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Morgan Wallen’s blockbuster country collection Dangerous: The Double Album rules as the No. 1 album of the first 25 years of the 21st century, as it crowns Billboard’s Top Billboard 200 Albums of the 21st Century chart. The 200-position ranking recaps performance on the weekly Billboard 200 albums chart from the start of 2000 through the end of 2024.
After debuting at No. 1 on the weekly list dated Jan. 23, 2021, Dangerous: The Double Album remained on top through the chart dated March 27, 2021, becoming the first album to spend its first 10 weeks at No. 1 since 1987, when Whitney Houston’s Whitney logged all 11 of its weeks in the lead from its debut.
Dangerous: The Double Album, Wallen’s second-full length, has continued to rack up chart feats since its buzzy arrival. When it reached its 86th week in the Billboard 200’s top 10 in September 2022, it surpassed Peter, Paul and Mary’s self-titled set (85 weeks in 1962-64) for the most time spent in the tier among albums by individual acts since the chart began publishing on a regular weekly basis in March 1956.
Through the Dec. 28, 2024-dated Billboard 200 (the final week tabulated for the 21st century charts), Dangerous: The Double Album compiled 158 weeks in the top 10. Only one album has logged more weeks in the region: the original cast recording of My Fair Lady, with 173 in 1956-60.
Meanwhile, Wallen claims two of the top 10 titles on the Top Billboard 200 Albums of the 21st Century chart, as his third studio set, and most recent release, One Thing at a Time, ranks at No. 6. Plus, his debut full-length, If I Know Me, places on the Top Billboard 200 Albums of the 21st Century chart at No. 159.
Below, run down the leading titles on Billboard’s Top Billboard 200 Albums of the 21st Century chart. Also browse highlights of Billboard’s Top Artists of the 21st Century chart and the entire 100-position ranking in Billboard’s charts menu and check back tomorrow (Jan. 10) for the premiere of Billboard’s Top Hot 100 Songs of the 21st Century chart.
Billboard’s Top Artists, Top Billboard 200 Albums and Top Hot 100 Songs of the 21st Century recaps reflect performance on weekly charts dated Jan. 1, 2000, through Dec. 28, 2024. The Top Artists category ranks the best-performing acts in that span based on activity on the Billboard 200 and Billboard Hot 100. (Titles released prior to mid-1999 are excluded, although such entries that appeared on the Billboard 200 or Hot 100 in that span contribute to the calculation of the Top Artists chart.)
Lady Gaga, The Fame
Welcome to Billboard Pro’s Trending Up newsletter, where we take a closer look at the songs, artists, curiosities and trends that have caught the music industry’s attention. Some have come out of nowhere, others have taken months to catch on, and all of them could become ubiquitous in the blink of a TikTok clip.
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This week: Timothée Chalamet helps get Bob Dylan rolling on streaming, one of basketball’s Ball brothers goes supernova on social media, a late dance great sees streaming gains from a new documentary and more.
The Streams, They Are a-Boomin’: Bob Dylan’s Catalog Soars Thanks to ‘A Complete Unknown’
A Complete Unknown, James Mangold’s new Bob Dylan biopic starring Timothée Chalamet, has spent the past few weeks scoring raves from critics, posting top 10 box office receipts and earning Oscar buzz, with Chalamet zooming into the Best Actor race thanks to his portrayal of the music icon during the first half of the 1960s. With the film going into wide release on Dec. 25, Unknown has helped Dylan’s storied catalog receive a huge spike on streaming services since Christmas Day, with listeners putting away their holiday playlists and picking up Highway 61 Revisited.
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During the week ending Dec. 26, Dylan’s catalog earned 11.6 million U.S. on-demand streams, according to Luminate; that number leapt to 20.2 million streams the following week (ending Jan. 2), in the first full tracking week since the film’s wide release. Compared to Dylan’s streaming numbers from one month earlier, in which his catalog earned 8.1 million streams in the week ending Dec. 5, A Complete Unknown has helped the legend’s weekly streaming numbers grow by roughly 150%.
