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Olivia Rodrigo’s “Vampire” is striking fear in its U.K. chart rivals.
The U.S. pop phenomenon’s latest release starts at No. 2 on the midweek singlessurvey, and is challenging Dave and Central Cee’s “Sprinter” (Live Yours/Neighbourhood) for the crown.

“Vampire” is the first official release from Rodrigo’s sophomore album Guts, the followup to her record-breaking 2021 debut Sour.

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With Sour and its single “Good 4 U,” Rodrigo became, at 18 years and three months, the youngest solo artist in history to snag the Official U.K. Chart double.

The Grammy Award winner’s debut also broke the U.K. record for most first-week streams ever for a debut album, and she’s the first female solo artist to bag three simultaneous U.K. top 5 singles with “Good 4 U,” “Deja Vu” and “Traitor” (Rodrigo’s “Drivers License” also went to No. 1).

“Vampire” should give Rodrigo her fifth U.K. top 10.

“Sprinter” is racing to a fifth consecutive week at No. 1, while the midweek podium is completed by J Hus and Drake’s “Who Told You” (Black Butter/OVO/Republic). The rap collab appears to have missed its chance to hit the summit, dipping 2-3 in its fourth week on the Official Chart Update.

Meanwhile, Kylie Minogue’s “Padam Padam” (BMG) is on the rise, and appears set for a No. 8 spot, a new peak.

Also on the climb is Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer” (EMI), which is on the verge of its first stint in the top 10. The Lover track lifts 13-9 on the Official Chart Update, and could net Swift her 22nd top 10.

The next highest new entry on the chart should be a homegrown hip-hop number, “Pakistan,” by rap collective D-Block Europe and Londoner Clavish. It’s new at No. 11 on the midweek tally.

All will be revealed when the Official U.K. Singles Chart is published Friday, July 7.

The mud has dried on Glastonbury Festival 2023, but the good times continue to roll for a string of this year’s performers.
Elton John’s Diamonds (via Mercury/UMC) collection goes off like a rocket following the pop legend’s headline slot at the main Pyramid Stage, on the final night.

The career retrospective climbs 11-2 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart, published June 30, with an 188% uptick in week-on-week chart sales (sales and streams), according to the Official Charts Company.

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The Rocket Man also makes his mark on the Official U.K. Singles Chart as his “Cold Heart” (EMI/Warner Records) collaboration with Dua Lipa, remixed by Pnau, vaults 66-30 and his 1983 classic “I’m Still Standing” (Mercury) stands at No. 34. That’s the first top 40 appearance for the single since its year of release.

Elton’s Glastonbury slot was billed as potentially his last show on home soil.

There’s an impressive chart ride for Stephen Sanchez who, after joining Elton on stage, sees his ballad “Until I Found You” (Republic Records) reennter the singles chart at No. 14, for a new high. “Until I Found You” posts a 105% week-on-week gain in combined sales.

Lewis Capaldi’s emotionally-charged performance at Glasto has seen the Scottish artist’s sophomore set Broken By Desire To Be Heavenly Sent (EMI) fly 16-3 — thanks to a 68% week-on-week gain in combined sales, the OCC reports. Also, Lewis’s debut LP Divinely Uninspired To A Hellish Extent rises 34-9 on the chart, with a 114% gain in combined sales, while his trans-Atlantic hit “Someone You Loved” climbs 98-49 on the singles survey.

Around 210,000 people partied at Glastonbury from Friday, June 23, until Sunday, June 25, with the BBC airing all the hottest performances and highlights.

The Arctic Monkeys swung into Glastonbury with a Friday night headline slot, and this week lands three albums in the U.K. top 40 –– the most for any performer at the popular summertime festival.

The Sheffield rock band’s 2013 set AM lifts 12-7, 2005 debut Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not gains 29-20 and 2006’s Favourite Worst Nightmare reenters the top 40 at No. 38 — all through Domino Recordings.

Also benefiting from the exposure of playing Britain’s best-know festival is Foo Fighters. The band’s surprise set at the Eavis’ Worthy Farm helps lift former leader But Here We Are (Columbia), up 31-14, while their career retrospective The Essential Foo Fighters (Sony Music CG) enjoys a 63-22 spike, with a 67% week-on-week gain in combined sales, according to the OCC.

