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Doja Cat is unmoved from the U.K. singles chart crest, where “Paint the Town Red” (via Ministry of Sound) enters a third week at No. 1.
Lifted from the U.S. singer, rapper and producer’s fourth studio album Scarlet, which dropped last Friday, Sept. 22, “Paint the Town Red” was the U.K.’s most-streamed song during the latest cycle, with 6.2 million plays, the Official Charts Company reports.
The leader at the midweek stage, “Paint the Town Red” holds off Olivia Rodrigo’s former leader “Vampire” (Geffen), which is unchanged at No. 2.
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Meanwhile, South Africa-born, U.K.-raised singer, songwriter and producer Kenya Grace is rising fast with “Strangers,” up 12-3 in its third week on the tally, published late Friday. “Strangers” is Grace’s major label debut, via Warner Music sublabel FFRR, and first single to impact the Official U.K. Singles Chart.
Tate McRae has the highest debut this week with her viral number “Greedy” (Ministry of Sound). It’s new at No. 8, for the Canadian artist’s third U.K. top 10 single. Previously, McRae landed at No. 3 with 2020’s “You Broke Me First” and at No. 8 with 2022 Tiësto collaboration “10:35”.
Also completing a top 10 start is Drake and SZA’s collab “Slime You Out” (OVO/Republic/RCA), new at No. 10. Taken from Drake’s forthcoming eight studio album For All the Dogs, “Slime You Out” is Drake’s 41st U.K. top 10 single, and SZA’s fourth. It’s one of two SZA songs in the top 40; “Snooze” (RCA/Top Dawg) leaps 48-18, a new peak, following the release of a new acoustic cut with Justin Bieber.
Johannesburg, South Africa-born Afrobeats artist Tyla makes a splash on the U.K. top 40 for the first time with “Water” (Epic/Fax), rising 55-24.
Finally, drum ‘n’ bass veterans Chase & Status bag a new top 40 entry with “Liquor & Cigarettes” (EMI), a team-up with English producer Hedex and rapper ArrDee. It’s new at No. 31 for Hedex’s first-ever top 40 placing, ArrDee’s ninth, and Chase & Status’s 11th.
Terry Kirkman, the singer, songwriter, and co-founder of the Association, a band that, during its heyday in the 1960s, landed major hits with “Windy,” “Cherish” and more, died Saturday (Sept. 23) at his home in Montclair, CA. He was 83.
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“We’re saddened to report that Terry Kirkman passed away last night, RIP Terry,” reads a post on the Association’s official social channels. “He will live on in our hearts and in the music he so brilliantly wrote. Sending hugs and lots of love to Heidi and Sasha!”
Born in Salina, Kansas, Kirkman and his friend Jules Alexander relocated to Los Angles in the early ’60s, where the seeds for the Association were planted.
Early in his California journey, Kirkman played with Frank Zappa, before the late bandleader went on to form the Mothers of Invention.
Kirkman and Alexander were founders in the Men, which would disband, and from it the Association was formed in 1964. The folk-rock group peaked two years later with a string of recordings that also included “Along Comes Mary,” “Never My Love” and “Everything That Touches You.”
Known for their sharp sense of style and smooth harmonies, the Association opened the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival, recognized as the first commercial American rock festival, with a bill including Jimi Hendrix and the Who, Janis Joplin, Jefferson Airplane, the Grateful Dead, the Byrds, Canned Heat, and many more. They held their own among the legends of rock, onlookers noted at the time.
Kirkman wrote several hits for the Association, including “Cherish”, “Everything That Touches You”, and “Six Man Band,” and played a variety of wind, brass and percussion instruments on their recordings.
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Kirkman left the Association at the end of 1972, following the release of seven albums, led by their 1966 debut And Then… Along Comes the Association. He returned to the fold in 1979, splitting once more in 1984 – having had enough of relentless touring.
That earlier ‘80s reunion included recording sessions which followed an appearance on the HBO special Then and Now. The Association did release a couple of singles for Elektra around that time — including “Dreamer,” which hit No. 66 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1981.
Over the years, the Association was nominated for six Grammy Awards, and earned a Golden Globe nomination in 1970 for best original song, with “Goodbye Columbus.”
Various incarnations of the band continue to perform, and their albums have achieved three platinum and six gold RIAA certifications, according to the Association’s official site, with its Greatest Hits (via Warner Brothers) now double platinum.
Kirkman dies 20 years following the Association’s induction into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame, in 2003. Bandmate Russ Giguere told his side of the band’s story in 2020’s Along Comes The Association: Beyond Folk Rock and Three-Piece Suits.
