five burning questions

The rise of Jelly Roll hits an important new peak this week, as the country singer-songwriter scores his first No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart (dated Oct. 26) with his new album Beautifully Broken.

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After a year of steady new music releases and countless public appearances, Jelly Roll has leveled up to the tune of 161,000 equivalent album units for its first week of his new set’s release. The 22-track version of the album on streaming services includes the singles “Liar” and “I Am Not Okay,” the latter of which currently sits at a new high of No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100.

How was the album able to have such a big first week? And which country artist might be next to score their first Billboard 200 No. 1 album? Billboard staffers discuss these questions and more below.

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1. Jelly Roll scores his first No. 1 on the Billboard 200 this week, debuting with 161,000 equivalent album units and 114,000 in straight sales. What do you think is the biggest reason behind the career-best numbers for Jelly Roll’s latest?

Kyle Denis: Jelly has been inescapable this year. He sang for the In Memoriam segment at the Emmys, kicked off SNL’s landmark 50th season, appeared on Eminem’s own Billboard 200-topping album, made his television debut on the Sylvester Stallone-starring Tulsa King and even testified before Congress! Of course, it also helps that he’s been incredibly musically active this year. From his collaborations with MGK (“Lonely Road”) and Post Malone (“Losers”) to his Twisters: The Album contribution (“Dead End Road”) and the handful of Beautifully Broken pre-release singles he dropped throughout the year, it felt like Jelly Roll launched a new song (or three) every week. He’s never been more visible, and these career-best sales numbers prove that. 

Jason Lipshutz: His cultural ubiquity. Even if you aren’t a country music fan, you are aware of Jelly Roll — through his A-list guest features, TV appearances, awards-show speeches that tend to go viral, or all of the above — and might want to check out a full project by the man who you heard on a Post Malone song or watched on Saturday Night Live. Obviously Jelly Roll has accrued a dedicated fan base, but the casual listeners that have jumped aboard to check out Beautifully Broken undoubtedly helped the singer-songwriter top the Billboard 200 chart.

Melinda Newman: Beyond the music? Good old fashioned hard work. In between his now famous cold plunges, he has shown up for everything and appeared everywhere so that people knew the album was coming. He then priced the album very aggressively to bump sales and, as is the way now, came up with multiple variations, including seven vinyl variants alone, to encourage mega-fans to collect the full set. That’s one reason he saw such high sales figures, compared to downloads.

Jessica Nicholson: Beautifully Broken ultimately contained over two dozen songs, giving fans plenty of new material to dig into, stream and dissect. A large portion of these career-best numbers are due to pure album sales, and his plethora of vinyl and physical album offerings play a role in that. However, the biggest reason for these career-best numbers is Jelly Roll himself. His story, his songs and the message they embody are speaking to audiences and giving a voice to audiences that haven’t been spoken to in some time. Everyone can relate to struggle, vices, self-doubt and heartbreak on some level and his music aims at the heart of that. Also, Jelly Roll comes across as open-hearted, joyous, and unflinchingly honest in a time when so many “personalities” are curated.

Andrew Unterberger: People do love Jelly Roll! The reason he hasn’t worn out his welcome over his past year-plus of massive public exposure is that he seems like a guy you wanna spend time with, wanna root for. He’s got big songs and a big voice, but it seems like it’s the big personality that folks are really connecting with first and foremost.

2. Jelly Roll has taken a fairly strict more-is-more approach since his 2023 crossover breakthrough, being extremely prolific in both his new releases and his public appearances. Does the Beautifully Broken debut seem to validate this strategy to you — or is there still potential long-term downside in it? 

Kyle Denis: I think the Beautifully Broken debut does indeed validate his more-is-more strategy – it’s the biggest sales week for a 2024 country album not by Beyoncé or Post Malone. The long-term downside still lingers for sure, but he can ride this strategy until Jelly Roll fatigue truly starts to rear its head.

Jason Lipshutz: Jelly Roll has clearly been striking while the iron is hot, flooding streaming services with solo tunes and collaborations as his profile expands; over-saturation might come into play for some, but the strategy has clearly been working, considering how successful a handful of those tracks, and now his latest album, have become. Now that Beautifully Broken and its deluxe edition have been released, I’d expect Jelly Roll to slow down on the release rate a bit — but who knows? Nashville’s elite will likely be calling him up for guest spots, so maybe he just keeps releasing tracks and gathering momentum. 

Melinda Newman: There seems to be no burnout factor on Jelly yet, perhaps because he is still so enthusiastic about every appearance he’s making, each new adventure he undertakes and each new person he is duetting with. It’s infectious and seems genuine. This is someone who so many people had counted out from the time he first went to juvenile detention when he was 14, it’s clear he’s reveling in his near-daily pinch me moments and feels like he’s not just making music, but is on a mission.

Jessica Nicholson: Social media and streaming have made it expected for an artist always have something new to give their fans, whether that is music or content, lessening the danger of overexposure. The more songs you release, the more new music fans have a chance to stream. We’ve seen the release of sprawling albums become one factor (among many)  contributing to the success for artists such as Morgan Wallen, with his three-dozen song album One Thing at a Time and Post Malone’s 28-song F-1 Trillion (Long Bed) project, with seemingly no downside to releasing that much material.

Andrew Unterberger: I do wonder if he’ll eventually hit a tipping point with this strategy, because no one can be this omnipresent forever without starting to exhaust people at least a little bit. But evidence suggests that he’s not there yet, certainly. Assuming he continues at this level of productivity, it’ll be interesting to see on the next album if that growth remains consistent.

3. “I Am Not Okay” has been the most high-profile of Jelly Roll’s hits this year, making the Hot 100’s top 20 and getting performed during the In Memoriam montage at this year’s Emmys. Does it feel like a potential signature hit to you, or is it mostly benefitting from the singer-songwriter’s positive career momentum? 

Kyle Denis: To me, it feels more like a potential signature hit than anything else on Beautifully Broken. It’s one of the stronger songs on the record, and I think people are responding to the emotional punch that it packs. Yes, his positive career momentum is helping the song, but I’d imagine at least one of the album’s 27 other tracks would be pulling off a similar performance if positive momentum was all it took. 

Jason Lipshutz: Last week, I spent an entire day with “I Am Not Okay” stuck in my head — I caught myself singing it in line at Dunkin, warbling “I Am Not Okay” while waiting to order an iced coffee (so I was, in fact, very okay). Jelly Roll has more accomplished songs than his latest hit, including Whitsitt Chapel hits like “Need a Favor” and “Save Me,” but “I Am Not Okay” is the catchiest song he’s ever released, with a melody that simply won’t dislodge from your memory. I think it’s going to keep growing and become a smash.

Melinda Newman: It feels like it could become a signature hit, but he’s already had 4 No. 1 on Country Airplay, so it’s competing with now Jelly standards, like “Need a Favor, “Son of a Sinner” and “Save Me.” But “I Am Not Okay,” with its mental health message, has reached a new audience for Jelly Roll that knows no boundaries and it has brought in fans that may have heard the name but hadn’t experienced the music yet. Given the new album’s themes, “I Am Not Okay” is an excellent introduction.  

Jessica Nicholson: This has the feel of a signature hit for Jelly Roll. The message in his music is hitting at the right time, in an era where people in general are more comfortable with being open about their struggles and weaknesses. People are also finding community in daring to be open about mental health—something the song itself dives right into the center of on the line “I know I can’t be the only one/ Who’s holding on for dear life.” As so many are battling mental health issues including anxiety and depression due to all kinds of factors, from health struggles, job losses and the general runup to the U.S. presidential election, this song seems to encapsulate what so many people are feeling at this moment, while also encouraging those listeners.

Andrew Unterberger: Yeah, this one feels like it could end up being next-level for him — the chorus is extremely sturdy and the message transcends genre in a way you certainly couldn’t say about every major country hit. I wouldn’t be surprised if it crept into the top 10 of the chart before the holiday rush hits at year’s end.

4. One conspicuous thing about Jelly Roll’s recent collaborator list is the diversity of artists and genres represented — including mgk, Jessie Murph, Eminem and Falling in Reverse. Who’s an artist who Jelly Roll hasn’t teamed up with yet that you think could end up being a particularly interesting and/or successful new artistic partner for him?

Kyle Denis: Shaboozey. He and Jelly Roll cross genres so frequently and so naturally that I’m interested to see what they come up with – especially on a four-track EP where they can expand on their respective takes on country, hip-hop and rock. And for a bit more of a left-field choice, Leon Bridges. 

