State Champ Radio Country
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Bunnie XO, who hosts her Dumb Blonde podcast and is married to singer-songwriter Jelly Roll, isn’t putting up with online rumors. On her Instagram Stories Monday (Nov. 27), Bunnie XO responded to a Radar Online article that suggested she was “jealous” of Jelly Roll’s friendship with his BBR Music Group labelmate and fellow CMA Award […]
What were some of the most notable trends on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart over the first three quarters of 2023?
Hit Songs Deconstructed, which provides compositional analytics for top 10 Hot 100 hits, has released its Q3 2023 State of the Hot 100 Top 10 report.
Here are three takeaways from Hit Songs Deconstructed’s latest in-depth research.
Country Remains Tied With Pop on Top
Over the first nine months of 2023, country and pop tied as the most common primary genres in the Hot 100’s top 10, each contributing to 21% of all top 10 hits. Country and pop shared the lead in Q1 2023, at 26% each, and at midyear, each with 23%.
“Country was the big gainer, surging from just 4% of songs in 2022 to 21% YTD 2023, its highest level in over a decade, largely thanks to Morgan Wallen,” Hit Songs Deconstructed’s report notes. Wallen’s haul has been led by “Last Night,” which first topped the Hot 100 in March and reigned for 16 weeks, the longest command for a non-collaboration in the chart’s history.
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As for pop, despite its shared domination with country, its 21% share of all Hot 100 top 10s in the first three quarters of 2023 continues a decline for the genre, from 35% in all of 2022; a leading 39% in 2021; 40% in 2020; and a winning 47% in 2019.
“Pop dropped to its lowest level of prominence in over a decade,” according to Hit Songs Deconstructed. (At the same time, as Hit Songs Deconstructed noted earlier this year, while country has ascended in the Hot 100’s top 10, driven by Wallen’s hits, among others, the genre boasts notable similarities to pop songs.)
Below country and pop, two other primary genres scored double-digit shares of Hot 100 top 10s from January through September: hip-hop at 19%, and R&B/soul at 15%.
Hip-hop’s presence, like pop’s, continued to fall among Hot 100 top 10s, with its 19% take, and its third-place rank among primary genres, over Q1-Q3 2023, down noticeably from a first-place 38% finish in 2022; 34% in 2021; a leading 41% in 2020; and 34% in 2019.
R&B/soul’s share so far in 2023, conversely, nearly doubled from 8% for all of 2022.
Smaller Songwriting Teams (Sort Of)
“While songwriting teams of five-plus writers are still most common, they’ve seen a significant drop so far in 2023,” Hit Songs Deconstructed’s report indicates. Such groups accounted for a leading 38% of all Hot 100 top 10s over the year’s first three quarters, though down from 60% for all of 2019.
Songwriter groups of three (22% of all Hot 100 top 10s) and four (19%) ranked second and third, respectively, over Q1-Q3 2023.
Courtesy of Hit Songs Deconstructed
Notably, while only 8% of Hot 100 top 10s in that span were penned by a single writer, one hit No. 1, for two weeks in August-September: Oliver Anthony Music’s self-written and -performed “Rich Men North of Richmond.” (In each of those frames, Luke Combs ranked at No. 2 with “Fast Car,” his update of Tracy Chapman’s likewise self-authored 1988 classic.)
Jersey in the Club
Among sub-genres/influences, Jersey club claimed an 8% share of Hot 100 top 10s in the first three-quarters of 2023 – following no presence between 2019 and 2022.
“Leading the way was Lil Uzi Vert’s ‘Just Wanna Rock,’ followed by Ice Spice and PinkPantheress’ ‘Boys a Liar, Pt.2,’” recaps Hit Songs Deconstructed. “Bad Bunny followed with ‘Where She Goes,’ and Ice Spice, Nicki Minaj and Aqua kept the trend going with ‘Barbie World.’”
Among other standout sub-genres/influences in the Hot 100’s top 10 in the latest research period were psychedelic/retro, via SZA’s No. 1 “Kill Bill”; Afrobeats, thanks to Rema and Selena Gomez’s “Calm Down,” which hit No. 3; and classical, as heard in JVKE’s No. 10-peaking “Golden Hour.”
