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Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” (via Columbia) is on track for a sixth U.K. chart title, though PinkPantheress might have other plans.
PinkPantheress’s viral hit “Boy’s a liar” (Warner Records) climbs to No. 2 on the midweek U.K. chart, and is hot enough to give Cyrus’ “Flowers” a duel in the second half of the chart cycle.
“Boy’s a liar” is already a career-high for the hotly-tipped British singer, songwriter and producer, soaring 8-3 on the most recent chart, published Feb. 17, doing so in its ninth week. It’s powered by a new cut featuring rising U.S. newcomer Ice Spice.
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Meanwhile, Cyrus’ “Flowers” leads the Official Chart Update, and, if it holds its course, will log a sixth consecutive week at No. 1. It’s already the longest-reigning No. 1 single of 2023 so far.
Further down the chart blast, Nigerian musician, rapper and singer Rema eyes his highest-ever position with “Calm Down” (Mavin), set to climb 8-5; Dutch EDM star Tiësto and Canadian singer-songwriter Tate McRae’s “10:35” (Atlantic/Ministry of Sound) is set for a new peak, up 10-7; and Emerging Artists Chart champ Coi Leray’s is chasing a first top 10 berth with her viral rap number “Players” (Uptown/Republic Records), up 11-8.
The highest new entry on the Official U.K. Singles Chart should belong to Niall Horan, with “Heaven” (Capitol), lifted from the former One Direction singer’s forthcoming third solo album, The Show. “Heaven” is set to bow at No. 12. Since the members of 1D went their separate ways in 2015, the Irishman has logged two U.K. top 10 singles, and one albums chart crown, for 2020’s Heartbreak Weather.
Finally, following her performance on the BBC’s The Graham Norton Show, Pink’s “Trustfall” (RCA), the title track to her latest, ninth studio album, is set to lift 37-11, for what would be a new peak position. The Philly native should see a bump for album track “Never Gonna Not Dance Again,” which flies 39-19 on the chart blast.
All will be revealed when the Official Chart is published Friday.
It’ll take something special indeed to stop Pink from claiming the U.K. albums chart crown, as Trustfall (via RCA) sets the early pace.
Pink’s ninth studio album takes a strong lead at halfway stage. According to the Official U.K. Charts Company, Trustfall is outpacing its nearest rival by almost two-to-one, to lead an all-new top four at the midweek marker.
Should it hold its course, Trustfall will give the Philadelphia native her fourth U.K. chart leader, following Funhouse (from 2008), Beautiful Trauma (2017) and Hurts 2B Human (2019) — and third in succession.
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With Pink all set for a return to the road, the pop superstar’s 2010 career retrospective Greatest Hits – So Far!!! is on track for a return to the top 40, blasting to No. 34 on the Official Chart Update.
Coming in at No. 2 on the latest chart blast is Inhaler’s Cuts & Bruises (Polydor), the Irish rockers’ sophomore effort.
It’s the followup to It Won’t Always Be Like This which, in 2021, saw Inhaler become the first Irish act to top the Official Chart with their debut LP in 13 years.
Meanwhile, Welsh rock act Those Damn Crows are swooping for a first U.K. top 10 appearance with Inhale/Exhale (Earache). It’s new at No. 3 on the chart blast. Those Damn Crows made their debut on the U.K. chart with 2020’s Point of No Return, peaking at No. 14.
Also eying a top 5 debut is Optical Delusion (London Music Stream), the latest serving from the veteran British electronic duo Orbital. Optical Delusion is tracking for a No. 4 start, for what would be the pair’s fourth top 10 album in the U.K., and first in nearly a quarter century; their last was 1999’s The Middle of Nowhere, which reached No. 4.
All will be revealed when the Official U.K. Albums Chart is published late Friday.
Nothing can crush “Flowers” (via Columbia) in the U.K., as Miley Cyrus’ track becomes the longest-reigning No. 1 single of 2023 so far.
The U.S. pop singer enters a fifth consecutive week atop the Official U.K. Singles Chart with “Flowers,” powered by 8.5 million streams across the cycle. That’s more than enough streams to lead all singles in that format for a fifth straight week.
“Flowers” is easily Miley’s biggest chart hit in the U.K., beating the single-week runs for her previous leaders “We Can’t Stop” and “Wrecking Ball,” both from 2013.
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After nabbing her first-ever U.K. top 10 spot earlier in the month, PinkPantheress pounces once more with “Boy’s a liar” (Warner Records), up 8-3 in its ninth week on the chart. It’s the third top 40 appearance for the British singer, songwriter and producer, and it’s helped up by a remix featuring rising U.S. rapper Ice Spice.
Linkin Park locks the highest new entry on the latest chart, published Feb. 17, with “Lost,” a previously unreleased track which features vocals from the band’s late leader singer Chester Bennington.
