Chart Beat
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This week, Kenya Grace’s global smash “Strangers” ascended to No. 1 on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs, marking the first time in the chart’s 10-year history that it’s been led by a track solely written, produced and sung by a woman.
Not bad for a song the 25-year-old artist wrote three months ago in her bedroom in Chandler’s Ford, England. A dreamy, sort of ominous ode to meeting people on dating apps who then ghost, “Strangers” marks a sort of belated pop breakthrough moment for drum’n’bass, the longstanding electronic genre that’s currently one of dance music’s backbone sounds, particularly in Grace’s native U.K.
“It’s really a huge part of young people’s lives here,” Grace tells Billboard over Zoom.
The song is also a milestone moment for Major Recordings, the flagship dance label from Warner Records that launched earlier this year. “I wrote ‘Strangers’ a week after I signed with them,” Grace says with a laugh.
“Strangers” is currently sitting at No. 71 on the Billboard Hot 100 (dated Oct. 21) and is also in the top position on the Dance/Electronic Streaming Songs and Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales charts for a fifth and third week, respectively.
Below, Grace tells Billboard how she created her breakthrough hit.
How did “Strangers” come together?
I wrote it about two months ago in my room. I didn’t think too much into the full song, but I made a video of just the chorus. Nothing else existed at that point. I posted it on Instagram and TikTok and people seemed to really like it. I always find that I can write the chorus quickly, and then, like a week after, I get back into the head space and write the rest of the song. I finished writing, and then we worked on the production for a bit and got it mixed and mastered. We released it soon after that. It has been really fast.
How long did it take you to finish it?
It was pretty fast. I always find I can write the chorus really quickly. Then, like a week after, I get back into the headspace and write the rest of the song. Probably a week later, I finished writing [“Strangers”], and then we worked on the production for a bit and then got it mixed and mastered.
And it’s all happening in your bedroom. Paint a picture of that space.
It’s just a tiny room; I live in the countryside, in a tiny town an hour outside of London. My room is a really average room. The amazing thing about my house, though, is my window overlooks the woods. So I think that’s helpful with the deep thoughts or whatever.
The track has been hugely successful on TikTok. What’s your relationship with social media?
My favorite thing to do is make beat videos. I love writing a mini song and then making all the drum loops and everything, so TikTok and Instagram are like my perfect places. It has been a crazy year because last year, I seriously considered giving up music. Then, I posted a video on TikTok, and it changed my whole life. My socials are really different now — I think that’s the biggest thing, just the amount of people, the amount of love. It has blown my mind.
How do you feel about bringing drum’n’bass further into the mainstream?
It wasn’t a goal, [but] I really love dance music in general. Drum’n’bass is the first thing I went out to; it’s what all my friends go out to. It’s really a huge part of young people’s lives in the U.K. Liquid drum’n’bass I especially love — it’s basically a more emotional version of drum’n’bass. Like dance music, but a very soft version. I love that so much. I feel like it goes well with my voice.
Are the lyrics based on actual events?
It’s a mixture of stuff that’s happened to me, stuff that’s happened to my friends and things I’ve noticed around me. It’s so common, in this day and age, that you’ll see someone for a bit, and you’ll speak all the time and then randomly one day, you just never speak again. It happens so much with Tinder and Hinge and things like that. It’s so easy to just give up and swipe on to the next person. It’s basically about that. It’s happened to me. It’s happened to all my friends.
What do your friends and family think about everything that’s going on for you?
My family is still in shock, to be honest. It’s just crazy. None of us have ever experienced anything like this, on this level. One of my friends said there was an article in the U.K. [Official Charts] — it was like, me versus Doja Cat. My friends were like, “Kenya Grace challenging Doja Cat? This sentence should not exist!” I was just like, “Yeah, I don’t know how it exists.” It’s so crazy.
A version of this story originally appeared in the Oct. 7, 2023, issue of Billboard.
