Chart Beat
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SZA’s SOS adds another record to its ever-growing list of achievements on Billboard’s charts, as the blockbuster album collects an unprecedented 41st week at No. 1 on the Top R&B Albums chart, the most by any project since the list launched in 2013. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts […]
Luck Ra and BM’s “La Morocha” adds a second week at No. 1 on the Billboard Argentina Hot 100 chart (dated Sept. 30). The song bests Luck Ra’s previous one-week champ, “Ya No Vuelvas,” featuring La K’onga and Ke Personajes, in February. LIT Killah, Tiago Pzk, Maria Becerra, Duki, Emilia, Rusherking, Big One and Fmk’s […]
Chencho Corleone earns his first solo No. 1 (without any other acts) on Billboard’s Latin Airplay chart as “Un Cigarrillo” rises 3-1 to lead the chart dated Sept. 30. The Puerto Rican singer-songwriter and producer adds a fourth champ to his Latin Airplay chart career.
“Un Cigarrillo” puffs its way to No. 1 after 18 weeks on the list with a 10% gain in audience impressions, to 8.9 million, earned in the U.S. during the tracking week ending Sept. 21, according to Luminate.
The song was released May 4 via Cerco/Sony Music Latin. It’s Corleone’s first official release after he signed a global record deal with the major label earlier in the year. As for the Cerco label, “Un Cigarrillo” is its first No. 1 on any Billboard chart.
“Un Cigarrillo” gives Corleone his fourth leader on the overall Latin Airplay ranking. He claimed his first No. 1 in July 2022 through his co-billed Rauw Alejandro collaboration “Desesperados.” Corleone returned to the penthouse with another co-billed collab, “Me Porto Bonito,” with Bad Bunny, in August 2022, which also gifted him his only No. 1 on Hot Latin Songs (20 weeks in charge). His Don Omar collab “Podemos Repetirlo” followed (one week, Sept. 16-dated list).
Elsewhere, “Un Cigarrillo” jumps 2-1 on Latin Rhythm Airplay, his fifth champ there. Over on the multimetric Hot Latin Songs, which blends airplay, digital sales and streaming activity, the song rebounds from No. 49 to its No. 47 high.
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Usher Returns to the Top 10 After Over a Decade: Elsewhere on the Latin charts, Usher is back on the top 10 on Latin Rhythm Airplay after a decade, thanks to “Dientes,” his co-billed collab with J Balvin and DJ Khaled, as the song starts at No. 8 with 5.32 million audience impressions earned during its first tracking week ending Sept. 30.
With “Dientes,” Usher returns to the upper region after “DJ Got Us Falling In Love,” featuring Pitbull, took him to a No. 3 high in November 2010. Among his seven chart appearances, “Dientes” becomes his second collab with a Latin artist and the only bilingual team-up.
DJ Khaled, meanwhile, captures his second top 10, after “Borracho,” with Sech, peaked at No. 8 in 2022.
Further, as “Dientes” debuts at No. 8, J Balvin collects a 47th top 10 hit. He continues to have the second-most top 10s on Latin Rhythm Airplay, trailing only Daddy Yankee’s 67.
Welcome to Billboard Pro’s Trending Up newsletter, where we take a closer look at the songs, artists, curiosities and trends that have caught the music industry’s attention. Some have come out of nowhere, others have taken months to catch on, and all of them could become ubiquitous in the blink of a TikTok clip. This week: Fans rush to Usher’s back catalog following his Super Bowl announcement, Swifties find clues seemingly foreshadowing her high-profile new relationship, a late Afrobeats artist has a surge of posthumous streams and more.
Usher’s “Good Good” Showing in Streams and Sales Post-Super Bowl Announcement
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To the surprise and/or delight of many, pop and R&B superstar Usher was announced on Sunday (Sept. 24) as the headline performer for the halftime show of Super Bowl LVIII in February. Though he might not have been the most obvious choice for a 2023 halftime headliner, the veteran hitmaker’s catalog speaks for itself – and fans were quick to remind each other and themselves of that fact following the announcement, heading to streaming services to refamiliarize themselves with Usher jams old and new.
