State Champ Radio five burning questions
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BTS alum Jimin sets new benchmarks for both the group’s solo efforts and for all South Korean solo pop stars this week, as his new album and new single both launch major debuts on the Billboard charts.
Jimin’s six-track FACE album enters the Billboard 200 this week at No. 2, with 164,000 equivalent album units moved. Meanwhile, the set’s breakout single “Like Crazy” gets all the way to No. 1, powered in large part by sales of 254,000 — helped by multiple remixes and alternate versions of the song being released for purchase — which makes for easily the highest single-week total of the year. That debut makes Jimin the first South Korean solo artist to top the Hot 100 in the chart’s nearly 65-year history.
How did the song and album launch such massive debuts? And how much might “Like Crazy” still grow from here? Billboard writers discuss these questions and more below.
1. Jimin’s FACE debuts at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 this week (behind Morgan Wallen’s ongoing 36-track juggernaut One Thing at a Time) with 164,000 equivalent album units moved — the highest-bowing debut effort since Olivia Rodrigo’s Sour two years ealier — while FACE single “Like Crazy” debuts at No. 1, with 254,000 copies sold. Which to you is the more impressive of the two accomplishments?
Katie Atkinson: I have to go with the Hot 100 No. 1 debut. In recent history, K-pop has dominated the Billboard 200 – with No. 1s for Jimin’s own BTS, plus Blackpink, TOMORROW X TOGETHER, Stray Kids and more– but shooting all the way to the top of the Hot 100 is much rarer company. Even PSY only reached No. 2 with his omnipresent “Gangnam Style” back in 2012, and indeed, as the first of his BTS brethren to reach No. 1, Jimin is the first South Korean solo artist to ever top the list. This is a historic chart achievement.
Tetris Kelly: It’s hard to say because both are such important accomplishments — not just for a fandom, but for culture — as Jimin is the first South Korean soloist to make these feats. It’s incredible his debut numbers follow the likes of Olivia Rodrigo. It shows Jimin has expanded beyond the K-pop bubble. But for me I would have to say topping the Hot 100 is more impressive. I say that because of how much of a surprise it was: ARMY as a fan base was so excited about the album and supporting it that the growth of the single almost came completely unexpectedly, with Jimin becoming the first BTS member to pull the feat off.
Jason Lipshutz: The Hot 100 chart-topper, for sure. While the BTS members have impacted the Billboard 200 chart with solo projects in the past — RM’s Indigo debuted at No. 3 in December, for instance — none of them have been able to come close to the top spot of the Hot 100 with solo singles, and really, few K-pop artists in general have been able to, even as they capture the attention of wider audiences in the United States. So “Like Crazy” not only stands as an extraordinary achievement for Jimin, but considering recent history, for any K-pop solo act as well.
Glenn Rowley: Both are obviously monumental, but the full studio set rocketing to No. 2 feels like the more major of the two.
Andrew Unterberger: I’m tempted to say the FACE debut, just because moving that number of units with a six-track album — meaning its streams are automatically not going to be able to compete with a behemoth like One Thing at a Time — means you really sold an exceptionally high number of physical copies, likely at a much higher price point than individual song sales.
2. Though Jimin is not the first BTS member to release a solo album (or a big single from it), none of the solo releases from the group’s members thus far have performed this well. What do you think it is about these Jimin releases, “Like Crazy” in particular, that has allowed them to have such a high level of success?
Katie Atkinson: I feel like FACE sees Jimin making a concerted effort to carve out his own sound apart from BTS, and with the almost Future-sounding, hip-hop-inspired first taste of “Set Me Free Pt. 2” and now the dreamy synth-pop of “Like Crazy,” fans are clearly digging his whole experimental vibe. It’s a tall order for all seven members of BTS to find their own lanes, and this solo success is showing that ARMY are liking the path Jimin has set out on.
Tetris Kelly: Each member of BTS is unique and talented and ARMY is always pushing for their success as a group and individually. I feel like the timing of “Like Crazy” just came at a point when pop music just needed a feel-good moment from a male pop star. The track is smooth (maybe like a familiar condiment) and light in a way that it can attract a causal listener or huge fan. The song was also promoted well. Seeing one performance from Jimin, like when he premiered “Like Crazy” on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, easily shows he’s the type of talent that deserves to top the chart.
Jason Lipshutz: Obviously the coordinated fan effort to rally around Jimin’s album and new single during their first week of release helped their respective chart placements, but regardless of where it debuted on the Hot 100, “Like Crazy” sounds like a fully formed top 40 breakthrough. The song boasts clean, ‘80s-indebted synth-pop production that recalls The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” formula; a memorable hook that accentuates Jimin’s vocal approach; and even a subtle sense of danger imbued in the chord progression. Whereas recent releases by J-Hope and RM succeeded artistically with bolder sonic approaches, “Like Crazy” is pure, multi-faceted pop, and sounds like a real hit.
Glenn Rowley: The first time I heard “Like Crazy,” I was struck by how much its chilly, synth-drenched soundscape hit me like a cross between a BTS single and something cooked up by The Weeknd. Whereas “Set Me Free Pt.2,” the single that came before it on FACE, was bombastic and filled with horns, “Like Crazy” hits a certain sweet spot that feels like it belongs at the top of the Hot 100.
Andrew Unterberger: It’s a combination of the right song at the right time (riding the right level of momentum), and of course the ARMY efforts to make sure their guy is properly represented on the charts. While the latter’s impact can never be discounted, I don’t think it’s insignificant that this is the first BTS solo release to see this level of single-week consumption; it’s very arguably also the best single a BTS member has released outside of the group so far, and one of the finest pop songs of the year so far.
3. While “Like Crazy” debuts at No. 1, it does so with an extremely slow start at radio. Do you see U.S. radio programmers coming around to “Crazy” as a playlist fixture?
Katie Atkinson: If they’re smart! Thinking about how huge BTS’ “Dynamite” and “Butter” both were on radio, wouldn’t you want to please one of the biggest fanbases in the country by playing the song that they’ve clearly put their weight behind? I can see it fitting in on pop radio at the moment too, since it’s giving off a similar vibe to Steve Lacy’s offbeat Hot 100 No. 1 “Bad Habit” from last fall.
Tetris Kelly: Radio play is always a huge part in making a song a hit with the public, but when certain songs mean a lot to huge fandoms it can make a song just as meaningful. I look at “All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version)” as an example. I don’t know if radio ever truly played that single heavily, but every single Swiftie can sing each lyric passionately. I think it would be wise for stations to pick up tracks “Like Crazy” — ’cause if not, they are just missing out on being a part of a huge moment in pop culture.
Jason Lipshutz: I do! The No. 1 debut will certainly cause some programmers to take note of “Like Crazy” and give the song a longer look than they (unfortunately) deign for most K-pop singles. And when they press play on “Like Crazy,” they’ll hear a single with a sturdy vocal take, as well as real hooks that could fit next to plenty of other hits in a programming block. The BTS ARMY buoyed the song’s chart debut, but I wouldn’t be surprised to hear “Like Crazy” on pop radio, or see it linger around the top of the Hot 100 in the coming weeks because of that belated adoption.
Glenn Rowley: Radio may be slow on the uptake, but hopefully programmers come around quickly to the fact that “Like Crazy” is what listeners want to hear.
Andrew Unterberger: I hope so. Radio has been historically gunshy to embrace K-pop — even with BTS’ gigantic English-language chart hits, radio play always lagged behind sales and streams. For that reason, the safe bet would probably be that radio mostly ignores “Like Crazy,” too. But… well, it really sounds like a 2023 radio hit, doesn’t it? If top 40 embraced “Like Crazy,” it’d sound right at home between “Players” and “Die for You” in no time at all. And I think the chances are decent, if not overwhelming, that it will.
4. “Like Crazy” is obviously helped by a number of different versions being made available for streaming and purchase, including an all-English version, an instrumental version and both deep house and U.K. garage remixes. Do you find any of the alternate versions particularly interesting or revelatory, or are they mostly for superfans and completists?
Katie Atkinson: When I listen to the alternate versions, I miss the original production. So while I’m always down for house and garage remixes, I think the original can stand alone here.
Tetris Kelly: I love that different versions were provided here. There’s no denying that although songs from BTS like “Life Goes On” and “My Universe” topped the chart while being multilingual, their biggest hits “Dynamite” and “Butter” were fully English tracks. It was not a necessity, but great for Jimin to offer an English version of “Like Crazy.” And as with almost any other remix — who doesn’t love a chance to hear a different take and dance to a song you’ve already fell in love with? I believe the point here is to have something for everybody, not just the completist who will want it all.
Jason Lipshutz: The “deep house” remix of “Like Crazy” shaves off 30 seconds of run time, compresses all of its melodies and adds a club-ready thump into the mix. Pretty fun! The original “Like Crazy” is more accomplished, but if you’re looking to dance your sorrow away as Jimin’s slightly sped-up voice pleads “Can you help me numb the pain?,” look no further than that rework.
Glenn Rowley: They’re mostly a (smart and strategic) grab for completists and ARMY, but I always think an English version can serve as a great entry point for listeners who might be curious but intimidated or not know where to start in their exploration of K-pop.
Andrew Unterberger: I had high hopes for the U.K. garage version, but it never quite achieves the release you hope it will. The deep house version is more satisfying but still not quite essential. The real question is if the English version will help the song make inroads in top 40 and other mainstream U.S. spaces — maybe, maybe not, but certainly couldn’t hurt to have it available regardless.
5. There has been a very rich history of “Crazy” songs on the Hot 100. Do you have a particular favorite aside from this one?
Katie Atkinson: I have to go with “(You Drive Me) Crazy” by Britney Spears, and now I have to go watch the Melissa Joan Hart/Adrian Grenier 1999 masterpiece Drive Me Crazy because I can’t think of Britney’s video without needing to rewatch the teen-movie classic.
Jason Lipshutz: Enormous shout-out to the beginning of 1999, during which Britney Spears released debut …Baby One More Time and its clanging bubblegum anthem “(You Drive Me) Crazy” in January, and then *NSYNC dropped their underrated midtempo ballad “Thinking of You (I Drive Myself Crazy)” the following month. While Britney’s single became a top 10 Hot 100 hit and *NSYNC’s stalled out at No. 67 on the chart, both dominated TRL, and deserved to do so!
Tetris Kelly: “Crazy In Love” immediately comes to mind. Also, a Billboard Hot 100 No. 1, the song established Beyoncé as a certified solo star outside of her massively successful group. I think these two songs have more in common than just the word “crazy.”
Glenn Rowley: Britney’s “(You Drive Me) Crazy,” of course.
Andrew Unterberger: Too many classics to mention — but we’re never gonna survive unless we give a little bit of a shoutout to Seal’s 1991 dance-soul smash.
Coi Leray was already one of the bigger rap success stories of the 2020s, scoring top 40 Billboard Hot 100 hits alongside Lil Durk (“No More Parties”) and Nicki Minaj (“Blick Blick!”) while also becoming a social media sensation. But her crossover success hits a new level this week, as her viral smash “Players” climbs to No. 9 on the Hot 100.
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The single marks both her first top 10 hit on the chart, and her first to come without any co-credited artists — though the song does get a spiritual lift from the legendary rap outfit Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five, as “Players” lifts the instrumental hook to the group’s 1982 classic “The Message.” It also has benefited from a couple popular bootleg remixes, including a Jersey Club remix from DJ Smallz 732 which Leray has since released an official music video for.
How did “Players” bring Leray to this new level? And what does it mean for her career from here? Billboard staffers discuss these questions and more below.
1. “Players” moves 12-9 this week to reach the top 10 in its 12th week on the listing. What do you think the song owes its consistent growth to?
Rania Aniftos: Besides that insanely catchy hook? The initial success of the song has led to getting to know Coi a lot more, as she’s been doing more interviews and appearances. Turns out, she’s super cool and funny, which has surely grown her fanbase even more and has encouraged people to want to support her and listen to her music. She reminds me a lot of Cardi B or Doja Cat in the sense that her personality amplifies her music.
Elias Leight: The initial growth of “Players” took place at the intersection of social media and streaming. Leray teased the track early. (“F–k it, I wanted to leak music,” she told Billboard. “I like being [a] little rebellious sometimes.”) A pair of bootleg remixes subsequently became popular on TikTok. The fleet-footed Jersey Club rework from DJ Smallz 732 has been used in more than 1.8 million TikTok videos, while a mash-up with the Busta Rhymes classic “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See” has been incorporated in nearly 450,000 clips; both helped drive listeners to the original. As we’ve seen with other hits, radio started to kick in after a couple months of robust streaming: The airplay audience for “Players” has roughly doubled in the last two months.
Jason Lipshutz: This is a slam-dunk radio success story: “Players” broke through online and has performed well at streaming, but Coi Leray’s breakthrough smash has crashed the top 10 thanks to a No. 1 posting on the Rhythmic chart, as well as a No. 4 peak at Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and No. 10 at Mainstream Top 40. Hip-hop and pop programmers have embraced the track, and “Players” works well at both formats; it’s an old-school approach to hit-making, but one that’s paid off in this instance.
Neena Rouhani: A combination of continued TikTok hype, the Jersey Club remix, radio play and overall catchiness from Coi.
Andrew Unterberger: It’s following the path most non-immediate hits do in 2023: viral success converting to streaming prominence converting to radio play. It makes sense, because the song has all the ingredients needed for each of those three kinds of popularity: It’s catchy, it’s novel, it’s genre-blending and it feels both familiar and distinctly modern.
2. Like Latto’s breakout hit “Big Energy” last year, “Players” is a top 10 breakthrough that rides a recreated sample from the early ’80s (Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five’s “The Message”) that was already notably revived by a mid-’90s Hot 100-topper (Puff Daddy and Mase’s “Can’t Nobody Hold Me Down”). Does the lift feel more fresh or recycled to you?
Rania Aniftos: I don’t know if it’s because I personally love these ’80s revival hits in general, but it’s fresh to me! Coi has such a unique style to her rap flow that makes it feel modern, despite the clear throwback melody. Also, the themes about girls being players too is playful and feels very 2023.
Elias Leight: Variations on this approach feel ubiquitous at the moment: “Players” is also in the top 10 with “Creepin’,” which reworks Mario Winans’ and Diddy’s “I Don’t Wanna Know,” while Nicki Minaj’s last two singles mined Rick James’ “Super Freak” and Lumidee’s “Never Leave You (Uh Oooh, Uh Oooh),” respectively, for source material. There’s a probably apocryphal story about Jam & Lewis saying there are only three kinds of music – good music, bad music and hits. These lifts, whether they’re fresh or recycled, appear to be a steady conduit for hits right now.
Jason Lipshutz: It’s a little bit of both, and that’s why “Players” works! Like the “Big Energy” production, the sample here is obviously iconic enough to power both a ‘90s revival and a 2020s revival of that revival — the “Message” hook immediately catches your ear when identified on a playlist or radio station, but then Leray twists it into an engaging new shape. Attempting to pull this off with a tired sample or the wrong approach wouldn’t work, but the marriage of an undeniable foundation and a cool new structure built upon it has yielded a top 10 hit.
