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Sierra Ferrell and The War And Treaty are both officially Billboard Hot 100-charting artists, thanks to their featured appearances on Zach Bryan’s new smash LP Zach Bryan.
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The set debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 200,000 equivalent album units earned in its opening week (Aug. 25-31) in the U.S., according to Luminate. It’s the third No. 1 country album of 2023, so far, after Morgan Wallen’s One Thing at a Time and Taylor Swift’s Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), and the first rock No. 1 of the year. (The set is categorized as both a country and rock album.)
Bryan’s “Holy Roller,” featuring Ferrell, debuts at No. 37 on the Hot 100 purely on the strength of its first-week streaming sum: 12.1 million U.S. streams earned. That total helps the song open at No. 20 on the Streaming Songs chart. Genre-wise, it also starts at No. 14 on Hot Rock & Alternative Songs and No. 17 on Hot Country Songs. (The Hot 100, Hot Rock & Alternative Songs and Hot Country Songs charts all blend streams, sales and airplay data for their respective rankings.)
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Ferrell, from Charleston, West Virginia, is a newcomer to Billboard’s charts. The country/folk/bluegrass singer-songwriter scored her first overall chart appearance in September 2021, when her third, and most-recent LP, Long Time Coming, reached No. 15 on the Americana/Folk Albums chart and No. 25 on Top Album Sales.
She’s returned to Billboard’s charts once since then with her featured appearance on Ray LaMontagne’s “I Was Born To Love You.” The song climbed to No. 38 on the Adult Alternative Airplay chart in June 2022.
Outside of the charts, she’s released two additional solo LPs: Pretty Magic Spell in 2014, and Washington By The Sea in 2016. She’s also collaborated with Diplo (“Rain on My Mind,” also with Paul Cauthen), Shakey Graves (“Ready Or Not”), and Old Crow Medicine Show (“Belle Meade Cockfight”).
Next year, she’s scheduled to open for Bryan on his stops in Las Vegas and Denver on his Quittin Time Tour.
Bryan’s “Hey Driver,” featuring The War And Treaty, debuts at No. 14 on the Hot 100, also largely on the strength of its first-week streaming sum: 18.3 million U.S. streams, plus 1,000 downloads sold. The streaming sum also generates a No. 5 debut on the Streaming Songs chart. It concurrently debuts at No. 2 on Hot Rock & Alternative Songs and No. 5 on Hot Country Songs.
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The War And Treaty are a husband-and-wife duo, based in Albion, Mich., comprising Tanya and Michael Trotter Jr.
The pair are relatively new to Billboard’s charts. The act first appeared on a chart in 2018 with its second studio album Healing Tide. The set climbed to No. 11 on the Heatseekers Albums chart and No. 26 on the Independent Albums chart. Two years later, in 2020, the couple notched its first song entry on Billboard’s charts with “Five More Minutes.” It peaked at No. 20 on Adult Alternative Airplay.
Since then, the act’s third and fourth albums both charted on the Top Current Album Sales ranking: Hearts Town reached No. 70 in October 2020 and Lover’s Game peaked at No. 56 in March.
Aside from the charts, the War And Treaty have also collaborated with Shovels & Rope (“Tomorrow”), Blues Traveler (“Need Your Love So Bad”), Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (a star-studded cover of Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are A-Changin,” also with Rosanne Cash, Steve Earle and Jason Isbell), and Dierks Bentley (a live cover of U2’s “Pride (In The Name of Love)”).
Outside of the War and Treaty, Tanya Trotter (née Blount) forged a successful career as a solo act in the ‘90s. She charted three solo songs on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs list (billed as Tanya Blount): “I’m Gonna Make You Mine” (No. 57 peak in 1994), “Through The Rain” (No. 27; 1994) and “Hold On” (No. 66; 1995).
“Through The Rain” also crossed over onto the Hot 100, reaching No. 90 in October 1994. The track appears on Trotter’s sole solo album, Natural Thing (released via Polydor Records), which climbed to No. 58 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
She first rose to prominence after she was cast in the 1993 Whoopi Goldberg film Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit—as the role of Tanya. She has a breakout moment in the film, when she sings “His Eye Is on the Sparrow” alongside future No. 1 Hot 100 artist Lauryn Hill. The duet appears on the soundtrack to the film, which reached No. 74 on the Billboard 200 in 1994.
Five years after making a move, Pitbull returns to WME.
The Grammy Award-winning rapper, singer and songwriter is once again represented by the talent agency worldwide in all areas.
