Billboard
Page: 196
Zach Bryan’s distinct brand of red-dirt poetry and vivid, rich songcraft — as well as his earnest, no-frills delivery — has made him one of the hottest music newcomers of the year.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Though Bryan first caught some listeners’ attention with his self-released 2019 album DeAnn (named after his mother, who died in 2016), this Oklahoma native and Navy veteran has seen his career surge in 2022 through streaming and live performances.
This year, his RIAA platinum-certified hit “Something in the Orange” rose to No. 2 on Billboard’s Hot Rock and Alternative Songs and Hot Country Songs chart and is climbing the Country Airplay chart. In his nascent career, Bryan has already earned 2.45 billion on-demand U.S. streams, according to Luminate.
In 2022, he inked a deal with Warner Records (through his own Belting Bronco label), and released a double-punch of projects, with the massive, 34-track album American Heartbreak and then the EP Summertime Blues. He also headlined the American Heartbreak tour, and is already slated to headline several festivals in 2023 — including Kentucky’s Railbird Festival, Wisconsin’s Summerfest, and Chicago’s Windy City Smokeout.
Below, Billboard looks at five ways Zach Bryan’s career soared in 2022.
A Victory Lap on the Top Country Albums Chart
In June, Bryan’s American Heartbreak debuted at No. 1 on Top Country Albums and at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 albums chart—without the benefit of massive radio airplay (though his breakthrough single “Something in the Orange” has since been serviced to country radio, and currently ranks at No. 33 on Country Airplay after spending nine weeks atop Country Streaming Songs. In October, “Something in the Orange” was certified platinum by the RIAA, followed by “Heading South” reaching platinum status in November.
American Heartbreak lands at No. 8 on Billboard’s Year-End Top Country Albums chart, alongside sets from Morgan Wallen, Chris Stapleton and Luke Combs, while currently holding at No. 2 on the weekly chart, just behind Wallen’s dominant Dangerous: The Double Album.
Key Performances at Stagecoach and Red Rocks
In May, Bryan performed at California’s Stagecoach Festival, with a show on the secondary Palomino stage. Fans flocked to the performance, singing every word and filling the venue with an electric energy and artist-fan connection more than worthy of a mainstage performance.
A few months later, Bryan had a snowy (and fiery) performance at Red Rocks Amphitheater on Nov. 3, when diehard fans faced frigid temps at the famed outdoor Colorado venue to see Bryan’s final show on his American Heartbreak tour — making songs such as Bryan’s “November Air” all the more poignant.
Dominating Billboard’s Top Country Songwriters Chart
Bryan spent 25 weeks at the pinnacle of the Country Songwriters chart, a testament to his work as the sole writer on “Something in the Orange,” as well as heavy streamers “Heading South” and “Burn, Burn, Burn.”
That trajectory helped place Bryan’s own Zach Lane Bryan Publishing Designee at No. 8 on Billboard’s Year-End Hot Country Songs Publishers, not far behind powerhouses including Warner-Tamerlane, Sony Tree Publishing, Big Loud Mountain and Songs of Universal. Bryan also lands at No. 2 on the Year-End Hot Country Songwriters chart, behind songwriting kingpin Ashley Gorley.
“Songwriting is such a massive part of this,” Bryan told the New York Times earlier this year. “If you’re missing out on it, what the hell are you doing? You’re just performing. You’re an actor.”
His First Grammy Nomination
Bryan found himself among country heavyweights in November when he received his first Grammy nomination. At the Feb. 5 ceremony, “Something in the Orange” will vie for best country solo performance with tunes by Kelsea Ballerini, Maren Morris, Miranda Lambert and Willie Nelson.
After learning of his nod from the Recording Academy, Bryan shared with his followers on social media, “thank you for the Grammy nomination. I’m truly thankful and didn’t deserve a sold-out tour or to be successful at all.”