Meanwhile, some of Dylan’s early classic songs (which Chalamet sings himself in the film) have gotten replayed since its release, with listeners wanting to either revisit or discover the original versions. “Like a Rolling Stone” earned 1.64 million streams in the week ending Jan. 2, a 232% increase from its streaming total five weeks ago (494,000 during the week ending Nov. 28). Meanwhile, “Blowin’ in the Wind” and “The Times They Are a-Changin’” posted streaming jumps of 215% and 174%, respectively, from their weekly totals during the last full tracking week of November. With the Academy Awards nominations being announced next Friday (Jan. 17) and the Oscars scheduled for Mar. 2, these streaming numbers may stay boosted — or keep climbing — for a few more months. – JASON LIPSHUTZ
G3 Gelo (aka LiAngelo Ball) Scores 2025’s First Viral Smash
There’s hitting the ground running, and then there’s scoring the first viral track of the year just three days in. G3 Gelo, aka LiAngelo Ball, knows a thing or two about the latter.
After a snippet of “Tweaker” went viral in late December, Gelo – the second of basketball’s three Ball Brothers, along with guards Lonzo and LaMelo of the Chicago Bulls and Charlotte Hornets, respectively — uploaded the full thing to WorldStarHipHop’s YouTube channel, with DSP uploads following soon after.
The early ’00s hip-hop-indebted track has increased in streams every day since its official release on Jan. 3. By its fourth day of release, streaming activity for “Tweaker” jumped a jaw-dropping 871% from where it was upon its debut. The song earned over 1.83 million official on-demand U.S. streams on Jan. 6 versus 188,000 streams on Jan. 3.
Already given the stamp of approval by sports teams across the country, a few hip-hop heavyweights are also co-signing G3 Gelo’s breakout hit; both Boosie Badazz and Moneybagg Yo have asked Gelo to send them an open verse. What’s more? A newscaster has already referenced “Tweaker” live on the air! With so much momentum and little competition from 2025 hip-hop releases at the moment, the coast is clear for “Tweaker” to reign in the coming weeks. – KYLE DENIS
Avicii’s Catalog Surges in Streams After New Documentary
The Avicii catalog experienced a significant streaming surge following the release of a new documentary about the late artist.
In the wake of the Dec. 31 release of I’m Tim on Netflix, global on-demand streams of the Swedish producer’s catalog increased by 63.9%, according to Luminate. The artist’s catalog had a total of 26.4 streams in the four days preceding the film’s release, Dec. 27-30, with this number rising to 43.3 million from Dec. 31-Jan. 3.
The streaming surge has been especially pronounced for three of Avicii’s biggest songs: 2013’s “Wake Me Up” (featuring Aloe Blacc) has experienced a 47.1% increase in global on-demand streams; 2015’s “The Nights” has seen a 27.6% increase; and 2011’s “Levels” has had a 68.2% increase. – KATIE BAIN
Read more about the I’m Tim documentary and Avicii’s related streaming gains here.
‘Mufasa’ Soundtrack Roars Into the New Year with Multiple Streaming Hits
After losing out to Sonic 3 in its debut week at the domestic box office, Mufasa – the Barry Jenkins-helmed prequel to 2019’s Oscar-nominated photorealistic remake of the 1994 classic – climbed to the summit, becoming America’s first No. 1 movie of 2025. Helping Mufasa sustain its box office pull: the stunning streaming success of its soundtrack, led by Aaron Pierre and Kelvin Harrison Jr., who are in the midst of a viral press tour.
According to Luminate, the Mufasa soundtrack pulled 1.02 million official on-demand U.S. streams in its first week of release (ending Dec. 19). That figure jumped 224% the following week (Dec. 20-26) to over 3.33 million streams. By its third week of release – the same week the film topped the domestic box office – Mufasa’s streams jumped a further 137% to 7.92 million streams.
The breakout hit of the Lin-Manuel Miranda-penned soundtrack is the adorably protective “I Always Wanted a Brother,” performed by Pierre, Harrison, Jr., Theo Somolu and Braelyn Rankins. The Mufasa-Scar duet has consistently been the most-streamed song from the album, logging over 3.17 million streams last week (Dec. 27-Jan. 2). From family-centric TikTok trends to NOLA bounce “trip out” remixes and Pierre’s viral Jennifer Hudson Show spirit tunnel walk, “Brother” is quickly becoming a cultural phenomenon. Pierre also duets with Tiffany Boone on “Tell Me It’s You,” another breakout song from the soundtrack. Streaming activity for their duet has exploded 1,301% over the past two weeks, crossing 1.09 million official on-demand U.S. streams last week (Dec. 27-Jan. 2).
