bbnews
Page: 242
Miley Cyrus’ Endless Summer Vacation is about to kick off with a U.K. No. 1.
The U.S. pop star’s eighth studio album takes the lead at the midway point of the chart week, and is unlikely to be overpowered.
According to the Official Charts Company, Endless Summer Vacation (via RCA) nearly doubles the sales of its nearest competitor, Sleaford Mods’ U.K. Grim (Rough Trade), and is set to become her second chart leader.
Cyrus also led the Official U.K. Albums Chart back in 2013 with Bangerz.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Endless Summer Vacation is, of course, led by “Flowers,” which has reigned over the Official U.K. Singles Chart for the past eight weeks. Based on midweek singles chart data, “Flowers” is on track for a ninth week at the summit, and album track “River” could bow at No. 13.
As it stands, veteran electronic duo Sleaford Mods could nab a fourth U.K. top 10 — and a career best — with U.K. Grim, on track for a No. 2 start.
Further down the list, legendary Northern Irish singer and songwriter Van Morrison could earn a 17th top 10 with Moving On Skiffle (Exile), coming in at No. 5 on the Official Chart Update.
Also, homegrown country duo Ward Thomas is eyeing a No. 6 entry with Music In Madness (WTW Music), their fifth album release.
Finally, South Korean pop act TWICE is eyeing a slice of chart history with Ready To Be (Republic Records). The EP races to No. 7 on the chart blast, a position that would make TWICE just the second K-pop girl group to land a U.K. top 10 album. The first to do so was Blackpink, which made history in September 2022 when Born Pink debuted at No. 1.
All will be revealed when the Official U.K. Albums Chart is published late Friday.
In a tight U.K. race, it’s the Lathums who take the silverware as the Nothing to a Little Bit More (via Island) debuts at No. 1.
The Wigan, England indie rock group is now two-from-two on the U.K. tally, after their 2021 debut How Beautiful Life Can Be also climbed the U.K.’s chart mountain.
“18,000 Lathums strong and we can’t thank you all enough,” reads a post on the band’s Instagram. “With the outright dedication and power of the community that we have amassed, we have managed to clinch a consecutive No. 1 album with our second body of work. This is a statement for all to hear, that the power we hold together through love and compassion can take us anywhere, and that you can never underestimate the power of the common people.”
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
After taking the lead at the midweek point, the Lathums’ latest album squeezed home by just 700 chart sales, as slowthai Ugly (Method) finishes in second place.
The British rapper (real name: Tyron Frampton) now has three consecutive U.K. top 10s, including his Mercury Prize-nominated 2019 debut Nothing Great About Britain (No. 9) and his 2021 chart leader Tyron. Ugly was the week’s best-seller on wax, the Official Charts Company reports.
Further down the list, published March 10, Mimi Webb bows at No. 4 with her debut studio album, Amelia (RCA). It’s the Canterbury, England-born singer and songwriter’s second top 10 appearance, following 2021’s Seven Shades of Heartbreak, which reached No. 9.
The late Eva Cassidy earns a posthumous top 10 with I Can Only Be Me (Blix Street), a collaboration with the London Symphony Orchestra and Australian-British composer Christopher Willis.
I Can Only Be Me becomes the American singer and songwriter’s sixth top 10 title in the U.K., including No. 1s for the 1998 collection Songbird and 2003’s American Tune, both scaling the chart well after her passing in November 1996, following a battle with cancer.
Finally, De La Soul’s 1989 debut 3 Feet High (Chrysalis) rises to No. 12, a new chart high. The album is reissued following the death last month of founding member Trugoy the Dove, and follows the long-overdue release of the hip-hop pioneers’ catalog on streaming services. 3 Feet High originally peaked at No. 13 back in 1990.
J-Hope has gone where no other BTS member has tread — into the U.K. top 40 as a solo artist.
The K-pop star (real name Jung Ho-seok) makes an impact on the Official U.K. Singles Chart, published March 10, with “On The Street,” his collaboration with U.S. rapper J. Cole.
“On The Street” sneaks into the top 40, at No. 37, for the South Korean artist’s first solo appearance in the top tier, and the first for any single member of BTS.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
He’s not the first to try. Among the K-pop superstars’ solo efforts, Jungkook’s “Stay Alive” (No. 89), Jin’s “The Astronaut” (No. 61) and RM’s “Indigo” (No. 45) all charted, though none entered the top frame, the Official Charts Company reports.
