State Champ Radio Blog
Related Images:
Taylor Swift sets a new career mark in the U.K., as The Tortured Poets Department mounts a massive lead in the national chart race. In just three tracking days, Tortured Poets (via EMI) notches a U.K. career best opening week for Swift with more than 220,000 combined units, according to a rare sales flash published by the Official Charts Company.That’s well ahead of Swift’s previous first-week best, for Midnights, which accumulated 204,000 combined units in a seven-day stretch following its release in 2022.Tortured Poets has a long way to go if it is to compete with the U.K.’s all-time fastest sellers.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
The record holder is Adele’s 2015 effort 25, with 800,000 first-week units; ahead of Oasis’s 1997 release Be Here Now, with 696,000 units (collected in just three sales days); and Ed Sheeran’s album from 2017 ÷ with 670,000 units, respectively. As previously reported, Swift should sweep to a U.K. chart double. Tortured Poets is already the U.K.’s fastest-selling album of 2024 so far, and Swift should lock up the top three spots on the national singles chart, with “Fortnight” featuring Post Malone, “The Tortured Poets Department,” and “So Long, London,” respectively. “Fortnight” should become TayTay’s fourth U.K. No. 1, after “Look What You Made Me Do” (from 2017), “cardigan” (2020) and “Is It Over Now? (Taylor’s Version)” (2023).
Trending on Billboard
And, with Tortured Poets, Swift should score a 12th U.K. No. 1 album, equaling Madonna at the top of the leaderboard of solo female artists. She’s also the first and only artist this century to rack up 10 U.K. No. 1 albums.
Swift’s 11th studio album has already set a slew of records, including a new, global streaming mark on Spotify, blasting away with more than 300 million streams in a single day, and shifting 700,000 copies on vinyl in its first week on sale in the United States.All will be revealed when the Official U.K. Albums Chart is published late Friday, April 26.
The 2024 Latin American Music Awards are taking place this Thursday, April 25, live from Las Vegas via Univision. Before all the glitz and glam, Billboard was backstage at rehearsals catching up with some of the night’s nominees and performers.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Under the theme “We Speak Música,” the awards ceremony will broadcast its first-ever bilingual edition co-hosted by Thalia, Becky G, Alejandra Espinoza, and Carlos Ponce. This year’s top nominees are Feid and Peso Pluma with 12 nods each. Meanwhile, Banda MS, Ricardo Montaner, and Yandel will be honored with special tributes and awards.
The Latin AMAs will air live at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, April 25, from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas via Univision, UNIMÁS, Galavisión and ViX.
Trending on Billboard
Below, check out some of the best highlights during rehearsals:
New Albums Galore
Backstage at rehearsals, a handful of artists revealed that they will be releasing new albums this year. Danny Ocean, for example, opened up about his forthcoming Reflexa, which he described as a very personal process where he reflected on his life and the future of his career. Farruko, on the other hand, explained he will be premiering a song with Ky-Mani Marley at the 2024 Latin AMAs, marking the first single of his next studio album dropping soon.
Meanwhile, Wisin is set to drop his own project dubbed Mr. W this week, where he reeled in colleagues such as Don Omar, Yandel, Pedro Capo, Mora, and Jowell y Randy. “Doing music for me is not a job, it’s pleasure,” he tells Billboard. “I enjoy going to the studio and being able to collaborate. I enjoy breaking barriers in music. I think that’s what my album is all about.”
Los Avengers Are Back
In their comeback era, Los Avengers will be performing at the 2024 Latin AMAs. Four of the reggaetón collective’s members—Justin Quiles, Sech, Dalex, and Dimelo Flow—were at rehearsals talking about their new album, The Academy: Segunda Mision, and their highly-anticipated night.
“We transported 2019 to 2024, a bit more advanced with new music,” Quiles says to Billboard. “The same group. Good energy, good music. Everytime we get together, it’s organic.” Sech, who’s been taking a break from music and social media, could not contain his excitement. “I was working on myself. Life goes by very fast. I was organizing myself but we came to have an incredible time with the boys,” he notes.
