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Could a momentous Madonna reunion with two of her former longtime backing singers be in the works? This week, the Queen of Pop plays a trio of shows at New York’s Madison Square Garden for The Celebration Tour (Jan. 22, 23 and 29). And, perhaps not so coincidentally, Donna De Lory and Niki Haris – who were seen in the Madonna documentary Truth or Dare and in the iconic video for “Vogue” – are performing two of their own shows together just up the street from the Garden on Jan. 27-28.
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While the ladies have not worked together in years, could there be any plans for Madonna to drop by one of De Lory and Haris’ gigs at The Green Room 42, or for them to appear onstage with Madonna at The Garden?
Well, De Lory and Haris join the Billboard Pop Shop Podcast this week (listen to their chat, below) to discuss that possibility, and more.
“I have no right to give any information that is not completely confirmed as of this moment,” Haris very carefully tells the Billboard Pop Shop Podcast with a laugh. “With that said, we take joy wherever we can find it — if it’s on our stage, at Madison Square Garden, wherever the joy is. In [Madonna’s] living room. … The bottom line is, we’re in town. … We may just go grab a coffee together. Who knows?”
De Lory adds: “No matter what, we’re just gonna have a great time.”
For years, De Lory and Haris were behind Madonna — supporting the superstar on the road, during television performances on the Grammy Awards and MTV Video Music Awards, and singing on many of her albums and singles. The pair joined Madonna on four tours between 1987 and 2001, with De Lory continuing to perform on two more Madonna tours in 2004-06. Their voices can be heard on many Madonna recordings released from 1987-98, including the Like a Prayer, I’m Breathless and Erotica albums, and singles such as “Vogue,” “Cherish,” “Deeper and Deeper” and “Nothing Really Matters.”
So, with so much recording history behind them, would De Lory and Haris be open to recording with Madonna, on record and in the studio for a song, if the opportunity presented itself?
“I feel for myself,” De Lory says, “and I feel for Niki as well, we would love that. We would love that. And I know that the magic that was always there would be there. … It would be sweet if that happened. … We just all have a great blend and great energy, and that will always be there.”
“I’d love to just sit around a room,” Haris says, “have [Madonna] grab her guitar, Donna go to the keyboard, and let’s just do what we love to do. … God, we just like to sing together. I would rather just sing without an agenda. Just sing.”
While De Lory and Haris are best-known for backing Madonna for years, they’ve also had their own solo careers, and also provided backing vocals individually on albums from the likes of Belinda Carlisle, Whitney Houston, Santana and Selena. In 2016, the pair came together to work on their first album, the Two Friends EP, which was released in 2017. Since then they have continued to release stand-alone tracks, and have hopes of releasing further new material, perhaps setting up camp in Nashville to work with a producer/songwriter to collaborate on new music.
During our chat with De Lory and Haris, we also asked the women about why they think “Vogue” has endured through the year, and influenced such artists as Beyoncé (with the “Vogue”-infused Queens Remix of “Break My Soul”) and Ariana Grande (with her house-inspired “Vogue” cousin “Yes, And?”).
De Lory says: “I knew when we went in to do those vocals at that session, it was a fresh sound… the music was so powerful.” Haris says that we’re in a “society that now is celebrating voguing, celebrating being a drag queen, celebrating [drag] houses … you just have a bigger audience that’s being more accepted” and adds that “‘Vogue’ is such an infectious kind of energy… it’s celebratory.”
Also on the new edition of the Pop Shop Podcast, we’ve got chart news on the debut of Grande’s “Yes, And?” atop the Billboard Hot 100, and how 21 Savage and Kali Uchis make splashy debuts on the Billboard 200 albums chart. Plus, we’re discussing news of Billy Joel soon dropping his first pop single in years, a new Justin Timberlake album on the horizon, and the music-related nominees at the 2024 Academy Awards.
