State Champ Radio Chart Beat
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It was an eventful week on the Billboard Hot 100 (dated July 29), as the continued reign of Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” (14 weeks so far) was interrupted by two chart debuts: BTS alum Jung Kook‘s “Seven,” featuring rap hitmaker Latto, and veteran country star Jason Aldean‘s “Try That in a Small Town.”
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The high debut of “Seven” was more foreseeable, given the longtime success of BTS and its members on the Hot 100 and the song’s strong start in both streaming and sales upon its Friday (July 14) release. But the conservative anthem “Try That in a Small Town” came from close to out of nowhere, zooming up the sales and streams charts after its controversial music video (featuring images from the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020) led to it being banned on CMT last week.
How did the two songs make such rapid impacts? And which of the two is more likely to stick around the top of the charts from here? Billboard staffers discuss these questions and more below.
1. Jung Kook has scored a handful of Hot 100 entries before, most notably as a guest on Charlie Puth’s No. 22 hit “Left and Right,” but never really threatened the top spot before. What’s the biggest reason to you that “Seven” has launched him into a new chart stratosphere as a solo artist?
Katie Atkinson: Just like they did with Jimin’s “Like Crazy” back in April, the BTS ARMY clearly rallied around Jung Kook’s debut solo single. The streaming and sales numbers are absolutely massive, and that’s thanks to this tireless fan group. And thankfully, Jung Kook came through for them with an upbeat sing-along of a song that recalls my very favorite Craig David hit “7 Days” for a new generation of pop fans.
Eric Renner Brown: I’m not familiar with the personal fanbases for each BTS member, so my answer is more macro: As a group, BTS was so prolific for so long, and then in 2022 and even early in 2023, we were seeing a healthy flow of solo releases from its members; that flow now seems to have slowed to a drip, and I think fans are simply hungry for more BTS. And while some BTS releases – both group and solo – have featured Western artists, many haven’t, which makes me think Latto’s inclusion might’ve extended this track’s release to another base of listeners.
Jason Lipshutz: Casual chart watchers would probably chalk up the Hot 100-topping success of Jung Kook’s “Seven,” and Jimin’s “Like Crazy” before it, as the results of the BTS Army rallying behind any of the group members’ solo efforts. That’s partially true, but also, both “Like Crazy” and “Seven” are catchy, compelling pop singles that make sense sonically and stylistically atop the chart. The rhythmic, sexually suggestive “Seven” showcases more personality and a stronger hook than “Left and Right,” while Latto slots in nicely as a guest rapper with pop prowess; the single certainly received a boost from the fandom around Jung Kook, but the building blocks of “Seven” compose a successful whole.
Joe Lynch: The devotion and persistence of ARMY is certainly a factor here (regarding “Left and Right,” it’s only natural that Stans are gonna push harder for a song where their fave is the main credited artist and not the featured one). This sales total — 153,000 combined digital and CD singles — is a big part of this No. 1 debut, certainly. But compare it to the No. 1 debut for BTS bandmate Jimin’s “Like Crazy”: that one had a bigger sales total (254,000) but a smaller streaming total – 10 million as compared to the whopping 21.9 million streams for “Seven.” Part of that is the Latto boost, but to my ears, a lot of it has to do with the kind of song “Seven” is — it’s akin to the radio gold Justin Bieber and Ed Sheeran have struck with similar mixtures of sweet acoustic guitars and swinging hip-hop beats.
Andrew Unterberger: It helps that “Seven” is a really good song — and given its explicit chorus, a particularly ear-catching one. That may sound like a superficial explanation, but given how much better the song has streamed than most BTS-related songs (especially globally), it’s pretty clear it’s not just ARMY soldiers flocking to this one. You have to catch a decent amount of non-superfan interest to put up those kinds of numbers, and you do that by releasing undeniable pop singles.
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2. It’s also the first No. 1 for Latto, who came two spots away in early 2022 with her “Big Energy” and also scored a big hit this year along side Cardi B with “Put It on Da Floor Again.” Do you think this achievement is particularly notable for her career?
Katie Atkinson: It’s funny: When BTS first started making English-language songs, they often enlisted more established artists (Nicki Minaj, Halsey, Charli XCX) for features to boost their profile in America. But now, it’s often the opposite, with BTS and all its members boosting another artist’s profile via features. Latto is reaping the benefits of the ARMY putting their weight behind Jung Kook’s new song, and it can only help her in the long run to have the good will of this fierce fanbase behind her moving forward.
Eric Renner Brown: I don’t think the achievement is too notable, other than her ability to now say she’s topped the Hot 100 (which isn’t nothing!). No shade to Latto, but this chart success feels mostly predicated on its BTS affiliation; it’s easy to imagine this track going No. 1 with another American rapper on it.
