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Little Big Town will use their performance at the 2024 CMT Music Awards as a launch pad into a full-blown national tour.
The Grammy Award-winning country act kick-off their Take Me Home U.S. tour Oct. 24 at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, SC, in support of their new single, and as a celebration of the band’s 25-year milestone.
As it stands, the trek will wrap-up Dec. 13 with a special homecoming date at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, TN, their first in Music City since 2017’s sold-out 10-night stand at Ryman Auditorium.
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The four-piece — comprised of Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Phillip Sweet, and Jimi Westbrook — teamed up with longtime friends and collaborators Sugarland at Sunday night’s (April 7) CMT Music Awards at Moody Center in Austin, Texas, for the world premiere performance of “Take Me Home,” a cover of the Phil Collins song released back in 1985.
Sugarland is special guest on the forthcoming tour, with support from The Castellows. Live Nation and Sandbox Live are producing the trek.
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“Last night felt like a real homecoming for us and a full circle moment. When we toured with Sugarland last, we would all be backstage harmonizing different cover songs to try and surprise the audience every night,” reads a statement from Little Big Town. “There’s something about this song that feels so nostalgic of that time. It really is like coming home.”
Little Big Town and Sugarland last shared the CMT Music Awards stage 15 years ago, when they were joined by Jake Owen for a rendition of “Life in a Northern Town,” originally released by the Dream Academy in 1985.
On Sunday, Little Big Town chalked up their 13th CMT Music Awards performance.
The upcoming tour, says the band, “feels like a celebration of being a band for 25 years and we’re so excited to throw this party with our great friends Sugarland. We’ll both be playing all our biggest hits and then some. Can’t wait to see everyone.”
The general onsale begins Friday, April 12 at littlebigtown.com.
Little Big Town’s 2024 U.S. Take Me Home Tour:
Oct. 24 — Bon Secours Wellness Arena, Greenville, SC
Oct. 25 — PNC Arena, Raleigh, NC
Oct. 26 — Nationwide Arena, Columbus, OH
Oct. 31 — TD Garden, Boston, MA
Nov. 1 — PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, PA
Nov. 2 — KeyBank Center, Buffalo, NY
Nov. 7 — Target Center, Minneapolis, MN
Nov. 8 — Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, WI
Nov. 9 — Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, MI
Nov. 14 — T-Mobile Center, Kansas City, MO
Nov. 15 — Denny Sanford PREMIER Center, Sioux Falls, SD
Nov. 16 — Vibrant Arena at The MARK, Moline, IL
Nov. 21 — Moody Center, Austin, TX
Nov. 22 — Dickies Arena, Fort Worth, TX
Nov. 23 — BOK Center, Tulsa, OK
Dec. 11 — Mississippi Coast Coliseum, Biloxi, MS
Dec. 12 — Gas South Arena, Duluth, GA
Dec. 13 — Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, TN
Garry Van Egmond, the veteran impresario behind some of the biggest tours in the history of Australia’s touring business, died Saturday morning (April 6) following complications of recent surgery. He was 82.
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Based in Melbourne, Van Egmond was AC/DC’s promoter of choice for touring Australia and New Zealand, and, in 1986, he helmed Dire Straits’ record-smashing Brothers In Arms tour, a juggernaut that shifted more than 900,000 tickets when Australia’s population was just 14 million. More than 250,000 tickets for that Dire Straits tour were sold in Sydney alone.
Dire Straits’ national box-office bonanza was the all-time record holder for tickets sold on a single tour, holding the mark for more than 30 years, until Ed Sheeran’s 2018 Divide tour pushed past one million ticket sales in these parts.
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With over 50 years’ experience in live events, Van Egmond sold upwards of 35 million tickets across Australia, New Zealand, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Korea, Taiwan and Japan, according to a statement from TEG, which acquired the late entrepreneur’s company, Van Egmond Group, in 2020.
