bbnews
Page: 230
Ed Sheeran’s sixth U.K. chart title is within reach, as – (Subtract) stockpiles a massive midweek lead.
Based on sales and streaming data at the halfway mark, Sheeran’s Asylum LP is already the U.K.’s fastest-selling album of 2023, the Official Charts Company reports.
With no major new titles threatening Sheeran’s pursuit of the crown, the English singer and songwriter should nab his sixth consecutive U.K. No. 1 – a streak that includes all four of his mathematics-themed sets, and 2019’s No. 6 Collaborations Project.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Subtract has already racked-up more than 56,000 combined units, more than any album has notched during a full-frame this year, according to the OCC.
The previous mark was owned by Lana Del Rey’s Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd, which accumulated 41,000 chart units during its first week.
Sheeran appears to be everywhere, all at once. The singer and songwriter performed on American Idol last Sunday, he won a high-profile copyright lawsuit last week, he’s the subject of a special four-part Disney+ docuseries, The Sum Of It All, he’s set to perform at the 2023 ACM Awards, and, yes, he’s currently on tour.
Also eyeing a U.K. top 10 debut is Manchester rapper Tunde with First Lap (via Tunde), new at No. 3 on the chart blast; former Kasabian frontman Tom Meighan’s first solo album The Reckoning (Destruct), at No. 4; and Therapy? with Hard Cold Fire (Marshall) at No. 9, which could net the veteran Northern Irish rock outfit a third career top 10 album, and highest-charting effort since 1995’s Infernal Love.
Finally, Katy Perry’s performance at King Charles III’s Coronation Concert over the weekend has handed an immediate boost to the U.S. pop superstar catalog. Perry’s sophomore set Teenage Dream (Virgin), a leader following its release in 2011, is set to reenter the chart at No. 40. Teenage Dream features “Firework,” with which she closed her set and dedicated to the king, saying, “Thank you for bringing out the firework in so many young people.”
All will be revealed when the Official U.K. Albums Chart is published Friday (May 12).
Ahead of Thursday evening’s (May 11) Academy of Country Music Awards ceremony, two artists are already winners.
On Tuesday evening (May 9), the ACM revealed Hailey Whitters as the winner of the new female artist of the year honor, and Zach Bryan as the winner of the new male artist of the year trophy.
This marks the first ACM wins for both Whitters and Bryan.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Whitters earned a top 30 Billboard Hot Country Songs hit with “Everything She Ain’t,” featured on her 2022 album Raised, cementing her place as both a “rising” and go-to songwriter, having written songs recorded by Little Big Town (“Happy People”), Alan Jackson (“The Older I Get”) and Martina McBride (“Low All Afternoon,” “The Real Thing”). In 2015, Whitters released the project Black Sheep (via Carnival), and, later, inked a label deal with Nicolle Galyon’s Songs & Daughters imprint (Big Loud) in 2020. Whitters also released the projects The Dream and Raised, and will make her debut ACM Awards performance on Thursday evening.
Bryan earned a top 10 Billboard Hot 100 hit earlier this year with “Something in the Orange,” which was also a six-week No. 1 Hot Country Songs hit and topped the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart. His 2022 album American Heartbreak debuted at No. 1 on the top country albums chart, while his followup EP, Summertime Blues, debut at No. 7. He is launching his headlining Burn Burn Burn tour this month, and just earned a song of the year nomination at the upcoming Americana Honors & Awards for “Something in the Orange.”
The 58th annual Academy of Country Music Awards will be free to stream live on Prime Video on May 11 beginning at 7 p.m. ET from the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas.
Colde’s RM collaboration “Don’t Ever Say Love Me” takes the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s May 13-dated Hot Trending Songs chart, powered by Twitter.
Billboard’s Hot Trending charts, powered by Twitter, track global music-related trends and conversations in real-time across Twitter, viewable over either the last 24 hours or past seven days. A weekly, 20-position version of the chart, covering activity from Friday through Thursday of each week, posts alongside Billboard’s other weekly charts on Billboard.com each Tuesday, with the latest tracking period running April 28-May 4.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
“Don’t Ever Say Love Me” was released May 4 after being teased for a few days on Korean singer-songwriter Colde’s social media, with some chatter owed to the featured appearance from BTS’ RM.
Concurrently, “Don’t Ever Say Love Me” debuts at No. 4 on the World Digital Song Sales chart thanks to 2,000 downloads, according to Luminate, with more chart appearances possible on the May 20-dated surveys upon the song’s first full seven weeks of tracking. It’s Colde’s second appearance on the chart, following his appearance on RM’s “Hectic,” which peaked at No. 6 in December 2022. As for RM, it’s his seventh appearance, which includes a No. 1 in “No.2” the same month.