The nu-metal favorites bow at No. 18, for their first U.K. top 20 appearance in 14 years. “Lost” is one of six unreleased songs on Meteora 20, the 20th anniversary edition of their sophomore album. Meteora 20th Anniversary Edition will be released through Warner Records on April 7.
Further down the list, London rapper Strandz scores his first U.K. top 40 as “Us Against The World” (Relentless) jumps 42-27, while countryman Central Cee snags his 16th top 40 appearance with “Me & You” (Central Cee), new at No. 31.
Close behind is Brighton, England alternative-pop act Lovejoy with “Call Me What You Like” (Anvil Cat). It’s new at No. 32 for Lovejoy’s first top 40 appearance.
Finally, the Feb. 12 Brit Awards has juiced-up the chart performance of several winners, performers and nominees.
Among the beneficiaries is George Ezra “Green Green Grass” (Columbia), which lifts 19-14 after it was shortlisted for song of the year, eventually losing out to Harry Styles’ “As It Was” (Columbia), up 34-7 on the latest survey. Meanwhile, Lewis Capaldi’s “Forget Me” (Vertigo), which the Scotsman performed on the night, is up 44-37.
Paramore stands tall atop the U.K. albums chart as This Is Why (via Atlantic) blasts to No. 1.
This Is Why had led its closest rival at the midweek point by two-to-one, and it completes the job by securing the title.
According to the Official Charts Company, This Is Why, the Franklin, Tennessee-formed band’s sixth studio LP, was a particular hit on physical formats, which accounted for 76% of its final total.
The reunited trio of Hayley Williams, Zac Farro and Taylor York now has a third U.K. No. 1, including Brand New Eyes (from 2009) and Paramore (2013). This Is Why also leads the Official Vinyl Albums Chart, and it’s the best-seller in Australia.
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Also new to the Official U.K. Albums Chart, published Feb. 17, is You Me At Six’s Truth Decay (Underdog), the Surrey, England group’s eighth studio album. It’s new at No. 4 for the rockers’ seventh consecutive top 10 appearance.
ABBA continues to mine Gold (Polydor) with their 1992 greatest hits collection, which improves 15-10. The set has now chalked up a ridiculous 1,085 weeks on the U.K. chart, and July 2021 became the first LP to log 1,000 weeks on the survey.
The Swedish pop legends have made a home of sorts in the U.K. with ABBA Voyage. Digital avatars of the band – or ABBA-tars, as the show’s producers insist on calling them – are performing through November at the purpose-built 3,000-capacity ABBA Arena in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London.
Another legendary act makes an impact on the latest chart — The Rolling Stones. Mick Jagger and Co. bow at No. 21 with live hits collection GRRR! Live (Mercury Studios), for the Stones’ 54th top 40 appearance.
Finally, two major TV broadcasts produce chart bumps for several performers.
After performing a medley of hits for her Super Bowl halftime slot, Rihanna’s ANTI (Roc Nation) returns to the top 40 at No. 39. The Barbadian pop artist’s eighth studio album enjoys a 74% week-on-week gain as it improves 69 spots, the OCC reports, while RiRi’s 2007 album Good Girl Gone Bad (Def Jam) rises 41 places to No. 42.
Harry Styles won album, artist and song of the year at the 2023 Brit Awards. He’s a winner again as Harry’s House (Columbia/Sony) lifts 6-2, and his previous, sophomore set Fine Line improves 31-20 on the latest list.
And Brighton, England alternative pop duo Wet Leg’s chart-topping, eponymously-titled Domino Recordings debut flies 83 spots to No. 29, after winning for group of the year and best new artist at the BRITs.
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Former Roadrunner Records executives Dave Rath and Cees Wessels are spearheading a fresh rock label, Blue Grape Music (BGM), Billboard can exclusively reveal.
Rath, former head of A&R at Roadrunner Records, and Wessels, founder and ex-CEO of Roadrunner, have a long — and loud — history with the harder-edged stuff. The pair played their parts in shaping the careers of Nickelback, Slipknot, Type O Negative, Killswitch Engage, Fear Factory, Sepultura, Turnstile and others.
The first signing to BGM is Code Orange, the two-time Grammy Award-nominated hardcore punk band from Pittsburgh, PA, and whose first release through the label is What Is Really Underneath?, a 14-track companion to 2020’s Underneath, a collection that is part-remix, part-soundtrack.
“I have been lucky enough to be on the ground floor with Dave Rath and Co. watching them build the foundation of Blue Grape Music,” comments Code Orange frontman Jami Morgan in a statement, unveiling the new project. “There is no group of people that I have more faith in to create a fresh, forward leaning home for rock music and beyond.
Expect BGM and its roster to operate in the harder lane.
“The focus of the label will lean toward all forms of rock music, along with music that may reflect the attitude that made rock music what it is,” Rath tells Billboard.