Van Egmond’s business also produced AC/DC’s 2010 Black Ice tour, which shifted more than 600,000 tickets across 11 Australian dates (and 760,000 tickets across Australia and New Zealand) and the rock legends’ Rock or Bust Australasia leg in 2015, which the company says sold 460,000 tickets across nine stadium dates in seven cities (five in Australia, two in New Zealand).
Across his career, Van Egmond produced the Jesus Christ Superstar arena tour, Riverdance’s The Show, plus tours by Billy Joel, Rod Stewart, INXS, Prince, Bette Midler, Dolly Parton and more.
“Today the entire TEG family expresses our sadness and mourns the loss of Garry Van Egmond,” comments TEG Group CEO Geoff Jones.
“Garry was not only a highly valued colleague but a thoroughly decent person, and a resounding talent with the highest integrity. His legacy will stand the test of time. Our thoughts are with Christo, Katie and his family through these difficult times.”
Garry is survived by his daughter Katie, son Christo and grandchildren Hugo and Saskia.
The TEG Van Egmond business will continue to be run by managing director Christo Van Egmond, who remembers his father as “a true gentleman in the business and was highly regarded and respected by artists, managers, agents, and everyone he worked with.” He says of his dad, “He was a superb mentor to me and I have enjoyed working with him for nearly 30 years. Over that time we have presented some amazing events in Australia, New Zealand and Asia. He was a fantastic father and friend to me and will be missed dearly by his family, friends, and colleagues.”
Foo Fighters score their 14th career No. 1 – and third in a row, a first for the band – on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart with “The Glass,” which jumps to the top of the April 13-dated tally.
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“The Glass” follows reigns for “Rescued” beginning last May and “Under You” last September.
Foo Fighters link three straight rulers after the Dave Grohl-led act previously packaged two in a row four times, with “Rope” and “Walk” (2011); “Something From Nothing” and “Congregation” (2014-15); “Run” and “The Sky Is a Neighborhood” (2017); and “Waiting on a War” and “Making a Fire” (2021).
In all, Foo Fighters now boast 14 No. 1s, tying the group with Five Finger Death Punch for the third-most in the chart’s history, which dates to 1981.
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Most No. 1s, Mainstream Rock Airplay:19, Shinedown17, Three Days Grace14, Five Finger Death Punch14, Foo Fighters13, Metallica13, Van Halen12, Disturbed12, Godsmack
Foo Fighters first reached Mainstream Rock Airplay in 1995 with “This Is a Call,” which peaked at No. 6. They first led with “Best of You” in 2005.
Concurrently, “The Glass” shatters the top 10 barrier on Alternative Airplay, rising 11-9. It’s the band’s chart-leading 31st top 10, dating to the list’s 1988 premiere.
Most Top 10s, Alternative Airplay:31, Foo Fighters28, Red Hot Chili Peppers26, Green Day23, U221, Weezer20, Pearl Jam19, Linkin Park18, The Offspring17, Muse17, The Smashing Pumpkins
The track ranks at No. 24 on Adult Alternative Airplay (after reaching No. 11 in early March). On the all-rock-format, audience-based Rock & Alternative Airplay chart, it remains at No. 6 (after hitting No. 5) with 5.7 million audience impressions March 29-April 4, up 1%, according to Luminate.
On the most recent multimetric Hot Hard Rock Songs list (dated April 6, reflecting data March 22-28), “The Glass” placed at No. 5. In addition to its radio airplay, the song earned 166,000 official U.S. streams in that span.
“The Glass” is the third single, following “Rescued” and “Under You,” from But Here We Are, Foo Fighters’ 11th studio album. The set debuted at No. 1 on the Top Alternative Albums chart in June 2023 and has earned 168,000 equivalent album units to date.
All Billboard charts dated April 13 will update on Billboard.com Tuesday, April 9.
A beautiful year continues for Benson Boone, as he fires off his debut full-length album, Fireworks & Rollerblades (via Night Street Records/Warner Records).
The Washington-raised singer and songwriter and TikTok standout dropped Fireworks & Rollerblades at the stroke of midnight, a collection that houses his hit single “Beautiful Things,” which has logged five week at No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200 chart and Australia’s ARIA Chart, two cycles at No. 1 on the Official U.K. Singles Chart, and has a peak of No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100.