With its jump into the top 10 of Billboard’s Adult Alternative Airplay chart dated Oct. 21, U2’s “Atomic City” gives the band sole possession of the most top 10s in the ranking’s 27-year history. “Atomic City” vaults 17-4 in its second week on the list, becoming U2’s 27th top 10. That breaks the Bono-led band […]
Mitski holds onto No. 1 on the TikTok Billboard Top 50 chart, while Future and Drake make major moves. Tetris Kelly:Mitski holds onto the top spot while two new songs make the top 10 of the TikTok Billboard Top 50. Mitski’s “My Love Mine All Mine” is the No. 1 track yet again on the […]
Mitski retains her lead on the TikTok Billboard Top 50 chart, while Future and Drake make major moves on the Oct. 21-dated survey.
The TikTok Billboard Top 50 is a weekly ranking of the most popular songs on TikTok in the United States based on creations, video views and user engagement. The latest chart reflects activity Oct. 9-15. Activity on TikTok is not included in Billboard charts except for the TikTok Billboard Top 50.
Mitski’s “My Love Mine All Mine” remains at No. 1 on the TikTok Billboard Top 50 for a second week. It’s the second song to reign for more than one week in the tally’s six-week existence, following FamousSally and YB’s “Wassup Gwayy.”
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Concurrently, “My Love Mine All Mine” zooms 9-7 on Billboard’s Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart, sporting a gain of 28% to 10.7 million official U.S. streams Oct. 6-12, according to Luminate. It also crowns Alternative Streaming Songs, Mitski’s first ruler there.
A pair of debuts follow Mitski, led by Future’s “Wicked,” which bows on the TikTok Billboard Top 50 at No. 2. Why is a song from Future’s 2016 Billboard 200 No. 1 album EVOL ranking so high on a chart in 2023? A dance trend soundtracked by the tune, which mostly utilizes the uploader’s hands. “Wicked” peaked at No. 41 on the Billboard Hot 100 in July 2016.
Meanwhile, a brand-new song enters at No. 3: Drake’s “IDGAF,” featuring Yeat. Simultaneously debuting at No. 2 on the Hot 100 (40.8 million streams) and from the rapper’s new album For All the Dogs (No. 1 on the Billboard 200), “IDGAF” is the runaway success from the LP on TikTok, with users utilizing the sound in a variety of ways, from memes to simply discussing how much they like it.
Four Drake songs from For All the Dogs appear on the TikTok Billboard Top 50 in all, with “IDGAF” followed by “Virginia Beach” (No. 23), “First Person Shooter,” featuring J. Cole (No. 35) and “Rich Baby Daddy,” featuring SZA (No. 37).
The top TikTok Billboard Top 50 debut after Future and Drake belongs to JaidynAlexis, whose “Barbie” starts at No. 13. JaidynAlexis, with whom rapper Blueface has multiple children (the “Barbie” video was released on his YouTube channel), had not appeared on a Billboard ranking before; “Barbie,” released Oct. 2, has made waves on TikTok via a variety of lip-synching and dance clips.
The chart has also gotten into the Halloween spirit, with a pair of covers of “This Is Halloween” from The Nightmare Before Christmas bowing at Nos. 29 (The Party Cats) and 44 (Hairy & Scary Creatures).
See the full TikTok Billboard Top 50 here, including debuts from Jhene Aiko, Darell, Doja Cat and more. You can also tune in each Friday to SiriusXM’s TikTok Radio (channel 4) to hear the premiere of the chart’s top 10 countdown at 3 p.m. ET, with reruns heard throughout the week.
South African singer Tyla achieves a milestone week in her young career as “Water” climbs to No. 1 on Billboard’s U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart (dated Oct. 21). The track rises from No. 2 and halts the record 58-week monopoly of Rema and Selena Gomez’s “Calm Down,” which had led the list each week since Sept. 10, 2022.