Jason Lipshutz: I love the way Kacey Musgraves has both honed her aesthetic as well as figured out how to best complement that of others in recent years; look at how dynamic she is operating alongside Zach Bryan on “I Remember Everything” and Noah Kahan on “She Calls Me Back.” It’d be a blast to hear how her gentle delivery contrasts with Jelly Roll’s gruffer tone on a collaboration.

Melinda Newman: The great thing about his collaborations is so many of them seem out of left field and he seems genuinely open and able to blend with almost anyone from any genre.. I would love to hear him team up with a really strong woman with a powerhouse voice like P!nk and have them go toe-to-toe.

Jessica Nicholson: Jelly Roll and Teddy Swims would be interesting to hear together, given their vast influences and solid voices. Otherwise, it would be great to hear Jelly Roll and Kelly Clarkson team up on an original song, after they performed “I Am Not Okay” on The Kelly Clarkson Show.

Andrew Unterberger: We know Jelly Roll can do power balladry with the best of them — but can that mighty voice command the dance floor? Let’s put him together with Fred again.. or Jamie xx — or if he wants go classic with it, maybe Nile Rodgers — and see what kind of results they can come up with.

5. Who’s another rising country artist besides Jelly Roll who you think could be in line for their own first No. 1 album in the not-too-distant future?

Kyle Denis: Lainey Wilson!

Jason Lipshutz: Lainey Wilson scored her first top 10 album in August with Whirlwind — so while it may be a little while until we get a follow-up, Wilson has ascended so rapidly that I think she’ll challenge for the top spot of the Billboard 200 whenever she returns. Until then? We’re blasting “Hang Tight Honey,” folks.

Melinda Newman: Megan Moroney’s star continues to rise and her most recent album debuted at No. 3 on Top Country Albums and No. 9 on the Billboard 200. If her trajectory stays its current course, it feels like she could snag the No. 1 spot next go-round. Also on the rise are Tucker Wetmore and Zach Top.

Jessica Nicholson: Not exactly country, but if we’re looking for a rising artist from the heartland, let’s say Chappell Roan. Chappell’s The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess debuted last year and has since risen to No. 2 on the Billboard 200. In that time, her career has continued to ascend, thanks to “Good Luck, Babe!,” Chappell’s Midwest Princess Tour and her recent record-breaking show at Lollapalooza Chicago. Chappell seems poised to soon ring the bell at No. 1.

Andrew Unterberger: Megan Moroney seems like she’s on her way there, combining classic and modern country elements in both her music and her promotion in ways that usually lead to major stardom. She feels like as sure a futures bet as anyone in country right now.

It’s been nearly 20 years since Coldplay first topped the Billboard 200 with their 2005 album X&Y — and while the music world (and the rock world in particular) has changed over dramatically countless times in the years since, it’s 2024 and the band is once again back on top.

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Moon Music, the band’s 10th studio album, debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 this week, with 120,000 first-week units — their first LP to top the chart since Ghost Stories in 2014. Meanwhile, the album’s “We Pray” single, featuring Little Simz, Burna Boy, Elyanna & TINI debuts at No. 86 on the Billboard Hot 100, joining “feelslikeimfallinginlove” as the second Hot 100-charting hit from the set.

Why was this album able to become the band’s first Billboard 200 No. 1 in a decade? And how has Coldplay managed to stay relevant on the chart for over 20 years now? Billboard staffers answer these questions and more below.

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1. Coldplay’s Moon Music debuts at No. 1 this week — their first release in a decade to top the Billboard 200 — with 120,000 units moved. What do you think the biggest reason behind the album’s stellar chart performance is?

Katie Atkinson: I’m crediting the awareness campaign. Even the most casual TV viewer likely saw Coldplay at some point on their screens in the past two weeks, from SNL to the morning shows to (checks notes) QVC? Sure. Chris Martin was even popping up doing karaoke in costume in Las Vegas or joining his band for a surprise mini-set inside’s Brooklyn’s Rough Trade record store, so even if you don’t own a TV, you might have just seen him around. After scoring a No. 1 Hot 100 hit with the BTS collab “My Universe” but failing to top the Billboard 200 with its parent album Music of the Spheres back in 2021, it definitely felt surprising to see this one go straight to the top – but the full-force promo campaign had to be part of it.

Katie Bain: No shade, but I haven’t actively paid attention to Coldplay since Viva La Vida. That said, I feel like I was absorbing them and this new album through osmosis in this album cycle via their SNL appearance, general media presence and the cultural consciousness bump created by working with Little Simz, Burna Boy, TINI and Elyanna. If they’ve worked their way into my world and ears, I’m guessing they’ve worked their way into a lot of others as well. Plus “We Pray” is a pretty cool song. 

Kyle Denis: My mind immediately goes to their blockbuster tour and two-decade-strong relationship with their fans. At this point, Coldplay is effectively a legacy act that can still corral fans to buy new material. They don’t necessarily need a hit like “Hymn for the Weekend” or “Viva La Vida” to shift copies of a new album. Of course, it also helps that Moon Music serves as the sequel to 2021’s Music of the Spheres, which hit No. 4 on the Billboard 200, earned four Grammy nominations and spawned a Hot 100 chart-topper in “My Universe” (with BTS). Just as they tapped BTS and Selena Gomez for their last album – and megastars like Beyoncé and Rihanna for earlier LPs – Coldplay also used collaborations with some of the brightest stars across buzzy genres like UK hip-hop and Afrobeats (Burna Boy, Little Simz, Ayra Starr, etc.) to draw additional sets of eyes to Moon Music.

There was also the week-long string of pop-up listening parties held around the world to coincide with the album’s release on Oct. 4, as well as a Record Store Day collaboration in the States for indie retailers on Oct. 1. Given the focus on physical album sales, it’s no surprise that Moon Music sold 106,000 pure copies, including 29,000 in vinyl sales – their highest ever sales week on that format. 

Jason Lipshutz: The continued stature of Coldplay, who have been playing stadiums for years now and developing a loyal fanbase that bridges generations. Although Moon Music is their first No. 1 album since 2014, every full-length in between has reached the top 10, and 2021’s Music of the Spheres also returned the band to the top of the Hot 100 with their BTS team-up “My Universe.” Moon Music partially capitalized on a quiet release week to secure a No. 1 debut, but it’s not like Coldplay needed a big comeback — they’ve been active in popular rock throughout this century, and crossing into the mainstream when needed.

Andrew Unterberger: I’m not totally sure what happened on this album cycle to make Moon Music more of a sales hit than Music of the Spheres, so I wonder if they were just smarter with their variety of physical releases for the album — and maybe if fans were moved enough by the sustainable, eco-friendly design of their records and packaging to buy a couple copies where previously they might not have. But I dunno!

2. “We Pray” (No. 87) is the lone debut from the album on the Hot 100 this week, joining “feelslikeimfallinginlove” (No. 81), which debuted a few months ago. Do either of them seem like they have potential to grow into bigger hits now that the album is out?

Katie Atkinson: After seeing it performed on SNL alongside “We Pray,” I’m going to go with “All My Love” as the potential sleeper hit from Moon Music. I could see adult pop radio picking it up and following a path to a similarly earnest Coldplay ballad like “Fix You.”

Katie Bain: With the global nature of all the artists involved (Africa, Europe, the Middle East and South America) it seems like “We Pray” could gain traction in other territories, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see this one become a bigger, wider hit. Also I think this one might grow among listeners who might not initially give a new Coldplay song a chance but then give a second look at the artists involved and realize that this one kind of bangs. 

Kyle Denis: Not particularly. They might play well with AAA radio, but I don’t see either song growing into bigger hits. 

Jason Lipshutz: Like a lot of Coldplay anthems, “feelslikeimfallinginlove” snuck up on me as a durable hit with a chipper chorus — maybe not as enthralling as “Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall” or “Adventure of a Lifetime,” but agreeable enough to earn alt-radio spins and get added to streaming playlists full of new-school love songs. I could see the single continue to grow — especially if it gets scooped up for a TV or movie synch, with Chris Martin’s “Feels like! I’m falling in l-o-o-ove!” soundtracking a first kiss as the camera lifts into the sky.

Andrew Unterberger: Both are pretty strong songs, so maybe all they need is a spark to catch fire — but generally, they feel more like 2010s hits than 2020s hits to me.

3. Coldplay’s span of No. 1 albums now reaches nearly two decades, all the way back to 2005’s X&Y. What’s the biggest thing that has allowed the band to have the kind of commercial longevity that’s proven so rare for 21st century rock bands?

