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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 Nov. 11), Taylor Swift’s latest Taylor’s Version is already her biggest-debuting yet – but will it pass the original album’s bow was nine years earlier? 
Taylor Swift, 1989 (Taylor’s Version) (Republic): This was the one fans had perhaps most been waiting for: Taylor Swift’s re-recording of her 2014 blockbuster 1989, the album that confirmed her as a full-on, no-qualifiers-needed pop superstar, and the set many most associate with her today. Even in a pop culture autumn already totally jam-packed with Swift – including a No. 1 movie at the box office (with her concert film Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour) and a No. 1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 (with her revived Lover deep cut “Cruel Summer” — 1989 (Taylor’s Version)‘s Oct. 28 debut was always going to make a seismic chart impact.  

The album – which features new recordings of the 13 tracks originally on 1989, as well as of three bonus tracks from the album’s deluxe editions, and five songs from that period seeing release for the first time – unsurprisingly dominated streaming services upon its release. Spotify announced that Swift had set the record not only for the best single-day performance for an album on the DSP, but for any single artist – breaking her own record, natch, previously set with the release day of last October’s Midnights. On the most recent Spotify Daily Top Songs USA chart (for Nov. 1), Swift still all of the top five spots, led by the Taylor’s Versions of new-old songs “Is It Over Now” and “Now That We Don’t Talk.” 

Sales for the set have of course been massive. Billboard reported on Wednesday that in its first five days of release, the set had already posted a million in sales – making it her sixth album to pass the seven-digit mark in its first week. The album is available in 15 different physical variants, including five different-colored vinyl options (with a Target Exclusive version that also includes a bonus track re-recording of soundtrack song “Sweeter Than Fiction”), eight CD options (several with folded posters included), a multi-colored cassette, and a digital edition with a bonus track new version of 1989 single “Bad Blood,” featuring a re-recorded guest verse by rap superstar Kendrick Lamar.  

1989 is already easily the best-performing Taylor’s Version for its debut week – sailing past the previous first-week high in units set by her re-recorded Speak Now (716,000) earlier this year. Will it also pass the first-week number set by the original 1989 back in 2014? That album also breezed by the million mark in its first week, ultimately posting 1.287 million in first-week sales. The new 1989 should certainly at least be in range of that, with the set already over a million in sales alone through the first five days of the tracking week, with two days’ worth of consumption still left to be accounted for.  

If it can pass the original 1989, then Swift will have just one more of her own albums to pass for her best first-week performance ever: Midnights, which debuted with a staggering 1.578 million total units moved in November 2022 — of which 1.14 million were in straight sales. 

IN THE MIX

SEVENTEEN, SEVENTEENTH HEAVEN (Pledis): Everyone is likely just competing for second on the Billboard 200 this week behind Taylor Swift, but South Korean boy band SEVENTEEN – who reached No. 2 on the chart in April with their FML EP — should have one of the week’s best-sellers with new EP SEVENTEENTH HEAVEN. As is common with major K-pop releases, the set’s sales will be bolstered by 16 collectible CD editions of the album, including exclusive versions sold via Barnes & Noble, Target and Walmart, all with branded merchandise items inside (like stickers and photo cards). 

Brent Faiyaz, Larger Than Life (ISO Supremacy/UnitedMasters): If fortune favors the bold, hopefully R&B star Brent Faiyaz will be rewarded for surprise-releasing his new Larger Than Life set in the shadow cast by a Taylor Swift release week. The 14-track effort is currently only available in physical form as a pre-order for Nov. 20, but should perform fairly well on streaming – with guest appearances by Missy Elliott, Coco Jones, A$AP Rocky and other big names – and benefit from the momentum of 2022’s well-received Wasteland, which debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 last July.  

Various Artists, The Nightmare Before Christmas: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Disney) / Michael Jackson, Thriller (Epic): ‘Tis the season, and with Halloween officially passing on Tuesday, you can bet a number of holiday favorites will see big gains on the charts. Those will most likely be led by the Danny Elfman-composed soundtrack to the Tim Burton-produced perennial favorite The Nightmare Before Christmas (celebrating its 30th anniversary this year) and Michael Jackson’s Thriller, one of the most decorated albums in the chart’s history. If enough folks get in the holiday spirit this year, then Nightmare — which has spent 24 weeks on the Billboard 200 and sits at No. 54 on this week’s chart (dated Nov. 4) — may have a shot of passing its prior No. 22 peak, set around this time last year.  

Fuerza Regida burst in at No. 2 on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart with Pa Las Baby’s y Belikeada on the Nov. 4-dated list and claims its highest debut among eight career entries.
Previously, the quintet’s eighth studio album Adicto had its best start, bowing at No. 4 in 2020. Further, Pa Las Baby’s matches the group’s chart peak on the list, equaling the No. 2 peak of Sigan: Hablando: II in January.