Blue Grape Music “strives to be a place where artists have the latitude, support, and resources to grow and create something meaningful,” he continues. “We look for music that takes the culture it came from and moves it forward to new places.”
Sony Music’s The Orchard handles distribution for BGM, which has the “muscle and reach of a major” with the “attention and dedication of an indie,” reads a statement. Each signing can expect to work with a team “carefully crafted to best serve their creative vision and goals,” the message continues.
To reach those goals, the venture taps Roadrunner alumnae Suzi Akyuz as senior vp of marketing, and Paolo d’Alessandro as executive vp of international.
Rath spent 21 years in the A&R and creative departments of Roadrunner, where he A&R’d albums by Slipknot, Korn, Gojira, Coheed and Cambria, Slash, The Amity Affliction, Trivium, Stone Sour, Dream Theater, Megadeth and more.
Wessels left Roadrunner in 2012, some 17 months after the completion of the rock and metal specialist’s sale to the Warner Music Group.
Blue Grape is headquartered in New York City with its European operation in Amsterdam. Additional signings will be revealed in the coming months.
“The collective history of BGM’s staff understands when to be patient, and when to move quickly,” Rath adds. “Our focus on providing artists with the support they need to express the best version of themselves is, first and foremost, our priority.”
SZA’s SOS era keeps unlocking achievements for the hitmaking singer-songwriter, who captures her first No. 1 on Billboard’s Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart as “Shirt” tops the tally dated Feb. 18.
The single pushes from No. 5 after a strong 19% jump in weekly plays that made it the most-played song on U.S. monitored R&B/hip-hop radio stations in the week ending Feb. 9, according to Luminate. Its sizable week-over-week improvement earned the track the weekly Greatest Gainer honor for the biggest play count increase among the chart’s 40 songs. KNDA-FM in Corpus Christi, Texas, led the way with the most plays this week, followed by KHTE-FM in Little Rock, Ark. as the second-biggest supporter and KBDS-FM in Bakersfield, Calif. in third.
With “Shirt,” SZA finally finds the right fit for a No. 1 on Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay after seven previous top 10 efforts. She first broke the barrier in 2017 with her breakthrough hit, “Love Galore,” featuring Travis Scott, which reached No. 4, and became a staple at the format thanks to six more top 10s from her next 10 chart appearances. Here’s a full recap of SZA’s top 10 collection on Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay:
Song Title, Artist (if other than SZA), Peak Date, Peak Position“Love Galore,” featuring Travis Scott, No. 4, Sept. 2, 2017“The Weekend,” No. 4, Dec. 9, 2017“All the Stars,” with Kendrick Lamar, No. 9, March 31, 2018“Broken Clocks,” No. 8, May 12, 2018“Hit Different,” featuring Ty Dolla $ign, No. 10, Dec. 12, 2020“I Hate U,” No. 2, March 12, 2022“No Love,” with Summer Walker, No. 5, June 4, 2022“Shirt,” No. 1 (one week to date), Feb. 18, 2023
The count could grow in the very near future, as SZA’s latest hit, “Kill Bill,” repeats at No. 13. At just five weeks on the chart, it’s the youngest title in the top 15. And, despite the non-movement in rank, it improved 4% in plays in the latest tracking week.
Back to the current champ: In addition to securing SZA’s first chart-topper on the radio ranking, it returns one of the track’s co-writers and co-producers, Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins, to the summit for the first time in 23 years. The hitmaker last reigned for his songwriting and production contributions with Destiny’s Child “Say My Name,” a three-week champ in 2000.
Elsewhere, “Shirt” rallies 7-3 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, which ranks songs based on combined audience totals from adult R&B and mainstream R&B/hip-hop radio stations. There, the song reached 19 million in audience, a 22% from its prior week’s total. Plus, “Shirt” climbs 4-3 on Rhythmic Airplay (up 10%) and flies 28-18 on the all-genre Radio Songs chart (up 21% to 34.2 million in total audience).
The NBA is taking things global for their upcoming halftime show at the 2023 All-Star Game. This year, the league tapped Burna Boy, Tems and Rema to anchor the Afrobeats-themed performance this Sunday night (Feb. 19) in Salt Lake City, Utah.
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Along with the trio of Afrobeats stars, Post Malone will kick things off with a medley of hits at the show’s start. Jewel will perform the National Anthem, while Fast X star Vin Diesel will lead the player introductions for the newly named NBA All-Stars. The league will also honor LeBron James for breaking the scoring record two weeks ago. Last year, the NBA recruited DJ Khaled to perform at the halftime show, and he brought out Mary J. Blige, Snoop Dogg, Lil Wayne, Migos, Lil Baby and Gunna.