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The latest cut from the LP, “Slow It Down,” is on predicted to crack the U.K. top 40, for Boone’s third top tier effort there (2022’s “In The Stars” reached No. 21).
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Speaking with Billboard earlier in the year, Boone gave a heads-up on his new material.
“A lot of my stuff in the past has been very piano-based. Obviously, I still have a lot of piano in my songs, but there definitely have been more heavier guitar songs, which I’m very happy about,” he explained. “I love the guitar. But overall, since the last time I released music, my voice has been maturing a lot. My style has been changing just slightly. And I think the songs that I will be releasing in the next couple months are closer to what my future looks like for releasing music. I’m very excited.”
Boone is taking his music to the masses, with a world tour that kicked off this week in Chicago. Next week, he’s booked to appear on NBC’s Today and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
“Man,” he told Billboard, “all I’ve been thinking about is the tour, and I’ll be going some places that I’ve never been before. But after the tour, and after all the shows, I’m really looking forward to just being with my friends. I think we’re gonna go on a trip to Greece and have two weeks and just live my life.”
When he’s not collecting chart crowns, he’s been winning plaudits from broadcasters and DSPs. Earlier in 2024, iHeartRadio tapped him an “On The Verge Artist,” and last year, he was names an Amazon Music Breakthrough Artist and MTV’s Global PUSH Artist for October.
Stream Fireworks & Rollerblades below.
Beyoncé lassos the chart title in Australia as Cowboy Carter debuts at No. 1.
Cowboy Carter (via Columbia/Sony) gives Bey her fourth leader on the ARIA Chart, following Beyoncé in 2013, Lemonade in 2016 and Renaissance in 2022.
According to ARIA, it’s the first country album by a woman to land at No. 1 (excluding the new versions of Taylor Swift’s country LPs) since 2017, when homegrown artist Kasey Chambers logged one week at the summit top with Dragonfly (in January) and Shania Twain’s Now spent one week at the top (in October).
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Powered by Cowboy Carter, Beyoncé’s global hit “Texas Hold ‘Em” rebounds 7-2 on the ARIA Singles Chart, its equal peak position on 2. Album cut “II Most Wanted” with Miley Cyrus is the highest debut on the singles tally this week at No. 16, and Bey’s reinterpretation of the Dolly Parton standard “Jolene” arrives at No. 24. Parton’s original peaked at No. 99 in these parts back in 1974, ARIA reports, while Olivia Newton-John’s rendition reached No. 29 two years later, in 1976.
Beyoncé’s latest LP leads a top four on the ARIA Chart, published Friday, April 5, that’s dominated by U.S. solo female artists: Ariana Grande’s Eternal Sunshine and Taylor Swift’s 1989 (Taylor’s Version) and Lover, respectively (all through Universal).
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Further down the list, Australian duo the Pierce Brothers arrives No. 14 with their third studio album, Everything Is Bigger Than Me (Ditto Music). It’s the Melbourne act’s sixth appearance on the ARIA Chart, including top 10s with 2015’s Into The Dirt (No. 10) and 2017’s The Records Were Ours (No. 9). Everything Is Bigger Than Me is the only Australian recording in the ARIA Top 40; the next-up LP from the land Down Under is the soundtrack to Ego: The Michael Gudinski Story (at No. 46 via Bloodlines/UMA), the documentary on the life and career of the late Mushroom Group founder, which next week premieres on Australian network TV.
Meanwhile, BTS star J-Hope (real name: Jung Ho-seok) nudges the chart at No. 62 with the EP Hope On The Street Vol. 1. J-Hope hit No. 13 in 2018 with Hope World and No. 27 in 2022 with Jack In The Box.
Over on the ARIA Singles Chart, Benson Boone’s “Beautiful Things” (Warner Records) logs a fifth week at No. 1, ahead of Bey’s “Texas Hold ‘Em” and Djo’s “End Of Beginning” (AWAL), respectively.