AB Quintanilla’s Sweet Initiative
AB Quintanilla, who will form part of Banda MS’ tribute performance, used his platform to talk about a heartfelt initiative he has going on with his latest single, “El Rey de la Kumbia,” which he worked on over a year ago with the late artist, Lefty SM. “The beautiful thing about this song is that the record label and myself agreed that any financials made from the song, the publishing, anything whatsoever, would go to his wife and kids. So, it’s good giving back,” he expresses.
AB Quintanilla
Courtesy of Univision
Yandel Talks Feid Bromance
Yandel was present at the Latin AMAs, where he’s set to receive a special award for being one of the pioneers of the reggaetón movement on Thursday night (April 25). At rehearsals, he talked about his freshly-released joint EP with Feid, MANIFESTING 20-05. “It called my attention because I never expected it,” he notes. “I always wanted to collaborate with him because I like his talent, how he sings, his energy, how he is as a person. When I met him, I became more of a fan. [The album] was a proposal I made to him after ‘Yandel 150.’ For me, it’s a special project that I’m enjoying because I’m attracting [a] new generation [of fans].”
Becky G’s Co-Hosting Era
Becky G is ready to co-host the award ceremony’s first-ever bilingual broadcast alongside Thalia, Alejandra Espinoza, and Carlos Ponce. “It’s my first time coming to one of these awards shows and not feeling ashamed of being a Pocha, speaking in Spanglish,” the Mexican-American singer exclusively tells Billboard. “I know there are many generations that also identify with their Latin roots and want to participate in celebrating our culture but maybe don’t always feel welcomed to do so, so our hope is to extend a big hug to all the multi-generational families that are going to be watching this show.” Backstage, she also reflected on “Shower,” which was released 10 years ago and has opened so much doors for her since. Watch the full interview below:
Newcomers Oscar Ortiz and Edgardo Nuñez combine efforts for their first No. 1 on any Billboard chart as “First Love” ascends 3-1 on the April 27-dated Regional Mexican Airplay ranking. The song was released Dec. 23 via BadSin Records, the music management company co-owned by Ortiz and his brothers Kevin and Gerardo, both frequent Billboard charts visitors.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
“I feel grateful and honored that Edgardo Nuñez believed in my composition and I cannot say ‘thank you’ enough to my fans for supporting me in this dream,” 21-year-old Ortiz tells Billboard.
“First Love” accrued 7.95 million audience impressions in the U.S. toward the April 27 Billboard ranking (April 12-18 tracking week), according to Luminate; that’s a 16% gain from the week prior. The song ejects Banda MS’ “Tu Perfume” from the penthouse, which falls to No. 2 with a 6% dip, to 7.1 million impressions.
Trending on Billboard
Notably, “First Love” becomes just the fifth song by two co-billed soloists to lead Regional Mexican Airplay this decade. Here’s the list of those equal-billed collabs since 2020:
Title, Artist, Peak Date, Weeks at No. 1“Dime Cómo Quieres,” Christian Nodal & Angela Aguilar, Jan. 30, 2021, five“Duele,” Alejandro Fernéndez & Christian Nodal, April 24, 2021, one“Tus Desprecios,” Pepe Aguilar & El Fantasma, Sept. 25, 2021, one“Si Ya Hiciste El Mal,” Luis R Conriquez & Jessi Uribe, Nov. 19, 2022, one“Según Quién,” Maluma & Carin León, Dec. 16, 2023, one“La Intención,” Christian Nodal & Peso Pluma, March 30, two“First Love,” Oscar Ortiz & Edgardo Nuñez, April 27, 2024,
“First Love” caught immediate viral attention through TikTok, where Ortiz was named #Rompiendo Artist of the month in March by TikTok. To date, the song has sparked nearly 600,000 videos. Streams, however, experience a 4% dip during the tracking week, to 3.5 million official U.S. clicks.
As “First Love” rises to No. 1 on Regional Mexican Airplay, it takes BadSin to its second champ in 2024 and 13th overall. Earlier in this year, the indie label topped the ranking through Ortiz’s brother Gerardo Ortiz’s “Ahí No Era,” for one week in charge in February.
Unlike Oscar Ortiz, whose first and only Billboard entry arrived through “First Love,” Nuñez has placed four other tracks on the charts, including “El Humo De Gallo,” with Banda Los Sebastianes de Saul Plata, which debuts at No. 34 on Regional Mexican Airplay on the current list.
