Chart Beat
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Taylor Swift’s Midnights (via EMI) is set to extend its reign in the U.K.
Based on midweek data published by the Official Charts Company, Swift’s tenth and latest studio album is on track for a fifth non-consecutive week at No. 1.
It’s already Swift’s longest-reigning album in the U.K., overtaking the three-week lead for 2020’s Folklore.
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Meanwhile, SZA holds at No. 2 on the midweek chart with SOS (RCA/Top Dawg), while The Weeknd’s The Highlights (Republic Records/XO) should complete the podium.
The highest debut on the next chart would appear to be Gabrielle Aplin’s Phosphorescent (Never Fade), the English singer-songwriter’s fourth LP. Phosphorescent lights up the Official Chart Update at No. 4, and should give Aplin her first top 10 since English Rain, her debut album which peaked at No. 2 back in 2013.
Also on the brink of a top 10 finish is punk legend Iggy Pop, whose 19th album Every Loser (Atlantic) is on track for a No. 9 start. If it holds its course, Iggy’s LP would be just his second top 10 appearance as a solo artist, after 2016’s Post Pop Depression peaked at No. 5.
Former The Maccabees frontman Orlando Weeks’ could nab a solo top 40 appearance with The Gritterman (Blood), the original soundtrack to his debut book of the same name. It’s at No. 36 on the midweek chart. The Maccabees landed four top 40 albums, including a No. 1 for 2015’s Marks To Prove It.
The Gritterman, first published as an ebook in 2017, and the following year in paperback, is described as “a song for the unsung hero” and “a bittersweet story about stoicism, dignity and a man leaving behind the work that he loves,” with illustrations by Weeks.
Over on the midweek singles chart, Lewis Capaldi’s “Pointless” (Vertigo) leapfrogs Raye’s current leader, “Escapsim” (Human Re Sources), in what’s shaping as a tight race.
All will be revealed when the Official Charts are published late Friday.
Lady Gaga’s 2011 Born This Way track “Bloody Mary” enters at No. 68 on the latest Billboard Hot 100 (dated Jan. 14).
The song debuts over a decade after its release thanks, initially, to hype on TikTok sparked by the new Netflix Addams Family spin-off series Wednesday, despite the fact that the song isn’t actually featured in the show. (TikTok does not presently contribute directly to Billboard‘s charts.)
In the series, the titular character appears in a dance sequence soundtracked by The Cramps’ 1981 single “Goo Goo Muck.” Fans took the clip to TikTok but replaced “Goo Goo Muck” with a sped-up version of “Bloody Mary,” which then went viral. The song has been used in nearly 4 million videos on the platform to date. Lady Gaga herself participated in the trend, in which she re-created the dance, garnering more than 12 million views.
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The song’s renewed attention has helped it steadily gain in recent weeks, leading to its Hot 100 arrival (also aided by the post-Christmas drop-off of holiday songs) with 6.1 million U.S. streams (up 13%), 4.3 million radio airplay audience impressions (up 28%) and 2,000 downloads sold in the Dec. 30-Jan. 5 tracking week, according to Luminate.
The track is now also being promoted by Interscope Records to pop radio. As such, it rises 36-32 on the Pop Airplay chart, becoming Lady Gaga’s 23rd entry at the format upon its debut two weeks earlier. Born This Way generated five Pop Airplay hits during its original run: “Born This Way” (No. 1 for a week in April 2011), “Judas” (No. 15), “The Edge of Glory” (No. 3), “You and I” (No. 7) and then “Marry the Night” (No. 14).
Born This Way debuted at No. 1 on the June 11, 2011-dated Billboard 200 and spent two weeks on top, marking Lady Gaga’s first of six No. 1 albums. It went on to receive Grammy nominations for album of the year and best pop vocal album.
“Bloody Mary” earns Lady Gaga her 36th career entry on the Hot 100, and first since last year’s Top Gun: Maverick anthem “Hold My Hand,” which reached No. 49. She has banked five No. 1s: “Just Dance,” featuring Colby O’Donis (2009), “Poker Face” (2009), “Born This Way” (2011), “Shallow, with Bradley Cooper (2019), and “Rain on Me,” with Ariana Grande (2020).