Before Sunday, the NBA will host a number of events leading up to the big night’s festivities, including this Friday’s (Feb. 17) Ruffles Celebrity Game. A myriad of musicians will play during this year’s outing, including Janelle Monae, 21 Savage, Cordae, Ozuna, Kane Brown, Nicky Jam and more.
In previous years, the NBA has reeled in a bevy of musical talents to play at its celebrity game, including J. Cole, Jack Harlow, Common and Quavo. The Migos frontman dazzled in both of his appearances. In 2018, he scored 19 points and won the MVP award. The following year, he had a game-high of 27 points.
For fans interested in watching the Celebrity Game, it begins at 7 p.m. ET and will air exclusively on ESPN. It will also be available on the ESPN App, while the All-Star game will air Sunday night at 8 p.m. ET on TNT.
Paramore are back, baby. They’re back with a new album, This Is Time (via Atlantic Records), their first in six years. They’re back (soon) with a major tour. And they’re back on our TV screens.
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On Tuesday night (Feb. 14), Hayley Williams, Zac Farro, Taylor York and a backing cast stopped by Jimmy Kimmel Live for a performance of “Running Out of Time,” lifted from their sixth and latest album.
Kimmel was a handy warm-up for the reunited pop-punk outfit. They’re all set to hit the road for a global trek in support of the LP, kicking off in South America in early March, followed by a U.K. jaunt in April, and a North American run starting in May.
Along the way, they’ll perform at London’s O2 Arena, New York’s Madison Square Garden, Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena, Los Angeles’ Kia Forum, and hit a set at Bonnaroo in Nashville, TN.
This Is Time is the followup to 2017’s After Laughter, which peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 chart, and is one of the band’s three top 10 appearances, including their self-titled 2013 leader.
This Is Time got away to a fast start in the U.K. It was the leader on the midweek chart, blowing away its nearest competition by 2:1, according to the Official Charts Company.
Watch the late-night performance below.
MELBOURNE, Australia — Labels trade body ARIA has questioned the motives behind TikTok’s “test” on users in these parts and demanded the short-form video platform immediately restore access to all music, for all Australians.
Earlier this month, ByteDance confirmed it was conducting an experiment in Australia, where TikTokers would have restrictions placed on their music options to soundtrack clips.
“Over the coming weeks we will be running a test in Australia to analyse how music is accessed and used on the platform,” reads a message from a TikTok rep. “Not all music is included in this test and we do not expect it to impact everyone on TikTok.”
The “test is underway,” and the app expects “that some of our users will not be able to access our full music and sounds library. For more than half of our community there will be no change to their experience and the test will not impact them.”
It’s unclear how many users have had their experience dampened, which titles and music labels have been removed, or precisely what TikTok hopes to gain from this procedure.
In one scenario, observers say, should TikTok find its users stay and stick to the app in the absence of major-label hits, the tech firm could gain an upper hand when it comes time to negotiate on content licenses.
On Wednesday (Feb. 15), ARIA addressed the elephant in the room.
In a carefully-worded statement, ARIA questions TikTok’s “decision to limit and remove access to music for select Australian creators and users” on its platform over the coming weeks.
“It is frustrating to see TikTok deliberately disrupt Australians’ user and creator experience in an attempt to downplay the significance of music on its platform,” comments ARIA CEO, Annabelle Herd, in a statement.
“After exploiting artists’ content and relationships with fans to build the platform, TikTok now seeks to rationalize cutting artists’ compensation by staging a ‘test’ of music’s role in content discovery.”
Herd points out the contraction in TikTok’s past mission statements.
“This is despite the fact that in 2021 TikTok’s global head of music, Ole Obermann, said: ‘Music is at the heart of the TikTok experience.’” This “test,” adds Herd, “is presented as an effort to analyse, improve and enhance the platform’s wider sound library, but as little as five months ago, TikTok’s chief operating officer Vanessa Pappas said that 80% of content consumed on TikTok is programmed by algorithms.”
If this is the case, Herd explains, “then it’s difficult to trust that this is a true test. TikTok can set its Australian algorithm upfront to – within parameters they define – deliver the results they want.”
And the results ARIA wants?
“Australians deserve better,” Herd concludes. “TikTok should end this ‘test’ immediately and restore music access to all users and creators.”
TikTok is a real hit with Gen Z in Australia, and is already a more popular social platform than Twitter among all Internet users in these parts, according to data published in the Digital 2022 Australia report.
The annual study found that users spent 40% more time scrolling the app each month compared with the previous year, and it’s now ahead of Twitter among the percentage of internet users who regularly use the platform.
Separately, TikTok recently launched SoundOn in Australia, a tool that allows creators to upload their music directly, and get paid.
The new platform, which is already live in the U.S., U.K., Brazil, Indonesia and elsewhere, helps independent emerging artists navigate its service, upload music and get paid for its use, market and promote themselves on TikTok and distribute their music to outside DSPs.