Beyond its Regional Mexican Airplay coronation, ‘First Love” climbs 9-5 on the overall Latin Airplay chart, for its new peak, with an 18% gain in overall impressions, to 8.32 million.
[embedded content]
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.
Victoria Beckham is expanding her fashion résumé. The former Spice Girl released her first collection with Mango on Tuesday (April 23), and it’s already selling out.
From formal wear to business wear to casual chic, the Victoria Beckham x Mango collection channels the “essence” of Beckham’s fashion brand and reflects the “modern woman’s eclectic identity,” according to the brand’s website.
The capsule collection features dresses, skirts, tops, pants, blazers, shirts, shoes and other wardrobe staples to welcome in the cooler weather, priced from $80 to $500 and available in sizes XS-L (2-10).
Trending on Billboard
The collaboration between Beckham and Mango commemorates the Spanish fashion brand’s 40th anniversary and marks the latest in a series of collaborations with other “brands, artists and talents,” according to a press release.
Beckham, who celebrated her 50th birthday with a star-studded bash in London and an impromptu Spice Girls reunion, shared photos from the Victoria Beckham x Mango launch party on Instagram on Tuesday (April 24) wearing a suit from the collection.
“Such an amazing night celebrating #VictoriaBeckhamxMango! I’m wearing the tailored white suit from the new collection. Kisses @mango xx,” she captioned the photos.
Fans are snatching up pieces from the collection, but it’s not gone just yet. Some of the items that are out of stock, or almost sold out, include the Triple Chain Belt ($140), the Godets dress ($300), the flared suit pants ($190) and the draped halter bodysuit and polo neck sweater.
Shop the collection below.
Mango
Victoria Beckham x Mango Flared Suit Pants
Mango
Victoria Beckham x Mango Godets Dress with Decorative Stitching
Mango
Victoria Beckham x Mango Polo-neck Crochet Sweater
Mango
Vicotoria Beckham x Mango Satin Handbag
Mango
Victoria Beckham x Mango Draped Halter Bodysuit
Mango
Victoria Beckham x Mango Silk Blend Button-Down Shirt
Mango
Victoria Beckham x Mango Leather Sandal
As Machine Gun Kelly says in a new episode of Hot Ones Versus: “You have got to be out of your motherf—ing mind” if you think he wants any smoke from the Swifties.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
MGK goes head-to-head with his friend and fellow musician Trippie Redd in the new episode, which turns the traditional Hot Ones interview show into a competition by making celebs eat increasingly hot wings every time they refuse to answer their rival’s spicy questions.
In one question, Redd brings up MGK’s offer to pay Travis Kelce $1 million if he’ll leave the Kansas City Chiefs to come play for his hometown Cleveland Browns football team. “Burn that bridge by saying three mean things about Taylor Swift,” the rapper dares Kelly, invoking the name of Kelce’s pop-superstar girlfriend.
Trending on Billboard
“Ladies and gentlemen, you have got to be out of your motherf—ing mind if you think I want any smoke with that fanbase,” MGK says with a knowing smile. “Also, Taylor is a saint and very nice to me, and Travis is my bro.”
“Kiss her feet while you’re at it,” Redd teases his buddy, who responds: “She’s very, very nice!”
Kelly (real name: Colson Baker) has known Kelce since their high school days as crosstown sports rivals growing up in the suburbs of Cleveland, Ohio. In addition to dodging the Swift question, MGK also answered his critics who thought the $1 million offer to Kelce was low. “I said I would give him $1 million spending money on top of whatever the NFL [gives him]. I’m not the f—ing NFL, so I obviously don’t have to pay him $30 million or $40 million, whatever. I said I’ll give you a bonus.”
As Kelly eats his hot wings as punishment for skipping the question, he shows off his Swift knowledge, singing to himself, “Trouble, trouble, trouble,” from her 2012 Red single “I Knew You Were Trouble,” which peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100.
In addition to their Ohio connection, Kelly also performed at Travis’ inaugural Kelce Jam festival in Bonner Springs, Kansas, last April. Lil Wayne, 2 Chainz and Diplo will headline the 2024 event on May 18. And in February, after Kelce won the Super Bowl with the Chiefs, he and Swift took a photo with Kelly and his partner Megan Fox at a post-game party.