Wednesday premiered on Netflix on Nov. 23, and its effect on “Bloody Mary” was almost immediate. In the Nov. 25-Dec. 1 tracking week, the song surged 424% in official on-demand U.S. streams, from 526,000 to 2.7 million, and 955% in digital song sales.
Further, “Bloody Mary” hits new highs on the Jan. 14-dated Billboard Global Excl. U.S. (No. 28) and Billboard Global 200 (No. 31) charts, after it first reached the former tally’s top 40 in December.
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Rema and Selena Gomez’s “Calm Down” claims the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart, jumping from No. 8 and marking each act’s first leader on the list.
Plus, two songs reach the Global Excl. U.S. top 10 for the first time: NewJeans’ “Ditto,” up 11-4, and RAYE’s “Escapism,” featuring 070 Shake (32-9).
All songs in the top 10 of the latest Global Excl. U.S. chart, which reflects the Dec. 30-Jan. 5 tracking week, vault in rank as holiday hits melt away. (The only seasonal songs on the newest survey are Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” which tumbles from No. 1, where it has spent eight total weeks over the last three holiday seasons, to No. 169, and Wham!’s “Last Christmas,” down from its No. 2 high to No. 190.)
The Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts, which began 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 U.S.
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.
Rema and Selena Gomez’s “Calm Down” jumps from No. 8, besting its prior No. 4 high set in September, to No. 1 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart, with 53.3 million streams (essentially even week-over-week) and 4,000 downloads sold (up 18%) in territories outside the U.S. Dec. 30-Jan. 5. Nigeria native Rema (real name: Divine Ikubor) released the original version of the song last February as the second single from his debut solo LP, Rave & Roses. Its remix with Gomez arrived Aug. 26, and that version’s official video premiered Sept. 7.
Rema tops Global Excl. U.S. in his first appearance on the chart – and becomes the first act from Africa to reign. Gomez also lands her first leader, among two top 10s since the chart began, after “Ice Cream,” with BLACKPINK, ranked at its No. 6 high on the inaugural list in 2020.
Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ “Unholy” rebounds 12-2 on the Global Excl. U.S. chart, following eight weeks at No. 1 beginning in October, and David Guetta and Bebe Rexha’s “I’m Good (Blue)” jumps 16-3, after it reached No. 2 in September.
NewJeans’ “Ditto,” released Dec. 19, roars to No. 4, from its previous No. 11 peak, on Global Excl. U.S. with 41.9 million streams (up 12%) and 3,000 sold (up 35%) outside the U.S. Dec. 30-Jan. 5. The South Korean quintet, comprising members Danielle, Haerin, Hanni, Hyein and Minji, achieves its first top 10 on the chart, following prior entries “Attention” (No. 34 peak in August), “Cookie” (No. 198, August) and “Hype Boy” (No. 32, September).
Rounding out the Global Excl. U.S. top five, Harry Styles’ “As It Was” rises 19-5, following a record 13 weeks at No. 1 starting last April.
Elsewhere in the Global Excl. U.S. top 10, RAYE’s “Escapism,” featuring 070 Shake, soars 32-9, its new rank overtaking its prior No. 19 best, with 27.9 million streams (up 12%) and 2,000 sold (up 14%) outside the U.S. in the tracking week. British singer-songwriter RAYE and New Jersey native 070 Shake (aka Danielle Balbuena) each score their first top 10 hit on the chart, as the song simultaneously reaches No. 1 on the Jan. 14-dated Official UK Singles chart. “This is proof: back yourself, no matter what,” an emotional RAYE shared in a video posted to her social accounts of her accepting an award from the U.K.’s Official Charts Company in honor of the song’s coronation. “Thank you … this is mad. These are happy tears!”
The Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts (dated Jan. 14, 2023) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (Jan. 10). 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.
