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“Murder on the Dancefloor” (via Polydor) is killing it in the U.K., where Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s 2001 pop number returns to its peak position.
Powered by its sync in Emerald Fennell’s dark feature film Saltburn, Ellis-Bextor’s solo hit rebounds 8-2, equaling its best position set more than 22 years ago.
According to the Official Charts Company, “Murder On The Dancefloor” doubles its highest-ever streaming week in the U.K. to date, accumulating 4.7 million streams over the seven-day cycle.
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The Saltburn effect can be seen further down the list as Mason and Princess Superstar’s “Perfect (Exceeder)” (Armada), which also appears in the film, vaults 40-26. The mashup cut originally peaked at No. 3 in 2006.
Another movie is having an influence on the U.K. top 40. Natasha Bedingfield’s breakthrough “Unwritten” (Phonogenic) bounces to No. 24 on the tally, published Friday, Jan. 12 — for its first stint in the top 40 in almost 20 years. “Unwritten” originally peaked at No. 6 in 2004, but writes a new chapter in its chart journey thanks to its use in Will Gluck’s rom-com Anyone But You.
The top new entry on the latest Official U.K. Singles Chart is Liam Gallagher and John Squire’s collaboration “Just Another Rainbow” (Warner Records), new at No. 16. It’s Gallagher’s highest-charting solo single yet and the sixth top 40 for the former Oasis and Beady Eye frontman. “Rainbow” is the first top 40 effort for Squire, guitarist with the enigmatic Manchester band The Stone Roses.
British rockers Bring Me The Horizon bag an eighth top 40 appearance with “Kool-Aid” (RCA), new at No. 21. It’s the Sheffield, England outfit’s highest appearance on the weekly tally since 2014’s “Drown” floated to No. 17.
Also, Drake’s “Practice” (Cash Money/Republic Records) cracks the top 40, some 13 years after its release. Originally appearing on Drizzy’s 2011 album Take Care, “Practice” debuts at No. 27 after igniting a new viral trend on TikTok. That effort lifts the Canadian hip-hop star’s career top 40 tally to a whopping 91.
At the top of the tally, Noah Kahan’s “Stick Season” (Republic Records) snags a second consecutive week at No. 1.
The leader at the midweek stage, “Stick Season” was the U.K.’s most-streamed track last week, with 7.5 million streams plays, the OCC reports.
It’s Friday, January 12th, and we’re running down the new music releases of the day. Ariana Grande is back with her new track “yes, and?,” Lil Nas X dropped his long-awaited track “J CHRIST,” 21 Savage has released a solo album titled “american dream” and more. Ivan Cornejo is Billboard’s newest cover star. Usher’s Apple […]
Sophie Ellis-Bextor is murdering Australia’s singles chart, too.
The British pop veteran’s 2021 hit “Murder On The Dancefloor” (Universal) returns to the top 40 on the ARIA Singles Chart, published Friday, Jan. 12, powered by the dark-energy of Saltburn.
“Murder On The Dancefloor” shuffles to No. 25 on the latest tally, still some way off its peak of No. 3, achieved more than 22 years ago.
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The song is enjoying fresh life thanks to its appearance late in the hit Amazon Prime film, which stars Australian newcomer Jacob Elordi, and is separately making climbs up the Billboard Hot 100 and Official U.K. Singles Chart.
“Murder” is platinum certified in Australia and is one of Ellis-Bextor’s three top five hits in these parts, including Spiller’s 2000 leader “Groovejet (If This Ain’t Love),” for which she was the uncredited vocalist.
At the pointy end of the ARIA Single Chart is Jack Harlow’s “Lovin On Me” (Atlantic/Warner), which enters an eighth non-consecutive week at No. 1. “Lovin On Me” was bounced from the summit when the Christmas songs chimed in, then returned to the top when the fest season came to a close.
Tate McRae’s “Greedy” (RCA/Sony) is unmoved at No. 2 while U.S. singer and songwriter Noah Kahan continues his ascent with “Stick Season” (Universal), up 6-3. That’s easily Kahan’s best-performing single in Australia, eclipsing the No. 14 peak for 2017’s “Hurt Somebody” and the No. 45 peak for 2023’s “Dial Drunk.” “Stick Season” is the current No. 1 in the U.K., his first leader there.