Pa Las Baby’s debuts at No. 2 with 38,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending Oct. 26, according to Luminate. The expansive 30-track set boasts 14 collaborations, including tracks with Maria Becerra, Marshmello, Manuel Turizo, El Fantasma and Gabito Ballesteros. The album was released Oct. 20 via StreetMob/Rancho Humilde/Sony Music Latin.

Most of the Pa Las Baby’s opening sum derives from streaming-equivalent album units; that sum equals 51.7 million official on-demand streams of the set’s songs. The San Bernardino, Calif.-quintet scores the second-largest opening sum for a regional Mexican album, after Eslabon Armado’s Desvelado, which launched at No. 1 (May 13) with 63.51 million official U.S. streams. While Peso Pluma’s Génesis debuted with fewer streams from only one day of activity (July 1), it claimed the biggest week among regional Mexican albums ever, with 101.2 million streams after its first week of chart activity (dated July 8).

With Pa Las Baby’s debut, Fuerza Regida collect their fifth top 10 entry overall, tying with Junior H for the second-most for a regional Mexican act in 2023 after Eslabon Armado, who have grabbed six top 10s. Among all acts, Bad Bunny leads with eight top 10 albums.

Here’s a recap of Fuerza Regida’s collection of top 10s on Top Latin Albums:

Peak, Title, Peak DateNo. 8, Del Barrio Hasta Aquí, July 20, 2019No. 4, Adicto, April 25, 2020No. 3, Pa Que Hablen.: I., April 15, 2023No. 2, Sigan Hablando.: II, Jan. 28, 2023No. 2, Pa Las Baby’s Y Belikeada, Nov. 4, 2023

Pa Las Baby’s joins three other Regida albums on Top Latin Albums: Pa Que Hablen.: I. at No. 15, Sigan Hablando.: II at No. 33 and Del Barrio Hasta Aquí, Vol. 2 at No. 40.

Elsewhere, Pa Las Baby’s likewise becomes Regida’s highest-charting debut on the Regional Mexican Albums chart and the all-genre Billboard 200. On the former, it arrives at No. 1 for the group’s fifth chart-topper there, while it starts at No. 14 on the latter.

The album was preceded by two tracks on the multimetric Hot Latin Songs chart: the No. 5-peaking “TQM” (June 6) and lead single “Sabor Fresa,” which reached its No. 3 high on the July 8-dated list. Meanwhile, the album yields two newcomers: “Sobras y Mujeres” and “Excesos” open at No. 40 and No. 42, respectively.

Usher takes the throne on Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart for the first time since 2016 as his collaboration with Summer Walker and 21 Savage, “Good Good,” crowns the list dated Nov. 4.

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The single advances from No. 2 to become the most-heard song in combined audience for U.S. monitored adult and mainstream R&B/hip-hop stations despite a 2% drop to 20.2 million in listenership in the tracking week ending Oct. 26, according to Luminate.

“Good Good” gives Summer Walker her first R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay No. 1, after she previously managed a No. 6 best twice – with “Girls Need Love” featuring Drake in 2019 and “Playing Games” the following year. 21 Savage, meanwhile, bags his third champ, following his featured turn on Post Malone’s eight-week No. 1 “Rockstar” in 2017-18, and the two-week leader “Rich Flex” with Drake in January and February.

Thanks to the new champ, Usher collects his 16th No. 1 on R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay. Among all artists, he trails only Drake’s 29 leaders for the most since the chart began in 1992. Here’s an updated look at the leaderboard:

29, Drake16, Usher12, Lil Wayne10, Beyoncé10, Chris Brown8, Alicia Keys8, Jay-Z8, R. Kelly

Plus, as Usher first led on R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay with “You Make Me Wanna…” in September 1997, he rewrites the record for the longest span of No. 1s in the chart’s history, at 26 years and two months between his first and most recent champs. To recap the record run, here’s a full rundown of Usher’s sweet 16 champs on R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay:

Song Title, Artist (if other than Usher), Weeks at No. 1, Date Reached No. 1“You Make Me Wanna…,” 12, Sept. 6, 1997“Nice & Slow,” three, Jan. 24, 1998“U Got It Bad,” eight, Nov. 10, 2001“Yeah!,” featuring Lil Jon & Ludacris, seven, March 13, 2004“Burn,” four, June 5, 2004“Confessions Part II,” two, July 10, 2004“My Boo,” with Alicia Keys, four, Oct. 23, 2004“Lovers and Friends,” Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz featuring Usher & Ludacris, one, Feb. 26, 2005“Love in This Club,” featuring Young Jeezy, four, April 12, 2008“Papers,” two, Dec. 12, 2009“There Goes My Baby,” four, Aug. 14, 2010“Climax,” 11, April 28, 2012“Good Kisser,” one, July 19, 2014“New Flame,” Chris Brown featuring Usher & Rick Ross, four, Oct. 25, 2014“No Limit,” featuring Young Thug, Oct. 15, 2016“Good Good,” with Summer Walker and 21 Savage, one (to date), Nov. 4, 2023