The artist died of congestive heart failure following a long illness, his wife Heidi Berinstein Kirkman confirmed to the Los Angeles Times.
Busted blast to a first-ever U.K. No. 1 with Greatest Hits 2.0 (via Juno Music).
The British pop-punk trio, comprising James Bourne, Charlie Simpson and Matt Willis, debuts at No. 1 with their career retrospective, released more than two decades after their self-titled debut.
Greatest Hits 2.0 goes one better than the lads’ previous best. Indeed, Busted has hit No. 2 on three separate occasions (2002’s Busted, 2003’s A Present for Everyone and 2019’s Half Way There) but, until now, never visited the chart penthouse.
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The new collection is the best seller on vinyl and downloads with physical sales accounting for 78% of its total, the Official Charts Company reports.
The leader at the midweek stage, Greatest Hits 2.0 includes a “Guest Features Edition,” with cuts reworked by the likes of Jonas Brothers, All Time Low, Simple Plan, Dashboard Confessional, Hanson and You Me At Six.
With Busted bowing at No. 1, Olivia Rodrigo’s sophomore album Guts (Geffen) is relegated to second place. Guts dips 1-2 in its second-week, but remains the U.K. most-streamed LP during the latest cycle, the OCC reports. It’s one of two Rodrigo albums in the top 5; the U.S. pop phenomenon chart-topping debut from 2021, Sour, lifts 8-5.
The Weeknd’s The Highlights (Republic Records/XO) improves 4-3 in its 137th week on the chart.
Also new to the top tier is Mitski’s The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We (Dead Oceans), new at No. 4. That’s a career best chart position for the U.S. artist, beating the No. 6 peak for her 2022 effort Laurel Hell.
Meanwhile, veteran Northern Irish rock act Ash collects a highest charting title in almost 20 years with Race the Night (Fierce Panda), new at No. 14. It’s the indie band’s ninth top 40 appearance on the Official U.K. Albums Chart and best since 2004’s Meltdown hit No. 5.
Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor earns a second solo top 20 album with CMF2 (BMG), new at No. 17. It’s the followup to 2020 CMFT, which peaked at No. 11. As a member of Slipknot, Taylor has three U.K. No. 1 albums: 2001’s Iowa, 2019’s We Are Not Your Kind and 2022’s The End So Far.
Also on the latest tally, published Friday, Sept. 22, new releases from Thirty Seconds to Mars (It’s the End of the World But It’s a Beautiful Day at No. 20 via Concord), the Pretenders (Relentless at No. 25 via Parlophone); Madison Beer (Silence Between Songs at No. 28 via RCA) and Sleepy Hallow (Boy Meets World at No. 32 via Columbia) debut in the top 40.
Doja Cat, Kylie Minogue, Troye Sivan, Blink-182 and Lady A release new music. Nicki Minaj speaks out after her husband, Kenneth Petty, is put under house arrest. Ryan Hurd is defending his wife, Maren Morris, as she announces her departure from country music. Noah Kahan stops by the studio to chat about working with Post […]
Four years ago, Doja Cat scoffed at the notion that her debut album Amala was anything special. While her sophomore effort, 2019’s Hot Pink, was enjoying white-hot success courtesy of its trifecta of hits (“Streets,” “Like That,” and her eventual first Hot 100 No. 1 single, “Say So”), she was indifferent to Amala during her 2019 Billboard visit, blaming marijuana usage for what she considered to be a lackluster effort.
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“A lot of people liked Amala, and that’s great. However, I don’t think it was a finished album,” she told Billboard in 2019.”II was smoking hella weed. I was high all the f–king time and it wasn’t even helping me perceive what was going on musically. I was just really out there partying.”
To be fair, Doja’s first album did peak at No. 138 on the Billboard 200, though it failed to gain mainstream traction initially. But what makes Doja’s ascension into superstardom in the years since so intriguing is the slow burn behind her push as she looks to secure her first No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with the release this Friday (Sept. 22) of her fourth album, Scarlet.
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Because Cardi B and Olivia Rodrigo’s careers detonated faster than most, scoring No. 1 albums with both their first official singles and albums, fans forget that becoming a superstar overnight is a rare feat, and that artists should be embracing their careers as marathons, not sprints. An artist like Teezo Touchdown, who earned cosigns from Drake and Travis Scott ahead of his debut album How Do You Sleep At Night?, failed to debut on the Billboard 200 this week and became internet fodder because of his paltry showing. This is becoming increasingly common as social media users quickly thrash new artists for failing to immediately impact the Billboard 200. They’re torn apart if their debut projects fail to enter the top 10. Still, many artists, like Teezo, should hold their heads high – because Doja’s route into superstardom wasn’t always scenic.
