five burning questions

It was clear right away in December 2022 that SZA‘s sophomore album SOS represented a commercial leveling-up for the R&B superstar, with the set moving over 300,000 units in its first frame and spending 10 total weeks atop the Billboard 200 albums chart. But perhaps even more telling has been how she’s continued to dominate in the nine months since — a run capped this week by her scoring two simultaneous top five hits on the Billboard Hot 100.
“Snooze,” her slow-growing second smash from SOS, hits a new peak of No. 3 this week on the Hot 100, thanks in large part to a boost from a new acoustic version of the song featuring pop icon Justin Bieber. And “Slime You Out,” her long-awaited collab with hip-hop behemoth Drake, debuts atop the chart, despite some negative fan responses in its first week.

What’s the biggest reason she’s been able to maintain such success this long after SOS‘ release? And where does she rank currently among the globe’s biggest pop stars? Billboard staffers discuss these questions and more below.

1. Drake scores his 12th No. 1 and on the Hot 100 and SZA scores her second this week thanks to their new collab “Slime You Out.” Does the song’s initial success mean more to (or about) either artist right now?

Hannah Dailey: I think this feat is definitely more of a triumph for SZA. It’s a testament to how quickly and magnificently her career is exploding, especially given how she only scored her first ever No. 1 with “Kill Bill” just a few months ago. That first Hot 100-topper proved how fast she’s on the rise, while this second one just goes to show that she isn’t leaving the top of the heap anytime soon.

Kyle Denis: For Drake, the success of “Slime You Out” is a simple reminder that he’s still in a space where he can sneeze and get a top five hit. For SZA, this is just further proof that she’s in an imperial phase right now. Between the ubiquity of the SOS singles, successful featured turns on tracks from Travis Scott and Lizzo (and now Drake), and a smash world tour — she’s got the Midas touch.

Jason Lipshutz: For anyone doubting Drake’s chart dominance this long into his career — and after a little over a calendar year since his last chart-topper — “Slime You Out” debuting at No. 1 on the Hot 100 should quell any anxieties about his staying power. While “Slime You Out” features an assist from SZA for an added dose of blockbuster appeal, the song is also a moody, downbeat sneer towards an ex — but no matter, it’s still the biggest song in the country. More than a decade into his run, Drake still possesses the power to turn any type of song into a smash.

Heran Mamo: I think it means more about Drake and means more to SZA. Having one of the first singles from For All the Dogs debut at No. 1 shortly before the album comes out is a good indicator that he’s creating enough buzz in time for its release. And for Drake, this is sort of like checking off something from a to-do list, because he’s had at least one song from his last few solo projects go No. 1: “Jimmy Cooks” (2022’s Honestly, Nevermind); “Way 2 Sexy” (2021’s Certified Lover Boy); “Toosie Slide” (2020’s Dark Lane Demo Tapes); and “God’s Plan,” “Nice for What” and “In My Feelings” (2018’s Scorpion). “Slime You Out” shows The Boy that he’s still hitting the mark every time. And he might be hitting an even bigger one soon: Drake needs only one more No. 1 to tie Michael Jackson as the male solo artist with the most No. 1s in Hot 100 history.  

Andrew Unterberger: Drake certainly had more to lose if this song didn’t go to No. 1; after both his solo “Search & Rescue” and his 21 Savage team-up “Rich Flex” debuted at No. 2, to not secure the top spot with his much-hyped SZA teamup would’ve surely made him look at least slightly vulnerable commercially for the first time in a long time. But I think it says more about SZA that her added juice was needed to get this song over the hump; it wasn’t all that long ago that Drake having a SZA feature would’ve seemed more like a career favor for the latter artist.

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2. The song’s debut comes while the majority of the public response surrounding the song has seemingly been fairly negative. Was a No. 1 debut just inevitable for the first team-up between two artists at this commercial level — or has the criticism of the song just been a silent majority drowning out the majority of listeners who have actually embraced the song?  

Hannah Dailey: I think this phenomenon is majorly due to that one yikes-inducing Drake lyric – “Whipped and chained you like American slaves” – which has opened the song up to a lot of controversy online. And with any controversial song, for better or worse, people are going to tune in.

Kyle Denis: I think a No. 1 debut was definitely inevitable at some level. As for the song’s reception? Given that it hasn’t completely collapsed on streaming a week after its debut, I’d say that there definitely seems to be more than enough listeners who like the song just fine. To that point, it’s been some years since Drake put out a (close to) universally acclaimed project yet he’s still consistently one of the most-consumed artists in the world. Middling public reception hasn’t seriously negatively impacted the commercial performance of a Drake song in years, and it wasn’t going to happen now – especially with one of the year’s biggest stars as a guest on the track.

Jason Lipshutz: The No. 1 debut does feel like an inevitability. I’m sure “Slime You Out” has its fans, but it’s hard to believe that a five-minute track that’s cynical in approach and hook-less in structure is the most surefire choice for a single uniting two powerhouse artists. Sometimes, those details simply don’t matter if two artists are prominent enough and launch their collaboration at the perfect moment; or Drake and SZA, “Slime You Out” was too big to fail.

Heran Mamo: It was ultimately inevitable given their combined star power and romantic history: Drake rapped “‘Cause I used to date SZA back in ’08” on “Mr. Right Now” from Metro Boomin and 21 Savage’s 2020 joint album Savage Mode II, and that’s just one example of the two referencing each other and each other’s music in songs. Having two superstar exes on the same track for the first time ever was the perfect recipe for a No. 1. Even Halle Berry chiming in about how she didn’t approve of the single’s cover art — which is from her getting slimed at the 2012 Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Awards — probably helped garner extra listeners.  

I also feel like the controversial nature of “Slime You Out” has helped others gravitate toward it: Fans are arguing that the song is neither Drake nor SZA’s best work and his “Whipped and chained you like American slaves” bar is distasteful, but SZA’s verse and Drizzy’s fourth verse, where he runs through a full-year cycle of what a woman goes through, remain highlights. Whether you love it or hate it, it’s all you can talk about, which is probably the only thing Drake cares about, and that’s why we’re here. 

Andrew Unterberger: Let’s see where the song is in a few weeks. I didn’t see “Search & Rescue” hanging around the Hot 100 as long as it did, which ultimately made for decent evidence that people liked the song more than its lukewarm initial reception suggested. If “Slime” Toosie Slides out of the top 40 by Halloween, though, then it’ll be a pretty good sign that it was indeed just the hype of its two A-list artists linking on record for the first time that allowed it to debut on top. (I suspect it will be.)

3. Meanwhile, SZA’s “Snooze” has also crept into the chart’s top five for the first time, reaching No. 3 in its 41st week on the listing. Outside of the Justin Bieber remix — which helps give it a final boost this week — what do you think the biggest reason is for the song’s slow-burning success? 

Hannah Dailey: Is it a cop out to say I honestly think it’s just a really good song? SOS is clearly still on rotation for a lot of people, and I suspect that “Snooze” simply grew organically on listeners who started to single it out while listening to the album on repeat.

Kyle Denis: “Snooze” was always a standout on SOS; I remember many people immediately latching onto that one even in the thick of the “Kill Bill” craze earlier this year. For a song to stick around for close to an entire calendar year and patiently wait for its moment in the limelight after five prior hit singles from the same parent album means that it’s genuinely connecting with audiences. I think the fact that this wasn’t a remix-revives-song-from-the-dead situation speaks to that point; “Snooze” had already spent a handful of weeks in the top 10 before the Justin Bieber remix, and the original solo version is still driving the majority of the song’s overall consumption.

Jason Lipshutz: “Snooze” has benefitted from the continued goodwill toward SOS, which, nine months after its release, now looks likely to become one of the most beloved full-lengths of the decade. The album remains in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 chart 41 weeks into its run, and after “Kill Bill” translated that listenership into streaming playlist placement and radio play, now it’s the follow-up’s turn to continue representing SOS on those platforms. I wouldn’t be surprised if “Snooze” is followed by another hit or two from SOS — that’s how resonant SZA’s second album has proven to be.

Heran Mamo: Being serviced to (and succeeding at) rhythmic, R&B/hip-hop and pop radio over the last few months has definitely played a huge role. Our senior R&B/hip-hop charts and data analyst Trevor Anderson wrote it best: “Radio gains, in turn, push the single to new peaks on multiple multimetric charts.” With a major radio push coming from different angles, “Snooze” was able to steadily climb up the Hot 100, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and more charts. At that point, nobody can sleep on that song anymore.  

Andrew Unterberger: Timing really is everything with songs like this. Credit to SZA and her RCA team for pushing all the right buttons on “Snooze”: They promoted it to radio at the right time, released the music video at the right time, and now dropped this Bieber remix at the right time. The song is more of a gradual creeper than an immediate show-stopper, so they were wise to play the long game with it — and they’ve played it perfectly for over half a year now.

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4. Despite SZA’s SOS technically coming out in late 2022, it’s still proving weekly to be one of the most impactful releases on 2023, at a time when albums rarely cast shadows that long. What’s something she has done with the SOS promo cycle that you think has really allowed her album and its singles to have such a pronounced and elongated impact?  

Hannah Dailey: I think her consistency with hopping on songs with other artists in the months since SOS dropped has really helped keep her name at the forefront of consciousness in both pop culture and pop music. She’s always been an avid collaborator, but now it’s effectively doubling as unofficial promo for SOS.

Kyle Denis: I think elongating the pre-release cycle really helped lay the foundation for the longevity of SOS. It took two years just to get from the release of the record’s oldest song — “Good Days” — to the full album, so there’s a level of investment in the world of SOS that towers over records with more truncated cycles. With each new music video teasing the next single, SZA was able to keep fans engaged while also prepping audiences’ ears and anticipation for those tracks. That strategy routinely resulted in lofty debuts and substantial longevity once singles like “Shirt” and its accompanying music videos finally arrived.

With LANA — a deluxe version – on the way, the SOS cycle could extend well into next summer. I think the most important element of this promo cycle, however, is SZA’s ability to make sure her pop culture presence is ubiquitous but not overbearing.

Jason Lipshutz: In hindsight, SZA’s tour in support of SOS — which kicked off in the U.S. in February, traveled to Europe in the spring and is now back in North America through October — continued the momentum from the December album release to get SZA in arenas within a matter of weeks and demonstrate why these new songs deserved to reach her largest audiences yet. “Kill Bill” was already a hit by the time the SOS Tour kicked off, but taking the album on the road relatively soon after its release, and reaching so many markets across 2023, has no doubt helped the album sustain that success.

Heran Mamo: I think supply and demand is a huge factor here. The demand for new music from SZA had reached a boiling point by the time she actually dropped SOS, and we know she isn’t the type of artist to be dropping again soon. So if this is what’s going to be satisfying fans for the next few years, she’s going to stretch the album out for as long as possible. In the nine-month period following SOS’ release, she’s released three of the songs as singles, with accompanying music videos, and gone on tour – allowing the fans to connect with the music in a more intimate way. The way she gave us her all while making this album is the way she’s giving us her all while promoting it.  