For the days of Sunday and Monday (Sept. 24-25), Usher’s catalog was up to over 7.8 million in total official on-demand U.S. streams, from under 6.8 million the previous Sunday-Monday (Sept. 17-18), according to Luminate – a gain of 16%. The most-streamed song was his current Billboard Hot 100 hit alongside Summer Walker and 21 Savage, “Good Good” (1.1 million streams, up 5%), while classics like “Yeah!” (962,000 streams, up 13%), “My Boo” (527,000 streams, up 18%) and “DJ Got Us Fallin in Love” (525,000 streams, up 18%) were also up significantly. Usher’s digital song sales also more than doubled in the period, up 128% to over 1,500.
Does an even bigger bump await Usher following the February 11th gig? You’d have to think so – and a new album, Coming Home, scheduled for release the same day will certainly help with that. – ANDREW UNTERBERGER
87 + 89 = 2 Older Taylor Swift Songs Benefiting From Travis Kelce Relationship
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When Taylor Swift showed up in Kansas City on Sunday afternoon to cheer on her apparent new romantic partner, Chiefs star Travis Kelce, fans responded by gobbling up Kelce’s merch, with a nearly 400% spike in jersey sales the following day. As for Swift, two songs in particular have enjoyed streaming increases in the wake of the new relationship, thanks to perceived lyrical links between Swift and her new beau.
On “Mary’s Song (Oh My My My),” a track from Swift’s 2006 self-titled debut, she sings, “I’ll be 87, you’ll be 89 / I’ll still look at you like the stars that shine / In the sky, oh my my my.” While Swift was born in 1989 – and is about to release the Taylor’s Version re-record of her blockbuster album 1989 next month – Kelce’s jersey number is, of course, 87. Thirteen (!) years later, Swift released the song “Cornelia Street” on Lover, with the line, “Filling in the blanks as we go / As if the streetlights pointed in an arrowhead / Leading us home.” Where do the Chiefs play? Arrowhead Stadium, of course.
As a result, “Mary’s Song” earned an 88% increase in daily U.S. on-demand streams to 53,000 streams from Saturday to Sunday, according to Luminate, while “Cornelia Street” bumped up 12.7% to 211,000 daily streams. Of course, both songs were written years (if not decades) before Swift and Kelce became an apparent item – but what if she told you that none of it was accidental? – JASON LIPSHUTZ
Doja Cat Eyes Next ‘Scarlet’ Hit With ‘Agora Hills’
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Last week (Sept. 22), Doja Cat unleashed her Scarlet album — and while she’s already topped the Billboard Hot 100 with “Paint the Town Red,” she could be gearing up for her next smash from the somewhat divisive new record.
“Agora Hills,” a sensual R&B-rap hybrid that features a verse rapped entirely in Valley Girl vocal fry, has emerged as one of Scarlet’s most promising future singles. According to Luminate, “Agora Hills” has collected over 8.4 million official on-demand U.S. streams since its Sept. 22 release. The song scored its biggest daily streams total (2.43 million) on release day, and it never dipped below 1.91 million daily streams during the period of Sept. 22-25.
The official Hannah Lux Davis-directed music video, which arrived alongside the LP’s full release, has already garnered over 5.7 million views on YouTube, and over on TikTok, the official “Agora Hills” sound has earned over 14,400 posts. Outside of “Paint the Town Red,” “Agora Hills” has consistently been the most streamed Scarlet track on both US Apple Music and US Spotify since the album’s release.
