Chart Beat
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Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Free Bird” is No. 1 on Billboard’s Top TV Songs chart, powered by Tunefind (a Songtradr company), for March 2025, topping the tally following a synch in NCIS: Origins.
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Rankings for the Top TV Songs chart are based on song and show data provided by Tunefind and ranked using a formula blending that data with sales and streaming information tracked by Luminate during the corresponding period of March 2025.
“Free Bird” appears in the 15th episode of NCIS: Origins’ inaugural season, premiering on March 31 on CBS. The new series is a spinoff of CBS’ long-running NCIS franchise and was renewed for a second season earlier this year.
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In March 2025, “Free Bird” earned 12.3 million official on-demand U.S. streams and 2,000 downloads, according to Luminate. One of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s signature tracks, the song peaked at No. 19 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1975.
Billie Eilish’s “When the Party’s Over” follows at No. 2 on Top TV Songs, a byproduct of its feature in the latest season of Invincible. Heard in the seventh episode of the third season (March 6), the song is one of a pair of entries on the latest chart from the Amazon Prime Video animated series, ahead of Nine Inch Nails’ “Every Day Is Exactly the Same” at No. 8 (episode eight, March 13).
“When the Party’s Over” notched 16.1 million streams and 1,000 downloads in March 2025, while “Every Day Is Exactly the Same” earned 2 million streams and 1,000 downloads. The former peaked at No. 29 on the Hot 100 in 2019, one of Eilish’s breakthrough tracks, while the latter reached No. 56 on the chart in 2006 and led the Alternative Airplay tally for four weeks that year.
Mondo Cozmo’s “Shine” ranks at No. 3 on Top TV Songs, buoyed by a synch in the eighth episode of season three of Reacher (March 27), scoring 320,000 streams and 3,000 downloads. The latter metric drove the song onto the Rock Digital Song Sales chart for the first time, entering at No. 8 on the April 5 survey and rising to No. 2 on the April 12 list. The song was a one-week No. 1 for the band on the Adult Alternative Airplay chart in 2017.
And Severance, which wrapped up its second season in March, boasts four entries on the latest Top TV Songs, led by The Alan Parsons Project’s “Sirius” at No. 4 (1.2 million streams, 1,000 downloads).
See the full top 10, also featuring music from Daredevil: Born Again and School Spirits, below.
Rank, Song, Artist, Show (Network)1. “Free Bird,” Lynyrd Skynyrd, NCIS: Origins (CBS)2. “When the Party’s Over,” Billie Eilish, Invincible (Amazon Prime Video)3. “Shine,” Mondo Cozmo, Reacher (Amazon Prime Video)4. “Sirius,” The Alan Parsons Project, Severance (Apple TV+)5. “Fire Woman,” The Cult, Severance (Apple TV+)6. “Staring at the Sun,” TV on the Radio, Daredevil: Born Again (Disney+)7. “I’ll Be Seeing You,” Billie Holiday, Severance (Apple TV+)8. “Every Day Is Exactly the Same,” Nine Inch Nails, Invincible (Amazon Prime Video)9. “Look Alive,” Hana Vu, School Spirits (Paramount+)10. “The Windmills of Your Mind,” Mel Torme, Severance (Apple TV+)
Yuridia and Alejandro Fernández achieve their first joint No. 1 hit on Billboard‘s Regional Mexican Airplay chart with “Un Bendito Día,” which flies from No. 15 to the top spot on the April 26-dated ranking. The track marks the biggest leap to No. 1 in 2025, and the third largest jump of the decade.
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“Un Bendito Día” takes the lead on Regional Mexican Airplay with the week’s Greatest Gainer honors –given to song with the week’s largest gain in audience — after a 95% gain in audience impressions, to 6.5 million, earned in the U.S. during the April 11-17 tracking week, according to Luminate. The song was released Feb. 6 via Sony Music Latin, and lands at the summit in its ninth week on the chart.
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Univision-owned stations helped spark the surge, led by KLNV San Diego (up 52 plays week-over-week), KSCA Los Angeles (up 47) and KLNO Dallas (up 46).
As “Bendito” climbs to the top of the Regional Mexican Airplay chart, Alejandro solidifies his position as the artist with the second most No. 1 hits among soloists, boasting 12 chart-toppers since the tally began in 1994. He trails only Christian Nodal, who holds the lead with 17. Yuridia, meanwhile, adds her second, following “Mi Eterno Amor Secreto,” with Edén Muñoz (Oct. 2024).
With “Bendito” flying 14 ranks to No. 1, the biggest jump of the year, here are the songs with the largest climb to No. 1 on Regional Mexican Airplay this decade:
Positions Leapt to No. 1, Song Title, Artist, Chart Date
18, “Amor Clandestino,” Maná & Edén Muñoz, Nov. 11, 2023
17, “Mira Quien Lo Dice,” Pepe Aguilar, Sept. 14, 2024
14, “Un Bendito Dia,” Yuridia & Alejandro Fernández, April 26, 2025
10, “Bipolar,” Peso Pluma & Jasiel Nuñez & Junior H, Nov. 25, 2023
10, “Según Quien,” Maluma & Carin León, Dec. 16, 2023
Over on the overall Latin Airplay chart, “Un Bendito Día” barely missed the No. 1, where it also soars 25-2, the largest climb since Pepe Aguilar’s “Mira Quien Lo Dice” surged 31-4 in September 2024. There, “Bendito” rises after a 69% increase in audience, to 7.2 million.