J. Cole shook up the rap world with the surprise release of his Might Delete Later project on Friday (April 5).
The mixtape arrived on streaming services without warning and fans quickly took note of the potent project closer “7 Minute Drill,” which appears to find Cole responding to Kendrick Lamar’s disses on Future and Metro Boomin’s “Like That.”
“I got a phone call, they say that somebody dissing/ You want some attention, it comes with extensions,” Cole initially teased.
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He then gets to taking shots at K. Dot’s discography by disparaging specific albums like calling 2022’s Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers “tragic” and claiming that the Grammy-winning To Pimp A Butterfly had listeners snoozing.
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“He still doin’ shows, but fell off like the Simpsons/ Your first s–t was classic, your last shit was tragic/ Your second shit put n—-s to sleep, but they gassed it/ Your third shit was massive and that was your prime/ I was trailing right behind and I just now hit mine/ Now I’m front of the line with a comfortable lead/ How ironic, soon as I got it, now he want somethin’ with me,” the Dreamville CEO spews.
J. Cole informs Kendrick that this is just a “warning shot” and the gloves could come off entirely for more if the West Coast legend wants to go there.
“He averagin’ one hard verse like every thirty months or somethin’/ If he wasn’t dissin’, then we wouldn’t be discussin’ ’em/ Lord, don’t make me have to smoke this n—a ’cause I f–k with him/ But push come to shove, on this mic, I will humble him,” Cole promises.
The North Carolina native continues to tap Lamar about his lack of output. “Four albums in 12 years, n—a, I can divide,” he quips in a lyric that appears to imitate Jay-Z’s bars on his Nas diss “Takeover.”
The second part of “7 Minute Drill” features a beat switch with Conductor Williams taking the reins from T-Minus behind the boards and fans are speculating that the ominous production samples Drake’s If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late standout “Energy.”
For those wondering about the inspiration for “7 Minute Drill” as a song title, J. Cole’s manager Ibrahim Hamad explained last year during an appearance on the Say Less podcast that Cole will rap for seven minutes straight over a few different beats as an exercise to break writer’s block.
“He does these seven-minute drills that he got Cozz be doing… He’ll just be like, ‘You got seven minutes.’ It’s basically his way of breaking out of overthinking,” the Dreamville co-founder said. “Like don’t even think about it. Start a verse — what we gon’ talk about? He’ll be like, ‘Cozz, write a verse about pizza.’ They got seven minutes and they put the timer on.”
Might Delete Later kicks off a busy weekend for J. Cole, who will be headlining his fourth annual Dreamville Fest in Raleigh, N.C. on Sunday (April 7).
Take a listen to “7 Minute Drill” below.
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It’s a new dawn for Empire of the Sun.
The alternative electronic duo of Emperor Steele (Luke Steele) and Lord Littlemore (Nick Littlemore) returns with “Changes,” their first new release in eight years.
Though it points to a new era, “Changes” is classic Empire of the Sun, underpinned by a slapping, dancey- beat and fueled by a joyful synth riff.
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On it, Steele sings: “This time we’re going through changes/ This time like not before/ This time we’re going places/ Letting go.”
“Changes” represents “the shifting sands of time, empires rise and fall but the sun shall shine on,” says Littlemore, also a founding member of the Australian electronic trio Pnau. “Come once more into the world we’ve created, delve deeper within and be rewarded with its ever expanding story, each and every one is invited to explore the new era.”
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The new cut is supported with an official music video, directed by acclaimed filmmaker Michael Maxxis, in which our otherworldly heroes arrive via spacecraft on an earth-like planet, fully kitted-up and ready for dancing.
A young lad glimpses the landing and is first on scene, where he is greeted by some spooky ETs and the magic begins. Ominously, the music video wraps with the assurance “to be continued…”
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The Empire of the Sun project first rose back in 2008 with the single “Walking on a Dream.” The recording cracked the top 10 on the ARIA Singles Chart (peaking at No. 10), and won single of the year at the 2009 ARIA Music Awards, one of their four victories on the night.