Although “Paint the Town Red” is still going strong, “Agora Hills” is already making a strong case to become the next hit from Scarlet. With endless meme potential, a true earworm of a hook and a sound that recalls her Grammy-nominated Hot 100 top 10 hit “Need to Know,” “Agora Hills” could very well become one of the main anthems for cuffing season ’23. – KYLE DENIS
MohBad’s Tragic Passing Spurs Massive Streaming Gains
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MohBad’s Tragic Passing Spurs Massive Streaming Gains
Earlier this month (Sept. 12), the Afrobeats world lost of one of its brightest rising stars; MohBad, the rapper behind hits such as “Peace” and “Feel Good,” tragically passed at the age of 27. The investigation into his death remains ongoing, led by Lagos Police Command. MohBad and his wife welcomed a son just a few months before his untimely death. In the wake of his passing, MohBad’s catalog has seen a massive boom in streaming.
According to Luminate, streams for MohBad’s catalog exploded by over 1,755% over the past two weeks. From Sept. 15-21, the Headies Award nominee’s discography collected a whopping 6.89 million official on-demand U.S. streams, a 208% increase from the period prior (Sept. 8-14), during which his catalog earned over 2.2 million streams.
Less than three months before his death, Mohbad released Blessed, his sophomore EP. Two songs in particular from that project have posted sizable gains in recent weeks: “Sabi” and “Beast & Peace.” The former pulled over 680,000 official on-demand U.S. streams during the period of Sept. 15-21, a 2,164% increase from the 30,200 streams it earned during Sept. 1-7. Similarly, the latter garnered over 888,000 official on-demand U.S. streams during the tracking week ending Sept. 21, a 1,755% increase from the 48,000 streams it earned during two weeks earlier.
As the investigation continues to unfold, #Justice4MohBad keeps gaining steam across Africa and the rest of the world. A social movement that has already sparked critical conversations regarding the regulation of the Nigerian music industry, #Justice4MohBad is far from over – and MohBad’s music should continue to soundtrack its evolution. – KD
Q&A: Lizzy Szabo, Senior Editor of Indie & Developing at Spotify, on What’s Trending Up in Her World
How has Lorem, Spotify’s flagship alt-pop playlist, evolved as a platform since its launch four years ago?
Oof. Where do I even begin? The list is never personalized with algorithms. Each track is intentionally chosen by a human, through a mix of data and instinct. We consider not only what we feel the audience would respond to, but also consider how the artist would like to be represented. In many ways, Lorem has evolved as the community around it has grown, but I think the overarching beauty of Lorem is that it has stayed the same in concept.
The sounds, artists, and culture around “indie music” are constantly evolving. Bedroom pop went from a bubbling subgenre to influencing the top charts, and this year we’ve seen a similar trend with “indie twang” (shoegaze, as a broader term). That’s a listening trend we love to see from the indie audience – they push new sounds and movements to the forefront where Spotify can step in and support momentum and context, like we aim to do with Lorem. The visual identity is meant to feel like a magazine – at this point, our design team has crafted 75 distinct L’O’rem ‘O’s, which makes every cover feel uniquely personal to the artist or project.
Considering that Lorem is primarily focused on emerging artists, why do you think the playlist has become so effective as an artist discovery tool compared to other platforms (within and/or outside of Spotify)?
Since 2019, we’ve featured over 2000 artists, 900 of which in 2023 alone. Upon realizing that Lorem had evolved into a prominent hub for artist discovery, particularly among young audiences seeking more opportunities for exploration, we made the strategic decision to refresh the playlist with more new artists on a more regular basis. In that sense, Lorem is consistent. We listen to artists, to fans, and just want to shine a light on good music – no matter who is making it or how it’s made. There’s a point of view, but we love to take risks.
I think four years ago I wouldn’t have believed you if you told me there would be country music in Lorem. But last summer, as Zach Bryan grew in popularity, I remember Max Motley and Dev Lemons talking on Lorem Life about how their friends couldn’t stop talking about this song. So not surprisingly, “Something in the Orange” crushed in the list. A year later, from day one, “I Remember Everything” shared a similar trajectory. Zach is also a huge indie fan (just look at what he posts on IG) so that creates a natural synergy that particularly resonates with an audience that reads into all those contextual cues. Helping the community and the industry piece together the puzzle – what works well together, who works together, a nice reminder of an iconic track, uncovering a new sound to a wider audience – makes the list more of a dialogue. An artist of any size could be added to the list – it’s attainable. In the past year, nearly 100 artists were added to the list with less than 10k monthly listeners. You’re always going to find something new, and because it’s hyper-curated, you’re probably going to find something you love.