Thanks to the jump, Alejandro extends his record for the most top 10s among regional Mexican soloists, with 29.
Vinyl releases from Post Malone, Taylor Swift, Gracie Abrams and more were among the top-sellers from Record Store Day (RSD) 2025 in the United States, according to Luminate.
The yearly independent record store celebration was held on April 12 this year and offered an array of unique and limited-edition albums and singles (mostly vinyl pressings) issued for RSD. More than 300 titles were released for RSD 2025 at independent record stores across the U.S.
Post Malone had both the top-selling RSD 2025 album and single. His Post Malone Tribute to Nirvana, pressed on yellow-colored vinyl, was the top-seller among albums. The album was recorded in 2020 during a livestream that raised funds for The World Health Organization in support of COVID-19 relief efforts. Joining Malone for the livestream were Travis Barker (drums), Nick Mack (guitar) and Brian Lee (bass). The RSD 2025 vinyl release is also a charitable affair, as, according to the RSD organization, 100% of net proceeds from the sale of the vinyl will be donated to MusiCares’ Addiction Recovery/Mental Health division.
Tribute to Nirvana also bows at No. 2 on the April 26-dated Top Album Sales chart, where half of the top 10 are RSD 2025 titles. (Bon Iver‘s new studio album SABLE, fABLE — not an RSD 2025 release — debuts at No. 1 on Top Album Sales, scoring the artist his second leader.)
The Nos. 2-5 biggest selling RSD 2025-exclusive albums were: Gracie Abrams’ Live From Radio City Music Hall (double-vinyl set), Rage Against the Machine’s Live On Tour 1993 (double-vinyl set), Laufey’s A Night at the Symphony: Hollywood Bowl (double-vinyl set) and Charli xcx’s 2017 mixtape Number 1 Angel (on apple-colored vinyl).
Meanwhile, in terms of the top-selling RSD 2025 singles, Taylor Swift’s “Fortnight,” featuring Malone (on 7-inch vinyl) was the biggest seller. The Nos. 2-5 selling RSD 2025 singles were Charli xcx’s “Guess,” featuring Billie Eilish (on 7-inch vinyl); The Killers and Bruce Springsteen’s three-song “Encore at the Garden” (on 12-inch vinyl); The Cure’s “Alone” (Four Tet Remix) (on 12-inch vinyl) and Eddie Vedder’s “Save It for Later” / “Room at the Top” (on ocean floor-colored 12-inch vinyl).
Malone also served as the RSD 2025 Ambassador, and earlier said in a statement upon his selection: “What an honor, I can’t believe I was chosen to be Record Store Day’s Ambassador for 2025. Record Store Day is so important and I really hope to do my part to keep it alive.” Malone follows such recent RSD Ambassadors as Paramore (2024), Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires (2023), Swift (2022), Fred Armisen (2021), Brandi Carlile (2020) and Pearl Jam (2019).
Top-Selling Record Store Day 2024 Exclusive Albums at Independent Record Stores in the U.S.Rank, Artist, Title1. Post Malone, Post Malone Tribute to Nirvana (yellow-colored vinyl)2. Gracie Abrams, Live From Radio City Music Hall (double vinyl)3. Rage Against the Machine, Live On Tour 1993 (double vinyl)4. Laufey, A Night at the Symphony: Hollywood Bowl (double vinyl)5. Charli xcx, Number 1 Angel (apple-colored vinyl)6. Wallows, More (evergreen and white-colored vinyl)7. Talking Heads, Live On Tour (double vinyl)8. Fleetwood Mac, Fleetwood Mac (picture disc vinyl)9. Gorillaz, Demon Days Live From the Apollo Theater (red-colored double vinyl)10. The Doors, Strange Days 1967: A Work In Progress (translucent blue-colored vinyl)11. The Replacements, Tim (transparent purple-colored double vinyl)12. Grateful Dead, Beacon Theatre, New York, NY 6/14/76 (180-gram five vinyl set)13. The Cure, The Head On the Door (picture-disc vinyl)14. The Ramones, Loco Live (blue and red-colored double vinyl)15. Soundtrack, The Virgin Suicides (25th Anniversary Edition) (blue-colored vinyl)16. Queen, De Lane Lea Demos (vinyl)17. Wu-Tang and Mathematics, Black Samson, The Bastard Swordsman: Wu-Tang, The Saga Continues Collection (180-gram double vinyl)18. The Rolling Stones, Out of Our Heads (U.S.) (180-gram clear-colored vinyl)19. Elton John, Live at the Rainbow Theatre With Ray Cooper (180-gram vinyl)20. David Bowie, Ready, Set, Go! (Live, Riverside Studios ’03) (180-gram double vinyl)21. Thin Lizzy, Jailbreak (Alternate Version) (vinyl)22. Judas Priest, Live in Atlanta ‘82 (red-colored double vinyl)23. Young Thug, Barter 6 (silver-colored double vinyl)24. Vince Guaraldi, Selections From ‘It’s The Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown’ (10-inch easter egg-shaped, colored vinyl)25. Beabadoobee, Live and Acoustic In London (red slushie-colored vinyl)Source: Luminate, for the week ending April 17, 2025