The Billboard Pop Shop Podcast is your one-stop shop for all things pop on Billboard‘s weekly charts. You can always count on a lively discussion about the latest pop news, fun chart stats and stories, new music, and guest interviews with music stars and folks from the world of pop. Casual pop fans and chart junkies can hear Billboard‘s executive digital director, West Coast, Katie Atkinson and Billboard’s managing director, charts and data operations, Keith Caulfield every week on the podcast, which can be streamed on Billboard.com or downloaded in Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast provider. (Click here to listen to the previous edition of the show on Billboard.com.)
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Kali Uchis scores her first No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart (dated Jan. 27), as Orquídeas arrives atop the list with her biggest sales week ever – 31,000 copies sold in the U.S. in the week ending Jan. 18, according to Luminate. Of that sum, vinyl sales accounted for 20,000 – marking the largest week for a Spanish-language album on vinyl since Luminate began tracking sales in 1991. The effort also launches at No. 1 on the Vinyl Albums ranking, No. 1 on Top Latin Albums (her first leader there) and starts at a career-high No. 2 on the Billboard 200.
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Elsewhere in the top 10 of the new Top Album Sales chart, Jimin’s former No. 1 FACE re-enters at No. 4 following its vinyl release and Kid Cudi’s new album Insano starts at No. 5.
Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart ranks the top-selling albums of the week based only on traditional album sales. The chart’s history dates back to May 25, 1991, the first week Billboard began tabulating charts with electronically monitored piece count information from SoundScan, now Luminate. Pure album sales were the sole measurement utilized by the Billboard 200 albums chart through the list dated Dec. 6, 2014, after which that chart switched to a methodology that blends album sales with track equivalent album units and streaming equivalent album units. All of Billboard’s new Jan. 27, 2024-dated charts will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on Jan. 23. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.
Of the 31,000 copies sold of Orquídeas, physical sales comprise 30,000 (20,000 on vinyl, 10,000 on CD and negligible sum on cassette) and digital download album sales comprise 1,000. Its sales were bolstered by its availability across seven vinyl variants and four CD editions, including exclusive versions sold through independent record stores, Target, Urban Outfitters and the artist’s webstore.
Six Taylor Swift albums populate the top 10, all former No. 1s, led by Folklore, which pushes 3-2 with 19,000 (up 92%, owed to a replenishment of CD stock at retail). 1989 (Taylor’s Version) falls 1-3 (13,000; down 20%), Midnights dips 2-6 (8,000; down 29%), Lover descends 5-8 (7,000; down 28%), Evermore falls 7-9 (6,000; down 8%) and Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) drops 6-10 (5,000; down 25%).
Jimin’s FACE re-enters at No. 4 with nearly 10,000 sold (up 3,501%) following the set’s release on vinyl. It sold 8,000 copies on vinyl in the week ending Jan. 18, and enters at No. 2 on the Vinyl Albums chart. FACE was issued in only one vinyl edition, and included a photo book, postcard and photocard inside its packaging.
Kid Cudi scores his sixth top 10-charting effort on Top Album Sales, as his latest studio album Insano starts at No. 5 with 8,500 sold. Of that sum, physical sales comprise 7,000 (about 5,500 on vinyl and 1,500 on CD) and digital downloads comprise 1,500. The album’s sales were enhanced by its availability across four vinyl variants and four CD editions.
Stray Kids’ chart-topping ROCK-STAR falls 4-7 on Top Album Sales, with nearly 8,000 sold (down 19%).
In the week ending Jan. 18, there were 1.083 million albums sold in the U.S. (down 9.3% compared to the previous week). Of that sum, physical albums (CDs, vinyl LPs, cassettes, etc.) comprised 822,000 (down 12.1%) and digital albums comprised 261,000 (down 0.6%).
There were 370,000 CD albums sold in the week ending Jan. 18 (down 15.7 week-over-week) and 449,000 vinyl albums sold (down 8.8%). Year-to-date CD album sales stand at 1.316 (down 27.2% compared to the same time frame a year ago) and year-to-date vinyl album sales total 1.566 million (down 45.9%).
Overall year-to-date album sales total 3.694 million (down 35.5% compared to the same year-to-date time frame a year ago). Year-to-date physical album sales stand at 2.895 million (down 38.8%) and digital album sales total 799,000 (down 19.5%).