What are some of the recent stylistic trends that you’ve noticed, as alt-pop and its subgenres continue to change?
We’ve loved seeing the ‘folkification’ and country twang influence this year. Everyone is making folk albums or adding a folk song to their project. I can’t tell you why, perhaps the artists and producers can demystify it, but I like to think it’s the return to a classic, stripped-back, heartfelt sound in a wild time of political/technological/environmental crisis.
We’ve also seen a huge rise in shoegaze – both in younger audiences discovering icons of the space (especially as bands like Slowdive have released new projects), and new artists like Wisp or flyingfish have emerged as artists to watch in the space. According to Google Trends, the term has never been searched more in history than it has this year!
Fill in the blank: my favorite artist that started on Lorem, and has since become a household name, is _______.
Remi Wolf. She’s on the cover this week and co-hosting our very first Lorem & Friends event with us tomorrow – couldn’t be more thrilled to do it together. – JL
Season’s Gainings: Listeners Still Remember the 21st Night of September
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It’s been two years now since Demi Adejuyigbe – the comedian whose elaborately staged and filmed yearly videos, set to Earth, Wind & Fire’s “September,” helped turn Sept. 21 into something of a pop national holiday – announced his retirement from the annual celebration. But it appears folks no longer need his viral reminders to commemorate the occasion: “September” racked up nearly 1.8 million official on-demand U.S. streams on its signature date last Thursday, up 280% from the day before (462,000). That’s also up from 1.4 million such streams two “September” Days earlier, meaning the ‘70s classic continues to inch ever closer to becoming the “All I Want for Christmas Is You” of the autumn equinox season. – ANDREW UNTERBERGER
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 Sept. 20-dated charts.
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Meghan Patrick
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Already a hitmaker in her home country, the Canadian singer-songwriter makes her first U.S. chart appearance thanks to her featured turn on Michael Ray’s “Spirits and Demons.” The song, released in June on Ray’s EP Dive Bars & Broken Hearts (via Warner Music Nashville/WMN), debuts at No. 57 on Country Airplay, up 24% to 725,000 in airplay audience, according to Luminate.
Patrick has charted 14 songs on the Canada Country radio chart, including five top 10s and one No. 1: “Walls Come Down” in 2018. She has also logged 12 songs on the Canadian Hot 100 Airplay chart. Patrick has released three LPs: Grace & Grit (which hit No. 26 on the Billboard Canadian Albums chart in 2016), Country Music Made Me Do It (No. 31, 2018) and Heart on My Glass.
Nation of Language
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The Brooklyn-based synth band debuts on Billboard’s charts for the first time with its third studio album, Strange Disciple. The set, released Sept. 15 on [PIAS] Recordings, starts at No. 66 on Top Current Album Sales and No. 99 on Top Album Sales with 1,000 copies sold in its opening week, according to Luminate. Previously, the trio — which is comprised of Ian Devaney, Alex MacKay and Aiden Noell — released Introduction, Presence in 2020 and A Way Forward in 2021. On Sept. 7, the act embarked on a nearly 50-date tour in Europe and North America.
In a recent interview with Billboard, the band recalled having released its second LP as COVID-19 lockdowns were ending. “We were essentially touring the first and second albums at the same time,” Devaney said. “[This new tour is] the first time in quite a while where we are performing songs that people haven’t heard before.”
Tish Melton
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Tish Melton is a Billboard-charting artist thanks to her debut single “Michelle.” The song, which was produced by Brandi Carlile and self-released Sept. 15, debuts at No. 13 on the Alternative Digital Song Sales chart with 1,000 downloads sold in its opening week.