Dolly Parton’s 30-song set Rockstar, released Nov. 17, blasts in atop Billboard’s Top Country Albums and Top Rock & Alternative Albums charts (dated Dec. 2). The legend adds her ninth No. 1 on the former and her first on the latter.
The rock-influenced LP earned 128,000 equivalent album units, with 118,000 in album sales, in the week ending Nov. 23, according to Luminate.
The album opens at No. 3 on the all-genre Billboard 200, marking Parton’s third top 10 and highest career rank. She previously visited the tier with Blue Smoke (No. 6 in 2014) and Trio, a collaborative set with Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris (No. 16 in 1987).
Rockstar additionally debuts at the summit on the all-genre Top Album Sales chart, becoming Parton’s first No. 1. Its first-week sales were bolstered by its availability at outlets including Barnes & Noble, Cracker Barrel, Dollar General and Target.
The set more than doubles Parton’s previous biggest sales week for an album, notched when Slow Dancing With the Moon sold 50,500 copies in its second chart week (March 20, 1993).
The star-studded Rockstar is being promoted as Parton’s first rock album, its recording initiated following her induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022. She initially declined the honor but after entering being enshrined went all-in with the release of Rockstar.
The collection mixes original songs and covers and boasts a long list of prominent credited guests, including Pat Benatar, Miley Cyrus, Melissa Etheridge, Mick Fleetwood, Peter Frampton, Joan Jett and The Blackhearts, Elton John, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Paul McCartney, Stevie Nicks, Chris Stapleton, Ringo Starr, Sting and Steven Tyler.
Parton first reached Top Country Albums with the aptly named Hello, I’m Dolly in November 1967. She scored the first of her 49 top 10s with Just Between You and Me, with Porter Wagoner (No. 8, March 1968), and her first No. 1 with her 34th entry, 1977’s New Harvest…First Gathering, which led for a week that May.
Rockstar is Parton’s first Top Country Albums No. 1 since A Holly Dolly Christmas in 2020. “I am so proud and humbled to have my album reach No. 1 on the Billboard country and holiday charts,” she beamed to Billboard that week. “Boy, what a great early Christmas present for me!”
Meanwhile, Parton leads Top Rock & Alternative Albums in her first appearance on the chart. (Rockstar also rules Top Rock Albums, likewise marking her first visit to the survey.)
The new album’s “World On Fire” debuted and peaked at No. 26 on Hot Rock & Alternative Songs in May.
Plus, Parton’s cover of Prince and the Revolution’s “Purple Rain” enters the Rock Digital Song Sales chart at No. 14 (1,000 sold). It’s the sixth song from Rockstar to make the ranking, with three having hit the top 10 prior to the album’s release. “World On Fire” led for a week in May and her versions of The Beatles’ “Let It Be” (featuring McCartney and Starr) and Cyrus’ “Wrecking Ball” (featuring Cyrus) hit Nos. 2 and 6 in September and November, respectively.
Country music icon Dolly Parton may be embracing a new sound with her latest album, but that doesn’t mean that she’s ready to completely update her life.
The superstar appeared on Monday’s episode of The Drew Barrymore Show (Nov. 27), where the 77-year-old chatted with Barrymore about her refusal to send text messages and her preference for fax machines and phone calls when it comes to communication.
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“I’m a low-tech girl in a high-tech world,” Parton quipped. “But I surround myself with all these people that are in that high-tech world, but I don’t want to talk to everybody that wants to talk to me. I don’t text because I don’t want to have to answer. If someone calls me, I’ll answer if I want to talk to them, or I’ll call them back when I can. Otherwise, I got too much to think about.”
The “Jolene” singer added that, while she could change her habits, she simply doesn’t want to. “I’m certainly not a stupid person; I could learn it if I wanted to, but I’d rather just have my fax machine, call in my creative stuff to my crew,” she said. “I’ve got the best crew in the world and I surround myself with great people … I just don’t have time to just sit with my face in a phone all day.”
Other artists, including Reba McEntire, have previously noted Parton’s preference for faxing over texting. During a 2022 interview with Apple Music’s Southern Accents Radio, McEntire said, “You don’t call Dolly, you fax her. You fax your people and your people talk to her people. That’s the only way I know to get ahold of her.”