Lana Del Rey’s abridged Glasto set has added steam to her sophomore album Born To Die (Polydor), up 43-29, while Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd. renters at No. 75, and Norman F**king Rockwell returns to the tally at No. 90.

Finally, Saturday Glastonbury headliners Guns N’ Roses can boast the highest-climber on the Official U.K. Albums Chart with Greatest Hits. Thanks to a 95% gain in combined sales, the collection soars 96-31.

One of those mega-hits, “Sweet Child O’ Mine” (Geffen), which peaked at No. 6 back in 1989, appears at No. 40 on the singles tally. That’s “Sweet Child’s” first stint in the top 40 in 34 years.

Dave and Central Cee complete a full month at No. 1 in the U.K. with “Sprinter” (Live Yours/Neighbourhood), as the hip-hop hit retains its chart crown.
The leader at the halfway stage, “Sprinter” soaks up 8.6 million streams during the latest cycle, the Official Charts Company reports, for its fourth consecutive week at the summit.

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The rap track outruns J Hus and Drake’s “Who Told You” (holding at No. 2 via Black Butter/OVO/Republic) and Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding’s “Miracle” (unmoved at No. 3 via Columbia), respectively.

Also making moves inside the top 10, published June 30, are Rudimental, Charlotte Plank and Vibe Chemistry’s “Dancing Is Healing” (Room Two) up 6-5; while Hannah Laing and RoRo’s ”Good Love” (Polydor) is up 9-7; and South Korean DJ and producer Peggy Gou enters the top tier for the first time with ”(It Goes Like) Nanana” (XL Recordings), up 14-9.

The highest new entry belongs to Stormzy and Fredo with “Toxic Trait” (Def Jam), the British hip-hop artists’ first collaborative venture. It’s new at No. 11 on the Official U.K .Singles Chart, published Friday, June 30, for Stormzy’s 29th top 40 appearance, and Fredo’s 19th.

As Swifties enjoy the British summer, listening to their favorite artist, Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summit” (EMI) continues its march up the chart. The Lover release from 2019 rises 28-12 on the U.K. tally, for a new chart peak. Further down the list is Swift’s Midnights number “Karma,” up 32-31, and “Anti-Hero,” up 45-42. Swift recently announced the U.K. leg of her The Eras Tour, which is set to visit these parts in June 2024.

Also new to the Official U.K. Singles Chart is Ice Spice and Nicki Minaj’s contribution of the Barbie soundtrack, the Aqua-sampling “Barbie World” (Atlantic). It’s new at No. 25 for Ice Spice’s second U.K. top 40 appearance and Minaj’s 43rd.

Finally, Afrobeats star Burna Boy bags his 10th U.K. top 40 single with “Sittin’ On Top Of The World” (Atlantic), which lifts 46-38.

Maisie Peters casts a spell on her countrymen and women as The Good Witch (via Atlantic/Gingerbread Man) debuts at No. 1 on the U.K. chart.
At just 23, Peters becomes the youngest British female solo artist to lead survey in almost a decade, the Official Charts Company reports.

You’d have to go back to Ella Henderson and her debut LP, Chapter One, which hit the top back in 2014 when Henderson was just 18 years of age, to find a younger female Brit to hit the summit.

The leader at the midweek stage, The Good Witch goes one better than its predecessor, Peters’ debut album You Signed Up for This, which peaked at No. 2 in 2021.

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“It’s just the craziest and coolest thing! I’m so happy for myself, my fans and everyone I work with; my band, crew, manager and label,” Peters tells the OCC.

“All of the fans, we’ve been on this journey together for the longest time and this album really felt like an album for all of us. This No. 1 is for all of us, too, so thank you so much.”

Further down the Official U.K. Albums Chart, published June 30, Young Thug bags his third U.K. top 40 with Business is Business (300 Entertainment), new at No. 15. The Atlanta rapper, singer and songwriter previously cracked the list with 2019’s So Much Fun (peaking at No. 9) and 2021’s Punk (No. 22).

Also fresh on the chart is Kelly Clarkson’s Chemistry (Atlantic), new at No. 22. It’s the U.S. pop and country star’s eighth U.K. top 40 LP, and first in six years, the most recent with 2017’s Meaning of Life (peaking at No. 11).