The Cuban-American artist (real name: Armando Christian Pérez) originally signed with WME in 2017, leaving 17 months later for an arrangement with United Talent Agency.
His new deal is inked ahead of the release of his 12th studio album Trackhouse, named after the NASCAR racing team he co-owns.
The U.S.-born star returned to the road in 2022 for the North American Can’t Stop Us Now Tour with guests Iggy Azalea and Sean Paul, and his SiriusXM Globalization DJs play to heaving rooms across the country. Next month, he’ll embark on a major trek with Enrique Iglesias and Ricky Martin for The Trilogy Tour, produced by Live Nation.
It won’t be the first joint trek for these Latin stars. In 2017, Enrique Iglesias and Pitbull went on tour with CNCO as the opening act. The trek grossed $38 million and sold 415,000 tickets, according to Billboard Boxscore numbers.
“With billions of audio streams and video views plus hundreds of gold and platinum certifications,” reads a statement from WME, “Pitbull has one of the most impressive careers in music history along with being a force in brand partnerships.”
Outside of music, Pitbull founded Sports Leadership Arts and Management (SLAM!), tuition-free public charter schools across the U.S, and he has joined self-help guru Tony Robbins, for numerous speaking engagements around the world.
Earlier this year, the Miami, FL artist joined YouTube’s billion-views club for the fourth time with his Billboard Hot 100 leader from 2011, “Give Me Everything,” featuring Ne-Yo, Afrojack and Nayer.He previously reached the streaming milestone with his second Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 “Timber” (featuring Ke$ha), “Rain Over Me” (featuring Marc Anthony) and Jennifer Lopez’s “On the Floor.” “Give Me Everything”.
America’s Got Talent just found what it’s looking for — Putri Ariani.
Earlier in the competition, the Indonesian teenager blew minds and broke hearts with her audition, a performance of Elton John and Bernie Taupin’s “Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word.”
The gifted youngster lit up the screen, showcasing a delicate mix of pop tones, power, vocal maturity and unreal control, and earning the Golden Buzzer from judge Simon Cowell.
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The 17-year-old is blind, an obstacle she overcomes when she’s performing. “When I’m singing I feel like a superstar,” she said earlier in the season.
On Tuesday night’s (Sept. 5) live qualifier, she sat at the grand piano, without backing or pyrotechnics, and delivered another lesson in talent.
Putri covered “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For,” an appropriate, spiritual number lifted from the U2’s The Joshua Tree from 1987, an album that confirmed U2 as the biggest band in the world.
When her latest performance wrapped, another standing ovation.
“I’m actually kinda speechless right now,” Cowell admitted. “What a beautiful voice you’ve got. What a beautiful version. And honestly Putri, this is why I still do this job. For moments like this, genuinely. That was so beautiful.”
Cowell noted that U2 personally cleared the song for Putri to sing on AGT. “They saw her audition,” he remarked. “And they knew how much this would mean to her.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever heard something more beautiful in my life,” said Sofia Vergara. “That was spectacular.” It was the “perfect, perfect, perfect act.”
Added Heidi Klum, “you sounded so beautiful and I thought to myself this probably is what it sounds like when an angel is singing. Literally. So beautiful. I do hope Bono gets to hear this.”
“Perfection,” was all Howie Mandel had to say.
Putri had the final word. She thanked Cowell, his fellow judges and supporters. “You already changed my life,” she enthused.
Now it’s America’s turn to vote.
Watch the performance below.
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Apple Music is doubling down on classical music with the acquisition of Swedish label BIS Records.
Following the launch earlier this year of its standalone app Apple Music Classical (AMC), the tech giant makes its move for BIS, a classical specialist which has operated since 1973.
The acquisition ticks several boxes for both parties.
For BIS, the timing, and its new teammates, were right. “A few days ago BIS Records turned 50 years old and I am immensely proud of what our small team of people has accomplished during this half-century,” writes BIS founder Robert von Bahr in a blog post.
Its strong suit, “while paying our dues to the core repertoire,” he continues, “has been to nurture young classical artists and interesting living composers and to safeguard the musical treasure that we all represent long into the future. It is to that end that, after much careful consideration, and having just turned 80, I am excited to announce the rather momentous news that we have made the decision to become part of the Apple family.”
For Apple, the hardware colossus with a market cap that’s fast approaching $3 trillion, its latest purchase is a statement of intent. Classical music is hot right now, the newest member of its family comes bearing the goods, with a catalog of contemporary composers and early music. And Apple wants ownership.
Apple made its splash in the classical water with the March launch of AMC, stemming from its August 2021 acquisition of Primephonic.