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The coronation also marks Tyla’s first No. 1 rank on any Billboard chart.
“Water,” released on FAX Records/Epic Records, takes over following gains in both streaming and sales, the two metrics that contribute to U.S. Afrobeats Songs. In the former category, “Water” surged to 8.3 million official U.S. streams in the Oct. 6-12 tracking week, a 29% swell compared to the previous week, according to Luminate. Sales, too, are up by a double-digit percentage, with 1,500 downloads sold in the U.S. in the same period, a 26% week-over-week improvement. Although the track was already posting gains, the arrival of its official music video on Oct. 6 sparked further momentum.
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In addition to its streaming and sales rallies, “Water” is making a splash on U.S. radio. The single races 39-26 on the latest Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, up 64% in plays for the tracking week. Similarly, it rockets 47-29 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart thanks to 2.9 million in audience, up 91% from the prior week. On Rhythmic Airplay, “Water” debuts at No. 38 following a 127% gain in plays in the last week. The song is also nearing the threshold of the 40-position Pop Airplay list.
Thanks to the rising tide across all metrics, “Water” benefits on many multi-metric U.S. Billboard charts, most notably, on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100. There, despite the arrival of 22 Drake tracks from the superstar’s new album, For All the Dogs, which forced many songs to tumble on the list, “Water” is one of two exceptions (the other: Noah Kahan’s “Stick Season”) to improve in position, as it ascends 67-63 in its second week on the chart.
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Luis Figueroa adds his second No. 1 on Billboard’s Tropical Airplay chart as “Bandido” lifts to the top of the Oct. 21-dated ranking.
“I am so excited with the reaction from everyone with this song … it has become a fan favorite!” Figueroa tells Billboard. “I am also proud to represent this new salsa movement. Salsa es lo que hay!”
“Bandido” lands at the summit with a 23% gain to 5.7 million audience impressions on reporting radio stations during the Oct. 6-12 tracking week, according to Luminate. The song was released Aug. 17 via Magnus Media/Sony Music Latin, with Figueroa one of its six writers.
“It was amazing to work with so many talented musicians and lyricists on this song,” Figueroa adds. “I have been looking forward to putting this record out for a while, so for everyone to finally listen to it, and the reaction it has received, is so gratifying.”
Notably, “Bandido” becomes the first salsa track to crown Tropical Airplay among the five tropical tunes that have notched their first weeks at No. 1 in 2023. Let’s look at the winners, by core style:
Peak Date, Artist, Title (style)Feb. 4, Romeo Santos & Rosalia, “El Pañuelo” (bachata)April 8, Marshmello & Manuel Turizo, “El Merengue” (merengue)July 8, Prince Royce, “Me EnRD” (bachata)Aug. 5, Chayanne, “Bailando Bachata” (bachata)Oct. 21, Luis Figueroa, “Bandido” (salsa)
“Bandido” is the first salsa No. 1 on Tropical Airplay since Marc Anthony’s “Mala” in March 2022.
“Bandido” concurrently translates into a new No. 1 for Magnus Media. The label last ruled Tropical Airplay through another Figueroa song, “Hasta El Sol de Hoy,” for one week in July 2021.
Beyond its Tropical Airplay coronation, “Bandido” rebounds to its No. 18 high on the overall Latin Airplay chart. It became Figueroa’s second top 20 entry there, following the No. 15-peaking “Todavía Te Espero” in 2022.
The Puerto Rican’s new achievement follows his first-time nomination for a Billboard Latin Music Award this year, for tropical artist of the year, solo.
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Drake extends his record for the most No. 1s in the history of Billboard’s Streaming Songs chart, as “First Person Shooter,” featuring J. Cole, debuts atop the Oct. 21-dated tally.
The song reigns with 42.2 million official U.S. streams earned in its first week (Oct. 6-12), according to Luminate.