After Amala underwhelmed commercially, Doja returned to the drawing board and scripted a kooky, tongue-in-cheek rap song titled “Mooo!” The comedic cow-themed song erupted and became an instant hit, as she milked every bit of virality from her song’s and video’s absurdity. Lyrics like “Bitch, I’m a cow” became meme-fodder, as the visual was celebrated by Missy Elliott and Chance The Rapper.
“I just like to do the fun stuff. If I’m not having fun with it, I’m not going to do it for the rest of my life,” Doja relayed to Billboard in 2018. “I just wanna bring something fun — the current climate is so uptight and serious, and it’s just good to have something stupid to laugh at. It’s funny because it’s a joke, but it sounds kinda good. People listen to it like it’s a song.”
Beyond the lo-fi video, cow costumes, and green-screen pastures was an artist adept at carving out indelible punchlines. Her wit was uncontested as her bars made punny references to Ludacris’ “Move,” Kelis’ “Milkshake,” and Raekwon’s “C.R.E.A.M.” The success of “Mooo!” made RCA repackage Amala as a deluxe in March 2019 with three new songs.
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With a buzzier presence, Doja crept back into the studio and doled out her second album, Hot Pink, within the same year. The gleefully sophmoric release oozed with flavor and versatility as she mapped her road to being a rap/pop virtuoso. First, she secured a feature from Tyga to revamp her Amala standout “Juicy,” which became her first Hot 100 record, peaking at No. 41. Then, she tapped Gucci Mane for the upbeat “Like That.” She also became a favorite on late-night television, delivering fun-filled performances on Late Night with Seth Meyers and later The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
With seven singles off Hot Pink, Doja swept her underperforming debut album under the rug, as she witnessed the longevity of her second LP on the Billboard charts — courtesy of TikTok favorites “Streets” and “Say So,” which took time to heat up and become fireballs of their own. Even the top brass at RCA didn’t know the former would become a success story. “We all love that song,” Tunji Balogun, former executive vp A&R at RCA, told Billboard of “Streets” in 2021, “but we never really focused on it from the beginning of the project.”
As for the latter, Doja partnered with Nicki Minaj for the song’s remix, which gave “Say So” its final push to No. 1 on the Hot 100 in May 2020. The album’s sustainability and Doja’s torrid streak of incredible performances at award shows, most notably at the 2020 VMAs and the 2021 Grammys, made her an artist to watch in the most literal sense. Despite those big wins, Hot Pink only peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard 200.
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Entering her third album, 2021’s Planet Her, Doja was on the cusp of becoming one of Generation Z’s most defining stars, and she unabashedly ran the table that calendar year – even though she was thwarted by Tyler, The Creator, as the album opened at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 behind his Call Me If You Get Lost. Even though she didn’t nab that elusive No. 1, she still debuted with 109,000 album equivalent units and scored a No. 3 single on the Hot 100 with “Kiss Me More” featuring SZA. She landed her first Grammy win from that record and continued to scorch the Hot 100, reeling in three total top 10 hits during that run.
On Planet Her, the chaotic edge lord took creative leaps, exploring the sounds of Afrobeats on “Woman” and aligning herself with pop behemoths such as The Weeknd (“You Right”) and Ariana Grande (“I Don’t Do Drugs”), all while maintaining her image as one of music’s preeminent trolls. By doing it her way, Doja rocketed past the major stars still trying to do things conventionally and shined with arguably the strongest album in the pop solar system that year.
As we reach our fourth stop on Doja’s roller-coaster adventure with Scarlet, we still have yet to reach the mountainous peak of her career. Though she has the daunting task of competing against new albums like Olivia Rodrigo’s Sour and Rod Wave’s Nostalgia, she’s closer than ever to securing her first No. 1 album. While toppling Olivia and Rod would be a feat, Doja still has room to hit certain checkpoints, including being a potential headliner at Coachella in 2024 and eventually morphing into a Stadium-billing artist one day. But she’s still racking up the accomplishments: this month, “Paint The Town Red” became the first rap song in 2023 to top the Hot 100 — and the first of Doja’s career as an unaccompanied solo artist — illustrating the artist’s supremacy and evolving pen-game. She also delivered an exhilarating three-song Scarlet medley at the VMAs last week, in one of the night’s best-received performances.