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As “Good Good” rules the radio ranking, it evicts SZA’s “Snooze” from the summit after an 18-week domination, the second-longest run for a song by a woman in a lead role in the chart’s history. Further, “Good Good,” released and promoted by mega/gamma, ends a titanic command atop R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay for RCA Records, who held a 42-week monopoly on the list through the three most recent champs – SZA’s “Snooze,” Tems’ “Free Mind” and Chris Brown’s “Under the Influence.” The last non-RCA leader was Drake and 21 Savage’s “Rich Flex,” which wrapped a two-week stay on the chart dated Feb. 4.

Elsewhere, “Good Good” shores up its ranks on other airplay charts. The track repeats at its No. 2 high on Rhythmic Airplay, though it slid 4% in plays at the format in the last tracking week. The tune has crossed over to pop radio, with a 25-22 climb on the Pop Airplay chart following a 13% boost in plays at mainstream top-40 stations. With that influx reinforcing its dominant position at R&B/hip-hop radio, “Good Good” pushes 12-11 on the all-genre Radio Songs chart, with a 2% improvement to 43.2 million in audience in the latest tracking window.

On the latest Billboard Gospel Airplay chart, Todd Dulaney and Bishop Hezekiah Walker are reigning supreme as their single “It’s Working” rises from No. 3 to No. 1. The song, which Dulaney co-penned with Tim Godfrey and Dontaniel Jamel Kimbrough, increased by 5% in plays during the Oct. 20-26 tracking week, according to Luminate. For […]

As predicted last week, Ado’s “Show” returns to No. 1 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100, dated Nov. 1, logging its fifth week atop the tally after gaining further momentum leading up to Halloween.

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Both streaming and downloads for the USJ Halloween event theme increased from the week before, with the former reaching 14,861,306 weekly streams, up approximately 3.2 percent. Downloads are up 17.9 percent at 17,617 units, landing the track at No. 2 for the metric. Points for video views are also up 39 percent (No. 1) and radio jumps 21-7 with an increase of 48 percent. The “Zombie de Dance” show is scheduled to end Sunday (Nov. 5), so it’ll be interesting to see how far “Show” can extend its record atop the Billboard Japan song chart after the spooky festivities come to an end. 

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The lead song off J-pop boy band WEST.’s first “triple-A side” single called “Zettai Zetsumei/Beautiful/AS ONE” released Oct. 25 debuts at No. 3 on the Japan Hot 100 this week. “Zettai Zetsumei” is powered by sales with first-week CD figures for the track reaching 302,821 copies, which is about 1.37 times more than the group’s previous release, “Shiawase no Hana” (220,040 copies).

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“Suggoi FEVER!” by Morning Musume. ’23 bows at No. 4. The track leads the girl group’s first new single in ten months, called “Suggoi FEVER!/Wake-up Call~Mezameru toki~/Neverending Shine,” and is the last one including current leader Mizuki Fukumura. The song marks No. 2 for sales with 135,797 copies, surpassing the previous single called “Swing Swing Paradise/Happy birthday to Me!” (121,814 copies).

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After hitting No. 1 last week, Sakurazaka46’s “Shoninyokkyu” falls to No. 7, but the track continues to perform well, coming in at No. 5 for sales with 18,196 copies sold and No. 7 for streaming with 6,242,620 weekly streams.

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Also, Hey! Say! JUMP’s “Ready to Jump” off the group’s first-ever digital EP “P.U!” debuts at No. 15 on the Japan Hot 100 this week after hitting No. 1 for downloads with 26,719 units including bundle totals. The track is also at No. 26 for video.

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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. 23 to 29, here. For more on Japanese music and charts, visit Billboard Japan’s English Twitter account.

Billboard has more than 200 different weekly charts in its menu, encompassing numerous genres and formats.
While established artists often compete for a spot on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart and Billboard 200 albums ranking, which track the most popular songs and albums of the week, respectively, up-and-coming talents typically start off on genre-specific lists.

Here’s a look at 10 artists who appear on surveys for the first time on the Nov. 4-dated charts.