Drake adds his 19th leader, more than three times the amount of the next-closest acts dating to the survey’s 2013 inception; he’s followed by Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift, with six apiece. Of Drake’s No. 1s, he has logged 15 in a lead role.
Most No. 1s, Streaming Songs:19, Drake6, Justin Bieber6, Taylor Swift5, Travis Scott4, Cardi B4, Miley Cyrus4, Ariana Grande4, Lil Baby
As for featured act J. Cole, “First Person Shooter” is his second Streaming Songs No. 1, following the one-week rule of “Interlude” in May 2021.
Drake now boasts four Streaming Songs rulers in 2023, with his latest preceded by “Search & Rescue” in April, Travis Scott’s “Meltdown” (on which he’s featured) in August and “Slime You Out,” featuring SZA, in September.
Drake first reigned in 2016 as featured on Rihanna’s “Work,” an eight-week No. 1 beginning that March. His first lead No. 1, “One Dance” (featuring WizKid and Kyla), followed that May.
The entire top 11 of Streaming Songs comprises songs from Drake’s new album For All the Dogs, which concurrently premieres atop the Billboard 200. “First Person Shooter” is followed by “IDGAF,” featuring Yeat, at No. 2, with 40.8 million streams.
It’s the third time that a single act has occupied the top 11 or more on Streaming Songs. Drake did so first – claiming the top 14 spots – on the Sept. 18, 2021, ranking with music from his LP Certified Lover Boy. Swift followed on Nov. 5, 2022, taking the top 13 via material from her album Midnights.
Thanks to his latest haul, Drake now boasts 96 Streaming Songs career top 10s, over double the amount of the next-closest act, Swift, with 39.
Most Top 10s, Streaming Songs:96, Drake39, Taylor Swift34, Lil Baby30, The Weeknd28, 21 Savage28, Travis Scott25, Future24, J. Cole24, Kanye West
All 23 tracks on For All the Dogs make Streaming Songs, all the way down to “Screw the World Interlude,” at No. 33, with 11.8 million streams.
As previously reported, “First Person Shooter” also starts atop the multi-metric Billboard Hot 100, becoming Drake’s 13th leader – tying him with Michael Jackson for the most leaders among solo men – and J. Cole’s first No. 1.
Ado continues to rule the Billboard Japan Hot 100 on the chart dated Oct. 18, with “Show” holding the top spot for the fourth consecutive week.
Downloads for the theme of Universal Studios Japan’s Halloween event are slightly down 0.9% down from the previous week to 15,394 units, but rises 2-1 for the metric. The “Zombie de Dance” number is also at No. 1 for streaming for the fourth straight week (14,227,857 weekly streams, also down 0.9%) and video for the second week. Meanwhile, “Show” shot up from No. 48 to No. 18 for karaoke, indicating that the song is beginning to reach a wider audience.
Ado also has another song in the top 10 this week, with her SPYxFAMILY Season 2 opener “Kurakura” hitting No. 9 on the Japan Hot 100. After the new season premiered on Oct. 7, the “New Genesis” singer’s brand-new banger is at No. 5 for downloads (8,979 units), No. 19 for streaming (3,971,190 streams), No. 8 for radio, and No. 17 for video. In related news. Vaundy’s “Todome no Ichigeki (feat. Cory Wong),” the groovy ending theme for the same anime, debuts at No. 22 during this chart week.
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INI’s “HANA” debuts at No. 2 on the Japan Hot 100 this week, selling 458,698 copies in its first week. The eleven-member boy band’s 5th single rules physical sales, while coming in at No. 4 for downloads (9,623 units). The music video has been viewed over 5.37 million times on YouTube as of publication, landing the song at No. 26 for video.