In addition to returning cast members from the 2019 film like Beyoncé and Donald Glover, Mufasa boasts some new additions, including Grammy winner Blue Ivy Carter and BAFTA-nominated actor Mads Mikkelsen. While Carter does not sing in Mufasa, Mikkelsen performs “Bye Bye,” yet another viral cut from the soundtrack, alongside Joanna Jones and Folake Olowofoyeku. “Bye Bye” has jumped over 120% in streaming activity for each of the past two weeks, earning over 1.25 million streams last week (Dec. 27-Jan. 2). – KD
The Contenders is a midweek column that looks at artists aiming for the top of the Billboard charts, and the strategies behind their efforts. This week, for the upcoming Billboard 200 albums chart dated Jan. 18, 2025, we look at whether new releases from Lil Baby or Bad Bunny can unseat a reigning blockbuster that dates back to 2022.
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Lil Baby, WHAM (Quality Control/Motown): One of the biggest names in music at the turn of the 2020s, Atlanta rapper Lil Baby has been less dominant on the charts the past couple years but still draws a good deal of attention every time out. On Friday (Jan. 2), he released his new set WHAM – not named after the ‘80s U.K. duo who just hit a new peak of No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 with the holiday staple “Last Christmas,” but an acronym standing for Who Hard as Me – with 15 brand new cuts, including features from fellow ATL superstars Future, Young Thug and 21 Savage and other big names like Travis Scott, GloRilla and Rod Wave.
The set is off to a strong start on streaming – particularly on Apple Music, where it continues to litter the top 100 of its real-time chart five days after release, while also claiming the No. 1 spot with the Future and Thug teamup “Dum, Dumb and Dumber.” It should also be helped by sales of the set’s deluxe digital edition on Baby’s webstore available for $4.99, which boasts four new songs not currently available on DSPs, including another Future collab in “99.” (He also has a standard CD available for purchase at his webstore, along with a couple “Fan Packs” that include additional merch, offering a discount on the CD if you buy the merch along with it.)
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It should all add up to WHAM having a pretty good chance to make it big on the Billboard 200 next week. If it can claim the top spot, it would be Lil Baby’s fourth consecutive visit there this decade, after previously hitting No. 1 with 2020’s My Turn, 2021’s Lil Durk teamup The Voice of the Heroes and 2022’s It’s Only Me.
Bad Bunny, Debí Tirar Más Fotos (Rimas): Another one of the biggest stars of the early 2020s, Bad Bunny dropped his new album Debí Tirar Más Fotos (I Should Have Taken More Photos) on Sunday (Jan. 5). The 17-track LP – which contains just a handful of collaborations, and none with household-name artists – has been hailed by critics as a “homecoming” for the artist born Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, who spends much of the set dabbling in genres native to his home country of Puerto Rico like salsa and plena.
Fotos has seen robust early returns on streaming, though it has yet to produce a clear breakout hit, and neither of its advance tracks (“El Clúb” or “Pitorro de Coco”) made much of an impression on the Hot 100 upon their release. The album is also currently available for physical release, with only a digital version available on his webstore and iTunes for $4.99. Its debut numbers will also certainly be dampened by the set’s Sunday release, which means it will be missing two days’ worth of consumption from its first week of tracking.
Still, Bad Bunny will always be a factor in the Billboard 200 albums race when he releases a new LP. Like Lil Baby, he has sent his last three albums this decade to No. 1 on the chart: 2020’s El Último Tour del Mundo, 2022’s Un Verano Sin Ti and 2023’s Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana.
SZA, SOS (Top Dawg/RCA): SZA’s R&B sophomore blockbuster SOS had already been a 10-week No. 1 on the Billboard 200 from late 2022 to early 2023, and one of the most acclaimed and beloved albums of the first half of the 2020s. But at the beginning of this year, SOS returned to the top of the chart, thanks to a boost provided by the release of its deluxe edition, titled LANA. The re-release featured 14 totally new cuts (as well as the previously released Hot 100 top 10 hit “Saturn”), including “30 for 30,” a collaboration with her upcoming stadium tour co-headliner Kendrick Lamar.
The set has now reigned on the Billboard 200 for the first two chart weeks of the calendar year, with six-figure units posted in each frame. Those numbers will likely slip a little in the third week of release for LANA, but considering SOS remained one of the top-streamed albums for years after its release even before she dropped the deluxe edition – it was still No. 15 on the Billboard 200 in the final chart week of 2024 – it should still be a very strong performer on the chart next week, and hardly a low bar to clear for either Baby or Bunny.