In the U.S., the song had a second life when it was synced to a Honda Civic commercial in 2016, driving it to No. 65 on the Billboard Hot 100 and powering it to No. 1 on Billboard’s Dance Club Songs, their second leader on the tally after 2013’s “Alive”.
Career streams top 7.6 billion, including more than 1 billion streams for “Walking on a Dream.”
Empire of the Sun has released three albums, the 2008 breakthrough debut Walking on a Dream, 2013’s Ice on the Dune and 2016’s Two Vines, all of which cracked the Top 10 in Australia.
A fourth might not be too far away. “There’s a lot of great music in the bag. I’m hoping that will see the light of day,” Littlemore told Billboard in 2021. “I have great faith. I don’t feel we have exhausted that well by any stretch. The name still has a lot of goodwill. I really hope we can come together and finish it.”
J. Cole has returned. The Dreamville boss surprised fans with the release of his Might Delete Later project, which arrived on Friday (April 5) without any sort of warning.
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The effort is filled with 12 tracks and features assists from a diverse range of artists including Gucci Mane, Cam’ron, Bas, Central Cee, Ari Lennox, Young Dro and more.
Might Delete Later finds a handful of songs Cole teased snippets of during his Vlogs of the same name recapping his travels as part of Drake’s Big As the What? Tour earlier this year. One of which finds J.C. and Killa Cam rapping over Dipset’s “I’m Ready.”
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It appears that Might Delete Later serves as an appetizer for fans rather than an LP, as Cole reminds everyone that The Fall-Off is still on the way this year to close out the project.
The project comes two weeks after Kendrick Lamar’s atomic bomb on the rap game when he torched “Big 3” running mates Drake and J. Cole with his guest verse on Future and Metro Boomin’s We Don’t Trust You album standout and No. 1 hit “Like That.”
J. Cole’s last album arrived in 2021 with The Off-Season, which topped the Billboard 200 to give the North Carolina rapper his sixth No. 1 album with 282,000 equivalent album units sold in the first week.
It’s going to be a busy weekend for the 39-year-old, who is hosting his annual Dreamville Fest this weekend (April 6 and April 7).
Cole is headlining the anticipated fourth edition of the festival alongside SZA, Nicki Minaj and Chris Brown. Other performers include Lil Yachty, JID, Sexyy Red, ScHoolboy Q, Teezo Touchdown, Jeezy, Monica, Rae Sremmurd, Key Glock, Jeremih, Lul Tyler, Muni Long and more.
Stream Might Delete Later below.
LE SSERAFIM’s next project is a slam dunk.
The South Korean pop-group forges a multi-year collaboration with the National Basketball Association (NBA) to headline the league’s celebrity and influencer program in Asia.
Through the new “Friends of the NBA” alliance, the five-piece pop outfit will attend NBA games and events, play their part in promotional activities for the Association, and participate in various exclusive content that will appear on NBA and LE SSERAFIM’s social media channels — the first of which can be seen below.
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The girl group is on a hot streak. Earlier this year, the singers became a Billboard Hot 100-charting act for the first time with the single “Easy.” The EP of the same name debuted at No. 8 on the Billboard 200, in an historic week during which TWICE’s With YOU-th EP bowed at No. 1 on the chart, marking the first time that the top 10 had featured two all-women K-pop groups.
Easy also started at No. 2 on both the World Albums and Top Album Sales charts, while the title track surged to No. 6 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart, marking the group’s second, and top charting, top 10.
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LE SSERAFIM, which is signed to Source Music/Geffen Records/IGA, notched its first Billboard chart entry on May 14, 2022, when “Fearless” debuted on Global Excl. U.S. and the Billboard Global 200 charts (at Nos. 74 and 155, respectively).
The NBA with its wealth of talent is increasingly calling upon the profile of K-pop stars to spread the word. Last year, BTS’s Suga was named as an NBA Ambassador, with duties for engaging the Association’s “fans around the world”.