The 17-year-old singer-songwriter is the daughter of author and activist Glennon Doyle, and is featured in Doyle’s 2020 memoir and New York Times best-seller, Untamed. Melton is slated to perform at Carlile’s Girls Just Wanna Weekend festival in January, alongside headliners Carlile, Sarah McLachlan and Janelle Monae. “’Michelle’ is simple, universal and one of my favorite songs I’ve written,” Melton mused in press release. “You care for someone so much while knowing it’s not their job to reciprocate it. I wrote ‘Michelle’ in my bedroom, but it didn’t really come to life until Brandi and I got into the studio together. Learning from Brandi has changed the way I think about my music. She’s a mentor and a friend.”
KenTheMan
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The Houston rapper (real name Kentavia Miller) scores her first appearance on Billboard’s charts thanks to her breakout single “Not My N—a.” The song, released in 2022 on Roc Nation, debuts at No. 36 on the Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart (up 16% in plays). The song’s profile has also been boosted by an extended mix released in June.
TikTok has also been a contributing factor in the track’s growth, as a portion of it has been used in nearly 70,000 clips on the platform to date. (Activity on TikTok is not included in Billboard’s charts except for the newly launched TikTok & Billboard Top 50.) The song appears on KenTheMan’s album Back to the 304’n, which she released in July. She previously released 4 da 304’s in 2020 and What’s My Name in 2021, and has collaborated with 03 Greedo, 2 Chainz, Chase B and Kaliii.
Morgan Harper-Jones
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The singer-songwriter lands on Billboard’s charts for the first time with her somber cover of Whitney Houston’s classic “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me).” Harper-Jones’ version, which she self-released in 2020 on her EP Breathe, debuts at No. 14 on the Alternative Digital Song Sales chart with 1,000 sold. The song’s new surge in attention can be attributed to the Netflix film Love at First Sight, which premiered Sept. 15 and features Harper-Jones’ cover. The movie also includes two original songs by the singer: “Lonely” and “Ships Passing.” Harper-Jones, from Manchester, England, has also released one EP, 2022’s six-track While You Lay Sound Asleep.
The late Houston’s original “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)” spent two weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100 in 1987. Three additional covers of the song have also charted: These Kids Wear Crowns’ cover reached No. 30 on the Canadian Hot 100 in 2011; the Glee cast’s version reached No. 43 on the Digital Song Sales chart in 2012; and a recent remix by Houston and the producer P2J, from the 2022 film Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody, reached No. 190 on the Global 200 in January.
Austin Williams
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The newcomer from Pleasant View, Tenn., arrives on Billboard’s charts with his breakout song “Wanna Be Saved.” The single, released Sept. 15 on Truth or Dare Records, debuts at No. 20 on Country Digital Song Sales and No. 45 on the all-genre Digital Song Sales chart with 1,000 downloads sold. Williams began generating buzz for the song’s official release by posting teasers on TikTok, where he boasts more than 300,000 followers. One video on Williams’ page has garnered over 750,000 views. He has released eight other songs on streaming services.
Sunami
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The hardcore punk band, from San Jose, Calif., charts for the first time with its self-titled album. The set, released in June on Triple B Records, debuts at No. 97 on Top Current Album Sales with 1,000 copies sold. That figure also sparks the group’s debut at No. 50 on the Emerging Artists chart. Sunami comprises Josef Alfonso (vocals), Mike Durrett (guitar), Theo Dominguez (bass) and Benny Eissmann (drums).
Cleo Sol
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The singer-songwriter from London earns her first solo Billboard chart appearance with her new studio album, Heaven. The set, released Sept. 15 on Forever Living Originals, debuts at No. 18 on Heatseekers Albums with 3,000 equivalent album units earned in its opening week. She has released two additional albums: 2020’s Rose in the Dark and 2021’s Mother. Outside her solo work, Cleo Sol (real name Cleopatra Nikolic) is a member of the British R&B collective SAULT, which has released 11 studio set, all since 2019. One of them, Air, reached No. 2 on Billboard’s Classical Crossover Albums chart in August 2022.