Andrew Unterberger: It’s hard to think of too many artists in the past half-decade that have allowed their singles room to breathe as effectively as SZA has. Each of the major hits that have come from SOS — whether before or after the album’s release — has been given the solo spotlight for months, without SZA crowding it by rushing out the next radio single or music video or remix. She allows singles to exist as their own mini-eras, and fans are happy to live in them as long as she lets them. (It also helps, of course, that the songs are each strong enough to support such lengthy runs.)

5. Is SZA one of the 10 biggest pop stars in the world right now?

Hannah Dailey: I would say so, barring how inventive and genre-bending her music itself is. On top of the recent chart accomplishments we already discussed, she’s one of the most-streamed artists on Spotify right now in spite of there being nine months separating her from the release of SOS, and she’s a name that other top 10 pop stars want to collaborate with (Drake, Justin Bieber, Doja Cat).

Kyle Denis: Easily. If we’re talking 10 biggest pop stars who are currently touring and actively promoting an album cycle? She’s top five.

Jason Lipshutz: Definitely. Other artists have deeper catalogs and more secure statuses as solo hitmakers, but there aren’t many artists right now with a discography as impeccable, or a mass approval rating as high. Hopefully SZA won’t take another six years to release a new album, but whenever she does, that will immediately become the most anticipated album of that year.

Heran Mamo: Yes. Her recent success with SOS has been unavoidable, even if you weren’t a fan of hers before or you’re not the biggest R&B fan. And we’ve seen R&B stars like Usher, The Weeknd and Beyoncé crossover to become pop stars. I think SZA is following that trajectory, and SOS marked the beginning of her crossover moment. 

Andrew Unterberger: Unquestionably. The real question is if there are any current superstars — outside of her “Slime” partner and pop’s official QB1 — who can be definitively ranked above her at this point.

The sophomore slump has officially been avoided for Olivia Rodrigo. This week, her second album Guts debuts atop the Billboard 200, while also charting all 12 of its tracks in the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 — including a return to the No. 1 spot for a second week for its lead single, “Vampire.”

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As for questions of how Guts‘ first week would compare to that of her smash debut album Sour, the answer is: a little bit better. Guts debuts with 302,000 units to the 295,000 of Sour, while also charting one more Hot 100 entry — though that’s mostly because the album contains 12 tracks to Sour‘s 11.

Is this the kind of performance we expected from Rodrigo’s Sour follow-up? And where might her career be headed from here? Billboard staffers discuss these questions and more below.

1. Olivia Rodrigo’s Guts debuts atop the Billboard 200 with 302,000 units moved — a smidge higher than the 295,000 posted by her debut album Sour in its first week. On a scale from 1-10, if you’re Olivia Rodrigo, how happy are you with that number?

Katie Atkinson: A 10. Sour was such a blockbuster introduction, so to not only meet, but surpass that initial splash has to be a huge relief. Now Olivia is not just riding the momentum or the good will of the beloved songs from her debut album; she’s released a collection of newly beloved songs whose full potential remains to be seen.

Kyle Denis: A strong 8.5. Not only did Olivia surpass Sour’s first-week numbers, she also did it while leaning further into a sound that did not dominate her debut album. It was always going to be impossible to flawlessly recreate the exact conditions of a storm as perfect as Sour, but she pulled better numbers without having to do that.

Jason Lipshutz: An 8. Maybe Olivia Rodrigo and her team were hoping for an even larger debut number for one of the most anticipated pop albums of the year, but the reality is that Sour included bigger pre-release hits than Guts, with “Drivers License” and “good 4 u” — and Rodrigo’s sophomore album still scored a larger sales number. That feat speaks to the general excitement around Rodrigo, crystallized by the way that Guts dominated the pop culture discourse upon its release; she’s a superstar, and this 300k+ debut is another solid level up.

Danielle Pascual: A 9. What Olivia achieved with Sour was unheard of. Not only did it debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, it was also the biggest album of 2021 and remains the longest-running debut album on the chart this century. The fact that she didn’t have an eight-week Hot 100 chart-topping lead single (“Drivers License”) this time around, but still outpaced Sour‘s first-week, is a true testament to her popstar prowess.

Andrew Unterberger: An 8. To match and even slightly exceed Sour is no small feat, given how hard it has proven (especially in recent years) for pop stars with more-or-less fully formed debut albums to maintain that performance for LP2. But given the anticipation for Guts and just how much emphasis Rodrigo puts on her album releases — to the point where she was essentially gone from popular music for most of the two years in between the two sets — I also wouldn’t be surprised if Team Rodrigo was at least somewhat hoping to land a first-week number more in line with the very biggest releases of the year.

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2. After hanging around the top 10 for most of the 10 weeks it had been on the chart, “Vampire” rebounds to No. 1 this week, while “Bad Idea Right?” zooms back from No. 26 to a new peak of No. 7 in its fifth week. Have those first two Guts songs have mostly underperformed, overperformed, or about matched your commercial expectations so far?

Katie Atkinson: I would say matched. The album’s lead single being a chart-topper makes a lot of sense, given all the curiosity around what her sophomore album would sound like. And “bad idea right?” still has room to grow, especially at pop radio, so I could see it surpassing its new No. 7 peak. If you look at the Sour twofer of eight-week No. 1 “drivers license” followed by the No. 3-peaking “Déjà Vu,” it’s a similar trajectory. And then there was “good 4 u”…

Kyle Denis: I think they’ve both just about matched my commercial expectations so far. “Vampire” has performed quite consistently – especially considering its pseudo-rock opera sound is pretty far removed from the country, Afrobeats and hip-hop that have been mainstays in the Hot 100’s upper regions this year. “Bad Idea Right” reaching a new peak is also impressive, for me, because the Guts singles had a more truncated pre-album release period than the Sour singles did. Sure, neither song really recaptured the heights of “Drivers License” and “Good 4 U,” but Olivia could’ve very well ended up flat on her face if she focused on recreating those successes to a tee.  

Jason Lipshutz: Overperformed! “Vampire” is a singular pop-radio experience these days — sprawling and theatrical in approach compared to the clipped, ultra-catchy songs in power rotation around it — while “Bad Idea Right?” slides into the “good 4 u” lane but rocks harder and shrugs off pop appeal more vociferously. The fact that both singles have logged multiple frames in the top 10, and that one of them has spent a pair of weeks at No. 1, while being notably out of step with modern pop trends illustrates Rodrigo’s current power as an A-list artist, capable of bending popular music towards her interests.

Danielle Pascual: Overperformed. From the moment Olivia announced Guts, I knew it’d be nearly impossible to match the success of “Drivers’ License” for her sophomore album’s lead single. When you go on a two-year break between your debut and sophomore albums, you risk the chance of fans falling off, forgetting about you or moving on to the next big thing. However, the fact that “Vampire” returned to No. 1 upon Guts’ big Billboard 200 debut shows that her dedicated army of Livies aren’t going anywhere. Also, not many artists can say they rose nearly 20 spots in a single week — and as “Bad Idea Right?” continues to gain traction on TikTok, I don’t think it’s reached its peak just yet.  

Andrew Unterberger: Matched. Both songs came in a little softer than their accompanying Sour-era singles, but both were also slightly tougher sells commercially — the fact that “Vampire” has still racked up two weeks at No. 1 and “Idea” has now reached a No. 7 peak is pretty impressive, considering.

3. “Get Him Back!” is the highest-debuting of the set’s new tracks, bowing at No. 11 — assisted by top Spotify New Music Friday placement, an eye-catching music video and a big look at the MTV Video Music Awards this Tuesday. Does it seem to you like it will be a lasting hit off the album? If not, is there another song on the album you think could be ticketed for (or worthy of) such success?

Katie Atkinson: I 100% peg this as the “good 4 u” of Guts – and I’m betting that No. 11 is just the beginning. First of all, can we talk about the title turn-of-phrase? It’s one of those cute little wordplay moments that you hear in a song and can’t believe it isn’t already a cliché. Flipping “get him back” to mean reunite AND exact revenge is so brilliantly bratty. For me, this is the lasting hit.

Kyle Denis: Yes. I think, right now, all signs point to “Get Him Back!” becoming not just a lasting hit, but potentially the biggest hit of the entire Guts era. That chorus is undeniable, and the bratty spoken verses are simply irresistible. Outside of “Get Him Back,” I think “Making the Bed” and “The Grudge” could do a little something. It’ll be interesting to see whether the rest of this album’s singles bank on the ballads or the more overt pop-rock bangers. 

Jason Lipshutz: It depends on the concurrent runs of the Rodrigo songs around it: If “Vampire” and “Bad Idea Right?” continue rolling in the top 10 of the Hot 100, and commanding the attention of radio blocks and streaming playlists, then “Get Him Back!” — which already received a splashy music video and big awards look — will be crowded out of the spotlight. I hope that’s not the case, however, because “Get Him Back!” is the best song on Guts, and would be a truly exciting mainstream hit. Let’s hope there’s enough room in our cultural appetite for its dazzling wordplay and exploding-heart breakdown.

Danielle Pascual: I will definitely be surprised if “Get Him Back!” doesn’t hit the Hot 100 top 10 next week. With the similar Y2K pop-punk feel to it that “Bad Idea Right?” has, “Get Him Back!” is undoubtedly getting a bigger push — and not just by the label. A fan-made TikTok dance for the song is going viral, as is a trend of people recreating its iPhone-made music video. Chatter surrounding the song only seems to be growing, and I’d place my bets on it becoming the biggest hit on Guts.

Andrew Unterberger: It does definitely seem like the best pick for a Guts breakout hit, but I’m a little worried about its performance so far. Despite getting a top placement on Spotify’s New Music Friday playlist and both a flashy music video and an eye-catching VMAs introductory performance last Tuesday, the song still missed a top 10 debut this week, and its streaming numbers in the days since haven’t really been trending in the right direction. Maybe it just needs a little time to take off online, but that hasn’t been the case with Rodrigo so far — both “License” and “Good” had already caught like wildfire by the end of their debut weeks — and if the stellar video and VMAs performance couldn’t further stoke those flames, I’m not sure what will. Certainly rooting for it though.

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4. Guts leans even further into the alt-rock inclinations that Rodrigo had flashed on a few Sour songs — while she has given high-profile shoutouts to ’90s alternative acts like Rage Against the Machine in recent interviews, and even invited The Breeders to open some of her upcoming Guts World Tour arena dates. Do you think the success of Guts will lead to a greater prominence of guitar rock and/or ’90s influences in the mainstream, or does it mostly just work for Olivia Rodrigo because she’s Olivia Rodrigo?

Katie Atkinson: As much as I’d like this is all to lead to a riot-grrrrl-aissance, I think it just works particularly well for Olivia Rodrigo. She’s got the Empire Records fashion and the Alanis-nodding music video and, yes, even The Breeders on tour with her. It’s a little reminiscent of Bruno Mars cherry-picking the best of various genres and decades and finding a way to make the classics current. It’s savvy but it’s not the only reason fans are connecting to her music; it’s just part of the overall appeal.