“Don’t Ever Say Love Me” is one of eight songs from Colde’s new album Love Part 2. Another, for “Heartbreak Club” (featuring LEE CHANHYUK), received a music video treatment on May 4 as well.
Colde and RM reign over Jack Harlow, whose “They Don’t Love It” bows at No. 2 on Hot Trending Songs. “They Don’t Love It” is the breakout hit from the rapper’s surprise new album Jackman., which concurrently debuts at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 with 36,000 equivalent album units earned, as previously reported. The song itself is also the Billboard Hot 100’s Hot Shot Debut at No. 54, thanks to 8.6 million official U.S. streams and 1,000 downloads.
Nos. 3-5 on Hot Trending Songs are taken up by music from the late Gordon Lightfoot, who died May 1 at age 84. “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,” a No. 2 hit on the Hot 100 in November 1976 for Lightfoot, starts at No. 3, followed by his lone Hot 100 No. 1, 1974’s “Sundown” (No. 4) and “If You Could Read My Mind” at No. 5 (also No. 5 on the Hot 100 in February 1971).
Keep visiting Billboard.com for the constantly evolving Hot Trending Songs rankings, and check in each Tuesday for the latest weekly chart.
The National rules Billboard’s Top Rock & Alternative Albums chart dated May 13 for a fifth total and consecutive time with its new album, First Two Pages of Frankenstein.
The release bows with 32,000 equivalent album units earned in its first week, April 28-May 4, including 24,000 via album sales, according to Luminate.
With 15,000 copies sold on vinyl, the set also debuts atop Vinyl Albums, where it’s the group’s fourth No. 1.
The Matt Berninger-fronted band’s Top Rock & Alternative Albums No. 1 streak dates to High Violet in May 2010. In between that set and First Two Pages of Frankenstein, the five-piece reigned with three other sets, also for a week each: Trouble Will Find Me (June 2013), Sleep Well Beast (September 2017) and I Am Easy to Find (June 2019).
The new set also bows at No. 1 on the Top Rock Albums and Top Alternative Albums charts.
Concurrently, the LP’s “The Alcott,” featuring Taylor Swift, enters Hot Rock & Alternative Songs at No. 13, thanks to 2.9 million official U.S. streams and 4,000 sold. The song is the album’s next single at adult alternative radio.
The set’s lead single, “Tropic Morning News,” led the Adult Alternative Airplay chart for a career-high five weeks, beginning on the March 18-dated list. It became the band’s second No. 1, among five top 10s, on the tally, after two-week ruler “The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness” in August 2017.
“News” also hit No. 25 on the all-rock-format, audience-based Rock & Alternative Airplay chart and No. 28 on Alternative Airplay.
Ed Sheeran is going country — for one night only. The superstar English singer and songwriter will perform at the 58th Academy of Country Music Awards, slated for Thursday, May 11.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
It’ll mark the pop star’s first appearance at the ACM Awards, one of country music’s flagship events.
Sheeran has all the momentum heading into the 2023 ceremony. The “Shape Of You” singer is currently on the road for his record-busting + – = ÷ x (Mathematics) World Tour; he’s supporting his latest studio album – (Subtract), which dropped last Friday (May 5); and he’s the subject of a four-part Disney+ docuseries Ed Sheeran: The Sum Of It All.
It’s unclear whether he’ll perform a mini-set, a medley, something old or something new, with producers enthusing that Sheeran will provide an “electrifying moment” on what’s shaping as a glittering night.
The two-hour show will take place at the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, TX, and feature performances by Jason Aldean, Kane Brown, Luke Combs, Cody Johnson, Miranda Lambert, Jo Dee Messina, Ashley McBryde, Jelly Roll, Cole Swindell, Keith Urban, Morgan Wallen, The War And Treaty, Lainey Wilson and Bailey Zimmerman.
In addition to co-hosting this year’s event with Garth Brooks, Dolly Parton is set to close with a performance of the lead single from her forthcoming rock album.
By moving from CBS last year, the ACM Awards became the first major awards ceremony to switch from broadcast to a streaming platform.
To make it as accessible as possible, Amazon is offering the show for free to subscribers and non-subscribers alike across more than 240 countries and territories via Prime Video and the Amazon Music channel on Twitch. The full show will stream the next day, May 12, for free on Amazon Freevee.