Katie Atkinson: 100 percent, it’s their live shows. I vividly remember when “Clocks” came out in 2002, from A Rush of Blood to the Head, and it felt like it turned Coldplay from an unplugged piano-forward band to a laser-light-show stadium act overnight (with the piano still very forward). While they’ve released a mixture of understated ballads and bombastic rockers since then, and added a lot more electronic sounds as well, they’ve leaned into their reputation as a must-see touring act, which has sustained their fanbase and the excitement around them in the decades since.

Katie Bain: Again, no shade, but Coldplay’s sound has been more or less sonically consistent (bright, hopeful, sophisticated and pop-adjacent without ever being overly saccharine or overtly challenging) and thus generally palatable for a very wide, very global audience. And while I haven’t always listened to every new Coldplay album, they’ve usually managed to clock one big monster hit from each of their LPs, which has helped them maintain relevance even among people who might not be actively following them. They’ve also been savvy in following genre trends and working with the biggest artists in those fields over the years. 

Kyle Denis: They’ve been willing to evolve with changes in the music landscape by incorporating new sounds and styles that keep them, at the very least, adjacent to the mainstream without completely compromising their brand and identity. It also helps that Chris Martin is a bonafide star and celebrity outside of Coldplay, so there’s always some level of attention on the band.  

Jason Lipshutz: Coldplay has always been highly aware of pop trends, and have worked hard to find common ground between their sweeping, stadium-ready rock and what is dominating top 40. Maybe longtime fans blanched at collaborations with artists like The Chainsmokers, BTS and Avicii — but those songs were effective, and produced three more top 10 hits for the band, at a time when most rock quartets were not coming close to the Hot 100’s upper reaches. And these team-ups have generally happened without Coldplay betraying their core sound or deserting their diehard listeners, making them a savvy group that can still keep their center intact.

Andrew Unterberger: They’ve never stopped trying, which is commendable — look at most other huge rock bands when they hit the 20-year mark, and they’ve usually already codified into the band they’re going to be the rest of their career. Coldplay keep shape-shifting and retinkering and finding new collaborators to take their sound and their audience to new places. You don’t know what you’re going to get with a new Coldplay album — or how much you’re necessarily gonna be into it — but you know it’s probably not gonna be the same as the last one, which makes it always worth checking out.

4. Where Coldplay has ended up musically a quarter-century into their career is obviously very different than where they started at the turn of the millennium. Are you impressed with the scope of their evolution, or do you think they’ve gotten a little too far away from what initially made them great?

Katie Atkinson: I recently revisited their 2000 debut album Parachutes and was struck by how stark it is. There’s so much silence and so little production. So yes, they’ve come a lifetime from that first album, 24 years later, but there are some core tenants that have never left – namely, the sincerity and the melodies. Their music has always been unabashedly earnest, and any day 1 fans who are still sticking with the band are hanging on to that heart-on-your-sleeve authenticity.

Katie Bain: I’ll always yearn for another “Clocks” or “God Put a Smile Upon Your Face” or “Talk” and the indie rock qualities that made those songs special and era-defining. Obviously the bulk of their stuff since then has drifted from that sound, but I guess you’ve got to give them credit for subsequently carving out a durable, broadly palatable sound while also trend-hopping among the hot genre of the moment with their EDM tracks “Sky Full of Stars” with Avicii and The Chainsmokers, the K-Pop juggernaut “My Universe” with BTS, etc. A lot of early Coldplay listeners would likely say that these songs aren’t totally our thing, but we can still sing along to every one of them. 

Kyle Denis: I think it’s a little bit of both. When I sit and think of the full breadth of their catalog and all the different spaces they’ve ventured into, it’s undoubtedly impressive. I think their last two records have found them moving a bit too far away from what initially drew me to them, but I think their almost chameleonic approach to pop and rock music are still on display – just not in my preferred iteration.

Jason Lipshutz: As a big Coldplay defender, I’ve appreciated watching them grow and experiment in ways that have prevented them from sounding stale or predictable, in a manner that most of their contemporaries haven’t been able to over the past decade. Some of those forays have not worked, and that’s fine; I’d rather Chris Martin and co. keep shape-shifting into different pop-rock modes than double down on the same formula endlessly. And when their change-ups have really taken off, they’ve complemented their early sound in satisfying ways — it’s why “Yellow,” “Paradise” and “Higher Power” can all be stacked next to each other in a stadium setlist and not feel too disjointed. 

Andrew Unterberger: I admire their consistent sonic evolution, but as one of the few-but-mighty devout Ghost Stories supporters, I do wish Chris Martin would try to be a little more personal in his songwriting rather than always trying to go for the universal. But when you do universal as well as Coldplay as historically, it’s an understandable default instinct.

5. There’s been a lot of great Moon Music in pop history — what’s your favorite “Moon” song or album?

Katie Atkinson: Have to go with “Harvest Moon” from Neil Young. And actually, I think Chris Martin & co. could do a really lovely cover of it.

Katie Bain: Nick Drake’s Pink Moon. Also Feist’s “My Moon, My Man” and the Boys Noize remix of that song.

Kyle Denis: Obviously, “Moon River” — and I prefer the Frank Ocean version. I’ll also give a shoutout to Teejay’s “Moon Light,” Brandy’s Full Moon LP, and the timeless “Blue Moon” — any a cappella rendition will do. 

Jason Lipshutz: Let’s go with a pair of early ‘00s indie masterpieces: Modest Mouse’s The Moon & Antarctica for album, The Microphones’ “The Moon” for song.

Andrew Unterberger: I probably gotta go with one of the great guitar epics in underground rock history, Television’s “Marquee Moon.” But honestly, goddamn, there have been so many great moon songs and albums! Shout out to the moon, a criminally underappreciated muse.

In its 20th week on the Billboard Hot 100, Billie Eilish‘s “Birds of a Feather” just continues to keep flying higher and higher. The Hit Me Hard and Soft single, which initially debuted at No. 13 on the Hot 100 back in early June, has since taken over the set’s initial focus track “Lunch” as the biggest hit of this Eilish era.

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This week, it jumps from No. 6 on the chart to a new peak of No. 2 — helped in large part by the debut of its official music video. The only song that remains in the way of the single becoming Eilish’s second No. 1 on the chart is Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” which remains at No. 1 for a 13th week this frame, while still leading “Birds” on each of Streaming Songs, Digital Song Sales and Radio Songs.

How has the song remained so commercially potent 20 weeks into its lifespan? And will it be able to make that final jump to No. 1 on the Hot 100? Billboard staffers answer these questions and more below.

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1. Billie Eilish’s “Birds of a Feather” reaches a new peak of No. 2 on the Hot 100 this week, in its 20th week on the chart. Are you surprised at the legs (or wings) that the song has had as a pop hit?

Stephen Daw: I’m very pleasantly surprised. When Hit Me Hard and Soft came out in May, “Birds of a Feather” certainly stood out to me among the other tracks, but it didn’t strike me as the logical follow-up to a lead single like “Lunch.” It is an objectively good piece of pop music, I just did not foresee “Birds” having this kind of chart omnipresence five months later. 

Kyle Denis: I’m not surprised at all. Even though “Skinny” was my immediate favorite from Hit Me Hard and Soft, “Birds of a Feather” always struck me as a surefire hit. And Billie’s singles tend to stick around for weeks before peaking, so “Birds” taking 20 weeks to reach No. 2 isn’t all that strange.

Lyndsey Havens: Not totally. When the album first arrived, “Birds” was a favorite among many. And whether intentional or not, I think it was smart for team Eilish to hold off on promoting it as a single until recently. With an album like Hit Me, the songs so seamlessly flow into one another and as Eilish has said herself, she purposely held off on releasing any singles before its release so that the album could be consumed as a full project. And in doing so, she’s allowed her fans to tell her which songs they’re most connecting with, versus the other way around. A strategy like that takes time — and in this case, 20-ish weeks seems to be the magic number.

Jason Lipshutz: “Birds of a Feather” snuck up on me as a no-brainer, firing-on-all-cylinders pop smash, considering how the song features Eilish in a different vocal and structural mode than we’re used to hearing. Yet “Feather” is effervescent in sound and immediate in its appeal, with a mid-tempo approach that makes it an easy connector on streaming playlists and pop radio blocks; in this way, it reminds me of Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers,” another song that persisted for months near the top of the Hot 100 and crept towards that artist’s biggest-hit-yet status.