SZA’s “Kill Bill” surges to No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200 chart. The (thankfully fictitious) murder-confession song marks her first leader on the list.
Plus, two songs reach the Global 200’s top 10 for the first time: NewJeans’ “Ditto,” up 26-8, and RAYE’s “Escapism,” featuring 070 Shake (33-9).
All songs in the top 10 of the latest Global 200, which reflects the Dec. 30-Jan. 5 tracking week, bound in rank as holiday hits retreat. (The only seasonal song on the newest chart is Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” which falls from No. 1, where it has spent 13 total weeks over the last three holiday seasons, to No. 167.)
The Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts, which began 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 U.S.
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.
SZA’s “Kill Bill” bounds to No. 1, from No. 11, surpassing its prior No. 5 high set upon its debut three weeks earlier, on the Billboard Global 200 with 64 million streams (up 7%) and 2,000 sold (up 1%) worldwide Dec. 30-Jan. 5. The song becomes the first No. 1 for the St. Louis-born, New Jersey-raised singer-songwriter, among three top 10s. It’s from her album SOS, which notches a fourth week at No. 1 on the U.S.-based Billboard 200.
The song reigns despite the absence of its official video, although SZA teased a clip of it (“A film by Christian Breslauer”) Dec. 29.
Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ “Unholy” rebounds 13-2 on the Global 200, following four weeks at No. 1 beginning in October; David Guetta and Bebe Rexha’s “I’m Good (Blue)” jumps 28-3, after it reached No. 2 in September; Rema and Selena Gomez’s “Calm Down” climbs 17-4, besting its prior No. 5 high established in November; and Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero” lurches 20-5 following four weeks at the summit starting in November.
Elsewhere in the Global 200’s top 10, NewJeans’ “Ditto,” released Dec. 19, ascends to No. 8, from its previous No. 26 peak, with 46.5 million streams (up 12%) and 4,000 sold (up 41%) worldwide Dec. 30-Jan. 5. The South Korean quintet, comprising members Danielle, Haerin, Hanni, Hyein and Minji, earns its first top 10 on the chart, after prior entries “Hype Boy” and “Attention” hit Nos. 52 and 54, respectively, in September.
Plus, RAYE’s “Escapism,” featuring 070 Shake, soars 33-9 on the Global 200, outpacing its prior No. 24 best, with 38.5 million streams (up 13%) and 2,000 sold (up 11%) worldwide in the tracking week. British singer-songwriter RAYE and New Jersey native 070 Shake (aka Danielle Balbuena) each score their first top 10 on the tally, as the song concurrently hits No. 1 on the Jan. 14-dated Official UK Singles chart. “This is proof: back yourself, no matter what,” an emotional RAYE shared in a video posted to her social accounts of her accepting an award from the U.K.’s Official Charts Company in honor of the song’s coronation. “Thank you … this is mad. These are happy tears!”
The Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts (dated Jan. 14, 2023) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (Jan. 10). 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.
No problem: Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero” rebounds to No. 1 this week, from No. 8, on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart for a seventh total week on top. With this latest frame at the summit, Swift ties her longest Hot 100 command, first set by “Blank Space” in 2014-15.
Plus, David Guetta and Bebe Rexha’s “I’m Good (Blue)” blasts 19-4 on the Hot 100, notching its first week in the top five, and two songs soar to their first weeks in the top 10: The Weeknd’s “Die for You” (26-8) and Beyoncé’s “Cuff It” (38-10). The Weeknd achieves his 16th top 10 and Beyoncé banks her 21st.
All songs in the Hot 100’s top 10 surge in rank as holiday hits depart the chart (which reflects the Dec. 30-Jan. 5 tracking week). A week earlier, eight seasonal songs placed in the top 10, led by Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” which added its 12th total week at No. 1, the most for a holiday title in the chart’s 64-year history. This week is the third, following the 2019 and 2021 holiday seasons, in which the modern carol has left the list directly from No. 1, and it’s the only song to have made such a disappearance (with Carey having celebrated its first: “Worth it haaa another record!”)