The 58th Academy of Country Music Awards is produced by Dick Clark Productions, with Raj Kapoor, Barry Adelman and Fonda Anita serving as executive producers, and Damon Whiteside serving as executive producer for the Academy of Country Music. Patrick Menton is co-executive producer. (DCP is owned by Penske Media Eldridge, a Penske Media Corporation (PMC) subsidiary and joint venture between PMC and Eldrige. PMC is the parent company of Billboard.)
Coldplay is heading to Australia for a one-off stadium show, as part of the British band’s Music of The Spheres World Tour.
Chris Martin and Co. will head west for a single date Nov. 18 at Perth’s Optus Stadium – marking their return to Western Australia for the first time since 2009.
“It’s a huge deal for us,” reads a statement from the band, “and we’re massively looking forward to coming back to Western Australia. It’s been way too long.”
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Homegrown singer-songwriters Amy Shark and Thelma Plum will each perform standalone sets in support.
The Australia-exclusive is funded through the Western Australian government, through Tourism WA, and is expected to drive thousands of visitors to the remote state capital “to experience an incredible performance, injecting millions into the local economy,” reads a statement.
Live Nation is producing the concert.
“This partnership with the Western Australian government is set to make history,” notes Luke Hede, VP of touring, Live Nation Entertainment.
Coldplay will feel at home playing Perth’s 70,000-capacity stadium at Kitchener Park, which opened to the public in 2017.
The band is a genuine heavyweight in these parts, with 2022’s Music Of The Spheres blasting to No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart, for the group’s seventh leader. They’ve previously led the national chart with A Rush Of Blood To The Head (September 2002), X&Y (June 2005), Viva La Vida (June 2008), Mylo Xyloto (October 2011), Ghost Stories (May 2014) and Everyday Life (Dec. 2019).
Since kicking off in March 2022, the Music of The Spheres World Tour has sold over six million tickets across the U.K. and Europe, North America, and Latin America, according to LN.
John Farnham has bounced back from the respiratory infection that led to him being hospitalized.
“We’re pleased to say that John made a full recovery from a recent chest infection in late March which required hospitalization,” reads a statement from his family.
The singer is “is now comfortable and continues to receive on going treatment and rehabilitation care.”
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Farnham’s illness follows a cancer diagnosis last August, after which he underwent a marathon surgery to have a growth removed from his mouth.
Farnham’s family has paid tribute to medical staff and fans for their support, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reports.
“The family would like to re-iterate their appreciation and deepest respect for all the medical staff that have attended to John over the past 8 months and the many thousands of kind messages that been received from across Australia and the world,” the family’s statement continues.
The 73-year-old artist is one of Australia’s most successful — and most recognizable — recording artists, with hits across five decades.
The greatest of them all is “You’re the Voice,” which led the Australian chart (then the Kent Music Report) and peaked at No. 6 on the Official U.K. Chart. “You’re The Voice” and Men At Work’s “Down Under” are regarded in these parts as the “unofficial” national anthems.
The hit appeared on 1986’s Whispering Jack, the first record to sell over a million copies in Australia, and recognized as the highest-selling Australian album in ARIA history, with more than 1.6 million copies shifted.
Farnham has been saluted with awards and honors on many occasions, including the 1987 Australian of the Year, he was made Officer of the Order of Australia in 1996, he’s collected 21 ARIA Awards — the most by a solo artist — and inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2003.
His life, career and storied comebacks will be the subject of a feature-length documentary, John Farnham: Finding The Voice, set for release May 18 through Sony Pictures, with a companion soundtrack arriving the following day, May 19, through Wheatley Records / Sony Music Australia.
When Ed Sheeran releases new music, his fellow Brits tune-in en masse. That’s certainly been the case since the release last week of Subtract, the fifth and final release in his mathematics-themed collection.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Based on sales and streaming data captured from the early stages of the chart week, Sheeran is on track for two top ten singles, including the debutant “Curtains.” The album track is set to arrive at No. 10 on the national survey, for what would be Sheeran’s 42nd U.K. top 10 appearance.
Also on the First Look chart, former leader “Eyes Closed,” the first release from Subtract, and a track Sheeran performed Sunday on ABC’s American Idol, is set to lift 6-3 on the U.K. chart. Meanwhile, Sheeran’s “Boat” should sail into the top 20, at No. 12, well advanced on its peak position of No. 46.
The English singer and songwriter is a perfect five-for-five on the Official U.K. Albums Chart, including 2019’s No 6 Collaborations Project. Subtract is expected to keep his streak intact.
Fifty Fifty’s “Cupid” hasn’t had its wings clipped. After cracking the U.K. top 10 last Friday (May 5), earning Fifty Fifty the distinction as the first K-pop girl group to do so, the viral number could lift to No. 8.