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YOASOBI follows, with “Idol” overtaking “The Brave” this week to come in Nos. 3 and 4, respectively. In addition to the release of the duo’s new album THE BOOK 3, increased media exposure including appearances on TV has reinvigorated “Idol,” the record-holder for most weeks at No. 1 on the Japan Hot 100. Downloads for the track is at No. 8 with 5,539 units (up 0.78 percent) and streaming at No. 2 with 10,620,712 streams (up 0.95 percent), which is about 1.26 times more than the weekly streams for “The Brave.” The long-running hit is also at No. 2 for video, No. 39 for radio, and holds at No. 1 for karaoke for the 21st consecutive week.
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“The Brave” is currently at No. 3 for downloads (13,397 units), No. 4 for streaming (8,402,399 streams, up 0.96 percent), No. 19 for radio, and No. 4 for video. The music video on YouTube has racked up over 13.98 million views at the time of publication.
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The Billboard Japan Hot 100 combines physical and digital sales, audio streams, radio airplay, video views and karaoke data.
See the full Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart, tallying the week from Oct. 9 to 15, here. For more on Japanese music and charts, visit Billboard Japan’s English Twitter account.
Newcomer Kenya Grace rises to No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart, dated Oct. 21, with her breakthrough hit, “Strangers.”
Concurrently, “Strangers” tops the Dance/Electronic Streaming Songs and Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales charts for a fifth and third week, respectively. It rose 4% to 8.2 million official U.S. streams in the week ending Oct. 12, according to Luminate.
The track, on Major/Warner Records, debuted on the Sept. 16-dated survey at No. 5 and then ranked at No. 2 the last four weeks. It displaces David Guetta and Bebe Rexha’s “I’m Good (Blue)” after 55 total and consecutive weeks at No. 1. That’s the second-longest reign in the list’s decade-long history, trailing only Marshmello and Bastille’s “Happier” (69 weeks, 2018-20).
Notably, “Strangers” is the first Hot Dance/Electronic Songs No. 1 solely written, produced and sung by a woman. Among all acts, and 50 leaders so far, it joins Calvin Harris’ “Summer,” in 2014, as the only songs written, produced and sung by a single talent.
Not only does “Strangers” crown Hot Dance/Electronic Songs, but Grace builds upon her momentum with a debut, as her “Only in My Mind” enters at No. 35.
“Strangers” also bounds to the Dance/Mix Show Airplay top 10 (15-6), up 48% in plays as the chart’s Greatest Gainer. The song, which has achieved prominence on TikTok, has also become her first entry on the Billboard Hot 100.
Beyond U.S.-only-based charts, “Strangers” has become a worldwide hit for Grace, who was born in South Africa and raised in the U.K. It has reached No. 3 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. tally and No. 5 on the Billboard Global 200. It has also hit the top 10 on 19 of Billboard’s Hits of the World charts, topping lists in the U.K. and Austria. It also rises to the top of the latest Official UK Singles Chart.
The Contenders is a midweek column that looks at artists aiming for the top of the Billboard charts, and the strategies behind their efforts. This week (for the upcoming charts dated Oct. 28), Taylor Swift could finally be in line to top the Billboard Hot 100 with her revived “Summer” hit, but may end up neck-and-neck with hits from several other big-name artists, including an old labelmate and chart competitor.
Taylor Swift, “Cruel Summer” (Republic): Have you gotten your ticket for the Eras Tour movie? Plenty of Swifties already have, since the film debuted last weekend (Oct. 13-15) to a $92.8 million opening – already making it fairly easily the biggest concert doc ever after just a few days of release. And although Taylor Swift‘s fans hardly need another reason to consume her catalog in greater numbers, wouldn’t you know it: She has seen a bump in streams and sales since the film’s release, including for her current top song, the resuscitated Lover highlight “Cruel Summer.”
It’s not an enormous streaming bump for “Cruel Summer” (likely not even a double-digit percentage gain week over week), but the song has spiked in sales. “Summer” even returns to the top of the real-time iTunes sales chart this week, as fans are newly inspired by the song’s prominent placement in Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour — or perhaps just sense an opening on the Hot 100 for the longtime fan favorite, originally released in 2019, while it’s a relatively slow week and Swift has an additional boost in momentum. (Also helping: Swift discounting the single to $0.69 on iTunes for the last couple days of the tracking week.)