The Grammy nod followed a controversial moment earlier this year, when Bryan was not among those nominated for this year’s CMA Awards, prompting Bryan to later comment that he “will never want to be considered at the CMAs.” He later clarified his comments, saying, “To be clear, I’m not trying to insult the validity of a CMA, I respect any artist who receives one and the existence of them; I’m just saying on a personal level it is not one of my priorities to have awards on a shelf in my home. There’s room for more important things there.”
A Strong Year-End Finish
Bryan ends 2022 on a career high note, landing on multiple genres’ year-end charts. He ranks at No. 2 on Billboard’s all-genre Year-End Top New Artists chart. He also tops the Top New Country Artists and Top New Rock & Alternative Artists charts.
He also lands at No. 5 on Billboard’s 2022 Top Country Artists chart, behind more established hitmakers Wallen, Combs, Walker Hayes and Stapleton. Three of Bryan’s songs — “Something in the Orange,” “Oklahoma Smoke Show,” and “From Austin” — land on the Year-End Hot Country Songs rankings, while Bryan himself ends up at No. 3 on the Year-End Top Rock & Alternative Songs Artists chart.
His multi-genre success is a testament to the range of music he admires. He told The New York Times that he listens to artists ranging from Turnpike Troubadours to Radiohead and Gregory Alan Isakov, and that his fans should understand that he can’t be pigeonholed: “I want to be in that Springsteen, Kings of Leon, Ed Sheeran-at-the-very-beginning space.”
Another year in the books, and Billboard is looking back on some of its best photos throughout 2022.
Some of today’s biggest stars have posed for cover stories, magazine features, and Billboard events throughout the year, including Women in Music and Latin Music Week. We’ve seen jaw-dropping photos from musicians like Doja Cat, Sam Smith, Maluma, Bad Bunny, Machine Gun Kelly, Post Malone, Christina Aguilera, SZA, Shawn Mendes, Camilo, Young Thug and many more. From creative visions to powerful stances, each photo captures the artists as their most authentic self.
See below for our gallery of Billboard‘s best photos from 2022, featuring superstar artists, breathtaking locations and so much more.
Penske Media Corporation’s new music, art and food festival LA3C took over Los Angeles State Historic Park over the weekend, bringing together some of today’s most exciting music stars to celebrate the rich culture and diverse communities in the City of Angels.
Maluma and Lil Baby headlined the two-day event, which also featured some incredible performances from SEVENTEEN, Snoop Dogg, Free Nationals, Gerardo Ortiz, Fonseca, Marc Segui, Shawn Wasabi, Monogem, Shea Diamond, Chicocurlyhead and more.
The celebration extended beyond music as well, and featured a series of activities at the festival, including a range of multicultural food, bold art on display, a marketplace and interactive experiences.
Legendary anthropologist Dr. Jane Goodall was also at the event, as she was honored with one of the inaugural LA3C Awards, which was given to people and organizations that celebrate the culture, creativity and global diversity found in Los Angeles.
Check out some of the portraits that were taken at LA3C below.
Kenny Chesney, “Da Ruba Girl”
Chesney pays tribute to the life of his beloved rescue dog Ruby here, who recently passed away. This laid-back acoustic track details life with his furry companion, detailing the joy “Da Ruba Girl” brought to his life in a myriad of ways, from watching her chase squirrels, noticing the hair that didn’t grow or curl, and finding a jewel of a friend in a shelter, “lying there like a lost string of pearls.”
This fan favorite “Da Ruba Girl” previously aired regularly on Chesney’s SiriusXM station, No Shoes Radio, and all proceeds for the song will be donated to Stray Rescue of St. Louis.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Ashley McBryde and Benjy Davis, “Gospel Night at the Strip Club”
You can let the needle drop anywhere on this project and land on an excellent track courtesy of McBryde and her creative cohorts on Ashley McBryde Presents: Lindeville. But this standout, which details the stories of a bartender, musicians and a dancer that help make a small-town bar a near-churchlike setting of its own — building to a key line, “Hallelujah/ Jesus loves the drunkards and the whores and the queers.” This track highlights Davis’ grainy, world-weary vocal. Written by Davis, McBryde, Brandy Clark, Connie Harrington, Aaron Raitiere and Nicolette Hayford, this evinces their talents as keen-eyed, open-hearted troubadours.