While she may not have an affinity for faxing, Parton sure has been busy of late. Her star-studded rock album Rockstar debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart, earning the highest all-genre album chart rank of her career.
The project also landed at No. 1 on several Billboard charts, including Top Rock Albums, Top Rock and Alternative Albums, Top Country Albums, Top Album Sales, Top Current Album Sales and on the independent Albums chart.
Check out the clip from The Drew Barrymore Show below:
For many, thoughts of the late, Tupelo, Mississippi-born music icon Elvis Presley center around his emotional, husky vocals, genre-defying catalog of enduring recordings, signature hip gyrations, electrifying performance style, jet black hair and bedazzled jumpsuits.
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But for another Southern-born singer-songwriter, the Tennessee and Georgia-raised Kane Brown — who to date has earned 10 Billboard Country Airplay No. 1 hits, including “Heaven,” “What Ifs” and most recently, “Bury Me in Georgia” — Presley’s name and music conjure thoughts of personal connection with a beloved family member.
“My nana is a huge Elvis fan and always has been,” Brown tells Billboard via email. “Growing up, I remember her carrying around a bag with Elvis’ face on it, and my earliest memories of Elvis and his music were of listening to him with her, and how excited she is and still gets hearing his music. My nana is a superhero, and so having that connection with and memory with her and his music is something that means a lot to me.”
On Wednesday (Nov. 29), Brown will be one of several performers helping to celebrate the legacy of the late Presley — as part of the new holiday special, Christmas at Graceland, which airs on NBC beginning at 10 p.m. ET and will be simulcast on Peacock.
Christmas at Graceland marks the first live musical televised holiday special of its kind at the late Presley’s 13.8-acre Memphis, Tennessee estate, and will feature never-before-broadcast footage of Presley. In 1982, Graceland was opened to the public as a museum, which draws hundreds of thousands of visitors annually to honor the life of Presley, who died in 1977 at age 42.
In addition to Brown, other artists taking part in the Christmas at Graceland special are Alanis Morissette, John Legend, Kacey Musgraves, newly named CMA entertainer of the year Lainey Wilson, Lana Del Rey, Post Malone and 2024 Grammys best new artist nominee The War and Treaty.
Brown’s performance on Christmas at Graceland connects with his recently released holiday song, a version of Presley’s “Blue Christmas,” which features vocals from both Brown and Presley. Brown previously released a solo version of “Blue Christmas” last year, reaching No. 14 on the Hot Country Songs chart.
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Written by Billy Hayes and Jay W. Johnson, the tale of unrequited love was recorded by Presley as part of his 1957 Elvis’ Christmas Album project. Brown’s ties to the song as a country singer are notable, given that prior to Presley’s version, “Blue Christmas” had been a No. 1 Hot Country Songs hit for country singer Ernest Tubb in 1950.
Presley’s granddaughter Riley Keough will make special appearances on Christmas at Graceland, and she will also serve as an executive producer under her Felix Culpa banner with partner Gina Gammell. Christmas at Graceland is produced by Done + Dusted, Authentic Studios and Felix Culpa.
Brown recently talked with Billboard over email, discussing his recording “Blue Christmas” alongside Presley’s own vocals, his experience performing as part of Christmas at Graceland, and his own favorite family holiday experiences.
Are you an Elvis fan, and if so, what are your favorite Elvis songs?
Elvis is an internationally recognized icon and paved the way in so many different areas for artists, but I think to me what’s been really cool is — as I got older, learning a lot more about his background growing up, and just how much he had to push the meter in so may different ways, and how many times he was told “no” before he powered through to become the legend he is today. Now being an artist, having a better understanding just how amazing what he was able to accomplish was, and how he did it with his talent and by being so unique — that’s still so inspiring. It would be hard to pick just one song, but it is still something I am trying to wrap my head around that I have a duet with ELVIS. And to hear my daughters sing it at home now too — what an amazing feeling.
What was the recording session for “Blue Christmas” like, and what did you think when you heard the finished version?
Really different, in the sense that you obviously don’t have the other artist in the room while you are recording it — but the first time I heard the final track, it gave me chill bumps.
What are your impressions of Graceland?