Top-Selling Record Store Day 2025 Exclusive Singles at Independent Record Stores in U.S.Rank, Artist, Title1. Taylor Swift featuring Post Malone, Fortnight (7-inch vinyl)2. Charli xcx featuring Billie Eilish, Guess (7-inch vinyl)3. The Killers & Bruce Springsteen, Encore at the Garden (Badlands / Dustland / Born to Run) (12-inch vinyl)4. The Cure, Alone (Four Tet Remix) (12-inch vinyl)5. Eddie Vedder, Save It for Later / Room at the Top (ocean floor-colored 12-inch vinyl)6. David Gilmour With Romany Gilmour, Between Two Points (Vita Brevis/Between Two Points [Live From the Royal Albert Hall] / Between Two Points [GENTRY Remix] / Between Two Points [GENTRY Remix Edit] / Between Two Points [Album Version]) (clear-colored 12-inch vinyl)7. Waxahatchee, Much Ado About Nothing / Mud / Next to Me (7-inch vinyl)8. Tom Waits, Get Behind the Mule (Spiritual) / Get Behind the Mule (7-inch vinyl)9. Geddy Lee, The Lost Demos (Gone / I Am… You Are) (12-inch vinyl)10. George Harrison, Be Here Now / Beck, Be Here Now (12-inch vinyl)Source: Luminate, for the week ending April 17, 2025
Morgan Wallen was the most-played act on TouchTunes jukeboxes in the first quarter of 2025, headlining the first artist-specific chart from TouchTunes alongside the latest iterations of its songs-based Frontline and Catalog rankings.
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The TouchTunes charts for the first quarter of the year track the most played songs and artists on TouchTunes jukeboxes from Jan. 1 to March 31, 2025, with the Frontline ranking inclusive of music released in the last 18 months, followed by the Catalog tally for any music that was released more than 18 months ago. TouchTunes has jukeboxes in over 60,000 locations worldwide. TouchTunes data is not factored into other Billboard charts.
Wallen leads the inaugural TouchTunes Artists Chart, representing nearly double the quarterly plays of the second-most-played act, Shaboozey. Not that that’s a major surprise for anyone who’s been following the TouchTunes Frontline and Catalog lists since their inception, as Wallen, despite still searching for his first No. 1 song on either tally, is routinely the most-represented act on each.
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Sure enough, Wallen can be found on six of the 25 songs on the Frontline chart this quarter, plus two of the 25 on Catalog. His highest rank comes as a featured act on Post Malone‘s “I Had Some Help,” which falls one spot to No. 3 on the latest Frontline list, while “Love Somebody” is his top-performing tune as a lead act, leaping eight spots to No. 7 on Frontline. (Perhaps helping matters: all eight Wallen songs feature at least one lyric referencing drinking, and many of TouchTunes’ jukeboxes can be found in bars.)
He leads the artists-based ranking over Shaboozey, whose “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” concurrently leads Frontline yet again, a distinction it’s held since the charts were first presented in July 2024.
Then comes the top-performing hip-hop act in Kendrick Lamar, who ranks at No. 3. Lamar’s music dots the Frontline list; he had previously found success with “Not Like Us,” which leaps three spots to No. 4 on the latest survey, while “TV Off,” “Luther” and “Squabble Up” debut at Nos. 9, 10 and 25, respectively, in their first full quarter of tracking after being released in December 2024.
“Not Like Us” equals its mark from the third quarter of 2024, when it also appeared at No. 4. It remains the only song since the chart’s inception to appear in the top five.
Country TouchTunes staples Chris Stapleton and Toby Keith round out the top five of the Artists tally (while Stapleton’s “Tennessee Whiskey” retains its lead on the Catalog chart, a distinction it’s held since the ranking debuted), while AC/DC leads all rock acts at No. 6.
Chappell Roan may not be on the inaugural Artists chart, but she’s making significant inroads on TouchTunes regardless – thanks to “Pink Pony Club,” which reaches a new peak on Frontline of No. 2, up six spots from the fourth quarter of 2024. Its rise is concurrent with the song’s path on the Billboard Hot 100, on which it broke into the top 10 in February and reaches a new peak of No. 4 on the latest ranking (April 26).
The aforementioned “TV Off” sports the top Frontline debut of the quarter, leading a slew of entries that includes music from Lamar, Wallen, Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars, Lainey Wilson, Koe Wetzel and Sabrina Carpenter.
The Catalog list, meanwhile, includes a pair of debuts in Wallen’s “Cowgirls,” which graduates to the ranking at No. 15 after previously appearing on the Frontline survey, and Creed’s “One Last Breath” (No. 24).
Overall, the rock genre holds the lion’s share of TouchTunes plays for the first quarter of 2025, accounting for 38% of all plays, including 42% of Catalog-eligible titles. But while country music is a distant second overall at 23%, it accounts for 43% of all Frontline-eligible plays, followed by rap at 20%. The rock genre is a distant fourth at 10%.