The NBA has never been more popular with sports fans abroad, and the game itself had never been more “international.” When the 2023-24 season tipped off, franchise rosters included a record 125 international players from 40 countries, led by Canada (26) and France (14). When the last regular season came to an end, international players led the league in points per game and rebounds, and non-U.S.-born players have won the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award for each of the past five seasons.
Billboard has more than 200 different weekly charts, encompassing numerous genres and formats.
While established artists often compete for a spot on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart and Billboard 200 albums ranking, which track the most popular songs and albums of the week, respectively, up-and-coming talents typically start off on genre-specific lists.
Here’s a look at 10 artists who appear on surveys for the first time on the April 6, 2024-dated charts.
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ILLIT
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The South Korean group makes its first showing on Billboard’s charts with its debut four-track EP Super Real Me and single “Magnetic.” The set, released March 25 on BELIFT LAB (a sublabel of HYBE Corporation), debuts at No. 10 on the World Albums chart and No. 15 on Heatseekers Albums with 4,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending March 28, according to Luminate.
The EP’s breakout single “Magnetic” also arrives at No. 33 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart and No. 63 on the Billboard Global 200; it drew 21.7 million official streams worldwide. TikTok has been a contributing factor in the song’s growth, as a portion of it has soundtracked over 170,000 clips on the platform, where the group boasts 1.4 million followers. The song is expected to vault further on next week’s, April 13-dated charts.
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ILLIT was formed through the Korean JTBC reality show R U Next? and comprises members Iroha, Minju, Moka, Wonhee and Yunah.
Love Fame Tragedy
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Love Fame Tragedy nets its first entry on Billboard’s charts, as “Don’t You Want To Sleep With Someone Normal?” debuts at No. 39 on Alternative Airplay (up 24% in plays).
The act is a solo side project of Wombats frontman Matthew Murphy. The band, from Liverpool, has maintained a steady presence on Billboard’s charts since 2008, with five charting songs on Alternative Airplay and two charting albums (of its five total) on the Billboard 200: Glitterbug (No. 91 peak in 2015) and Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life (No. 190, 2018).
“Normal?” is from Love Fame Tragedy’s second album, Life Is a Killer, released March 29 on Bright Antenna Records. The band released its first collection, Wherever I Go, I Want To Leave, in 2020.
Mark Ambor
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Mark Ambor is officially a Billboard-charting hitmaker, thanks to his breakthrough viral song “Belong Together.” Released Feb. 16, the song debuts at No. 167 on the Global Excl. U.S. chart with 8.2 million streams earned outside the U.S. The song also starts at No. 88 on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100.
Before releasing the song, Ambor had been teasing it for weeks on TikTok, where two versions have gone viral. Its original audio has soundtracked over 20,000 clips, while a sped-up mix has been used in over 120,000 videos. Ambor himself boasts nearly a million followers on the platform.
Ambor released his debut seven-track album Hello World in 2022, followed by other songs, including another viral hit, “Good To Be” (118,000 clips on TikTok). Ambor has a run of European tour stops lined up in April.
Yahir Saldivar
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The Mexican singer is now a Billboard-charting artist, thanks to his breakthrough viral hit “SC-9.” The song, released Feb. 1 on Cash On Beat/H.D.P., debuted at No. 45 on the March 23-dated Hot Latin Songs chart and holds at its No. 23 high on the latest list with 3.7 million U.S. streams (a 14% gain from the previous week). The song also stands at No. 4 on Latin Digital Song Sales after reaching No. 1 a week earlier, where it became Saldivar’s first career Billboard leader. Plus, Saldivar ranks at No. 38 on the Emerging Artists chart.
The recent gains for “SC-9” can partly be attributed to TikTok, where Saldivar boasts over 500,000 followers. The song has been used in over 50,000 videos on the platform.