Taylor Swift has just been crowned queen of Australia’s year-end 2023 albums chart, with 1989 (Taylor’s Version) (via Universal), having dominated the previous year’s ARIA tally with Midnights. Some things never change. 1989 (Taylor’s Version) holds at No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart for its 11th straight week, while Midnights is unchanged at No. 3. Swift, whose The Eras Tour winds its way to Australia next month, has five of the top 10 titles on the latest weekly tally.
21 Savage turns the dream into reality by unleashing American Dream (via Slaughter Gang and Epic Records), his first solo studio album in nearly six years.
Dropping at the stroke of midnight, Savage’s third set features a dreamy lineup of collaborators, including Brent Faiyaz, Summer Walker, Travis Scott, Young Thug, Lil Durk and Mariah the Scientist.
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In a novel campaign for the LP, the Atlanta, GA-based British-American rapper revealed his guest artists ahead of release by sharing their baby pictures on his Instagram.
Fifteen tracks in total, American Dream was announced earlier in the week, and is said to serve as the soundtrack for 21 Savage’s debut film American Dream: The 21 Savage Story, for which he unveiled a trailer on Monday (Jan. 8).
American Dream is the followup to his 2018 sophomore album I Am > I Was, which earned the hip-hop artist his first Billboard 200 No. 1 album and was nominated for best rap album at the 2020 Grammy Awards. Its hit single “A Lot,” featuring J. Cole, won the Grammy that year for best rap song.
Then, in 2020, Savage Mode II with Metro Boomin went to No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
Another collaborative project, Her Loss, recorded with Drake, bowed at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart in 2022, for his third leader. In December of that year, the state of Georgia recognized Dec. 21 as 21 Savage Day in recognition of his philanthropic efforts, which include his foundation Leading by Example, established in 2018 to provide financial literacy education to underserved youth nationwide providing thousands of scholarships, access to bank accounts and job placement for youths and more.
Directed by Donald Glover, American Dream: The 21 Savage Story rolls out in theaters on Independence Day 2024. Savage’s live commitments this year include spots on the U.K.’s Reading and Leeds Festivals.
Stream American Dream in full below.
All hail Taylor Swift. That’s how Australians reacted to TayTay in 2023, as the pop superstar dominated the year-end charts.
Swift reigned supreme on the 2023 ARIA End Of Year Albums Chart, published Friday, Jan. 1, with 1989 (Taylor’s Version) taking out top spot.
The fourth re-recorded album from Swift’s repertoire, 1989 (Taylor’s Version) logged nine weeks at No. 1 on the national chart last year, the longest consecutive streak of any LP.
That’s just the start of Swift’s sweep. The “Shake It Off” singer bagged five of the top 10 albums in the land Down Under, including the runner-up spot with Midnights, ARIA confirms, and 10 of the top 50.
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Following a two-week stay at No. 1 in 2023, Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) finishes the year at No. 7 overall; Lover is at No. 8; and the original version of 1989 is at No. 9. Also impacting the tally is Reputation (No. 11), Folklore (No. 12), Red (Taylor’s Version) (No. 29), Evermore (No.36) and Fearless (Taylor’s Version) (No. 46).
Swift is accustomed to the high life. Midnights was No. 1 album of 2022, meaning Swift has had the best-selling album in Australia for two-straight years. A third isn’t out of the question. Swift has two more re-recorded albums in the works (though release dates haven’t been announced), and her The Eras Tour will storm into Australia in February for seven stadium shows across Sydney and Melbourne.
Canadian R&B star The Weeknd’s The Highlights completes the annual albums podium with his career retrospective, The Highlights, ahead of Morgan Wallen’s One Thing At A Time and SZA’s SOS, respectively.
The country comeback is in full swing as Luke Combs lands three titles in the top 25: This One’s For You at No. 14, Gettin’ Old at No. 17 and What You See Ain’t Always What You Get at No. 24.