The new app, Apple boldly declared at the time, was the “ultimate classical experience” with the “largest classical music catalog,” boasting over 5 million tracks and works from new releases to recognized masterpieces.
The game is changing, fast. Last November, Deutsche Grammophon launched a new standalone streaming service, Stage+, catering to its own catalog and that of Decca Classics. And, recently, Universal Music Group bought Hyperion Records, and announced its asset would finally enter into the streaming age.
Following the latest transaction, BIS will become part of Apple Music Classical and its artist services service Platoon. Financial terms of the arrangement were not disclosed. At the time of writing, BIS Recordings were available on Apple’s DSPs and eClassical.
Von Bahr and his staff won’t be going anywhere. “As proud as I am of this milestone,” he writes, “I am even more proud of the fact that the entire personnel of BIS, including me, have been retained. We all look forward to a future, filled with new music and artists in golden sound from this increased force in classical music.”
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Elliot Goldman, the veteran record executive who co-founded Arista Records, led BMG Music as president and CEO, and served in senior roles with Warner and CBS Records across a decorated career in music, has died at the age of 88.
Goldman joined CBS Records in the 1960s, rising to administrative vice president. Later, with Clive Davis, he established Arista Records, serving as executive VP and general manager at the very inception of the storied label.
“Clive and I formed Arista Records in 1973,” he recounted in an interview with Billboard published in 2015. “One of our first releases was from a gentleman you’ve probably heard of: Barry Manilow.”
Later, Goldman took on duties as senior VP at Warner Communications, and, in 1985, was named president and chief executive of RCA/Ariola International. When BMG parent Bertelsmann acquired RCA outright from the General Electric Company, the German media giant restructured the asset into three operating units; BMG Music, BMG Music International and Arista, all part of BMG. Goldman would guide BMG Music as president and CEO, departing in 1987.
”Elliot expertly managed RCA/ Ariola through very difficult corporate transitions and company restructuring,” Michael Dornemann, co-chairman of the Bertelsmann Music Group, remarked on his departure, The New York Times reported.
A graduate of Cornell, where he majored in political science, and of Columbia Law School, Goldman served on the board of directors of the RIAA, and on the board of directors and executive committee of the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame Foundation at its inception.
During his lifetime, he also served on the executive council of the T.J. Martell Foundation; was co-chairman of the Home Entertainment Division of UJA/Federation; founding member and president emeritus of the Music for Youth foundation; and a recipient of the AMC Cancer Research Center’s Humanitarian of the Year Award.
Goldman leveraged his considerable major label experience into consultancy work with a string independent and major record company clients throughout the 1990s.
Before entering the music industry, Goldman enjoyed various roles in government, including the position as head of the New York office for the 1964 election campaign of Senator Robert F. Kennedy.
Arista and J Records founder Clive Davis leads tributes to the late executive.
“Elliot Goldman played a substantial role in the history of Arista Records and strongly contributed to its success,” comments Davis in a statement. “He was also a great family man and Jill, Ben and the Goldman children have my deepest sympathy for this irreplaceable loss.”
He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Jill, his son Ben (Allysa Lawson Goldman), daughters Elizabeth and Cathy and his four grandchildren, Justin Goldman, Dylan Goldman, Sophie Gibbons and Olivia Gibbons.Ben and Justin have both carved out successful careers in music.
Doja Cat has another fine chance to capture her first U.K. chart crown with “Paint The Town Red.”
Based on midweek sales and streaming data published by the Official Charts Company, “Paint The Town Red” (via Kemosabe Records/RCA Records) is in pole position.
The U.S. pop singer and rapper will hope for a different result from last week, when “Paint The Town Red” led at the midweek stage, before being outraced in the final straight by Olivia Rodrigo’s “Vampire” (Geffen). Doja Cat’s Scarlet single finished the last chart cycle at No. 2, an equal career high (“Say So” also finished in the runner-up position).
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As it stands, Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer” (EMI) lifts 4-2, as “Vampire” dips 1-3.
Meanwhile, Calvin Harris and Sam Smith’s latest collaboration, “Desire” (Columbia), could climb into the top 5 for the first time. It’s up 7-5 on the Official Chart Update.
Fred Again’s “Adore U” (Atlantic) could become the red hot producer’s first Top 10 single as a solo artist. “Adore U” rises 16-10 on the chart blast.