Garrett Hedlund, “Always Wanted To”
Actor/musician Garrett Hedlund released a pair of new songs today, including this heartbreaking track sung from the perspective of a 95-year-old man in a nursing home. His velvety-yet-grizzeled voice is a perfect match for the track, pulling out the nostalgia and resolution in lines such as, “Outside there’s a rusty pickup, underneath the shed/ Mockingbirds nest in the tail pipe, empty feed sack in the bed/ They took away my keys, saying I’m too old to drive/ It’s like they’re trying to bury me, while I’m still alive.” If the song sounds familiar, it’s because Cody Johnson also recorded it for his Human: The Double Album project.
Lily Rose, “Truth Is”
Lily Rose is willing to linger in the boozy space between the first crushing blow of a breakup and moving on with life, if it means feeling like she’s holding onto the relationship just a bit longer. “Chasing down what we were with this 100 Proof/ Is easier to swallow than the truth is,” Rose sings in her latest release. Earlier this year, Rose’s polished pop-country sound and unvarnished lyrical vulnerability earned an ACM Awards nomination for best new female artist.
Trace Adkins and Melissa Etheridge, “Love Walks Through the Rain”
This track from Adkins’ 2021 album The Way I Wanna Go features singer/songwriter great Melissa Etheridge. The song (and newly-released video) are a tribute to the hearty, enduring power of love. Each, of course, is a sturdy soloist on their respective verses, while Adkins’ gravelly baritone potently underscores Etheridge’s vocal fervor when their voices intertwine on the choruses. Adkins previously told Billboard that the song is “the best duet I’ve ever done.”
Rusty Truck, “Ain’t Over Me” (Music Video)
Musician and photographer Mark Seliger put his myriad talents to use in the crafting the new music video from his band Rusty Truck. Seliger directed the clip, which intertwines elements of theater, music and performative dance, and features actress Katie Holmes and dancer/actor Benjamin Freemantle, with choreography from Twyla Tharp. Holmes and Freemantle convey the emotional pull, the angst, the loneliness and the hope that unfurls in this folksy ode to unrequited love.
Ashley Cooke, “It’s Been a Year”
An appropriate track as 2022 draws to a close, Cooke ponders the swift passage of time on this song she wrote with Brett Tyler and Will Weatherly. With a tender voice floating above understated guitar, she sets the scene of returning home after so long away, to visit grandparents and see her best friend’s baby, born earlier in the year. Alongside the high points and the long days of grinding out a career, she chronicles the relative swiftness with which an ex-lover has moved on: “Now he’s at her place five nights a week/ Yeah, that feels kinda quick to me, but I guess it’s been a year.”
Larry Fleet and Mike Ryan, “Quittin’ Ain’t Workin’”
Fleet and Ryan bring the honkytonk vibes on this remake of a song that originally appeared on Fleet’s 2021 album Stack of Records. On “Quittin’ Ain’t Workin’,” he’s committed to getting sober after his ex left him behind, with a promise of reconciliation if he changes his ways. But after seeing her out with another lover, he swiftly ditches his plans and heads for the nearest watering hole. A rowdy romp for fans of ’90s barroom songs.
This year brought several multi-week No. 1 hits on Billboard’s country charts, along with a surge of new artists earning solid hits with their first singles. Meanwhile, several established artists delved deep into themes of redemption, heartbreak, nostalgia and even revenge.
On this list, Billboard highlights some of country music’s top songs of the past 12 months, from established artists and upstarts alike.