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ScarLip

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The New York City-based rapper (real name: Sierra Lewis) scores her first Billboard chart appearance with “No Statements.” The track, released Sept. 15 via Broken Child/Epic Records, debuts at No. 40 on Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay (up 36% in plays, according to Luminate). TikTok has been a big player in the song’s growing profile, as a portion of the track has been used in over 70,000 clips on the platform to date. (Activity on TikTok is not included in Billboard’s charts except for the recently launched TikTok Billboard Top 50).

ScarLip has released eight other songs on streaming services, including her collaboration with Snoop Dogg, “This Is Cali,” in May. Earlier this year, Billboard named her track “This Is New York” one of the 50 best songs of 2023 so far. ScarLip joins a growing list of female rappers from New York to break through this year, along with Ice Spice, Lola Brooke and Flo Milli.

Alex Isley

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The singer-songwriter from New Jersey arrives on Billboard’s charts thanks to her collaborative album with Terrace Martin, I Left My Heart in Ladera. The set, released Oct. 20 on IRD/Sounds of Crenshaw/BMG, debuts at No. 2 on Contemporary Jazz Albums and No. 22 on Jazz Albums with 1,000 equivalent album units earned in its opening week.

Isley, the daughter of music legend and chart veteran Ernie Isley of the Isley Brothers, has been releasing music for over a decade. She’s released three other albums: Dreams in Analog (2013), L U X U R Y (2015) and Marigold, with Jack Dine (2022). In 2020, her collab with Cautious Clay and Raedio, “Reaching,” appeared in the fourth season of HBO’s Insecure. She’s also collaborated Lucky Daye, Robert Glasper, Masego and serpentwithfeet, among others.

Destin Conrad

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The Tampa, Fla. native debuts on Billboard’s charts for the first time thanks to his featured appearance on Mahalia’s “It’s Not Me, It’s You.” Released in July via Atlantic Records on Mahalia’s latest LP, IRL, the song debuts at No. 27 on Adult R&B Airplay (up 19% in plays).

Conrad has released three solo LPs so far: Colorway (2021), Satin (2022) and Submissive (last Friday, Oct. 27). The new nine-track set, released on Above Ground Entertainment, also includes collaborations with Masego and Jordan Ward. Billboard named the Masego collab, “Super Paradise,” as one of its recent R&B/Hip-Hop Fresh Picks of the Week. He’s previously released songs with Amaria, Ambre, Duckwrth, Kiana Lede and Musiq Soulchild.

Chriseanrock

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The rapper and reality TV personality is officially a Billboard-charting artist, thanks to her new collaboration with Lil Mabu, “Mr. Take Ya B*tch.” The song, which the pair self-released Oct. 17, debuts at No. 33 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, with 7.1 million official U.S. streams earned in its first full week of tracking (Oct. 20-26). The song also helps her debut at No. 37 on Emerging Artists.

Chriseanrock (a mash-up of her real name, Chrisean Rock) has appeared on the past three seasons of the Zeus reality show Baddies (Baddies South, Baddies West and Baddies East). Since 2022, she has also starred in her own Zeus reality show, Blueface & Chrisean: Crazy in Love, alongside her former boyfriend with whom she has a child, Blueface. “Mr. Take Ya B*tch” is a diss track aimed at the rapper. Chriseanrock has released nearly a dozen other songs on streaming platforms, all since 2020.

Head DA DON

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The MC notches his first Billboard chart entry, thanks to his featured appearance on Tech N9ne’s “Pull Out.” The track, released in July via Strange Music on Tech N9ne’s 24th studio album Bliss, debuts at No. 39 on Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay (up 13% in plays).

In an exclusive interview with Billboard last month, Tech N9ne predicted that the song would be a hit. “When I heard that beat from Goodro, then that [‘pull out’] hook from Head DA DON, I knew immediately that the song would get us back up on radio and the charts,” he said. “This is just the beginning of the fire songs coming off Bliss.”

Adam Ten & Maori

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Both artists score their first Billboard chart placements thanks to their collaboration, “Spring Girl.” Released Aug. 25 on Higher Ground, the track debuts at No. 11 on Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales (up 88% in downloads). The song was boosted by a new mix with Vintage Culture, released Oct. 4.

Adam Ten, from Tel Aviv, has been a familiar face in the Israeli dance scene for over a decade. He has released multiple EPs and DJ’d various events around the globe. Maori, also from Israel, has been releasing music on streaming services as Maori since last year. He has released three EPs this year: South of the Border, in March, This Is Who I Am, with Monro (May), and Pillow Fight (July). The two also teamed up for the track “NCO,” released in August.

Ela Taubert

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The Colombian singer-songwriter hits Billboard’s charts for the first time with her single “Y Si Eras Tu.” The song, released Sept. 8 on Universal Music Latino/UMLE, debuts at No. 19 on Latin Pop Airplay (up 121% in audience). In March, Taubert released her first EP, the five-track Quien Dijo Que Era Facil?