Jason Lipshutz: The timing is certainly notable: Latto’s first Hot 100 No. 1 comes as the featured artist on a pop single, one month after she re-established herself as a ferocious rapper on “Put It on Da Floor Again.” Cardi B’s appearance on the remix helped the song reach the top 10, but Latto also sounded reinvigorated on the track after a few singles that had failed to take off. The success of “Put It on Da Floor Again,” followed by the even bigger win that “Seven” represents, secures Latto’s standing as a mainstream star, transcending the pop-rap success of “Big Energy” in 2022 by splitting those two sounds in half this summer.
Joe Lynch: It’s huge for Latto. Her follow-up singles to the undying radio smash “Big Energy” whiffed on the Hot 100, so even when she returned to the top 20 this year alongside Cardi, it’s fair to say she needed to keep the momentum going. And a No. 1 debut for a song she prominently features on is definitely a huge win that bodes well for the rest of her year.
Andrew Unterberger: It’s another nice win during a particularly successful few months for Latto. I doubt it will change her career arc dramatically, but it may win her some new fans — and a pretty nice one-week financial windfall, given all the consumption.
3. Underneath “Seven,” Jason Aldean’s “Try That in a Small Town” debuts at No. 2, largely thanks to a late-chart-week push after its video (and its subsequent CMT banning) resulted in an explosion of controversy. We’ve seen plenty of songs with implicit or explicit conservative leanings debut on the Hot 100 over the past couple weeks — by artists like Aaron Lewis, Tom MacDonald and Bryson Gray — but none quite with this velocity. What do you think the biggest reason is that “Try That” is speeding to new heights so quickly?
Katie Atkinson: The way the uproar unraveled, whether you agree or disagree with Jason Aldean’s political leanings, you wanted to watch the video to see what all the fuss was about. On top of that, it’s clear from the sales numbers that people who wanted to show their support for his musical message purchased the song in droves. We’ve seen the way Morgan Wallen’s sales and streams erupted following his own controversy when he was caught on camera saying the N-word in 2021, but this scenario is different, because the controversy was around a specific song and centered on a country star with an already-established fanbase after nearly two decades of Nashville stardom. It was a perfect storm for a political powder keg to explode.
Eric Renner Brown: “Who are Aaron Lewis, Tom MacDonald, and Bryson Gray?” That’s the biggest reason I think this track has blown up so quickly. Conservatives are eager to boost right-wing tracks, but those other three artists are relative no-names — Staind’s frontman and a pair of artists who had virtually no profile until they made MAGA-bait songs. Aldean, on the other hand, is an established, Grammy-nominated star who headlines arenas and is heavily decorated by the country-specific awards shows. It’s not surprising to me that his conservative dog-whistle track has outpaced similar songs by less-known performers; likewise, if an even bigger star than Aldean released this type of song, I bet they’d shoot up the chart quicker and stay there longer.
Jason Lipshutz: The commercial explosion of “Try That in a Small Town” rests in the coded messaging of the song and video: As Aldean pointed out, there are no explicit calls to violence or racist lyrics, but by implying that vigilante justice is justified as a pro-gun rights tactic in the song and depicting protesting as violent crime in the video, Aldean has created a conservative anthem with a degree of plausible deniability. Other hard-right songs in recent years haven’t climbed as high on the Hot 100, because they’ve been so straightforward with their agendas that they haven’t been able to court a wide amount of controversy. With “Try That in a Small Town,” however, left-leaning country fans became outraged by the obvious dog whistles, right-leaning country fans became outraged by their outrage, CMT banned the video, conservatives supported the song on iTunes in response, and Aldean rode the discourse all the way to the No. 2 spot on the Hot 100.
Joe Lynch: Those other artists aren’t exactly household names, so Aldean’s profile is the big difference here. He has 10 No. 1 hits on the Hot Country Songs chart. Plenty of people have a warm association with him already, so they’re likely to get more emotional and worked up when they hear he’s being criticized, and therefore more likely to engage with the song by streaming it, sharing it with others, buying it, etc. I could see this happening with another country artist of Aldean’s caliber in the next year — as long as conservative media picks up on it as a culture war cause célèbre.
Andrew Unterberger: It’s a combination of Aldean’s existing stardom and sorta built-in credibility with country audiences, and the fact that pundits on one of the country’s most watched (and most influential) TV channels are actively calling on viewers to stream the thing on repeat to send a political message. It’s also just good timing, with the news story gradually building to a fever pitch over the course of the Friday to Thursday chart week.
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4. Both “Seven” and “Try That” achieve their top two positions largely on the back of sales, which usually (but not always) drop significantly from week to week. Do you think either of these songs will still be in the hunt for No. 1 next week?