Meanwhile, U.S. artists lock-up the four best-selling singles of 2023, a list led by Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers,” a single that stood tall atop the ARIA Singles Chart for 12 weeks during the calendar year. Just eight songs have spent more than time at No. 1, ARIA reports. Tones and I’s “Dance Monkey” remains the all-time leader, notching 24 weeks at the top in 2019-20.
Slotting in at No. 2 on the 2023 ARIA End Of Year Singles Chart is country star Morgan Wallen with “Last Night,” ahead of SZA’s “Kill Bill” and Swift’s “Anti-Hero,” respectively, while English artist PinkPantheress finishes the year at No. 5 with “Boy’s A Liar.”
“Congratulations to all the artists who dominated 2023, but particularly to Taylor, who has completely reset the narrative for what a solo artist can accomplish,” comments ARIA CEO Annabelle Herd. “She is a truly once-in-a-lifetime artist, storyteller, performer and businessperson. Similarly, Miley Cyrus’ incredible achievement on the Singles Chart over the past year – solidified at No. 1 on the 2023 Singles Chart – is cause for celebration… as is women at the top of both the Singles and Albums Charts for 2023.”
The dearth of homegrown artists on both lists, however, is no cause to celebrate. Just four Australian albums cracked the top 100 this year, led by INXS hits collection The Very Best (at No. 58), and just three Australian-made singles impacted the top 100, none of which were released in 2023. The best-placed Australian recording was The Kid Laroi’s 15-times platinum 2021 collaboration with Justin Bieber, “Stay.”
“It’s frustrating, but the data provided by these charts is an unbiased view of how Australian audiences consume music, and we need to use this data to understand we have a very urgent, very complex problem to solve,” adds Herd. “We need to address the damaging lack of data about contemporary music.
Help is on the way. With renewed support for Ausmusic from the federal government and various state governments, the establishment of Music Australia, Sound NSW, and the Centre for Creative Workplaces, notes Herd, the industry is optimistic that “we can change the narrative this time next year.”
Check out ARIA’s year-end singles and charts.
Laufey is Billboard’s newest cover star! Lil Nas X is responding to backlash for the use of religious imagery, celebrity lookalikes and more in his new video teaser for his track “J CHRIST.” Anderson .Paak’s Apple Music series ‘.Paak House Radio’ is back for season 2 and features guests like aespa, Saweetie and Victoria Monet. And more!
Tetris Kelly:Lil Nas X is pissing all kinds of people off, we get a first look at the Amy Winehouse biopic, Anderson .Paak has a ton of fun with aespa and Victoria Monet, we run down the top songs on TikTok, and Laufey is our Future of Jazz cover star. This is Billboard News. I’m Tetris Kelly, back on Thursday, January 11th and we continue our Future of Genre cover stars with Laufey.
Laufey:I knew I wanted the album to be called ‘Bewitched’ before I started writing any of the songs. I knew I wanted it to be a little bit more mature and I wanted it to be more confident. I think my first album was a little bit aloof, it’s very, you know, hopeless romantic. This second one, although it has elements of that, you know, I’ve experienced more with love. I’ve matured more. I think my writing has gotten better. Some of the references I put into my music, the classical references, especially, are so obvious that sometimes I get DMs or messages from my fans saying like, “Wait a minute, I was listening to Bach today and I found the beginning of ‘Everything I Know About Love.’” And I’m like, “Yep, you got it.” And I love that. I love spreading it in. I mean, I need to do a deep dive into the classical references in ‘Bewitched’ but there are so many. It feels very, very validating, especially in the category that I am in, you know, it’s all my heroes. It’s all legends, so getting to be a voice in that category is just incredible and especially with this album that I wrote at home, it’s just, it’s crazy. Taylor Swift was one of the first songwriters that I really, like songwriter artists, that I really resonated with. Every song while you’re listening, you can visually see what’s happening, and it turns into a little movie. And I think that’s something, though she has changed genres so many times, she’s always kept true to that. It’s always that Taylor Swift storytelling, that songwriting, that is the common denominator. That’s one thing I really want to do in my lifetime as a musician, and it’s inspired me greatly.