The Hot 100 blends all-genre U.S. streaming (official audio and official video), radio airplay and sales data. All charts (dated Jan. 14, 2023) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (Jan. 10). For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.
“Anti-Hero,” released on Republic Records, tallied 83.8 million radio airplay audience impressions (up 4%), 17.2 million streams (up 2%) and 6,000 sold (down 1%) Dec. 30-Jan. 5, according to Luminate.
The single rebounds from No. 2 for a fourth week at No. 1 on the Digital Song Sales chart; rules Radio Songs for a third week; and soars 37-4 after two weeks atop Streaming Songs.
As “Anti-Hero” tops the Hot 100 for a seventh week, Swift matches her longest reign: “Blank Space” dominated for seven frames in 2014-15. Here’s a look at the weeks at No. 1 for her nine leaders:
Weeks at No. 1, Title, Date Reached No. 1:7, “Anti-Hero,” Nov. 5, 20227, “Blank Space,” Nov. 29, 20144, “Shake It Off,” Sept. 6, 20143, “Look What You Made Me Do,” Sept. 16, 20173, “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” Sept. 1, 20121, “All Too Well (Taylor’s Version),” Nov. 27, 20211, “Willow,” Dec. 26, 20201, “Cardigan,” Aug. 8, 20201, “Bad Blood,” feat. Kendrick Lamar, June 6, 2015
“Anti-Hero” debuted atop the Hot 100 as Swift made history as the first artist to monopolize the chart’s entire top 10 in a single week, with all tracks all from her album Midnights.
Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ “Unholy” jumps 10-2 on the Hot 100, after it topped the Oct. 29-dated chart.
SZA’s “Kill Bill” rebounds to its No. 3 Hot 100 high, from No. 11, as it leads Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot R&B Songs, which use the same methodology as the Hot 100, for a fourth week each. The track is from her album SOS, which claims a fourth week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. The song gains despite the absence of its official video, although SZA teased a clip of it (“A film by Christian Breslauer”) Dec. 29.
David Guetta and Bebe Rexha’s “I’m Good (Blue)” roars 19-4 on the Hot 100, surpassing its prior No. 7 high. Guetta ties his best career rank, previously established by “Without You,” featuring Usher, in 2011 and “Turn Me On,” featuring Nicki Minaj, in 2012. Guetta has also hit the top five with “Sexy Chick,” featuring Akon (No. 5, 2010). Rexha adds her second top five entry, following “Meant to Be,” with Florida Georgia Line (No. 2, 2018). “Good” concurrently crowns the multi-metric Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart for a 16th week.
Notably, “Good” bests the Hot 100 peak of the song that it interpolates for its basis: Eiffel 65’s “Blue (Da Ba Dee),” which hit No. 6 in January 2000.
Drake and 21 Savage’s “Rich Flex” reverses course, 21-5, on the Hot 100, after spending its first three weeks on the chart at its No. 2 best beginning in November. The collab controls the multi-metric Hot Rap Songs chart for an eighth week.
Metro Boomin, The Weeknd and 21 Savage’s “Creepin’ ” leaps 22-6 on the Hot 100, after it debuted at its No. 5 high in December, and Harry Styles’ “As It Was” soars 31-7, following 15 weeks at No. 1 beginning last April, the fourth-longest reign in the chart’s history.
The Weeknd’s “Die for You” vaults 26-8 on the Hot 100, led by 67.3 million in airplay audience (up 3%) and 9.9 million streams (up 10%).
The song hits the Hot 100’s top 10 over six years after its original release on The Weeknd’s album Starboy, sparked by interaction on TikTok (which does not presently contribute to Billboard‘s charts). That buzz helped lead to the song’s airplay promotion and prominence, as the track holds at its No. 4 Radio Songs high.
Despite its 2016 arrival, Hit Songs Deconstructed (which analyzes the compositional traits of Hot 100 top 10s) notes that “Die for You” “fits in with the recent uptick of synth-heavy top 10s, which doubled between 2020 and 2022 to nearly one-quarter of such songs, and the continued popularity of R&B, which has held steady in half of all top 10s over the past two years.”