See all rankings below.
TouchTunes Frontline Chart
“A Bar Song (Tipsy),” Shaboozey (=)
“Pink Pony Club,” Chappell Roan (+6)
“I Had Some Help,” Post Malone feat. Morgan Wallen (-1)
“Not Like Us,” Kendrick Lamar (+3)
“I Never Lie,” Zach Top (=)
“You Look Like You Love Me,” Ella Langley feat. Riley Green (-3)
“Love Somebody,” Morgan Wallen (+8)
“Beautiful Things,” Benson Boone (+1)
“TV Off,” Kendrick Lamar feat. Lefty Gunplay (debut)
“Luther,” Kendrick Lamar with SZA (debut)
“I’m the Problem,” Morgan Wallen (debut)
“Too Sweet,” Hozier (-2)
“Lies Lies Lies,” Morgan Wallen (-7)
“Smile,” Morgan Wallen (debut)
“Whatchu Kno About Me,” GloRilla feat. Sexyy Red (debut)
“Messy,” Lola Young (debut)
“Die With a Smile,” Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars (debut)
“4x4xu,” Lainey Wilson (debut)
“I Am Not Okay,” Jelly Roll (-8)
“High Road,” Koe Wetzel with Jessie Murph (debut)
“Whiskey Whiskey,” Moneybagg Yo feat. Morgan Wallen (-5)
“The Door,” Teddy Swims (-5)
“Ain’t No Love in Oklahoma,” Luke Combs (-10)
“Espresso,” Sabrina Carpenter (debut)
“Squabble Up,” Kendrick Lamar (debut)
TouchTunes Catalog Chart
“Tennessee Whiskey,” Chris Stapleton (=)
“Lose Control, “Teddy Swims (=)
“I Love This Bar,” Toby Keith (=)
“Friends in Low Places,” Garth Brooks (=)
“Neon Moon,” Brooks & Dunn (=)
“Copperhead Road,” Steve Earle (+3)
“I Think I’ll Just Stay Here and Drink,” Merle Haggard (=)
“Simple Man,” Lynyrd Skynyrd (+8)
“Fat Bottomed Girls,” Queen (-1)
“Drinkin’ Problem,” Midland (=)
“Don’t Stop Believin’,” Journey (=)
“Brown Eyed Girl,” Van Morrison (+13)
“Rockstar,” Nickelback (=)
“Whiskey Glasses,” Morgan Wallen (=)
“Cowgirls,” Morgan Wallen feat. ERNEST (debut, previously No. 4 on Frontline)
“Family Tradition,” Hank Williams Jr. (-1)
“The Joker,” The Steve Miller Band (+4)
“Higher,” Creed (=)
“Thunderstruck,” AC/DC (+3)
“Sweet Child o’ Mine,” Guns N’ Roses (+3)
“Something in the Orange,” Zach Bryan (-4)
“In the Air Tonight,” Phil Collins (+2)
“Save Me,” Jelly Roll with Lainey Wilson (-11)
“One Last Breath,” Creed (debut)
“Son of a Sinner,” Jelly Roll (-19)
TouchTunes Artists Chart
Morgan Wallen
Shaboozey
Kendrick Lamar
Chris Stapleton
Toby Keith
AC/DC
Zach Bryan
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Jelly Roll
Luke Combs
Bon Iver’s SABLE, fABLE premieres atop a host of Billboard album charts dated April 26.
The set bows with 37,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending April 17, according to Luminate. That sum includes 25,000 in album sales, begetting a No. 1 debut on Top Album Sales. Its 19,000 vinyl copies sold also spark a No. 1 start on Vinyl Albums.
The Justin Vernon-led band rules the Top Rock & Alternative Albums chart for the first time since 22, A Million led in 2016. Before that, Bon Iver hit No. 1 with its self-titled effort.
SABLE, fABLE also starts at No. 1 on Top Rock Albums, Top Alternative Albums and Americana/Folk Albums, likewise marking Bon Iver’s third leader on each list.
Bon Iver adds its second Top Albums Sales No. 1, following 22, A Million, and its third on Vinyl Albums, after Bon Iver and I,I.
On the all-genre Billboard 200, SABLE, fABLE enters at No. 11, Bon Iver’s best rank since 22, A Million reached No. 2; Bon Iver also hit No. 2. The band first made the survey in 2008 with For Emma, Forever Ago, which peaked at No. 64 in 2009.
Concurrently, four tracks from the new album appear on the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart, led by “There’s a Rhythm” at No. 35 thanks to 1.9 million official U.S. streams. “Everything Is Peaceful Love,” the set’s current radio single, follows at No. 44, along with “S P E Y S I D E” (No. 46) and the Dijon– and Flock of Dimes-featuring “Day One” (No. 48).
“Everything Is Peaceful Love” ranks at No. 7 on the latest Adult Alternative Airplay chart, Bon Iver’s second-highest-charted song on the tally and best as a lead act, having passed the No. 13 peak of “S P E Y S I D E” last year. Its best remains its featured turn on The National’s “Weird Goodbyes,” which reached No. 6 in 2022.