“Singer gets first national chart ink exclusively in Billboard,” read a caption on page 65 of the issue dated July 1, 2006. “Song title name-checks fellow artist.” The blurb included an arrow pointing directly to the single debuting at the No. 60 anchor spot on the Hot Country Songs chart: “Tim McGraw,” by then-16-year-old Taylor […]
Corridos singer-songwriter Netón Vega is igniting curiosity with new single “Loco.” His first venture into reggaetón, the track rallies 18-2 on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart (dated Jan. 11), to become his fourth top 10 and ties his best rank. The chart blends streams, airplay and sales to rank the most popular Latin songs of the week in the U.S.
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The Mexican singer-songwriter (from La Paz, Baja California Sur) is set to release his debut album, De Mi Vida Mi Muerte, on Jan. 20 (his birthday), which will house “Loco” as its first single. The song traces its new No. 2 peak largely to 8 million official U.S. streams (up 166%) registered during the Dec. 27-Jan. 2 tracking week, according to Luminate. It unlocks Vega’s second No. 1 on Latin Streaming Songs. With the percentage increase, “Loco” also launches at No. 44 on the all-genre Streaming Songs chart and locks a No. 50 debut on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100.
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Vega, known more for corridos and penning songs for Peso Pluma and Tito Double P, has also collaborated with Natanael Cano, Gabito Ballesteros, Luis R Conriquez and other regional Mexican greats, with songs that have earned him three other top 10s on the Hot Latin Songs chart. Among them are “Si No Quieres No” with Conriquez and “La Patrulla” with Pluma; both reached a No. 2 high in June and September 2024, respectively.
In comes “Loco,” released Dec. 20 via Josa Records, for Vega’s first Hot Latin Songs top 10 of the new year and a new sound that has conquered the Latin rhythm audience. The reggaetón track has generated a combined 63,000 videos on TikTok. No video for the song has been released yet.
On a global leval, “Loco” earns Vega his highest debut on the Billboard Global 200, starting at No. 57, the Hot Shot debut of the week, with 20.3 million streams worldwide. Plus, it launches at No. 132 on the Global Excl. U.S. chart, with 12.4 million clicks outside the States.
Further, following his change of sound, Vega secures his first appearance on the Billboard Artist Hot 100. The chart measures artists’ activity across key metrics of music consumption: album sales, track sales, radio airplay and streaming. Using a methodology comprising those metrics, the chart provides a weekly multi-dimensional ranking of artist popularity.
Bad Bunny’s Second Single From New Album Debuts
Also on Hot Latin Songs, two songs from Bad Bunny’s sixth solo studio album, Debí Tirar Más Fotos, rank in the top 10.
“El Clúb” moves 10-9 with 4.6 million audience impressions and 4.5 million official U.S. streams. “Pitorro de Coco,” meanwhile, visits the chart for the first time, starting at No. 10, for Benito’s record-extending 79 career top 10s. The song registered 5.2 million official streams, suffice for a No. 9 debut on Latin Streaming Songs.
Elsewhere, “Pitorro de Coco” makes its debut across four other charts: No. 91 on Billboard Hot 100, No. 103 on Billboard Global 200, No. 135 on Global Excl. U.S. and No. 2 on Latin Digital Song Sales.
A look back at some of the most buzzworthy moments on the Billboard 200 & Hot 100 over the first 25 years of the century.
SZA’s unsinkable SOS sails to a new milestone on Billboard’s Top R&B Albums chart, reaching its 100th week at No. 1 on the list, which began in 2012. The album – far and away the record holder for the longest run atop the chart – has more than double the weeks of any other title in the top slot and has spent only eight of its first 108 weeks on the chart outside the penthouse.
SOS crosses the triple-digit mark on the chart dated Jan. 11, with 130,000 equivalent album units in the corresponding Dec. 27, 2024 to Jan. 2, 2025, tracking week, according to Luminate. While its first 98 chart-topping weeks were exclusively from its standard issue, the last two frames received a boost from the SOS Deluxe: Lana edition, which arrived Dec. 20 and added 15 new cuts to the original 22-song tracklist. (All versions of the album are combined into one entry for data tracking and chart positions.)
