State Champ Radio Chart Beat
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Gunna bursts in at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart with fourth studio album A Gift & a Curse on the list dated July 1. The set, released June 16 on Gunna/Young Stoner Life/300/3EE, enters with 85,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending June 22, according to Luminate. […]
Well that was quick. Just two weeks ago, Billboard was lamenting the lack of women at the top of the midyear Boxscore report but looking forward to the slew of female acts slated to storm the rankings throughout the rest of the year. And now, Beyoncé becomes the first woman at No. 1 on Top Tours in almost four years.
According to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore, the first nine shows of the Renaissance World Tour — between May 10-30 — earned $67.5 million and sold 461,000 tickets. That makes Beyoncé the highest grossing act of the month.
The last time a woman-identifying act crowned the list, P!nk ever so narrowly edged out The Rolling Stones in July 2019 with a similar run of European stadiums. P!nk had previously topped the list in March of that year, with the Spice Girls sneaking in between in June. The four-year break between them includes the blackout period of COVID-19, but still marks a breathless stretch of 28 monthly reports dominated by male acts.
Further, Beyoncé is the first Black artist, regardless of gender, to hit the monthly summit since the charts launched in February 2019. Extending beyond the launch of these rankings, the last to do so was Queen Bey herself, co-headlining with Jay-Z on 2018’s On the Run II Tour. They earned $53.1 million and sold 404,000 tickets in September of that year.
The Renaissance World Tour’s $60 million-plus haul makes it the 10th tour to break that barrier. It’s the sixth biggest monthly gross since the charts premiered, only behind Bad Bunny (twice), The Rolling Stones, Def Leppard and Motley Crue, and The Weeknd.
Beyoncé’s nine shows in May were spread across seven markets in Europe. All seven reports appear on Top Boxscores, led by two dates at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Those shows earned $16.9 million and sold 96,000 tickets, enough to rank No. 3.
But the engagement’s bronze medal is more a quirk of timing than a failure to lead the list. She played five shows there, but three of them fell in June, and those will qualify for next month’s recap. In total, the quintet of concerts earned $42.2 million and sold 240,000 tickets. That makes it the seventh highest grossing reported Boxscore of all time, and the highest among women artists, passing the Spice Girls’ 17-show haul at London’s own O2 Arena ($33.8 million; 257,000 tickets) in 2007-08.
Elsewhere, Beyoncé posted eight-digit earnings in Solna, Sweden, grossing $10.7 million on the tour’s first two shows (May 10-11) and at Paris’ Stade de France with $10.1 million. Those follow at Nos. 11-12 on Top Boxscores, ahead of one-night-only concerts in Edinburgh, Scotland (No. 14); Cardiff, Wales (No. 21); Brussels, Belgium (No. 22); and Sunderland, England (No. 24).
Beyoncé’s omnipresence on the May report extends to Top Promoters, pushing Live Nation above $400 million and four million tickets. And three venues from her routing appear on the 10-position Top Stadiums chart, including Tottenham Hotspur Stadium at No. 7, powered solely by its two Renaissance shows.
Only halfway through her voyage through Europe, Renaissance’s $67.5 million from May fast approaches the continental totals from On the Run II and Beyoncé’s solo The Formation World Tour, each of which grossed $87 million across the pond. With more figures reported for June, she’s already blown past both of those tours with more than $150 million in the bank.
Coldplay follows at No. 2 on Top Tours, earning $54.8 million. That gross features its own monthly split, with one show at Manchester’s Etihad Stadium on May 31, leaving three others to chart on next month’s recap. Elsewhere, the band played four-show runs at Barcelona’s Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys and in Coimbra, Portugal, at Estadio Cidade de Coimbra. Those line up at Nos. 1-2 on Top Boxscores, with Barcelona topping out at $27.3 million.
Coldplay edged out Beyoncé in terms of monthly attendance, but just barely. Chris Martin & Co. sold 482,000 tickets, 4% ahead of Bey’s 461,000.