So, just because your career didn’t take off at the starter pistol doesn’t mean the race is already over. Sometimes, you have to “moo” before you can run.
Australians just love Olivia Rodrigo‘s Guts.
The U.S. pop phenomenon’s sophomore album starts a second consecutive week at No. 1 on the ARIA Chart, holding off LPs by The Weeknd (The Highlights unchanged at No. 2 via Universal) and Taylor Swift (1989 up 9-3 via Big Machine/Universal).
Rodrigo just misses out on a chart double, again, as Guts (via Geffen/Universal) track “Vampire” holds at No. 2 on the ARIA Singles Chart, behind Doja Cat’s “Paint The Town Red.”
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The top new entry on the albums tally belongs to Teddy Swims (real name: Jaten Dimsdale), whose debut I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy (Part 1) (via Warner) bows at No. 4. The Atlanta, GA vocalist completed a national headline tour last month, produced by Frontier Touring.
The current ARIA top five is completed by Travis Scott’s former leader Utopia (Epic/Sony), down 3-5.
Also new to the top frame is Jared Leto’s Thirty Seconds To Mars with It’s The End Of The World But It’s A Beautiful Day (Concord/Universal), new at No. 9. The U.S. alternative rock outfit’s career-best chart position in Australia is a No. 4 peak for 2013’s Love, Lust, Faith And Dreams.
Further down the list, Mitski lands her second title on the ARIA Chart with The Land Is Inhospitable And So Are We (Dead Oceans/Inertia), new at No. 13. The Japanese-American artist previously cracked the top 10 with 2022’s Laurel Hell, peaking at No. 7.
U.S. rapper Sleepy Hallow, meanwhile, bags his first appearance on the ARIA Chart with Boy Meets World (RCA/Sony), his second studio LP. It’s new at No. 32.
Over on the national singles tally, published Friday, Sept. 22, Doja Cat’s “Paint The Town Red” (via RCA/Sony) enters a fifth week at the summit. “Paint The Town Red” is lifted from the U.S. artist and producer’s fourth solo studio album Scarlet, which arrived earlier today.
The top five is completed by Swift’s “Cruel Summer” (up 4-3), Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” (up 5-4 via Republic/Universal) and Tate McRae’s “Greedy” (RCA/Sony), new at No. 5 for the week’s top debut. That’s a career high for the Canadian artist, whose previous best was No. 7 in 2020 for “You Broke Me First.”
Kenya Grace’s “Strangers” (Warner) is making a strong connection with Australian audiences. The South Africa-born, U.K.-based artist’s major label debut bounces 30-6 in its third week on the survey.
Finally, Drake and SZA’s “Slime You Out” (Universal) slides to No. 12 on debut.
Take That mark their return with This Life To Be, the superstar British boyband’s ninth studio album and first collection of new material in over five years.
The pop outfit’s latest campaign opens with “Windows,” arriving early Friday (Sept. 22).
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Expect the new set to capture Take That’s signature “beautiful melodies, soaring choruses,” and “sophisticated harmonies beautifully blending the trio’s voices,” reads a statement announcing This Life To Be, slated to drop Nov. 24.
“It’s been a wonderful experience being back in the studio together making this record. It has that feeling of spreading your wings, letting out the old and bringing in the new,” reads a comment from the band.
Formed in 1989 as a five-piece — Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Mark Owen, Jason Orange and Robbie Williams — Take That was one of the most popular acts of its generation, certainly in the U.K.
Now performing and recording as the trio of Barlow, Donald and Owen, the group can boast 12 U.K. No. 1 singles, and eight U.K. No. 1 albums, and a lengthy list of career highlights, including a performance at the closing ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics. The lads had only one top 10 hit in the U.S., 1995’s “Back for Good,” which peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Take That has been gearing up for the new release with a raft of performances in 2023, including an “intimate” spot at KOKO in support of War Child, a headline slot at British Summer Time in Hyde Park, the King’s Coronation concert, and the rollout of Greatest Days, the big-screen adaptation of their musical The Band.
This Life To Be is the followup to 2017’s Wonderland, which peaked at No. 2 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart. Next up, the release of career retrospective Odyssey, which, in December 2018, spent one week at No. 1 with 106,000 first-week combined sales, making it the year’s fastest-selling album.
Sessions for This Life To Be were recorded in such historic music spaces as New York’s Electric Lady Studios and Nashville’s Historic RCA Studio A.