Tetris Kelly:For the full profile head to Billboard.com. We’ll have another cover story for you tomorrow.Watch the full video above!
Natalie Bassingthwaighte will deliver an exclusive performance at the 2024 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras — her first since coming out.
The Rogue Traders singer and Australian TV celebrity is locked in for the first-ever Mardi Gras Debutante Ball for First Timers, hosted at Kinsela’s in Darlinghurst.
In addition to being guest of honor at the deb ball, Nat Bass, as she’s affectionately known in these parts, will perform some of her “all-time favorite hits” while “sharing her story,” reps say.
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As singer with Rogue Traders, Bassingthwaighte has landed silverware and international hits. In 2006, two of those Rogue Traders numbers cracked the U.K. top 40, including the club track “Voodoo Child,” which peaked at No. 3 on the Official U.K. Singles Chart.
Also, the dance act won an ARIA Award in 2003 for “One of My Kind” (best dance release) and two APRA Music Awards, for “Way to Go!” in 2006 (most performed dance work) and “In Love Again” in 2008 (dance work of the year).
“Being able to attend my first Mardi Gras as a new member of the queer community, surrounded with so much love, joy and acceptance is so special to me,” Bassingthwaighte says in a statement, “and what’s even more special is knowing that I get to share this memorable experience with other First Timers of diverse queer identities.”
LGBTQIA+ community trailblazers and Mardi Gras custodians will also be watching on, including LGBTQIA+ advocate Robyn Kennedy, who is an original first-timer having attended the first ever Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras in 1978, plus Making It Australia judge Benja Harney, and trans couture designer couple, Katie Louise Nicol-Ford and Lilian Nicol-Ford.
Johnnie Walker is a sponsor of the 2024 Mardi Gras, and is sponsoring the inaugural Mardi Gras Debutante Ball, which celebrates “those who have, up until now, been unable to attend.” The whisky brand is getting into the spirit of Mardi Gras with a competition, which invites first timers to enter for a chance at an all-expenses paid experience.
The colorful LGBTQI party, march and festival is typically attended by hundreds of thousands of people from around Australia and abroad, and is set for Feb. 16 to March 3.
Bassingthwaighte reunited with her Rogue Traders bandmates last year for “To The Disco,” the first release from Rogue Traders in over a decade. The dance act supported the release with a slate of performances.
Jamaican Dancehall artist Teejay is Billboard’s newest cover star! Selena Gomez is setting the record straight on that viral Golden Globes moment and announced she will be taking a break from social media to focus on “what really matters.” Taylor Swift was seen heading to Electric Lady Studios in NYC yesterday, and Lady Gaga took […]
Merlin, the global digital licensing agency for the independent music industry, has unveiled its new board – one that doesn’t feature co-founders Martin Mills and Michel Lambot.
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The new board comprises leaders from the indie sector in 12 different countries across Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, North America, and Oceania, and includes six new faces.
Exclusively revealed by Billboard today (Jan. 10), Merlin welcomes new board members Golda Bitterli, VP of sales, Revelator (Israel); Jeffrey Chiang, director of global business, Fluxus (South Korea); Fer Isella, founder and CEO, limbo music (Spain); Irina Lipczyk-Kolakovska, digital distribution lead, e-muzyka (Poland); Simon Wheeler, director of global commercial strategy, Beggars (U.K.); and Megan Jasper, CEO, Sub Pop (U.S.).
They join returning Merlin board members Pascal Bittard, founder and CEO, IDOL (France); Marie Clausen, managing director North America, Ninja Tune (U.S.); Tom Deakin, head of EMEA, AudioSalad (U.K.); Chris Maund, COO, Mushroom Music (Australia); Carlos Mills, founder, Mills Records (Brazil); Louis Posen, president & executive director, Hopeless Records (U.S.); Michael Ugwu, CEO, Freeme Digital (Nigeria); Darius Van Arman, co-CEO, Secretly (U.S.); Horst Weidenmueller, CEO & Owner, !K7 (Germany); and Justin West, president & CEO, Secret City (Canada).