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: A box office blockbuster starts to get its footing on streaming, while Charli XCX parlays Coachella attention into another viral moment and a big HBO twist lends new emotional heft to the song that soundtracks it.
‘Sinners’ Soundtrack Spins Southern Horror into Streaming Success
Academy Award-nominated multihyphenate Ryan Coogler has scored perhaps the first must-see film event of 2025 with Sinners, a remarkable Michael B. Jordan-led period horror flick that blends Southern Gothic elements with vampires and blues music. The picture opened to over $48 million at the box office, snagging the No. 1 spot from A Minecraft Movie – which spun out its own streaming hit last week.
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Sinners features an original score by Oscar winner Ludwig Göransson, as well as an original soundtrack produced by him and his wife, Serena Göransson. With a smattering of blues and gospel classics, Irish folk tunes and original cuts performed by the cast, Rod Wave, Don Toliver and Brittany Howard, the Sinners soundtrack captures the critical role music plays in the film’s plot.
According to Luminate, the Sinners soundtrack pulled over 570,000 official on-demand U.S. streams in its first day of release (April 18). Over the course of the film’s opening weekend (April 18-21), the soundtrack’s streams increased by at least 20% day-over-day, ultimately jumping 126% over the three-day period to over 1.3 million streams on April 21.
The Rod Wave-penned-and-performed titular song and lead single from the soundtrack arrived on April 4 and has steadily increased in streams now that the film is in theaters. By April 21, the song logged over 448,000 official on-demand U.S. streams, marking a near 30% increase from the number of streams it pulled at the top of the weekend (April 18). Don Toliver’s “Flames of Fortune,” the soundtrack’s other original song by a contemporary rap star, leapt 271% in streams across opening weekend, topping out at 51,000 official streams on April 21.
Three of the most notable streaming increases came from songs performed in the film by the Sinners cast. Miles Caton’s Raphael Saadiq-penned “I Lied to You,” a very pivotal song in the film, exploded over 600% in streams from April 18-21. By April 21, daily streams for “Lied” topped 175,000. Caton also sings alongside Grammy-nominated soul singer-songwriter Alice Smith for the end credits song, “Last Time (I Seen the Sun).” Streams for last time jumped over 500% across the film’s opening weekend, eventually reaching over 40,000 official streams by April 21. Finally, streams for “Rocky Road to Dublin,” a sinister take on a 19th-century Irish folk song performed by Irish singer Brian Dunphy, rose a whopping 700% across the film’s opening weekend. By April 21, the song logged over 109,000 official on-demand U.S. streams.
Already having spun out a Billboard 200 No. 1 album in the 2018 Black Panther soundtrack and a Billboard Hot 100 No. 2 hit in Wakanda Forever’s “Lift Me Up,” it looks like Ryan Coogler has delivered yet another film that will significantly impact the music world. — KYLE DENIS
‘Party’ On, Charli: 2020 Deep Cut Goes Viral Again for Coachella’s Miss Should Be Headliner
Just when you might have thought Charli XCX’s reign over pop culture was over — with the star giving her hedonistic 10-month Brat Summer a proper send-off through a pair of special guest-filled Coachella sets April 12 and 19 – the resurgence of an older deep cut (for the second time already this year) has proven that the party will never really be over for her.
“Party 4 U,” an A.G. Cook-produced, Robyn-esque banger on 2020’s How I’m Feeling Now about dancing through the pain despite feeling your heart break in real time, is seeing another streaming spike the past week. That’s largely thanks to a melancholy new TikTok trend, where fans share their interpretations of the song’s emotional breakdown, which finds an emotionally wiped Charli repeating the phrase “Party on you” over stacks of artfully Auto-Tuned harmonies. Users unloaded anecdotes about everything from seeing an ex seven years post-breakup to searching for love on Roblox, before the song’s creator herself finally shared its real meaning in a video of her own: “This is actually the moment you realize that that one person isn’t ever coming to your party,” she wrote, “so you stand in the middle of the room, tears briefly fill your eyes but then you wipe them away, pretend you’re ok and proceed to get unbelievably f—ked up…”
Nonetheless, the track has given Charli plenty to celebrate with its recent performance on DSPs — pulling in nearly two million official on-demand U.S. streams between April 18 and 21, a 63.4% increase from the same period (April 11-14) the week prior, according to Luminate. It was also the biggest gainer on Spotify’s Daily Top Songs USA chart on Tuesday (April 22), moving up 37 spots to No. 39 — so even though Coachella has officially wrapped for 2025, Charli’s “Party” may not have even hit its peak yet. – HANNAH DAILEY
That Major Moment on ‘The Last of Us’ Boosts Streams For The Video-Game Voice of Ellie
No The Last of Us spoilers here, don’t worry — but if you’ve been on the Internet at all over the past few days, you’re probably aware that the most recent episode of the zombie-apocalypse HBO series contained a rather momentous ending. And before credits rolled on the second episode of season 2, the final few minutes were soundtracked by “Through the Valley,” the 2012 song by Shawn James, as covered by Ashley Johnson and guitarist Chris Rondinella.