21 Savage has a huge week on Billboard’s charts, thanks to his new album, American Dream.
The set debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 (dated Jan. 27) with 133,000 equivalent album units earned in its opening week (Jan. 12-18), according to Luminate, while all 14 chart-eligible songs from the LP enter the Billboard Hot 100, including two in the top 10.
The 14 debuts up 21 Savage’s total to 103 career Hot 100-charting hits. He becomes just the 16th artist to amass 100 entries or more over the chart’s 65-year history.
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Here’s a look at all of 21 Savage’s entries (includes two previously-charting songs) on the latest Hot 100.
21 Savage on the Jan. 27, 2024-dated Hot 100:Rank, TitleNo. 5, “Redrum”No. 10, “Née-nah,” with Travis Scott & Metro BoominNo. 18, “All of Me”No. 19, “N.H.I.E.,” with Doja CatNo. 31, “Pop Ur Sht,” with Young Thug & Metro BoominNo. 33, “Sneaky”No. 35, “Dangerous,” with Lil Durk & Metro BoominNo. 40, “Should’ve Wore a Bonnet,” with Brent FaiyazNo. 43, “Prove It,” with Summer WalkerNo. 48, “Good Good,” with Usher & Summer Walker (down from No. 34, after hitting No. 25)No. 50, “Surround Sound” (JID featuring 21 Savage & Baby Tate) (down from No. 40 peak)No. 57, “Red Sky,” with Tommy Newport & Mikky EkkoNo. 59, “Letter to My Brudda”No. 66, “See the Real”No. 67, “Just Like Me,” with Burna Boy & Metro BoominNo. 70, “Dark Days,” with Mariah The Scientist
Thanks to his appearance on “Red Sky,” Tommy Newport scores his first entry on not just the Hot 100, but any Billboard chart. Mikky Ekko, also on the song, returns to the Hot 100 for the first time as a recording artist since his featured appearance on Rihanna’s “Stay” in 2013., Ekko co-wrote “Stay” – as well as Teddy Swims’ “Lose Control,” which holds at its No. 8 high a week after reaching the top 10.
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With 103 total Hot 100 entries, 21 Savage passes The Weeknd (98), Eminem (96), Bad Bunny (93), Young Thug (93) and James Brown (91) for the 16th-most career hits.
Here’s an updated look at every act that has charted 100 or more Hot 100 entries.
Most Career Billboard Hot 100 Hits (through Jan. 27, 2024):328, Drake232, Taylor Swift207, Glee Cast186, Lil Wayne168, Future147, Nicki Minaj141, Kanye West138, Lil Baby116, Chris Brown113, Travis Scott109, Elvis Presley (whose career predates the Hot 100’s inception)108, Lil Uzi Vert105, Justin Bieber105, Jay-Z104, YoungBoy Never Broke Again103, 21 Savage
Of 21 Savage’s 103 total songs to have made the Hot 100, 53 have reached the top 40; 17 have hit the top 10; and two, via featured roles, hit No. 1: Post Malone’s “Rockstar” (2017) and Drake’s “Jimmy Cooks” (2022).
Before 21 Savage, the last artist to join the 100 Hot 100 hits club was Travis Scott, last August after releasing his album Utopia. Two other acts achieved the feat in 2023: Lil Uzi Vert in July, and YoungBoy Never Broke Again in May.
While it’s rare for artists to chart triple-digit entries on the Hot 100, it has become a more regular occurrence since the ranking began including streaming figures in 2007. As such, some artists have been able to chart a high number of songs on the Hot 100 after releasing high-profile albums. The model contrasts with prior decades, when acts generally promoted one single at a time in the physical-only marketplace and on radio. That shift in consumption helps explain why artists have been able to chart many songs over short spans in recent years.