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With SOS’ latest achievement on Top R&B Albums, here’s a review of the projects with the most weeks at No. 1 on the 12-year-old chart:
Weeks at No. 1, Album Title, Artist, First Week at No. 1
100, SOS, SZA, Dec. 24, 2022
40, After Hours, The Weeknd, April 4, 2020
33, 24K Magic, Bruno Mars, Dec. 10, 2016
27, Planet Her, Doja Cat, July 10, 2021
25, The Highlights, The Weeknd, Feb. 20, 2021
19, Lemonade, Beyoncé, May 14, 2016
18, American Teen, Khalid, Aug. 5, 2017
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Released in December 2022, SOS was the long-awaited follow-up to SZA’s well-received 2017 full-length debut, Ctrl. The five-year wait sparked immediate fan fervor, causing SOS’ No. 1 entrances on the all-genre Billboard 200 and Top R&B Albums charts. The album quickly established dominance in the R&B sphere, spending its first 48 weeks on Top R&B Albums at No. 1 as hit singles such as “Kill Bill” and “Snooze” clocked 30 weeks and 32 weeks, respectively, atop the Hot R&B Songs chart. Thanks to its strong reception and high consumption numbers, SOS was the year-end No. 1 title on the Top R&B Albums chart for both 2023 and 2024.
While its standard edition already generated record-breaking results, the Lana deluxe addition should only expand SOS’ chart legacy. With 130,000 units in the latest tracking week, SOS pulled more than seven times the unit total of this week’s runner-up (which, by the way, is SZA’s Ctrl.) The Lana chapter could further extend well into the spring and summer, when SZA and Kendrick Lamar’s Grand National tour reaches nearly two-dozen stadiums in the U.S. and Canada.
Plus, even more music may be on the way. On Jan. 5, Terrence “Punch” Henderson Jr. — the president of SZA’s record label, Top Dawg Entertainment — posted on X, “Waiting for some clearances to clear up for the additional joints on the SOS Deluxe: LANA. Soon as that’s done it’s up!”
Taylor Swift reigns as the No. 1 artist on Billboard’s recap of the first 25 years of the 21st century, leading Billboard’s Top Artists of the 21st Century chart, based on performance on the Billboard 200 albums chart and the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart from the start of 2000 through the end of 2024.
Even with the country-turned-pop superstar not having made her Billboard chart debut until July 1, 2006, with the then-16-year-old’s co-written debut single “Tim McGraw,” Swift has rung up 14 No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200 – the most among women all-time – and 12 No. 1 songs on the Hot 100.
Among other achievements, on the Hot 100 dated Nov. 5, 2022, Swift became the first artist to claim each of the chart’s top 10 positions, thanks to songs from her album Midnights. She repeated the feat – and stretched her dominance to the top 14 spots – on the May 4, 2024, survey, via tracks from her LP The Tortured Poets Department.
Meanwhile, Swift led Billboard’s year-end Top Artists charts in 2009, 2015, 2023 and 2024, becoming the first act with four annual titles (dating to the category’s 1981 inception).
Reflecting the biggest names from Y2K to today, count down the top 10 acts below on Billboard’s Top Artists of the 21st Century retrospective, and check out the entire 100-position chart in Billboard’s Greatest of All Time charts menu.
Plus, check back Thursday (Jan. 9) for Billboard’s Top Billboard 200 Albums of the 21st Century chart and Friday (Jan. 10) for Billboard’s Top Hot 100 Songs of the 21st Century chart.
Billboard’s Top Artists, Top Billboard 200 Albums and Top Hot 100 Songs of the 21st Century recaps reflect performance on weekly charts dated Jan. 1, 2000, through Dec. 28, 2024. The Top Artists category ranks the best-performing acts in that span based on activity on the Billboard 200 and Hot 100. (Titles released prior to mid-1999 are excluded, although such entries that appeared on the Billboard 200 or Hot 100 in that span contribute to the calculation of the Top Artists chart.)
Usher
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We have our first new Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 of 2025 — and it’s with a song that was already on the chart for 18 weeks in 2024.
With the seasonal glut of holiday songs vacating the chart in this post-Christmas tracking week, Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars‘ “Die With a Smile” jumps from No. 17 to No. 1 on the Hot 100, seizing the top spot for the first time after previously peaking at No. 2 multiple times in 2024. The song gives Gaga her sixth No. 1 on the chart, and Mars (who also ranks at No. 5 this week with the ROSÉ team up “APT.”) his ninth.