Australia’s pop princess Kylie Minogue is readying the release of her 16th studio album, Tension (due out Sept. 22 via BMG). The title track is set to arrive at No. 19 on the national chart, for what should be Kylie’s 53rd top 40 hit in the U.K. “Tension” is the followup to “Padam Padam,” which crashed the top 10 earlier this year, reaching No. 8.
English singer and songwriter Kenya Grace has never impacted the Official Singles Chart. That could be about to change, as “Strangers” (Major Recordings) blasts to No. 22 on the midweek tally.
Finally, Nicki Minaj’s “Last Time I Saw You” (Republic Records). The Pink Friday 2 cut could bow at No. 25, for what would be the rap star’s 44th U.K. top 40 single. Minaj’s Pink Friday sequel is due out Nov. 17.
The Official U.K. Singles Chart will be presented late Friday, Sept. 8.
Billboard counts down the top five songs that ruled the summer of 2023. Rania Aniftos:It’s here… the official song of the summer. We’re going through the top five songs that you’ve been rocking to all summer long. Two country songs made the list along with some songs of the summer faves. Let’s jump right in […]
It’s a good time to be a country artist.
2023 has been an unusually exceptional year for country music. From Morgan Wallen to Luke Combs, Zach Bryan, Oliver Anthony Music and more, country acts are reaching historic highs across Billboard’s charts – including, most notably, on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 songs chart.
As of the latest list (dated Sept. 9), four country songs (defined as those that have also appeared on the Hot Country Songs chart) have hit No. 1 on the Hot 100 this year: Wallen’s 16-week juggernaut “Last Night,” Jason Aldean’s one-week leader “Try That in a Small Town,” Oliver Anthony Music’s two-week viral No. 1 “Rich Men North of Richmond,” and, as of this week, Zach Bryan’s “I Remember Everything,” featuring Kacey Musgraves. Dating to the Hot 100’s launch in 1958, only one other calendar year has brought four-or-more country No. 1s: 1975, when five reached the summit (listed below in chronological order of when they topped the Hot 100):
“(Hey Won’t You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song,” B.J. Thomas“Before the Next Teardrop Falls,” Freddy Fender“Thank God I’m a Country Boy,” John Denver“Rhinestone Cowboy,” Glen Campbell“I’m Sorry,” John Denver
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“Last Night” has been particularly historic, as its 16 weeks atop the Hot 100 from March to August mark the most weeks ever at No. 1 for a non-collaboration, and tie it for the second-most overall. It also became the first chart-topper by an unaccompanied solo male country artist in over 42 years, since Eddie Rabbitt’s 1981 hit “I Love a Rainy Night.”
Meanwhile, Luke Combs’ cover of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car” has spent eight weeks at its No. 2 high on the Hot 100, becoming his top-charting song. It has also crowned the all-format Radio Songs chart, Country Airplay and Adult Pop Airplay, and has reached the top 10 on Pop Airplay and Adult Contemporary.
Even further, 11 country songs have hit the Hot 100’s top 10 this year, almost quadruple the three that reached the region in all of 2022 (Combs’ “The Kind of Love We Make” and Wallen’s “You Proof” and “Don’t Think Jesus”). Three country hits also appeared in the top 10 in 2021 (Gabby Barrett’s “I Hope,” featuring Charlie Puth, Taylor Swift’s “All Too Well (Taylor’s Version)” and Walker Hayes’ “Fancy Like”), after four did in 2020 (“I Hope,” Dan + Shay and Justin Bieber’s “10,000 Hours,” Combs’ “Forever After All” and Wallen’s “7 Summers”). “10,000 Hours” was the only country song to reach the Hot 100’s top 10 in all of 2019.
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Zach Bryan has also achieved historic heights. This week, he becomes just the second country artist to chart at least 18 songs on the Hot 100 in a single week, after Wallen. “I Remember Everything” also becomes the first song to ever to top the Hot 100, Hot Country Songs and Hot Rock & Alternative Songs charts. Before this week, his breakout song “Something in the Orange” climbed to No. 10 on the Hot 100 in January, later becoming the longest-charting country song by a male artist, spending 66 total weeks on the survey.
The genre’s 2023 success doesn’t end with Wallen, Combs and Bryan, though. Multiple other country artists have also scored their first Hot 100 entries this year, including Tyler Childers (“In Your Love”), Hailey Whitters (“Everything She Ain’t”) and Warren Zeiders (“Pretty Little Poison”).