Finally, Glastonbury Festival is in the books, and a string of performers at this year’s edition are flying up the chart. They include Elton John, Lewis Capaldi, Arctic Monkeys and Lana Del Rey, all of whom enjoy top 10 spikes.

300 Entertainment continues to bolster its roster of young talent with the signing of newest act BlakeIANA, a Midwest-based rapper on the rise for her song “BING BONG.” “When I heard BlakeIANA, I was impressed and definitely excited by the sound,” 300 Entertainment co-president Selim Bouab tells Billboard. “Once I sat down with her face-to-face, […]

Nigerian DJ/producer Spinall has officially signed with Epic Records, the company tells Billboard.

“Spinall is one of the continent’s best musical exports. A preeminent curator and driver of culture. His collaborations have the potential to take music from Africa to new heights globally, and we are extremely energized about our partnership with him here at Epic,” says Ezekiel “Zeke” Lewis, president of Epic Records, in a statement to Billboard.

“It’s really, really tough when you’ve been independent for a minute. But after discussing with Sylvia [Rhone, CEO/chairwoman of Epic Records] and Zeke, they gave me the most confidence that I would ever need — bringing me on, speaking to me and listening and being so sweet. Sylvia and Zeke convinced me in the first meeting that I’m home,” he tells Billboard.

“They have a proven record of doing amazing partnerships with different talents from all over the world. So I’m super excited, and there’s gonna be a lot of good music. I’m excited to be working with a set of people who genuinely love music. We just want to spread the gospel of good music all around the world.”

Spinall (real name Oluseye Desmond Sodamola) is already spreading the word through his new single “Loju” featuring Wizkid, which he released today (June 30) as his official Epic debut. “It’s a very special record because of our history together as partners in making some of the best Afrobeats records,” he says of his frequent collaborator, with whom he’s worked on “Nowo,” “Opoju,” “Dis Love” (with Tiwa Savage) and more. “Wizkid is someone I respect a lot. He has done collaborations with everybody on the continent, and he’s still doing it. Every time we link up, the energy is just different. Our friendship is beyond the music.”

“Loju” arrives four months after he released his sixth studio album, Top Boy, on Feb. 17 via his own record label/management company, TheCAP Music. Top Boy — which was featured on Billboard‘s 50 best albums of 2023 (so far) list — contains hit singles “Sere” featuring Fireboy DML (and 6lack on the remix) and “Palazzo” featuring Asake, the former of which has 16.3 million official on-demand streams in the U.S. and 71 million official global on-demand streams.

“Palazzo” peaked at No. 6 on Billboard‘s U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart, while “Power (Remember Who You Are)” featuring Summer Walker, DJ Snake and Äyanna — which was originally featured in The Flipper’s Skate Heist short film and then added to Top Boy — peaked at No. 16 on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs.

“A lot of amazing records on the tape. The whole goal behind that is to spread the music and spread the entire culture of what we do in Africa,” he says.

After receiving his BSc degree in electrical and electronics engineering at Olabisi Onabanjo University in Nigeria’s Ogun State, Spinall attended several DJ schools to hone in on his musical talent. In 2014, he launched TheCAP Music, which stands for “TheCrazyAzzParty” and also symbolizes the traditional Yoruba caps he wears, and signed producers Killertunes and Stunna the following year. He had previously signed an international record deal with Atlantic Records U.K. and a publishing deal with Warner Chappell Music U.K. Spinall has released all six of his albums through TheCAP Music.

Last year, he opened for Bruno Mars in Sydney, Australia for two nights and DJed at Jay-Z‘s Oscars Gold Party. “My work speaks for itself…. I’m not new to the big stage,” Spinall says. “There’s no other goal than making happy music. If you look at my discography, that’s what I’ve done over the years and that’s what I’ll continue to do till the day I die!”

For management, Spinall is represented by Tolulope Shodamola, COO/general manager of TheCAP Music, as well as LVRN’s Tunde Balogun (president/co-founder), Amber Grimes (executive vp/general manager) and Justice Baiden (head of A&R/co-president).