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers’ archival release Live at the Fillmore, 1997 debuts in the top 10 across a range of Billboard charts (all dated Dec. 10), including Top Album Sales, Top Current Album Sales, Top Rock & Alternative Albums, Top Rock Albums and Tastemaker Albums. It also launches in the top 40 of the all-genre Billboard 200, arriving at No. 35 — Petty’s 21st top 40 album.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Also in the top 10 on Top Album Sales: Taylor Swift’s Midnights holds at No. 1 for a sixth consecutive week as it surpasses 1.5 million in U.S. sales while the Cure’s Wish re-enters at No. 4 after its 30th anniversary reissue. Plus, Matteo, Andrea and Virginia Bocelli’s A Family Christmas hits the top 10 for the first time as it jumps 38-5 following the trio’s appearance on CBS’ Sunday Morning (Nov. 27) and NBC’s Christmas at Rockefeller Center special (Nov. 30).
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.
Top Current Album Sales lists the week’s best-selling current (not catalog, or older albums) albums by traditional album sales. Independent Albums reflects the week’s most popular albums, by units, released by independent record labels. Vinyl Albums tallies the top-selling vinyl albums of the week. Tastemaker Albums ranks the week’s best-selling albums at independent and small chain record stores.
Live at the Fillmore, 1997 – which commemorates Petty’s 20-show run at the historic theater in 1997 – sold 16,000 copies in the U.S. in the week ending Dec. 1, according to Luminate. Live at the Fillmore was available in multiple configurations (with either 33 tracks on a standard edition or 58 tracks on an expanded version) that ranged in price from a basic $20 digital download album to a $550 uber deluxe collector’s boxed set with six vinyl LPs. All versions of the album are tracked together for sales and charting purposes.
Of Live at the Fillmore’s 16,000 sold, physical sales comprise 14,000 (with 9,000 on CD and 5,000 on vinyl) and digital album download sales comprise 2,000. The set features live takes of such songs as “American Girl,” “Free Fallin’” and “Mary Jane’s Last Dance.”
At No. 1 on Top Album Sales, Swift’s Midnights holds atop the list for a sixth straight week (60,000 sold; up 5%). It’s the first album to sell at least 50,000 copies in each of its first six weeks of release in nearly a year, since Adele’s 30 also sold 50,000-plus in its first six frames (Dec. 4, 2021-Jan. 8, 2022-dated charts).
Midnights’ total U.S. sales now stand at 1.525 million – more than twice the sales of year’s second-largest selling album, Harry Styles’ Harry’s House (678,000).
Michael Jackson’s Thriller is a non-mover on Top Album Sales with 18,000 sold (down 35%).
The Cure’s Wish re-enters Top Album Sales at No. 4 with 15,000 sold (up from a negligible sum the previous week) following its 30th anniversary reissue. The set, originally released in 1992, debuted and peaked at No. 2 on Top Album Sales and the Billboard 200. It’s the highest-charting effort for the act on the latter list.
Matteo, Andrea and Virginia Bocelli’s A Family Christmas vaults from No. 38 to No. 5 on Top Album Sales — its first week in the top 10 — with its best sales week yet, 14,000 (up 169%). The gain comes after the trio appeared on CBS’ Sunday Morning (Nov. 27) and NBC’s Christmas at Rockefeller Center special (Nov. 30). (The album’s title is truth in advertising: Matteo and Virginia are Andrea’s children, ages 24 and 10.)
Styles’ Harry’s House rises 9-6 on Top Album Sales with nearly 14,000 (up 28%), Vince Guaraldi Trio’s A Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack climbs 11-7 with 13,000 (up 35%), Swift’s Folklore bumps 13-8 with 13,000 (up 57%) and another Swift set, Red (Taylor’s Version) rises 17-9 with 11,000 (up 33%). Most albums in the top 10 also benefit from Black Friday sale pricing and promotion at major retailers, as the tracking week reflected on the latest chart covers the Nov. 25 – Dec. 1 time frame (with Nov. 25 Black Friday).
Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours rounds out the top 10 of Top Album Sales, vaulting 21-10 with 10,000 sold (up 31%) following the death of the band’s Christine McVie on Nov. 30.
In the week ending Dec. 1, there were 2.708 million albums sold in the U.S. (up 17.3% compared to the previous week). Of that sum, physical albums (CDs, vinyl LPs, cassettes, etc.) comprised 2.361 million (up 22.4%) and digital albums comprised 348,000 (down 8.8%).
There were 862,000 CD albums sold in the week ending Dec. 1 (up 18.1% week-over-week) and 1.485 vinyl albums sold (up 25%). Year-to-date CD album sales stand at 31.892 million (down 10.3% compared to the same time frame a year ago) and year-to-date vinyl album sales total 36.871 million (up 3.4%).
Overall year-to-date album sales total 87.949 million (down 8.1% compared to the same year-to-date time frame a year ago). Year-to-date physical album sales stand at 69.265 million (down 3.3%) and digital album sales total 18.683 million (down 22.5%).
Madonna superfans rejoice! The Queen of Pop’s 1985 hit song “Gambler” has finally made its global streaming and digital retail debut — more than 37 years after its initial release.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Three versions of the high-energy tune — the 7” version, an extended dance mix and an instrumental mix — are all now available globally on streaming providers and digital storefronts via Rhino and Warner Music Group. Previously, the song (in its 7” version) was only available on the Vision Quest film soundtrack (released by Geffen Records), while the dance mix and instrumental mix were previously available decades ago on physical singles outside of the U.S. “Gambler” has never been included on any Madonna album.
So why now for this long-awaited debut? “It was Madonna’s personal request,” according to a representative at Rhino. It’s the latest release in the ongoing catalog campaign announced in 2021. While “Gambler” is the final Madonna reissue from Rhino/Warner in 2022, Rhino promises “more fun things to look forward to in 2023” and that “Gambler” is “just a small glimpse of what fans can expect” next year.
Courtesy Photo
Of note, while there is an official music video for “Gambler,” it will not receive a remastered digital HD upgrade (as some of her videos have garnered in the past). And there are no current plans to issue “Gambler” on physical single formats – such as a 12” vinyl single.
“Gambler” – written by Madonna and produced by John “Jellybean” Benitez – was one of two songs Madonna contributed to the Vision Quest album. The other was her Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit ballad “Crazy for You,” also produced by Jellybean. (Madonna has a cameo in the film as a club singer, and she’s seen performing both songs briefly in the movie.)
While “Gambler” was never released as a single in the United States, it was a hit outside America, reaching the top 10 on Billboard’s European Hot 100 Singles chart and on the U.K.’s Official Singles Chart.
Though American fans did not get a proper single release for “Gambler,” an official music video was played by U.S. MTV for a few weeks in late June and early July in 1985. Fans who attended Madonna’s The Virgin Tour concert that summer also saw her perform the track live. The trek was commemorated on the longform home video Madonna Live: The Virgin Tour, which was released in November 1985. The Virgin Tour spent five weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Music Video Sales chart in early 1986.
Some might wonder why “Gambler” was not released in the U.S. as a single, considering how popular Madonna was in 1985 (she was No. 1 on Billboard’s year-end Top Artists chart). Madonna had an abundance of popular new songs that year – but only half of them were on the U.S. version of her then-current Like a Virgin album. In 1985, Madonna released a total of six singles outside of the U.S. – three songs from the Warner Bros. Virgin album (“Material Girl,” “Angel” and “Dress You Up”) two from the Geffen soundtrack Vision Quest (“Crazy for You” and “Gambler”) and the non-album track “Into the Groove” (from the film Desperately Seeking Susan). Of those, four were released as proper singles in the U.S.: “Material Girl,” “Crazy for You,” “Angel” and “Dress You Up.” (Though, “Groove” was also the B-side of the U.S. 12” single of “Angel.”)