The Weeknd ups his career count to 16 Hot 100 top 10s, while Starboy generates its third, after the title cut topped the chart for a week in January 2017, becoming his third of six No. 1s, and “I Feel It Coming” hit No. 4 that April, with both songs featuring Daft Punk.
Steve Lacy’s “Bad Habit” rebounds 30-9 on the Hot 100, following three weeks at No. 1 in October. It concurrently tops the multi-metric Hot Rock & Alternative Songs, Hot Rock Songs and Hot Alternative Songs charts for a 20th week each.
Rounding out the Hot 100’s top 10, Beyoncé’s “Cuff It” soars 38-10, with 55.8 million in radio reach (up 4%), 8.3 million streams (up 22%) and 3,000 sold (up 16%).
Beyoncé achieves her 21st Hot 100 top 10 as a soloist. She scores her second from her latest album, Renaissance, after “Break My Soul” spent two weeks at No. 1 beginning in August. The set is her first to spin off multiple top 10s since I Am…Sasha Fierce yielded four in 2008-09: “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” (No. 1, four weeks), “If I Were a Boy” (No. 3), “Halo” (No. 5) and “Sweet Dreams” (No. 10).
Notably, Destiny’s Child, with Beyoncé as a member, tallied 10 Hot 100 top 10s, in 1998-2005. When “Break My Soul” hit the tier in August, the superstar joined elite company among acts with at least 20 solo top 10s and 10 in a group – and became the first woman to achieve the feat. Michael Jackson notched 30 solo top 10s and 11 in Jackson 5/The Jacksons, while Paul McCartney boasts 23 solo (including his output with Wings) and 34 in The Beatles. (In a reverse of the feat, The Supremes scored 20 top 10s, including six billed as by Diana Ross & The Supremes, and Ross went on to tally 12 as a soloist.)
Again, for all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram and all charts (dated Jan. 14), including the Hot 100 in its entirety, will refresh on Billboard.com tomorrow (Jan. 10).
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.
A star is born in Raye, whose “Escapism” is the first U.K. No. 1 of 2023 – and the first of her career.
Based on early chart data, “Escapism” is heading for a second week in the box seat, though Lewis Capaldi could stage an upset.
Featuring U.S. rapper 070 Shake, “Escapism” leads the Official Charts Company’s First Look survey, which ranks singles based on the first 48 hours in the cycle.
“Escapism” is lifted from Raye’s upcoming debut album My 21st Century Blues, alongside “Hard Out Here,” “Black Mascara” and “The Thrill Is Gone,” and is released independently through Human Re Sources, after she cut ties with Polydor, part of Universal Music Group, in 2021.
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“We are Number 1 in the U.K.! It’s the first Number 1 of the year, it’s my first Number 1 in my life. I’m an independent artist, this is sickening,” she tells the OCC.
Capaldi has plans of his own. The Scottish singer (and Raye’s touring mate) soars 15-2 with “Pointless,” co-written by Ed Sheeran.
Just 2,000 combined units currently separate the two best-sellers.
The chart race has some added spice. Just last week, Raye announced that Capaldi has welcomed her on his U.K. tour, which kicks off Jan. 14 at Leeds’ First Direct Arena. Capaldi is “kindly letting me open his UK arena tour, I get to sing you some songs from my album on these huge stages just before it’s released,” Raye tweeted. “I am so grateful for this opportunity.”
The lovely man @lewiscapaldi is kindly letting me open his UK arena tour, I get to sing you some songs from my album on these huge stages just before it’s released 🥹🫀 I am so grateful for this opportunity thanks Lewis ♥️ xxx pic.twitter.com/0fOUjT0GKH— RAYE (@raye) January 4, 2023
Meanwhile, Stormzy’s “Hide & Seek” is juiced-up by a new remix featuring BRITs Rising Star and BBC Sound Of 2023 winners Flo. The grime star’s tune is set to rise 18-14.