Johnson has a special connection to The Last of Us: not only did the singer-actress, who was a child star on Growing Pains and later appeared in films like What Women Want and The Help, voice the character of Ellie in the best-selling video game franchise, but she also played Ellie’s mother when the HBO series premiered in 2023. In 2021, Johnson sang four songs, including a somber take on “Through the Valley,” on The Last of Us Part II: Covers and Rarities, an EP released following the second installment of the video game.
After her rendition of “Through the Valley” concluded the episode (also titled ‘Through the Valley’), daily streams of the cover shot up by a factor of 10: after earning 4,000 U.S. on-demand streams on the previous Monday (Apr. 14), the song scored 43,000 streams on the day after the episode aired (Apr. 21), according to Luminate. The Last of Us Part II: Covers and Rarities also includes Johnson and Rondinella covering a-ha’s “Take on Me” — maybe that one will appear in an episode of The Last of Us where the infected get really into synth-pop? – JASON LIPSHUTZ
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 Hot 100 dated May 3, we look at a number of songs threatening to end the now-nine-week reign of Kendrick Lamar & SZA’s “Luther” — led by two of pop’s biggest hitmakers looking to score their second smash together.
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Morgan Wallen feat. Post Malone, “I Ain’t Comin’ Back” (Big Loud/Republic/Mercury): Last year, Morgan Wallen helped officially introduce Post Malone to the country world with the duo’s teamup “I Had Some Help,” which topped the Hot 100 for six weeks and earned official Billboard Song of the Summer honors. That song, officially credited to Malone featuring Wallen, led the former’s full-length country pivot F-1 Trillion and helped turn that album into a chart-topper itself – so you know that now Wallen is returning with his own 37-track I’m the Problem set this May, Malone had to come return the favor.
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“I Ain’t Comin’ Back,” the duo’s credit-flipped new collaboration dropped on Friday (April 18) and also got off to a fast start on streaming and in sales. The song debuted atop the Spotify Daily Top Songs USA chart, and quickly rose on the Apple Music and iTunes real-time charts as well. However, unlike “Help” — which absolutely blew past the competition in its first week of release, even during a particularly packed time for popular music — “Back” has already started to recede a little, down to No. 4 on Spotify and out of the top five on iTunes.
It seems unlikely the duo will make it two straight No. 1 debuts with “Back” — but they should be primed for another long Hot 100 run with the song, helped by a quick embrace by radio, where the song has already earned 2.2 million in all-format airplay audience in its first four days, according to Luminate, and could be looking at a top 40 debut on the Country Airplay chart, despite no official promotion to the format. It will join a listing already packed with Wallen hits, including fellow I’m the Problem advance tracks like the title track (No. 10 this week), “Just in Case” (Wallen’s latest country radio single, No. 11) and “Love Somebody” (No. 20), and still – now in its 49th week on the chart — “I Had Some Help” (No. 17).
Alex Warren, “Ordinary” (Atlantic): During a largely static time on the Hot 100, one of the few songs providing consistent week-to-week movement has been Warren’s “Ordinary,” which first gained momentum on TikTok, and then exploded after he performed it on a reunion episode for season eight of Netflix’s hit reality show Love Is Blind. Last week, the song became Warren’s first career top 10 hit; this week, it becomes his first career top five hit, jumping 7-5 on the chart dated Apr. 26.
Could a No. 1 ranking be in the song’s future? Probably not in the next week or two, as the gap between it and Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s reigning “Luther” (nine weeks and counting) remains pretty large, but the song doesn’t seem to be slowing down, as it’s climbed all the way to No. 3 on Spotify’s Daily Top Songs USA and No. 7 on the Apple Music real-time chart. More crucially, it’s only really getting started at radio – debuting at No. 49 on Radio Songs this week and likely moving into the top 20 next week on Pop Airplay, still with plenty of room to grow there – making Warren a pretty solid candidate to be the first artist to score his first career No. 1 on the Hot 100 this year.
BigXthaPlug feat. Bailey Zimmerman, “All the Way” (BigXthaPlug/Atlantic/ UnitedMasters): BigXthaPlug and Bailey Zimmerman have been enjoying the biggest breakout hit of their respective careers the past two weeks with “All the Way,” which launched an impressive No. 4 debut on the Hot 100 two weeks ago and slipped just to No. 8 in its second week, and remains a strong presence on streaming. Despite debuting atop Billboard’s Hot Country Songs ranking, the single has not yet been promoted to country radio – but it has picked up a bit of top 40 airplay, with SiriusXM stations across pop and hip-hop formats also supporting the song.
Drake, “Nokia” (Santa Anna/OVO/Republic): Drake’s much-needed bounceback hit made it all the way to No. 2 on the Hot 100, but has since stalled, dropping back to No. 3 on the chart. “Nokia” isn’t done yet, though – it’s still only really finding its footing on radio, where it reaches the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay top 10 this week and is up 15% in all-format radio audience April 18-21. The song might still need one more big boost to get it over the top on the Hot 100 – an official remix, perhaps? — but it likely will remain in range of getting there for some weeks still to come.
Mrs. GREEN APPLE’s “KUSUSHIKI” holds at No. 1 for the second week on the Billboard Japan Hot 100, dated April 23.