Walker & Royce
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The DJ duo enters Billboard’s charts thanks to its new collaboration with Diplo, “Diamond Therapy” featuring Channel Tres. The song, released Sept. 15 on Higher Ground, debuts at No. 47 on the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart with 514,000 U.S. streams earned in its first week. The act, from New York City, is comprised of Gavin Royce and Sam Walker. They released their debut LP Self Help in 2017 and have a string of tour dates lined up through February 2024.
Lumi Athens
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She makes Billboard’s charts for the first time with her breakout song “Let Me See Ya Move!” with Cade Clair. The track, released on 25/7 in July, debuts at No. 26 on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs with 1.7 million U.S. streams. The song was boosted by additional sped-up, slowed and reverb versions. TikTok has also been a big factor in the single’s growing profile, as a portion of it has been used in over 30,000 clips on the platform. (Activity on TikTok is not included in Billboard’s charts except for the newly launched TikTok & Billboard Top 50.)
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. 7), the latest effort from crossover superstar Doja Cat leads a pack of new releases aiming to succeed Olivia Rodrigo and Rod Wave at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
Doja Cat, Scarlet (Kemosabe/RCA): In the rankings of the biggest pop stars right now without a No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 to their credit, Doja Cat may very well be atop the list. Her last album, 2021’s Planet Her, debuted at No. 2 on the chart (behind Tyler, the Creator’s Call Me if You Get Lost) but ultimately notched a stunning five singles into the Billboard Hot 100’s top 20 – an ‘80s- or ‘90s-style blockbuster, one that impacted the pop world for well over a calendar year. She didn’t get a Hot 100 No. 1 off that album, but she’s also got two of those for her career: most recently “Paint the Town Red,” the Dionne Warwick-sampling advance track from new set Scarlet, released last Friday (Sept. 22).
Huge pop track record, excellent-performing last album, smash hit lead single: Seems like it should be a recipe for an automatic No. 1 debut this time around, right? Well, maybe, but not definitely: While Doja has always performed well on a single-for-single basis, she’s never had the kind of whole-album-bomb streaming numbers that many artists on her commercial level tend to post in 2023 – trends that seem to be continuing with Scarlet, as most of the album’s tracks have already fallen off the big DSPs’ daily charts. And she doesn’t usually sell tremendous numbers in physical formats, with Scarlet not even being available yet in vinyl: just the standard album for sale on digital and CD, as well as a deluxe edition with two bonus cuts.
So even as “Paint” continues to dominate on streaming and radio, Doja may have her work cut out for her climbing past a pair of prior No. 1s on the chart: Rod Wave’s Nostalgia and Olivia Rodrigo’s Guts, which hold the top two spots on this week’s Billboard 200 (dated Sept. 30) and are still littering the streaming charts with essentially their entire tracklists. One thing that might give her a valuable late-week boost: “Agora Hills,” released as the new single along with the whole set, has already caught on TikTok (and YouTube, with its eye-popping music video), and seems likely to be ready to supplant “Paint” in the Hot 100’s top tier once that single starts to slow down – if not earlier.
Zach Bryan, Boys of Faith (Belting Bronco/Warner): Speaking of prior No. 1s on the Billboard 200 – the artist who reigned just before Wave and Rodrigo also is contending for the top spot again this week. Zach Bryan has followed up his best-selling self-titled album (which topped the Billboard 200 for two weeks in September) with the surprise-released new five-songs EP Boys of Faith, featuring guest appearances from fellow acclaimed alt-folk singer-songwriters Noah Kahan and Bon Iver. With no physical release and only a handful of tracks, Faith isn’t likely to put up Zach Bryan numbers – but given Bryan’s streaming prowess lately, and with Kahan collab “Sarah’s Place” off to a particularly dynamite start on DSPs, you can bet it’ll be heard from in the 200’s top tier next week.