Kyle Denis: I hope it does! You can never have too many different kinds of music making their presence known in the zeitgeist. I think Olivia obviously carries a level of fame that will give her a higher ceiling of commercial success, but I hesitate to say that the guitar rock is working for her just because she’s her. From Billie Eilish’s “Happier Than Ever” and Demi Lovato’s new Revamped album to Jelly Roll’s “Need a Favor” and Zach Bryan new self-titled album, I think we’re see a rise in guitar rock’s mainstream prominence across the board, which makes me think a larger renaissance could be on the horizon.

Jason Lipshutz: Probably a little bit of both, although I do think that we may be in for a upswing of louder guitars in pop music — thanks to Rodrigo, but also considering rock nods from pop superstars like Billie Eilish and Harry Styles, crossover country hits from Morgan Wallen and Luke Combs, and the fact that genre-splitting singer-songwriters like Noah Kahan and Zach Bryan are establishing themselves as radio presences. Rodrigo may be more well-versed in (often quite excellent) punk, alternative and hard rock, but the success of her sound can also be folded into a greater six-string trend that I’d bet hasn’t yet peaked.

Danielle Pascual: The trend has potential to go mainstream, and labels will undoubtedly try to replicate Olivia’s success with their emerging artists. However, I don’t think any push will generate near the same numbers she has pulled, especially only a couple years into her musical career. All-girl rock bands have been around forever, and most are lucky to see success on the charts these days. Even artists in her genre that have been in the game (like Avril Lavigne), haven’t seen near the same numbers Olivia has pulled with their new releases. For the current moment, Olivia is the reigning princess of pop-punk, and no one seems to be overthrowing her any time soon.  

Andrew Unterberger: I doubt we’ll get a bunch of soundalikes littering the Hot 100, but the more important thing is Rodrigo re-normalizing guitar rock within popular music — a trend that’s been ongoing for basically the entire decade so far, and which she certainly already helped along the way with “Good 4 U” and a couple other Sour album cuts. In the mid-to-late 2010s, it was becoming a rarity to hear six-strings anywhere on top 40 radio or on New Music Friday; now, they’re all over the place again. Doesn’t mean next year’s VMAs are gonna look like the 1995 awards, but if there were a handful of very disparate guitar-based performances featured throughout, it would hardly be shocking.

5. When Rodrigo broke out in 2021, the Taylor Swift comparisons were obvious and plentiful — not just because of the similarities they shared as prodigious young singer-songwriters, but because Rodrigo seemed to be one of the only new 2020s artists with the commercial ceiling to potentially one day match Swift in popularity. Do you think the early returns for Guts show Rodrigo still having that kind of momentum?

Katie Atkinson: The growth album-over-album can only mean positive things for Olivia and her future. And while I think the comparisons were apt when she first broke out, given the diaristic songwriting and starting as a teen, I feel like Guts shows that she isn’t following an exact Swiftian playbook. I don’t think even Taylor could have predicted how her own career would transpire, and I’m looking forward to seeing the unique way Olivia’s unfolds as well.

Kyle Denis: I’ll say yes. She’s already established a dedicated base — as evidenced by the historic streaming numbers of “Drivers License” – and she has very clearly only expanded that base and deepened her connection with them based on the first-week numbers for Guts. Given the fact that she’s already borrowed a few familiar bits of Swift’s M.O. – including various limited-edition vinyls and Easter eggs galore – she clearly knows how to keep that momentum going, and her upcoming tour will do the same, especially on a global scale. I’m not saying O3 will open with a million copies in its first week like Swift’s Speak Now did, but I do think that Olivia is already on a better track than most of her peers. 

Jason Lipshutz: No — and not because Rodrigo, who just released one of the strongest full-lengths of the year, is doing anything wrong, but because Swift is in an entirely different stratosphere than any other artist working today when it comes to modern popularity. Maybe Rodrigo gets there someday, considering her seemingly endless talent and her still-bulletproof catalog, but as she herself would likely admit, it’ll take a long, long time.

Danielle Pascual: A cautious yes. Debuting every song from your sophomore album in the Hot 100 top 40 is not a common feat. She also added 18 additional shows to her 2024 tour’s lineup, so demand is clearly there. However, I would’ve immediately answered “yes” if asked the same thing about Billie Eillish following the original success of “Bad Guy” — yet her follow-up album Happier Than Ever didn’t seem to have the same lasting impact that When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? had. In this day of TikTok as new artists go viral every day, making a decades-long impression is easier said than done. And though Guts‘ pace is great so far, will people people regard it as one of the greatest pop projects of our time? Hard to say for sure, but I personally hope so.

Andrew Unterberger: Not necessarily, but the potential is still there. When comparing their two career timelines, Swift has the (somewhat ironic) advantage of having a very flawed debut — an album that boasted some excellent singles and certainly did well, but had enough room for improvement both artistically and commercially to allow for the great leap forward of Fearless. Such a jump was near-impossible for Rodrigo here, but she’s showing her commercial growth in other ways: namely, an arena world tour that includes four dates each at MSG, the Forum and the O2 Center. The sky’s still the limit for Rodrigo, but considering Swift is barely even tethered to this planet anymore, she’ll have to continue leveling up pretty consistently — and perhaps more importantly, she’ll have to really want to keep doing so — to reach near Swift’s heights.

We’d gone over a year — 54 weeks total — without a rap No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. But for the first time since Nicki Minaj’s “Super Freaky Girl” reigned in Aug. 2022, a song tops both Billboard‘s Hot Rap Songs and Hot 100 charts simultaneously: Doja Cat‘s “Paint the Town Red.”

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“Red” hits No. 1 in its fifth week on the Hot 100, after having debuted at No. 15 about a month earlier. It’s the second No. 1 on the chart for Doja, following “Say So” with Nicki Minaj in 2020, and also breaks a streak of four consecutive country songs atop the listing — most recently Zach Bryan’s Kacey Musgraves-featuring “I Remember Everything,” which slips to No. 2 this week.

Why did “Red” explode to No. 1? And will it open the floodgates for rap singles atop the Hot 100 from here? Billboard staffers discuss these questions and more below.

1. After a good-but-not-great No. 15 debut on the Hot 100, “Paint the Town Red” has bounded to the Hot 100’s top spot in just five total weeks. What do you think is the biggest reason behind its quick post-release growth?

Rania Aniftos: Dare I say the controversy surrounding it? They say all press is good press, and the question of whether or not Doja has actually been possessed by the devil has certainly helped the song’s growth by getting people to stream and see what all the drama is about.

Kyle Denis: The biggest reason is probably the fact that it’s a genuinely catchy song. The hook is sticky, but it’s the Dionne Warwick “Walk on By” sample that really makes it an earworm. It also helps that Doja has kept her name and brand at the forefront of people’s minds ever since she first started teasing “Attention” a few months ago. By folding some fans’ valid concerns of her allegedly problematic boyfriend into a larger commentary on parasocial relationships, Doja has been able to reap the benefits of the age-old “all press is good press” truism.

Elias Leight: These days, five weeks might not even be considered “quick” growth — in recent years there has been so much emphasis in the music industry on seeing explosive movement from singles right away. This has led some executives to worry that great songs with the chance to become real hits are being abandoned too quickly if they don’t show that type of eruption in their first week or even first day of release. That backdrop makes the trajectory of “Paint the Town Red” all the more interesting: It has grown regularly week-over-week at streaming, radio and TikTok, eventually working its way to No. 1. In most cases, that’s probably a more sustainable path than arriving at the top.

Jason Lipshutz: Based on my own interaction with the song — going from “Huh, interesting track with a cool sample” to “Wow, one of the best singles of the year” in the span of a few weeks — I’d guess that “Paint the Town Red” revealed its subtle strengths as both a radio smash and streaming playlist staple to enough listeners since its release. Those two back-to-back refrains pack quite the one-two punch, Doja Cat jams multiple memorable lines into her verses, and the Dionne Warwick loop will be stuck on repeat in your head for an hour after a single listen. “Paint the Town Red” may not have been an immediate smash, but it’s a smash nonetheless.

Andrew Unterberger: “Red” is indeed a grower, and Doja has always been masterful at promoting singles in both the traditional ways (music videos, radio promotion, memorable performances) and the more modern ways (stoking virality, inserting herself into the pop conversation). You don’t see a lot of singles with trajectories like this in the 2020s, but it’s not a fluke that so many of the ones that do come from Doja Cat.

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2. Though Doja Cat has been as unavoidable on radio and streaming as nearly any pop artist of the 2020s, this is only her second No. 1 hit, following “Say So” in 2020 with Nicki Minaj. Do you think the second No. 1 (and first unaccompanied one) is meaningful for her career, or is it just another one of many accomplishments she’s notched in recent years? 

Rania Aniftos: Coming off a wildly successful year following Planet Her’s release, I would consider a Hot 100 chart topper for a new album era incredibly meaningful. It indicates that she’s established herself in popular music as an artist that has broken away from relying on social media virality for a hit — ultimately leading to a long-lasting career.

Kyle Denis: I think that this is definitely a meaningful moment for Doja’s career. For one, “Paint the Town Red” is far enough removed from the disco-tinged frothiness of “Say So” that the song proves that she can top the Hot 100 without relying on that specific sound. Moreover, this second chart-topper comes during a period of intense controversy and notoriety for Doja. While a healthy chunk of all that is self-inflected, achieving a Hot 100 No. 1 during a time when many people are turning against you is certainly nothing to scoff at. The success of “Paint the Town Red” is proof of the durability of Doja’s brand.

Elias Leight: A second No. 1 is helpful as a way of separating an artist from the competition. Especially when viral trends drive so much listening activity, a wide range of artists can top the Hot 100 once. But it’s hard to catch that sort of wave twice. Returning to the peak of the Hot 100 for a second time helps demonstrate an act’s staying power.

Jason Lipshutz: The fact that Doja Cat’s Planet Her didn’t include a No. 1 hit on the Hot 100 represented more of a chart bug than a feature, considering the fact that five singles from her 2021 album reached the top 20 (and a post-Planet Her single, the Elvis track “Vegas,” did so as well). “Paint the Town Red” reaching the top of the chart continues the momentum of her last era, but Doja Cat was clearly a multi-platform superstar regardless of where the single ended up peaking, making the new No. 1 the latest in a string of wins rather than a professional game-changer.

Andrew Unterberger: It’s a big deal in that her Scarlet era already has a top-line item on its resumé that (somehow) her Planet Her era never accomplished — and when you’re a pop star of Doja Cat’s size and stature and still climbing to new heights, that’s fairly major. But mostly it just means that even with some of the PR hits she’s taken this year, she’s not due for a commercial fall-off anytime soon.

3. “Paint the Town Red” is the first song classified by Billboard as a rap song to top the Hot 100 in over a year. Does it being the song to break that streak say anything to you about rap’s current place in the mainstream? 

