State Champ Radio Chart Beat
Page: 282
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.
[embedded content]
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.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
[embedded content]
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.
[embedded content]
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.
[embedded content]
“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.
[embedded content]
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.
Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer” is the full package when it comes to hit songwriting. Every aspect of the song is fully optimized and firing on all cylinders so that it fully connects and resonates with the listener without ever wearing out its welcome.
What follows are a few of the song’s strongest qualities that have contributed to its success.
Notably, the song spends a 10th week at No. 1 on Billboard’s Pop Airplay chart (dated Oct. 21), marking Swift’s first double-digit-week leader on the list. It has reached a No. 3 high on the Billboard Hot 100, having become one of her 42 top 10s on the chart, the most among women. It was originally released on Swift’s 2019 album Lover before Republic Records started promoting it as a single this June.
[embedded content]
Strategically Placed Vocal Hooks
At the heart of “Cruel Summer” are its uniquely delivered and strategically placed vocal hooks that make it an irresistible earworm of a song that keeps the listener engaged from start to finish.
The bookending intro and outro and turnaround feature the vocoder-processed “yeah” hook that serves as an instantly recognizable calling card for the song.
Both verses also feature catchy vocoder-processed vocal hooks, presented in a background manner under Swift’s lead. Together, they create a catchy call-and-response flow while cleverly conveying Swift’s conflicted desire for her love interest.
The chorus features the nonsensical “ooh, whoa-oh” hook, which achieves a few key elements: The creative, melismatic and show-don’t-tell manner in which it’s sung communicates the emotion that Swift feels without the need to outright state it; it foreshadows and subsequently reinforces the summative, “it’s a cruel summer,” song title hook that directly follows; and it showcases Swift’s vocal chops.
Meanwhile, the bridge uniquely features two standout shouted vocal hooks that are primely placed at the end each stanza: “I don’t wanna keep secrets just to keep you,” and the even more stark, “‘I love you’ – ain’t that the worst thing you ever heard?” A testament to the bridge’s overall strength is its interpolation in Olivia Rodrigo’s No. 3 Hot 100 hit from 2021, “Deja Vu,” which resulted in the writers of “Cruel Summer” – Swift, Jack Antonoff and St. Vincent – all receiving writing credits on Rodrigo’s song.
Courtesy Photo
Intriguing Lyricism
While many of today’s hits pepper in a bit of clever, metaphorical lyricism to make a narrative more engaging, “Cruel Summer” is atypically chock full of it. Every section, save for the action scene in the bridge, features an abundance of intriguing show-don’t-tell writing, as noted above, that delivers the story in a highly compelling and engaging manner.
A prime example is the pre-chorus’ “devils roll the dice, angels roll their eyes” line. Along with conveying Swift’s likely futile gamble on her bad-boy love interest, the astute Swift fan will notice that it also cleverly alludes to a board game featured in the video for Swift’s 2019 hit “Lover.”
However, as shrewd as the song’s lyricism is, it remains easy to grasp and comprehend, which is a testament to Swift’s masterful lyric-writing skills.
Emotional Connection
One of the most important qualities of a hit song is its ability to emotionally impact the listener so that it connects on a profound level and keeps ears coming back for more. One highly effective way of achieving this is through the vocal performance, instruments and lyrics all working in tandem to create a unified expression, a combination known as prosody.
In “Cruel Summer,” prosody is effectively achieved throughout the entire song. For instance, in the first verse, the synth creates a subtle, dark vibe that underscores the problematic love/relationships-themed story. In the chorus, Swift’s soaring, evocative vocals accentuate the passion she feels for her love interest. As for the bridge, the faster-paced vocals and synth pattern work in concert to bolster the anxiety-ridden, action-based lyrics.
David and Yael Penn co-founded Hit Songs Deconstructed. Earlier in October, Hit Songs Deconstructed and fellow song analysis platform MyPart publicly launched launched ChartCipher, a new AI-powered platform analyzing a deeper scope of hit songs, as defined by Billboard’s charts.
10/18/2023
The King of Pop rewrote the record book, but records are made to be broken.
10/18/2023
Billboard‘s data partner Luminate is improving the way it collects and reflects album sales data from independent music retailers. This week, Luminate revealed to all clients that in week 1 of 2024 (the reporting week that begins Dec. 29, 2023), data on physical sales (vinyl, CDs and cassettes) will reflect a direct representation of those […]
Gospel music icon Kirk Franklin earns his 14th No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Gospel Albums chart, as Father’s Day debuts atop the Oct. 21-dated list. In the tracking week dated Oct. 6-12, the set earned 9,000 equivalent album units, with 6,000 in album sales, according to Luminate.
Franklin boasts the most No. 1s on the chart since he led for the first time in December 1993, Kirk Franklin and the Family.
“I can’t explain how it feels after 30 years to still have the beautiful opportunity to do music that pushes people to the greatest love story ever told,” Franklin tells Billboard. “Thank you!”
Father’s Day follows Kingdom Book One, Franklin’s collaboration with the Atlanta-based collective Maverick City Music, which started at its No. 2 peak in July 2022. His last solo set before his new LP, Long Live Love, launched at the apex in June 2019.
Dating to Franklin’s first chart-topper, his 14 No. 1s outpace runner-up Fred Hammond, with 10. CeCe Winans follows with seven. Franklin’s 294 weeks at No. 1 in that nearly 30-year span also mark the most for any act.
The 10-song Father’s Day was recorded amid personal struggle for Franklin, as he dealt with his family history. Notably, the man that he grew up thinking was his father passed away and, shortly after, he discovered his actual biological father through a series of DNA tests. He chronicled those events in the documentary Father’s Day: A Kirk Franklin Story.
[embedded content]
The Father’s Day album includes collaborations with Kelontae Gavin and Maranda Curtis; LeAndria Johnson; Tori Kelly; Jonathan McReynolds and Jekalyn Carr; and Chandler Moore.
The LP’s lead single, “All Things,” led Gospel Airplay for two weeks in September, becoming Franklin’s 10th No. 1 and tying him with Tamela Mann for the most in the chart’s history. On the latest streaming-, airplay- and sales-based Hot Gospel Songs chart, it pushes 7-5 for a new best.
Jekalyn Carr nets her seventh No. 1 on Billboard’s Gospel Airplay list (dated Oct. 21) as “I Believe God” ascends to the summit. The song, which Carr wrote solo, marks her fourth Gospel Airplay leader in succession. It follows “My Portion,” which led for a week in June 2022; “Jehovah Jireh,” which dominated for two […]