Visiting Graceland and being able to see where he lived and what was important to him and what life he was able to build for his family, having come from nothing, is something I really connect with. I feel his spirit so much there.
What are your favorite holiday traditions you have started with wife Katelyn and your children?
The girls love to sing, and having them be old enough to sing holiday songs together has meant so much.
Are there certain things you all love to do around Nashville for the holidays?
We love being at home and getting a chance to recharge and really live in gratitude for a minute. Sometimes you blink, and it’s already a year later when you’re out on the road. Touring is amazing, and I am so grateful for what I get to do for a living and all the fans that have been with me since day one and along the way. But getting that time at home when you’re often on the road is an amazing feeling to take the time to have those little moments like having breakfast together and really do the small stuff as a family helps recharge you, and then you feel like you’re ready to get back out there and give it your all on tour. We have such an exciting year coming up next year, and getting that space to be together as family beforehand is something we don’t take for granted.
Dolly Parton’s Rockstar blasts in at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart (dated Dec. 2), scoring the music legend her first leader on the 32-year-old tally.
Rockstar bows with 118,500 copies sold in the U.S. in the week ending Nov. 23, according to Luminate. That marks biggest sales week for an album in the modern era, since Luminate began electronically tracking sales in 1991. She more than doubles her previous biggest week, notched in 1993 when Slow Dancing With the Moon sold 50,500 copies in its second week on the chart (rising 54-19 on the March 20, 1993-dated list).
Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart ranks the top-selling albums of the week based only on traditional album sales. The chart’s history dates back to May 25, 1991, the first week Billboard began tabulating charts with electronically monitored piece count information from SoundScan, now Luminate. Pure album sales were the sole measurement utilized by the Billboard 200 albums chart through the list dated Dec. 6, 2014, after which that chart switched to a methodology that blends album sales with track equivalent album units and streaming equivalent album units. The new Dec. 2, 2023-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on Nov. 28. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.
As previously reported, Rockstar also debuts at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 – Parton’s highest charting album ever, and her third top 10 on that list.
Of Rockstar’s first-week sales of 118,500, physical sales comprise a little more than 96,000 (78,000 on CD, 18,000 on vinyl and a negligible sum on cassette) and download album sales comprise a little over 22,000.
The star-studded Rockstar was promoted as Parton’s first rock album, and its recording was sparked by Parton’s induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022. Parton has primarily released country music in her nearly 60-year career, through has taken detours (with albums and/or songs) into such genres as Americana/folk, bluegrass, children’s music, Christian, dance/electronic and pop.
The 30-song Rockstar set has a mix of original songs and covers, and boasts a cavalcade of guest stars – 40 in all. Among them are Pat Benatar, Miley Cyrus, Melissa Etheridge, Joan Jett and The Blackhearts, Elton John, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Paul McCartney, Stevie Nicks, Chris Stapleton, Ringo Starr, Sting and Steven Tyler.
Rockstar’s first-week sales were bolstered by its availability across a variety of editions and formats, in addition to some non-traditional music retailers including Cracker Barrel, Dollar General and HSN. The album’s CD edition was available in four editions – a standard version and three variants, each with alternative cover art: for HSN, with three bonus tracks; a Dallas Cowboys version, and a Tennessee Volunteers edition with a bonus track. The latter two were tied to a pair of high-profile live TV performances from Parton: during the Georgia Bulldogs vs. Tennessee Volunteers football game on Nov. 19, and during halftime of the Washington Commanders vs. Dallas Cowboys football game on Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 23).
Rockstar was pressed on more than 10 vinyl variants, including exclusive editions (all in different colors, some with different cover art) for Amazon, Barnes & Noble, independent record stores, Parton’s webstore, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame store, Target and Walmart. Parton’s webstore also carried a deluxe digital download version of the album with three exclusive bonus tracks. Rockstar was also offered in multiple deluxe boxed sets, sold through Parton’s webstore, containing either a vinyl or CD version of the album with a branded T-shirt of various designs.