Watch the full Hot Ones Versus episode below:
[embedded content]
Broadway Bares is back, and this time, the annual charity burlesque spectacular hits the jackpot with a sinful Las Vegas theme: Hit the Strip.
Each year, the razzle-dazzle show brings together Broadway’s finest dancers in a music-filled evening, produced by and benefiting Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS (BC/EFA). More than 150 of New York’s dancers will take the stage for two performances only on June 23 at Hammerstein Ballroom at 9:30 p.m. and midnight. Special guests are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
Previous installments of Broadway Bares have boasted appearances by such stage and music stars as Kristin Chenoweth, Ariana DeBose, JoJo, Adam Lambert, Cyndi Lauper, Pentatonix’s Kirstin Maldonado, Alex Newell, Billy Porter and Vanessa Williams.
Broadway Bares: Hit the Strip will be directed by Kellen Stancil. Also on the creative team: Paula DeLuise (associate director), Jerry Mitchell (the show’s creator and executive producer), Nick Kenkel (executive producer), and choreographers John Alix, Mike Baerga, Phil Colgan, Karla Puno Garcia, Billy Griffin, Amber Jackson, Jonathan Lee, Leo Moctezuma, Rachelle Rak, Michael Lee Scott and Maleek Washington.
Trending on Billboard
Since the show’s launch in 1992, Broadway Bares has generated more than $26 million for BC/EFA. Last year’s edition brought in $1.9 million.
Broadway Bares is one of the many charity events produced by BC/EFA yearly. Among its other fundraisers: Broadway Backwards, Broadway Barks, Broadway Bets, the Fire Island Dance Festival, Broadway Flea Market & Grand Auction, Easter Bonnet Competition, Hudson Valley Dance Festival, Red Bucket Follies and Broadway Run.
According to BC/EFA, the organization “has raised more than $300 million for essential services for people living with HIV/AIDS, struggling with COVID-19 and facing other critical illnesses in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C.”
Sierra Ferrell and Steep Canyon Rangers will spearhead the annual International Bluegrass Music Association’s IBMA Bluegrass Live! festiavl powered by PNC when it returns to downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, on Sept. 27-28.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Also on the main stage are special guests Chatham County Line, Sierra Hull, Sam Bush, Rhonda Vincent & The Rage, Danny Paisley, Amythyst Kiah and Crying Uncle.
Ferrell just released her new album Trail of Flowers, while Steep Canyon Rangers’ 2023 album Morning Shift is at No. 9 on Billboard‘s Bluegrass Albums chart.
IBMA, teaming with local host PineCone (Piedmont Council of Traditional Music), will return to the Raleigh Convention Center, the Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts, the Red Hat Amphitheater and other venues. The festival will be held at Red Hat Amphitheater, as well as on six additional stages throughout downtown Raleigh.
Trending on Billboard
The performance lineup for the two-day festival also highlights the talents of Balsam Range; Barefoot Movement; Broken Compass; Compton & Newberry; Chris Jones & the Night Drivers; Country Current (US Navy Band); Dewey & Leslie Brown; Earl White String Band; Evans, Smith & May, Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen; From China to Appalachia (Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer with Chao Tian); Golden Shoals, The Gospel Jubilators; The Gravy Boys; Hank, Pattie & the Current; Henhouse Prowlers; Jacob Jolliff Band; Jake Blount; Jake Leg; Jim Lauderdale; Junior Appalachian Musicians; Kaia Kater; Laurie Lewis & the Right Hands; Liam Purcell & Cane Mill Road; New Dangerfield; Nixon; Blevins & Gage; Raised in Raleigh All Star Jam; Sister Sadie; Songs From the Road Band; The Tan & Sober Gentlemen; Tray Wellington Band; Union Grove Old Time Fiddlers’ Convention 100th Anniversary; Unspoken Tradition; The Williamson Brothers; Wyatt Ellis; and more.