Harry Styles and Elton John mix in the top five, at Nos. 3 and 5, respectively. Both Brits are scheduled to wrap their respective yearslong tours in July, clearing space for some of the summer’s biggest acts. Some of those make their Top Tours debuts, including Blink-182 at No. 4. The first batch of the pop-punk’s reunion tour grossed $37.1 million in North American arenas.
After popping in at No. 25 in December 2019, Shania Twain makes her post-pandemic return at No. 6, barely under $30 million with $29.7 million and 249,000 tickets. The Queen of Me Tour continues in North America through the end of July before shipping off to Europe in September.
Also hitting the top 10 for the first time are SUGA at No. 7 (previously listed as Agust D on the April report) and Janet Jackson at No. 10. Both acts blow past the $20 million mark with shows in arenas and amphitheaters.
Deeper on Top Tours, 24 acts grossed $10 million or more, eclipsing the 23 of last September. At the onset of the summer season, with stadiums and amphitheaters opening, expect grosses to continue to surge.
She make it look easy, ‘cause she got it. Earlier on Thursday (June 29), Billboard reported that the first nine shows of Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour made her the top-grossing touring act of May. But there’s more! She wrapped the European leg of the tour Wednesday night in Warsaw, posting career-high blockbuster numbers. According to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore, Beyoncé grossed $154.4 million and sold 1 million tickets across 21 shows.
Not only is that a huge number that resists qualification, it’s the biggest gross and attendance of any of Beyoncé’s previous European legs. On 2016’s The Formation World Tour and 2018’s On the Run II Tour (co-headlined with Jay-Z), she earned $87 million, marking a 77% bump on her recent stint.
The so-far $154 million-plus total from 21 shows over two months is more than any artist made in the six-month window that defined Billboard’s midyear report. Of course, Harry Styles, Elton John and other acts atop those charts continue to add to their hauls, but it bodes well that the Renaissance World Tour isn’t even half done, putting it in immediate contention for year-end honors.
The tour’s attendance of 1.05 million improves upon 871,000 in 2018 and 867,000 in 2016. It’s the first time that any leg of any solo Beyoncé tour broke the seven-digit milestone.
Of the 14 markets Beyoncé hit, 12 of them yielded local records. That includes the biggest gross in the history of London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Warsaw’s PGE Narodowy, plus the attendance record at Tottenham. Elsewhere, she set highs for single-night engagements and broke ground among women and Black artists throughout Europe.
The obvious standout of the European shows was a five-night run in London, earning $42.2 million from 240,000 tickets. It instantly blasts in to the all-time top 10 Boxscores, ranked seventh behind two engagements apiece from Harry Styles, Take That and Coldplay. That makes it the single biggest report by a woman, a Black artist, or by any act from the United States.
Further, Beyoncé broke the $10 million barrier with double-headers in Solna, Sweden; Amsterdam; and Warsaw. She scored one more eight-figure show with one night at Paris’ Stade de France. The $10.1 million is slightly off from the $10.9 million from On the Run II, but consider that the 2018 gross came from two shows, matching 92% of that gross with just one show in 2023.
These 21 shows push Beyoncé’s reported career gross to $921.7 million and attendance to 9.9 million. But she’s not done for the near future.
The Renaissance World Tour continues with 36 shows in the U.S. and Canada, kicking off on July 8-9 in Toronto. If Beyoncé continues at this pace, the North American leg would gross $264 million and sell 1.8 million tickets. That leg alone would pass the global total of The Formation World Tour to become the biggest of Beyoncé’s career, though it’d make for a worldwide total of about $415 million and 2.8 million tickets.