Loe Shimmy
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The emerging rapper, from Pompano Beach, Fla., reaches Billboard’s charts for the first time thanks to his new album, Zombieland 2. Released March 22 on NETL/Open Shift Records, the set debuts at No. 13 on Heatseekers Albums (which ranks the most popular albums each week by new or developing acts) with 4,000 equivalent album units earned. It features collaborations with fellow Billboard-charting artists Luh Tyler and Veeze, plus rappers BLP Kosher and ffawty.
Loe Shimmy has been releasing music on streaming services since 2020. Since then, he’s dropped two additional full-lengths – Zuper PowerZ in 2021 and Z end in 2022 – along with his EPs Zombie Land and World WAR Z (both in 2020). He has also released songs with Kodak Black, Bossman Dlow and Danny Towers, among others.
Ahadadream & Priya Ragu
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Both artists land their first Billboard chart hits, thanks to their new collaboration with Skrillex, “TAKA.” Released March 22 via Major Recordings/FFRR, the track debuts at No. 37 on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs with 512,000 U.S. streams.
British-Pakistani electronic/house DJ Ahadadream (real name Ahad Elley) has been releasing music for nearly a decade, including four EPs: Movements, Shade, 3:33 and Homecoming. Outside of Skrillex, he has also collaborated with Ellie Goulding, ELIZA, and Tommy Genesis. “TAKA” initially rose to prominence last September, when he previewed the track during his debut Boiler Room set (alongside Skrillex). He has a run of North American and European tour dates lined up through August, including a set at The Do Lab stage at Coachella this month.
Priya Ragu released her debut studio album Santhosam, on Warner Records U.K., following the mixtape damnshestamil in 2021 (also via Warner U.K.) The Tamil-Swiss singer-songwriter, who has also released music with Jungle and Oddisee, has a string of European and Australian tour dates scheduled through May.
As for Skrillex, “Taka” earns the EDM star his 61st entry on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs, tying The Chainsmokers for the fourth-most in the chart’s decade-long-plus history, after David Guetta (86), Marshmello (68) and Kygo (63).
Keith Nieto
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The Mexican singer-songwriter has already appeared on Billboard’s charts as saxophonist for the group La Maquinaria Norteña, but he earns his first career entry as a soloist with “Contigo Sí.” The song, on Azteca Records/Fonovisa/UMLE, debuts at No. 35 on Regional Mexican Airplay, with a 110% gain in radio audience impressions. The song is on Nieto’s debut solo six-track EP Saxy, released Feb. 28.
La Maquinaria Norteña has charted 32 songs on Regional Mexican Airplay, including 14 top 10s and three No. 1s: “50 y Cincuenta” (in 2022), “Eres Ese Algo” and “Te Quiero Ver” (both 2023). The group has also logged 10 albums on Top Latin Albums, including three No. 1s: El Fenomeno (2014), Ya Dime Adios (2015) and Generacion Maquinaria Est. 2006 (2016). Nieto, who has written and produced many of the band’s hits, is joined in the group by his brothers Tony and Rory Nieto, as well as Iván Gutiérrez and Sergio Soto.
Rosemarie
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The R&B singer-songwriter claims her first Billboard chart hit, thanks to her collaboration with Roddy Ricch, “Is it Real?” Released in November on her 12-track project Rock Paper Scissors: Recut (via Bird Vision/Interscope Records), the song opens at No. 39 on Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay with a 4% gain in spins at the format.
Rosemarie released her debut full-length TBD: To Be Determined in 2019 and dropped her nine-track set Sinnergy in 2021. Outside of Roddy Ricch, she has collaborated with Juvenile and Kalan.FrFr.
ÁSDÍS
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The Icelandic singer hits Billboard’s charts for the first time thanks to her featured appearance on Seven Lions and Illenium’s “Not Even Love.” Released March 22 on Casablanca/Republic, the track debuts at No. 14 on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs with 1 million U.S. streams.
ÁSDÍS, based in Berlin, has been releasing music since 2020. She has collaborated with fellow Icelandic singer Daði Freyr on “Feel the Love,” and co-wrote Sophie Simmons’ 2021 release “Love Turns Lonely” (which deadmau5 produced).