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Taylor Swift claims her ninth album to reach 2 million in U.S. sales, as 1989 (Taylor’s Version) surpassed the threshold in the week ending Jan. 11. According to data tracking firm Luminate, the album sold 17,000 copies that week, uppping its total sales figure since its release in October to 2.014 million. (Sales are traditional album purchases – inclusive of all physical configurations [CD, vinyl, cassette] and digital album downloads.)
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1989 (Taylor’s Version) is the only album released in 2023 to have sold 2 million copies in the U.S. — it’s also the only album to have surpassed 1 million copies in 2023 (It cleared the million-mark in its debut week, ending Nov. 2.) The last-released album to cross both marks was Swift’s own Midnights, which was released in October of 2022. Midnights sold more than a million copies in its first week, and then reached the 2 million-mark in February of 2023.
Here’s a recap of Swift’s nine albums that have sold at least 2 million copies each, ranked by largest total sales: Fearless (7.285 million), 1989 (6.472 million), her self-titled album (5.871 million), Speak Now (4.817 million), Red (4.582 million), Midnights (2.814 million), Reputation (2.478 million), Folklore (2.289 million) and 1989 (Taylor’s Version) (2.014 million).
Swift has four more albums that have sold at least 1 million each, lifting her sum of million-selling albums to a lucky 13.
Swift’s continued strong sales should come as no surprise, as she was the year’s top-selling act in the U.S., by album sales, in each of the last five years (2019-23). And, she’s done so while an increasing number of music fans have adopted streaming as a primary means of music consumption. Swift, like many acts, has leaned in to creating additional versions of an album for purchase by superfans, which helps increase sales figures. Her albums sold spectacularly on vinyl as well, and was the configuration’s top-seller in 2023 when she accounted for one of every 15 vinyl albums sold.
On Billboard’s latest Top Album Sales chart (dated Jan. 20), 1989 (Taylor’s Version) spends a sixth non-consecutive week at No. 1, with its 17,000 copies sold (down 28%). Swift has a total of seven albums in the top 10, as 1989 (Taylor’s Version) is joined by six other former Swift leaders in the region. She ties her own record for the most concurrent titles in the top 10 by a single act.
Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart ranks the top-selling albums of the week based only on traditional album sales. The chart’s history dates back to May 25, 1991, the first week Billboard began tabulating charts with electronically monitored piece count information from SoundScan, now Luminate. Pure album sales were the sole measurement utilized by the Billboard 200 albums chart through the list dated Dec. 6, 2014, after which that chart switched to a methodology that blends album sales with track equivalent album units and streaming equivalent album units. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.
Swift’s other six titles in the Jan. 20-dated top 10 on Top Album Sales are: Midnights (rising 3-2 with 11,000; down 14%), Folklore (4-3 with 10,000; down 21%), Lover (6-5 with 9,000; down 25%), Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) (8-6 with 7,000; down 30%), Evermore (5-7 with nearly 7,000; down 47%) and Red (Taylor’s Version) (14-10 with nearly 6,000; down 18%).
As for the non-Swift titles in the top 10, they are: Stray Kids’ former No. 1 ROCK-STAR (falling 2-4 with a little over 9,000; down 39%), Olivia Rodrigo’s chart-topping Guts (7-8 with 6,000; down 41%) and ATEEZ’s The World EP.Fin: Will (holding at No. 9 with nearly 6,000; down 34%).
In the week ending Jan. 11, there were 1.195 million albums sold in the U.S. (down 15.6% compared to the previous week). Of that sum, physical albums (CDs, vinyl LPs, cassettes, etc.) comprised 936,000 (down 17.7%) and digital albums comprised 259,000 (down 6.8%).
There were 439,000 CD albums sold in the week ending Jan. 11 (down 13.6 week-over-week) and 492,000 vinyl albums sold (down 21.1%). Year-to-date CD album sales stand at 946,000 (down 25.5% compared to the same time frame a year ago) and year-to-date vinyl album sales total 1.117 million (down 44%).
Overall year-to-date album sales total 2.611 million (down 34.1% compared to the same year-to-date time frame a year ago). Year-to-date physical album sales stand at 2.073 million (down 36.9%) and digital album sales total 538,000 (down 20.4%).
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