On that 2016 run, Beyoncé paced $5.3 million in North America, compared to $5.1 million in Europe, indicating that those estimates could be slightly low. Her Renaissance grosses leapt by 44% in Europe from her previous solo tour, but post-pandemic results across the industry have exacerbated an existing ticket-price gap between the continents. Despite typically smaller capacities, North American stadium grosses have ballooned in a more extreme way than in Europe, which could push Beyoncé’s totals even higher.
Final results will depend on final pricing via the dynamics of a post-pandemic ticketing ecosystem. But it is more than safe to say that Beyoncé will soar beyond $1 billion and 10 million tickets in career figures due to her biggest tour ever.
Sure, proper country songs had been absent from the top of the Hot 100 for quite sometime prior to Wallen’s reign, but that doesn’t mean the genre’s sound and aesthetics weren’t present in mainstream music and pop culture, especially when it comes to the work of Black and queer artists.
Obviously, “Old Town Road” is the lightning rod moment — its fusion of country and trap helped keep country sonic motifs present on top 40 radio, and the Billy Ray Cyrus remix gave it an extra dose of country legitimacy — but there were other moments and artists doing similar work. Megan Thee Stallion, a Houston, Texas native, has consistently employed Southern aesthetics in her artistry and music. The Grammy Award-winning rapper frequently sports cowboy hats, she teamed up with Fashion Nova for a 100-piece cowboy-themed collection, and she recently presented Shania Twain the Equal Pay Award at the 2023 CMT Music Awards.
Beyoncé, another Houston native, made a big splash at the 50th Annual Country Music Association Awards back in 2016 with the live performance of her The Chicks-assisted “Daddy Lessons” remix. Lizzo, a Detroit native who moved to Houston with her family when she was a child, similarly flaunts her Texas pride with tons of fringe and cowboy hats. She even gave her own spin on country-pop with “If You Love Me,” a deep cut from her Grammy-nominated Special album.
Just this year, the Broadway musical Shucked! — which features original music and lyrics from award-winning country music songwriters Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally — earned star Alex Newell a history-making Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical. Album cuts from R&B stars Chlöe (“Cheatback”) and 6LACK (“Testify”), two artists with roots in Atlanta, Georgia, feature obvious nods to the guitar-based production and narrative-centric songwriting of country music.
The past decade has also seen pop stars like Justin Timberlake, Kelly Clarkson, Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, and P!nk dip their toes into country music, as well as a handful of country songs (Sam Hunt’s “Body Like a Backroad,” Chris Stapleton’s “Tennessee Whiskey,” etc.) that proved to be sizable and enduring cultural moments. Nonetheless, the increased visibility of country music and Southern aesthetics across a diverse collection of Black and queer artists has helped mainstream ears and minds become a bit more open to the sounds and styles of country music, hence the genre’s recent rebound in popularity amongst a general public that might have been less tuned-in to Nashville happenings in decades prior.
Kanii’s Exiit arrives at No. 10 on Billboard’s Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart dated July 1. The eight-track set earned 4,000 equivalent album units in the June 16-22 tracking week, according to Luminate.
It’s the first appearance on any Billboard album chart for the TikTok-fueled Kanii, whose “Heart Racing” with Riovaz and Nimstarr, reached No. 13 in early June on the multimetric Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart.
Previously, Kanii’s “I Know” hit No. 19 on Hot Rap Songs, No. 29 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and No. 90 on the Billboard Hot 100 in April. Kanii hit a No. 15 high on the Emerging Artists chart the same month.
“This is truly insane,” the Washington, D.C.-based teen told Billboard upon learning of his recent Hot 100 bow. “To see my creation thrive and prosper this early in my career, I am forever grateful for this accomplishment.”
‘Smash’-ing Start
Pet Shop Boys also debut on Top Dance/Electronic Albums, as Smash: The Singles 1985-2020 opens at No. 14 (3,000 units). It’s the pair’s 16th appearance on the survey, tying for the sixth most dating to the chart’s 2001 inception; among duos or groups, the tandem trails only The Happy Boys (18).