Andrew Unterberger: I am a little surprised, just because “Lunch” seemed like the big one for me off the bat — but “Birds of a Feather” is such a sweet moment and pretty song that once it founds its way to the center of the culture, it’s hardly shocking that it would nest there for a while.

2. Much of the reason for the song jumping from 6-2 on the listing this week is the debut of its new official music video. Does the new visual add to your appreciation / understanding of the song, detract from it, or have no major impact for you?

Stephen Daw: It certainly adds to my appreciation, though marginally. I really loved that Billie took a minimalist approach to the video while adding to the kind of off-kilter, occult vibe that defined so many of her previous visuals. The effects were amazing and I loved that she left it a little bit up to interpretation. That said, I don’t see this as the kind of music video that will move the needle for people who were on the fence about the song — if you were already into “Birds of a Feather” (or not into it, for that matter), then I doubt the video is going to change that.

Kyle Denis: It’s not my favorite music video from Billie, but I appreciate the decision to never actually show the person she’s “sticking together” with. Overall, the clip has no major impact on my enjoyment or understanding of the song, but it does help “Birds” retain a bit of the intimacy it sacrificed on its way to becoming a genuine hit single.

Lyndsey Havens: It’s been a minute since I’ve seen a music video create so much discourse — and not really in the most positive way. The reaction among many seemed to be confusion, not quite understanding the visual or expecting Eilish to go in a different, perhaps more floral-inspired, direction. Either way, the video accomplished what it likely set out to do: get people talking. And as a result, it reached new heights on the Hot 100. That’s a win any way you spin it. 

Jason Lipshutz: The music video adds to my appreciation, in the same way that most of Eilish’s visuals have deepened the meaning of her biggest hits. She remains one of the more visually striking pop superstars working today, an A-lister whose music videos really matter by often offering something unexpected in relation to the music. The “Feather” clip is simple enough but also breathtaking in terms of visual effects, with Eilish defying gravity in an empty room; the music video grabs your attention while also placing the emotion of the song front and center.

Andrew Unterberger: It adds a little. I don’t think it’s one anyone expected or even really wanted from the visual — the song seemed to call out for something more lush and sentimental — but that ability and willingness to curve expectations and follow her own muse has long been a hallmark of Eilish’s stardom and artistry, and the gravity-defying, wind-swept, still incredibly personal and striking images from this more minimal clip will I think still end up being iconic of this era.

3. Perhaps surprisingly for a pop star of her stature, “Birds” is only Billie’s third top two hit on the Hot 100 (after “Bad Guy” and “Therefore I Am”). Do you think it will be remembered as one of the defining songs of her career, or is it too difficult to judge the overall impact of Eilish’s songs by their chart placement?

Stephen Daw: I think it’s too hard to call based solely on chart performance. Just look at her other top two hits — while “Bad Guy” is such a clear, career-defining smash for Billie, “Therefore I Am” doesn’t feel like one of the five songs I would list when asked what Billie’s most definitive tracks are. Songs like “Happier Than Ever,” “When the Party’s Over,” “Bury a Friend” or “Ocean Eyes” would take those spots up for me, and they didn’t crack the chart’s top 10. Maybe “Birds” could take on that level of prominence as her career continues, but for the moment, it feels too early to tell. 

Kyle Denis: “Birds” will almost certainly be remembered as one of Billie’s defining songs; it takes the somber introspection of her best tracks and transposes it through the lens of grade-A pop songwriting. It’s also an endlessly applicable love song that can work for both platonic and romantic relationships. Billie’s most impactful songs — “Lovely” (with Khalid), “When the Party’s Over,” and “Happier Than Ever,” for example – often miss the Hot 100’s top 10, but “Birds of a Feather” seems to be following in the steps of “Bad Guy” with its combination of commercial success and cultural impact. 

Lyndsey Havens: The thing I love about Billie is when I think of her today or how she’ll be remembered in the future, it’s often for being Billie Eilish. Not for any one album or any one song or even any one hair color (though her debut lime green look is burned into memory). I don’t know if “Birds” will become a career-defining hit — and don’t necessarily think it will — but that’s fine. I think some artists’ legacies transcend their chart histories, and I believe Eilish to be one of them. 

Jason Lipshutz: At this point, “Birds of a Feather” is only second to “Bad Guy” as Eilish’s defining hit, surpassing songs like “Happier Than Ever,” “Everything I Wanted” and “Therefore I Am” in terms of cultural impact and chart longevity. It’s funny to think about how “Lunch” was positioned as the focus track from Hit Me Hard and Soft upon its release, and listeners simply selected “Feather” as the album’s true standout through their streaming selections. Now, I could see “Feather” as a go-to track for any casual Eilish fan — or as a set-closing moment on her future arena tours.

Andrew Unterberger: Certainly Eilish’s chart peaks do not always correlate to cultural relevance — despite its Hot 100 bow, I don’t know if anyone considers “Therefore I Am” one of her 20 best or most impactful songs — but it does feel like “Birds” will hold a special place in her catalog, unlikely to be supplanted or replaced. It’s just too powerful, too intoxicating, too meaningful for those who have most found meaning in it.

4. Meanwhille, “Wildflower” continues to climb on the Hot 100, moving 45-35 on the Hot 100 this week after having originally debuted at No. 17 in June. Does the song also feel like a major hit to you, or more like spillover from “Birds” and other recent successes of Eilish’s?

Stephen Daw: “Wildflower” is probably my second favorite song off of Hit Me Hard (“Chihiro” will always have my heart), so I’m delighted to see it blooming on the chart. I don’t know that I would call “Wildflower” a certified hit, since its rise does feel like a symptom of “Birds” flying so high. But given the right attention from fans (and maybe another video from Billie) it definitely could be the project’s next breakout hit. 

Kyle Denis: “Wildflower” is another one of my favorites from Hit Me Hard and Soft, and it definitely sounds like a hit to me – especially that back half. I think the song is getting a couple of new eyes and ears thanks to the success of “Birds” and “Guess,” but I also think people are rallying around “Wildflower” because it’s such an undeniably great song. It’s raw and painfully truthful in a way that calls back to Billie’s scar-baring 2019 debut LP while offering a darker alternative to the sweetness of “Birds” and the suggestive nature of “Guess.” 

Lyndsey Havens: With an album as tender as Hit Me, it’s hard to measure success in terms of hit potential. Eilish has certainly proved the power of a softly soaring ballad, and as a result I think songs like “Birds” and “Wildflower” have simply taken more time to catch on. They surely bring listeners back time and time again, but in a different way than a punchy pop hit does. So, while I don’t see “Wildflower” enjoying the same success as “Birds” has, the fact that it’s moving up at all after so many months is proof that Eilish was right in releasing the album all at once — and proof that only few can pull off what she has. 

Jason Lipshutz: “Wildflower” has been oscillating on the Hot 100 for months now, almost as a counterpoint for the more radio-friendly “Birds of a Feather” and as further proof of a general hunger for Eilish’s new music. I don’t foresee “Wildflower” challenging for the top 10 anytime soon, but I think it will live on as a fan favorite in playlists and set lists, and places the success of Hit Me Hard and Soft in bold font, beyond just the album’s biggest hit.

Andrew Unterberger: The endurance of “Wildflower” has been very impressive to me — honestly, the fact that Hit Me still has four separate songs on the Hot 100 20 weeks into its lifespan is pretty absurd during an era when even the biggest albums are able to get two hits that long-lasting. I dunno if “Wildflower” is ever gonna be a real top 10 contender given how un-radio-friendly the acoustic ballad is, but I could see it enduring as a fan favorite and live fixture for a long time.

5. Do you think “Birds of a Feather” will eventually become Eilish’s second Hot 100 No. 1 hit?  

Stephen Daw: “Birds,” to me, is the song with the best chance to end Shaboozey’s run at the top of the chart at this moment — with the right push from Billie (maybe a sync on a hit show or something similar), she could finally have her second No. 1.

Kyle Denis: Probably? From a smartly timed live performance to remixes and other versions, there are plenty of ways “Birds” could eventually reach the top of the Hot 100. After all, “Bad Guy” spent nine weeks at No. 2 before eventually peaking at No. 1, so who knows how much gas “Birds” has left in the tank! 

Lyndsey Havens: You know what, I do think it can get there. Given that Eilish is on a massive tour right now — and coming on the heels of the song’s music video — the extra attention could give the song the final boost it needs to hit the top spot.

Jason Lipshutz: I do. Although it’s difficult to bet against “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” logging more frames atop the Hot 100, “Birds of a Feather” has proven durable enough as a multi-platform hit that I think it will sneak up to No. 1 for at least a week over the next month, rightfully joining “Bad Guy” as the two chart-toppers in Eilish’s career thus far.