Rania Aniftos: Maybe my finger is way off the pulse, but I’m so shocked at this information. Rap is such a mainstay in the music world to me, that it’s so strange that Ice Spice, Lil Durk or Lil Wayne haven’t climbed up the chart with their releases this year. If anything, “Paint the Town Red” will hopefully remind fans that rap isn’t going away, even if it took a break from the No. 1 spot.

Kyle Denis: I think this tells us that we’re moving back to a place where aggressively pop-rap songs are the hip-hop tracks to top the Hot 100. While that’s always been the case to some extent, with two pop-rap songs being hip-hop’s most recent Hot 100 chart-toppers, it feels like we’re moving further away from a time when less obviously crossover-aimed rap songs from likes of Migos or Travis Scott could top the chart and spend lengthy stays in its upper regions. Moreover, the Hot 100 success of “Paint” tells us that hip-hop is doing just fine, its reach and influence will always be present — just in a different way than it has been for the past 7-10 years.

Elias Leight: Doja Cat had a lot of success in the past with straightforward pop hits like “Say So,” “Kiss Me More,” and “Woman.” That previous history means that top 40 radio is leading the charge on her airplay, with “Paint the Town Red” charting higher on this week’s Pop Airplay chart (No. 14) than R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay (No. 19). Most rappers aren’t able to rely on that much pop radio support. 

Jason Lipshutz: Yes and no: 2023 has been an up-and-down one for popular rap music, with some commercially underwhelming A-list projects and false starts by rising stars balanced out by a multi-week Billboard 200 chart-topper like Travis Scott’s Utopia and an exciting new mainstream voices like Ice Spice. I’m very happy to see a rap song finally top the Hot 100 in 2023, although it’s worth pointing out that several others — from Lil Durk and J. Cole’s “All My Life” to Gunna’s “Fukumean” to Travis Scott and Drake’s “Meltdown” — reached the top 5 in recent months, often blocked from the No. 1 spot by a smattering of dominant country singles. So while country has enjoyed an astonishing year at the top of the Hot 100, it’s not like rap music has been absent from the chart’s upper reaches.

Andrew Unterberger: It maybe says something about how major crossover appeal is more necessary than it used to be for a rap song to break through on this level. Back at hip-hop’s streaming peak in the late ’10s, rap songs could pile up stream counts so massive, often immediately, that it almost wouldn’t matter if they worked on top 40 or ended up spreading to widely varied corners of the internet. Now, with hip-hop’s streaming dominance a little less overwhelming, it’s not so easy to get there without some help from those other formats and audiences.

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4. Meanwhile, the prior rap artist to score a Hot 100 No. 1 — Doja’s old “Say So” co-star Nicki Minaj — bows at No. 22 this week on the Hot 100 with the much more pop-focused “Last Time I Saw You.” Do you see that song having a “Paint”-like trajectory of chart growth, or will it likely fade from its debut?

Rania Aniftos: While I think “Last Time I Saw You” will likely fade, Nicki’s definitely got more up her sleeve. I wouldn’t be surprise if a number of songs off her upcoming album turn into instant classics.

Kyle Denis: I think there are definitely a few parts of “Last Time I Saw You” that have the potential to go viral and boost the song’s overall consumption. As it stands, however, unless there’s a concerted push to truly market this as Minaj’s current radio single, I think it’ll fade from here. Maybe it gets a bit of a second wind when Pink Friday 2 arrives.

Elias Leight: Predicting growth is pretty impossible at a time when a viral trend can start more or less randomly. That said, Minaj’s recent chart successes have tended to start strong and then fade, rather than grow over time. She effectively teased “Super Freaky Girl” before it was out; the single debuted at No. 1 but then fell to No. 7 in its second week. Her version of “Princess Diana” with Ice Spice opened at No. 4 and then fell to No. 29. “Barbie World,” another Ice Spice collaboration, opened at No. 7 and then dropped to No. 35. The buzz around the Barbie film helped it rebound as high as No. 8, where it stayed for two weeks, but it never matched its first-week peak.

Jason Lipshutz: “Last Time I Saw You” is a smart change-up for Nicki Minaj, a melodic pop-rap track that’s downright hummable and genuinely heartfelt. Minaj found a lot of recent success on the Hot 100 prior to her latest single, but “Last Time I Saw You” is emotionally affecting than her more club-friendly fare; I’d bet that listeners return to it in the coming weeks, and while I’m not sure it will reach the top spot like “Paint the Town Red,” I could certainly see the track growing into the top 10.

Andrew Unterberger: To be honest, I don’t have a good read on this song yet — I like it, but it’s so low-key and unassuming by Minaj’s standards that I’m not totally sure where it fits for her in a pop single sense. I could very easily see it creeping its way into streaming and radio playlists and becoming a slow-burning hit in the fall, but I could also see it fading rapidly and becoming one of those in-between Nicki Minaj singles that kinda gets left behind within her discography.

5. Now that the streak is over, do you see rap making up for lost time with a flurry of No. 1s to follow over the remaining months of 2023 — or has popular music shifted too much in the past couple years for it a return to that state of supremacy to be likely? 

Rania Aniftos: I can’t help but feel like we’re about to enter a new era for rap music. It feels like all the power players are in the kitchen cooking, and I’m so excited to see how new releases from Nicki Minaj, Cardi B and hopefully Drake will affect the charts. 

Kyle Denis: I think 2023, in general, has been a year of transition for mainstream music. There were a lot of great achievements across major charts from a variety of genres this year. I don’t think we’ll suddenly see a surge of hip-hop Hot 100 No. 1s, but those songs will still make it to the top 10 with relative ease. The sound of popular music is definitely shifting, but I’m not convinced it’s landed on a destination yet.

Elias Leight: There’s a Drake album coming soon; it would be surprising if that doesn’t yield a No. 1 hit for at least a week. But due to Doja Cat’s history in pop, her success probably doesn’t signify a larger shift for hip-hop. 

Jason Lipshutz: I mean, we have a Drake album about to arrive, a Nicki Minaj album slated for the fall, a Cardi B album (hopefully, maybe) on the horizon, and… oh yeah, a flurry of Doja Cat songs joining “Paint the Town Red” on Scarlett. I’d be pretty surprised if we don’t get at least two more rap chart-toppers before the end of 2023.

Andrew Unterberger: I don’t really see it happening. Certainly there are some rap heavy hitters still yet to deliver on long-promised projects this year, and a No. 1 or two may follow from there. But in this sort of transitional period for mainstream hip-hop, with audiences more fragmented than ever, it seems like four-quadrant support for any one rapper or rap hit is harder to come by than it has been in a long while. At the very least, I don’t think the rap-monopolized landscape of 2018 is coming back anytime soon.

With just one week of summer left — at least by Billboard calculations, with our official Songs of the Summer chart closing after next week’s Sept. 9-dated listing — it seems like a good time to look back at what has been an extremely unusual summer of pop music on the Billboard Hot 100.

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For one thing, unlike any other summer in recent memory — in some ways, unlike any in Hot 100 history — the chart has been absolutely dominated by country this year. Between Morgan Wallen, Luke Combs, Jason Aldean and now Oliver Anthony Music, country has been holding down one or more of the top spots on the chart for the whole season. But we’ve still gotten plenty of more traditional pop, in the form of hits by Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus and the Barbie soundtrack cast, as well as hip-hop smashes from Gunna and Toosii, and global sounds from Rema & Selena Gomez, Fifty Fifty and Eslabon Armado & Peso Pluma.

How do we evaluate this summer on the whole? And do we anticipate the country takeover to last for the rest of the 2023 calendar? Billboard staffers discuss these questions and more below.

1. Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” has been No. 1 on our Songs of the Summer chart for all 13 weeks of its existence so far — do you feel that’s an accurate reflection of how the song has (or hasn’t) dominated the summer?

Katie Atkinson: It’s hard to argue with its chart run given the data reflects the song’s unstoppable shelf life, but I can (and will) argue that it didn’t soundtrack my personal summer. That banner belongs to Taylor Swift’s surprisingly resurgent (or, I guess, just surgent) 2019 song “Cruel Summer.” I love how Swift had three concurrent hits (“Summer,” “Karma” and “I Can See You” were all top five on the Hot 100 this summer) as her Eras Tour positively dominated the pop culture conversation. It was fitting for the summer of 2023, and I especially love that her concert-opening “Cruel Summer” finally had its moment in the sun.

Stephen Daw: Yep. Love it or hate it, “Last Night” was the song of the summer in 2023. If there were a checklist for what makes a song the summer song, Wallen’s runaway hit checks all of the boxes; huge crossover appeal, chart domination and a level of inescapable ubiquity that almost begins to feel Lovecraftian in its scope. As much as some (myself included) may want us to collectively move on from this song, it doesn’t change the fact that “Last Night” monopolized summer listening this year.

Jason Lipshutz: Definitely. On the Hot 100 this summer, “Last Night” has functioned a lot like Harry Styles’ “As It Was” did last summer, piling up week after week at No. 1 and never too far from the top spot when something else momentarily knocked it out. Maybe Wallen’s smash wasn’t as culturally omnipresent as summer songs of the past, but that speaks more to the fragmentation of popular culture more than anything to do with “Last Night.” As it stands, Wallen clearly had the biggest hit of this summer, and when 2023 wraps up, maybe of the year, too. 

Joe Lynch: I suppose it’s hard to say no, because them’s the numbers. Unlike some No. 1s from this summer, “Last Night” is huge at radio and streaming and doing well in downloads, so you can’t chalk its success up to a coordinated base of supporters influencing the charts. But as huge as country is right now (it occupies the top three slots of the Hot 100), there are plenty of music fans who still haven’t hitched their wagon to that genre’s horse. We find ourselves in an unusual spot where this summer’s biggest hit isn’t resonating across all demographics. 

Andrew Unterberger: Eh. As an adult living in New York, it felt imminently ignorable in a way summer-conquering No. 1s rarely have. (Most of the conversations I had about the song were of the “Can you believe it’s still No. 1?” variety.) But if I were a teenager living in Tennessee? I’d probably feel pretty differently.

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2. Country music has dominated this summer in many different forms — do you see that lasting for the rest of the year, or will it prove mostly a warm-weather-month phenomenon?

Katie Atkinson: With the genre finally catching up in streaming, I think country’s command of the Hot 100 is just getting started. We’ve seen in the past couple of months how right-wing virality can boost a song (see: “Try That in Small Town” and “Rich Men North of Richmond”), but “Last Night” and “Fast Car” are just traditional, sustained hit songs with undeniable reach. I expect more of both varieties of hits from the country world – and I also expect hip-hop to find its way back to the top after an unfathomable yearlong absence.

Stephen Daw: To me, it’s pretty hard to look at the last few years’ worth of chart metrics and try to justify calling the country music explosion we’ve been experiencing a summer-specific phenomenon. Country music is taking streaming more seriously than it ever has (as detailed in this excellent piece by Billboard‘s Steve Knopper), it has a coterie of young stars that are connecting with a multi-generational audience, and it’s gained enough attention and momentum over 2023 to make this inarguably the biggest year in recent memory for country music. That trend isn’t just going to disappear once the weather cools down a bit — if anything, I see the country boom continuing well into the fall — especially with a massive (and very good) album from Zach Bryan fresh on the mind.