Neena Rouhani: I actually really like both lifts, “Big Energy” and “Players.” Interpolations and samples have felt overdone lately – I think there’s a fixation on replicating a certain feeling from the past that often fails to translate – but Coi’s “Players” does it right, especially with the Jersey Club Remix. Many artists are flipping radio hits from 20 years ago (which in reality isn’t that old), but it’s another to successfully reimagine a song like “The Message,” which is embedded in the fabric of hip-hop, in such a fun way.
Andrew Unterberger: Fresher than I’d expect, partially because Leray’s vocal interplay with the sample is so playful and fun — though it’s definitely dancing on the borderline. (Then again, so was Puff Daddy and Mase’s use of it a quarter-century ago.)
3. Leray has already made a handful of visits to the Hot 100, but this is both her first top 10 hit and her first unaccompanied solo charting effort. Does reaching this level of success with “Players” establish/validate her as a star?
Rania Aniftos: One hundred percent, especially given that it’s her first solo charting effort. “Players” proves that Coi has what it takes to be a well-respected artist on her own, and that she’s a lot more than a fun collaborator. She’s introducing herself as a force to be reckoned with in the hip-hop world, and “Players” is helping rest her case.
Elias Leight: It certainly helps. But there’s a lot of confusion around the music industry right now about what it means to break an artist and become a star. Are heaps of streams and social media followers enough? Is a star an artist who receives consistent pop radio play across multiple singles, or one who is able to sell lots of tickets outside of New York and Los Angeles, or some combination of all these things? Is thinking about superstars now outdated at a time when fandom is increasingly fragmented and prominent record company executives are talking publicly about “reduc[ing] our dependency” on these acts?
Jason Lipshutz: The chart rise of “Players” has been unexpected, and it will be interesting to see how Leray harnesses the attention it brings to push her career forward. The history of pop music is littered with artists who have turned a strong sample, interpolation or cover into momentary fame, and while a flare-up like “Players” draws interest in the voice leading the hit, Leray needs to transcend the sample and present her own artistry to the masses. Fortunately, the multi-talented Leray has demonstrated a gift for rhythmic pop as a singer and rapper, and should enjoy a prolonged career from here.
Neena Rouhani: She’s absolutely well on her way; reaching the top 10 as a solo artist is no easy feat for any burgeoning star, so it says a lot about how she’s being received and the strategy of her team. She definitely has star quality, especially from her pretty unwavering sense of self. Now let’s see if she remains consistent, which I think will be the true tell.
Andrew Unterberger: It’ll certainly open all kinds of doors for her — TV appearances, pop festivals, award show consideration — though I don’t know if it’ll necessarily translate to star-level consumption for her next project, at least not on its own. It’s the kind of foot in the door that only a handful of artists get in a year, though, and she has the talent to properly take advantage of it.
4. “Players” has already benefited from a couple bootleg remixes, but we haven’t gotten an official remix commissioned from Leray’s camp yet. If she was going to try to get one final chart boost out of an official remix, who do you think would be the smartest guest for her to recruit for it?
Rania Aniftos: OK, this might sound a little random, but I’m thinking Miley Cyrus. She’s the perfect fit for the female empowerment theme in the wake of her divorce, and she’s been topping the Hot 100 for eight weeks with her own don’t-need-no-man anthem, “Flowers.” I also just think Miley’s husky voice would sound so good with Coi’s flow.
Elias Leight: Getting Diddy on it would be a cute nod to the sample’s previous history. Mase is a pastor now, but it wouldn’t hurt to ask him as well.
Jason Lipshutz: It’s hard not to imagine Cardi B demolishing this beat — adding a minute and about a dozen different quotable lines — on a “Players” remix. The wait for Cardi’s sophomore LP continues, but she’s popped up as a guest artist on a few tracks over the past year… and if she can conjure the same magic that she brought next to GloRilla on “Tomorrow 2,” we could see “Players” rise from its current No. 9 peak towards something even bigger.
Neena Rouhani: I think the most obvious choice would be Nicki Minaj. The duo have collabed before in the past on “Blick! Blick!” and show a lot of love to each other. I also think they have pretty similar energy and Nicki is a New York native, which could pay homage to the Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five flip. If she wants to enlist another rising rap phenom and fellow TikTok cult favorite, Ice Spice would be a natural choice. But I also could see her going totally left field and bringing in someone unexpected, genre or language-wise.
Andrew Unterberger: Where’s Joe at these days? He didn’t want to be a player no more 25 years ago, but if Coi Leray could convince him to temporarily play the part on the song’s revamped hook, it’d probably go over with Mario Winans-in-the-“Creepin’”-video-level excitement.
5. If you were part of Coi Leray’s team and she asked you how best to capitalize on her “Players” success once the song’s chart cycle was essentially through, what would you tell her?
Rania Aniftos: Don’t wait too long before putting out another song. What’s tough about today’s music industry is that viral success seems like just a blink of an eye before fans move onto the next hit. Those who stay on the charts and turn a viral hit into a long-term career are the ones who have planned the rest of their music rollout in some way. I’m sure she has plenty of great tracks in progress, and I’d love to see her take advantage of being in the news and her upcoming festival performances by putting out another fun single.
Elias Leight: What are we sampling next?
Jason Lipshutz: My advice would be, “Stay away from another classic sample.” She doesn’t need it! Leray has been one of the more interesting voices bubbling up in popular hip-hop in recent years, and instead of being pigeonholed as a sample vulture (to mix my bird metaphors), she has more than enough inherent talent and sonic ideas to stand on her own two feet. “Players” brought her into the game, and now, she can go wherever she wants.
Neena Rouhani: Drop another single, and continue boosting “Players” through the release cycle of the follow-up. Sort of how Latto is doing with “Big Energy” and “Lottery.” Also, remixes. A lot of them.
Andrew Unterberger: Don’t try to chase pop radio. Top 40 is more fickle than ever in the TikTok era, and if songs don’t post good streaming numbers, they’re not likely to embrace your new single regardless of how radio-ready it sounds (or how closely it follows the formula of your last radio success). Leray would be better off using the added exposure to make the kind of music she wants to make and that comes most natural to her, whatever that ends up being, and focusing her attention on cultivating the kind of sustained streaming fanbase that can ultimately launch additional “Players”-type successes without needing radio’s assistance.
Miley Cyrus‘ Endless Summer Vacation arrived on March 10 as one of the most-anticipated pop debuts of 2023, and on the back of the biggest Billboard Hot 100 hit of her career in “Flowers,” which returns to No. 1 on the chart his week (dated March 25) for the seventh week total. So some pop fans might be surprised to see Vacation only debuting at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 albums chart this week — one spot lower than her 2021 album, Plastic Hearts.
However, there is some additional context needed to those figures: For one, Vacation debuts with a higher first-week number (103,000 equivalent album units) than Hearts (60,000 units) — and indeed, the highest of any album released by Cyrus since the Billboard 200 switched from a purely album sales-based chart to one using the equivalent album units metric in 2014. For another, it runs into two of the year’s biggest releases so far, in country star Morgan Wallen’s blockbuster One Thing at a Time (259,000 units in its second week of release) and K-pop best-sellers TWICE’s Ready to Be (153,000 units in its debut week) — and, in fact, would have moved enough units to be No. 1 in any of the four weeks prior to One Thing‘s release.
What does the debut mean for Miley Cyrus’ latest LP? And will the set be able to spawn a second hit anywhere near “Flowers”? Billboard writers debate these questions and more below.
1. Miley Cyrus debuts at No. 3 this week on the Billboard 200 with 103,000 equivalent album units for Endless Summer Vacation — behind Morgan Wallen’s One Thing at a Time in its second week, and TWICE’s Ready to Be — short of the chart bow of 2021’s No. 2-entering Plastic Hearts, but with a much more robust number than that set’s 60,000 first week. If you’re Miley Cyrus, how happy are you with those early numbers for Endless Summer Vacation, on a scale from 1-10?
Katie Atkinson: 7. A No. 3 debut doesn’t reflect the pop culture moment Miley created with her smash hit “Flowers,” but her first-week numbers – especially her biggest streaming week ever — paint a clearer picture of the peak success she’s enjoying at the moment. She just happened to wade into the most crowded album week of 2023 and came out at the end of a trio of impressive performances.
Stephen Daw: Definitely a 9. Sure, it’s not the No. 1 debut that some of us (a.k.a. me) thought it would be, but these are the biggest first-week sales numbers Miley has seen in a decade (Bangerz was her last album to cross the 100k mark in its first week). That’s huge, especially for an artist like Miley who has been playing with her sound for the last decade, to see a resounding success this late into her career.
Lyndsey Havens: 7. Looking at the numbers alone, she (sort of kind of) nearly doubled the first week numbers of Plastic Hearts. And I do think in 2023, crossing the 100,000 mark alone is an impressive feat, one that during many other weeks would be enough to land her at No. 1. However, following the behemoth that is Morgan Wallen won’t be much fun for anyone for a while, and the addition of TWICE — knowing how well K-pop releases generally perform in their first week — didn’t help her cause. But considering she has been the long-reigning queen on another marquee Billboard chart, I think she’s feeling just fine.
Glenn Rowley: Let’s say a solid 8.5 — she’s notching her biggest numbers in a decade and still riding high off “Flowers” catching its second wind. Her first No. 1 on the Billboard 200 since Bangerz would’ve obviously pushed it to a full 10, but it’s obviously an unusual week at the top of the chart that no one could’ve predicted.
Andrew Unterberger: A 7 sounds about right. I’d imagine a No. 3 debut isn’t exactly what she hoped for, but doing 43,000 units better than her last time out is an excellent rebound for any artist, and particularly one who’s been making hits since Fergie and Gwen Stefani were two of the biggest stars in pop. The impact of Vacation, “Flowers” and Cyrus’ excellent past half-year in general should be felt more on her next tour (whenever that might end up being) and in her upcoming media opportunities anyway — maybe even a big Grammy nod or two.
2. With added consumption and attention in its parent album’s release week, “Flowers” returns to No. 1 for a seventh week on the Hot 100. It will almost certainly go down as the biggest Billboard chart hit of her career — but do you see it enduring as her all-time signature song, or does one of her older hits still have the advantage there?
Katie Atkinson: I think “Flowers” will be a piece of Miley’s legacy, for sure, but I’ll currently give the edge to her first Hot 100 chart-topper “Wrecking Ball” as the Cyrus signature. That was further cemented in Miley’s latest New Year’s Eve TV special, during which she performed the song as a duet with her godmother Dolly Parton and worked in pieces of Dolly’s own signature song “I Will Always Love You.” “Flowers” has a ways to grow before reaching that god status.
Stephen Daw: I think it has certainly joined the ranks of Eternally Iconic Miley Cyrus Singles™, but I’d be hard pressed to give the title of “all-time signature song” to “Flowers” over songs like “Party in the U.S.A.” or “Wrecking Ball.” The pure campiness, catchiness and overblown emotion of those songs have kept them alive and well in the imaginations of Miley’s fans for over a decade. While I think “Flowers” will become a staple song for the singer, I think she has already well-established her “signature” at this point.
Lyndsey Havens: I think the only thing that can determine a signature song is time. Which is why, for now, I don’t think “Flowers” is quite on the level of “We Can’t Stop,” “Wrecking Ball” or even “Party In the U.S.A.” Plus, the thing that helped those songs feel so iconic to me was that they created and sustained a cultural moment — the videos for “Can’t Stop” and “Wrecking Ball” are burned into my brain and “Party” has become a national anthem of sorts. With “Flowers,” it feels like it’s almost existing outside of Miley… with narratives being pushed on TikTok and its empowering message being universally embraced, but amidst all of that the one thing missing is Miley herself.
Glenn Rowley: When you think of Miley Cyrus today, you think of “Flowers.” And given her long history of getting sick of her past hits, that’s probably the way she wants it. But it’ll always be “Party in the U.S.A.” for me.
Andrew Unterberger: “Flowers” is massive and should be sticky for a long time, and “We Can’t Stop” and “Wrecking Ball” are obviously both iconic in their own right. But “Party in the U.S.A.” really might go down as the “Star Spangled Banner” of 21st century pop. Hard to top that.
3. Though five new songs from the set debut on the Hot 100 this week, led by “River” (No. 32) and “Jaded” (No. 56), nothing else from Vacation seems immediately set to near “Flowers” in popularity. Do you see one of those songs (or anything else on Vacation) growing to a follow-up smash, or do you think “Flowers” is still taking up too much of the oxygen for that?
Katie Atkinson: “Thousand Miles,” with Brandi Carlile, could be just one awards show performance away from becoming a hit. The idea of hearing those two powerhouse voices live together would really push this one over the edge – not to mention that it’s a perfect fit for AC radio, where “Flowers” was already a smash (four weeks at No. 1 on Adult Pop Airplay). Will it ever get as big as “Flowers”? I don’t see anything from this album nearing that unprecedented-for-Miley success.
Stephen Daw: I think it’s “Flowers” all the way down here. Between being suitably fun, radio friendly and just the right amount of shady, “Flowers” has already proven to be an absolute fan favorite. I could see “River” making a slow climb up the charts for a little while, maybe even cracking into the top 10 if Miley were to carefully chart out a few well-placed performances or remixes. But “Flowers” has become such a unanimous hit that I don’t think anything else off of Vacation is going to come close.
Lyndsey Havens: As much as I love those songs — plus mostly every other one on the album — I don’t see them entering smash hit territory. I think it’s a combination of “Flowers” being such a beast still and the fact that with the album, and the video for “River,” now behind us, I don’t see the marketing machine having much more steam. Perhaps Miley has something more up her sleeve… but considering her Oz approach to this release (being more behind the curtain this time around) I’m not sure if anything else is to come.
Glenn Rowley: “Flowers” still has all the momentum at the moment, but even without it, I don’t foresee anything else on Endless Summer Vacation becoming anything close to a follow-up. “Jaded” definitely appeared to be a fan favorite when her Disney+ special was released, but it feels a little unrealistic that she would score back-to-back hits with two pop mid-tempos.
Andrew Unterberger: Not looking too likely, I’m afraid — hits like “Flowers” just stick around forever these days, and it’s tough to convince top 40 PDs there’s any point in switching to an artist’s new song while the older one is still working just fine. And while Cyrus found the perfect combination of song and topic to light the internet on fire a couple months ago, that’s a card that no one (outside of Olivia Rodrigo) has been able to play more than once in an album cycle in recent years. (Shame, too — “River” seriously rips.)
4. There was about a two-month gap in between the debut of “Flowers” and the release of Endless Summer Vacation. Do the first-week returns for the album tell you that the length of that rollout was too short, too long, or about right?
Katie Atkinson: I’d say too long. Part of “Flowers” dominating the pop culture conversation had to do with its January release, and her album could have dominated the conversation with an earlier release too, given the quiet first two months of the year. If she had released this album with these exact numbers nearly any week of 2023 before Morgan Wallen’s One Thing at a Time arrived, she would have been able to at least contend for No. 1 on the Billboard 200 (that same goes for TWICE too). Instead, she ended up in a race with the second week of one of the biggest artists of the past five years and a K-pop group at the peak of its popularity.
Stephen Daw: To me, two months feels like an almost perfect amount of time. It was just a smidge too long, though. If you look at the chart run of “Flowers,” it seems that if that gap had been six weeks rather than eight, that would have been the sweet spot — releasing the album on February 24 would have meant Miley could get her set out into the world before a chart behemoth like Morgan Wallen took over, while also riding the natural momentum of her single’s success.