Andrew Unterberger: I don’t think so, just because it’s already pretty late in its lifespan, I can’t see its radio play getting that much more massive, and even with this video bump, it’s still being pretty handily outstreamed by “A Bar Song.” A No. 2 peak feels perfect to me for this song anyway; let it keep just a little bit of that outsider edge.

After a week in which the highest debut on the Billboard Hot 100 was the No. 21 bow of Linkin Park’s “The Emptiness Machine,” this week, three new entries on the chart grace the back half of the top 20.

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The highest of the three comes from the most established pop star: The Weeknd, whose new Hurry Up Tomorrow gets underway with the No. 14 debut of its lead single “Dancing in the Flames.” Then comes rap star Playboi Carti, whose much-anticipated new song “All Red” lands at No. 15. And finally, Tate McRae’s well-received new single “It’s OK, I’m OK” enters at No. 20.

Which of the three songs will have the longest legs? And why have we had so few top 10 debuts on the Hot 100 of late? Billboard staffers answer these questions and more below.

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1. “Dancing in the Flames,” the first taste from The Weeknd’s alleged final chapter Hurry Up Tomorrow, bows at No. 14 this week. Is that higher, lower or about where you would have expected for the song?

Rania Aniftos: Definitely lower, but I can’t figure out why. Was it because there wasn’t enough build-up between the announcement and release, perhaps? I was expecting the lead single of the project to at least debut in the top 10, especially given how record-breaking After Hours was. Maybe the rest of Hurry Up Tomorrow’s rollout will boost the track.

Katie Bain: I’m not surprised to see The Weeknd’s first solo track of the year debut higher than his recent The Idol-bred group efforts, and 14 feels like a good starting point for the song, which I think is one that grows on the ears with each listen. And in that sense, I wouldn’t be surprised to see this one keep climbing from here, especially that  given his history, we know he’s the king of keeping songs on the Hot 100 for the long run. 

Jason Lipshutz: Maybe a little lower, considering The Weeknd’s track record of top 10 debuts on the Hot 100 and the relative radio silence preceding this much-hyped new single. To me, the No. 14 debut speaks less to the long-term chart potential of “Dancing in the Flames,” and more about how static the top of the Hot 100 is currently — as Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” spends an 11th week at No. 1 and radio-boosted hits by Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan, Kendrick Lamar and Morgan Wallen have logged months in the upper frame, new tracks like “Flames” have a tougher time trying to break through in their first weeks of release. If I’m Team Weeknd, I’m cool with a No. 14 debut, with an impetus on trying to push upward this fall.

Michael Saponara: First off, solid lead single from Abel. Although, I did think it would debut higher than No. 14 on the Hot 100 with the anticipation heading into the final chapter feeling palpable combined with the fact he released an EP version of the single featuring nine different versions had me believing XO was looking for even more commercial dominance out of the gate. 

Andrew Unterberger: It’s low for a new Weeknd single… but about right for this new Weeknd single, in my opinion. It’s a fine song, it’s just not exciting or new-sounding enough to me for it to force its way into the top 10, especially not at a time when nothing in the top 10 seems to want to budge for anyone new.

2. “All Red” is already Playboi Carti’s top-charting song as a lead artist on the Hot 100, debuting at No. 15. Does the song mark a big step forward for him artistically or commercially, do you think, or is its high debut mostly the climax of the few years’ worth of momentum he’s built up through high-profile guest appearances and general cult-building?

Rania Aniftos: Huge step forward! Rap fans already knew Playboi Carti is a force to be reckoned with. While mainstream music fans knew his talents as a collaborator, it’s about time he’s getting appreciated as a solo star. I feel like this is just the beginning for Carti on the Hot 100.

Katie Bain: To my ears, this is one of the catchiest and most accessible songs of the Carti catalog thus far, so I have to believe this debut is a synergistic function of the song working for and across more listener bases, along with general cult-building. 

Jason Lipshutz: The latter. “All Red” doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel when it comes to Playboi Carti’s signature approach, but after months of anticipation for his next solo era, the single arrived on a mountain of hype and scored enough immediate streams to notch his career-best solo debut. Whenever Carti does drop the follow-up to Whole Lotta Red, I’d expect more of the experimental streak that made his last album so compelling; for now, “All Red” is a warning shot aimed at the mainstream, and it accomplished its job.

Michael Saponara: King Vamp is back. It’s a major statement for him commercially, but this is also due to the build-up surrounding the fact Carti hasn’t released any music officially on streaming services since 2020. Whether you like it or not, he’s the king sitting atop the throne for rap’s Gen-Z fans. Just take a look around the industry and you’ll see plenty of artists attempting to dress like him, mimic his cryptic persona and match the chaotic production he amplified on 2020’s Whole Lotta Red. Cash Carti is the guy right now.

Andrew Unterberger: I think it’s more about Carti and the cult he’s amassed than about this song in particular — though this song does do its job fairly well. It’s always more about the albums than the individual songs with him anyway, so I think we’ll see the true impact of his ballooning stardom if and when the Whole Lotta Red follow-up drops.

3. Tate McRae’s “It’s OK, I’m OK” bows at No. 20 on the Hot 100 — the highest-debuting song of her career. Has she proven to you yet that she belongs on pop’s A-list, or does she still have some distance to go there?

Rania Aniftos: She’s right there, but I think she needs one more “Greedy” level hit to push her over into the A-list pop category. She certainly has all the traits of a main pop girl, and I would love to see her have a Sabrina Carpenter-level breakthrough year. 

Kaite Bain: She’s obviously hustling towards the A-list and I’m not surprised to see her gaining traction given how hard she’s working. This song certainly gets her closer, if not all the way there yet. More so it makes me curious about/excited for what she might do next.

Jason Lipshutz: The idea of “Tate McRae, A-lister” would have seemed far-fetched a year ago… but since then, she’s scored a legitimate pop smash in “Greedy,” a top 10 album with Think Later, performed on SNL, headlined Madison Square Garden, and now earned the first top 20 Hot 100 debut of her career. “It’s OK, I’m OK” isn’t quite as immediate as “Greedy,” but McRae’s trajectory has continued pointing upward as she’s sunk deeper into her choreo-ready rhythmic pop identity. If she’s not on the A-list yet, she’s striding towards it with confidence.

Michael Saponara: Tate McRae’s next album will vault her firmly into pop’s A-list. Coming off her first tour performing in arenas, the Canadian singer’s arrow is clearly pointing up as she soars into further stardom at just 21 years old. By the time her next LP rolls around, we can probably point to “It’s OK, I’m OK” and her summer as the start of her journey making the quantum leap into pop lore. 

Andrew Unterberger: It feels like only a matter of time, doesn’t it? The bar for breakout pop stars assuming the A-list has obviously been raised this year with the ascents of Roan and Carpenter (and the comeback of Charli XCX), so I don’t think she’s quite there yet — but damn if she isn’t starting to check those boxes left and right at this point. Why wasn’t she performing on the VMAs, again?

4. Of the three songs, which do you see having the most endurance on the chart? Will any of them still be on the Hot 100 ten weeks from now?

Rania Aniftos: I feel like I’m being cynical, but none of them have longterm potential for me. Maybe “All Red” depending on what he releases in the next few months, but I feel like all three of these artists have something better on the way.

Katie Bain: The Weeknd to me has the strongest chance here, given his massive global star power, the fact that this is a buzzy moment in terms of the song marking the start of a new chapter and the fact that “Dancing In th Flames ” is just catchy and kind of broadly palatable.

Jason Lipshutz: I refuse to underestimate a big, mainstream-ready single by The Weeknd — a man who, by his own admission, comes alive in the fall time. “Dancing in the Flames” won’t reach “Blinding Lights” levels of commercial success, but The Weeknd has the cross-platform pedigree to power a lead single into hit status, and I think “Flames” contains the hook necessary to endure on the Hot 100 for a while. When we start switching our playlists over to Christmas music, I’d bet that “Flames” is among the non-holiday singles populating the chart.

Michael Saponara: The Weeknd and Tate McRae will still be holding strong on the Hot 100 with “Dancing in the Flames” leading the pack. There’s a chance Carti is hanging around too, but let’s see if he actually ends up delivering on his long-awaited WLR follow-up, which has been rumored to finally arrive in the coming weeks.