The runner-up in the BBC Sound Of 2023 poll, Fred Again, could have the week’s highest new entry with “Rumble,” a collaboration with Skrillex and Flowdan. It’s forecast to arrive at No. 16, for what would be Skrillex’s fourth, Fred Again’s third, and Flowdan’s first top 40 appearance.
The Official U.K. Single Chart is published late Friday.
Raye ascends the U.K. singles chart for the very first time with “Escapism,” while Taylor Swift snags another albums chart crown.
A teary Raye celebrated her spectacular result on social media. It’s a moment that carries extra significance for an artist who, in 2021, publicly cut ties with her major label after claiming she’d been shelved and overlooked for years.
Released through Human Re Sources, J. Erving’s distribution and artist services company, “Escapism” is one of several singles Raye has dropped in recent months ahead of her upcoming debut album My 21st Century Blues, alongside “Hard Out Here,” “Black Mascara” and “The Thrill Is Gone.”
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The most-streamed song for the latest chart U.K. chart week, with 5.6 million streams, “Escapism,” featuring U.S. rapper 070 Shake, is Raye’s tenth top 40 single, and first U.K. top 10 as lead artist.
Meanwhile, SZA lands her first solo top 10 in the U.K. (and third overall) with “Kill Bill” (up 32-4 via RCA/Top Dawg), while Bugzy Malone and TeeDee also earn their first spot in the top 10, as “Out of Nowhere” (BSomebody) lifts 38-9.
The Christmas music exodus is in full force, which powers a string of singles to new peaks on the latest chart, published Jan. 6. They include Lewis Capaldi’s “Pointless” (up 60-15 via Vertigo); Tiesto & Tate McRae’s “10:35” (up 80-18 via Atlantic/Ministry of Sound); Lady Gaga’s Born This Way-era recording “Bloody Mary (up 74-22 via Interscope); which is powered by a viral TikTok dance sensation inspired by Wednesday star Jenna Ortega; and Australian singer-songwriter Dean Lewis’s tear-jerker “How Do I Say Goodbye” (up 86-23 via Universal Music Australia).
Over on the national albums survey, Swift secures the first No. 1 for 2023 with Midnights.
By racking-up four non-consecutive weeks at the top, Midnights surpasses Swift’s 2020 effort folklore as her longest reigning LP in the U.K.
Brits love the U.S. pop star in 2023 just as much as they did in 2022. Midnights is one of five Swift studio albums in the top 40 — folklore (No. 22), 1989 (No. 24), Lover (No. 35) and Reputation (No. 40).
SZA’s SOS makes it a month at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, as the album spends a fourth straight and total week atop the list (dated Jan. 14). It earned 125,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in the week ending Jan. 5 (down 2%), according to Luminate.
SOS is the first album by a woman to spend its first four weeks at No. 1 in a year, since Adele’s 30 ruled for its first six weeks (Dec. 4, 2021 through Jan. 8, 2022-dated charts) and is the first album by a woman to have four consecutive weeks at No. 1 since 30’s six week-run at No. 1.
SOS is also the first R&B album by a woman to have four weeks at No. 1 since February of 2008, when Alicia Keys’ As I Am notched a fourth and final nonconsecutive week atop the list (Feb. 16, 2008). More strikingly, SOS is the first R&B album by a woman to spend its first four weeks at No. 1 in nearly 30 years, since Janet Jackson’s janet. ruled for its first six frames (June 5-July 10, 1993). (R&B albums are defined as those that have hit or are eligible for Billboard’s Top R&B Albums chart.)
Also in the top 10: holiday albums vacate the region (and chart) entirely after five dotted the top 10 a week ago, while ATEEZ notches its second top 10-charting album, as Spin Off: From the Witness debuts at No. 7.
The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. The new Jan. 14, 2023-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on Jan. 10. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.