The seven-piece, which has been on hiatus since 2022, has collectively scored nine top 40s on the U.K. singles chart, including four top 10s. And on the albums chart, J-Hope, Jin, Suga, RM, Jimin, V and Jungkook have together landed eight top 40s, including U.K. No. 1s for 2019’s Map of the Soul – Persona and 2020’s Map of the Soul – 7.
“On the Street” is J-Hope’s first new solo song since hopping on “Rush Hour” with Korean R&B singer Crush. He has a string of previously-released standalone efforts, “More” and “Arson,” from his 2022 solo album Jack in the Box; the 2019 standalone collaboration with Becky G, “Chicken Noodle Soup”; and a solo mixtape from 2018, Hope World.
J-Hope has had a busy year outside of his regular duties with the all-conquering BTS. His Disney+ documentary, J-Hope in the Box, is now streaming, he was recent named as ambassador for the luxury brand Louis Vuitton; and last month became the second BTS member, following Jin, to enlist for South Korea’s military military service.
All able-bodied male South Korean citizens must serve in the armed forces for at least 18 months — including the members of BTS — though the length of service may vary. Draft begins in the year they turn 18 but the men may postpone it until age 28. In December 2020, the South Korean National Assembly passed the so-called “BTS law” to allow K-pop entertainers to postpone the service until the age of 30, with a recommendation from the culture minister. In another bonus for ARMY, the lads will be free to participate in “national” events for the “public good,” according to the Korea Times.
Miley Cyrus makes it eight straight weeks atop the U.K. singles chart with “Flowers” (Columbia), an effort that places the U.S. pop star in some esteemed company.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
That two-month reign is the longest since LF SYSTEM’s disco number “Afraid to Feel” managed eight weeks at the chart peak from last summer, and the longest-running No. 1 by a female solo artist since Olivia Rodrigo’s breakthrough hit “drivers license” from 2021, which logged nine weeks at the top. The all-time longest streak by a female solo artist in the U.K. belongs to Tones And I, and her song “Dance Monkey” which led for 11 weeks in 2019.
Cyrus will expect to stick around the U.K. charts for some time yet. Her eighth and latest studio album, Endless Summer Vacation, dropped last Friday, March 10.
With Cyrus locking-up the U.K. singles crown for another week, PinkPantheress enters another cycle in the runner-up spot with “Boy’s a liar” (Warner Records).
The gap between the top two tracks appears to be closing, notes the Official Charts Company, as “Boy’s a liar” lifts its game to lead the U.K. in streams. Just 1,000 chart units separate “Flowers” and “Boy’s a liar.”
Completing the podium on the latest Official U.K. Singles Chart is the Weeknd’s 2016 release “Die For You” (Republic Records/XO) up 4-3 following the release of a new cut featuring Ariana Grande.
Meanwhile, Cameroonian-American Afrobeats star Libianca lands her first U.K. Top 10 single with “People” (5K), up 11-8.
This highest debut on the latest chart, published March 10, belongs to Nicki Minaj with “Red Ruby Da Sleeze” (Republic Records). It’s new at No. 30 for the Trinidadian rap star’s 41st U.K. top 40 appearance.
And there’s a new entry from BTS’ J-Hope with “On The Street” (BigHit Entertainment), featuring J Cole. It’s new at No. 37, marking the first top 40 appearance by a solo member of BTS.
Finally, honors for the biggest climb goes to rapper Jayo, whose “22” (The Flight Club) explodes 67-32 on the U.K. tally, for the north Londoner’s first top 40 entry.
Lady Gaga was full of surprises when she appeared at the 2023 Oscars, delivering an unexpected performance and offering a helping hand to an unfortunate photographer.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Proving her Mother Monster instincts are strong, Gaga was first to the scene when, while walking the red carpet, a photog appeared to take a tumble.
Footage shared by Access Hollywood shows the “Poker Face” star taking a sharp left turn for the guest, then heading over to check on his condition. After exchanging some words, Gaga appears to give the man a clean bill of health, adjusts her game face and rejoins the party.
It was just another moment in a big day for Gaga, who wasn’t initially expected to a big part of the Oscars, where her song “Hold My Hand” from Top Gun: Maverick was nominated for best original song.
Earlier, Oscars executive producer and showrunner Glenn Weiss stated that Gaga would not be performing, due to the demands of her co-starring role in the Joker: Folie à Deux, which is currently shooting.