Hip-hop is bouncing on Australia’s charts as homegrown rapper Kerser lifts the albums chart crown for the first time, and Brits Dave and Central Cee retain the singles title.

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Kerser’s A Gift & A Kers (via ABK/ADA) debuts at No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart, published Friday, June 30, for his eighth top 10 appearance.

The West Sydney artist (real name: Scott Froml) “is a phenomenal example of independent artist success in Australia and someone whose career path we need to celebrate at a time where we search for more ways for artists to connect with Australian listeners,” comments ARIA CEO Annabelle Herd.

“Huge congratulations are in order, especially as we hit two weeks in a row of Australian No. 1s.”

It’s the fourth Australian leader on the ARIA Albums Chart this year, and second straight following The Teskey Brothers’ The Winding Way (Liberation/Universal). The Teskeys’ latest album dips 1-33 on the latest survey.

Also new to the top 5 is Maisie Peters’ sophomore album The Good Witch (Atlantic/Warner), flying to No. 4. The English singer and songwriter performed to more than three-quarters-of-a-million Aussies earlier in the year when she opened for Ed Sheeran’s stadium tour of these parts. The Good Witch was the leader on the midweek U.K. chart and becomes Peters’ first LP to chart in Australia.

Further down the list, Trophy Eyes’ Suicide and Sunshine (HR/RKT) starts at No. 8 debut; Kelly Clarkson’s Chemistry (Atlantic/Warner) impacts at No. 31; Young Thug’s Business Is Business (Atlantic/Warner) bows at No. 36; and Lastlings’ Perfect World (Liberation/Universal) arrives at No. 39.

It’s been an exciting (and stressful) week for Swifties in Australia, as tickets were finally released for her two-city The Eras Tour shows. Taylor Swift will play seven dates across Sydney and Melbourne next year, the on-sale for which has broken records. As fans waited for the news, they tuned into Swift’s catalog, sending her classic albums back up the chart – including three in the top 5 and five in the top 10.

Leading the pack is her latest, Midnights, up 2-5; while Lover rises 11-3; 1989 climbs 9-5; Reputation improves 13-6, and Folklore vaults 16-10, all via Universal.

It’s a similar tale on the ARIA Singles Chart, as Swift’s 2019 song “Cruel Summer” from Lover roars 29-3, while “Anti-Hero” gains 9-7 and “Karma” is up 15-8.

At the top of the singles chart is Dave and Central Cee’s “Sprinter” (Virgin Music Australia/Universal), which wins the race for a fourth consecutive week.

Post Malone’s fans Down Under will get a second chance to see the “Rockstar” rapper in concert this year.
Announced Friday (June 30), Posty will play three east coast dates when his If Y’all Weren’t Here, I’d Be Crying world tour visits Australia later in 2023.

Produced by Live Nation, Malone’s jaunt will visit Brisbane Showgrounds on Nov. 23, The Domain Sydney on Nov. 29 and Melbourne Showgrounds on Nov. 30.

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Those newly-announced open-air dates are an encore run. Malone played six concerts in January and February of this year, as the opening act for Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Australian stadium tour; Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium, Sydney’s Accord Stadium and Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium were on that itinerary, also produced by Live Nation.

The Australia swing is part of an extensive tour, which includes 26 dates across North America, starting Saturday, July 8 at Ruoff Music Center in Noblesville, IN, and includes stops in Chile, Brazil, Mexico, Thailand, Philippines, Taiwan, South Korea, China, Japan, and New Zealand.

Expect Posty to play music from his upcoming album, his fifth full-length LP, Austin, due out July 28,“as well as fan-favorites in a completely reimagined show,” reads a statement from LN.

Austin is the followup to Malone’s 2022 studio effort, Twelve Carat Toothache, which debuted at No. 2 on the ARIA Albums Chart, for his third top 10 appearance. Posty’s previous albums Hollywood’s Bleeding (2019) and Beerbongs & Bentleys (2018) both debuted at No. 1 week on the national Australian tally. His hits set The Diamond Collection peaked at No. 16 on the ARIA Chart earlier this year.

The general ticket on sale for the Australia leg starts on Thursday, July 13 at livenation.com.au or postmalone.com.