Lil Tecca, Tec (Galactic/Republic): New York rapper Lil Tecca hasn’t scored a major Hot 100 hit since his irresistible breakthrough smash “Ran$om” went all the way to the chart’s top five in 2019, but he’s continued to perform well on the Billboard 200, with both of his two 2020s studio albums (2020’s Virgo World and 2021’s We Love You Tecca 2) debuting at No. 10 on the chart. That might be about where third album Tec shows up, as the 16-track set is off to a strong start on streaming, with advance single “500lbs” looking on pace to potentially become his biggest hit since “Ran$om.” The set is also for sale on CD and digital, and in four deluxe boxed sets sold through Tecca’s webstore, each with a branded T-shirt and a copy of the CD.
IN THE MIX
Kylie Minogue, Tension (Darenote/BMG): Lead single “Padam Padam” gave Kylie Minogue her biggest pop culture moment in at least a decade when it became a cult favorite this spring and summer, and the pop legend is looking to capitalize on that momentum this week with the release of 16th studio album Tension. Physical sales would be the key to her first top 20 entry on the 200 since 2010’s Aphrodite, as Tension is available in six CD variants, five vinyl variants, four cassette tapes and three digital album iterations (including an artist webstore deluxe with five bonus tracks).
Staind, Confessions of the Fallen (BMG): It’s been awhile for nu-metal veterans Staind, who we last got a full album from back in 2011, with their self-titled effort. In the years since then, frontman Aaron Lewis has become better known for his pivot to country, even scoring a top 20 Hot 100 hit with the conservative screed “Am I the Only One?” Still, Confessions lead single “Lowest in Me” proved they were still welcome on rock radio, becoming their fifth Mainstream Rock Airplay No. 1 this August – and you’d have to go back to their 1999 sophomore effort Dysfunction for their last album that failed to reach the top five of the Billboard 200.
Ado’s “Show” rises 3-1 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100, dated Sept. 27, charting the week ending Sept. 24.
Ado collaborated with Universal Studios Japan for its Halloween event “Halloween Horror Nights” for this track, featured as the theme for the event’s dance show “Zombie de Dance” continuing through Nov. 5.
“Show” dropped digitally on Sept. 6 and debuted on the Japan Hot 100 at No. 8 on the week of Sept. 13. It hits No. 1 this week from No. 3 the week before, giving the enigmatic songstress her first No. 1 since “New Genesis” as Uta from ONE PIECE FILM RED.
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The song is powered by streams, which increased 1.3 times from the previous week to 12,058,768 weekly streams, rising 3-1 for the metric. Downloads increased by 0.8 percent from last week to 13,430 units (No. 3). “Show” comes in at No. 2 for video views and No. 8 for radio airplay.
YOASOBI’s “Idol” holds at No. 2. The former No. 1 song (21 weeks) is currently at No. 2 for streaming (10,346,854 streams), No. 8 for downloads (6,242 units), No. 3 for video, No. 68 for radio, and continues to rule karaoke.
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King Gnu‘s “SPECIALZ” rises a notch to No. 3 this week. The Jujutsu Kaisen Shibuya Incident story arc opener debuted on the chart four weeks ago on Sept. 6. The accompanying music video for the track dropped last week (Sept. 21) and the song debuts on video at No. 5, while coming in at No. 32 for physical sales, No. 5 for downloads (8,958 units), No. 3 for streaming (9,598,943 streams), and No. 15 for radio. Although slowing down overall, the “Ichizu” band’s latest single collects points in a balanced way to hit its current peak on the Japan Hot 100.
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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 Sept. 18 to 24, here. For more on Japanese music and charts, visit Billboard Japan’s English Twitter account.