Jason Lipshutz: It’s hard to say, because it will likely depend on the upcoming music. Zach Bryan’s newly released self-titled album has flooded streaming charts this week, but will those songs impact the Hot 100 for weeks on end? Will upcoming projects by Olivia Rodrigo, Doja Cat and Nicki Minaj dominate the fall? What else can Taylor Swift and 1989 (Taylor’s Version) contribute to an already gargantuan year? And are there more out-of-nowhere country success stories like Oliver Anthony lurking in the autumn? With so many high-profile question marks, whether or not country music’s blockbuster summer continues beyond the season is anyone’s guess. 

Joe Lynch: I don’t think country’s chart surge – fueled in part by the genre’s core fans finally catching up the streaming era – can be waived away as a summer phenomenon. There are few signs of Wallen waning, and if anything, I expect that we’re increasingly likely to see established names such as Jason Aldean or new voices topping the Hot 100 in the next 12-18 months.  

Andrew Unterberger: Have you seen the early streaming numbers for the new Zach Bryan album? We’ve only just begun, my friends.

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3. Looking at the chart this week — are there any older songs you’re in mild disbelief were still big enough the past few months to be Songs of the Summer?

Katie Atkinson: It has to be “Anti-Hero.” The Midnights lead single came out way back in October (10 full months ago!) and spent eight nonconsecutive weeks atop the Hot 100, surpassing “Blank Space” as her longest-running No. 1 song — so it’s not like it toiled away in obscurity before climbing up the charts. The fact that “Anti-Hero” still has the legs to be one of the 20 biggest songs of the summer — after definitively being one of the biggest songs of the fall, winter and spring that preceded it – can only be credited to the power of Taylor Swift.

Stephen Daw: Part of me wants to be in shock that “Cruel Summer” is staying strong at No. 4 this week, but I know better than to doubt the power of Swifties. But getting to watch SZA’s “Snooze” keep creeping up the Hot 100 after coming out in December has been a continuously delightful surprise for me. “Snooze” has all of the elements of a crossover summer hit to me, and I’m glad to see SZA still getting her flowers for putting out one of the best albums of the last five years.

Jason Lipshutz: Six months after its February release, FIFTY FIFTY’s “Cupid” has not only become the rare K-pop single to cross over to U.S. streaming and pop radio without a household-name artist behind it, but after 23 weeks on the Hot 100 and a climb into the top 20 of the chart, the song has turned into one of the most successful hit singles by an Asian act of the entire decade. “Cupid” rules, but I wouldn’t have seen that coming! And I’m still surprised that it’s endured on the chart long enough to crack the Songs of the Summer tally. 

Joe Lynch: Obviously “Cruel Summer” is four years old, so it being a huge summer hit in 2023 is wacky, but it comes with an explanation (endless fan requests that led to a full-on label/artist push). For me, the fact that Rema and Selena Gomez’s “Calm Down” and Miley’s “Flowers” are still summer staples is the most eyebrow raising, simply because it feels like they came out a lifetime ago in terms of pop releases. But it tracks: turn on the radio and just try to avoid ‘em.  

Andrew Unterberger: No offense to The Weeknd, 21 Savage or Metro Boomin, who have collectively been responsible for a fairly high percentage of my favorite hit singles of the past decade — but what the hell is “Creepin’” still doing on this list. And I liked “Creepin’!” But really already.

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4. What’s one song you had hoped would be bigger this summer whose chart success (or lack thereof) hasn’t quite panned out the way you’d wanted?

Katie Atkinson: Jason picked Coi Leray’s “Players” as a front-runner back in March, and I was thrilled by the idea of one my personal favorites climbing higher than its No. 9 peak and gaining steam over the summer – but it just never did. Maybe it needed a buzzy remix beyond the Busta Rhymes and David Guetta versions, like a guest verse (or verses) from Nicki Minaj, Ariana Grande and/or other high-profile players.

Stephen Daw: I really thought “Rush” was going to be Troye Sivan’s ticket back to the upper echelons of the Hot 100 this summer. He hasn’t had a Top 40 hit since “Youth” all the way back in 2016, and “Rush” felt like the perfect opportunity for him to climb back up the charts. It’s got that up-tempo, ecstatic groove that you want from a sweaty summer banger, and it was certainly having a semi-viral moment on TikTok that seemed like it could blow up. Now, a No. 77 debut on the chart is nothing to shake a stick at; it’s Sivan’s highest-ever debut on the listing. But to see it quickly fall back off of the charts was a disappointment — especially because it’s been the staple song of every queer club I’ve attended throughout the summer.

Jason Lipshutz: In retrospect, my way-too-early song of the summer predictions from March were pretty solid this year – “Last Night” and the “Calm Down” remix were both listed as front-runners, and they’re currently in the top three of the Songs of the Summer chart. Also listed as a front-runner: Ed Sheeran’s “Eyes Closed,” a single I still really like from a pop radio mainstay, but simply didn’t connect the way Sheeran’s past smashes did. Maybe it was too contemplative for summertime, or maybe Sheeran should have gotten Luke Combs for this remix instead of for “Life Goes On.” Either way, Ed’s already on to the next project – perhaps Autumn Variations will fare better in the cooler months. 

Joe Lynch: For all the organic ubiquity of Kylie Minogue’s “Padam Padam” in the queer community – it was certainly the most inescapable viral hit on LGBTQ social media this summer – I was hoping it would at least enter the Billboard Hot 100. But unless you’re Dua Lipa, pushing dance-pop to U.S. radio is tough these days. And when you consider the industry’s entrenched ageism toward women in particular, it’s hardly shocking that “Padam” failed to get a real crossover foothold.

Andrew Unterberger: I remember the mid-July thrill of discovering Troye Sivan’s “Rush” and Myke Towers’ “LaLa” in quick succession and thinking that maybe this Hot 100 summer still had some surprise thrills left in store. Then they stalled in the 70s and 40s on the chart, respectively, while Oliver Anthony Music zoomed well overhead of both. As Sandy Olsson would say, it turned colder, that’s where it ends.

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5. As a pure fan of pop music, grade the collective hits of this summer on a scale from 1 to 10.

Katie Atkinson: I’m going to go 3, mostly because of the Barbie soundtrack infusing some much-needed variety into the chart mid-summer. Otherwise, things have been pretty stagnant. Is it too much to wish for a more literal Song of the Summer again, like Katy Perry’s “California Gurls” in 2010 or Nelly’s “Hot in Herre” in 2002?

Stephen Daw: It’s a 4 for me personally. This summer felt like a mixed bag when it came to straight-up pop hits — though shoutout to Olivia Rodrigo, Jung Kook and the entirety of the Barbie soundtrack for doing their best to deliver some bonafide pop winners during the sweaty season.

Jason Lipshutz: A 6. This wasn’t my personal favorite summer-song collection, but I danced along to “Calm Down” in my car when catching it on pop radio, bobbed my head to Gunna’s “Fukumean” while walking my dog, and sang karaoke to Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer” just as the song was re-ascending the Hot 100. The delights may have been unexpected, but they were still there. 

Joe Lynch: That’s a tough one. Looking at the tunes on our Songs of the Summer chart, I like the majority of them – and I even love a handful. But when you think back to summer songs that resonated across damn near every part of the population (“Old Town Road,” “Despacito,” “Call Me Maybe”), it’s an underwhelming crop. Let’s say it’s a 3.  

Andrew Unterberger: I’ll say a 5. Can’t say I particularly enjoyed Morgan Wallen’s endless run on top, or having to repeatedly re-enter the culture war fray for Jason Aldean’s and Oliver Anthony Music’s reigns, or the way Taylor Swift’s massiveness occasionally blocked out the sun for the rest of the top 40 world. But there were still a decent number of quality pop, rap, R&B and country jams to be had, and with Zach Bryan’s new album out this week and Olivia Rodrigo’s sophomore LP on the way, it’s (hopefully) better times ahead. No pop summer is ever really below a 5 anyway.

Doja Cat officially became one of the biggest and most exciting pop stars in the world with third album Planet Her, an inspired set that took over radio and streaming for a good year and a half. It proved that the singer-rapper’s “Say So” breakout from 2020 was far more than a viral fluke, and ensured that her upcoming fourth album would be one of the early decade’s most anticipated releases.

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But Doja — whether sincere, trolling or some combination — has since derided her prior two albums and expressed a desire to move away from their top 40-friendly sound, instead making music that allows her “to express the way I feel about the world around me.” To that end, she’s released two new singles: The more hip-hop-forward “Attention,” which debuted at No. 31 on the Billboard Hot 100 in June, and the Dionne Warwick-sampling “Paint the Town Red,” which bows at No. 15 this week.

What do the new songs tell us about where Doja is really at right now as an artist? And what kind of commercial potential does “Red” have? Billboard staffers discuss these questions and more below.

1. “Paint the Town Red” debuts at No. 15 on the Hot 100 this week. Is that higher than, lower than, or about where you would have expected?  

Rania Aniftos: Definitely where I thought it’d land. If she didn’t alienate her fans so much and debut a pretty controversial, horror-inspired image recently, the song would have made the top 10 because it really is classic Doja circa Hot Pink era.

Katie Atkinson: About where I would expect. In all her impressive chart history over the last three years, Doja has yet to be the artist who makes a particularly splashy week-one showing; she’s the artist who has Little Songs That Could – tracks that improbably claw their way up the Hot 100 for a full year. Prime example: “Woman,” which peaked at No. 7 last year and spent exactly 52 weeks on the chart. “Red” is an out-of-the-gate fantastic, re-listenable song, so while it’s not a No. 1 or top 10 debut, it is the highest unaccompanied debut of her career so far.

Kyle Denis: Considering the lukewarm reception to “Attention” and the fact that Doja doesn’t have many splashy fist-week showings for solo singles, No. 15 is a bit higher than I expected. Part of me isn’t all that surprised because, unlike “Attention,” “Paint the Town Red” is much closer in sound to the singles that made Doja one contemporary pop’s biggest stars. Nonetheless, snatching a top 15 debut amid her various controversies is certainly nothing to scoff at. 

Jason Lipshutz: It’s where I expected. Doja Cat is no stranger to the top 10 of the Hot 100, but “Attention,” the single that preceded “Paint the Town Red,” debuted and peaked at No. 31 upon its June release. “Red” is a more immediate single, though, with a stronger hook and a smart flip of Dionne Warwick’s “Walk On By”; plus, a lot of her past singles have grown into top 10 smashes after lower debuts on the chart. A No. 15 start for “Red” sounds about right, then.

Andrew Unterberger: A little higher than I would’ve predicted on first listen, but about right after a couple days. Initially the song sounded kinda messy to me — I’m still not totally sure about that chorus or title — but after hearing it a couple times and especially after seeing the music video, it sounds more like another Doja crossover smash to me. And No. 15 is a pretty decent start for it.