“We’re incredibly proud of the new album, there’s a sense of togetherness, whether that’s us coming back together as a band or people wanting connection in their own lives,” continues the message from Take That. “We’re excited for this new chapter.”
A 2024 tour of the British Isles will kick off April 13 at Sheffield Utilita Arena, with support from Olly Murs.
Stream “Windows” below.
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SYDNEY, Australia — Spotify will be in the House for next month’s inaugural edition of South by Southwest (SXSW) in Sydney.
Guests at SXSW Sydney 2023 can check into Spotify House, which, for four days from Oct. 18-21, will transform iconic local venue The Lansdowne Hotel into a seat of knowledge and showcases.
According to reps, Spotify’s own space will feature a night program showcasing the region’s “best up-and-coming artists,” plus “future-focused music minds” speaking on a range of daytime panels, workshops and fireside chats.
Guest speakers for the daytime program include Spotify’s global head of editorial and former Billboard executive of the week Sulinna Ong; Xavier Jernigan (aka “X,” the voice of Spotify DJ); Jungjoo Park, head of music at Spotify Korea; Live Nation Australasia promoter Wenona Lok; and Virgin Music label manager Claire Tate.
Sulinna Ong
Courtesy Spotify*
Those sessions will cover “everything from music discovery to what’s next for K-Pop and how we continue to strive for gender equity,” reads a statement, with some spots open to SXSW Sydney badge holders, and others listed as exclusive invite-only events.
When the sun goes down, the Spotify House will host hot acts from across the Asian Pacific region, with a focus on Australian and South Korean artists.
“We’re excited to bring Spotify House to SXSW Sydney in October, along with some of Asia Pacific’s best and brightest talent and the sharpest minds in music,” comments Gautam Talwar, general manager, Asia Pacific at Spotify. “It’ll be an action-packed four days and a celebration of some of the region’s most vibrant music cultures that bring the world together.”
The full lineup of speakers and performers will be revealed in the weeks ahead.
SXSW Sydney is a collaboration with Australia-based ticketing, technology and live entertainment giant TEG, the New South Wales (NSW) government and its events agency Destination NSW.
Spread across seven days and nights from Oct. 15-22, 2023, the new edition will bring together the industries of music, gaming, film, television, technology and innovation much like the Austin, Texas version that launched back in 1987.
Penske Media Corporation, Billboard‘s parent company, is an investor in SXSW.
Visit SXSWsydney.com for more.
The wait is officially over: The newly-expanded deluxe version of Kelly Clarkson‘s 10th studio album, Chemistry, is now available to stream as of today (Friday, Sept. 22). Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The deluxe version of the album contains five brand new tracks — “I Won’t […]
While Madonna and the late David Bowie deservedly enjoyed plaudits for their chameleonic reinventions, spare a thought for Kylie Minogue.
Australia’s own “princess of pop” has changed her sound and skin countless times over the decades, and, along the way, became a household name in her homeland and the United Kingdom.
From an auspicious start in showbiz as the loveable Charlene in “Neighbours,” to the Stock Aitken Waterman-produced ‘80s pop numbers, she’s nailed it with indie, dance, made murder ballads with Nick Cave, survived cancer, had us spinning around, we couldn’t get her out of her head, she played heroes and villains on the big screen, tasted country, and had hit after hit.
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Need more proof?
When Disco topped the Official U.K. Albums Chart in November 2020, for her eighth leader, Kylie became the first female artist – and second artist overall – to claim a U.K. No. 1 album in five consecutive decades.
Also, thanks to the recent success of the catchier-than-a-cold hit “Padam Padam,” she’s one of only four female artists to score U.K. top 10 hit singles in five consecutive decades, joining Cher, Diana Ross and Lulu.
“Padam Padam” is, of course, the first single and lead track from Minogue’s 16th and latest album Tension, which dropped at the stroke of midnight.
On Tension, Kylie strides ahead on a full-blown electro pop mission, its title track bouncing to an old-school Italian house piano refrain. There’s pop to eat your breakfast to, pop for heaving house parties in the wee hours.
Across her career, Kylie has clocked sales of over 80 million records, 5 billion streams, landed seven U.K. No 1 singles, won 17 ARIA Awards, three Brit Awards, two MTV Awards and a Grammy. Her “national treasure” status never quite traveled to the United States, where Kylie has cracked the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 on just two occasions. She’ll hope to change all that when she cranks up the tension for her first residency at the Venetian Resort Las Vegas’ Voltaire, slated to kick off on Nov. 3.
Stream Tension in full below.