Lyndsey Havens: I think the timing was perfect. “Flowers” has sustained and is still very much a hit — and following the first day of spring this week, I can only see a song like “Flowers” becoming an even more suitable soundtrack for the coming weeks.
Glenn Rowley: Looking at the first-week numbers, I’d say it was probably just about right — with the added bonus of sending “Flowers” back to No. 1 on the Hot 100 for a seventh nonconsecutive week.
Andrew Unterberger: It might not have made a huge difference in the numbers if she’d released it a month ago, but I think her overall momentum would feel more exciting. Obviously when you’re operating at a pop level as high as Cyrus, it takes time and planning to get all your ducks in a row for a proper album push — but I think we’ve seen in recent years that it’s ultimately more advantageous to have an imperfect rollout that feels timely and urgent than an immaculate one that seems just a little bit late.
5. Commercial response aside — about where do you rank Endless Summer Vacation within Miley’s output since Bangerz a decade ago?
Katie Atkinson: I’d mark it as my third favorite, just because I thought Plastic Hearts was a perfect fit for Miley – where were all these “Flowers” supporters for that perfect album?? — and Bangerz is untouchable when it comes to out-and-out hits.
Stephen Daw: Endless Summer Vacation feels like it definitely belongs in the upper portion of Miley’s discography, probably somewhere in the top three. The songwriting is great, it’s well-produced and it maintains exactly the vibe as described in the album title — it might not quite reach the euphoric highs of some of her past work, but it’s still an excellent album.
Lyndsey Havens: Judging by the number of times I’ve listened to Endless Summer Vacation already, I think it may be one of her most subtle and best albums to date. The more I listen, the more I realize that it manages to deliver all sides of Miley. Songs like “River” could have felt right at home on her SHE IS COMING EP (which was supposed to be one of three EPs… wonder if we’ll ever see those). “You” could belong on Plastic Hearts and something like “Thousand Miles” fits in with the sound and aesthetic of Younger Now. I’ve come to think of Endless Summer as the sum of all Miley’s parts, with “Wildcard” being a more matured take on her splashy and career-defining Bangerz era. But the fact that she has had so many distinct eras at all is what’s most impressive, and that’s what this album celebrates best.
Glenn Rowley: It felt like anticipation for Endless Summer Vacation was at an all-time high, but in my opinion, it doesn’t outdo Plastic Hearts on either a vocal or sonic front. So for me, it sits behind that underrated gem and Bangerz, but well above Dead Petz and Younger Now.
Andrew Unterberger: It’s not my Miley of choice — I generally prefer her bigger swings — but it’s about as satisfying a front-to-back listen as she’s released in the past 10 years, even if I’ll probably be more likely to return to Plastic Hearts or even Dead Petz.
It’s a historic week for Morgan Wallen on the Billboard charts, as his new album One Thing at a Time tops the Billboard 200 with the year’s best single-week tally, while also storming the Billboard Hot 100.
The album — Wallen’s first new set since coming under national fire for using a racial slur in January 2021 — moves 501,000 equivalent album units in its debut frame, the biggest single-week number for any album since Taylor Swift’s Midnights posted 1,578,000 units in Nov. 2022, and also the biggest for any country album of the streaming era since Swift’s Red (Taylor’s Version) moved 605,000 units in Nov. 2021. One Thing also takes over the Billboard Hot 100, notching a record 36 entries on the chart, including his first No. 1 in “Last Night.”
What achievement of Wallen’s week is his biggest? And how did he get quite this big? Billboard staffers discuss these questions and more below.
1. Morgan Wallen’s 498.28 million on-demand official streams for One Thing at a Time this week marks the most streams ever for a country album in a single week — and the biggest streaming week for any album so far in 2023 — while Wallen also becomes the first artist of any genre to notch over 30 Hot 100 hits in the same week. Which of the two achievements is more notable to you?
Jason Lipshutz: The latter, for sure. While debuting with a half-million equivalent album units and nearly half a billion streams demonstrates the commercial stardom that Morgan Wallen has undoubtedly possessed for the past three years, surpassing artists like Drake and Taylor Swift and setting a Hot 100 record by sending all 36 songs from One Thing at a Time onto the chart is truly astonishing stuff. Sure, part of that historic feat can simply be chalked up to the album’s enormous track list, but the fact that there was nary a straggler from the 112-minute project, and that every single song charted in order to gobble up over one-third of the entire Hot 100, showcases listener investment in One Thing at a Time, and in Wallen himself.
Joe Lynch: Without underselling either feat, I would say the former. It’s an uphill battle for any album to notch a half-million copies or a half-billion streams in 2023, and country albums that move this fast in their first week are basically unheard of – until now.
Melinda Newman: The best-ever streaming week for a country album is the most notable, because the numbers are huge no matter what genre. In terms of on-demand official streams, One Thing at a Time‘s 498.28 million is the fifth-largest streaming week ever for any album, so Wallen’s feat shows he is not only leading country artists, but is at the top for all artists (except Taylor Swift, who is her own genre at this point). Also notable is his notching over 30 Hot 100 hits in the same week, meaning one-third of the Hot 100 chart belongs to Wallen. It’s one thing to put out that many tracks, it’s another thing to have fans literally not be able to get enough of what he’s releasing.
Jessica Nicholson: His achievement of becoming the first artist of any genre to earn over 30 Hot 100 hits in the same week is more notable. His 30-track previous album, 2021’s Dangerous: The Double Album was the best-selling album of 2022 and spent 10 weeks atop the Billboard 200, and still topped out at 19 Hot 100 entries in its debut week.
Andrew Unterberger: The Hot 100 entries are the most impressive thing to me — especially that they’re led by a No. 1 in “Last Night,” which is the first country No. 1 by an unaccompanied male solo artist on that chart since Eddie Rabbit’s “I Love a Rainy Night” in 1981. Simply put, it’s been a really long time since we had a male country star performing at this commercial level.
2. Though Wallen’s prior set Dangerous: The Double Album was already one of the biggest albums of the decade, One Thing nearly doubles that set’s first-week numbers (265,000) with its massive showing. What do you think is the biggest reason the set lands with such a larger debut?
Jason Lipshutz: Although the controversy that embroiled Wallen in the weeks following the January 2021 release of Dangerous: The Double Album may have limited his visibility on platforms like primetime television and Grammy ballots, make no mistake: Wallen is much, much bigger than he was when Dangerous was released. The evidence was rampant leading up to the release of One Thing at a Time, from the arena shows Wallen played last year, to the stadium gigs he scheduled this year, from the re-embrace of country radio (he scored three Country Airplay No. 1s in 2022) to the streaming numbers that few other country artists could even fathom. Everything was teed up for Wallen’s Dangerous follow-up to outpace its predecessor and score the biggest album debut of 2023, and One Thing at a Time delivered.
Joe Lynch: When an artist scores a career-launching blockbuster album that soars on the charts for well over a year (a rarity, certainly), it’s only reasonable to expect the follow-up to do better – think Adele’s 25 following 21. In addition to pulling in long-time fans, you have the more recent ones ponying up, too.
Melinda Newman: He was a star then, he’s a superstar now. His fans simply can’t get enough of him and they are extremely avid about wanting to show their support. There is nothing passive about their fandom. Plus, his fan base has grown considerably since Dangerous: The Double Album, so there are new fans eager to show their love as well. He is at the stage of his career where he has the Midas touch. He also has become an arena, if not stadium, headliner since Dangerous came out and has increased his audience through touring. His fans feel great kinship with him not only as an artist but as a person.
Jessica Nicholson: One Thing at a Time slightly exceeds the number of tracks of his previous album, which only added to its potential streaming numbers. Meanwhile, just over a month after the release of Dangerous: The Double Album in January 2021, Wallen’s music was pulled from terrestrial radio and top streaming playlists, as he was dropped from his touring agency and also suspended from his label for a brief period, due to the TMZ-released video of Wallen uttering a racial slur outside of his home in Nashville. Additionally, in 2021, tours were still slowly coming back and Wallen didn’t do a full-fledged tour that year. But now, Wallen’s music is back on country radio and streaming playlists. He also wrapped an arena tour in 2022 and is prepping for a world tour to launch this week, which will include a mix of stadiums and arenas.
Andrew Unterberger: While the headlines and narratives of Morgan Wallen’s career have seen some stomach-churning lows over the past half-decade, the commercial returns have just been one long, uninterrupted upward trajectory since his 2018 breakthrough. The biggest reason One Thing is doing bigger numbers than Dangerous is simply that it’s come two years later in his timeline, with millions of new fans jumping on board in the meantime (and remarkably few exiting).
3. Despite running a lengthy 36 tracks, One Thing mostly finds Wallen staying in his radio country lane in terms of sonics and subject matter, with just a handful of obvious detours into different sounds and themes. Are there any tracks that tread new-ish territory that you’d like to hear him explore further?
Jason Lipshutz: The strongest passages of One Thing at a Time focus less on expanding Wallen’s repertoire and more on streamlining his proven approach with sturdier refrains and lyrical detail. A song like “Single Than She Was,” for instance, doesn’t try to reinvent Wallen’s wheel — it’s another song about meeting a pretty girl at a bar, after all — but the vocal delivery, songwriting and titular hook are all a little more thoughtful than those similar themes presented elsewhere on the album, and become memorable amidst and towering track list.
Joe Lynch: Sonically…. eh. “Ain’t That Some” finds him straying into half-rap territory, and the results are not enjoyable to my ears. Lyrically, sure: For someone who made headlines for all the wrong reasons after a drunken night out and then said he toured “mostly” sober, it might be interesting to hear him explore that struggle/journey (whatever you want to call it) in song.
Melinda Newman: The album brings in his hip-hop, rock and traditional country influences, but all in fairly subtle ways and to varying degrees of success. The title track, which is the new single, is heavily pop influenced and is one of the catchiest songs Wallen has ever recorded, so it’s fun to see him veer in that direction so capably without abandoning his vocal twang. Conversely, “Everything I Love” is more old-school, ‘80s country than Wallen has usually recorded. By and large, the hip-hop-influenced tracks are among the album’s weakest, except for the insinuating “Sunrise.”
Jessica Nicholson: He explores some deeper lyrical themes on the new album — mortality on “Dyin’ Man,” forgiveness on “Don’t Think Jesus.” An ode to his mother, “Thought You Should Know,” landed Wallen a three-week Country Airplay No. 1, proving that fans will also relate to more family-centric material from him.
Andrew Unterberger: Like the title track on Dangerous, the title track on One Thing points compellingly towards a poppier, almost ’80s-sounding pocket for Wallen — still with the kind of clever wordplay and oft-weary outlook that fans have come to associated with his biggest hits. Along with the similarly breezy “Single Than She Was,” it’s a much-needed respite from some of the draggier material found throughout the set’s 36 tracks.
4. Though Wallen is far from the only major breakout country star of the streaming era, he is by far the best-performing. What’s something that you think sets him apart from the rest of the Nashville pack for modern audiences?
Jason Lipshutz: The combination of Wallen’s rugged vocals, knack for pop-adjacent hooks and self-styled outlaw (read: controversy-courting) persona has certainly helped turn him into a stadium headliner. Yet I believe the main reason he is now at the top of the genre is due to his understanding of streaming — staying prolific with his single releases, stacking his album track lists to pile up listens and chart records, and bringing country music, which abided by the rules of terrestrial radio long after pop and hip-hop had pivoted towards digital platforms, into a new era of the industry. In both his music and the way it’s released, Wallen carries himself like a new-school star.
Joe Lynch: The hefty tracklists help, but I think it’s selling him short to say “he only does better because his albums have more songs.” I can’t imagine most country A-listers’ fans embracing and returning to 30-plus track albums. Unlike most, Wallen seems commercial and authentically country at the same time. Sure, he flirts with sounds outside of the genre, but he feels and sounds grittier than the bro country singers who dominated for years, while still singing about a lot of their favorite themes (heartbreak, booze, God and mama).
Melinda Newman: The sheer output is the obvious answer, but he also seems extremely relatable to his audience and truly like one of them. When the industry temporarily “canceled” him after he was caught on video using a racial slur two years ago, many of his fans rallied around him and not just forgave him, but were proud to stand by him. Country audiences are notoriously loyal, but this was an unprecedented show of support that felt like it was as much for the man as for the music.
Jessica Nicholson: While several country artists have released multi-part albums, the majority of them have involved various parts of the album releasing over weeks and months, rather than all at once. As Wallen releases his prolific music simultaneously, it allows him to super-serve fervent fans. Several male artists are turning to songs that chronicle their lives—from getting married, settling down and raising children. Though Wallen is himself a father, his music, for the most part, seems to center on a hip-hop-tinged brand of country with a party-love-loss-whiskey rebound cycle that younger audiences are gravitating toward — with only a few key moments on the album, such as “Don’t Think Jesus” and “Dyin’ Man,” that venture outside the lines. He also has a down-to-earth, “everyman” image that audiences seem to relate with.
Andrew Unterberger: I think more than anything with Morgan Wallen, it’s the messiness that fans gravitate towards. At a time when the genre can seem smotheringly buttoned-up, and most of his peers in mainstream country stardom seem to have their s–t pretty well together both inside and outside of their music, Wallen’s cracks are almost always visible and/or audible. Sometimes that can be endearing, and other times it can be extremely off-putting — but it appears that whatever backlash his bad behavior and poor decision-making attracts from the non-country world just results in his fanbase doubling down on support of him. It’s not shocking: Most of the country community loves a (perceived) underdog, and they really don’t love being told what to do or think by folks on the outside.
5. Wallen is putting up pop star numbers currently, but he still doesn’t have a ton of pop world crossover success. Is that something you think he’ll try for in the next year or two, or do you think he sees himself better served simply staying as the biggest star in country?
Jason Lipshutz: Wallen will likely score a pop crossover in the future — I mean, if you’re a fledgling non-country artist who doesn’t care about a little controversy, why wouldn’t you want him hopping on one of your tracks and boosting its profile? But that day is still a little far off, because I’d guess that, outside of the country community, the reverberations of Wallen’s past transgressions still echo too loudly. For now, Wallen seems perfectly content ruling country music and letting his influence take hold of the pop charts, even as he’s not making pop music himself. He’s the king of his format currently, and we’ll see in the coming years where his ambitions lead.
Joe Lynch: Nah — I think it would be, if anything, a misstep, given that part of his appeal is that he seems less polished than some of his country compatriots who make more obvious overtures in the pop world. I could, however, see him notching a hit song akin to what Kid Rock did with Sheryl Crow on “Picture” – a one-off ballad that’s lyrically in his lane but easily serviced to the sonics of AC radio.
Melinda Newman: He is getting crossover play for “Last Night,” and given that pop powerhouse Republic is the label partner with Big Loud, the goal is, undoubtedly, to get him more and more crossover success. It will be interesting to see if pop audiences have any issues with his past or, like most country fans, care mainly about the music. It feels like Wallen is going to keep getting bigger and bigger in country, and also in crossing over.
Jessica Nicholson: Given that he has yet to win male artist/vocalist of the year and entertainer of the year at either of country music’s two most-lauded awards shows (though he was nominated for EOY at the 2022 CMA Awards and won album of the year at the 2022 ACM Awards), he is probably better served by remaining one of the biggest stars in country music for the for the next couple of years. With his juggernaut sales and touring success, he seems a likely winner in the male artist/vocalist and entertainer categories at some point.