Will it all be enough to raise the song — which has thus far peaked at No. 3 amid proper single promotion that began in June, and falls to No. 9 this week (on the chart dated Oct. 21) under an avalanche of Drake For All the Dogs debuts – all the way to No. 1? It’s certainly possible, with Drake’s songs naturally receding in their second week, and nothing else in the top 10 poised to make obvious gains. Radio could be key: “Cruel Summer” fell out of the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s Radio Songs listing two weeks ago but has been holding strong at No. 2 since; if it can keep from further slippage there, it may have just enough in an all three Hot 100 components for a real run at the chart’s apex.
Drake feat. J. Cole, “First Person Shooter” / Drake feat. Yeat, “IDGAF” (OVO/Republic): Taylor Swift clearly got under labelmate Drake’s skin last November when her newly remix-boosted Hot 100 conquerer “Anti-Hero” blocked his and 21 Savage’s new “Rich Flex” from debuting at No. 1 on the chart: Might it be time for him to return the favor? Drake will have the advantage of incumbency on the chart, as his J. Cole-featuring “First Person Shooter” bows atop the listing this week, making for his 13th Hot 100 No. 1 (and Cole’s long-awaited first). The song is expected to drop significantly in streams this week, however, so it might need a boost from a new video (or fan meme) to have much shot at holding the top spot.
That said, it’s not Drake’s only contender in the chart’s top tier: The Yeat-featuring “IDGAF” has passed it on the daily charts on Spotify and Apple Music for about a week now – currently ranking No. 1 on both listings — and seems likely to take over as his top-charter on the Hot 100, as well. The song’s presence in digital sales and on radio is still fairly minimal however, so it will really have to score big in streaming to have much chance at holding off Swift’s surge for a belated No. 1.
Doja Cat, “Paint the Town Red” (Kemosabe/RCA): Remember this one? “Paint the Town Red” has already spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100, and even amid the Drake surge this week it’s still holding strong at No. 4. Doja‘s smash ranks No. 3 both on Billboard’s Radio Songs and Digital Song Sales charts this week, and though it falls to No. 20 on Streaming Songs, it’s still the second-highest non-Drake entry (behind Zach Bryan’s Kacey Musgraves-featuring “I Remember Everything”). There’s not much about the song that’s still new or growing at this point, but with that kind of consistency across chart components, “Paint” might be every bit as much the single to beat this week as “Summer.”
IN THE MIX
Bad Bunny, Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana (Rimas): Let’s not forget that one of the biggest pop artists in the world also released a 22-track new album on Friday (Oct. 13). Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana is almost certainly aiming for a No. 1 debut on the Billboard 200, but a bow for one of its tracks atop the Hot 100 may be tougher, as Bad Bunny’s radio support and song sales have never been particularly robust, and he’s already ceded his spot atop the daily DSP charts back to Drake. That said, “Monaco” is the best-performing of its new songs so far, and may not debut too far away from the top spot – which the global superstar has still yet to capture on an unaccompanied solo single.
SZA, “Snooze” (Top Dawg Entertainment/RCA): Another one for the “so close, yet so far” file: Like “Cruel Summer,” SZA’s sublime ballad “Snooze” has taken a winding path to the Hot 100’s top five, and reached a No. 2 high the two weeks prior to Drake’s current onslaught. The song sits at No. 7 this week – blocked by her own Hot 100-topping Drake collab “Slime You Out,” among others – but holds for a second week atop Radio Songs, and may well at least return to the top five next week after some of the Drake entries fall out. But with the song’s video and Justin Bieber-featuring remix already out, there might not be another card left to play for SZA’s slow-burning hit to get over the top. Maybe she should release her own SOS Tour documentary.