The set – also new at No. 4 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart – expands Pet Shop Boys’ Billboard chart history to beyond 37 years, as the act first reached rankings in March 1986 with its eventual Hot 100 No. 1 classic, “West End Girls,” the first song on the new collection of remastered songs.
New Top 10s
Elsewhere, TELYkast and Georgia Ku’s “You Got Me” rises 11-8 on Dance/Mix Show Airplay. The fourth top 10 for each act is drawing core-dance airplay on Music Choice’s Dance/EDM channel, iHeartRadio’s Evolution network and SiriusXM’s BPM, among other outlets.
Plus, Sigala.’s “Feels This Good” featuring Mae Muller, Caity Baser and Stefflon Don pushes 12-9 on Dance/Mix Show Airplay. It’s the seventh top 10 for Sigala. and the first for each featured act. (The Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart measures radio airplay on a select group of full-time dance stations, along with plays during mix shows on around 60 top 40-formatted reporters.)
The all-star team comprising LIT Killah, Tiago Pzk, Maria Becerra, Duki, Emilia, Rusherking, Big One and FMK rule the Billboard Argentina Hot 100 chart as “Los Del Espacio” holds steady for a third week on the June 24-dated ranking.
It’s the fifth song to rule the ranking for at least three weeks or more in 2023. Here’s the leaderboard:
Weeks at No. 1, Title, Artists7, “En La Intimidad” Emilia, Big One & Callejero Fino5, “Un Finde: Big One CROSSOVER #2,” Ke Personajes, Big One & FMK4, “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53,” Bizarrap & Shakira3, “M.A (Mejores Amigos),” BM, Callejero Fino, La Joaqui & Lola Índigo3, “Los Del Espacio,” LIT Killah, Tiago Pzk, Maria Becerra, Duki, Emilia, Rusherking & Big One
Big One and FMK concurrently occupy the No. 2 slot as “Un Finde,” with Ke Personajes, remains at the runner-up slot for a sixth week after its five-week domination starting the April 22-dating ranking.
BM’s “M. A. (Mejores Amigos)” with Callejero Fino, La Joaqui and Lola Indigo holds at No. 3 for a third week, while Maria Becerra and Ráfaga’s “Adiós” rebounds to its No. 4 high. Plus, YNG Lvcas and Peso Pluma’s “La Bebe” advances 6-5.
The Hot Shot Debut of the week goes to Bizarrap and Rauw Alejandro’s “Rauw Alejandro: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 56” at No 54. Meanwhile, Ke Personajes’ “Adios Amor / Oye Mujer” takes home the Greatest Gainer trophy with an 83-70 surge.
Elsewhere, Yandel, Feid and Daddy Yankee each add a career chart entry as “Yankee 150” bows at No. 75.
Three other songs debut this week, starting with Emilia’s “Guerrero.Mp3” at No. 88, following with Rusherking’s “Intensidad” at No. 97, and Miranda! and Andres Calamaro’s pair-up, “Tu Mentiroso Alguien” opens at No. 100.
For the last 16 weeks, one label has topped the Billboard 200 – Republic Records. That marks the longest streak for any label at No. 1 since 1998, when the Titanic soundtrack kept the Sony Classical label afloat at No. 1, also for 16 weeks.
Republic has led the chart since the March 18-dated tally, when Morgan Wallen’s One Thing at a Time (released via Big Loud/Mercury/Republic) debuted at No. 1. That album spent 12 weeks in a row at No. 1, and then stepped aside on the June 10 and 17 charts when Taylor Swift’s Midnights (on Republic) returned to the top and Stray Kids’ 5-STAR (JYP/Imperial/Republic) debuted at No. 1, respectively. One Thing at a Time then returned to No. 1 for the last two weeks (June 24 and July 1 charts).
Sony Classical was the last label to rule the Billboard 200 for 16 straight weeks – and it did so with just one album: the Titanic soundtrack. From the Jan. 24 through May 9, 1998-dated charts, the Titanic album sailed at No. 1 (the entirety of its run in the top spot).