How surprised are we that the song finally claimed the top spot after such a long run? And what might be the next leftover 2024 hit to succeed it on top? Billboard staffers discuss these questions and more below.
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1. “Die With a Smile” finally hits No. 1 on the Hot 100 in the first post-holidays week of 2025 after being held to a ceiling of No. 2 on the chart in 2024. On a scale from 1-10, how surprised are you that the song was finally able to get over the top?
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Rania Aniftos: Maybe a 1. With the holiday songs dropping off the charts, and no new hits to claim the top spot, “Die With a Smile” was an easy contender to take over the Hot 100 given how often it plays everywhere, from department stores and restaurants to radio stations and every Spotify playlist.
Katie Atkinson: 8. When “Die” peaked at No. 2 in early December, I was certain that it had fallen victim to the inevitable avalanche of holiday hits coming to the Hot 100 top 10. But at the same time, with its biggest non-Christmas challenger being Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” — which had seemingly run its course with a record-typing 19th week atop the chart — the path cleared for the determined duet. I really shouldn’t be that surprised, though: I’ve been championing this song (on the Billboard Pop Shop Podcast and to any friends and family who will listen) since the summer, because while I liked the song when it first came out, I grew to love it even more in the months after, showing just how powerful its appeal was.
Kyle Denis: 4. For “Smile,” it was always a matter of when, not if, it would reach the top spot. Before Kendrick Lamar’s GNX chart bomb and the Mariah Carey-led holiday music takeover, “Smile” logged four straight weeks at No. 2 behind Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song” — and the gap between the two was getting steadily shrinking.
We haven’t gotten a major pop single in 2025 yet (for what it’s worth, neither Lil Baby’s nor Bad Bunny’s albums appear to be launching a breakout hit), and “Smile” was due for a turn at the top. If we look at the most recent Hot 100 top 10: “Birds of A Feather,” “Espresso,” “Lose Control” and “I Had Some Help” are all older than “Smile” and have had their time in the sun, while rising hits like “APT,” “That’s So True” and “Luther” need a bit more time to catch up to “Smile” in terms of chart points.
Jason Lipshutz: A 6. It’s surprising whenever any autumn hit is able to power through the holiday season and come out on top to start the new year, but by November, “Die With a Smile” clearly seemed like the song that could make it happen in early 2025, if any could. Amidst the Mariah, Brenda and Wham!, Bruno and Gaga held strong near the top of the chart in December, setting themselves up to swoop in once the holiday music subsided and scoop up another No. 1 each. Once it was clear that “Die With a Smile” had real legs as a months-long hit, reaching the top of the Hot 100 was always a possibility for the duet.
Andrew Unterberger: An 8. Once it failed to edge out Shaboozey in what ended up being the historic 19th week atop the Hot 100 for “A Bar Song” — and then got buried under the avalanche of Kendrick Lamar debuts and Christmas recurrents — I thought for sure “Smile” had missed its last best chance. But it held strong, nothing else swooped in from the wings, and it gets to be a very nice kickoff to what’s sure to big a big 2025 for both artists.
2. Between Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga, which of the two artists do you think the song means more to?
Rania Aniftos: Gaga! She’s been off the music game for a moment, shifting her focus to her makeup brand and film roles, so the accomplishment probably provides a sense of validation while she’s working on her new album.
Katie Atkinson: Even though it’s a duet, “Die With a Smile” has felt more like a Bruno Mars song (featuring Lady Gaga) to me than an equal billing. But looking at the two stars’ other concurrent releases – ROSÉ’s “APT.” for Mars and Gaga’s “Disease” – “APT.” has had the much stronger start, peaking at No. 5 compared to No. 27 for the LG7 lead single, so it looks like Gaga gets the bigger boost from what feels like a Bruno-led production. (And in fact, Gaga told the Los Angeles Times last month that “Die” will be on LG7, so it obviously means a lot to her: “It’s a huge part of my album. It was like this missing piece.”)
Kyle Denis: Probably Gaga. Between the tepid response to Joker 2, Harlequin and “Disease,” it must feel nice to get a win somewhere this year.
Jason Lipshutz: Gaga, for sure. “Die With a Smile” may announce Mars’ grand return following multiple years without a song released under his own name, but he’s already collected another top 10 hit since its release, with the ROSÉ team-up “APT.” Gaga, meanwhile, launched her next solo era with “Disease,” an electro-pop single that stalled on the Hot 100. Both artists’ respective legacies have long been secure, but from a modern commercial standpoint, “Die With a Smile” extends Gaga’s run as a hitmaker with more gravity than it does for Mars.