Katie Atkinson: I think they both could be in contention for No. 1 next week, but I’d say Aldean has the better shot as this controversy continues to smolder. A quick search of social media shows that Aldean’s supporters are not letting this high-profile musical moment die down anytime soon, so it could have a real shot to climb to the top next week – especially if some like-minded radio programmers give it extra play.
Eric Renner Brown: I doubt either will remain in the hunt next week. Conservative outrage cycles pass quickly, and with both artists, there’s probably a ceiling of how many people will buy the songs to support them – a ceiling that both Jung Kook and Aldean are likely approaching already. And for the week after, if we’re getting a new Travis Scott album this Friday after all…
Jason Lipshutz: I could actually see both challenging for No. 1 either next week or in the coming weeks. “Seven” sounds like a slam-dunk radio hit, and as sales dip following its first-week explosion, I’d guess that top 40 programmers help Jung Kook and Latto make up some of the difference in Hot 100 points. Meanwhile, something tells me that we’re just at the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the “Try That in a Small Town” controversy — Jason Aldean will continue drawing attention to the song, conservatives will continue downloading it, country radio will continue wading into the interest around it, and next week we might be seeing it atop the chart.
Joe Lynch: Definitely Aldean. The furor isn’t tapering here, as folks on various sides are chiming in with their hot takes, and it will likely last long enough to keep “Try That” in contention for reaching No. 1. Which would never have been imaginable if CMT hadn’t pulled the video in the first place (after all, this song came out months ago).
Andrew Unterberger: Aldean certainly has the inside track, especially because while consumption of “Seven” was strongest on its Friday release date (as is the case with most new songs) at the beginning of the tracking week, the furor of the “Try That” backlash-to-the-backlash was only beginning to crest at the end of last tracking week, and was still very high at the beginning of this one. Plus, having already gotten their No. 1, “Seven” fans are likely less ravenous about keeping it there than “Try That” boosters are about pushing their anthem over the top. (I do hope “Seven” gets back in the mix soon, though, just as a result of the radio play it deserves to build.)
5. They’re hardly the only ones, but K-pop fans and conservative-leaning music listeners are two groups of consumers who have, over the past few years, shown a steadfast willingness to continue buying digital songs as a way to express support for songs and artists, even as song sales on the whole have continued to slide annually. Is there another group of music fans who you could see adopting (or who have already adopted) this strategy to support their favs?
Katie Atkinson: Not that she needs the extra help, but an artist like Taylor Swift has figured out how to deliver release-week digital extras that give her insatiable fans more ways to support her – I’m thinking especially of lead Evermore single “Willow” in late 2020 and its successive “Dancing Witch,” “Lonely Witch” and “Moonlit Witch” remixes that helped propel the ballad to No. 1 on the Hot 100. In that case, the artist is pulling out all the stops, but the fans are all too eager to collect ’em all.
Eric Renner Brown: I truly have no idea. Whenever I hear about these things, my first reaction is, “Wait, people still buy digital songs?” And my second reaction is, “Wait, people buy digital songs to prove a point, and not because that’s the only way to hear the music?” I’m a huge Deadhead, and I buy their CD-only archival releases, but that’s because there’s no other way to hear them. I can’t imagine buying the CDs as a form of virtue-signaling or to help ensure their chart success – but I also can’t imagine buying a case of Bud Light just so I can destroy it to protest something Anheuser-Busch did, or buying multiple versions of the same vinyl release for collectible reasons.
Jason Lipshutz: I’d expect this to become standard procedure for superstar acts around their biggest releases — which has already happened to some degree, but has not come to define every major pop rollout quite yet. Plenty of dedicated fan bases want to support their favorite A-lister, and digital downloads have become something of a fast track for that support. In the coming months and years, it wouldn’t be a shock to see digital sales ploys become further engrained into all types of big pop arrivals.
Joe Lynch: The LGBTQ community is already pretty good at doing this to support their faves, but to my mind, it’s hard to imagine this trend still being a thing in a decade as everything digital moves into the cloud. As for physical copies, even as tactile music makes an industry comeback, I can’t imagine CD singles (famous last words, perhaps) enjoying the same comeback staying power that full-length albums on CD and vinyl have.
Andrew Unterberger: I’m a little surprised that influencers on TikTok and IG looking to get into music haven’t yet totally utilized the digital sales route via their rabid fanbases — though their audiences may be too young to properly motivate to actually spend money on digital music, many likely for the first time in their lives.
SZA reaffirms that she’s in a league of her own in the R&B world as the hitmaking singer-songwriter replaces herself at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Songs chart as “Snooze” ousts her own “Kill Bill” on the list dated July 29.