Frizk

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Frizk arrives on Billboard’s charts with his viral breakthrough hit “All My Fellas (Pose 4 the Camera).” It debuts at No. 24 on the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart with 190,000 official U.S. streams. TikTok has been a major factor in the song’s growing profile, as a portion of the track has been used in over 30,000 clips on the platform to date.

Frizk released his debut LP Forgotten Arcade on Friday (Oct. 27). Before that, he released two songs: “Friend” and “Bossa Break!,” in August and September, respectively.

Luke Harrison

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The Australian singer-songwriter is new to Billboard’s charts thanks to his song “Make Me Better.” The track, released Oct. 6 on Duncan Group Entertainment, debuts at No. 25 on Adult Contemporary airplay (up 283% in plays). Harrison has released four other songs on streaming services: “Free,” “Purpose,” “Heroes” and “You’ll Never Change.”

Brandon Lake scores his first No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Christian Albums chart as Coat of Many Colors blasts in atop the survey (dated Nov. 4). Released Oct. 20, the 16-track set earned 9,000 equivalent album units through Oct. 26, according to Luminate.
The 33-year-old singer-songwriter from Charleston, S.C., leads the list for the first time among four appearances. He previously hit the top 10 with his first entry, House of Miracles, which reached No. 6 in June.

“Today I am in awe and wonder of how God continues to use this music to love and encourage others,” Lake tells Billboard. “It’s something I will never get used to. I have learned that most of our life is not lived in the palace – it is us enduring pit after pit. My prayer is that this album would meet you where you are and help remind you that God is with you in the pit.”

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Concurrently, the lead single from Coat of Many Colors, “Praise You Anywhere,” hops 4-1 on the streaming-, airplay- and sales-based Hot Christian Songs chart. It drew 5.6 million airplay audience impressions and 2 million official streams in the U.S. in the tracking week.

Lake tops Hot Christian Songs with a third title (among five top 10s), following his featured turn on Elevation Worship’s “Graves Into Gardens,” which led for two frames weeks in February 2021, and his own “Gratitude,” which dominated for 15 weeks beginning this February. He is the only act to have led the chart with multiple songs this year.

Lake co-authored “Praise You Anywhere” with Hank Bentley, Ben Fielding and Jacob Scooter, while Bentley and Scooter co-produced the track.

Lake is also the first artist this year to open at No. 1 on Top Christian Albums while simultaneously hitting the top of Hot Christian Songs. TobyMac last achieved such a double-up in September 2022, when his album Life After Death arrived at No. 1 on Top Christian Albums as “The Goodness,” featuring Blessing Offor, rose to the Hot Christian Songs summit.

Currently on his Coat of Many Colors Tour — which launched earlier in October and includes supporting act Benjamin William Hastings — Lake makes his next stop in Greenville, S.C., on Nov. 5.

Taylor Swift spends a record-extending 83rd week at No. 1 on the Billboard Artist 100 chart (dated Nov. 4), thanks to nine albums on the Billboard 200 and two songs on the Billboard Hot 100, including her latest leader, “Cruel Summer.”

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Pacing Swift’s titles on the Billboard 200 is her former six-week No. 1 Midnights at No. 6, with 52,000 equivalent album units earned Oct. 20-26, according to Luminate. The 2022 release notches a 53rd consecutive week in the top 10, encompassing its entire chart run – and matches Swift’s 1989 as her only albums to spend their first 53 weeks in the region; 1989 logged 60 total weeks in the top 10, its first 53 consecutively in 2014-15.

Here’s a recap of Swift’s current Billboard 200-charting albums.

Rank, Title:No. 6, MidnightsNo. 7, LoverNo. 12, FolkloreNo. 15, 1989No. 20, Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)No. 21, reputationNo. 25, Red (Taylor’s Version)No. 26, EvermoreNo. 48, Fearless (Taylor’s Version)

Swift is slated to have another massive week on next week’s charts with her latest re-recorded album, 1989 (Taylor’s Version). According to initial reports to Luminate, the set has earned more than 550,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. through its first three days of release (Oct. 27-29), of which more than 370,000 are in album sales. In terms of total equivalent album units earned, 1989 (Taylor’s Version) already has the second-largest week of the year, trailing only Swift’s Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), which bowed with 716,000 units in July.

On the Hot 100, “Cruel Summer” tallies a second week at No. 1, after it became Swift’s 10th leader. With the resilient track from her 2019 album Lover, Swift joined 10 other acts with double-digit No. 1 totals. Meanwhile, Swift’s former eight-week No. 1 “Anti-Hero” ranks at No. 20 and has now spent 53 weeks on the chart, extending its run as her longest-charting hit.