If Y’all Weren’t Here, I’d Be Crying 2023 Tour Dates:July 08 – Noblesville, IN – Ruoff Music CenterJuly 09 – Cincinnati, OH – Riverbend Music CenterJuly 11 – Detroit, MI – Pine Knob Music TheatreJuly 12 – Burgettstown, PA – The Pavilion at Star LakeJuly 14 – St. Louis, MO – Hollywood Casino AmphitheatreJuly 15 – East Troy, WI – Alpine Valley Music TheatreJuly 17 – Buffalo, NY – Darien Lake AmphitheaterJuly 19 – Toronto, ON – Budweiser StageJuly 20 – Toronto, ON – Budweiser StageJuly 22 – Mansfield, MA – Xfinity CenterJuly 23 – Hartford, CT– XFINITY TheatreJuly 25 – Camden, NJ – Freedom Mortgage PavilionJuly 26 – Bristow, VA – Jiffy Lube LiveJuly 29 – Charlotte, NC – PNC Music PavilionJuly 31 – West Palm Beach, FL – iTHINK Financial AmphitheatreAug. 1 – Tampa, FL – MIDFLORIDA Credit Union AmphitheatreAug. 3 – Atlanta, GA – Lakewood AmphitheatreAug. 5 – Dallas, TX – Dos Equis PavilionAug. 6 – Dallas, TX – Dos Equis PavilionAug. 8 – Houston, TX – The Cynthia Woods Mitchell PavilionAug. 10 – Albuquerque, NM – Isleta AmphitheaterAug. 12 – Phoenix, AZ – Talking Stick Resort AmphitheatreAug. 13 – San Diego, CA – North Island Credit Union AmphitheatreAug. 15 – Wheatland, CA – Toyota AmphitheatreAug. 16 – Mountain View, CA – Shoreline AmphitheatreAug. 19 – San Bernardino, CA – Glen Helen AmphitheaterAug. 29 – Santiago, CL – Estadio BicentenarioSep. 1 – Curitiba, BR – Pedreira Paulo LeminskiSep. 5 – Mexico City, MX – Foro SolSep. 14 – Bangkok, TH – Impact Challenger HallSep. 18 – Manila, PH – SM Mall of Asia ArenaSep. 20 – Taipei – Nangang International Exhibition Center, Hall1Sep. 23 – Seoul, KR – KINTEX Hall 5Sep. 25 – Hong Kong – AsiaWorld-ArenaSep. 27 – Tokyo, JP – Ariake ArenaNov. 21 – Auckland, NZ – The Outerfields at Western SpringsNov. 23 – Brisbane, AU — Brisbane ShowgroundsNov. 29 – Sydney, AU — The DomainNov. 30 – Melbourne, AU – Melbourne Showgrounds

After a three-year hiatus, Lil Uzi Vert returned to the rap scene on Friday (Jun. 30) with his new album, Pink Tape. The 26-track project is a colossal lift from the “XO TOUR Llif3” superstar, who receives a fistful of assists from his contemporaries such as Nicki Minaj, Travis Scott, Don Toliver, and more. Uzi even […]

Aside from the high-flying acrobatics, rousing promos, and thrilling finishers inside the square circle, a fan’s introduction to the WWE typically begins on the walkway to the ring. An entrance song can either make or break the career of a WWE superstar. Legends such as Hulk Hogan, The Undertaker, The Rock, and John Cena all had one thing in common: a killer entrance song that struck a chord within the WWE Universe. Even Stone Cold Steve Austin’s iconic theme “I Won’t Do What You Tell Me,” which instantly begins with the sound of glass shattering, continues to stagger fans more than 25 years after its debut.

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Billboard spoke to today’s modern-day WWE stars LA Knight, Damian Priest, Karrion Kross, and Shayna Baszler about what it takes to make a great entrance theme and the origin of their own.

What Makes a Great Entrance Song: 

LA Knight: I don’t know if I can put my finger on it exactly but for me personally, I know I want strong drums — which, if you listened to the last couple of weeks, there’s been a little bit of a tweak to “Knight Vision,” because I asked them to bring the drums up a bit. It’s going to give me a different feel when I walk out there. It’s going to be a little hard-hitting, stronger feel, but it’s just gotta be something you can vibe with, that you like, and you feel. 