As Billboard reported in July, country music consumption in the United States increased by 20.3% year-over-year in the first 26 weeks of 2023, according to Luminate. That’s a significant improvement from the 2.5% growth that it experienced over the same period in 2022. Only K-pop (up 46.2%) and Latin (up 20.6%) saw sharper growths. While that surge is driven mostly by Wallen, a whole new crop of country artists is also contributing, including Bailey Zimmerman, Jelly Roll, and Nate Smith.
As country music continues its chart domination into 2023’s fourth quarter, here’s a look at every country music milestone and record that’s been broken on the Hot 100 in 2023, recapped in chronological order.
Most Country Songs in the Top 50 of the Hot 100 in a Single Week
Nicki Minaj’s s long-awaited fifth album Pink Friday 2 is coming soon, and pink is definitely the mood.
The Grammy Award-nominated rap star rides the sky train for the album’s cover art, which she shared on her social channels.
In the image doing the rounds, Minaj holds on tight in an all-white combo, traveling on a roofless carriage that’s floating above the (pink) clouds. A gleaming city is visible in the distance.
Destination: Pink Friday 2.
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Curiously, there’s more to come. “Album cover #1 of 2,” she writes on her Instagram post.
Pink Friday 2 is scheduled to arrive Nov. 17, though Minaj has released a few cuts from it, “Super Freaky Girl,” “Red Ruby Da Sleeze,” and “Last Time I Saw You”.
Minaj already got her pink on for “Barbie World,” her hit collaboration with Ice Spice and Aqua, which appeared on the Barbie soundtrack.
Pink Friday 2 is the sequel to Minaj’s Billboard 200-topping debut studio album from 2010, and will serve as her first LP since 2018’s Queen, which peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and spawned singles including “Chun-Li” and “Good Form.”
She’s not lacking any confidence ahead of release date. “Just know that ‘Pink Friday 2’ is going to be the best album that’s been released in years,” she recently announced.
Earlier in the year, the Trinidadian artist expressing gratitude toward her fans and teased plans for a new tour slated for 2024. “I love you guys so much,” she said. “I am so grateful for the years of support & love you guys have given me. At times maybe I didn’t even deserve all that you have poured into me. Nonetheless, you. will. love. this. album. I will give tour deets closer to that time, but obviously the tour will start around the first quarter of 2024.”
Initially, she revealed the new LP would arrive in October, before the release date was pushed back to mid-November.
See the Pink Friday 2 artwork below.
Royal Blood is flowing in the U.K., where the British rock duo is favorite for the chart crown with Back to the Water Below (via Warner Records).
Comprising Mike Kerr and Ben Thatcher, Royal Blood takes a solid advantage into the second half of the week. According to the Official Charts Company, Back to the Water Below is currently outselling its nearest rival, The 1975’s self-titled LP, by a ratio of more than 2 to 1.
If it stays on course, Back to the Water Below will mark Royal Blood’s fourth consecutive leader, a streak that dates back to, and includes, their eponymously titled debut from 2014.
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The 1975 (Dirty Hit/Polydor) blasts to No. 2 on the midweek tally thanks to a multi-format reissue, timing to celebrate its 10th anniversary. The album originally debuted at No. 1 following its release in 2013, triggering the British band’s own streak of five consecutive No. 1 studio albums.
A midweek podium place is snagged by Everything Is Alive (Dead Oceans), the fifth album from veteran British shoegaze exponents Slowdive. It’s new at No. 3 on the Official Chart Update, and is set to give the Reading-raised band their first appearance in the U.K. top 10. Slowdive has cracked the top 40 on two occasions, with 1991’s Just for a Day (No. 32) and their 2017 comeback effort, Slowdive (No. 17).
Meanwhile, Sigur Rós’s latest release Atta (BMG) is on track for a No. 4 debut, for what would be the Icelandic act’s fourth top 10 appearance on the national tally.
Further down the chart blast, Jethro Tull’s 14th studio album The Broadsword and the Beast (Parlophone) is poised for a return at No. 6, thanks to its 40th anniversary reissue. The album peaked at No. 27 after its original release back in 1982.
Also eyeing a top 10 berth is Rivers of Heresy (Roadrunner), the first album from Empire State Bastard, a collaboration of Biffy Clyro vocalist Simon Neal and former Oceansize frontman Mike Vennart. It’s new at No. 7 on the midweek chart.
Finally, veteran Scottish pop band Deacon Blue could bag a seventh top 10 album with All The 45s: The Very Best of Deacon Blue (Cooking Vinyl). The career retrospective is set to drop in at No. 8, just in time for Deacon Blue’s new U.K. tour.
All will be revealed when the Official U.K. Albums Chart is published late Friday, Sept. 8.