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Blink-182 re-enters the Artist 100 at No. 2, thanks to the trio’s new LP One More Time… The set debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 125,000 units, becoming the band’s third leader, after 2001’s Take Off Your Pants and Jacket and 2016’s California.

Plus, the Rolling Stones return at a new No. 3 Artist 100 high, thanks to the band’s new album Hackney Diamonds. The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers’ first album of all-new material since 2005 arrives at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 (101,000 units), becoming their record-extending 38th top 10. They also become the first act with newly-charted top 10s in each decade since the 1960s.

The Artist 100 measures artist activity across key metrics of music consumption, blending album and track sales, radio airplay and streaming to provide a weekly multi-dimensional ranking of artist popularity.

They may still be best associated with the late ’90s, but pop-punk greats Blink-182 now have a Billboard 200 No. 1 album in each of the first three decades of the ’00s: 2002’s Take Off Your Pants and Jacket, 2016’s California, and now this year’s One More Time…

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The Oct. 21-released set — the trio’s first LP with original co-leader Tom DeLonge since 2011’s Neighborhoods, with Matt Skiba filling in for him for most of the decade-plus in between — posts 125,000 equivalent album units in its debut week, just getting it past the 120,000 moved by Drake’s For All the Dogs in its third frame. It’s a significant improvement from the 94,000 units notched by Blink’s prior album Nine (2019), which bowed at No. 3 on the chart.

How did Blink manage such a stellar showing a full three decades after their 1993 debut EP? And what could their peers learn from their success? Billboard staffers discuss these questions and more below.

1. Blink-182’s One More Time… debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in its debut week with 125,000 equivalent album units, narrowly edging out Drake’s For All the Dogs in its third week. On a scale from 1 to 182, how big an accomplishment would you say that is for a 30-year-old rock band in 2023?

Kyle Denis: 116. Amid talk about the changes in genre trends this year, and while rock music has been present near the top of the Billboard 200 through new albums from the likes of Zach Bryan, Olivia Rodrigo, Lil Uzi Vert, Jelly Roll and Noah Kahan, One More Time is the first full-fledged rock album from an instrument-based band to reach the top of the ranking this calendar year. That’s a major feat, especially for a band whose last legitimate crossover hit is around the same age as some of Gen Z’s biggest pop stars.

Josh Glicksman: A rock solid 164. Let’s face it: the peak of the Billboard 200 isn’t often reserved for legacy acts these days. The only other rock bands with more than 30 years pedigree to reach No. 1 this decade are AC/DC and Red Hot Chili Peppers, with Power Up in 2020 and Unlimited Love in 2022, respectively. Drake is the only other artist over 35 years old to reach the top slot this year. Sure, Blink-182 benefits from releasing an album during a relatively tame week for competition, but even so, the feat isn’t anything to downplay.

Jason Lipshutz: A 180! Considering how difficult it is for veteran rock bands to impact the mainstream in 2023, Blink-182’s past year — which includes multiple rock hits crossing over to the Billboard Hot 100, a huge arena tour and now a No. 1 album with a six-figure debut — has been uniquely commanding. Topping the Billboard 200 is partially a symptom of One More Time avoiding the bigger pop release weeks this month, but even so, starting with 125,000 equivalent album units is pretty damn impressive, and the cherry on top of a major return.

Andrew Unterberger: Definitely 134. It’s more an affirmation of what we already know about the band’s continued endurance — just a half year after they stepped in to fill Frank Ocean’s vacated Coachella headlining slot and just a few days after they announced an upcoming U.S. stadium trek — then any new or revelatory breakthrough. But given how unseriously pop-punk was taken as a genre 20-30 years ago, and how hairy things looked for Blink-182’s future prospects just a decade earlier, it’s still definitely one for the resumé for the trio to still be putting up A-list numbers in 2023.

Christine Werthman: The correct answer is 182. This is the first studio effort from the longtime lineup of Tom DeLonge, Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker since 2012, and sure, it’s less bratty and more wizened than the band’s late-1990s, early-2000s skate-punk output, but it’s not a total reinvention. The trio gave the people what they wanted — a reunion, a tried-and-true sound — and the fans showed up. Blink-182 topped Drake! In 2023! Yes, in his third week, but it still counts! Chalk it up as a huge win. 

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2. Few of Blink’s ’90s peers are still posting six-digit first weeks in the 2020s, especially after the elimination of ticket bundles from Billboard 200 sales calculations a few years ago. What’s one thing you think the band did particularly well with One More Time to make such a big debut week possible?