Republic could capture a 17th straight week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 (on the July 8 chart, the top 10 of which is slated to be announced Sunday, July 2). The last label to hold the No. 1 spot for 17 weeks was Mercury, in 1992, when Billy Ray Cyrus’ Some Gave All logged 17 consecutive frames at No. 1 (June 13-Oct. 3, 1992, the entirety of its weeks at No. 1).
Mercury Records was founded in 1945 and continued to operate as a label until the late 1990s. It was reactivated in 2007 but went dormant again in the mid-2010s. Most recently, in 2022, it was relaunched as an imprint of Republic Records. As for Republic, the company debuted as a label in 1995, co-founded by brothers Avery and Monte Lipman. Today, they are Republic’s chief operating officer and chief executive officer, respectively.
If Republic can manage a 17th and then an 18th week in a row at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 (on the July 15 chart), it would mark the longest reign for a label since Capitol claimed the top slot for 18 straight frames with M.C. Hammer’s Please Hammer Don’t Hurt ‘Em in 1990 (on the July 7-Nov. 3, 1990-dated lists). Please Hammer spent a total of 21 nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1.
One Thing at a Time recently made news as the album with the most total weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 (14) since Adele’s 21 (released via XL/Columbia Records) collected 24 nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 in 2011-12. That 24 weeks in the lead for 21 were pieced together through 10 different stays atop the list, none of which were long enough to give XL or Columbia 16 weeks in a row atop the list.
YOASOBI‘s “Idol” extends its stay atop the Billboard Japan Hot 100 to 11 weeks on the chart dated June 28, tallying the week from June 19 to 25. The CD version of the Oshi no Ko opener went on sale during this chart week, selling 53,589 copies to come in at No. 2 for the […]
Gerardo Coronel picks-up his first No. 1 on a Billboard chart as “Que Onda Perdida,” with Grupo Firme, rises from No. 2 to lead the Regional Mexican Airplay chart (dated July 1). “Que Onda Perdida” lands at the summit with 9 million in audience impressions — a 14% gain from the week prior — earned […]
For the first time, country songs occupy the top two spots on Billboard’s Streaming Songs chart.
Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” crowns the July 1-dated survey, leading for a 14th week. But it’s Luke Combs’ cover of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car” that rises 4-2 to complete the distinction.
“Last Night” earned 29.8 million official U.S. streams in the June 16-22 tracking week, up 1%, while “Fast Car” racked up 21.2 million streams, a 4% boost, according to Luminate.
It’s the first time that the top two of Streaming Songs, which began in 2013, is made up of country songs. Previously, the genre claimed two of the top three multiple times over the holidays, most recently via this year’s Jan. 7 survey when Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” crowned the tally and Bobby Helms’ “Jingle Bell Rock” ranked at No. 3.
Removing holiday songs, this week marks the first in which country songs have infused two of the top three on Streaming Songs, let alone the top two.
“Fast Car” becomes Combs’ second track to reach a career-best No. 2 on Streaming Songs, following “Forever After All,” which debuted at the spot in November 2020. In between the two songs, Combs’ hit a No. 5 high with “Love You Anyway” this February.
In all, the country genre claims four of the top 10 on the July 1-dated list. Below the top two are Zach Bryan’s “Something in the Orange” (No. 7; 15.6 million streams) and Wallen’s “Thinkin’ Bout Me” (No. 8; 14.4 million). Country last had a higher share of the top 10 on the March 25 survey thanks to five Wallen titles, led by “Last Night.”
“Last Night” and “Fast Car” concurrently rank at Nos. 1 and 2 on Country Streaming Songs for a 10th straight week, dating back to the April 29 tally.
As previously reported, the songs also rank at Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, on the multimetric Billboard Hot 100, marking the first time that country songs have held the top two simultaneously in over 42 years.