I was instrumental in putting that together and I wasn’t in the studio — I wanted to be — but basically, when I first came in, it was like, “Hey. Look. I’ve made my own music in the past. Here’s what I made. Here’s what I like and it’s based on this.” Then, they gave me [“Knight Vision”] out of it. It was like, “OK. That’s good.” It works because if you don’t feel that music, if you just pick any old random [song], man, you’re taking the air out of the tires before you even take off. 

Karrion Kross: There’s a certain magic between a performer and his music that can’t be given and can’t be necessarily created. I don’t necessarily think every entrance and every music will fit just anyone. There’s something that happens I think beyond my comprehension between the performer and his music where the music can sort of bring that performer to life and that performer brings that music to life. I feel like it’s kind of a simpatico relationship. 

Damian Priest: The sound has to bring out an emotion and that emotion has to pair with the superstar. If you have something that’s too fast and the person is generally a slower person, it won’t mix well and it’ll throw you off. You don’t want something too happy sounding for somebody who’s kind of brooding all the time. It always has to pair with the personality. Usually, most music — you’ll get an emotion out of it. I think the composers usually make it like that on purpose. So that’s basically what you want, you want that emotion to match the superstar. 

Shayna Baszler: I think first and foremost it has to be recognizable, which might take [a while]. Obviously, your first time out there nobody is going to recognize the song, but that means it gotta be catchy. And I don’t mean catchy in like a pop-punk sort of way, but something that when the first note hits, people start knowing what’s coming next. It doesn’t take a second to go, “Wait. Who is this? Who is this?” Like right from the get, it gotta be recognizable. And then I think it’s important that it sets the mood of that wrestler. So you get someone like a Karrion Kross — he comes out and it’s real moody and it’s a very different aura than like a Seth Rollins, but, very much fit to their characters.

How Their Entrance Song Came Together

Karrion Kross: My wife [Scarlett] sings the song. She was an Arts major from Chicago. When Scarlett and I were in NXT for our introduction to the company, we had many creative meetings, and I had submitted some independent cinematography that I had written, directed, filmed and post-produced to Triple H. It was stuff I was using on the independent side before I got to WWE, and I used a lot of black and white. I used very specific settings, very specific colors in the video and I think that subconsciously, when we see movies or television, in the back of our minds — because we consume so much material — I think we feel inclined to sort of score it. If we had to, we’d know what an environment would sound like musically.

I think Triple H has the magic touch with that. He took my original concepts and my visions and he just kind of scored it with the in-house music group. That’s kind of where that music came from. It was a very cool and organic way we came to that. And with the visual presentation, we collaboratively came up with that. How we moved down to the ring was something that I came up with my wife Scarlett. The background, lighting and music was very much Triple H.

Damian Priest: My first theme song when I was in NXT, we had the idea. I explained to them who I am and what I’m like. I’m basically a night owl with this rock star vibe, but still a badass of where, I’m going to come in and I’m gonna beat people up in the ring and whatnot. There was a lot of different emotions for the composer to pick from, but they came up with something — and even though I didn’t hate it, I thought [something] was still missing. It was missing some double bass, it was missing some heavier guitar riffs, maybe some slower parts and some symphony sounds to make it epic-sounding. There was a little back-and-forth, and when we finally settled on a sound, I was like, “OK. That’s the one.”

For The Judgement Day, the idea with the theme song was originally Edge. He had a vision of what he wanted his Judgement Day to be like. He went and he did that side with the music. It fit what we wanted to do — and as a group, we’re all individually different. We’re all bringing out a different emotion, which is kind of like a cool dynamic of why I believe we work so well together. Because we’re not all the same, we’re very different. But that song fits all the emotions that we want: a little darker, a little ominous, we’re a little weird, if that’s the case, but exciting and powerful. There’s a lot of emotions that that song brings out, and I think that’s why it works so well with The Judgement Day.