Kyle Denis: Given that One More Time is the band’s first LP since the return of Tom DeLonge, there was already a level of inherent comeback hype baked into the record. Couple that with a smart, lengthy campaign that let each pre-release single run its course – both “Edging” and the title track topped Alternative Airplay – and you’re left with a rollout that is primarily concerned with activating their tried-and-true fanbase instead of radically changing their sound to court younger consumers. To that end, however, the social clout of Travis Barker and Kourtney Kardashian’s marriage likely brought a few new, younger listeners to the blink-182 fandom. Moreover, blink-182 (in its original configuration) came back at the right time considering the mainstream resurgence of pop-punk at the top of the decade.

Josh Glicksman: An extended album rollout. Quickly following the reunion announcement last October with a new single stoked initial hype, and the band carried the momentum through album release day by touring across the world — including at a whole bunch of major festivals — and made sure everyone knew that a project was on the way. It’s not a strategy I’d suggest for major pop stars of the moment, but for a reunion project from a long-tenured band like Blink-182, allowing momentum to steadily grow over the course of a year paid huge dividends.

Jason Lipshutz: The year-long rollout of the release — in which lead single “Edging” was released almost exactly one year prior to One More Time — proved surprisingly effective, since Blink was able to tour arenas and festivals (including Coachella and When We Were Young) for six months and galvanize their fan base ahead of the new album. Maybe One More Time doesn’t hit No. 1 if it was released last October, before hundreds of thousands of fans got to see their impressive headlining set and receive a reminder that, when it comes to their studio output, Mark, Tom and Travis rarely miss.

Andrew Unterberger: The reunion with DeLonge and the feel-good story behind it is almost certainly the biggest factor in this set’s strong performance — but the group did do a good job of leaning into it (both in the album’s lyrics and promotion) just enough to tug the heartstrings but not enough to cheapen it. And the songs are pretty good! That helps.

Christine Werthman: They say timing is everything, and Blink-182 certainly proved that by reuniting right when pop-punk was regaining popularity and the nostalgia for those 1990s and 2000s bands was peaking. The tour and the album could not have been more perfectly positioned for success. 

3. One More Time was preceded by two Hot 100-charting, rock radio-dominating singles in “Edging” and the title track. Do either of them seem like enduring future-classic entries in the Blink canon to you, or is their success more due to name recognition and good timing?

Kyle Denis: I’m leaning towards name recognition and good timing, but I could see “Edging” sticking around as late-career classic.

Josh Glicksman: I don’t know that “Edging” is ever going to supplant the biggest crowd pleasers in the band’s catalog — which is more of a testament to Blink-182’s turn of the century heyday than anything else — but it’s still a hell of a lead single and will be a welcome listen mixed into any greatest hits compilation. Of course, the name recognition and proximity to the reunion announcement helped the song, but the fact that it holds up as well as it does more than a year later means it has plenty of legs to swim on its own power, too.

Jason Lipshutz: I’ve become a big fan of “Edging,” especially after seeing it as a sing-along moment in concert. At first, the single struck me as watered-down hijinks, but those melodies jangle with snotty joy, and the hook is great to yelp along to when your car stereo is a little too loud. The title track packs an emotional wallop, but “Edging” is the new Blink single I’ll be returning to over the next few years.

Andrew Unterberger: I think “Edging” is the better song of the two, but the title track might be the more likely one to endure, just because of what it represents in the band’s story. I could see it becoming a go-to live set-ender or encore over the years, if nothing else.

Christine Werthman: “Edging” feels more in line with the canon, but the title track might be the one that lingers because it’s so revealing. For a band seemingly obsessed with never growing up or acting its age, “One More Time” shows Blink-182 grappling with the inevitable. It’s such a singular track in the group’s catalog that the enduring emo singalong could become a staple.

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4. Blink’s third career act is likely going much better than anyone could’ve predicted it would at the height of the acrimony between the band’s classic lineup. Is there anything that other rock legacy acts could learn from their example, or are their accomplishments unique to their circumstances?

Kyle Denis: Age gracefully, stay true to your sound, and focus on activating your existing fanbase and reaching them where they are currently at. Oh, and get with a Kardashian too.

Josh Glicksman: I’d lean more toward the latter, but there’s plenty to glean from the band’s continued success. Blink-182 has done a phenomenal job of embracing the next wave of artists in rock and pop-punk. It’s all too easy to “get off my lawn” a new generation, but the three of them — and Barker in particular — have championed newcomers in a way that allows rising stars to garner the wisdom of the past while shaping the future of the genres. That goes an extremely long way in terms of introducing today’s listeners to the band’s catalog.