Andrew Unterberger: It means more about Bruno Mars, but it means more to Lady Gaga.
3. Gaga’s releases the past six months have been a little all over the place, between the big country-coded rock balladry of “Smile,” the traditional pop vocal project Harlequin and the Classic Gaga sound of “Disease.” Do you think “Smile” likely tells us anything about where she’s going next, or are the differing sounds of her two subsequent releases a sign that it was more of a one-off?
Rania Aniftos: I’m actually pretty confused with how different her releases have been lately. “Die With a Smile” feels like it could fit in her Joanne era, which makes me think that it won’t be indicative of her upcoming album. “Disease” is more in line with what I picture for her. Pop and visually and sonically creative with a dark edge. Maybe the older, more angsty sister of The Fame Monster.
Katie Atkinson: I think what likely started as a one-off will end up influencing what Gaga does next more than even she expected. If “Disease” was the original first impression from LG7, it seems that “Die” is the more lasting one, as far as pop fans are concerned. It remains to be seen whether we’ll hear that album in February, as was originally said in a Vogue interview, or whether some extra tinkering might have been done to weave her hit duet into the fabric of her next album.
Kyle Denis: I think we probably need to take all these releases as a collective indicator of what’s sure to be a sonically adventurous project. In a Q&A before the screening of her Gaga Chromatica Ball tour, Gaga said that her new music is “nothing like anything that I’ve ever made before. I love to break genre and I love to explore music. There’s something really beautiful about knowing that you will be loved no matter what you do.”
If “Hold My Hand” (her 2022 Oscar-nominated Top Gun: Maverick power ballad), “Sweet Sounds of Heaven” (her 2023 Rolling Stones collab), “Smile” and the electroclash influences of “Disease” are anything to go by, I’m expecting LG8 to be the most rock-oriented Gaga album yet.
Jason Lipshutz: It’s the million-dollar question: will the next Gaga album sound closer to “Disease,” which the superstar hinted at when releasing the lead single, or will it be sonically re-shuffled now that “Die With a Smile” — which will indeed appear on its track list, per Gaga — has become an unexpected smash? I’d guess that we land somewhere in the middle, with the next project veering away from the Chromatica electro-pop sound to some extent but still serving as a suitable home for a song like “Disease.” Maybe that makes the album a little less cohesive than expected, but with a few more chances taken — usually a good thing for Gaga.
Andrew Unterberger: I dunno. It’s impossible to triangulate these three Gaga releases and their wildly varying levels of commercial success and determine coherent musical project that could result from all of it. We’re really just gonna have to wait and see on this one.
4. While “Die With a Smile” hits No. 1, Mars’ other big collab of late 2024, the ROSÉ teamup “APT.,” also reaches the top five for the first time. Which of the two songs do you think will ultimately be the more significant or defining hit of this Bruno mini-era?
Rania Aniftos: Another tough question, because they’re so different and both collaborations felt so natural to him as an artist. With how much love the K-pop fans have shown Bruno thanks to “APT.,” I could see him having fun with more team-ups within that genre. He’s also so deeply funny, and fans love seeing him lean into his playful side, as we saw when Silk Sonic swept the Grammys and the rest of pop culture in 2023.
Katie Atkinson: It has to be “Die With a Smile” because, again, it feels more like a Bruno song to me, whereas the spotlight is firmly on the arrival of ROSÉ with “APT.” Mars has offered up a veteran boost to the promising BLACKPINK breakout star, but he’s playing in her sandbox with that one, while “Die” is a patented ultra-romantic Mars moment.
Kyle Denis: I’m inclined to say “APT” because it pushes Bruno in a more interesting sonic direction than “Smile” and helps him be a part of history: ROSÉ is now the first female K-pop soloist to reach the Hot 100’s top 10 and top five. When all is said and done, however, my money is on “Smile” being the bigger hit by the numbers.
Jason Lipshutz: “Die With a Smile” is the bigger hit across metrics, but do not underestimate the significance of the first Hot 100 top 10 hit from any member of BLACKPINK, a multi-lingual global smash that helped unlock a new listenership to a member of one of the biggest K-pop groups in history. Maybe “Die With a Smile” becomes a new-school karaoke standard, school-dance jam and radio mainstay, but I believe “APT.” will ultimately have the bigger cultural footprint.