Also on the chart blast, David Guetta, Anne-Marie and Coi Leray’s “Baby Don’t Hurt Me,” which interpolates Haddaway’s ’90s house number, is hovering just outside the top tier. It’s up 13-11 on the chart blast.
Bring Me The Horizon is on track for a sixth top 40 and the British rockers’ first-ever top 20 single with “LosT.” After 48 hours, the single makes an impact at No. 15.
Finally, British punk outfit Krown Jewelz could net another top 40 appearance with the protest song, “Scrap The Monarchy”. It’s new at No. 17 on the chart blast. Krown Jewelz is the act otherwise known as the K**ts, whose blistering bids for the Christmas No. 1 has landed top 10s in three consecutive years.
At the top of the chart blast, “Miracle,” the ’90s throwback rave tune by Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding, is heading for a fifth week at No. 1.
All will be revealed when the Official U.K. Singles Chart is published Friday (May 12).
Ed Sheeran capped an eventful week with a performance on American Idol – and the opportunity to show the remaining contestants how a pro gets about his work.
On Sunday night’s (May 7) Top 8 episode, the English singer and Idol mentor hit “Eyes Closed,” the lead single from − (subtract), the fifth and final album in his mathematics-themed collection.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Sheeran is a big-stage animal, and, as he’s proved to millions in stadiums around the globe, he doesn’t need more than a mic, a guitar and a splash on digital effects behind him. And that’s all he had.
The Brit crammed more into his week than most of us do in, well, forever. The “Shape of You” singer won a copyright court case earlier in the week, released Subtract on Friday, and was on the ABC stage by week’s end. Watch his performance below.
Not to be outdone, fellow guest Idol judge and ‘90s icon Alanis Morissette performed “Thank U,” a rocking number from her fourth studio album Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie, the followup to her juggernaut Jagged Little Pill. Watch below.
Though Sheeran and Morissette are household names, the eight remaining contestants all harbor dreams of being the next big star. They all got another chance to get there, three were sent home.
The famous five are Colin Stough, Iam Tongi, Megan Danielle, Wé Ani, and Zachariah Smith. Leaving season 21 is Haven Madison, Oliver Steele and Warren Peay.Next Sunday (May 14) is Disney Night. For the occasion, multiplatinum singer-songwriter Sofia Carson will serve as the Idol mentor for the Top 5, and Halle Bailey will perform “Part of Your World” from Disney’s upcoming film The Little Mermaid, in which she portrays Ariel.
The Lottery Winners roll to their first U.K. No. 1 with Anxiety Replacement Therapy (Modern Sky), their fifth studio album.
After leading at the halfway mark, the British four-piece (Thom Rylance, Robert Lally, Katie Lloyd and Joe Singleton) completes a tight finish ahead of new albums by Nines, Jessie Ware and the National, the Official Charts Company reports.
Prior to Anxiety Replacement Therapy, the Lottery Winners had never entered the top 10, and impacted the top 40 just twice — with 2020’s The Lottery Winners (No. 23 peak) and 2021’s Something To Leave The House For (No. 11).
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Anxiety Replacement Therapy is the best-selling title on physical formats and digital downloads, the Official Charts Company reports.
Coming in at No. 2 is Londoner Nines with Crop Circle 2 (Warner Records). It’s his fourth top 5 album, following 2017’s One Foot Out (No. 4), 2018’s Crop Circle (No. 5) and 2020 leader Crabs in a Bucket.
Completing the podium is Jessie Ware’s That Feels Good (EMI). It’s new at No. 3, for the British singer and songwriter’s third top 5 album.
The latest albums survey, published May 5, is stacked with new releases. Among them, U.S. alternative rock outfit the National’s First Two Pages of Frankenstein (4AD). Thanks in part to assists from Taylor Swift, Phoebe Bridgers and Sufjan Stevens, the set opens at No. 4, and leads the Official Vinyl Albums Chart.
Meanwhile, Reverend & the Makers’ Heatwave in the Cold North (Distiller) bows at No. 6, for the Sheffield-formed rock act’s first top 10 appearance in 16 years. That’s just one spot adrift of the band’s 2007 album The State of Things, which peaked at No. 5.
Also enjoying top 10 debuts this week are English artist Freya Ridings’ Blood Orange (Good Soldier), new at No. 7 for her second top tier effort; and punk veterans the Damned’s Darkadelic (Ear Music), new at No. 9, also for the English punk veterans’ second stint in the top frame.