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2. Previous single “Attention” debuted at No. 31 and fell off the chart entirely just a few weeks later — do you think the chart run of “Red” will closer to that or to one of Doja Cat’s enduring Planet Her smashes?   

Rania Aniftos: “Red” has a catchier, more TikTok-friendly hook, and as we’ve seen in the past, that’s one of the main driving forces in Doja’s career. If it picks up more on the app, I could see it sticking around on the Hot 100 for a while longer.

Katie Atkinson: I do think it’ll be like those big hits. I love “Attention,” but I also think it was a purposely unconventional single tied to Doja making an explicit “rap album” after owning pop radio with Planet Her. “Paint the Town Red” still showcases Doja’s obvious rap skills (was there really ever any doubt?) but also has a memorable hook that gets lodged in your head, like all the best earworm pop hits (“Yes, bi—, I said what I said…”). I predict this will have staying power.

Kyle Denis: Based on its first week, I think that “Red” is well on its way to a run that mirrors the Planet Her singles. Now, I don’t think “Red” will end up matching that album’s biggest songs like “Kiss Me More” (with SZA) or “Woman,” but it should still have a successful run. Not only is “Pain the Town Red” closer to the Planet Her sound than “Attention,” “Red” is also more upbeat and has a much stronger hook, which should bolster its chances at radio.  

Jason Lipshutz: I’d expect “Red” to grow from here. Doja Cat has been adamant about adopting a more rap-leaning aesthetic for her Planet Her follow-up, and while she sounds as nimble as ever on the verses here, “Red” also contains a sneakily huge pop chorus – that “Mmm, she the devil” bit will get stuck in your head for hours. A top 20 debut is nothing to sneeze at, but I’d look for a top 10 push in the coming weeks. 

Andrew Unterberger: I think it’ll stick. It’s still performing consistently on streaming nearly two weeks after its release, and its radio play is already starting to explode. It seems well on its way to getting a good deal more attention than, well, “Attention.”

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3. Doja has talked a lot about putting her past work behind her and doing something completely different for her next work — do you see “Red” and previous single “Attention” as signs of a major career reinvention, or do they more feel in line with her past hits?  

Rania Aniftos: Sorry Doja, but neither of those songs offer anything notably different to me — especially given her comments lately. They have the same sing-rap vocal pattern she’s known for, the radio-ready hook and a wide-appealing melody. If you’re gonna talk the talk, you gotta walk the walk!

Katie Atkinson: I don’t think they’re major departures, but there does seem to be less singing in general on both. Aside from the trip-hoppy chorus of “Attention,” in general, she seems to be more focused on rap this time around, as promised. But sonically, I think both of these productions would fit right in on Doja’s past projects.

Kyle Denis: Although she drew on boom-bap for “Attention” and increased the amount of rapping she normally does on both songs, I don’t think either track is a sign of a major career reinvention. “Attention” was pointing in an interesting, and genuinely different, direction, but “Paint the Town Red” wouldn’t sound out of place on either of her last two studio albums. Sonically and structurally, everything still feels very familiar. To Doja’s credit, her lyrics have shifted to reflect her thoughts and feelings on her recent controversies and perception by the public — and that’s a significant shift from most of her past rap verses. 

Jason Lipshutz: They both denote a pivot away from the vibrant pop textures of songs like “Say So” and “Kiss Me More,” but some of the best parts of Planet Her showcased her ability to rap circles around her competition, including the most ecstatic bars of “Woman,” “Need to Know” and “Get Into It (Yuh).” “Attention” and “Paint the Town Red” feel less like transitions into a new aesthetic and more like accentuations of the approach that Doja has previously explored, as if she’s stepping inside a room that she’s gestured toward previously. 

Andrew Unterberger: “Attention” was a little more of a detour, but both still feel quintessentially like Doja Cat. Which is not a bad thing! Whether you consider her more of a pop star or a rapper — and there’s no actual need to choose there — she’s been one of the most creative, compelling and all-around electric new artists from any genre of the past decade. I don’t really believe she’s that ashamed of her past work, either; she’s just a a true child of the internet, forever saying unpredictable stuff to see what kind of reaction it gets.

4. She’s also taken some heat in recent months for her somewhat contentious ongoing dialogue with fans over social media — which has reportedly cost her hundreds of thousands of followers. Do you think this backlash will end up actually being consequential for Doja’s career, or is it just one of many small hiccups for the artist on her an otherwise upwards pop star trajectory?  

Rania Aniftos: Depends on where she goes from here. If she continues to double down on her anti-fan dialogue, it’s going to affect her career greatly and alienate not only her current fans, but others who might be interested in her music in the future. If she grows into a more mature headspace, I can see us as a society putting that little hiccup behind us.

Katie Atkinson: I think it’s a hiccup. Her online persona has always been testy, whether she’s interacting with fans or haters. Doja’s supporters can’t possibly expect this woman to fawn over them like some artists do with their fans. That is simply not her way. If anything, this latest dust-up adds to her cryptic image.

Kyle Denis: Given that she just snagged her highest solo Hot 100 debut with a song in which she directly addresses said contentious dialogue, I think Doja will be fine. I don’t think any of the recent controversy will be consequential for her career. For what it’s worth, she’s weathered bigger storms than this when she was a comparatively less established artist. Now, if ticket sales for her tour start to significantly slow down the closer we get to the album release and opening night, then I think there should be cause for concern.

Jason Lipshutz: “Yeah, bitch, I said what I said / I’d rather be famous instead.” That’s how Doja Cat starts “Paint the Town Red,” a callback to her claim that she’d rather be famous than a false idol to be worshipped – and while that point of view clashes with modern stan culture, it’s a refreshingly honest perspective that differentiates Doja from other artists. Maybe Doja has lost a few followers on social media, but remaining her authentic self won’t slow her down one bit.

Andrew Unterberger: Eh. If the music was bad (and got a poor response) then that would make for a tough combination with a partial fan backlash. But if the music is good and people like it — usually a smart bet with Doja — she’ll probably be just fine. She’s weathered worse.

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5. The Dionne Warwick “Walk on By” sample: Fair or foul usage of one of the greatest pop songs ever?  

Rania Aniftos: I don’t know if everyone would agree, but I like it! I appreciate when an artist takes a sample and makes it completely fresh and different, so it doesn’t feel like a rip-off. We’ve been seeing it a lot with various pop artists lately, and I for one thing it’s fun. 

Katie Atkinson: Fair! I especially love the way the horns are used. And guess who else loves it? Dionne Warwick.

Kyle Denis: Eh, it’s not foul, but it’s not a particularly interesting or innovative flip of the sample, which is something of a disappointment considering how strong Doja’s musical ear is.

Jason Lipshutz: Very fair! I love the way Doja re-contextualizes a classic single for a new generation, something we’ve seen across the now 50-year life span of hip-hop. Plus, the manner in which Doja flips the meaning of Warwick’s refrain – instead of a sense of loss, “walk on by” becomes a suggestion to naysayers – is incredibly smart. Great sample, great use of sample. 

Andrew Unterberger: Not totally sure yet, to be honest. “Walk on By” is pretty sacred to me, and while it’s been covered, sampled and reinvented pretty consistently for 60 years now, I’m still not sure I see it really fitting into the bigger picture of what Doja is doing here musically or thematically. Still, the song is growing on me, so perhaps the sample’s part in that will too. (And love to see “Walk” still having a central place in pop music, particularly so soon after Burt Bacharach’s death.)

The final results of the year’s closest race for No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart were announced on Wednesday (August 2) — with K-pop quintet NewJeans securing the top spot for their 2nd EP ‘Get Up’, with 126,500 units in its debut week (on the chart dated August 5).

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That was just 500 more units than the soundtrack to the blockbuster film Barbie, which posted 126,000 units — the best single-week tally for a soundtrack since Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper’s A Star Is Born set in 2019. Both top-two finishers this week also have a major Billboard Hot 100 presence: NewJeans claims three songs on the Hot 100 (led by advance single “Super Shy” at No. 48) while the Barbie soundtrack accounts for five entries (led by Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice’s Aqua-featuring “Barbie World” at No. 7).

How did NewJeans land such a stellar first-week performance with a six-song EP? And why has the Barbie soundtrack proven such an instant success? Billboard staffers discuss these questions and more below.

1. NewJeans just squeaked out the victory this week over the blockbuster Barbie soundtrack with their 2nd EP, with 126,500 units in its debut week. What do you think the biggest reason is that NewJeans has achieved such success so quickly on the Billboard charts? 

Rania Aniftos: They’re so cool. Simple as that. I’m (half) kidding, but I think with so many boy bands in the K-pop space breaking through into the global mainstream, we’ve been really craving some girl power. NewJeans do such a good job at reaching a global audience because their songs are not only catchy, but also appealing to fans of all ages. I’ve seen TikToks of kids dancing around to “Super Shy” and loving it just as much as their parents do, which is pretty unique when it comes to music.

Kyle Denis: I think NewJeans has arrived at precisely the right time. From the Stateside breakthroughs of BTS and BLACKPINK a few years back to the recent Billboard 200 triumphs of STRAY KIDS and TWICE, the U.S. market is very receptive to K-Pop across the board right now. Sonically, their new EP drips with the sounds that have been dominating America’s mainstream: U.K. garage and Jersey club. Couple that with their flourishes of Y2K aesthetics, sleek melodies and irresistible hooks, and you’re left with an EP that is very in tune with where American music and culture are at in 2023 while still feeling fresh. 

Lyndsey Havens: I think the biggest reason is the pacing of its releases — while NewJeans didn’t overwhelm the market, the act released just enough at just consistent enough of a rate that they always stayed sort of top of mind, without ever becoming oversaturated. Its first two EPs arrived just about one year apart, and the time between was filled with one-offs like “Ditto” “OMG” and “Zero” — plus collaborations and remixes with Jon Batiste and J.I.D. And not only have they been consistent with timing, but with quality as well, which is arguably even more important. 

Jason Lipshutz: NewJeans’ rapid ascent — first with songs like “OMG” and “Ditto,” and now with this chart-topping EP — is due to their combination of their K-pop fan appeal and their smart, natural deviation from traditional K-pop production. The group has been able to tap into a massive listenership while offering them something new, and reaching non-K-pop fans in the process: the video for “Super Shy,” for instance, contains the group choreography and individual personality showcases typically affiliated with a K-pop visual, but the song’s rhythmic base and shuffling hooks are just as likely to beguile R&B and hyperpop fans. NewJeans offer a new, broadly enjoyable flavor of popular music, and it’s connecting.

Andrew Unterberger: NewJeans are clearly on pop’s cutting edge for 2023 — their sound plays in any language, for any audience — and they have the songwriting, hooks and personality to back up the production. It’s a recipe for success — which, unlike with many of their peers, can already be seen in streaming hit singles as well as in robust album sales.

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2. While several K-pop outfits have topped the Billboard 200 already this year, NewJeans has separated itself from the pack of rising stars by scoring a trio of Hot 100 entries already — led by Get Up’s “Super Shy,” at No. 48 this week in its third week on the listing. Do you think it will grow into an even bigger pop hit, or is this the best showing it will likely have?