Surprise! Gaga did hit the stage for a stripped-down rendition of the action-film anthem.
“I wrote this song with my friend BloodPop for the film Top Gun: Maverick in my studio basement,” she said at the top of her performance. “It’s deeply personal for me, and I think that we all need each other. We need a lot of love to walk through this life, and we all need a hero sometimes. There’s heroes all around us, in unassuming places, but you might find that you can be your own hero even if you feel broken inside.”
There was another surprise to come when the award went to “Naatu Naatu” from RRR, with music by M. M. Keeravani and lyrics by Chandrabose.
Gaga previously won the Oscar for best original song at the 2019 Academy Awards, for her Hot 100-topping Bradley Cooper duet “Shallow” from A Star Is Born.
Watch Gaga’s red carpet assist below.
Related Images:
Xscape is currently on a television screen near you! The ’90s girl group — Kandi Burruss, Tameka “Tiny” Harris and Tamika Scott — sat down with Billboard News to detail what fans can expect from their new Bravo television show, SWV & Xscape: The Queens of R&B, which premiered this past weekend.
“The Queens of R&B show, which is SWV and Xscape, it’s showing the ins and outs of our lives personally and collectively and as a group. And we’re trying to do something that we’ve never done with another ’90s group, the SWV girls,” Harris told Gail Mitchell, Billboard executive director of R&B/Hip-Hop. “You’re gonna see a lot of back-and-forth with our own group, and we have moments, and Xscape and SWV are not going to always be getting along. You’ll see a different side of us and everybody on this new Bravo show.”
Scott revealed that she and the rest of the group were initially hesitant to do the show with SWV because friendship does not always translate to a positive working relationship.
“One main reason we were really cautious going into this with our friends … because we know how hard it is with us already. We’ve known each other since we’ve been 15,” she said. “Sometimes it’s hard to do business with friends and family because you have to have different hats. You got to know when to take off the sister hat and put on the boss hat.”
SWV & Xscape: The Queens of R&B premiered Sunday on Bravo. The series will feature five more parts, and will follow both groups as they prepare a joint concert experience.
Watch Xscape’s interview on Billboard News in the video above.
We have exciting new music from Miley Cyrus, Meghan Trainor, and more! deadmau5 and Kaskade talk about their EDM Supergroup Kx5, Glendale, Arizona will get a temporary name change to celebrate Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, Coi Leray takes us behind the scenes of her electric Rolling Loud LA performance, and more!
Related Images:
Tame Impala main man Kevin Parker is recovering from major surgery to correct a fractured hip.
The Australian production whizz posted several pictures of himself in hospital, an MRI of the injury, and an x-ray of his femur, or thigh bone, complete with a collection of freshly-inserted screws and rods.
“Fractured my hip,” he writes in a post on Instagram. “Tried to run a half marathon on what turned out to be an existing stress fracture. Whoops. Made it to within 1km of the finish line. That’s life I guess.”
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
A hip fracture occurs when a break appears in the upper part of the femur, the longest, strongest bone in the human body.
According to the U.K.’s NHS, a broken hip is a serious injury, which typically requires immediate surgery and has a recovery time of several weeks or months. “But it can take longer,” reads a backgrounder on the NHS page. Depending on the age of the patient, and the severity of the injury, you’ll usually spend around 1 to 4 weeks in hospital.
Parker is keen to get back on his feet, and back out onto the road, as soon as possible. “All shows in Mexico and South America going ahead as planned I’m not quitting on you guys,” he writes in the post, uploaded Thursday (March 9).
Those dates include six concerts in March, with a concert Friday (March 10) in Mexico City and three Lollapalooza shows in separate countries.
Parker and his psychedelic rock outfit is supporting its award-winning fourth album The Slow Rush, which dropped in February 2020, just weeks before the WHO declared the novel coronavirus a pandemic, resulting in a years-long pause for touring. The Slow Rush led the Australian chart, and peaked at No. 3 in the U.S. and U.K.; the set went on to win five ARIA Awards, including album of the year.
Tame Impala on Friday (March 10) released “Wings of Time,” a rollicking psych-rock number lifted from the soundtrack to Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, and Parker collaborated with Gorillaz on “New Gold,” which appears on Cracker Island, the current No. 1 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart.
Stream “Wings of Time” below.