The The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 Part 2 opener debuted at No. 6 on the tally revealed April 9 and hit No. 1 last week. Compared to the week before, downloads for the track are down to 61%, streams to 90%, and video views to 63%, while karaoke points are up to 142% and radio airplay to 292%. The latest hit by the three-man band rules streaming and radio while coming in at No. 3 for downloads, No. 2 for video, and No. 59 for karaoke.
ME:I’s “MUSE” jumps 73-2. The track began streaming March 17 and debuted at No. 59 on the chart released March 26. After falling off the list, it re-entered at No. 85 on April 9, rose to No. 73 the following week, and hits No. 2 this week after selling 234,404 CDs during the chart week.
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HANA’s “ROSE” slips a notch to No. 3. The track continues to rule video for the third consecutive week, while coming in at No. 13 for downloads, No. 2 for streaming, and No. 7 for radio.
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Following at No. 4, also down a spot from last week, is Mrs. GREEN APPLE’s “Lilac.” The song has been particularly popular in karaoke, topping the metric for 15 consecutive weeks since its release on Jan. 15.
Sakanaction’s “Kaiju” stays at No. 5. Points for the track are down in downloads, streaming, radio, and video, while gaining slightly in karaoke (101%) compared to the previous week.
King Gnu’s “TWILIGHT!!!” debuts at No. 7. The track was released on April 18 as the theme song for the animated movie Detective Conan: One-Eyed Flashback. Despite only being counted for three days, the song racked up 14,679 downloads to top the metric, and comes in at No. 25 for streaming, No. 8 for video, and No. 12 for radio. King Gnu surprised fans with a free live performance in Kabukicho, Tokyo on the song’s release day, drawing an estimated 6,000 people to the plaza in Shinjuku, the largest crowd ever for the location.
Outside the top 10, “GBAD (Number_i Remix),” the collaboration between Jackson Wang and Number_i, bows at No. 13. The track comes in at No. 2 for downloads, No. 56 for streaming, and No. 37 for videos.
The Billboard Japan Hot 100 combines physical and digital sales, audio streams, radio airplay, video views and karaoke data.
See the full Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart, tallying the week from April 14 to 20, here. For more on Japanese music and charts, visit Billboard Japan’s English X account.
The Weeknd grabs sole possession of the third most No. 1s on Billboard’s Rhythmic Airplay chart as his current single, “Cry for Me,” reigns on the list dated April 26. As the new champ climbs from No. 3, The Weeknd claims his 15th Rhythmic Airplay leader, breaking from his tie with Chris Brown. He now […]
Nearly a decade after indie R&B tastemakers and college students across the country first swooned over her self-released EPs and early collaborations with Monte Booker and Smino, Ravyn Lenae has earned her first Billboard Hot 100 hit with “Love Me Not” (chart dated April 12).
Lenae, who signed to Atlantic Records in 2016, originally released the bouncy, soulful, rock-inflected song in early May 2024 as the lead single from her sophomore studio album, Bird’s Eye. Thanks to a wave of TikTok momentum — one that’s also benefitted Janet Jackson’s “Someone to Call My Lover,” a kind of foremother to “Love Me Not” — the single steadily grew throughout the late winter and early spring and now reaches a No. 70 on this week’s Hot 100 (dated April 26). The Dahi-produced track also became the landmark 25th production credit for the Grammy-winning hip-hop/R&B producer.
With “Love Me Not” securing Lenae her long-awaited breakout moment, the song’s success also previews what’s shaping up to be the biggest year of her career. In April, the Chicago-bred singer-songwriter bewitched both weekends of Coachella-goers, perfectly priming both in-person and virtual audiences for her forthcoming stint as an opener on Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet tour. She’ll also visit her hometown for Lollapallooza (July 31-Aug. 3), where she’ll continuing playing sets built around Bird’s Eye, which Billboard staff named the No. 3 Best R&B Album of 2024.
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“I’m just happy for all artists who have been in this 10-plus years and are feeling the love and the benefits of so much time and effort and hard work,” she gushes to Billboard the day before her Coachella debut. “It’s a lot of that happening right now at the 10-year mark. The 10-year thing is real!”
In a conversation with Billboard, Ravyn Lenae talks her slow-burning success, drawing inspiration from Janet Jackson, gracing the Hot 100 for the first time with “Love Me Not,” and witnessing the power of TikTok firsthand.
Where were you when you found out “Love Me Not” hit the Hot 100?
I was at home watching TV, and my manager called me and told me that it was a real thing. I had a great day that day. I had great tacos, I called my mom, everything was going right. The weather was beautiful. I had a really emotional talk with Dahi and thanked him for being such an important person in my life and doing this with me and believing in me and challenging me.
Was there a specific moment in which you decided that you wanted to pursue music professionally?
I would say when I was in high school and I started putting music out on SoundCloud and I saw how much of a response I got. That made me feel like, “Oh, this is something that not just resonates with me, but people actually like this and they’re looking forward to the next thing that I do.” I think that gave me an inkling. Once Noname took me on tour [in 2017], that’s when I realized it was a possibility to do something I love every single day and be able to pay my bills too.