Andrew Unterberger: I think Wallen’s team has been wise to not court too much affection from the pop world thus far — his country base is large enough that he (clearly) doesn’t need additional audiences to put up historic numbers, and the more attention Wallen receives from outside of Nashville, the more incidents like his past racial slur usage will be re-attached to his larger narrative. But the biggest artists (and the labels/teams that support them) are always looking to get bigger, and eventually the allure of something like a Grammys performance or a Drake duet will get tough to turn down. (And though it’s mostly a footnote in his career at this point, his Lil Durk collab from late 2021 suggests that the larger music world will be there and willing to open up to him if/when he chooses to walk through that door.)
In case you missed Colombian singer-songwriter Karol G‘s rise to star status in the U.S., she put the whole music industry on notice this week with the historic No. 1 bow of her fourth album, Mañana Será Bonito, on the Billboard 200 albums chart (dated March 11).
The album debuts atop the Billboard 200 with 94,000 equivalent album units, making it the first Spanish-language album by a female artist (or by a Colombian artist) ever to reach the chart’s apex. In addition to featuring 2022 hits like “Provenza” and “Gatúbela,” the album also crashes the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 this week with its new Shakira team-up “TQG” — which enters at No. 7, making it Karol G’s biggest hit on the chart to date.
How significant is this debut? And which Latin artist might be next to top the Billboard 200? Billboard staffers discuss below.
1. Karol G enters the Billboard record books this week with her Mañana Será Bonito album, becoming the first female artist to score a No. 1 album with an all-Spanish-language album. On a scale from 1-10, how do you rate the historic significance of the accomplishment?
Leila Cobo: It’s a 10, for multiple reasons. Karol becomes only the second artist in history to debut at No 1 on on the Billboard 200 with an album in Spanish; she’s the first woman to place a Spanish-language album at No. 1; and she’s the first Colombian to do so as well. The latter distinction is also particularly important because Colombia’s tradition of exporting music is relatively new. Prior to Shakira — and to a lesser degree before her, Carlos Vives — Colombian artists were not heard internationally. So, to have a No. 1 from an artist born and raised in a South American country, and whose presence in our charts is relatively recent, is truly groundbreaking from a cultural standpoint.
The fact that Karol G is a woman whose fan base is mostly female is also groundbreaking. It shows that the world is ready for a different kind of superstar, one who espouses a different kind of aesthetic and message. Karol G is Colombian through and through, and the fact that the world has embraced that indicates to me that people are far more open to diversity than ever before if the music supports it.
Griselda Flores: A resounding 10. This feat is huge and marks a pivotal moment for Karol G’s career. From KG0516 — which scored her her first top 20 entry on the Billboard 200 two years ago — to her momentous Coachella debut and her history-making 2022 tour, Karol G has been consistently working toward becoming one of Latin music’s leading forces. Now, her reach and impact are undeniable and cements her as a top artist, not just a top Latin artist. It’s also an important landmark for women and Spanish-language music. Bad Bunny was the first one to score a No. 1 Spanish-language album, but for a woman to do it … a glass ceiling has been broken.
Sigal Ratner-Arias: 10. With Hispanics being the largest minority group in the U.S., and Spanish the most-spoken language after English, Karol’s No. 1 is a testament to Hispanic consumers’ power, and the need to keep opening doors to more women in Urbano music.
Isabela Raygoza: I’m giving this feat a whopping 9.9. Aside from Mañana Será Bonito’s musical merits, the data speaks for itself. As Billboard’s Keith Caulfield reported, it’s the first Latin album by a woman to reach No. 1 on the Billboard 200 since Selena’s bilingual 1995 Dreaming of You; and only two all-Spanish albums had previously topped the list, both by Bad Bunny, Un Verano Sin Ti (2022) and El Último Tour del Mundo (2020) — an astonishing accomplishment. It further attests to Latin music, a genre historically dominated by male artists, being in a new era. Her achievement is not due to a trend for a selected group, nor is it a one-hit wonder. There’s a solid foundation behind her success. Plus, for a woman to achieve this victory during Women’s History Month makes it even more special.
Andrew Unterberger: I’d say a nine. As many incredible inroads that Latin artists had made stateside in the past 5-10 years — between blockbuster tours and festival headline slots, crossover hit singles and award show appearances — no one outside of Bad Bunny had been able to quite crack the code on achieving U.S. streaming stardom on the level of English-language stars. Now, Karol G undeniably has — she not only debuts in the Hot 100’s top 10 this week, but charts 11 of Mañana‘s tracks across the listing — which is a huge deal for any Latin artist, and particularly for a female artist, in what’s long been a male-dominated field.
2. Mañana debuts at No. 1 with an impressive 94,000 equivalent album units, beating out SZA’s seemingly indefatigable blockbuster SOS — by far her best career performance, and one that may take some that haven’t been paying close attention to her trajectory by surprise. What’s one important thing Karol has done in the two years since 2021’s KG0516 that’s allowed her to level up commercially like this?
Leila Cobo: She’s toured massively, and, perhaps more importantly, she really upped the level of her live show. If you compare Karol’s 2022 show with her 2021 show, the difference is big: She performs better, she sings for most of the show, and her staging, band and dancers have all been upgraded. It really signaled she was entering the major leagues, being able to deliver in the arena stage like any other act. Right now, there is no other woman in Latin music touring at that scale. It was impressive — and as an industry observer, it felt like she had deliberately upped the ante.
Griselda Flores: I want to say that there are two important things: one being the singles she released leading up to the album, including “Provenza,” and “X Si Volvemos” with Romeo Santos. Those two singles alone were a massive success, and it really kept Karol on our radar. It didn’t feel like she took a break to do an album and then came back. Meanwhile, her $trip Love Tour also plays a major role in her being able to “level up.” It’s now the highest grossing U.S. tour by a women Latin artist in history. Overall, it grossed $69.9 million across 33 shows in North America.
Sigal Ratner-Arias: Karol has been able to amass an ever-growing fan base not only with her fierce but sweet and relatable personality and female-empowering lyrics, but with real hard work, talent and dedication. She has worked non-stop, making touring history last year with her ambitious $trip Love Tour. (Her hair color changes were also a sensation.)
Isabela Raygoza: Karol G possesses tremendous charisma on and off stage. Her music is honest, and she keeps it real on her social channels. Although she’s a full-fledged Latin pop star, she somehow projects herself as relatable. She shares herself with her listeners in a way making fans feel like they know her, and they resonate with what she’s saying. Aside from putting in the work, crafting great songs, killing it on tour, and bringing fresh content to her fan base, her charisma is one of a kind.
Andrew Unterberger: She has spaced out her singles very well over the past 18 months — with each building on the last, and still feeling like its own event. When “Provenza” reached the top 25 of the Billboard Hot 100 last May without any guests or major narrative hooks, it was pretty clear that something special was happening with Karol.
3. Meanwhile, Karol’s “TQG” collab with Shakira becomes her first top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, helped significantly by the starriness of the team-up and public interest in both artists’ recent high-profile real-life breakups. Do you think the song will continue to grow into one of the early year’s biggest hits, or will its debut likely be its commercial peak?
Leila Cobo: I think “TQG” has legs beyond its debut because it’s a great song. Like Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers,” it has a strong melody at a time when fans seem to be eager to listen to great melodies instead of simply great beats. And, of course, the story behind it is irresistible: two very public heartbreak stories, and, on top of that, the first collab between Colombia’s biggest women stars. For fans of Latin music, it’s irresistible. But, to me the secret sauce is the song itself, which is better than the story.
Griselda Flores: To be completely honest, I don’t know. But I am leaning more toward it continuing to grow with radio airplay and the fact that it’s already become a bonafide woman anthem. The reggaetón track has really catchy lyrics, which makes it just a good song. I think it will continue to be a top song — but I would love to see other songs from the album get their moment, which I think will happen once she starts releasing music videos for some of the other songs.
Sigal Ratner-Arias: I think “TQG” will continue to grow, but I’m not sure if it will become one of the biggest hits of the year. Other songs from Mañana that were recently released — including the feel-good reggae groove “Mientras Me Curo Del Cora,” about taking your time when you’re down and being hopeful about tomorrow, whose video just came out Tuesday (amassing 1.5 million views over its first four hours) — may also start growing and climbing the charts.
Isabela Raygoza: I believe that as long as more female artists continue to publicize their messy relationships via songs — a trend that is on the rise, of what I like to call “the tabloid pop hit” — the song will endure. We’ve seen this with the chart-topping “Kill Bill” by SZA, “Flowers” by Miley Cyrus, Beyoncé’s Lemonade album, and most recently Shakira’s diss track “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53.” The worthiness of “TQG” is all in the lyrics, rather than the beats, and their one-liner disses are worthy of slogans, which you can read here. Karol G and Shak’s highly publicized disentanglements with their respective exes have become tabloid gold, and they’ve taken control of the narrative and turned their drama into hits, a form of empowerment. Plus, listeners can enjoy the tea guilt free, sip.
Andrew Unterberger: I don’t see it fizzling out quickly, though I’m not sure it’ll ever beat its current No. 7 peak. It might follow a similar trajectory to Shakira’s other splashy top 10-debuting collab from this year, the Bizarrap team-up “Vol. 53” — a top 10 debut, followed by a very gradual tumble down the top 40. But I’ll be curious to see if either of the two songs can capture the radio support to buoy it as its streaming and sales numbers continue to recede; certainly, either would sound great blaring from car radios as the weather starts to heat up.
4. Only one other artist of any gender has ever topped the Billboard 200 with an all-Spanish-language release before: Bad Bunny. Do you see Karol G as being on the path to achieve the same kind of stateside superstardom as Bad Bunny has, or is it still too early to say?
Leila Cobo: If you’d asked me a year ago, I would have said Bad Bunny was a unicorn. However, what is happening with Karol’s album, on the heels of her tour, makes me think she can definitely achieve bigger stateside superstardom. Karol is a very unique female artist. She’s remained singularly approachable and authentic, even as her popularity has increased. She’s very consistent in the themes she espouses and the message she delivers. She is the kind of woman many women, especially young women, can relate to. Her persona really resonates across generations. She’s worked extremely hard at her craft and has raised that bar high. What I love about her is she hasn’t compromised her sound or who she is as she’s gotten bigger, and her fans recognize that. I think she could definitely match Bad Bunny.
Griselda Flores: 100%. I think this No. 1 marks the beginning of a new era for Karol where possibilities are endless. Like Bad Bunny, it all started with a No. 1 album — then he went on to headline a stadium tour, have the first Spanish-language album nominated for best album at the Grammys and become the first Spanish-language artist to headline Coachella. I can see Karol G going that same route, with a stadium tour for next year and another history-making nomination at the Grammys.
Sigal Ratner-Arias: Karol G’s historic success is no accident or surprise. Although Bad Bunny had started much higher in the chart and quicky saw his albums in the top 10, Karol has been steadily climbing the Billboard 200 with every one of her sets — from No. 192 in 2017 (Unstopable) to No. 54 in 2019 (Ocean) to 20 in 2021 (KG0516) and now to No. 1. And she will probably be on tour again with Mañana, which will only push her stardom forward.
Isabela Raygoza: Karol G has already demonstrated that she’s on the path to enjoying a similar kind of stateside superstardom like that of the Bunny. She’s no stranger to the Billboard 200: In fact, every single album she’s released has peaked higher on the chart than the last. She continues to accumulate a growing fan base, and this new album certainly introduced the Colombian powerhouse star to wider audiences well beyond the Latin realm. When she starts to tour MSB, that will only elevate her star higher.
Andrew Unterberger: It’s really hard to say. Usually, when an artist shows the kind of steady and consistent growth over many years that Karol G has for the past half-decade, it’s a good idea not to underestimate them. But the kind of success (and moreover, the level of sheer global approval) that Bad Bunny has achieved is something that only a handful of artists in a generation can manage. For that reason alone, the odds are probably against Karol — but she’s made every right move to be on the road there so far, so I still probably wouldn’t bet against her.
5. Of all the contemporary hitmakers in the Latin world who still have yet to score a No. 1 album, who would you predict to be the next artist to do so?
Leila Cobo: Shakira, especially this year. And if Maluma brings in another major hit like “Hawaii,” he’s also in the running, in my eyes.
Griselda Flores: I’m a regional Mexican fan and I would love to see a Mexican music artist score a No. 1. Now, with a new generation of artists — such as Eslabon Armado, Yahritza Y Su Esencia and Ivan Cornejo — that is fusing the genre’s core sound with urban or alt-rock elements and it’s attracting a new generation and a more diverse audience, the prediction doesn’t seem too unrealistic.
Sigal Ratner-Arias: Shakira. Her Spanish-speaking fans have been patiently awaiting, and the success of her latest songs en Español just show how eager they are to see what she’ll do next. Her personal issues — namely, her recent separation from Spanish soccer player Gerard Piqué — also adds fuel to the curiosity. She recently said she’s “more excited than ever” to go back to the studio, and we expect to hear more from her soon.
Isabela Raygoza: Rosalía. I would probably say that Rosalía has been one of Karol G’s main competitors in the industry, from my point of view, as both women have earned pinnacle achievements in Latin music. The Barcelona singer became the first woman in Latin Grammy history to win album of the year twice: 2019’s El Mal Querer, and 2022’s Motomami. With all her albums, including her 2017 debut Los Ángeles, she has demonstrated her masterclass ability to innovate, which has made her an exhilarating artist. She’s shown various facets of music experimentation that really impresses, whether it’s flamenco pop or glitchy reggaetón. She even won the first ever producer of the year at the 2023 Billboard Women in Music event. Although Motomami charted at 33 on the Billboard 200, I believe she can make the jump with her ability to surprise and intrigue audiences, which could land her a No. 1 album in the future.
Andrew Unterberger: They’re nowhere near the stateside recognition of either Karol G or Bad Bunny yet, but I do have my eye on Grupo Frontera. For most of 2023, the regional Meixcan group has had three concurrent hits on the Hot 100, with their own “No Se Va,” the Carin Leon collab “Que Velvas” and the Fuerza Regida team-up “Bebe Dame.” Usually, when a newer artist is able to simultaneously support three crossover hits like that at once — for months, not just a week or two — it means they’re probably already much, much bigger than we even realize.
It’s proven a successful formula before: The Weeknd scores a top 10 Billboard Hot 100 hit, and just when it looks to have climbed about as far as it’s likely to get, it receives a new remix starring his “Love Me Harder” co-star Ariana Grande to give it another blast of momentum.
In the case of The Weeknd‘s After Hours single “Save Your Tears,” that blast took it all the way to No. 1 on the Hot 100 in spring 2021. Now, he and Grande look to repeat their trick with “Die for You,” the artist born Abel Tesfaye’s old Starboy cut that was revitalized on TikTok and streaming and eventually radio, becoming a Hot 100 hit in late 2022. Early this year, the song climbed as high as No. 6 on the chart — where it returns to this week — and it’s likely to get a considerable boost in consumption from the new remix.
Will it be enough to get the song to No. 1? And what other pop co-stars might look to follow Grande and Tesfaye’s lead? Billboard staffers discuss these questions and more below.
1. Despite being over six years old, “Die for You” has stood for two months now as one of the biggest hits of the new year, climbing back to its No. 6 peak this week. Why do you think the song has the song been able to maintain its popularity — not just several months into its current chart run, but over a half-decade since its original release?