Andrew Unterberger: It’s a little hard for me to imagine “Die With a Smile” ultimately being a particularly significant song to the career or legacy of either Lady Gaga or Bruno Mars, but obviously “APT.” is a major moment in the career of ROSÉ — and, depending on how things go from here, could potentially also end up being a pretty significant turning point for all of top 40. For that reason I feel like “APT.” is apt to be the better-remembered of the two songs in general.
5. Which song that has been active on the Hot 100 in 2024 but not yet reached the top spot do you think has the best shot of following “Smile” to No. 1?
Rania Aniftos: Justice for “APT.”! I know it took a while for some music lovers to warm up to the sound, but you can’t deny it’s one of the catchiest songs of the last six months. Additionally, I’d love to see Rosé get a No. 1 spot as a solo artist.
Katie Atkinson: My heart says that “APT.” has the juice to work its way to No. 1, but I’m also seeing that Gracie Abrams’ biggest hit yet “That’s So True” doesn’t have a music video to this point. If she could create a buzzy enough video moment (I’m imagining her movie-star boyfriend Paul Mescal playing a role, à la Sabrina Carpenter enlisting then-partner Barry Keoghan for her first Hot 100 No. 1, “Please Please Please”), she could definitely take advantage of a sleepy January.
Kyle Denis: Provided she pulls off yet another Grammy sweep, Billie could finally take “Birds” to No. 1. Kendrick Lamar could achieve something similar with “Luther” — or another GNX cut – following his own potential Grammy sweep, his Super Bowl halftime show, or both. Given their familiarity, I’d give either of those two songs the edge over “APT.” and “That’s So True.” I also have my eye on Lola Young’s “Messy,” which is a bit further down the chart at No. 25.
Jason Lipshutz: Gracie Abrams’ “That’s So True” ended 2024 with a ton of momentum, becoming the singer-songwriter’s first top 10 hit in the same month that she helped Taylor Swift close out the Eras tour and made her Saturday Night Live debut. We’ll see how much more juice the song has over the next few weeks, but “That’s So True” could very easily keep climbing from its peak and challenge for No. 1.
Andrew Unterberger: To me, it’s a question of which radio embraces more between “APT.” and “That’s So True.” Given that one of the two performers on the former is perhaps the most consistent pop radio force of the last 15 years, my money’s on that one.
In its 20th week on Billboard’s Streaming Songs chart, Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ “Die With a Smile” hits No. 1 for the first time, soaring 25-1 on the Jan. 11-dated tally.
“Die With a Smile” earned 27.1 million official U.S. streams in the week ending Jan. 2, up 11%, according to Luminate. The song’s precipitous positional gain on the chart comes after the close of the 2024 holiday season, with seasonal tunes falling off the ranking; the entire top 24 of the Jan. 4-dated list were such songs.
The song’s 20-week climb to No. 1 is the sixth longest since the chart began in 2013 and the lengthiest since Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer” reigned in 2023 after 27 weeks. Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” holds the all-time record at 43 weeks ending in 2023.
It’s the second No. 1 for Lady Gaga on Streaming Songs. Her previous, “Dope,” reigned for a week in November 2013.
Between “Dope” and “Die With a Smile,” Lady Gaga’s best rank had been the No. 2 debut and peak of “Rain On Me,” with Ariana Grande, in 2020.
As for Bruno Mars, “Die With a Smile” marks his third leader, following the 12-week rule of Mark Ronson’s “Uptown Funk!,” on which he’s featured, in 2015, and then his Cardi B collaboration “Finesse” in 2018.
Between “Finesse” and “Die With a Smile,” Mars rose as high as No. 2 three times, via fellow Cardi B collaboration “Please Me” in 2019, Silk Sonic’s “Smokin Out the Window” in 2021 and his Rose duet “APT.” in 2024.
Though the Jan. 11 chart marks the first week at No. 1 for “Die With a Smile,” it’s not the song’s biggest streaming week; that came on the Sept. 7-dated Billboard charts, its second week of release, when it accrued 30.8 million streams. It is, however, the song’s best week since the Sept. 14, 2014, survey, toward which it earned 27.2 million streams.
Concurrently, as previously reported, “Die With a Smile” reaches No. 1 on the multimetric Billboard Hot 100 for the first time, also concluding a 20-week wait.