In the last few years, Madonna’s music catalog has been reintroduced to the public through a wealth of digital single and remix reissues, upgraded and remastered official music videos, limited-edition vinyl single releases, new remix collaborations and this year’s compilation album Finally Enough Love. The latter set, which celebrated Madonna’s landmark 50 No. 1s on Billboard’s Dance Club Songs chart, hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart and marked her 23rd top 10-charting set on the all-genre Billboard 200.
Daft Punk debuts on Billboard‘s Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart (dated Dec. 10) with Homework: Remixes at No. 17. The limited edition two-LP Record Store Day release earned 2,000 equivalent album units, with nearly all from physical sales, Nov. 25 (its release day) through Dec. 1, according to Luminate.
The set supports the 25th anniversary of the original Homework album, which spent 18 weeks on the Billboard 200 in 1997-98 (peaking at No. 150); it predated the June 2001 inception of the Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart.
Homework: Remixes contains original remixes of Homework hits “Around the World,” by Masters at Work and Todd Terry; “Burnin’,” by DJ Sneak and Ian Pooley; and “Revolution 909,” by Roger Sanchez and Junior Sanchez, among others.
Homework: Remixes is Daft Punk’s 11th charted title on Top Dance/Electronic Albums. The act’s six No. 1s are tied with The Chainsmokers’ total for the second-most of all acts – and the most among duos or groups. Only Lady Gaga and Louie DeVito have more (seven each).
Daft Punk also improves on the latest list with Random Access Memories (9-7, up 15%) and Discovery (23-16, up 3%). Random, the act’s longest-running title with 369 chart weeks and counting, reaped 21 weeks at No. 1 in 2013-14. Discovery, released just prior to the chart’s start in 2001, hit No. 4 that year and made it to No. 1 at last, following the announcement of the act’s dissolution, in 2021.
‘All’ in Top 10
Shifting to the Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart, Alok, Sigala and Ellie Goulding lift into the top 10 with “All by Myself” (15-10). Alok’s third top 10, Sigala’s sixth and Goulding’s 10th, the song is scoring core-dance airplay on Music Choice’s Dance/EDM channel, iHeartRadio’s Evolution and Channel Q, among others. (The Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart measures radio airplay on a select group of full-time dance stations, along with plays during mix shows on around 70 top 40-formatted reporters.)
On the multi-metric Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart, “Myself,” which samples Depeche Mode’s 1990 smash “Enjoy the Silence,” motors to a new peak (33-26). The track earned earning 629,000 U.S. streams, up 38%, in the wake of the Nov. 25 release of its club mix.
More ‘Good’ News
Speaking of Hot Dance/Electronic Songs, David Guetta and Bebe Rexha reign for an 11th week with “I’m Good (Blue).” The total ties Beyoncé’s “Break My Soul” for the second-most weeks at No. 1 in 2022; Elton John and Dua Lipa’s “Cold Heart (Pnau Remix)” spent 22 of its total 36 frames at No. 1 this year, after first reigning in October 2021.
“Good,” which earns top Airplay Gainer honors with 62.9 million all-format radio airplay audience impressions (up 8%), also matches Guetta and Rexha’s longest commands on the chart, as his “Hey Mama,” featuring Rexha, Nicki Minaj and Afrojack, dominated for 11 weeks in 2015.
“Good” leads the Dance/Electronic Streaming Songs and Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales charts for a 12th week each, with 10.1 million streams and sold 5,000 downloads sold in the tracking week.