Rania Aniftos: As always with a song that’s getting a second life, we can thank TikTok. The Weeknd’s unearthed songs usually take off, because Abel really never misses. As a fan myself, I love being reminded of and revisiting some of his older songs, so I’m always happy when a track makes its way back to TikTok.
Stephen Daw: I’ve said it before, and I will say it again — never underestimate TikTok. Beyond just saying a song “is big on TikTok right now,” it’s clear that the app has become a place where even a decades-old gem can become a huge hit. “Die for You” has always had a reputation amongst The Weeknd fans as one of the best deeper cuts off Starboy — now that they have a place to focus that love and attention for their underrated fave, everyone suddenly gets to be in on it together.
Jason Lipshutz: At some point over the past few weeks, “Die for You” fully transitioned from “fan favorite album track that has garnered a surprising amount of TikTok commotion” to “one of The Weeknd’s biggest choruses to date that somehow didn’t explode upon its original release.” Hearing “Die for You” on a major streaming playlist or on top 40 radio today, it sounds just as immediate and undeniable as “Blinding Lights” and “Save Your Tears” did two years ago — especially impressive considering how dated a lot of pop songs can sound a few years after they’re unveiled. Fans might have gotten the ball rolling here, but the timeless feel of “Die for You” helped sustain it.
Heran Mamo: There’s a couple of factors here: 1) TikTok’s superpower of reviving years-old deep cuts and transforming them into today’s hits, especially for new listeners; 2) The Weeknd’s performance of “Die for You” during his After Hours Til Dawn Stadium Tour refreshing his die-hard fans’ memories of one of his best songs to date; and 3) top 40 programmers’ strategy of satisfying his fans (after coming up short on a “Blinding Lights”-sized hit from latest album Dawn FM) and capitalizing on the recent “Die” revival. I also feel like The Weeknd’s really struck listeners’ nostalgic nerve right now, with his contribution to Metro Boomin’s “Creepin” (which partially covers Mario Winans’ 2004 track “I Don’t Wanna Know”) also remaining in the top 10 of the Hot 100 for the last two months. Dusting off not just one but two old songs and turning them into modern day smashes is very impressive, and I don’t know how many other artists would be able to pull that off.
Andrew Unterberger: It’s just kinda what The Weeknd does. “Die for You” proved a better fit for streaming and radio than anything off Dawn FM — and historically speaking, once one of his singles reaches a certain level of popularity, it’s tougher to get rid off than bedbugs. That probably would’ve been true of “Die” even without any high-profile remixes.
2. On Friday, the song’s Ariana Grande-featuring remix was released to much fanfare, marking the fourth time the two pop superstars have collaborated on a song. Why do you think their artistic partnership continues seems to make such an impact each time out?
Rania Aniftos: Their relationship is so authentic, and fans see that. They’re genuinely friends, and because of that, it doesn’t just feel like some cash-grab collaboration between two huge celebrities. You can tell from how incredible every single one of their collabs are that they actually want to make the best music possible together, and it works. Of course, their combined mega-star power doesn’t hurt.
Stephen Daw: Ari and Abel share one thing that makes them both stand out from many of their other peers: unique, singular voices. When you put them together, it feels like two perfectly fitted puzzle pieces that complete a greater picture. There’s simply no denying that they both sound phenomenal bouncing off of one another, so it makes sense that every time they collaborate, fans eat it up and ask them when they’re going to get more.
Jason Lipshutz: Abel and Ariana have a shared rhythmic-pop sensibility that allows them to approach tracks in a similar way and sound great together on the finished product. Over the past decade, both artists have enveloped themselves in R&B textures while placing high value on radio-friendly pop hooks; they often sing about love with a tinge of darkness, as if even the most romantic of scenarios contain jabs of pain mixed in with the shots of pleasure. A song like “Die for You” makes for the perfect vehicle for both talents — pillowy in parts and epic in others, the track conveys devotion through ultimate sacrifice, and meets a complicated relationship with nuanced, spectacular vocal runs.
Heran Mamo: It goes without saying that they’re two of the biggest pop stars in the world, so putting them together on one song is bound to make noise. But specifically, The Weeknd’s awe-inspiring falsetto and Ariana’s incredible upper register and piercing whistle tones always come together for the most heavenly songs that literally make you feel like you’re in the clouds. Talk about pop perfection!
Andrew Unterberger: It’s a great fit of pop voices and personas: two pop&B superstars who excel at illustrating dizzying highs and terrifying lows, who are very purposeful in the evolution of their artistry, and who always come with skyscraping and unmistakable vocals.
3. The last time Grande and Tesfaye teamed up was in a similar spot in spring 2021 — with The Weeknd’s “Save Your Tears” still hanging around the top 10, but likely without the commercial momentum to continue climbing much higher on its own. That collab helped “Tears” immediately shoot to No. 1, and helped it become a big- and long-lasting-enough hit to still be going in 2022. Do you see the “Die for You” having a similar-sized effect, in either the short or long terms?
Rania Aniftos: Yes, but only because Ariana Grande hasn’t put out music in a while, as she’s been busy with other endeavors like her beauty line and her role in the Wicked film. We know that her fans are dying to hear from her and support her in any musical capacity – which is more than enough to blast “Die for You” into a long-lasting hit.
Stephen Daw: Simply put, yes. I try not to make Big Predictions™ that often, but with “Die for You” already climbing back to No. 6 after just the anticipation of a new Ariana collab, it feels like there is very little that could stop it from taking the No. 1 spot in next week’s chart. Sure, they’re pulling the same play that they did with “Save Your Tears” — but if it ain’t broke, why fix it?
Jason Lipshutz: Yeah, I think this gets to No. 1. The top of the Hot 100 has become a crowded spot lately, with mega-hits by Miley Cyrus and SZA joined by songs by PinkPantheress & Ice Spice and Morgan Wallen quickly becoming ubiquitous… but The Weeknd and Ariana Grande are A-list artists with sprawling fan bases, tons of radio buy-in and indisputable chemistry. Sure, the “Die for You” remix is a canny attempt to get a top 10 song into pole position on the Hot 100, but that doesn’t mean that the collaboration doesn’t work. As a pop product, the “Die for You” remix fires on all cylinders, and should become huge in the coming weeks.
Heran Mamo: Absolutely. If the six-year-old, solo version can launch to and then stay in the top 10 of the Hot 100 for two months, then the Ariana Grande remix can definitely help maintain that momentum and eventually reach the chart’s top spot. Let’s not forget that this is Ariana’s first major musical release in two years, so her fans will be eating this up. And depending on when she’ll release music again, given her busy film schedule with Wicked, the “Die for You” remix might have to tide the Arianators over for a while. The Abel-Ariana link-up is a tried-and-true formula for a smash that’s sure to work its magic once more.
Andrew Unterberger: Definitely in the short term — based on the remix’s excellent early showing on DSPs and on iTunes, it should help the song score a big chart jump this week, possibly all the way to No. 1. For the long-term, we’ll have to wait and see which version listeners continue to gravitate towards — but with the “Tears” precedent and with the remix still in the daily top 10 on Spotify and Apple Music halfway through the week, I’d probably put my money on it being the enduring version of the song as well.
4. Do you see the addition of Grande’s contributions to “Die for You” as either a major improvement or expansion of the song, or is interest in the new remix mostly just fan excitement about the two pop greats being together again?
Rania Aniftos: I thought the song was great on its own, but I’ve always loved how Ari’s voice sounds with Abel’s because it just amplifies their ethereal, atmospheric musical tastes. So even though the remix might not make the biggest difference or improvement, everything they make together is a fun listen and so, so catchy that nobody’s ever mad at it. I’m certainly not.
Stephen Daw: I think the remix is a great song that was already great before Ariana hopped on it. Her addition is certainly welcome, especially when you see the clip of her comping her own vocal takes to make sure all of her stacked harmonies were perfect. All of that being said, no, this is not a major revitalization of the song — it’s a fun remix with two artists who work well together that gets people listening to the song even more than they already were.
Jason Lipshutz: Ariana Grande joining “Die for You” turns the song into a conversation: after The Weeknd sings, “You know what I’m thinkin’, see it in your eyes/ You hate that you want me, hate it when you cry,” Grande sings the words right back at him in the next verse, as if both parties in the relationship are guilty of being addicted to an unhappy union. Hearing Grande’s voice throughout the remix applies another familiar voice to a major hook, but the real power is in the emotional layers that she adds to the track.
Heran Mamo: I’d say the latter, considering the original “Die for You” is so strong on its own – with a gut-wrenching chorus, scintillating production and The Weeknd’s swoon-worthy, signature falsetto – that it didn’t need a remix. The undeniable vocal chemistry between Abel and Ariana certainly strengthens “Die for You,” but the buzz behind its remix, which started in November when SZA confirmed a rumor she had already recorded one before The Weeknd eventually announced Ariana as his collaborator, has kept fans on their toes for a while.
Andrew Unterberger: The fan excitement was guaranteed to give it a strong push out of the gate, but I think the listeners will stick around in large part because the remix simply works — it just feels a little fuller, a little higher-stakes than the original. It’s not an enormous difference, but it might be enough to take the song from a fun surprise breakout for The Weeknd to a true signature hit.
5. What other A-list collaborators who’ve only worked together once or twice would you like to see growing into a Weeknd/Ariana Grande type relationship, where they come together for a new song or remix every couple years and see blockbuster results seemingly each time out?
Rania Aniftos: I apologize in advance, because this isn’t exactly what’s being asked here, but it must be said: Harry Styles and Taylor Swift need to have this type of collaborative relationship. Their romance-turned-friendship is so sweet and everywhere in the news when they see each other at events. Could you imagine the frenzy if Harry did a remix of Taylor’s “Style”?
Stephen Daw: Doja Cat & SZA, all day, every day. “Kiss Me More” was such a phenomenal outing for both of them because it felt like when they came together, they were bringing out different sides of each other — SZA had permission to be sillier, while Doja had an excuse to show off more of her vocal chops. Provided that Doja doesn’t actually quit the music industry, I would love to see these two get together for another track.
Jason Lipshutz: After “No Body No Crime” and the “Gasoline” remix, sign me up for like, 15 more Taylor Swift-Haim collaborations. Give me a whole album and tour together! Give me Taylor on a retroactive remix of “The Wire”! A guy can dream, right?
Heran Mamo: SZA and Travis Scott. “Love Galore” is truly such a beautiful ballad because of SZA’s emotive vocals and raw storytelling blending with Travis’ euphoric, Auto-Tuned bars and amusing ad-libs. He tapped back into his melodic pocket again on “Open Arms” from the now 10-weeks-and-counting Billboard 200 No. 1 album SOS (where he made another low-key appearance on “Low”). While “Love Galore” peaked at No. 32 on the Hot 100, I think SZA and Travis’ future collabs can build off their chemistry and previous track record (which actually dates back to 2015 with her cameo on his 2015 Rodeo cut “Ok Alright”) and take both artists to even greater heights.
Andrew Unterberger: Halsey and Post Malone seem like they should be strong candidates to have this kind of relationship — though considering Halsey recently cut an entirely solo version of her lone Posty collab to date, their partnership currently might be moving in the wrong direction for it.
Best-selling alt-metal veterans Linkin Park are certainly no strangers to the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100, having previously visited the region 10 times since their early-’00s breakout. But their No. 38 debut for new single “Lost” this week still feels particularly noteworthy, for a few reasons.
First of all, it’s the band’s first top 40 hit since 2012 — and their first following the shocking death of lead singer Chester Bennington in 2017. And it comes with a song that, while seeing release for the first time this February, has existed since 2003, when it was recorded during the sessions for the band’s RIAA-certified 7x platinum sophomore album, Meteora.
Why has “Lost” done so well, so quickly? And can we expect more just-unearthed hits like it to soon follow? Billboard staffers discuss these questions and more below.
1. The No. 38 debut for “Lost” marks Linkin Park’s first Hot 100 top 40 hit in over a decade, since “Burn It Down” hit No. 30 in 2012. On a scale from 1-10, how surprised are you that this song was able to make such an immediate chart impact?
Katie Atkinson: Living in L.A. and still hearing Linkin Park in hourly rotation on KROQ, it’s a 1 for me. There are a lot of stations across the country that never stopped playing them, so it’s no surprise that a song recorded during sessions for their first Billboard 200 No. 1 album would still fit right in on a lot of radio (and now streaming) playlists 20 years later. It feels like a perfect gift for anyone still mourning Chester’s premature death, or for younger fans who just discovered the band’s music.
Eric Renner Brown: 5. I find it unremarkable that alt-rock radio would jump on a prime-era Linkin Park cut, especially one that – more on this below – is similar in caliber and aesthetic to the band’s other ‘00s hits. It’s tempting to think there might be another peak Linkin Park single to slot in alongside workhorses like “in The End” and “Numb”! Considering how big a factor nostalgia plays in Linkin Park fandom (or so I thought), I’m somewhat surprised that so many streamers gravitated toward a new song, but ultimately it just speaks to the power of effective digital promotion, the enduring cachet of the band’s name, and the nostalgic appeal of this general aesthetic.
Josh Glicksman: Somewhere hovering around a 4. Given the band’s longstanding success at radio, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that the single would find a quick home at the format. Sure enough, “Lost” became just the fourth song ever to debut atop Billboard’s Rock & Alternative Airplay chart, with notable entries on many other airplay rankings in the genre. Combined with its appearance on several curated streaming playlists and a reliable, eager fan base, No. 38 is probably a bit higher than I expected, but certainly not shocking.
Joe Lynch: I think a six on first blush, but then a three when I think about it in context. It’s perhaps worth an eyebrow raise that Linkin Park is back on the Hot 100’s top 40 for the first time since 2012, but when you account for it being a song recorded for a beloved album featuring late vocalist Chester Bennington released in this streaming era, it makes a lot more sense.
Andrew Unterberger: An 8. It’s easy to look at this at a glance and think, “Well, of course a recently uncovered peak-era song from one of the most popular bands of the last three decades would do well.” But this really doesn’t happen that often — you kinda have to go back to Nirvana’s “You Know You’re Right” in 2002 to find another posthumously released rock song with this kind of immediate impact, and even that song was less than a decade old, not 20 whole years. Plus, in the streaming age, curiosity listens only take you so far if you’re not a core pop artist; the song has to really resonate to make a major impact. You can’t just walk into a top 40 debut as a legacy rock act, no matter how huge your legacy is.
2. “Lost” was discovered as part of the sessions for the band’s blockbuster 2003 album Meteora, and will be included on that set’s upcoming 20th anniversary reissue. In your opinion, had the group chosen to release it 20 years ago, would the song have been a worthy single on that set, an album track, a B-side or not really worthy at all?
Katie Atkinson: The thing that’s probably working for it in 2023 is likely also the thing that worked against it in 2003: It sounds too interchangeable with some of the other Meteora singles. In retrospect, I might find “Lost” to be slightly more interesting than lead single “Somewhere I Belong” and definitely more exciting than international single “From the Inside,” but putting that trio of songs together on one project might be too one-note. On the other hand, I don’t think “Lost” touches “Faint,” “Numb” or “Breaking the Habit” in explosiveness or catchiness. So I think it might have fit as a later single, or an album cut at the very least.
