog post wouldn’t do justice in explaining. But with that said, I’m back tending to this garden.
Cole continued to add: “I think I’m gonna let some other people post on here too, to get the vibes up. It’ll motivate me to check every day, and will fuel the desire to post more. I’ma start with Ib and Scott and then expand from there. To anybody in the squad reading, if you trying to contribute I’m taking applications!”
Listen to “Clouds” here.
Tate McRae‘s new musical era has arrived. The pop star dropped her highly anticipated third studio album, So Close to What, on Friday (Feb. 21). The project features previously released viral singles “It’s ok I’m ok,” “Sports Car” and “2 Hands,” as well as a collaboration with Flo Milli titled “Bloodonmyhands.” Additionally, the album features […]
JENNIE is continuing the roll-out of her debut solo album, Ruby, with another A-list collaboration. The BLACKPINK star teamed up with Grammy winner Doechii for the confident new single, “ExtraL,” which arrived on Friday (Feb. 21). Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “Do my ladies run this?” the […]
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