Taylor Swift’s Midnights logs a fifth week atop the Billboard 200 albums chart (dated Dec. 10), while a flurry of holiday albums jingles in the top 10. Midnights earned 151,000 equivalent album units in the tracking week ending Dec. 1 in the U.S. (down 15%), according to Luminate. The last Swift album with more weeks at No. 1 is Folklore, which notched eight nonconsecutive weeks atop the list in 2020. Since then, she’s claimed four more chart-topping albums: Evermore (four weeks at No. 1 in 2020-21), Fearless (Taylor’s Version) (two weeks, 2021), Red (Taylor’s Version) (one week in 2021) and Midnights (five weeks so far).
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Also in the top 10, catalog holiday albums powered by streaming activity make waves as Michael Bublé’s former No. 1 Christmas rises 10-4, Nat King Cole’s The Christmas Song vaults 18-8 and Vince Guaraldi Trio’s A Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack jumps 17-10.
The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. The new Dec. 10, 2022-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on Tuesday (Dec. 6). For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.
Of Midnights’ 151,000 equivalent album units earned, SEA units comprise 89,000 (down 24%, equaling 117.93 million on-demand official streams of the set’s tracks), album sales comprise 60,000 (up 5%) and SEA units comprise 2,000 (down 6%).
Five former No. 1s are Nos. 2-6 on the latest Billboard 200 chart. Drake and 21 Savage’s Her Loss holds at No. 2 (93,000 equivalent album units earned; down 22%), Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti is stationary at No. 3 (52,000 units; down 7%), Bublé’s Christmas climbs 10-4 (47,000 units; up 55%), Lil Baby’s It’s Only Me falls 4-5 (43,000 units; down 10%) and Morgan Wallen’s Dangerous: The Double Album dips 5-6 (40,000 units; down 3%). The Weeknd’s compilation The Highlights descends 6-7 with 40,000 units (up 2%).
Cole’s The Christmas Song rises 18-8 with 36,000 equivalent album units (up 58%). The album, which includes such seasonal favorites like the title track and “O Holy Night,” peaked at No. 6 two holiday seasons ago, on the Jan. 2, 2021-dated chart. Harry Styles’ chart-topping Harry’s House falls 8-9 with 35,000 units (up 5%). Guaraldi Trio’s A Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack jumps 17-10 with 33,000 units (up 45%). The seasonal set peaked at No. 6 nearly a year ago on the Jan. 1, 2022-dated list.
Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.
Maren Morris’ headlining show at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Friday (Dec. 2) came just weeks before her 10-year anniversary of chasing her dreams from her native Texas to Music City.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
“I cry at simple things, so this will be overwhelming,” Morris told the crowd, recalling the many times she’s been at Bridgestone. “I’ve opened shows here, I’ve won awards, I’ve lost awards in this room, but it’s the first time I’ve walked out here and known it was my stage.”
The Nashville concert marked the end of Morris’ Humble Quest Tour, and she said, “It felt appropriate to end it at my doorstep.”
To that end, her concert both chronicled and honored her musical journey from her Texas roots to her early days in Nashville, hustling to write songs with meaning that will stand out from the usual Music Row denizens in the writing rooms on 16th Avenue (“Circles Around This Town” particularly resonated with this Music City crowd of dreamers, who seemed to chant along in particular glee). She recounted her days of playing local Nashville haunts such as Belcourt Taps and Basement East and ascending to venues such as the Ryman Auditorium and finally to Bridgestone.
Now enjoying the fruits of her years of work toiling in writing rooms and steadily building her fanbase one song and concert at a time, she took a moment later in her set to pass along the lessons she’s learned to other aspiring writers and artists in the room.
“There are so many talented people in this room, in this town and there are so many people in line ahead of you that it’s ok to just wait and the waiting makes the fruit so much sweeter. I just can’t thank you enough for your support over the years.”
She welcomed Hozier to perform with her on “The Bones,” saying, “I’ve seen songs go all the way up to the top of the charts, I’ve seen songs fall, this one went to the top right as the world shut down, so we didn’t really get to have our flowers and celebrate it. But I always wanted to play this song in here for y’all.”