Eric Renner Brown: It’s hard to overstate just how massive Linkin Park was in the Meteora era, and just how important they were to so many fans, adolescents especially. As one of those fans, it’s fascinating to look back on how exactly the Meteora singles fared on the charts at the time – solidly, but not much more than that. I think “Lost” could’ve been a good single, but that elides a broader truth: That to Linkin Park fans, all Meteora’s songs were singles, they were all anthems. Like, “Faint” only hit No. 48 on the Hot 100 and No. 15 on Hot Rock & Alternative Songs? That song defined the adolescences of millions of kids!
Josh Glicksman: Album track. It’s hard to remove the nostalgia-wrapped bias factor, but swapping out any of Meteora’s current singles feels like an extremely difficult task — billion-plus Spotify streamer “Numb” was the third single on this powerhouse. In reality, it’s going to take a bit of time to separate the excitement of a new Linkin Park single from properly judging where it fits into the band’s catalog, but after nearly two weeks of listens, it’s more than a welcome sight on the upcoming 20th anniversary release.
Joe Lynch: I could definitely see an album track — but then again, Meteora really benefited from being a lean 12 songs clocking in at 36 minutes, so perhaps B-side would have made more sense. And while it’s obviously making waves now, proving it has some chops as a single, it’s hard to argue that the band was really hurting for radio songs to release from that project.
Andrew Unterberger: By my estimation it would’ve been the 6th or 7th best song on Meteora; still a tier below the five big U.S. singles (at least three of which are stone classics) but solidly preferable to a handful of the more anonymous deep cuts found in between them on the tracklist. For a song that’s been gathering dust in the vaults for two decades, that’s pretty close to a best-case scenario.
3. A bow like this — with strong metrics across the board — suggests that real-time affection for and interest in Linkin Park is still high, despite the group’s commercial heyday now being decades in the rearview. What is it about Linkin Park that make them still this accessible to streaming-era audiences, even with an obviously older-sounding song?
Katie Atkinson: The sound they helped pioneer – merging rap, electronic and hard rock – is now the norm more than the exception. So while it definitely sounds like a 2003 nu-metal song, it also isn’t too far from, say, Imagine Dragons’ massive hit “Enemy” with rapper J.I.D from last year. So it’s working the nostalgia angle, and still isn’t really too left-field from what would fit in on contemporary modern rock radio.
Eric Renner Brown: The success of “Lost,” and by extension the way it demonstrates Linkin Park’s enduring appeal, is a new, compelling piece of evidence in a broader thesis: ’90s and ‘00s rock bands are now firmly in their legacy phases. From the ‘90s onward, labels and promoters have cashed in on the biggest rock acts of the ’60s and ‘70s, harnessing aging audiences with nostalgia for their youth – and plenty of disposable income to relive it.
Today, we’re as far from Meteora as a 40-year-old fan in the early ‘90s would’ve been from Woodstock. Go to a concert by a legacy artist like Dead & Company or Billy Joel today, and chances are, they’re not busting out any new stuff – and if they are, it probably isn’t going to sound much different from the classic stuff the fans came for. On the recorded side, Boomers have reliably been wanted to go back to the well for every morsel of music recorded in the studios by their favorite legacy artists during their respective peaks, so it makes sense to me Millennials would behave similarly with their touchstones. (All this before even getting into the way that the early ‘00s nu-metal aesthetic has recently returned in a big way with Gen Z.)
Josh Glicksman: I don’t know that I would say decades, as in plural, for the band’s commercial heyday — Living Things and One More Light both debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in 2012 and 2017, respectively. That said, its biggest hits from closer to the turn of the century have never really faded away from public purview: “In the End” and “Numb” are still instantly recognizable crowd-pleasers. Plus, some of the more commercially viable rock artists today, including Machine Gun Kelly, citing late frontman Chester Bennington as a source of inspiration has helped to introduce the band’s discography to a new, streaming-heavy generation of listeners.
Joe Lynch: I think “decades in the rearview” is overstating it. Every album up until 2014’s The Hunting Party sold well over half a million in America, and on the Hot 100, “New Divide” from one of those idiotic Transformers movies was a top 10 hit in 2009. And honestly, that “Heavy” song hit No. 45 in 2017, which really isn’t a world of difference between this song reaching No. 38 in 2023.
Now that I’m done picking apart the question, I’ll answer it: In hindsight, Linkin Park’s guileless blend of rock, hip-hop and electronic music was clearly more influential than the more critically lauded work the White Stripes, the Strokes, et. al, were doing around the same time. So to me, it’s not shocking that in a genre-agnostic streaming era, a vintage track featuring the band’s late singer is able to become a hit.
Andrew Unterberger: I’ve always thought that Linkin Park were ahead of their time, as the first group to rise to Biggest Band in the World status while viewing rock music primarily through a digital prism — with electronic-based, studio-oriented and heavily adaptable songs that pointed towards an era when guitars would be just one layer of many in a typical rock production. (Not to mention that their frank lyrics about despair, alienation and suffering mental health, while viewed by many as over-the-top in their heyday, sound more at home in 2020s pop than ever before — and also were largely free of the kind of sexist, narcissistic mookishness of many of their ’00s rock peers.) It’s hardly surprising that their music continues to hit with audiences who wouldn’t give a f–k about most GWB-era bands.
4. With modern audiences evidently less concerned than ever about songs being “new” in embracing them as contemporary hits, is there a higher commercial ceiling for recently unearthed songs by familiar artists? Would you expect to see a number of such previously unreleased catalog songs following “Lost” onto the Hot 100 in the next few years?
Katie Atkinson: I don’t see why not. Fans seem much less beholden to artists’ “album cycles” and just want to hear their favorite sounds and their favorite voices on the radio and streaming. What’s interesting is that someone like The Weeknd will go to great lengths to create a theme around an album – like his Dawn FM radio theme or his bloody-faced character from After Hours – and then TikTok and radio programmers will go back and make a hit out of a Starboy album cut from seven years ago when he was in a whole different mind-set. Same thing for Lady Gaga’s many album-based personas, and then “Bloody Mary” just comes roaring out of nowhere 12 years later. Why can’t Linkin Park have a “new” hit in 2023 when the sound of 2023 has no real cohesive personality?
Eric Renner Brown: Audiences are definitely less concerned about songs being “new,” and I think “Lost” will be an instructive case study for anyone in the business who has been on the fence about releasing an archival single by similarly esteemed contemporaries of Linkin Park. Of course, Linkin Park’s case – frontman Chester Bennington no longer being with us – makes it unique. Many of the band’s peers continue to release new music that they might not want overshadowed by material from their respective “classic” eras.
Josh Glicksman: Absolutely there’s a higher commercial ceiling. You don’t need to look beyond this week’s Hot 100: “I’m Good” by David Guetta and Bebe Rexha was recorded years before its eventual release last summer, and in its 25th week on the chart, it’s holding in the top 10. Even songs like The Weeknd’s “Die For You” and Miguel’s “Sure Thing” — which, to be fair, are hardly unearthed — have taken on a second life and are indicative that recording dates don’t carry all that much weight at the moment. I’d expect loads of artists to try to replicate such success, even if only to serve as in-between-albums fodder for their fans.
Joe Lynch: Oh for sure. Without sounding morbid, I’m sure a number of classic millennial and/or Gen X bands are scouring their archives to find something from a long-gone frontperson that could give the remaining members a chart boost in the 2020s. But it isn’t going to work for everyone; it’s very telling to me that even as the Beatles and Prince have opened the flood gates on vault cuts, it’s a song that fits squarely within the 20-year nostalgia cycle that did the thing (not unlike Angela Bassett).
Andrew Unterberger: For sure, but… the songs still have to be good. “Lost” is not exactly a lost classic, but if you heard it on the radio before knowing about its backstory you’d have no problem assuming it was just a lesser-remembered minor hit single you’d forgotten about. Most major artists (and/or their labels) don’t sit on songs like that for 20 years, they’re exhumed long before and milked for all their worth at the first possible notice. It’s serendipitous (or just well-planned) that “Lost” was rediscovered in time for the Meteora 20th anniversary; the timing is perfect, and it’s been long enough now since Bennington’s passing that the release of a new-old single doesn’t feel too raw or potentially exploitative.
5. Of course, the success of “Lost” comes after the tragic death of Linkin Park’s celebrated frontman Chester Bennington in 2017. What’s the first song you think of when it comes to posthumous artist releases that really continued and expanded that artist’s legacy?
Katie Atkinson: There are so many options here, but I’m going to go with The Notorious B.I.G.’s “Mo Money Mo Problems.” It’s Biggie’s biggest Hot 100 hit and it was released as a single four months after his murder. It mostly goes to prove just how earth-shatteringly huge he was when he died and that the best was likely still yet to come if his life hadn’t been cut short.
Eric Renner Brown: For so many major artists, especially the ones who die young, a cottage industry pops up posthumously mining their archives. My introduction to this was as a Hendrix-obsessed teenager – but Hendrix’s posthumous releases, as is often the case, were hardly essential. The best and most influential posthumous releases, naturally, are usually the ones that were actively intended for imminent release by artists – and the gold standard is Otis Redding’s “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay.” You can’t really understand Otis’s legacy without this song, recorded in two sessions within the three weeks before his December 1967 death in a plane crash at age 26, and released just a month after he died. It’s the definitive Redding cut: his only Hot 100 No. 1, the perfect summation of his style and genius, and a profoundly influential song too, with a rich sampling history in hip-hop. It’s a tragedy he never saw what it became.
Josh Glicksman: Biggie’s first few singles from Life After Death. “Hypnotize” was released just before he died, but it became his first Hot 100 No. 1 less than two months after. Its follow-up single, “Mo Money Mo Problems” with Mase and Diddy repeated the accomplishment that summer.
Joe Lynch: Nirvana’s “You Know You’re Right” is the first that comes to mind. It was released eight years after Cobain’s shocking death; this comes six years after Bennington’s shocking death. It brought the band to No. 45 on the Hot 100; so far, this one brought the band back to No. 38. Did that song expand or continue their legacy, though? Eh. For that, I’m going all the way back to 1968, when Otis Redding’s “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay” – certainly a signature song from a soul GOAT for many – became the first posthumous single to hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Andrew Unterberger: I still find “You Know You’re Right” to be staggering — a Nirvana song that not only ranks among their most visceral singles of their career, but somehow sounded far more at home amid the alt-rock of 2002 than it would’ve in their own lifetime.
While we’ve already seen a few proven hitmakers — Miley Cyrus, Shakira, Morgan Wallen — zooming onto the Billboard Hot 100 with splashy hits so far this year, this week we get something a little different: a top 15 debut from two rising pop artists who’ve never reached higher than No. 82 on the chart before.
“Boy’s a Liar” was already a modest streaming success for acclaimed pop&B singer-songwriter PinkPantheress, racking up millions of plays a week. But it didn’t really threaten the Hot 100 until its “Pt. 2” remix premiered on Feb. 3, alongside viral rapper Ice Spice. The new version took off almost immediately, and continued climbing for all last week — resulting in a No. 14 Hot 100 debut on the chart dated Feb. 18.
Why did their combination prove so potent? And which artist does the breakthrough mean more for? Billboard staffers discuss these questions and more below.
1. PinkPantheress’ and Ice Spice’s names won’t be unfamiliar to anyone who’s paid close attention to pop music over the past couple years — particularly online — but their individual solo Hot 100 histories to this point are minimal. What is about their team-up that allowed “Boy’s a Liar” to have such an explosive Hot 100 debut?
Rania Aniftos: PinkPantheress and Ice Spice teamed up at the perfect point in their careers, where they both had just enough buzz for the collaboration to take off. Also, “Boy’s a Liar” is two cute, fun women singing about how men are trash. It was made for the Hot 100.
Jason Lipshutz: Sometimes, online popularity is multiplied thanks to a collaboration between two well-known (if not high-charting) artists, and then applied to the right song to have both artists explode up the Hot 100. The effect that we’re seeing from “Boy’s a Liar Pt. 2” reminds me a little of Migos and Lil Uzi Vert’s No. 1 smash from 2017, “Bad and Boujee” — not that those songs sound anything alike, but they both soared up the Hot 100 at a time when their respective creators had been cult favorites for a while without a full-on mainstream embrace. We’ll see how high “Boy’s a Liar Pt. 2” can climb, but PinkPantheress and Ice Spice are likely about to experience highly expanded profiles because of it.
Heran Mamo: TikTok has been an impressive launchpad for both artists, so for PinkPantheress and Ice Spice to join forces (and online fanbases), their collaboration was sure to make a lot of noise on the Billboard charts. Sonically, Pink’s U.K. drum and bass-meets-bubblegum pop and Ice’s Brooklyn drill sounds complement one another with their uniquely frenetic rhythms, while Pink’s sweet-sounding, shrill voice and Ice’s bold, raspier voice delivery provide a noteworthy contrast. Not to mention, the “Boy’s a Liar Pt. 2” music video — which currently sits at No. 1 on YouTube’s U.S. Trending music chart — adds to their indomitable power as Gen-Z’s it-girlies.
Andrew Unterberger: Sometimes it just takes a small boost for artists who have long been knocking on the door of the mainstream to break all the way through. The pairing of PinkPantheress and Ice Spice was unexpected but intriguing — and, once you got the chance to hear and see it, pretty logical. If you were interested in either artist, chances are you were checking this out, and you were probably satisfied enough to share it on put it on your heavy-rotation playlists. To see it just snowball from there — to the point where the song now likely has plenty of listeners who were previously unfamiliar with either artist — is mostly just a testament to the song being real good.
Christine Werthman: PinkPantheress and Ice Spice both get a lot of streaming and TikTok love on their own, though that doesn’t necessarily translate to Hot 100 success. But their team-up on “Boy’s a liar Pt. 2″ — not just for a song but also a video — made for a perfect joining of forces that united their fanbases, and their numbers, and catapulted this vulnerable 2:11-long callout to that impressive No. 14 debut. PinkPantheress recently admitted to being picky about her collaborators, and it seems like she held out for the perfect one.
2. The original “Liar” had been lingering around the Spotify daily charts as one of PinkPantheress’ bigger streaming hits, but could never quite seem to get the juice to cross over on its own. Do you think the Pt. 2 with Ice Spice is a superior and/or more commercial version of the song, or do you think it’s mostly excitement over the combination of artists that’s propelling it so far?
Rania Aniftos: The online hype surrounding Ice Spice lately definitely didn’t hurt. Her soothing rap verse adds a digestible, radio-ready quality to the song without sacrificing its unique sound. Fans in general also seem to be loving female collaborations, as we’ve seen through various team-ups Doja Cat and Megan Thee Stallion have done over the past few years. The unexpected-but-so-natural decision for PinkPantheress and Ice Spice to work together was such a good move, and allowed the song to propel into the mainstream.
Jason Lipshutz: Why not both? The remix has certainly benefited from the presence of Ice Spice, who’s been a prominent figure in popular hip-hop throughout this year, thanks in part to her Like.. ? EP. But her presence on “Boy’s a Liar Pt. 2” isn’t a gimmick: even though the song lengths of the original and remix are exactly the same, Ice Spice balances out PinkPantheress’ melodic sighs and jingly chorus with weighty bars, making the song less of a delightful trifle and more of a fleshed-out pop hit.