Jason Lipshutz: It all feels too serendipitous for other rock bands to study: Mark Hoppus’ cancer diagnosis and successful battle could never have been foreseen, and when their classic lineup reunited, exactly enough time had been between its last studio album and proper tour that demand for both was always going to be high. This Blink-182 comeback arrived at the end of a winding road, but the timing was right, the music was solid, and it’s proven to be a huge achievement.

Andrew Unterberger: Much of it is irreplicable, but I think Blink-182 do a good job of toeing the line between reviving the sound and spirit of their “classic” period while also making room for both musical evolution and lyrical honestly about their current lives. It’s a difficult balance to strike — many of their peers don’t even really seem to try — but it really helps a band like them maintain (and even grow) an audience this deep into their career.

Christine Werthman: The band got lucky with the return of pop-punk, but there are some lessons here for those artists who currently refuse to give it another go. Lesson one: Listen to “One More Time” and realize that it’s never too late to put aside the drama and get back to doing what you love with the people you once loved. Lesson two: Check out those Boxscore numbers. Blink-182 earned more than $85 million from its North American leg, a figure that, though likely rare for reunions, could soften even the hardest of hearts.  

5. What’s another ’90s-popular rock band that you could see scoring a future No. 1 album this decade?

Kyle Denis: My money’s on Green Day. Their new record is dropping in January, and with a stadium tour set to follow, that’ll be a rollout worth observing.

Josh Glicksman: It’s not an overwhelmingly bold prediction given the band has two top-10 albums this decade, but Foo Fighters feels more than capable of returning to the top of the chart in the next few years.

Jason Lipshutz: Did you know that Push and Shove, the comeback album from No Doubt after 11 years apart, is now over a decade old itself? That band’s biggest hits have endured, while Gwen Stefani still has plenty of cultural cache thanks to The Voice and her solo career. Let’s follow the One More Time playbook and get a punchy new single, career-spanning arena tour and surprisingly emotional album together ASAP!

Andrew Unterberger: Radiohead is a band whose reputation and popularity never really seem to diminish over the passing years. If they were to release a follow-up to 2016’s A Moon Shaped Pool in the next few years — particularly if they just kinda sprung it on fans, In Rainbows-style — I bet it would have a pretty good shot at capturing the top spot.

Christine Werthman: No Doubt. They’ve got about two years until the 30th anniversary of Tragic Kingdom, so start rehearsing, schedule some reunion shows and parlay that old familiar feeling into some writing sessions for a new album. C’mon, Gwen and Tony!  

On-demand official U.S. streams of Milli Vanilli’s catalog jumped by 34% in the four days (Oct. 24-27) since the documentary Milli Vanilli premiered Oct. 24 on Paramount+.
According to Luminate, the act’s songs drew 312,000 listens Oct. 24-27, up from 232,000 the four days prior (Oct. 20-23).

Milli Vanilli’s breakthrough hit “Girl You Know It’s True” leads with 114,000 on-demand U.S. streams Oct. 24-27, a 26% increase from 91,000 Oct. 20-23. “Blame It on the Rain” follows with 69,000 streams, up 39% from 49,000.

The 1 hour, 46-minute documentary chronicles the turbulent timeline of the act, which was publicly fronted by Rob Pilatus and Fabrice Morvan, who signed a contract with German producer Frank Farian, not realizing that they would not provide vocals on Milli Vanilli recordings. The act’s debut album, Girl You Know It’s True, blending pop, R&B/hip-hop and dance, dominated the Billboard 200 for seven weeks and spun off three Billboard Hot 100 No. 1s – “Baby Don’t Forget My Number,” “Girl I’m Gonna Miss You” and “Blame It on the Rain” – after the title track reached No. 2, in 1989.

(The set’s “All or Nothing” become its fifth and final Hot 100 top 10, reaching No. 4, in early 1990. Milli Vanilli is the only act in the list’s archives to have charted as many as five entries all in the top five with no other career appearances.)

Milli Vanilli won the best new artist Grammy Award in 1990, before it was revealed that Pilatus and Morvan didn’t sing any of their hits, resulting in the trophy being revoked for the only time in Grammy history.

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Milli Vanilli includes interviews with Billboard contributing writer/editor Gil Kaufman, who wrote an oral history on the act’s rise and fall in 2020, as well as former MTV VJ and current SiriusXM host “Downtown” Julie Brown and former executives from Arista Records, which released Girl You Know It’s True in the U.S., among others. It was produced by MTV Entertainment Studios and MRC and directed by Luke Korem and is narrated by Morvan. (Pilatus died of an alcohol and prescription drug overdose in 1998.)

“Finally, the true story of Milli Vanilli has been told,” Morvan shared upon the announcement of Paramount+’s acquisition of the retrospective. “The journey I returned to during the filming of this documentary didn’t leave any stone unturned. At last I can close this chapter in peace.”