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With “Snooze,” SZA captures her fourth Hot R&B Songs No. 1. She first led with “The Weekend,” a one-week champ in 2018, and followed with another single-week leader, “I Hate U” in 2021, and “Kill Bill,” which dominated for 30 weeks in 2022-23. Thanks to that juggernaut’s reign, SZA has ruled the Hot R&B Songs chart all but one week in 2023 thus far, when The Weeknd and Ariana Grande’s “Die for You” remix release pushed the track to the summit for the list dated March 11.
“Snooze” ascends to No. 1 as radio airplay continues to grow for the song. In the latest tracking week, July 14 – 20, “Snooze” registered 58.8 million in total audience impressions across all formats, up 4% from the prior week, according to Luminate. Thanks to the boost, the single climbs 7-6 on the all-genre Radio Songs chart. (All radio airplay, regardless of format origin, contributes to a song’s rank on the Hot R&B Songs chart.) The track is still tops on its home format, as it logs a fifth week at No. 1 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart and, at 19.4 million impressions, remains essentially even with the prior week’s total.
In addition to the radio strength, “Snooze” registered 10.4 million official U.S. streams, a 2% rise from the previous week, and enough to retain its No. 2 rank on R&B Streaming Songs. For song sales, the track sold another 1,000 downloads, a 3% slide from the prior frame; it holds at No. 5 on R&B Digital Song Sales, after having previously reached a No. 4 best.
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In addition to SZA, “Snooze” also brings another R&B luminary to the summit – Babyface. The legend is one of five co-writer and four co-producers on the new chart-topper: He, Khristopher van Riddick-Tynes, Leon Thomas III and Blair Ferguson all contributed in both roles, while SZA also shares writing credit. With the new champ, Babyface earns his first writing and producer No. 1s on the Hot R&B Songs chart, which began in 2012. Prior to the chart’s launch, Babyface had a hand in dozens of R&B classics, including hits such as Boyz II Men’s “End of the Road” and Whitney Houston’s “Exhale (Shoop Shoop).”
Elsewhere, “Snooze” advances 4-3 to a new peak on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and repeats at No. 12 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100, having previously made it to No. 11.
Multiple songs from NCT DREAM’s new album ISTJ appear on Billboard’s July 29-dated Hot Trending Songs chart, led by “Blue Wave” at No. 1.
Billboard’s Hot Trending charts, powered by Twitter, track global music-related trends and conversations in real-time across Twitter, viewable over either the last 24 hours or past seven days. A weekly, 20-position version of the chart, covering activity from Friday through Thursday of each week, posts alongside Billboard’s other weekly charts on Billboard.com each Tuesday, with the latest tracking period running July 14-20.
“Blue Wave” was released July 17 as part of ISTJ’s premiere; one song from the album, “Broken Melodies,” was released beforehand.
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It’s NCT DREAM’s first Hot Trending Songs No. 1, surpassing the No. 2 peak of “Glitch Mode” last year.
In all, nine songs from ISTJ appear on the latest Hot Trending Songs list. “Like We Just Met,” “Pretzel” and “Yogurt Shake” join “Blue Wave” in the top 10 at Nos. 5, 7 and 9, respectively.
Tinashe’s newly released “Talk to Me Nice” bows at No. 2. Released July 21, the song’s premiere was announced on July 17 as the singer’s first taste of new material as a lead artist since the deluxe edition of 333 last year. It precedes the album BB/ANG3L, which does not yet have a release date.
Jason Aldean’s “Try That in a Small Town” debuts at No. 3 following the July 14 release of its music video and its ensuing controversy, concurrently starting at No. 2 on the multimetric Billboard Hot 100, as previously reported. And NewJeans’ “Cool With You” premieres at No. 4 after being teased ahead of the release of the group’s EP Get Up, out July 21.
Keep visiting Billboard.com for the constantly evolving Hot Trending Songs rankings, and check in each Tuesday for the latest weekly chart.
That Mexican OT and DRODi chart on the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time, thanks to their breakthrough hit with Paul Wall, “Johnny Dang.”
The song, released May 26 through Manifest Music/Good Money Global/GoodTalk/Geffen/Interscope Records, debuts at No. 97 with 5.9 million U.S. streams (up 19%), 315,000 radio audience impressions and 1,000 downloads sold (up 61%) in the July 14-20 tracking week, according to Luminate.
The single also opens at No. 18 on Hot Rap Songs and rises 35-26 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.