Andrew Unterberger: I think it’s “It’s OK, I’m OK” — that seems to be the song that’s getting the best fan response, and it seems like it’s hitting at the right time in the right post-Short N’ Sweet spot to get picked up on radio. I don’t know if it’ll have “Greedy”-like legs but I think it’ll be around for a bit.

5. While all three songs make strong bows, none of them reach the top 10 — and indeed, the only new top 10 hit we’ve gotten this month has been Sabrina Carpenter’s “Taste.” After such a competitive period on the Hot 100 this spring and early summer, why do you think activity at the top has really slowed to a crawl in the late summer and early autumn?

Rania Aniftos: Not to bring TikTok into this, but the same few songs have been circulating the platform for the past few months, and it’s the songs that are currently in the Hot 100 top 10. I fear it’s going to take a new round of viral hits on TikTok for us to see some shake-ups on the Hot 100, which typically happens toward the end of the year anyway.

Katie Bain: There’s been so much hype and kismet around the Sabrina, Shaboozy and Chapell juggernauts, not to mention the barrage of hits by mainstays like Jelly Roll, Morgan Wallen, Kendrick, etc. that just seems hard to match, despite the caliber of the names involved in this week’s chart.

Jason Lipshutz: We were gifted a generally excellent slate of summertime singles in 2024, with songs like “Espresso,” “Good Luck, Babe!,” “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” and “Not Like Us” all ranking among the most memorable hits of the year. And once they landed in the top 10, they kept going within the upper tier of the chart — and many weeks later, pop listeners still aren’t sick of them. That will change in due time, as we receive a new crop of fall hits, but the static top 10 speaks to the quality of the current biggest hits, songs designed to entertain for multiple months instead of a couple weeks. 

Michael Saponara: With a flurry of superstars dropping throughout the first half of the year, they took up a lot of oxygen on the Hot 100 to the point I think we just reached a point of saturation with some of these anthems being such dominant forces that just refuse to give up chart real estate. I believe it will eventually cycle through and there will be newcomers in quarter four. 

Andrew Unterberger: Carpenter’s album has been the only really splashy album debut this month (not counting Travis Scott’s reissued mixtape), and too many big songs right now have maintained their streaming numbers while amassing major radio support — making it tough for anything new without major, major momentum behind it to break through. We could really use a left-field viral smash or two this autumn, but it appears we may have run dry on those for the time being.

Two weeks ago, Linkin Park fans had no clue if they would ever hear totally new music from the band again. This week, not only is the band back playing arena shows, but they also have a brand-new single — and it’s their highest-peaking Billboard Hot 100 hit in 15 years.
“The Emptiness Machine” is the first release from the legendary nu-metal band with their new lineup — including new lead singer Emily Armstrong, who replaces the late great Chester Bennington, and new drummer Colin Brittain, who takes the sticks from Rob Bourdon after two decades as the band’s timekeeper. The new song debuts at No. 21 on this week’s Hot 100 (dated Sept. 21), LP’s highest placement on the chart since Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen soundtrack single “New Divide” reached No. 6 in 2009.

Why has the song achieved such quick success? And how much does it feel like classic Linkin Park? Billboard staffers discuss these questions and more below.

Trending on Billboard

1. “The Emptiness Machine” debuts at No. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 this week. Is that higher, lower, or about where you would’ve expected it to land in its first week?

Anna Chan: No. 21 feels about right. Curiosity about new singer Emily Armstrong was bound to generate a bunch of streams anyway, whether from longtime fans of the band, or younger listeners who have grown up with the more recent batch of strong female hard rock vocalists.

Kyle Denis: Honestly, higher. It’s not like hard rock songs are proving to be first-week Hot 100 smashes in this era and there’s always going to be some skepticism when a band announces a new lead singer, especially one who has to fill the massive shoes of the late Chester Bennington. I’d say that a No. 21 is a massive win for Linkin Park. 

Josh Glicksman: It’s generally in line with what I expected. Had “Lost” not debuted at No. 38 last year, I may have guessed Linkin Park coming in a bit lower with “The Emptiness Machine,” but given the precedent — combined with the large amount of buzz surrounding the mysterious countdown clock on the band’s official website in the days leading to its release — a nice bump up from the former track makes sense. And with the new single arriving Thursday night, some of the initial plays fell into the prior tracking week, likely costing it a few slots higher on the chart.

Jason Lipshutz: Higher. Although “Lost” debuted in the top 40 of the Hot 100 last year, the excavated Meteora track came from one of their most commercially successful eras; the fact that “The Emptiness Machine” debuted even higher, with a new co-vocalist helping lead the way and at a time when hard rock songs seldom make the upper reaches of the chart, is a pretty startling development, and speaks to the fan enthusiasm around the return of Linkin Park. The band likely believed in the song’s potential as a rock and alternative chart mainstay, but scoring a No. 21 debut on the Hot 100 is a dream scenario for their comeback.

Andrew Unterberger: Unquestionably higher. It’s really, really hard for a legacy rock band to even crack the Hot 100 these days, let alone land in the top 25 the week’s top debut. It helps that Linkin Park is a little younger (and still sounds significantly more contemporary) than fellow veteran rock radio mainstays like Green Day, Foo Fighters and Red Hot Chili Peppers, but even still, a No. 21 debut for a new song — with a new lead singer who a lot of LP fans probably didn’t even know existed two weeks ago, no less — is very, very impressive.

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2. Between “Machine” and 2023’s rediscovered Meteora-era cut “Lost,” it’s two top 40 hits now for Linkin Park this decade — already matching their total for the entire 2010s. Why do you think Linkin Park have managed to maintain such high levels of interest when most other popular rock bands who have been around for 20-plus years struggle to land such chart placements?

Anna Chan: “Lost” had the benefit of featuring the late, great Chester Bennington’s vocals, something that, as co-frontperson Mike Shinoda himself told our very own Jason Lipshutz, fans had been asking the band for “for years.” Give, and ye shall receive the streams. Then a mere year after the track’s arrival and seven after Bennington’s death, a woman steps in as co-lead singer for the rocker who was No. 34 on Billboard‘s Best Rock Singers list with a new song, and people were going to tune in, whether to rejoice at the return of the band, the aforementioned curiosity, or simply to find something to complain about, whether rightfully so or not. That’s a lot of drama — let’s not even get into the Scientology of it all — that can’t be duplicated. (And please don’t get any ideas, Soundgarden.)

Kyle Denis: Outside of them being one of the best popular rock bands on their era, I think Linkin Park has maintained such high levels of interest because they’ve sort of naturally let different pockets of music intersect with the band’s music without sacrificing or compromising their foundational sound. They have timeless crossover smashes (“In the End,” “Numb”) and projects that brought them further into the hip-hop space (their underrated 2004 Collision Course EP with Jay-Z), but it never felt like the ethos of the band had shifted in relentless pursuit of mainstream commercial wins. In that vein, their commitment to rock continues to feed audiences who may not satisfied by how pop-facing popular rock bands of the 2010s are/have become. 

Josh Glicksman: It’s not easily quantifiable, but Linkin Park has married its following of the deeply devoted fanbase it created in the first decade of the 2000s with Gen Z listeners curating their own tastes in music. Some of that may have to do with the band having larger-scale, longer-lasting hits than its counterparts; it could be helped by Mike Shinoda leaning into working with artists of the next generation; and it certainly could be fueled by fans wanting to preserve and honor the legacy of Chester Bennington. Whatever it is, clearly the appetite for Linkin Park is as strong as ever.

Jason Lipshutz: To me, the chart success of “Lost” last year and “The Emptiness Machine” this month can be chalked up to a combination of the quality of the songs, enduring interest from a huge fan base, and a historical re-assessment of Linkin Park. While “Lost” is classic Linkin Park, an electro-rock anthem buoyed by Chester Bennington’s singular voice, “The Emptiness Machine” kicks off a new era with passion and personality; they both speak to different factions of the same fan base, who have remained loyal to the band for the seven years between Bennington’s tragic death and the recent reformation. And the band’s sonic evolution across their discography has produced an enviable supply of hits and signature moments; I don’t doubt that a lot of listeners who weren’t paying attention during Linkin Park’s heyday (or were too young to do so) streamed “Lost” and “The Emptiness Machine,” and helped turn each into a top 40 hit.

Andrew Unterberger: Linkin Park just still make a little more sense in the streaming era than most of those bands, a virtue of its hybrid (yes, yes) sound and heavy production. That, combined with both the songs being very solid — and with the devastating and cruel way in which the band’s original run came to an abrupt end in 2017 — means that perhaps we were silly to underestimate the commercial potential for these tastes of new LP in the first place.