NEEDTOBREATHE adds its sixth No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Christian Albums chart, as Caves blasts in atop the survey (dated Sept. 30). In its opening week, encompassing Sept. 15-21, the set earned 10,000 equivalent album units, including 7,000 in album sales. The rock group, which formed in 1998 in Seneca, S.C., last led the list […]
More than three years after their first No. 1, Black Pumas return to the top of Billboard’s Adult Alternative Airplay chart with “More Than a Love Song,” which tops the list dated Sept. 30. The track crowns the chart following a 15% swell in plays that made the song the most-played title on U.S. monitored […]
It’s a busy week on Billboard’s Cast Albums chart (dated Sept. 30), as the original cast recordings of StarKid’s Nerdy Prudes Must Die., Disney and Marvel’s Rogers: The Musical and the world-premiere complete studio cast recording of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! debut at Nos. 1, 2 and 8 respectively. Meanwhile, New York, New York: A New Musical re-enters at No. 4 (a new peak) after its release on CD.
With the arrivals at Nos. 1, 2 and 8 on Cast Albums, it’s the first time at least three albums have debuted in the top 10 in the same week in more than four years. It last happened on the June 22, 2019-dated list, when the original Broadway cast recordings of Beetlejuice and Tootsie launched at Nos. 2 and 6, while the 2019 Broadway cast recording of Kiss Me, Kate! bowed at No. 8.
Billboard’s Cast Albums chart ranks the top-selling musical cast recordings of the week in the U.S., based on traditional album sales, as tracked by Luminate.
Nerdy Prudes Must Die. is “a teen slasher comedy about a group of geeks and their ghostly tormentor.” The show, with music and lyrics by Jeff Blim, had a brief run at the El Portal Theater in North Hollywood, Calif. in February. It’s the third No. 1 on the Cast Albums chart for the StarKid production team, following Black Friday (in 2020) and Starship (2011). In total, Nerdy Prudes is the 17th charting effort on Cast Albums from StarKid, with 13 having reached the top 10. StarKid’s first entry on the tally was Me and My Dick, which peaked at No. 11 in 2010.
Rogers: The Musical – an abridged version of the life of the first Avenger, Captain America (aka Steve Rogers) – had a limited run at Disney California Adventure Park’s Hyperion Theater in Anaheim, Calif. from June 30-Aug. 31. Rogers’new original songs were written by composer Christopher Lennertz, with lyrics by Jordan Peterson, Lennertz and Alex Karukas. The new tunes were joined by earlier-penned songs like “Save the City” (music by Marc Shaiman and lyrics by Shaiman and Scott Wittman) and “Star-Spangled Man” (by Alan Menken and David Zeppel).
Rogers: The Musical is the first cast recording from a Disney Parks-presented stage show to chart on Billboard’s 17-year-old Cast Albums ranking. Previous musical shows staged at the Hyperion include Frozen: Live at the Hyperion (2016-20) and Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular (2003-16). (The Broadway versions of Aladdin and Frozen saw their companion cast recordings hits Nos. 1 and 2 on the Cast Albums chart.)
Both Nerdy Prudes Must Die. and Rogers: The Musical were only available to purchase as digital download albums. The third debut in the Cast Album chart’s top 10, the new studio cast recording of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!, was available as a download and on CD and vinyl.
The studio cast recording of Oklahoma! was released by Chandos Records and is the first recording to boast the complete score performed with Robert Russell Bennett’s original orchestrations. Oklahoma! was the first musical written by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, and it premiered on Broadway in 1943. It was later adapted into a film in 1955, which won two Academy Awards and launched a soundtrack that spent four weeks atop Billboard’s Best Selling Popular Albums chart in 1956. Oklahoma! has been revived on Broadway four times, most recently in 2019, when it won two Tony Awards, including best revival of a musical.
Finally, the original Broadway cast recording of New York, New York: A New Musical, re-enters Cast Albums at No. 4, having previously spent one week on the list at No. 7 (on the July 8-dated chart). The album returns to the list following its Sept. 15 release on CD, as the set was only previously available to purchase as a digital download. New York, New York played for three months at the St. James Theatre in New York earlier in 2023 and garnered nine Tony Award nominations, winning one for best scenic design of a musical.