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While the cut earns That Mexican OT and DRODi their first Hot 100 ink, it marks a 16-year comeback for Paul Wall, who adds his ninth career entry on the chart and first since “I’m Throwed,” featuring Jermaine Dupri, in 2007 (No. 87 peak). In 2006, Wall spent two weeks at No. 1, via his featured credit on Nelly’s “Grillz” (also featuring Ali and Gipp).
“Johnny Dang” became That Mexican OT and DRODi’s first overall chart entry each when it debuted on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and the Hot 100’s Bubbling Under tally in June.
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The song’s title is an ode to the Texas jeweler of the same name, who appears in the song’s video.
That Mexican OT (real name Virgil Rene Gazca), from Bay City, Texas, has been active in the Houston hip-hop scene. He has released five LPs: South Texas Project (2020), Southside Steppin (2021), 1 Double 0 (2021), Nonsense and Mexican Shit (2022) and The Show Must Go On with Saxkboy KD (this year).
Freeport, Texas-based rapper DRODi is a frequent collaborator of That Mexican OT’s. Before “Johnny Dang,” they teamed for the tracks “Padre,” “Sidewalk,” “Slap,” “DRO-T,” “24z” and “Bow Down,” all since last year.
NoCap scores his first appearance on the Billboard Hot 100 chart (dated July 29), thanks to his featured credit on Rylo Rodriguez’s “Thang for You.”
Released June 23 via Glass Window Entertainment, the song debuts at No. 96 with 6 million official U.S. streams and 209,000 radio audience impressions in the July 14-20 tracking week, according to Luminate.
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The track also rises 20-17 on Hot Rap Songs and 27-25 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.
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NoCap (real name Kobe Vidal Crawford Jr.), who, like Rodriguez, hails from Mobile, Ala., first appeared on a Billboard chart in June 2019, when his album The Backend Child debuted and peaked at No. 170 on the Billboard 200. Since then, he’s charted three additional albums on the list: The Hood Dictionary (No. 90 peak in 2019), Steel Human (No. 31, 2020) and his first top 10, Mr. Crawford (No. 8, 2022).
Mr. Crawford, his debut full-length, also reached No. 3 on Top Rap Albums and No. 4 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.
Though this is NoCap’s first appearance on the Hot 100, he came close to debuting twice before. YoungBoy Never Broke Again’s “Outta Here Safe” featuring Quando Rondo and NoCap reached No. 23 on the Hot 100’s Bubbling Under chart in 2019, and “Vaccine” climbed to No. 2 in 2021.
As for Rodriguez, “Thang for You” marks his third Hot 100 entry. He debuted with “5500 Degrees” (by EST Gee featuring Lil Baby, 42 Dugg and Rodriguez) in 2021 and followed that up with “Cost To Be Alive,” also with Lil Baby, in 2022.
NoCap and Rodriguez are longtime musical collaborators. They released their album RogerVille in 2019 – both rappers are credited on all 10 of the set’s songs – and have teamed for a variety of tracks since.
NoCap has worked with other notable names in hip-hop, including Kodak Black, Lil Durk, Lil Uzi Vert and Polo G.
In a 2022 interview with Billboard, NoCap explained his Southern rap sound and ascending with Rodriquez. “Like three years ago, we was in the studio – me, Rylo and [Al] Geno – and we knew they were gonna try to run off with this sound,” he said. “At the time, we ain’t have the fame, we ain’t have the money. We were really just blowing up off our work. I ain’t trying to be cocky or nothing. But to be honest, people wasn’t doing that around that time. I most definitely feel like we got it hot. It’s the new sound now. But it’s a blessing to hear young artists coming up trying to sound like me. I don’t look at it like they biting or nothing, I look at it like a blessing. I’m the new sound, I’m the new wave – so that’s what everybody gonna do.”
NoCap’s Bird Nest Tour, in support of his 2022 EP The Main Bird, is slated to kick off this fall.
Colombian singer-songwriter Ryan Castro is officially a Billboard Hot 100-charting artist, as he scores his first entry on the tally (dated July 29) with his new collaboration with Peso Pluma, “Quema.”
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The song, released July 13 through 5020/Sony Music Latin, debuts at No. 92 with 6.1 million official U.S. streams and 1,000 downloads sold in the July 14-20 tracking week, according to Luminate. It also enters at No. 21 on Hot Latin Songs.
Internationally, it debuts at No. 101 on the Billboard Global 200 and No. 141 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart.
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Castro is a relative newcomer to Billboard’s charts. He first landed on a ranking in January 2022 with his song “Mujeriego.” The track reached No. 33 on Hot Latin Songs, plus No. 94 on Global Excl U.S. and No. 125 on the Global 200.
Before this week, he had charted three songs on the Global 200: “Mujeriergo,” “Jordan” (No. 65 peak in 2022) and “Mercho,” with Lil Cake, Ozuna and Migrantes (No. 75, this March).