3. While “Lost” ended up being a majorly enduring rock radio hit, it only spent two weeks total on the Hot 100. Do you think the run for “Machine” on the chart will be similarly short-lived, or will it have greater legs?

Anna Chan: Let me shake my Magic 8 Ball, because I have no idea due to the confusing combo of nostalgia (yay!) and criticism (boo!). But since you asked, my guess is the chart run will be short-lived because the curiosity around Armstrong will fade. And while fans may have been elated about the band’s return after a lengthy hiatus, the quick backlash to having a singer with ties to convicted rapist Danny Masterson may hurt their overall momentum. (For the record, Armstrong has since addressed the issue, saying that she shouldn’t have supported Masterson at a court appearance — noting, “I misjudged him” — and that she hasn’t spoken to him since, and doesn’t condone any abuse or violence against women.)

Kyle Denis: I think off the basis of “Machine” being the lead single for a new album, it should have more juice behind it, and thus score a few more weeks on the Hot 100 than “Lost.”

Josh Glicksman: I don’t expect it to hang around too much longer than “Lost” on the Hot 100, though it may eke out another few weeks. That said, I fully expect the song to similarly dominate rock radio for many months to come, with the single soaring to No. 1 on the Rock & Alternative Airplay chart following its first full tracking week. “Lost” spent 20 weeks atop that chart; I’d guess that “The Emptiness Machine” will at least match that total.

Jason Lipshutz: “The Emptiness Machine” sounded like a straightforward rocker built around the dueling voices of Mike Shinoda and Emily Armstrong to me upon first listen, but the single has grown on me rapidly — I love how its momentum snowballs over the first two verses and choruses, pulls back during the harmonized bridge, then goes for the jugular on the final hook. Although I don’t think it will maintain its Hot 100 peak for long, I do believe its run on the chart will surpass that of “Lost,” as streaming audiences help bolster the early adoption from rock radio. The No. 21 debut defied the odds, and I think the breadth of its Hot 100 run will do the same.

Andrew Unterberger: Its greater debut and more interesting backstory might grant it another few weeks, but I don’t really see this being a much-longer-lasting Hot 100 hit, no. Its sales and streams already seem to be tapering off — though to be fair, not as quickly as with some other splashy-debuting new releases — and it’s unlikely pop radio is coming to swoop in with this song anytime soon.

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4. Do you think “Machine” captures the spirit of classic Linkin Park? Does Emily Armstrong seem like a logical fit as the band’s new frontwoman so far?

Anna Chan: It’s too early to judge based on just one song whether or not she’s a good fit. However, this rock-leaning music fan is eager to hear more from Armstrong. Her first verse in “The Emptiness Machine” didn’t grab me, but when she gets to the chorus and lets her raw, guttural vocals come out? Wooo! I’m letting Linkin Park cut me open just to jam more music into my ears.

Kyle Denis: For me, Chester’s voice is such a quintessential part of the band’s sound, that it still feels odd not hearing him. Nonetheless, I like hearing Emily on the record, it’s fun hearing her push her voice further than you’d expect before giving into a growl or a scream. She’s able to balance vulnerability and high-octane vocal thrills pretty effortlessly, which makes her an effective new frontwoman. 

Josh Glicksman: Yes! It feels refreshed and modern, but perfectly at home in the canon of everything that has endeared the band to fans for the past 25 years. Armstrong feels like a logical fit as the band’s new frontwoman — and, importantly, she’s both honoring its legacy while giving the music her own touch, as she discussed in her Billboard cover story: “Going into these [older] songs, by a singular voice that’s beloved by so many people — it’s like, ‘How do I be myself in this, but also carry on the emotion and what he brought in this band?’ … There is a passion to it that I’m hoping I can fill.”

Jason Lipshutz: What I love about this new iteration of Linkin Park is that songs like “The Emptiness Machine” exist in the same universe as the band’s biggest hits, but expand it into new terrain instead of trying recapture any past magic. That’s why Armstrong works so well as a new co-vocalist: she can sing the hits in a live setting, but instead of functioning as a Chester Bennington impersonator, she helps the band grow in a different direction and balance out Shinoda in striking, unexpected ways. As someone who has heard more of From Zero than just “The Emptiness Machine,” I can say that I was impressed with the balancing act that the band pulls off — honoring their past without re-creating it, harkening back to earlier eras while making something new.

Andrew Unterberger: Ironically, the least classic Linkin Park-seeming part of this song is Mike Shinoda singing (not rapping) on the first verse — when Armstrong comes in on the second verse (and especially when she kicks in with the chorus), it feels almost like a correction to the natural order of things. Maybe that was the plan all along; if so it seems to have worked!

5. With Linkin Park and Oasis reuniting in 2024, who’s another long-dormant rock band who you’d love to see get back together in the not too distant future?

Anna Chan: What’s your definition of “long-dormant”? Because for greedy ol’ me, Nine Inch Nails has been too busy with the movie scores as of late, and I need them to get back in the recording studio and on the road. (And no, that 2022 tour that hit only 10 U.S. cities doesn’t count in my book, while the Cold and Black and Infinite tour was six long years ago.)  I’d also appreciate if Rage Against the Machine would reunite and finish up the tour they cut short in 2022 (this political climate is begging for them) — or if The Cure (who might be teasing new music?) would do another trek so I can have a shot at tickets next time around.

Kyle Denis: Wishful thinking, but The White Stripes! 

Josh Glicksman: Talking Heads. Sure, they’ve notably rebuffed a reunion several times in recent months, but give the people what they want! Even just a small handful of new singles will suffice.

Jason Lipshutz: As of this July, Jack White has released exactly as many studio albums under his own name as he did alongside Meg White as The White Stripes. It is time to tip the scales once again — we simply need the duo back, and the first White Stripes album since 2007.

Andrew Unterberger: There have whispers about Radiohead reassembling of late — still pretty quiet ones, but loud enough to remind me how it’s been eight years since their last album and six since their last tour. (And how they’re, y’know, one of the best bands ever.)

It’s been a massive year for new releases from huge artists — and with the first-week returns for her Short n’ Sweet album, Sabrina Carpenter has now proven herself as big as nearly any of ’em.

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The new LP — officially Carpenter’s sixth, but just her second since leaving the Disney-owned Hollywood Records for Island — launches atop the Billboard 200 (dated Sept. 17) this week with 362,000 first-week units, making it the year’s third-biggest bow (after Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department and Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter). Meanwhile, the album launches all 10 of its brand new tracks onto the top half of the Hot 100 — where pre-release singles “Espresso” and “Please Please Please” have long lived — led by the No. 2 entrance of new single “Taste.”

How did Sabrina Carpenter work her way up to these A-list numbers? And what do we think of Short n’ Sweet beyond the big hits? Billboard staffers answer these questions and more below.

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1. Sabrina Carpenter scores her best week (and then some) with 362,000 first-week units for Short n’ Sweet – the third-best first-week mark of the year for any artist — while also charting all 12 tracks within the Hot 100’s top 50. On a scale from 1-10, how big a triumph are those first-week stats for Carpenter?

Hannah Dailey: That’s an absolute 10, especially considering that before this era, she hadn’t even broken into the top 20 of either chart. She’s worked for so long for this moment and played all her cards exactly right this year to build hype leading up to the Short n’ Sweet era. It’s an incredible feat, and she and her team should be very proud. 

Stephen Daw: 10, easily. Had this just been her first No. 1 album, this moment would have already been a pretty big deal for Sabrina — to have Short n’ Sweet rake in such massive numbers and debut all of its songs within the chart’s top 50 makes it a monumental success for her.

Kristin Robinson: 10! I don’t think any artist could ask for a better roll out than this one. Every new single/focus track has been as big if not bigger than the one before it. The music videos captured the cultural zeitgeist, and she has become an artist that pretty much everyone has been rooting for. Any artist, whether they’ve been famous for 10 years or one year, would be lucky to have so much success. I think her good fortune will continue as well. If you check TikTok, it seems that fans are not just connecting to the top songs — they are obsessing over the deeper cuts too. That is always a great sign that the full album has legs.

Andrew Unterberger: It is indeed a 10. If you told me a year ago (hell, if you told me six months ago) that Sabrina had posted a 36,200-unit week in her new album’s first frame — literally one-tenth of what she ended up doing with Short n’ Sweet — I would’ve said that was a great showing for her. To outpace some of the artists who have been the very pace-setters for some of the music Carpenter is making in this album is just jaw-dropping, and an unqualified win for all involved.