Heran Mamo: I’d say both. Adding another fast-growing internet sensation like Ice Spice into the mix is the perfect ingredient to make “Boy’s a Liar” a commercial hit. Even leaked TikTok videos of them filming the “Boy’s a Liar Pt. 2” music video in New York made waves before the song was ever released because fans were in disbelief that their favorites were coming together. Additionally, the beginning of Ice’s verse – “He say that I’m good enough, grabbin’ my duh-duh-duh/ Thinkin’ ‘bout sh— that I shouldn’t have (Huh)” – has proven to be one of the most lyrically memorable components of the track, so she adds more value to “Boy’s a Liar” beyond her presence.
Andrew Unterberger: I wouldn’t say the new version is better, necessarily, but it does make “Liar” feel more like a commercial pop song. The “Pt. 2” version of “Boy’s a Liar” isn’t actually any longer than the original — both run 2:11, just with Ice Spice’s new verse subbed in for PinkPantheress’ second verse on “Pt. 2” — it just feels fuller, thanks the switch-up to Spice’s completely different (but still well-matching) flow. For two artists whose singles have been consistently satisfying, but maybe a little too clipped and weightless for certain pop audiences to really give them full consideration, the combination ends up being more than the sum of its parts.
Christine Werthman: The Bronx rapper brings a grounding element to the original track, which flits about as the British dance-pop artist vocalizes relationship insecurities and frustrations. “Pt. 2” also catches Ice Spice in a less guarded place than usual, and though there’s something novel about that for fans, I don’t think it upped the song’s commercial appeal. Instead, I think it just granted each artist exclusive access to the other’s fanbase, and that combination propelled the plays.
The video dropped 11 days ago, and it already has 12 million views — so watching these two link, looking ultra cool against a New York City backdrop, is enough to get people excited. That said, if “Pt. 2” (or even the original “Boy’s a Liar”) weren’t such a strong track on its own, the collab might not have had such an impact. But the audio plus the visual made it take off.
3. Which of the two artists do you think this debut ultimately means more for?
Rania Aniftos: I really want to say both, but I’m not going to cheat on this answer. I’m going to say PinkPantheress, because I’ve always known that she’s great, and it’s about time everyone else does too.
Jason Lipshutz: Probably Ice Spice — who appears to be on the verge of full-blown stardom, after a months-long run of positively received music, increasing meme-ability and growing respect for her microphone skills from the old school and new school hip-hop communities. Make no mistake, “Boy’s a Liar” represents a significant win for PinkPantheress, a critically adored pop savant who is about to play bigger stages. Yet the song feels like another checked box in Ice Spice’s rapid breakthrough as a major artist.
Heran Mamo: PinkPantheress, considering she’s the lead artist on the track and this marks her career-first entry on the Hot 100. She released her debut mixtape, To Hell With It, in October 2021, and besides her latest slew of singles (which includes “Boy’s a Liar”), it’s been relatively quiet on her end. Her evolution from a faceless singer who teases her music on TikTok via viral snippets to charting star with increasing momentum and an actual physical presence has been remarkable to witness in the short years she’s been on the scene.
Andrew Unterberger: It’s tough, because it means a whole lot for both in different ways. But I’d say Ice Spice gets the slightly bigger boost here as the difference-maker; she also debuts her own slowly growing solo hit “In Ha Mood” at No. 85 this week, and seems well on her way to being one of the most ubiquitous pop figures of 2023. This is a big breakthrough for PinkPantheress and should help her visibility significantly, but if she went back to being a mostly cult-level pop hitmaker after this it wouldn’t be shocking.
Christine Werthman: Ice Spice, since it looks like her co-sign/feature can boost songs to new heights.
4. Once the initial excitement passes, do you see “Liar” continuing to grow into one of the biggest hits of early 2023? Or do you think this strong start is about as good as it will get for the song?
Rania Aniftos: It’s hard to say because I still haven’t been able to pinpoint what the major 2023 trend in music is yet. It seems like this is going to be the viral song that stays through the summer due to its bubbly nature, but you really never know with the Internet. Every time we think we figured out what’s viral, another random smash comes out of nowhere.
Jason Lipshutz: Although it will be tough for “Liar” to challenge smashes from A-list artists like Miley Cyrus, SZA, Morgan Wallen and Taylor Swift at the top of the Hot 100 in the coming weeks, I do expect the song to keep rising and make a top 10 bow sooner than later. “Liar” is too damn catchy and well-made to be relegated to “viral hit” status, and even though PinkPantheress and Ice Spice have zero track record at pop radio, I could see top 40 programmers taking a chance on a single that’s this accessible, and help its upward momentum continue.
Heran Mamo: I have hope that “Boy’s a Liar” has the momentum to become one of the year’s earliest hits. Pink’s catchy “Good eno-o-ough, good eno-o-ough” post-chorus, cheeky Ice Spice-isms like “grabbin’ my duh-duh-duh” and the candy-coated production ensure this track will be a mainstay. I mean, how could they lose if they’re already chose… like?
Andrew Unterberger: It’s really never a good idea to underestimate the commercial ceiling for a song that debuts strong out the gate and just keeps growing from there. The song has continued to climb on streaming services’ daily charts — and not just one of them; it’s in the daily top 10 for each of Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube — and radio shouldn’t be far behind. It’ll have its work cut out for it passing some of those bigger names currently occupying the chart’s top spots, so No. 1 might end up being out of reach for it. But the top five feels like a distinct possibility, and sooner than later.
Christine Werthman: All the attention is boosting “Liar” beyond the Ice Spice and PinkPantheress fan spheres, so I think it will climb a little higher from here. Maybe even top 10 material.
5. When a song like this comes out of nowhere (relatively speaking) and zooms into a debut like this, it’s guaranteed the industry will sit up and pay attention to it. So what important industry lessons, if any, do you think can be taken from the early success of “Boy’s a Liar”?
Rania Aniftos: Songs that sound like Paris Hilton listened to them in 2005 are still very much in – and so are female collaborations! We’ve been on this early 2000’s nostalgia wave in music over the past few months, and I think it’s going to continue well into 2003. I expect to see more of these pop, digital-sounding hooks in the future.
Jason Lipshutz: A decade ago, there were certain indie-pop artists who were never going to remove the “indie-“ prefix from their categorization and score a mainstream hit; now, in the age of TikTok, left-of-center artists have a very real shot at scoring top 40 hits under the right circumstances. So as unlikely as a hit PinkPantheress single may have seemed a few weeks ago, the industry cannot afford to shrug off the mainstream potential of singer-songwriters who continue to produce top-notch pop. You never know which “Boy’s a Liar” is just around the corner.
Heran Mamo: Make remixes that make sense. Sometimes, songs that are already performing well on their own will be supplemented with remixes that don’t necessarily add to the track beside A-list names (e.g., the Justin Bieber and J Balvin remix of 24k Goldn and iann dior’s “Mood”) and end up doing nothing. PinkPantheress and Ice Spice are two 20-something, pop and rap princesses of the digital age with a similarly eclectic taste in beats. Even Pink said it herself in a cover interview with NME that “when it comes to collaborations, I’m quite picky: I always want someone who can match me well on a track.” And Ice does exactly that on “Boy’s a Liar.”
Andrew Unterberger: I think there’s something to be said about looking out for buzzy singles that internalize trends that have been going on for some time in the underground, while filtering them through a more accessible pop framework. You can hear some of the frenetic airiness of hyperpop and even a little bit of the bounce of Jersey club in “Boy’s a Liar,” but at the end of the day you wouldn’t say it really belongs to either of those genres — you’d just call it a pop song. Songs that can pull that off, without seeming trend-hoppy or late… the sky’s the limit for ’em, really.
Christine Werthman: PinkPantheress has more monthly listeners on Spotify than Ice Spice (20 million vs. 14 million, respectively), but they’re not lightyears apart in terms of popularity. Perhaps the takeaway is that you don’t need a big Drake-sized feature on your track to make it soar — you just need a smart pairing of artists who naturally vibe, who differ stylistically but aren’t total opposites and, sure, who have each found love in the streaming world.
They were the final rapper to appear in the Grammys’ 50th anniversary tribute to hip-hop mega-medley, and now they’re back in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100: Lil Uzi Vert, whose “Just Wanna Rock” climbs from 12 to 10 on the chart dated Feb. 11.
Uzi started the 2020s as one of the biggest artists in popular music, with their Eternal Atake album blanketing the Hot 100 and posting one of the year’s best first-week numbers. But they haven’t released a new album since then, and their single and EP releases over the last three years failed to generate the same level of excitement — until the Jersey Club-influenced “Rock” started taking off in late 2022.
Is Uzi officially back? And what might be able to put “Rock” over the top on the Hot 100? Billboard staffers answer these questions and more below.
1. “Just Wanna Rock” peeks into the top 10 this week, in its 16th week on the listing. What do you think the biggest reason is behind its late growth into a top 10 hit?
Carl Lamarre: I think it took people time to get it. The Jersey Club sound has a place in hip-hop but picked up incredible steam as of late, courtesy of “Rock” and the DJ Smallz 732 remix of Coi Leray’s “Players.” Later, it became a huge hit — as most of Uzi’s records do — on social media. And, of course, Uzi’s penchant for showy dance moves also gave the track an extra boost, as previously proven with their “Futsal Shuffle.”
Cydney Lee: Good question. I’m going to throw a dart and say the timing of its release. Uzi dropped this in October and the video came a month later then the holidays hit which slowed things down. Now it’s a new year, people’s energy is different and the countdown to spring and summer has started. Maybe that’s it. But “Just Wanna Rock” and Jersey Club in general, has been going crazy on TikTok, being the soundtrack to viral dance trends and I think this popularity and growth is mostly coming from the youth. (Also, the song will climb even higher when my (the) Philadelphia Eagles win the Super Bowl!!!)
Elias Leight: The track’s growing presence at radio helped push it into the upper reaches of the Hot 100. “Just Wanna Rock” has been earning more than 18 million on-demand streams a week (including UGC) since back in November, according to Luminate. (That number was actually above 21 million for much of December.) Radio often lags behind streaming, and sure enough, the audience that encountered “Just WannaRock” on the airwaves has grown more slowly. But it has risen considerably since Christmas, closing in on 30 million and helping to propel Lil Uzi Vert back into the top 10.
Jason Lipshutz: “Just Wanna Rock” is a proudly strange single that rejects normal song structure, swerves away from Lil Uzi Vert’s established sound and deploys hooks that take time to worm their way into your heart; I was reluctant to embrace “Rock” when it was first released, and now, I play it multiple times a day. I’d bet that plenty of Uzi fans and casual hip-hop listeners have experienced a similar evolution — perhaps spurred on a little by hearing the song in a sports arena, where it’s been absolutely inescapable this winter. “Just Wanna Rock” is not a one-listen type of smash, so it makes sense that it needed a few months (a several dozen NBA arena spins) to surge into the top 10.
Andrew Unterberger: Not sure if it’s the biggest reason, but I do think its increased use within the sports world — as both a go-to jock jam in arenas and stadiums and a locker-room favorite of teams (including Uzi’s Super Bowl-bound hometown Philadelphia Eagles) has helped its momentum, and given it much-needed pop culture context for those who might’ve otherwise found it confusing. Regardless, I look forward to hearing it during pre-game intros and timeouts for the next few decades.
2. “Rock” already marks the seventh top 10 hit of Lil Uzi Vert’s career — though it’s their first in three years now. Are you surprised that “Rock” would be the song to return Uzi to the chart’s top tier?
Carl Lamarre: Again, with Uzi, I think you never know what to expect. The unpredictability of their music makes them an enviable threat in rap culture. Sonically, Uzi rarely misses, but you never know if the records will be appreciated commercially the same way it’s received culturally. Thankfully for them, they’ve been able to straddle the lines seamlessly.
Cydney Lee: Not surprised! Given the type of artist Uzi is and the fact that Philly, Jersey and Baltimore club are so similar, them making a Jersey Club song seemed bound to happen. Uzi is no stranger to tying dance moves with their songs also (their little shoulder move and 2020’s “Futsal Shuffle”?) so adding a hip dance to “Just Wanna Rock” was the perfect recipe for TikTok creators to recreate and even add their own moves.
Elias Leight: “Just Wanna Rock” is a ferocious intro, a frenzied ramp-up, the musical equivalent of a violently shaken champagne bottle. But it never fully explodes — it’s a lot of build with little release. Lil Uzi Vert’s music is often deliciously off-kilter, and “Just Wanna Rock” fits the bill.
Jason Lipshutz: I am, simply because Uzi is prolific enough that I would have assumed a new single attached to a major album, or a high-profile guest spot, would have gotten them there first. And maybe “Rock” will lead into a new Uzi full-length to follow 2020’s Eternal Atake, or at least point to where their sound is headed next, but regardless, its success is divorced from any larger project or grand plan. “Rock” is a singular smash, accentuating itself from the rest of Uzi’s discography and becoming one of the more uncompromising top 10 hits of the decade.
Andrew Unterberger: A little, just because Uzi had been trending so far in the wrong direction over the few years leading up to it, and because the song seemed pretty alien and unfamiliar to the current mainstream, even by the artist’s already-extraterrestrial standards. But maybe I just didn’t realize how much Jersey Club had begun to spread nationally, or how much fans were just waiting for the right Uzi song to jump back on board with.
3. When Uzi released Eternal Atake in early 2020, it debuted to blockbuster numbers and mostly rave reviews. After a tumultuous past three years — both commercially and legally — is the strong response to “Rock” an indication to you that Uzi’s next full-length will be similarly greeted as Atake? Or are they unilikely to match that level of pre-pandemic stardom again?
Carl Lamarre: Their new album, which I believe is the Pink Tape, will be greeted with incredible fanfare. Since their 2017 mainstream breakout Luv Is Rage 2, Uzi’s fanbase has grown exponentially, and the demand for their music has since followed suit. If you check out the festival lineups, they’ve ascended to headline status. There’s been pandemonium for them, whether a single or a mixtape. For the younger generation, only Uzi and Playboi Carti can accrue that type of interest and eagerness in new music –because they’ve also mastered the beauty behind the rollout, making every release an event.
Cydney Lee: This might be a toss-up, and I say this because they released an EP Red & White last year, and I don’t remember hearing too much buzz around it. It peaked at No. 23 on the Billboard 200, so obviously people were listening, but “Just Wanna Rock” seems so niche that I’m not sure which way their next full-length will lean.
Elias Leight: Lil Uzi Vert fans are a dedicated bunch. While it may be hard for the rapper to match Eternal Atake‘s 400 million first-week streams, they’ll almost certainly have a big bow with their follow-up and debut at No. 1 (barring a surprise album from someone like Drake).
Jason Lipshutz: I think Uzi’s next project will be even bigger than their last. Although some of its commercial effect got overshadowed by the pandemic shutdown of March 2020, Eternal Atake (including its full-length deluxe edition that followed a week after its release) was a blockbuster, particularly when it came to Uzi’s younger audience (400 million streams in its first week!) — and keep in mind, the album thrived even without a mainstream-courting single, mostly functioning as a showcase for Uzi’s heliocentric flow. If its follow-up includes hits with the chart impact of “Just Wanna Rock,” watch out: we are in for one of the biggest album releases of the year.
Andrew Unterberger: They’re probably closer than I would’ve guessed a few months ago, certainly. I do think it’s worth remembering that it wasn’t just underwhelming song releases that have hurt Uzi’s momentum — they were accused of felony assault in 2021, with some pretty gnarly specifics, to which they ultimately pleaded no contest. But have those headlines really stuck to them, to the point of altering their career trajectory? Maybe not.