“‘Jordan’ is the song that everyone identifies me with,” Castro, who primarily records urbano/reggaetón music, told Billboard in 2022. “I feel it’s my biggest hit because it relates to urban street fashion and my personal flow. ‘Mujeriego,’ on the other hand, shows my versatile and explorative side. A lot of artists are criticized for taking the risk of doing other genres, but I’ve gotten a lot of support from even the biggest merengue artists.”
Castro has released two albums so far: the seven-track Reggaetonea and the nine-track Los Piratas, both in 2022. He’s previously collaborated with Blessd, El Alfa, Feid, J Balvin, Jhayco and Justin Quiles, among others. Plus, last year he opened for Karol G on her Bichota Reloaded Tour in Cali, Colombia.
Taylor Swift spends a record-extending 74th week at No. 1 on the Billboard Artist 100 chart (dated July 29), thanks to the second-week success of her latest album Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), plus 10 additional albums on the Billboard 200.
The set spends its second week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 121,000 equivalent album units earned July 14-20, according to Luminate. It’s Swift’s first re-recorded album to spend its first two weeks at the summit.
Further sparking Swift’s Artist 100 reign is 10 additional albums on the chart. This is the second week that Swift has landed 11 albums on the Billboard 200. A week ago, she became just the third act — and first woman — to chart at least 11 albums in a single week, following The Beatles and Prince.
Also for a second week, Swift has four albums in the chart’s top 10. A week earlier, she became the first living artist to chart four albums in the top 10 simultaneously since 1966.
Here’s a recap of Swift’s current Billboard 200-charting titles.
Rank, Title:
No. 1, Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)
No. 5, Midnights
No. 7, Lover
No. 10, Folklore
No. 18, Red (Taylor’s Version)
No. 19, 1989
No. 21, reputation
No. 23, Fearless (Taylor’s Version)
No. 38, Evermore
No. 67, Speak Now
No. 138, Taylor Swift
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On the Billboard Hot 100, Swift charts eight songs: “Cruel Summer” (No. 8), “Karma” featuring Ice Spice (No. 11), “Anti-Hero” (No. 19), “I Can See You (Taylor’s Version) (From the Vault)” (No. 33), “Enchanted (Taylor’s Version)” (No. 65), “Back to December (Taylor’s Version)” (No. 76), “Mine (Taylor’s Version)” (No. 81) and “Sparks Fly (Taylor’s Version)” (No. 95).
Among other Artist 100 chart moves, Jason Aldean vaults 100-3, powered by his single “Try That in a Small Town,” which debuts at No. 2 on the Hot 100, becoming his highest charting song. The song’s profile was boosted after CMT’s decision to pull the its official video after three days in rotation. The removal prompted a surge in sales and streams for the song, which finished the tracking week with 11.6 million official U.S. streams and 228,000 downloads sold. The sales sum is the largest weekly total for a country song since Florida Georgia Line’s “Cruise,” featuring Nelly, sold 244,000, as reflected on the charts dated July 6, 2013. (Aldean has ed the Artist 100 for three weeks, one each in 2014, 2016 and 2018.)
BTS’ Jung Kook re-enters the Artist 100 at No. 5 (after he had reached a prior No. 47 high), thanks to his new song “Seven” featuring Latto. The collab debuts at No. 1 on the Hot 100, as he becomes the second BTS member to score a solo leader, after Jimin with “Like Crazy” in April. (BTS has earned six No. 1s.)
Jung Kook is the sixth member of BTS to reach the top 10 of the Artist 100:
No. 1 peak (one week), Jimin
No. 3, Suga (as Agust D; as Suga, he reached No. 57)
No. 5, Jung Kook
No. 6, RM
No. 9, j-hope
No. 10, Jin
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.
Blur will be hard to catch in the U.K. chart race.
The legendary Britpop band sets a dizzying pace on the midweek chart with The Ballad of Darren (via Parlophone), which is currently outselling the rest of the top 10 combined, the Official Charts Company reports.
Dropping last Friday, July 21, The Ballad of Darren is likely to mark the group’s seventh U.K. No. 1, which includes their most recent effort, 2015’s The Magic Whip.
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The foursome, comprising Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon, Alex James and Dave Rowntree, also hit No. 1 with Parklife (1994), The Great Escape (1995), Blur (1997), 13 (1999), and Think Tank (2003) (2015).
Of their eight previous studio LPs, only their first two efforts, 1991 debut Leisure (No. 7 peak) and 1993’s sophomore release Modern Life is Rubbish (No. 15), have failed to summit.
Frontman Albarn has already lifted the crown this year, with Gorillaz, whose Cracker Island started atop the Official U.K. Albums Chart in March, for the “virtual” act’s second leader.