The genre-fluid singer showcased her innate versatility with her slew of country-leaning releases, such as “’80s Mercedes,” the anthem to resilience and confidence with “Girl,” and “I Could Use a Love Song,” but also her pop smashes “The Middle,” and “Chasing After You” with her husband and fellow artist-writer Ryan Hurd. There were also a plethora of songs from her tour’s namesake, her current Humble Quest album, including “Good Friends,” “Background Music,” “Tall Guys,” “Detour,” and another collaboration with Hurd on “I Can’t Love You Anymore.”
She also noted to the crowd the life lessons she chronicled on her Humble Quest album, and her journey through motherhood amidst a global pandemic, a process of learning “when to shut the f— up and when to absolutely not shut the f— up,” which brought cheers from the audience.
“Good Friends” was an apt inclusion in the setlist for this Music City show. Along the way, Morris has cultivated a community of fellow artists and songwriters who build each other up, support dreams, share hardships and champion one another as humans and creators. That essence of friendship was a theme that also rang throughout the evening, as Morris brought out not just a cavalcade of guest artists, but clearly artists whom she counts as friends, confidants, and peers.
She welcomed the majority of her The Highwomen bandmates, including Brittney Spencer (who also opened the show), as well as Sheryl Crow, Natalie Hemby and Amanda Shires for singalong renditions of “Redesigning Women” and the inclusive, heartwarming “Crowded Table.” Together, Morris and her cohorts showcased music and messages that have been a salve in uncertain times.
“This is a crowded arena,” Hemby said. “After the pandemic, let’s be glad we can be in a crowded room together.”
Also a self-professed “musical theater kid,” Morris even went note for note with Broadway luminary, actress and singer Kristin Chenoweth (who now resides in Nashville) to perform the Wicked favorite “For Good” (in 2003, Chenoweth portrayed Glinda the Good Witch in the show’s Broadway run and earned a Tony nomination for her role). The duet was notable not only for the two singers’ vocal prowess, but the obvious tender friendship between the two, as they stayed close together throughout the performance, hugging and holding hands. Morris noted that they met at Bridgestone back in 2019 during the CMA Awards.
Though Morris often gets credit for her personal, vulnerable songwriting, the evening also proved a showcase for her in equal measure, as evidenced by her thunderous, soulful glissandos on “Once.” Though vocally and musically, her vibe is often soaked in pop and R&B, her stage production, a lush staging of trees and grass surrounding her band, was understated, never overpowering the message of her music and her polished, relaxed stage presence.
She ended the concert by welcoming Hurd and co-writer Jon Green to the stage for a tender encore featuring the final song on Humble Quest, “What Would This World Do?,” a piano ballad tribute to her previous producer busbee, who died in 2019 and who had worked on Morris’ first two albums. Morris shared that she had yet to play the song during her tour. With busbee’s wife and children watching in the audience, the performance seemed a fitting ending for an evening that celebrated friendship and love, in the city that has supported Morris’s journey to headlining status.
Opening the show was Spencer, who first found a champion in Morris after uploading a cover of The Highwomen’s “Crowded Table” on social media. Spencer’s elegant voice and vulnerable songwriting has led her to become part of The Highwomen’s collective. She recently inked a label deal with Elektra, and released her project if i ever get there: a day a blackbird studio. On this Nashville night, Spencer noted that just a few years ago, she was busking on the streets of Nashville not far from Bridgestone. Her free-spirited, engaging performance style further enhanced her powerful, engaging vocals on songs including her own “A Hundred Years” and a version of the Chicks’ 1999 hit “Cowboy Take Me Away.”
Fellow opener Ruston Kelly, known for his albums Dying Star and Shape & Destroy, led the audience through his own surging country-rock releases including “Cover My Tracks” and “Faceplant,” though the audience seemed to reserve its biggest cheers for his moody version of the 2000 Wheatus hit “Teenage Dirtbag” and a sterling, angsty cover of Taylor Swift’s “All Too Well.”