What was the inspiration behind “Love Me Not?”
That song was one of the first ones that we landed on for Bird’s Eye. I remember when Dahi played me the beat, I was like, “This is something I feel like I haven’t heard in such a long time.” For some reason, it reminded me of when I heard “Hey Ya!” [by OutKast] for the first time. That mix of soulfulness with pop sensibility that anybody could sing and dance to and feels like it could have came out in any era — that’s my favorite type of song.
Lyrically, I like to play with relationships and the push and pull of knowing you love somebody even though you know it can’t work. That really elementary approach to writing is one of my favorite things. I love when the lyrics feel a little sad, but the music feels upbeat, or even the inverse. [“Love Me Not”] has all the qualities of a really timeless song to me, so I knew that one had to be on [the album] and be the first [single].
Why did you decide to release “Love Me Not” alongside “Love Is Blind”?
“Love Me Not” was something that I really, really loved and I was excited for my fans to hear. But I also knew that it was a branch-out from the type of colors I dabbled in on [2022 album] Hypnos. I thought to support that, I should have something that felt like the most “Ravyn Lenae” song ever. “Love Is Blind” was a good pairing for people to see where I was going with [Bird’s Eye while] still rooted in my R&B bag, my sensuality and my yearning lyrics. I wanted people to understand where I was going, but also where I am and where I’ve been at the same time.
How did the how did the Rex Orange County remix come together? When did you know that you wanted to do a remix?
I knew I wanted a remix for the song a few months after I dropped it. I remember us talking about a feature on the song originally, so it was always in my head that I thought I heard another perspective on the song, especially a male perspective, almost like a duet type of feel. But I couldn’t think of who it was going to be, and I don’t like to decide things quickly.
My manager [John Bogaard] sugested Rex [Orange County], and I thought he was the perfect voice and perspective to add to the song and introduce it to a whole other audience.
The success of “Love Me Not” has been a real slow burn, not unlike your career in general. Are there times you wish everything would just click or are you content with the journey of it all?
I am constantly on a journey of balancing both of those extremes because it feels like two sides of my brain. One that’s like, “Get on the train!,” and the other part of me — like when I talk to my mom and my manager — [understands] that timing is everything. I have to trust that. I have to believe that. I have to stay patient and diligent and focused, and things will start to turn over for me. We’ve seen it over and over again.
I just saw Doechii [with whom she collaborated for 2022’s “Xtasy” remix] a few days ago in San Antonio. I hadn’t seen her since this major shift [in her career], so it’s been a while since I’ve been able to catch up with her. I was like, “Girl, when you won your Grammy, I started bawling!” I didn’t expect that [emotional response] to happen, but whenever I see those glimpses of hard work paying off, it reassures me that I’m on the right path. That’s what I’m holding on to right now; I’m trying not to get ahead of myself and stay right where I’m at and be happy about that.
I’m just happy for all artists who have been in this 10-plus years and are feeling the love and the benefits of so much time and effort and hard work. It’s a lot of that happening right now at the 10-year mark. The 10-year thing is real!
What else do you have planned for “Love Me Not?” You’ve been showing fellow Bird’s Eye track “Genius” a lot of love on TikTok recently.
I hope that I’m able to keep getting “Love Me Not” in new ears. I want that song to keep growing and reach as many people as possible. “Genius” is another one that I think has really strong potential to reach those super-large audiences. I’m just gonna keep pushing, working, performing, meeting people and being a good person. Beyond that, I’m working on new music that I’m so excited about.
What was your experience on the artist side watching TikTok help blow “Love Me Not” up?
Before it happened, I would have really negative thoughts like, “Maybe that type of viral moment isn’t in the cards for me.” You’re making TikToks and you feel like [they’re] not reaching anybody and you’re just putting stuff out into the void.
This was an exercise of me stepping outside of my comfort zone in a good way. Seeing people discover me and this song and then dive into my whole discography has really [shown that TikTok is] such a beautiful tool. Even beyond me, just seeing how accessible it is for people’s lives to change overnight.
I can’t help but draw similarities between “Love Me Not” popping off right now and also Janet Jackson’s “Someone to Call My Lover” having a revival. What do you think it is about these songs that are pulling in listeners right now?
I literally asked myself this the other day. I’m like, “This is too much of a coincidence!” First of all, “Someone to Call My Lover” is one of my favorite songs, so when I saw that happening it really felt like a shift. Janet is one of my biggest inspirations; she’s been able to blend R&B, alternative, rock and pop in the most beautiful, seamless way. I aspire my career to be like that too. I think people are just open to a mishmash of sounds and don’t care really who it’s coming from. Even the fact that [TikTok users] mixed “Love Me Not” with [Solange’s] “Losing You,” there’s definitely a shift happening. I think people want that soulful pop back.
What can you tell us about the new music right now?
Tricking my listeners into liking things that they probably wouldn’t have liked otherwise is something I’m really into. I’m always finding new ways to push and find new colors in my voice, get a little uncomfortable and get a little more raw. Pulling back those layers is something that I try to do with each song and each album.
A version of this story appears in the April 19, 2025, issue of Billboard.