Meanwhile, Michigan rockers Greta Van Fleet are soaring high on the latest chart blast with Starcatcher (EMI), their third album. It’s new at No. 2, and is set to earn Greta Van Fleet a new career high, eclipsing 2018’s Anthem of a Peaceful Army (No. 12 peak) and 2021’s The Battle at Garden’s Gate (No. 8).
Completing an all-new top three at the midweek point is by Nottingham, England alt-rock act As December Falls’ Join The Club (ADF). It’s new at No. 3 on the Official Chart Update, and should give the indie outfit their debut chart appearance.
Further down the midweek tally, K-pop girl group NewJeans could slip into the top 10 with their second EP, Get Up (Polydor). Featuring the viral single “Super Shy,” Get Up is on track for a No. 7 start.
All will be revealed when the Official U.K. Albums Chart is published late Friday, July 28.
Jason Aldean’s “Try That in a Small Town” rockets back in atop Billboard’s streaming-, airplay- and sales-based Hot Country Songs chart dated July 29.
The single re-enters at the summit after spending one prior week on the survey at No. 35 in June, following its release.
The track returns with the biggest sales week for a country song in over 10 years, after CMT pulled its video, which premiered July 14, from rotation after three days, resulting in a surge of attention.
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Aldean achieves his 10th Hot Country Songs leader and 37th top 10 with “Try That in a Small Town,” which was co-written by Kurt Allison, Tully Kennedy, Kelley Lovelace and Neil Thrasher.
It becomes Aldean’s first Hot Country Songs No. 1 since 2014, when “Burnin’ It Down” dominated for 14 frames starting that August. He first ruled in 2006 when “Why” led for a week that May.
Meanwhile, with 37 Hot Country Songs top 10s, Aldean has now peaked in the top tier at least once each year dating to his first such hit, “Hicktown,” in 2005 – the longest active streak of annual top 10s on the chart.
“Try That in a Small Town” sold 228,000 downloads – up 27,625% – in the July 14-20 tracking week, according to Luminate. It awards Aldean his 11th No. 1 on Country Digital Song Sales. It also crowns the all-genre Digital Song Sales survey, becoming his second leader, after “Burnin’ It Down.”
“Try That in a Small Town” boasts the largest sales week for a country track since Florida Georgia Line’s “Cruise,” featuring Nelly, sold 244,000, as reflected on the chart dated July 6, 2013.
Concurrently, “Try That in a Small Town” drew 11.6 million streams (up 547%). On Country Airplay, it holds at No. 25, with 6.5 million audience impressions (up 16%).
On July 18, Billboard confirmed that CMT had dropped the song’s official video, after three days in rotation; the network declined to say why. Following CMT’s decision, Aldean posted a message to his Instagram Stories addressing the various reactions that the song and video have faced.
The official video for the track, released July 14, features footage of an American flag burning, protesters in confrontation with police, looters breaking a display case and thieves robbing a convenience store. The clip has prompted a firestorm of opinions about it and the song’s intent and messaging.
Aldean addressed the polarized response during his Highway Desperado Tour stop Friday (July 21) at Cincinnati’s Riverbend Music Center. “It’s been a long week and I’ve seen a lot of stuff suggesting I’m this, suggesting I’m that,” he told the crowd. “I feel like everybody’s entitled to their opinion. You can think something all you want to; it doesn’t mean it’s true. What I am is a proud American. I’m proud to be from here … I love my country, I love my family, and I will do anything to protect that, I can tell you that right now.”
Meanwhile, “Try That in a Small Town” marks the second title that has re-entered Hot Country Songs at the pinnacle since the list became an all-encompassing genre survey in 1958. Chris Stapleton’s “Tennessee Whiskey” opened at No. 46 in May 2015 and re-entered at No. 1 that November. His first of three No. 1s led for two weeks, following his three wins at the 49th Country Music Association Awards.
Jung Kook’s “Seven,” featuring Latto, launches at No. 1 on both the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts (dated July 29). The song marks the first leader on the lists for a member of BTS as a soloist, as well as Latto’s first No. 1.
Plus, Jason Aldean’s “Try That in a Small Town” debuts at No. 2 on the Global 200. The song, released in May, enters after CMT pulled its video, which premiered July 14, from rotation after three days, resulting in a surge of attention.
The Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts, which started in September 2020, rank songs based on streaming and sales activity culled from more than 200 territories around the world, as compiled by Luminate. The Global 200 is inclusive of worldwide data and the Global Excl. U.S. chart comprises data from territories excluding the United States.