4. The clear Jersey Club influence evident in “Just Wanna Rock” has been much discussed as a potential bellwether crossover moment for the dance subgenre. Do you see “Rock” as the start of a larger Jersey Club presence in the mainstream, or do you see it mostly being kept to the underground outside of this hit?
Carl Lamarre: The dance subgenre can swell into something bigger if another notable artist takes a crack at it. Dance enjoyed a splashy moment with Drake and Beyonce dipping their feet in the genre last year, and artists are becoming a bit captivated with what they can deliver on their own accord. With “Rock” and the “Players” remix generating interest on the mainstream level, all it takes is a resounding third hit to shift the paradigm.
Cydney Lee: I think the song is exposing a wider audience to the Jersey Club sound, but I do think its popularity will stay regional. Like NYC drill. In other words, we’ll probably only hear songs like this by artists from the mid-Atlantic region, with maybe a few exceptions (NLE Choppa and 2Rare’s “Do It Again”).
Elias Leight: Rap that nods to Jersey Club has already been seeping into the mainstream. Not surprisingly, the breakneck tempos make it popular for TikTok dance videos, and one of the scene’s rising stars, Newark rapper Bandmanrill, landed a deal with Warner Records last year. (Bandmanrill works frequently with Mcvertt, who co-produced “Just Wanna Rock.”) Philadelphia also has its own variant of this sound, which has helped rapper 2Rare go viral and score collaborations with Lil Durk and NLE Choppa. 2Rare is signed to a joint venture with Warner as well, and he appeared in Drake’s “Sticky” video.
Jason Lipshutz: I’d love a full-on Jersey Club movement in the upper reaches of the Hot 100, but I’m predicting that “Just Wanna Rock” is instead a lone crossover moment. That propulsive sound is simply difficult to translate into a mass-appeal single, and even “Just Wanna Rock” took months until it beguiled enough listeners and grew into a top 10 hit. Happy to be proven wrong, but I doubt we look back on this moment as the start of a major trend.
Andrew Unterberger: Jumping on a Jersey Club trend is perhaps easier said than done, since it requires an adjustment to energy and flow that a lot of rappers might not be inclined (or equipped) to make — though it’s a great fit for an already frenetic, right-brained MC like Uzi. More likely perhaps, we’ll see the trend explode through DJs remixing established hits; lord knows folks can’t seem to get enough of sped-up versions these days, so at least going the Jersey Club route with remixes would allow producers to be a little more creative and specific with their edits while cranking up the BPMs.
5. A climb into the top 10 for “Rock” is impressive, but it’ll be hard for the song to threaten the top five without major radio support — which it seems unlikely to get, as a two-minute and largely structureless song without an obvious format radio base. If you were to commission a new remix to help get it over the top, which special guest would be your first call to be the remix’s featured star?
Carl Lamarre: Playboi Carti. If anyone can fully immerse themselves into the jungle gym of Lil Uzi Vert, it’s their one-time partner in crime. Let’s make it happen and finally get the album we’ve been dying to hear.
Cydney Lee: Coi Leray. She’s from Jersey and has already dabbled in Jersey Club. A Jersey or Philly artist is the only right answer here and I think she has the right energy for a track like this.
Elias Leight: Several radio formats are actually embracing “Just Wanna Rock.” The single has become Lil Uzi Vert’s third most-played track of all time on the airwaves — behind “XO Tour Llif3” and “You Was Right” — according to Mediabase, and it’s currently inside the top 5 on both Mediabase’s Rhythmic chart and its Urban chart. Where “Just Wanna Rock” lags behind other Hot 100 hits right now is pop airplay, a format that isn’t always receptive to rap singles. A remix may not help sway pop radio, but Cardi B had fun last year jumping on tracks like Kay Flock’s “Shake It,” and she’s on the same label as Lil Uzi Vert…
Jason Lipshutz: How about Quavo and Offset? Following the death of Takeoff last year and reports of feuding between the remaining Migos members, a reunion on a “Just Wanna Rock” remix would be major news and a must-listen. Plus, Migos gave Uzi their star-making turn on their No. 1 hit “Bad and Boujee” — time for Uzi to return the favor.
Andrew Unterberger: Too much to hope Dee Snider has a great-nephew or someone who’d be willing to introduce him to Uzi? Even if not, maybe let’s just imagine a cut-up duet with Snider barking those “ROCK!” response vocals. There’s some Billy Ray + Lil Nas cross-generational potential here, certainly.
As a prodigious young singer-songwriter and popular social media personality, Jacob Lawson has grown a devoted following over his past few years as a recording artist. But this week is something of a coronation for the artist now known as JVKE as a crossover star, as he scores his first top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100.
“Golden Hour,” the breakout single from his 2022 breakup song cycle This Is What ____ Feels Like (Vol. 1-4), climbs 11-10 on the Hot 100 dated Feb. 4, thanks to growing pop radio support and steady streaming success. The lush pop ballad is JVKE’s first Hot 100 entry of any kind, though he’d already proven a reliable streaming performer with prior singles “Upside Down,” “Dandelion” and the This Is What title track.
How big will “Golden Hour” get from here? And which bubbling-under pop sensation might be the next to score a crossover chart hit? Billboard writers discuss these questions and more below.
1. “Golden Hour” makes the top 10 in its 12th week on the listing. What do you think has been the biggest factor in its chart rise?
Stephen Daw: While TikTok was the obvious defining factor in the song’s initial success, pop radio appears to be the big driver for “Golden Hour” right now. Along with his first Hot 100 top 10, JVKE also scored his first top 10 on our Pop Airplay chart thanks to increased radio play of the single — sure, the sound is still everywhere on TikTok, but its crossover onto mainstream radio is what’s sending it way up the charts.
Lyndsey Havens: My best guess is we’re seeing a spike thanks to his year-end performance at Jingle Ball. It was a well-timed live set that primed JVKE for this post-holiday climb. And while “Golden Hour” may have taken off on TikTok first, it’s been growing at radio as well, also entering the top 10 on the Pop Airplay chart this week. And it’s important to remember this is all happening without any major label push.
Jason Lipshutz: “Golden Hour” has a winning formula: semi-rapped verses full of romantic observations and modern music references, boiling into an enormous, crooned-from-the-gut chorus. JVKE, to his credit, nails the push-pull at the heart of the song — nimble enough to sound nonchalant during the lead-up, then giving his absolute all on the hook — while the racing piano line beneath him is a memorable piece of production that simultaneously doesn’t distract from the vocal take.
Glenn Rowley: I would chalk it up in large part to timing. Outside of Miley’s “Flowers” and Shakira’s “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53,” the chart hasn’t exactly been inundated with new releases. It’s still mostly filled with pre-holiday holdovers, which has left some room for JVKE to sneak into the top 10 after a three-month climb.
Andrew Unterberger: A combination of a strong social following and presence (over 10 million followers on TikTok) and legitimate musical talent (displayed with this song’s frantic piano hook and soaring vocals) is usually a pretty good starting point for pop success. The interest had been there for a couple years already with JVKE; once he had a song that broke through a little bit it was pretty clear it was going to go pretty far from there.
2. JVKE has seen some streaming success before — three of his earlier songs have over 100 million plays on Spotify — but this is his first Hot 100 hit. Does it make sense to you that “Golden Hour” would be the song to put him over the top?
Stephen Daw: For sure. While I think there are more obvious “pop hit”-sounding singles in JVKE’s catalog, but “Golden Hour” stands out. The song has a sense of orchestral drama to it that makes it sound at least moderately different from other viral songs right now — which then makes it a lot easier for fans to go searching for “that one song I heard on TikTok.”
Lyndsey Havens: Totally. This song is not only incredibly well-crafted and fresh sounding, but the way he introduced it — with a simple TikTok clip in which his childhood piano teacher tears up at him playing the song for her — pushed it over the edge. I can’t quite remember the last time an artist who grew up inspired by both Christian music and hip-hop, with a knack for intricate piano melodies and soaring vocals, put it all together. The result is, well… a top 10 hit.
Jason Lipshutz: It does, simply because “Golden Hour” has demonstrated a pop radio appeal that JVKE’s other hits have not. The key to “Golden Hour” crossing into the top 10 of the Hot 100 chart may be its move up to No. 25 on the Radio Songs chart this week, with that soaring hook sounding right at home on top 40 radio. “Golden Hour” had already reached the top 10 of the Streaming Songs chart (and sits at No. 13 this week), but winning over another format has helped create a multi-platform smash.
Glenn Rowley: Honestly, it makes sense from a strategy perspective — what, with countless remixes, a holiday version and assists from the likes of Ruel and Henry. But musically, the song feels like such an anomaly to me; certainly not what I’d expect to hear at the top of the chart at the moment.
Andrew Unterberger: I didn’t think so at first, though I’m sorta coming around to it. Parts of it feel more like an album interlude (or really an intro) than a big single, but such distinctions are increasingly irrelevant in 2023: Look at Steve Lacy’s “Static,” the beatless opening track to his Gemini Rights that never really properly kicks in, but was still pretty easily the album’s second biggest hit after the chart-conquering “Bad Habit.” This song doesn’t feel like his most radio-ready, but it does feel like his most striking, and in modern pop the latter is probably more important.
3. Do you see the song continuing to climb on the Hot 100 from here? How high do you think it might go?
Stephen Daw: Without a remix or an updated version of some kind, I don’t see the song going that much further up the chart — especially when you have tracks with a proven track record of chart longevity like “As It Was,” “Rich Flex” and “Die For You” in the way. Maybe “Golden Hour” will be able overtake one or two of those tracks, but I doubt it will crack the seemingly impenetrable Top 5 we currently have.
Lyndsey Havens: When you consider some expected post-Grammy bumps, the No. 10 spot may be where “Golden Hour” peaks for now. Unless he and his team have an official music video up their sleeves — or something else — to regenerate buzz, the timing may be a bit off for it to climb any higher. But hey, the upper echelon is the upper echelon. And it could leave room for his follow-up hit to get even closer to the summit.
Jason Lipshutz: I could see “Golden Hour” challenging for a top 5 spot on the Hot 100, considering how some songs above it on the chart, like Harry Styles’ “As It Was” and David Guetta & Bebe Rexha’s “I’m Good (Blue),” have presided in the top 10 for months and could start slipping in the coming weeks. However, I don’t envision “Golden Hour” challenging the “Flowers”/“Kill Bill”/“Anti-Hero” triumvirate at the top of the tally anytime soon — which says less about JVKE’s breakout hit and more about how sturdy those Miley Cyrus, SZA and Taylor Swift tracks have become at the Hot 100 summit.
Glenn Rowley: I think it’s probably reached its summit. It’ll be harder for it to climb much higher as the industry thaws from its January gloom and the release calendar starts heating up again.
Andrew Unterberger: Could maybe get another spot higher or two, but would probably need a major moment to get much higher than that. Speaking of which, though: Why is JVKE not booked to play the Grammys this year? He’s not a household name yet, but he could’ve brought some younger viewers to the ceremonies, and the ornate production and majestic presentation of “Golden Hour” actually makes it more auditorium-ready than a lot of the songs we’ll likely hear at the awards this year. (Plus his instrumental ability should make him an easier sell than most young artists to the stodgier Recording Academy members in attendance.) Could’ve been a win for both show and performer. Maybe next year.
4. Artists with TikTok-assisted breakouts sometimes find difficulty scoring a follow-up hit of comparable size — do you think JVKE has more high-level pop success in him, or is this likely closer to a charts one-off?
Stephen Daw: I think it depends on how JVKE proceeds from here; if he tries to go about replicating the sound and feel of “Golden Hour” in another song, then I don’t think it’ll work. “Golden Hour” succeeded because it stood out from a lot of what’s big on TikTok right now. If JVKE follows that gut instinct of making something that is as immediately striking thanks to its individuality, then I think there’s a very good chance that we’ll be seeing him again.
Lyndsey Havens: I do think there’s more here. Because of the way in which he blends his skills as a pianist, vocalist and lyricist, his music stands out and makes me intrigued to hear what’s next. And, of course, there’s the key part of him choosing to remain independent… helping me feel confident that without any outside forces suggesting or perhaps pushing him down alternate paths, what follows will be just as impressive — and entirely JVKE.
Jason Lipshutz: I do think JVKE will be heard from after “Golden Hour,” mostly because of the personality he flaunts on its verses — the way he comfortably sets the scene, distinguishes his voice and showcases his multi-faceted skill set in a short amount of time. “Golden Hour” isn’t a hit because of a quick, catchy melody or production gimmick, but because the artist powering it intrigues the listener throughout; maybe he won’t have another hit as big as “Golden Hour,” but JVKE has definitely caught the attention of a lot of people.
Glenn Rowley: I do think JVKE has potential to build on this moment. He clearly has the musical chops, which are demonstrated here far better than they were on, say, “Upside Down” back in 2020. This Is What ____ Feels Like (Vol. 1-4) is just such a unique beast as a debut album that wherever he does go from here, there’s no doubt it’ll certainly be interesting.
Andrew Unterberger: He might not be the type to chart with every song, but I’d bet we see JVKE again on the Hot 100 before long. He’s got the talent, the drive and the following — he’ll get his chances, and now that he’s got the one legitimate crossover hit, it probably won’t be so hard for him to score a second. And it wouldn’t be shocking to see him enlisted as a guest player on other stars’ records either; lord knows there are a lot of rappers out there who love a good dramatic piano loop.
5. Who’s another young pop artist that’s sorta been bubbling just below the mainstream so far this decade who you think might be due for a breakout hit like “Golden Hour” in the near future?
Stephen Daw: Do not sleep on Ashnikko. She has been just on the periphery of mainstream chart success — “Daisy” entered both the Pop and Alternative Airplay charts, but never quite managed to crack the Hot 100. But with every subsequent release, Ashnikko’s sound gets more and more refined and specific, so I think 2023 could be the year we finally see her make her way to a debut Hot 100 single.
Lyndsey Havens: I can see “Red Flags,” the latest single from British singer-songwriter Mimi Webb, enjoying a slow climb onto — and eventually up — the Hot 100. It’s a pure pop banger, and her upcoming debut album out this March could very well help with that journey.
Jason Lipshutz: I’m betting big on Gracie Abrams, who has been releasing pop songs over the past three years without impacting the Hot 100 but whose songs keep getting stronger as she gears up for her debut album, Good Riddance, next month. Don’t be surprised if an Abrams song is dominating the cultural conversation by the end of February.
Glenn Rowley: Four months ago, my immediate answer would’ve been Kim Petras, but “Unholy” obviously delivered a much-deserved breakout hit for her and then some. Shout-out to Maisie Peters, though — the U.K. pop darling people should keep a close eye on as she gears up for her sophomore album. You heard it here first: she has the songwriting chops to rival Olivia Rodrigo as Gen Z’s answer to Taylor Swift.
Andrew Unterberger: PinkPantheress just keeps getting closer to true breakout success, and her late 2022 single “Boy’s a Liar” might end up being her biggest streaming hit yet. She’s a pretty prolific creator, so it seems like only a matter of time before the right release at the right time puts her over the top; I’d almost be more surprised if she didn’t end up with a Hot 100 hit before 2023 was up.