Shayna Baszler: I’m in this tag-team right now with Ronda [Rousey], who has a very iconic entrance song, so it just makes sense that we come out to that. But as far as [my first entrance song] “Loyalty Is Everything” — if I’m being honest, I didn’t like it at first, but it actually really grew on me to the point that I almost didn’t wanna change it when it was time. I know fans really loved that song, too, because they still kind of complain about the new one, “Limb By Limb.” But the thing with “Limb by Limb” is that when I was wrestling in the indies — I’m a huge Kiss fan. They were, like, my first favorite band. My dad took me to a concert when I was real young, and I was like, “These guys are so cool! There’s fire!”

“God of Thunder” was a song that I used as an entrance. But I needed something a lot heavier, so I found this band called EXCRUCIATION that did a cover of “God of Thunder,” and I came out to their song — their version of it. When I was ping-ponging with WWE about a new entrance song, I sent them this track, and if you listen to this EXCRUCIATION version of “God of Thunder” and the song “Limb By Limb,” you’ll see where it comes from. It’s very much inspired by that. “God of Thunder ” — my indie theme — is very much the mood that I was talking about that I love, and feel like I’m coming out to. I had a hand in it and I like it.

LA Knight: When [“Knight Vision”] was first done when I was in NXT, it had this longer intro with a drum roll and all that kind of stuff. That was OK at the time, because with the presentation and what not, it had a little bit of a build or whatever, but eventually I was like, “Hey guys. Can we cut that and just get straight from LA Knight into the song. So we ended up doing that maybe late 2021 and it just gave it such a different feel because now when it hits, it’s on. There’s no waiting. There’s no build. There’s no nothing, it’s just boom, in your face and here we are.

Personal Favorite Entrance Songs:

LA Knight: NWO is just top-top. That is just filthy and good. Steve Austin, but particularly the first Stone Cold [theme]. We hear the one now and it’s almost exactly the same, but there’s little instrumental differences — like when the glass breaks and it takes off, it just has more of a raw feel to it, whereas the other one is more produced. I’m sure it has a more vibrant sound or whatever, but the first one is so raw, and it just feels dirty in the right way. You got the siren going and it’s the right drums. It just feels chaotic, especially towards the end where those drums are just going. [I’m also a fan of] all of The Rock’s themes up until…ah probably all of them really. I can’t get away from [Hulk] Hogan’s “The Real American.” How many WWE events ended going out on that music and him posing? That’s my childhood. 

You know, Edge — I never really got into Edge’s music, until maybe the last six months and I was in the gym and it came on a shuffle. I was like, “Oh. This hits.” There’s so many options out there. You’re talking “Million Dollar Man,” “D-Generation X,” “No Chance in Hell,” anything from the Attitude Era you can take. Those things were just on point. Everything was hitting. 

Karrion Kross: Growing up I wanted to know who was doing all the music and the entrances. I was always a fan of learning about the production and the directorial stuff behind the scenes. So I would watch the programs that WWE put out for fans and it was this guy Jim Johnston that wrote a lot of the music. I watched this behind-the-scenes video that the company released about how Jim would write music based on the way people would move, and just their vibe. I specifically remember how he wrote Psycho Syd’s music, or Vader, and how the percussion would sort of land on every single step at the speed that they walked. The music was written around mood.

I loved Mankind’s music. It was almost like a Silence of the Lambs score. Obviously, I loved Triple H, The Undertake and Gangrel. He had an amazing entrance, but I was very much inspired by the entire show. I had my favorites, but I really just enjoyed the show overall.

Damian Priest: I’ve had a lot of favorites. My [favorite] wrestler Razor Ramon’s theme song worked for him where that beat and that cool Latino swag was perfect. For me personally, that wouldn’t fit — as much as I liked him, his personality and the way he was, we’re still a little different. That wouldn’t fit me. I was always more drawn towards the stuff that had more rock in it, was a little heavier and a little bit more evil-sounding, for a lack of a better term.

Shayna Baszler: We talked about Karrion Kross. I think he has a cool entrance. He has one of the best ones. I really like those entrances where they come out in the dark like Karrion Kross or it doesn’t have to be moody or scary but Bobby [Lashley], he looks like a trophy action figure guy with the drums going bong, bong, bong. Holy smokes, that’s cool. I really like The War Raiders. Their entrance is cool and I love the horn because that’s legit. Back in the day, you’d hear these war horns and it would instill fear in you because you knew these raiding parties were about to hit your village. So I always imagined that when I hear their music.