Jason Aldean has extended his headlining Highway Desperado Tour into 2024, adding 24 cities to the trek, beginning May 18 at WinStar World Casino and Resort in Thackerville, Okla. The tour will also make stops in Philadelphia, Savannah and more, before wrapping with a show in Aldean’s original hometown of Macon, Ga., at the Macon […]
Congratulations are in order for Sam Hunt and his wife, Hannah Lee Fowler, who have welcomed their second child together. The 38-year-old country musician took to Instagram on Friday (Nov. 24) to share the exciting news with his 3.3 million followers. “Thank You Lord,” Hunt captioned a photo of his beautiful family. In the snapshot, […]
Dolly Parton may have a career in professional cheerleading if this music thing doesn’t work out. The 77-year-old country superstar stunned during the NFL halftime show at the Dallas Cowboys-Washing Commanders game on Thanksgiving (Nov. 23) after stepping onto the stage in a sparkling Cowboys-inspired cheerleader uniform for her show-stealing set. “Hello, Texas! Dolly does […]
On Black Friday (Nov. 24), Garth Brooks will give fans an early look at his Friends in Low Places Bar & Honky-Tonk in downtown Nashville, opening the bar with his own “dive bar” concert taking place at the new venue.
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The Amazon Music Live special concert will be livestreamed for everyone to watch, beginning at 7 p.m. ET and available via Amazon Prime Video and the Amazon Music channel on Twitch — even for those without an Amazon Prime subscription or an Amazon account. Additionally, the Black Friday NFL game between the Miami Dolphins and the New York Jets will transition directly into the concert following the game. Over on Twitch, a pre-show will begin at 6 p.m. ET, hosted by Amber Anderson and Kelly Sutton, who spearhead Amazon Music’s Country Heat Weekly podcast.
The Country Music Hall of Famer’s Friends in Low Places Bar & Honky-Tonk, located at 411 Broadway in Nashville, is the latest country artist-owned bar to dot downtown Nashville, joining venues from Florida Georgia Line, Dierks Bentley, Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Alan Jackson and Miranda Lambert, among others.
During a press conference held at his new Friends in Low Places Bar in Nashville, Brooks noted that his Black Friday concert will welcome a special guest: Ronnie Dunn, who will join Brooks to perform their current radio duet “Rodeo Man” together live for the first time. The duet is included on Brooks’ new album Time Traveler and debuted in the top 30 on Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart.
In a nod to the venue’s namesake song, “Friends in Low Places,” two towering palm trees overlooking the venue’s massive, retractable stage are named for the songwriters behind Brooks’ signature hit: Earl Bud Lee and Dwayne Blackwell. “Friends in Low Places,” included on Brooks’ 1990 album No Fences, spent four weeks atop Billboard‘s Hot Country Songs chart. The song was also named single of the year by both the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.
Brooks explained his reasoning behind opting to name the bar after his signature song rather than simply license his name. “Hopefully as an artist is you realize that the song outlives the artist,” Brooks said. “So that’s why it’s not ‘The Garth Bar.’ It’s Friends in Low Places. … You can like Garth Brooks, you can not like Garth Brooks. Either way, chances are you’ve probably sang ‘Friends in Low Places’ at a wedding or something with everybody else.”
He also noted that, similar to his previous Dive Bar concerts in other cities, this will be a truncated performance, expected to wrap in under an hour.
Brooks also noted that the bar won’t fully open until March 2024, though the two bottom floors will be open during the soft opening on Friday and on weekends leading up to the March 2024 full opening.
However, don’t expect to see Brooks doing pop-up shows at the bar; he told reporters during the press conference that he wants to keep the focus on the bar being a place for the next generation of artists to hone their skills. He also noted to Billboard that he doesn’t plan to be involved in selecting the artists and/or bands who perform at the bar.
“My thing is, let’s get as many people in here. The more people get to play, the more chances new people get,” he told Billboard, noting that the stage is also retractable. “There’s a green room to show a little bit of what the future is for them, and of course, everything’s about the crew.”
The Oklahoma native also noted the venue’s location is full-circle for him. The building used to be known as Paradise Park Trailer Park bar, and the rooftop is where Brooks celebrated in 2019 after winning his seventh CMA entertainer of the year accolade.
Brooks said that his motivation to launch the Friends in Low Places Bar & Honky-Tonk ultimately stems from a desire to give back to Nashville’s community.
“We are part of the ‘Neon neighborhood’ down here, inviting everyone to Lower Broad. I want this to be a good thing for Lower Broadway.”