“This is our favorite time of year. I just love seeing everyone coming down to Raleigh with guitars and banjos slung over their shoulders,” David Brower, festival producer and executive director of PineCone, said in a statement. “In addition to all the bands playing the big stages, there’s also something special for the everyday pickers. We’re dedicating a stage to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the Union Grove Old Time Fiddlers Convention. We’ll have contests for fiddlers, banjo, mandolin and guitar players, plus a great big square dance to cap off the afternoon each day. Lifting up North Carolina’s musical traditions is something we’ve been proud to do with the festival over the last decade.”
IBMA Bluegrass Live! is part of the annual five-day IBMA World of Bluegrass, which also includes the IBMA Business Conference, the IBMA Bluegrass Ramble showcase series and the 35th annual IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards, with the run of events slated for Sept. 24-28 in Raleigh.
Last year, Billy Strings led the IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards winners, picking up the entertainer of the year honor, while Molly Tuttle and Golden Highway won album of the year for Crooked Tree and song of the year for the album’s title track, while Tuttle was named female vocalist of the year.
Tickets and hotel reservations for IBMA’s World of Bluegrass will open to IBMA members starting May 8, and will open to the general public on May 15.
Madison Beer has gone full Jennifer Check. The 25-year-old singer shared the official music video for her viral hit, “Make You Mine,” on Wednesday (April 24), and in the Jennifer’s Body inspired clip, Beer acts as a cheerleader who teams up with her best friend to lure and kill and unsuspecting male classmate. It’s hardly […]
The 100 Percenters, a musicians’ advocacy group, announced Wednesday (April 24) that several music organizations have signed a pledge designed to hold companies accountable for ensuring workplace safety.
Signees to the pledge, which was devised by The 100 Percenters, include the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA), BMI, the Recording Academy, the Mechanical Licensing Collective (the MLC), EVEN, Artistry Group, Eat Predators, HRDRV, Industry Blackout, LVRN, Love Pulse Music.
Called the Safe Music Business pledge, the agreement asks signatories to abide by the following rules:
Committing to keeping artists, songwriters, producers and staff safe in their workplace and studio sessions
Committing to reporting sexual harassment, intimidation or violence to the appropriate parties in our workplace or studio sessions and taking action
Not tolerating inappropriate behavior in their workplace or studio sessions
Having or creating a safe space to support their artists, songwriters, producers and staff who don’t feel safe
Having or hiring safe space leadership to support their artists, songwriters, producers and staff who don’t feel safe
The organization hopes the pledge will help protect artists, songwriters, producers and staff members who work for or with these organizations. Safety is a particularly pressing concern for women and non-binary creatives working in male-dominated spaces in the industry. The 100 Percenters, founded by songwriter Tiffany Red, is primarily focused on initiatives that protect music’s most marginalized creatives and professionals.
Trending on Billboard
If a signatory breaks the pledge, a representative from The 100 Percenters says it will have a private conversation with the executives at the company, asking them to take accountability and take meaningful steps to ensure the workplace will be safer in the future. Such instances would be handled on a case-by-case basis, and the organization that breaks its vow could be removed from the pledge — with that removal potentially announced publicly.
The organization announced the signatories of the pledge with a corresponding open letter from Red that pointed to recent allegations of alleged abuse perpetuated by music professionals like Sean “Diddy” Combs and Russell Simmons. “The truth remains to be determined in a court of law,” the letter clarifies. “However, can we not acknowledge the troubling pattern of alleged abuse of power in music?”
The letter continues: “Despite finding allies within these companies who acknowledged the necessity of initiatives like the Safe Music Business pledge, the response has been dishearteningly silent. We encountered a significant reluctance throughout the outreach process to secure pledges. It’s a disappointing reality. It shouldn’t be such a challenging task for companies to adopt a more transparent, proactive stance in addressing sexual misconduct and violence within the music industry.”
“We are immensely grateful for the companies and organizations that have taken the SMB pledge,” the letter adds. “Their commitment to creating safer work environments within the music industry is commendable and represents a significant step towards positive change. By pledging to prioritize workplace safety, these companies demonstrate leadership and a genuine dedication to the well-being of music creatives and professionals. Their actions serve as an inspiring example for others to follow, and we sincerely appreciate their efforts to foster a culture of respect, safety, and inclusivity in our industry.”
To read the full letter, visit the 100 Percenters website here.
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. Space is a luxury and for some of us that means we have to sacrifice adding a desk to our work […]