Christine Werthman: I’m withholding the 10 for if she’d bested everyone this year, but I’ll still go big with a 9. The numbers alone are impressive, but the biggest triumph to me is that this is her sixth studio album, and she’s finally breaking through in a massive way. It is far from the norm nowadays for most artists to toil away and eventually reach this level of success, especially in pop. Props to her and similarly long-building labelmate Chappell Roan for sticking with it.  

2. In a year full of major releases from major pop stars – Billie Eilish, Ariana Grande, Post Malone, Ye, many others – Carpenter’s 2024 first-week number passes everyone outside of pop’s arguable two contemporary leading lights, Taylor Swift and Beyoncé. What is the biggest reason you think SnS was able to outperform so many huge releases, at just 12 tracks with no features?

Hannah Dailey: She worked meticulously to make sure that people would have every reason to tune in once Short n’ Sweet dropped, from capitalizing on her clicky romance with Barry Keoghan to keeping her branding focused and consistent with what’s been working for her this past year. She also chose three excellent singles to lead the album — “Espresso,” “Please Please Please” and “Taste” — and paired them with music videos that allowed her personality and charisma to shine through. All of this made for a really fresh, polished rollout that followed a more traditional pop star format that people seemed to really resonate with.

Stephen Daw: It ultimately boils down to the joint success stories of “Espresso” and “Please Please Please,” I think. Timing is tricky in the modern music business, especially with how capricious viral success can be on the charts. But the stars really aligned for Sabrina — after years building up her reputation as pop music’s next main character, she managed to score her first two top five hits on the Hot 100 within a month of one another. Once she had that momentum going, there was almost no way to stop her from storming the charts like this. 

Kristin Robinson: I think first and foremost, the songs are well-crafted, upbeat and infectious. This should come as no surprise, given the number of hitmakers that helped her put it together. Then secondly, you can tell Sabrina put in the work to get here. These kinds of successes are never an accident: It requires extreme effort and dedication on the artist’s part to constantly try to stay in front of their audiences. I don’t think we got nearly as many interviews, music videos, live shows, festival sets, promotional bits, etc. from Billie, Ariana, Post and Ye.

Andrew Unterberger: Sabrina has just nailed all of the small things over the course of the past six months — everything from the music videos to the release schedule to the live performances to specific lyrical details — in a way that built momentum organically but purposefully leading up to Short n’ Sweet. And perhaps most importantly, in the weeks leading up to the album, she pulled back a little: It never felt like the album had come out before the album actually came out, which is a trap a lot of her peers can’t help themselves from falling into. (Well, her one-time peers anyway, her current peer list is rapidly dwindling.)

Christine Werthman: Perhaps the answer is in the title: Short n’ Sweet. Although, to play my own contrarian, just because an album is short doesn’t mean it’ll be an easy listen. The key is that Carpenter gives the people what they want — quippy one-liners, bedroom eyes, vocal trills — and while she might vary the packaging (“Coincidence,” “Bed Chem,” “Slim Pickins”) those elements are always present. After six albums, Carpenter has homed in on her strengths, and these songs play to them over 36 delightful minutes.

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3. “Taste” leads the way among the set’s newly debuting tracks on this week’s Hot 100, debuting at No. 2 and sandwiching itself in between the peaks of her two established smashes, “Espresso” (No. 3) and “Please Please Please” (No. 1). Will it ultimately be as big as those two long-lasting hits, or do you think it will fade quicker after its bow? 

Hannah Dailey: I definitely think “Taste” will be a lasting hit alongside “Espresso” and “Please Please Please.” It’s catchy and fun, the music video is killer, and it already has a bunch of traction on TikTok. Like it or not, the Sabrina chart domination is definitely going to continue in the near future.

Stephen Daw: I think “Taste” is going to linger. The twangy, country-adjacent sound is perfectly in line with what audiences have been playing on repeat lately, it’s got a viral music video that fans are still obsessing over and it carries that same earworm songwriting that made both “Espresso” and “Please” burrow into the pop culture lexicon. I don’t think it’s going to be bigger than either of her previously established hits, but I can see “Taste” enjoying a long shelf life in the upper echelons of the Hot 100. 

Kristin Robinson: Well, I’ve been wrong before. I thought there was no way “Please Please Please” would get as big as “Espresso” and I was wrong. I wouldn’t be shocked if this did the best of the three because the momentum is so strong right now.

Andrew Unterberger: It’s already a smash, and is gonna be around for a while. It’s the perfect third single to follow a pair of pre-release smashes: feeling simultaneously of a piece and totally separate from the first two, and already familiar-sounding from the first listen. And it’s very good, which usually helps.

Christine Werthman: “Taste” was already one of my favorite songs on the album, even before I watched the wonderfully unhinged video co-starring Jenna Ortega. The strength of the song on its own, coupled with the visual, will keep it around, as will the approaching Halloween season. Best spooky videos list, anyone? 

4. While Carpenter has certainly established herself as a brilliant singles artist, does the rest of Short n’ Sweet live up to its hits to you? Is there anything you’d like to hear her do more or less of in the future?

Hannah Dailey: The other songs on Short n’ Sweet feel very compatible with the album’s singles: flirty, fun and sassy. I do think she needs to move on from the hypersexualized-short-girl schtick after this album, though, or else I worry she’ll put herself in a box that people might grow wary of down the line. 

Stephen Daw: Part of what makes Short n’ Sweet work as well as it does is the feeling throughout that Sabrina is having the best time making big pop songs fun again. Nothing feels too self-serious, even in the album’s down-tempo ballads. The only problem that comes with her focus on clever, cheeky songwriting is that the sound of some of her songs can fall to the wayside, making some of this album’s songs feel generic by comparison to her megahits. If Sabrina can keep her songwriting this sharp while putting an even bigger focus on honing what “her sound” is, then her career will be far from short and that much sweeter. 

Kristin Robinson: I think there are strong songs on this album that are not singles — my favorite being “Sharpest Tool” – but it does trail off a little bit in quality towards the end. In the future, I would like to see her embracing her own style more. A number of these songs sound like ones that would’ve been pitched to Ariana Grande five years ago. “Slim Pickins” feels too Kacey Musgraves. While the songs are all well-written, this album can feel a bit derivative.

Andrew Unterberger: The first half of this album in particular is simply all killer — both in terms of every song hitting, and the ordering of them being perfectly paced. If it maybe tails off a tiny bit post-“Espresso…” well, gotta leave some room for improvement for her second album as a certified superstar.

Christine Werthman: Carpenter made a great pop album with high replay value. This isn’t one of those where you have to hold your breath and wait for the known hits because there are plenty more to discover — “Taste, “Good Graces,” “Juno” — even if they don’t all become chart-toppers. Though some of the slower songs might have you reaching for the skip button, she’ll jolt you awake with lyrics like, “jack off to lyrics by Leonard Cohen” on “Dumb & Poetic.” The woman is a wordsmith! If anything, I’d love to hear more 1990s rhythmic stuff from her like “Good Graces,” another new standout.

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5. Carpenter’s superstar resume is filling up more rapidly than even her biggest boosters could’ve predicted at the beginning of the year. What’s one thing she’s yet to check off there that you think would help further cement 2024 as Her Year? 

Hannah Dailey: She’s already won over a larger audience, as well as proved her prowess commercially and on the charts. All that’s left for her to do, in my opinion, is show that she’s earned the respect of her peers and critics in the music industry by securing a Grammy nomination this November. Once she has Recording Academy recognition, her status as a Main Pop Girl will absolutely be cemented. 

Stephen Daw: If Sabrina can get one major city to temporarily rename itself in her honor during her upcoming tour, I feel like the Main Pop Girl checklist will be pretty much complete.

Kristin Robinson: The obvious answer is some Grammy wins in February. I also think having one more hit after “Taste” though would put this album over the top as one akin to Future Nostalgia by Dua Lipa or SOS by SZA – both albums that just had hit after hit.

Andrew Unterberger: Before we start worrying about Carpenter filling her awards mantle, how about getting a super-dope award show performance from her first? She’ll have her chance next week at the MTV Video Music Awards, a stage that the true pop greats of the last 40 years have always embraced the opportunity to make their mark on. I hope she brings it, and I have little doubt that she will.

Christine Werthman: How about a big-name collab? But instead of going for a pop OG, Carpenter should link with fellow 2024 queen Chappell Roan. Since Carpenter and Roan are already friends, labelmates and cheeky pop connoisseurs, I think a collab between those two would create a huge moment to close out the year.