Chart ranks are based on a weighted formula incorporating official-only streams on both subscription and ad-supported tiers of audio and video music services, as well as download sales, the latter of which reflect purchases from full-service digital music retailers from around the world, with sales from direct-to-consumer (D2C) sites excluded from the charts’ calculations.
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‘Seven’ = 1 on Global 200, With Record Streams for a Soloist
Jung Kook’s “Seven,” featuring Latto, blasts in atop the Billboard Global 200, with 217.1 million streams and 269,000 downloads sold worldwide from its release July 14 through July 20. (The song’s original and instrumental versions were released July 14 and its “Summer” and “Band” mixes arrived July 17; all were available for download for 69 cents.)
The song’s streaming sum narrowly bests Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” (Feb. 4) for the biggest week for a song by a soloist since the Global 200 began. (“Flowers” also drew 217.1 million in its best week, but slightly less than the debut week of “Seven” after rounding off totals.) Overall, only one song has scored a bigger streaming week in that span – with Jung Kook also contributing to it: BTS’ “Butter” (289.2 million; June 5, 2021).
Plus, Jung Kook achieves the first Global 200 No. 1 for a BTS member as a soloist. Here’s a recap of BTS members’ top 10s on the ranking apart from the group (with BTS having logged 11 top 10s, including seven No. 1s, on the chart):
“Seven,” Jung Kook feat. Latto, No. 1 (one week to-date), July 2023
“Like Crazy,” Jimin, No. 2, April 2023
“Left and Right,” Charlie Puth feat. Jung Kook, No. 5, July 2022
“That That,” PSY feat. SUGA, No. 5, May 2022
“Set Me Free, Pt. 2,” Jimin, No. 8, April 2023
“Dreamers (Music From the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022),” Jung Kook, No. 9, December 2022
“The Astronaut,” Jin, No. 10, November 2022
Latto also achieves her first Global 200 No. 1. “Seven” far surpasses her prior best peak, set when “Big Energy” hit No. 32 in April 2022.
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Jason Aldean’s “Try That in a Small Town” debuts at No. 2 on the Global 200, with 11.1 million streams (up 920%) and 233,000 sold (up 27,412%) July 14-20. The song was released in May; on July 18, Billboard confirmed that CMT had pulled its official video after three days in rotation, following the clip’s July 14 premiere. In the wake of CMT’s decision, Aldean posted a message to his Instagram Stories addressing the contrasting reactions that the song and video have faced.
Aldean, a veteran of Billboard’s country charts since 2005, lands his first Global 200 top 10 (or even top 40 appearance).
Myke Towers’ “LaLa” holds at its No. 3 Global 200 high; Olivia Rodrigo’s “Vampire” falls to No. 4 after spending its first two weeks on the chart at the summit; and NewJeans’ “Super Shy” slips to No. 5 a week after it began at No. 2.
Jung Kook, Latto Also Top Global Excl. U.S.
Jung Kook’s “Seven” concurrently debuts atop the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart, with 195.8 million streams and 131,000 downloads sold outside the U.S. July 14-20.
As on the Global 200, Jung Kook claims the first Global Excl. U.S. No. 1 for a BTS member solo. Here’s a recap of BTS members’ top 10s on the chart outside the group (with BTS having tallied 11 top 10s, including seven No. 1s, on the survey):
“Seven,” Jung Kook feat. Latto, No. 1 (one week to-date), July 2023
“Like Crazy,” Jimin, No. 2, April 2023
“Left and Right,” Charlie Puth feat. Jung Kook, No. 2, July 2022
“That That,” PSY feat. SUGA, No. 2, May 2022
“Dreamers (Music From the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022),” Jung Kook, No. 4, December 2022
“The Astronaut,” Jin, No. 6, November 2022
“Set Me Free, Pt. 2,” Jimin, No. 8, April 2023
“Stay Alive,” Jung Kook, No. 8, February 2022
“Vibe,” TAEYANG feat. Jimin, No. 9, January 2023
“Seven” featured artist Latto likewise leads Global Excl. U.S. for the first time. Her lone prior charted title, “Big Energy,” reached No. 117 in May 2022.
Myke Towers’ “LaLa” recedes to No. 2 after a week atop Global Excl. U.S.; NewJeans’ “Super Shy” slides to No. 3, a week after it debuted at No. 2; YOASOBI’s “Idol” keeps at No. 4, following three nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 beginning in June; and Olivia Rodrigo’s “Vampire” backtracks 3-5, two weeks after it debuted at the summit.
The Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts (dated July 29, 2023) will update on Billboard.com Tuesday (July 25). For both charts, the top 100 titles are available to all readers on Billboard.com, while the complete 200-title rankings are visible on Billboard Pro, Billboard’s subscription-based service. For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.
Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.