Van Arman is reappointed as chairperson for a second term, having first joined the board in 2015, and playing an “instrumental” role in guiding the organization’s strategic direction, reads a statement.
Additionally, Jennifer Newman Sharpe, general counsel, Exceleration, and Dorothee Imhoff, CCO, FUGA, are appointed board advisors this year.
Merlin’s board is elected from and by its membership, which represents tens of thousands of independent record labels, distributors, and rightsholders, including K7!, Because Music, Beggars Group, Better Noise, CD Baby and Downtown Music (including FUGA), Exceleration, and many others.
In the upcoming year, explains Merlin CEO Jeremy Sirota in a statement to Billboard, the organization “is committed to fostering meaningful, sustainable and value-driven member growth.”
Its mission, “to support labels and distributors who invest in artists and their unique cultural contributions. By associating with members who invest in high-quality music around the world, Merlin aims to strengthen its network, while offering unparalleled access and benefits to our members, and enriching the global music landscape.”
Sirota and Merlin also pay tribute to outgoing board members Martin Mills (Beggars), Merlin co-founder, board member and former chairperson, and Michel Lambot ([PIAS]), Merlin co-founder and board member, two giants of the independent music community whose “long-standing leadership” helped members “around the world own their independence.”
Also, Sirota points to the completion last year of the initial build of a Data Warehouse, which should enable Merlin to make “significant strides in data, analytics, and insights to further advance our mission and our members.” In 2024, “we will now start to provide actionable insights derived from our collective data,” he adds. Part of that plan includes expanding Merlin’s data and insights team, which in time should “deliver insights that help our members make informed decisions and foster growth.”
Thirty years after the Spice Girls formed, triggering a wave of Girl Power that spread the globe, the classic lineup will reunite for a project.
Though details remain under lock and key, founding member Mel B let the news slip out during her appearance on TODAY with Hoda & Jenna.
When asked about the chances of a Spice Girls reunion, Mel B (real name Melanie Brown) told Hoda Kotb, “I’ve been saying it forever. But now we’re actually going to be releasing some really good news in about a few weeks that involves all five of us.”A reunion isn’t a sinch, she continues. “There’s five of us, five separate diaries, we’re all parents.”
The famous five is, of course, Baby (Emma Bunton), Posh (Victoria Beckham), Ginger (Geri Halliwell-Horner), Sporty (Melanie Chisholm) and Scary Spice (Mel B) – an outfit that landed No. 1s on both sides of the Atlantic during a hot streak in the late 1990s.Will Spicemaniacs be satisfied by what’s to come? Apparently so. “100%,” enthuses Mel B. “And it’s going to be the gift that keeps on giving, without saying too much about it. I’m going to get myself into so much trouble.”
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The Spice Girls assembled in 1994, and had a global phenomenon two years later with their debut single, 1996’s “Wannabe.” The catchy track logged four weeks at the summit of the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1997, and is one of the group’s nine U.K. No. 1 singles. “Wannabe” is still powering along, passing one billion streams on Spotify over the recent holiday period. The Brits’ debut LP Spice spent five weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, and 15 weeks at the summit of the Official U.K. Albums Chart (followup Spiceworld logged three weeks at No. 1 in the U.K. in 1997).It takes something special to gather the girls. The last time all five performed together was for the London Olympics in 2012, though the pop act hit the road for a tour in 2019, doing so as a four-piece without Victoria Beckham.The Spice Girls did reunite in 2022 for the occasion of Geri’s 50th birthday, an event that doubled-up as the 25th anniversary of their Spiceworld, their sophomore album. Geri had left the group in 1998 to embark on a solo career, but returning to the fold in 2007 for the Return of the Spice Girls Tour.
Reunion talk aside, Mel B used her stint on the Today with Hoda & Jenna couch to discuss her return to the America’s Got Talent judging panel, her MBE, her book, her forthcoming wedding and the Royal Mail’s special collection of Spice Girls stamps. “It is massive,” she says of the new stamp issue. “For the Royal Mail, it’s usually the Queen, and the King” on the stamps. “And now it’s the Spice Girls.”
Watch the interview below.
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