Rania Aniftos: It’s probably just the beginning. Now that the album has topped the Billboard 200, even more potential fans will get introduced to the group and check out their music. “Super Shy” is such a fun song, so I can’t imagine that NewJeans fans won’t continue to boost its success.

Kyle Denis: I think “Super Shy” can definitely grow into a bigger pop hit. Obviously, with TikTok anything is possible, and we just saw FIFTY FIFTY make history on pop radio for South Korean all-female groups with “Cupid.” Given the heavy Jersey club influence of “Super Shy,” the song wouldn’t sound out of place next to PinkPantheress and Ice Spice’s “Boy’s A Liar, Pt. 2” or Bad Bunny’s “Where She Goes,” so the potential for growth is certainly there. 

Lyndsey Havens: I think it’s both — and that’s sort of the genius of it all. The soundtrack was so perfectly tailor-made for the film — and yet, it also stands strong on its own as original songs by Dua Lipa and Billie Eilish would sound just as at home on projects of their own. (The real test will be if Eilish live debuts “What Was I Made For” during her headlining set at Lollapalooza this weekend). Plus, having physical formats available on release date allowed people to buy in right then and there, and helped the soundtrack to exist as a separate, tangible entity. 

Jason Lipshutz: I’m not sure exactly how high it will climb, but “Super Shy” is one of the most immediately enchanting pop singles of the year — catchy, bubbly, carrying a sense of space and a feeling of intimacy. The recent success of FIFTY FIFTY’s “Cupid” makes me feel even more bullish that K-pop singles can cross over to U.S. top 40 radio — a platform that has generally shrugged off tracks by non-stadium headliners — and I think “Super Shy” will make some inroads at pop stations in order to enter the top 40 of the Hot 100.

Andrew Unterberger: They’ll get one soon enough. “Super Shy” seems like a good bet to be that official crossover breakthrough, but if it’s not this one it’ll probably be another within a year’s time.

3. Meanwhile, Barbie posts the best single-week number for a soundtrack since 2019. Is that mostly just a function of how big the accompanying movie has already become, or do you think the soundtrack establishes a character of its own as a full listen? 

Rania Aniftos: Both! In my experience, I listened to the soundtrack because I was so excited about living the Barbie fantasy, but then realized that there are some really good songs on there that stand perfectly on their own without the movie’s context. I find myself listening to some of the soundtrack’s hits on repeat even though the Barbie hype is starting to subside, and I’m sure I’m not the only one who feels that way.

Kyle Denis: As a complete package, I’m not crazy about the Barbie soundtrack. Nonetheless, there are enough songs on the album that double as memorable and pivotal moments in the film for the soundtrack to stick. Obviously, the record-breaking success of the film helped these first-week numbers, but with four tracks — “Barbie World,” “Dance the Night,” “Speed Drive” and “What Was I Made For?” — growing into legitimate streaming and radio hits, I anticipate some impressive stability for the soundtrack’s consumption numbers in the weeks to come. 

Lyndsey Havens: I think it will continue to grow, especially following the EPs impressive debut week. And while NewJeans has already explored the remix format, “Super Shy” seems like an ideal follow-up — and I would imagine the list of artists willing to hop on is quite long by now.

Jason Lipshutz: My wife and I were driving around the other day, listening to the Today’s Top Hits playlist on Spotify, and “Barbie World” played back-to-back with “Dance the Night” — a pretty good sign for a big-budget soundtrack! The success of the Barbie film, which has practically become a cultural phenomenon, obviously boosted the debut sales week of its accompanying album, but the main reason why the soundtrack has done so well is because it has hits that can stand on their own. Some function within the context of the Barbie film more than others, but when you have big artists delivering their A-games and scoring real chart achievements, your soundtrack is going to do big numbers.

Andrew Unterberger: The soundtrack is a very fun and fairly coherent listen front to back — not every song is a gem, but every song keeps the momentum up, and a handful of tracks do feel like real hits. As someone who still hasn’t seen the Barbie movie (I know, I know, I’ll get to it soon enough), if I was at a party or in a car ride and someone threw on the soundtrack, I’d still be able to enjoy myself pretty thoroughly — a rarity for OSTs in 2023, to be sure.

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4. Barbie also claims six songs on the Hot 100 this week: Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice’s Aqua-featuring “Barbie World” (No. 8), Dua Lipa’s “Dance the Night” (No. 12), Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For?” (No. 18), Charli XCX’s “Speed Drive” (No. 73) and Ryan Gosling’s “I’m Just Ken” (No. 87). Which of the bunch, if any, do you think makes for the best listening when removed from the larger Barbie context?

Rania Aniftos: I’m torn between “Dance the Night” and “What Was I Made For.” As we’ve seen with “Levitating,” Dua knows how to keep a disco-pop track on the charts, on the radio, in the clubs and basically anywhere you can listen to music. “Dance the Night” is very similar to me, so I’m guessing it will have a similar impact. Meanwhile, I’ve already been seeing “What Was I Made For” striking a chord with listeners on TikTok, as this new generation of music listeners seem to be more existential. They’re connecting the songs with their own experiences of feeling used or unseen for who they truly are, and I think the song is going to stick around for a while. 

Kyle Denis: “Barbie World” is such a fun flip of the Aqua sample that you can’t help but bop along, but, for me, the real star of the soundtrack is Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For?” It’s an absolutely devastating ballad that boasts the best placement in the film, but the lyrics and production of the song are just as effective when removed from the context of Barbie. Sure, it’s a bit of a heavy song for the summertime, but you can’t deny its greatness. Then again, if you’ve truly tapped into the Kenergy within you, Ryan Gosling’s “I’m Just Ken” is always a great listen. 

Lyndsey Havens: Personally, I have not been able to stop listening to “I’m Just Ken” — like really, it’s becoming an issue. But that song is arguably the most tied to the film… as is “Barbie World.” Which is why, I think, “Dance the Night” and “Made For” have been the most affecting for me; Both sound like they could have been left on the cutting room floor of Future Nostalgia and Happier Than Ever, respectively. But in the context of the film, they also sound like they were only made with Barbie in mind. That kind of duality — to resonate with something so specific and so universal all at once — is why I think those two songs will keep climbing. 

Jason Lipshutz: “Dance the Night,” for sure. Maybe the Barbie single isn’t Dua Lipa’s strongest glittery disco-pop single to date, but I’ll be damned if we weren’t starving for a new glittery disco-pop Dua Lipa single, now nearly three and a half years removed from the release of Future Nostalgia. The song has grown on me, sounds great on pop radio, possesses one of the best bridges of any hit single this year, and will keep performing well whenever the Barbie hype starts to dissipate.

Andrew Unterberger: It’s almost comical to me how good “What Was I Made For?” is — Billie and Finneas could’ve very easily phoned in their Barbie ballad, but instead reached so deep inside with this one that it sounds like a particularly emotionally wrought therapy session. Given how relatively uncommercial the song is and how much listeners are still responding to it, you can tell that it’s resonating far beyond the Barbieverse.

5. It hasn’t always been the most exciting year for new pop blood on the charts, but the combo of NewJeans and the Barbie hits is one of the better infusions we’ve had in a bit. What other pop artist, currently scheduled (strictly or loosely) for an upcoming 2023 release, are you most excited to hear a new album from this year?

Rania Aniftos: Olivia Rodrigo, of course. She’s coming to save 2023 pop. Trust me.

Kyle Denis: I’m very excited for the upcoming records from Reneé Rapp (Snow Angel) and Holly Humberstone (Paint My Bedroom Black). 

Lyndsey Havens: Well, we already got a new album from Posty, so even if we call it here and now I’m ending the year on a high. That said, I’ve been listening to a lot of Selena Gomez lately and would be excited about a new album from her… And then, of course, there’s Ariana. Perhaps with production paused for Wicked she’ll venture back into the studio… There’s certainly a lot of inspiration for another hit (or several) these days. 

Jason Lipshutz: “Rush” has me buzzing with anticipation for the new Troye Sivan album, which is due out in October. Could he finally cross over as a hitmaker? How many songs will approach the sky-high quality of that lead single? I’m amped to see what Sivan has in store, and what he can accomplish commercially.

Andrew Unterberger: It’s been a long road to Chappell Roan’s debut album, and you just hope that it gets the attention it’s sure to deserve as one of the year’s most fun and funniest pop sets.

It was an eventful week on the Billboard Hot 100 (dated July 29), as the continued reign of Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” (14 weeks so far) was interrupted by two chart debuts: BTS alum Jung Kook‘s “Seven,” featuring rap hitmaker Latto, and veteran country star Jason Aldean‘s “Try That in a Small Town.”

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The high debut of “Seven” was more foreseeable, given the longtime success of BTS and its members on the Hot 100 and the song’s strong start in both streaming and sales upon its Friday (July 14) release. But the conservative anthem “Try That in a Small Town” came from close to out of nowhere, zooming up the sales and streams charts after its controversial music video (featuring images from the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020) led to it being banned on CMT last week.

How did the two songs make such rapid impacts? And which of the two is more likely to stick around the top of the charts from here? Billboard staffers discuss these questions and more below.

1. Jung Kook has scored a handful of Hot 100 entries before, most notably as a guest on Charlie Puth’s No. 22 hit “Left and Right,” but never really threatened the top spot before. What’s the biggest reason to you that “Seven” has launched him into a new chart stratosphere as a solo artist?

Katie Atkinson: Just like they did with Jimin’s “Like Crazy” back in April, the BTS ARMY clearly rallied around Jung Kook’s debut solo single. The streaming and sales numbers are absolutely massive, and that’s thanks to this tireless fan group. And thankfully, Jung Kook came through for them with an upbeat sing-along of a song that recalls my very favorite Craig David hit “7 Days” for a new generation of pop fans.

Eric Renner Brown: I’m not familiar with the personal fanbases for each BTS member, so my answer is more macro: As a group, BTS was so prolific for so long, and then in 2022 and even early in 2023, we were seeing a healthy flow of solo releases from its members; that flow now seems to have slowed to a drip, and I think fans are simply hungry for more BTS. And while some BTS releases – both group and solo – have featured Western artists, many haven’t, which makes me think Latto’s inclusion might’ve extended this track’s release to another base of listeners.

Jason Lipshutz: Casual chart watchers would probably chalk up the Hot 100-topping success of Jung Kook’s “Seven,” and Jimin’s “Like Crazy” before it, as the results of the BTS Army rallying behind any of the group members’ solo efforts. That’s partially true, but also, both “Like Crazy” and “Seven” are catchy, compelling pop singles that make sense sonically and stylistically atop the chart. The rhythmic, sexually suggestive “Seven” showcases more personality and a stronger hook than “Left and Right,” while Latto slots in nicely as a guest rapper with pop prowess; the single certainly received a boost from the fandom around Jung Kook, but the building blocks of “Seven” compose a successful whole.