Of SOS’ 125,000 equivalent album units earned, SEA units comprise 121,500 (down 4%, equaling 162.42 million on-demand official streams of the set’s tracks), album sales comprise 3,000 (up 289%) and TEA units comprise 500 (down 7%). SOS got a sales boost following the release of two new digital album variants of the set, released late on Jan. 5 exclusively in SZA’s Top Dawg Entertainment webstore. The two versions included two bonus tracks (“PSA” and a solo version of the album’s “Open Arms”) and sold for $4.99 each, and one of them boasted alternative cover art. SZA promoted the release on her social media, including her official Twitter.
The rest of the top six on the Billboard 200 consists of former No. 1s. Taylor Swift’s Midnights is a non-mover at No. 2 (117,000 equivalent album units; up 10%). The set’s album sales grew by 7% for the week (to 58,000) following the release of four new digital album variants in Swift’s webstore for one day only on Jan. 5. Each had alternative cover art, an exclusive bonus track (a short “behind the song” commentary from Swift about one of four different songs on the album) and sold for $4.99 each. The four alternative covers, if combined, would complete a clock face image – similar to the back covers of her CD and vinyl LP variants. Swift promoted the limited-time offer in her Instagram Stories.
Metro Boomin’s Heroes & Villains rises 4-3 (57,000 equivalent album units; down 2%), Drake and 21 Savage’s Her Loss bumps 6-4 (52,000; up 4%), Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti climbs 7-5 (50,000; up 4%) and Morgan Wallen’s Dangerous: The Double Album jumps 11-6 (42,000; up 6%).
ATEEZ collect its second top 10-charting album on the Billboard 200 as Spin Off: From the Witness debuts at No. 7. The set starts with 41,500 equivalent album units earned. Of that sum, album sales comprise 40,000; SEA units comprise 1,500 (equaling 2.11 million on-demand official streams of the set’s tracks) and TEA units comprise a negligible sum.
CDs comprise a little over 39,000 of Spin Off’s sales for the week, while digital album purchases comprise 1,000. Like many K-pop releases, the CD configuration of Spin Off was issued in collectible deluxe packages (six), each with a standard set of items and randomized elements (photocards and posters).
ATEEZ previously visited the top 10 with The World EP.1: Movement last June, debuting and peaking at No. 3.
Rounding out the Billboard 200’s new top 10: Zach Bryan’s American Heartbreak (22-8 with 33,000 equivalent album units; up 12%), Lil Baby’s chart-topping It’s Only Me (20-9 with 32,000; up 6%) and Harry Styles’ former No. 1 Harry’s House (19-10 with 29,000; down 4%). Bryan continues to benefit from his guest appearance in the Dec. 18 episode of the hit show Yellowstone, which has prominently featured his music in previous episodes.
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.
RAYE landed her very first No. 1 hit in the U.K. on Friday (Jan. 6) with her latest single “Escapism,” featuring 070 Shake.
“This is proof [you should] back yourself, no matter what,” the indie artist said through tears in a video posted to her socials of her accepting the award from the U.K.’s Official Charts Company. “Thank you, this is mad. These are happy tears!”
The pop-rap collab with 070 Shake is just one of several singles the British singer-songwriter has dropped in recent months ahead of her upcoming debut album My 21st Century Blues, alongside “Hard Out Here,” “Black Mascara” and “The Thrill Is Gone.” In tandem with its chart-topping success in her native U.K., “Escapism” also became RAYE’s first single to chart on the Billboard Hot 100, so far peaking at No. 72 (chart dated Dec. 31).
Earlier in December, the track turned into a bona fide global hit thanks to going viral on TikTok and soared into the top 40 on both the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. and Billboard Global 200 charts. The song benefited from a release strategy that included both sped-up and slowed-down versions, as well as a live recording.
RAYE’s initial success on the Billboard charts came in the Dance/Electronic genre. Since 2016, she’s notched 14 entries on the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart with two landing in the top 10: 2020’s “Secrets” with Regard and 2021’s “Bed” with Joel Corry and David Guetta. (Her collab with Regard also became a minor crossover hit on the Pop Airplay chart by peaking just inside the top 40 at No. 39.)
Watch Raye tearfully accept her U.K. No. 1 for “Escapism” below.