Joe Lynch: The devotion and persistence of ARMY is certainly a factor here (regarding “Left and Right,” it’s only natural that Stans are gonna push harder for a song where their fave is the main credited artist and not the featured one). This sales total — 153,000 combined digital and CD singles — is a big part of this No. 1 debut, certainly. But compare it to the No. 1 debut for BTS bandmate Jimin’s “Like Crazy”: that one had a bigger sales total (254,000) but a smaller streaming total – 10 million as compared to the whopping 21.9 million streams for “Seven.” Part of that is the Latto boost, but to my ears, a lot of it has to do with the kind of song “Seven” is — it’s akin to the radio gold Justin Bieber and Ed Sheeran have struck with similar mixtures of sweet acoustic guitars and swinging hip-hop beats. 

Andrew Unterberger: It helps that “Seven” is a really good song — and given its explicit chorus, a particularly ear-catching one. That may sound like a superficial explanation, but given how much better the song has streamed than most BTS-related songs (especially globally), it’s pretty clear it’s not just ARMY soldiers flocking to this one. You have to catch a decent amount of non-superfan interest to put up those kinds of numbers, and you do that by releasing undeniable pop singles.

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2. It’s also the first No. 1 for Latto, who came two spots away in early 2022 with her “Big Energy” and also scored a big hit this year along side Cardi B with “Put It on Da Floor Again.” Do you think this achievement is particularly notable for her career?

Katie Atkinson: It’s funny: When BTS first started making English-language songs, they often enlisted more established artists (Nicki Minaj, Halsey, Charli XCX) for features to boost their profile in America. But now, it’s often the opposite, with BTS and all its members boosting another artist’s profile via features. Latto is reaping the benefits of the ARMY putting their weight behind Jung Kook’s new song, and it can only help her in the long run to have the good will of this fierce fanbase behind her moving forward.

Eric Renner Brown: I don’t think the achievement is too notable, other than her ability to now say she’s topped the Hot 100 (which isn’t nothing!). No shade to Latto, but this chart success feels mostly predicated on its BTS affiliation; it’s easy to imagine this track going No. 1 with another American rapper on it.

Jason Lipshutz: The timing is certainly notable: Latto’s first Hot 100 No. 1 comes as the featured artist on a pop single, one month after she re-established herself as a ferocious rapper on “Put It on Da Floor Again.” Cardi B’s appearance on the remix helped the song reach the top 10, but Latto also sounded reinvigorated on the track after a few singles that had failed to take off. The success of “Put It on Da Floor Again,” followed by the even bigger win that “Seven” represents, secures Latto’s standing as a mainstream star, transcending the pop-rap success of “Big Energy” in 2022 by splitting those two sounds in half this summer.

Joe Lynch: It’s huge for Latto. Her follow-up singles to the undying radio smash “Big Energy” whiffed on the Hot 100, so even when she returned to the top 20 this year alongside Cardi, it’s fair to say she needed to keep the momentum going. And a No. 1 debut for a song she prominently features on is definitely a huge win that bodes well for the rest of her year.  

Andrew Unterberger: It’s another nice win during a particularly successful few months for Latto. I doubt it will change her career arc dramatically, but it may win her some new fans — and a pretty nice one-week financial windfall, given all the consumption.

3. Underneath “Seven,” Jason Aldean’s “Try That in a Small Town” debuts at No. 2, largely thanks to a late-chart-week push after its video (and its subsequent CMT banning) resulted in an explosion of controversy. We’ve seen plenty of songs with implicit or explicit conservative leanings debut on the Hot 100 over the past couple weeks — by artists like Aaron Lewis, Tom MacDonald and Bryson Gray — but none quite with this velocity. What do you think the biggest reason is that “Try That” is speeding to new heights so quickly?

Katie Atkinson: The way the uproar unraveled, whether you agree or disagree with Jason Aldean’s political leanings, you wanted to watch the video to see what all the fuss was about. On top of that, it’s clear from the sales numbers that people who wanted to show their support for his musical message purchased the song in droves. We’ve seen the way Morgan Wallen’s sales and streams erupted following his own controversy when he was caught on camera saying the N-word in 2021, but this scenario is different, because the controversy was around a specific song and centered on a country star with an already-established fanbase after nearly two decades of Nashville stardom. It was a perfect storm for a political powder keg to explode.

Eric Renner Brown: “Who are Aaron Lewis, Tom MacDonald, and Bryson Gray?” That’s the biggest reason I think this track has blown up so quickly. Conservatives are eager to boost right-wing tracks, but those other three artists are relative no-names — Staind’s frontman and a pair of artists who had virtually no profile until they made MAGA-bait songs. Aldean, on the other hand, is an established, Grammy-nominated star who headlines arenas and is heavily decorated by the country-specific awards shows. It’s not surprising to me that his conservative dog-whistle track has outpaced similar songs by less-known performers; likewise, if an even bigger star than Aldean released this type of song, I bet they’d shoot up the chart quicker and stay there longer.

Jason Lipshutz: The commercial explosion of “Try That in a Small Town” rests in the coded messaging of the song and video: As Aldean pointed out, there are no explicit calls to violence or racist lyrics, but by implying that vigilante justice is justified as a pro-gun rights tactic in the song and depicting protesting as violent crime in the video, Aldean has created a conservative anthem with a degree of plausible deniability. Other hard-right songs in recent years haven’t climbed as high on the Hot 100, because they’ve been so straightforward with their agendas that they haven’t been able to court a wide amount of controversy. With “Try That in a Small Town,” however, left-leaning country fans became outraged by the obvious dog whistles, right-leaning country fans became outraged by their outrage, CMT banned the video, conservatives supported the song on iTunes in response, and Aldean rode the discourse all the way to the No. 2 spot on the Hot 100.

Joe Lynch: Those other artists aren’t exactly household names, so Aldean’s profile is the big difference here. He has 10 No. 1 hits on the Hot Country Songs chart. Plenty of people have a warm association with him already, so they’re likely to get more emotional and worked up when they hear he’s being criticized, and therefore more likely to engage with the song by streaming it, sharing it with others, buying it, etc. I could see this happening with another country artist of Aldean’s caliber in the next year — as long as conservative media picks up on it as a culture war cause célèbre.  

Andrew Unterberger: It’s a combination of Aldean’s existing stardom and sorta built-in credibility with country audiences, and the fact that pundits on one of the country’s most watched (and most influential) TV channels are actively calling on viewers to stream the thing on repeat to send a political message. It’s also just good timing, with the news story gradually building to a fever pitch over the course of the Friday to Thursday chart week.

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4. Both “Seven” and “Try That” achieve their top two positions largely on the back of sales, which usually (but not always) drop significantly from week to week. Do you think either of these songs will still be in the hunt for No. 1 next week?

Katie Atkinson: I think they both could be in contention for No. 1 next week, but I’d say Aldean has the better shot as this controversy continues to smolder. A quick search of social media shows that Aldean’s supporters are not letting this high-profile musical moment die down anytime soon, so it could have a real shot to climb to the top next week – especially if some like-minded radio programmers give it extra play.

Eric Renner Brown: I doubt either will remain in the hunt next week. Conservative outrage cycles pass quickly, and with both artists, there’s probably a ceiling of how many people will buy the songs to support them – a ceiling that both Jung Kook and Aldean are likely approaching already. And for the week after, if we’re getting a new Travis Scott album this Friday after all…

Jason Lipshutz: I could actually see both challenging for No. 1 either next week or in the coming weeks. “Seven” sounds like a slam-dunk radio hit, and as sales dip following its first-week explosion, I’d guess that top 40 programmers help Jung Kook and Latto make up some of the difference in Hot 100 points. Meanwhile, something tells me that we’re just at the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the “Try That in a Small Town” controversy — Jason Aldean will continue drawing attention to the song, conservatives will continue downloading it, country radio will continue wading into the interest around it, and next week we might be seeing it atop the chart.

Joe Lynch: Definitely Aldean. The furor isn’t tapering here, as folks on various sides are chiming in with their hot takes, and it will likely last long enough to keep “Try That” in contention for reaching No. 1. Which would never have been imaginable if CMT hadn’t pulled the video in the first place (after all, this song came out months ago).  

Andrew Unterberger: Aldean certainly has the inside track, especially because while consumption of “Seven” was strongest on its Friday release date (as is the case with most new songs) at the beginning of the tracking week, the furor of the “Try That” backlash-to-the-backlash was only beginning to crest at the end of last tracking week, and was still very high at the beginning of this one. Plus, having already gotten their No. 1, “Seven” fans are likely less ravenous about keeping it there than “Try That” boosters are about pushing their anthem over the top. (I do hope “Seven” gets back in the mix soon, though, just as a result of the radio play it deserves to build.)

5. They’re hardly the only ones, but K-pop fans and conservative-leaning music listeners are two groups of consumers who have, over the past few years, shown a steadfast willingness to continue buying digital songs as a way to express support for songs and artists, even as song sales on the whole have continued to slide annually. Is there another group of music fans who you could see adopting (or who have already adopted) this strategy to support their favs?

Katie Atkinson: Not that she needs the extra help, but an artist like Taylor Swift has figured out how to deliver release-week digital extras that give her insatiable fans more ways to support her – I’m thinking especially of lead Evermore single “Willow” in late 2020 and its successive “Dancing Witch,” “Lonely Witch” and “Moonlit Witch” remixes that helped propel the ballad to No. 1 on the Hot 100. In that case, the artist is pulling out all the stops, but the fans are all too eager to collect ’em all.

Eric Renner Brown: I truly have no idea. Whenever I hear about these things, my first reaction is, “Wait, people still buy digital songs?” And my second reaction is, “Wait, people buy digital songs to prove a point, and not because that’s the only way to hear the music?” I’m a huge Deadhead, and I buy their CD-only archival releases, but that’s because there’s no other way to hear them. I can’t imagine buying the CDs as a form of virtue-signaling or to help ensure their chart success – but I also can’t imagine buying a case of Bud Light just so I can destroy it to protest something Anheuser-Busch did, or buying multiple versions of the same vinyl release for collectible reasons.

Jason Lipshutz: I’d expect this to become standard procedure for superstar acts around their biggest releases — which has already happened to some degree, but has not come to define every major pop rollout quite yet. Plenty of dedicated fan bases want to support their favorite A-lister, and digital downloads have become something of a fast track for that support. In the coming months and years, it wouldn’t be a shock to see digital sales ploys become further engrained into all types of big pop arrivals.

Joe Lynch: The LGBTQ community is already pretty good at doing this to support their faves, but to my mind, it’s hard to imagine this trend still being a thing in a decade as everything digital moves into the cloud. As for physical copies, even as tactile music makes an industry comeback, I can’t imagine CD singles (famous last words, perhaps) enjoying the same comeback staying power that full-length albums on CD and vinyl have.   

Andrew Unterberger: I’m a little surprised that influencers on TikTok and IG looking to get into music haven’t yet totally utilized the digital sales route via their rabid fanbases — though their audiences may be too young to properly motivate to actually spend money on digital music, many likely for the first time in their lives.