holidays
Britney Spears is giving fans another glimpse into her special Christmas with her son, Jayden James Federline. On Friday (Jan. 3), the 43-year-old pop star shared a short video on Instagram featuring her 18-year-old son — whom she reunited with on Dec. 25 — opening a gift by a beautifully decorated Christmas tree. “Nice, nice, […]
Frank Sinatra returns to the top 10 of the Billboard 200 albums chart for the first time in over a decade, as his holiday compilation Ultimate Christmas climbs 17-10 on the Jan. 4, 2025-dated chart. The title, which previously peaked at No. 12, reaches the top 10 in its 52nd week on the chart — […]
After 22 months, SZA’s chart-topping SOS returns No. 1 on the Billboard 200, as the set jumps 15-1 on the Jan. 4-dated chart. It bolts back to the top thanks largely from activity generated by the album’s deluxe reissue on Dec. 20 (dubbed SOS Deluxe: LANA) that added 15 additional songs to the album. The set was originally released on Dec. 9, 2022, with 23 tracks. All versions of the album, old and new, are combined for tracking and charting purposes and continue to chart under the title SOS.
SOS surges to No. 1 with 178,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending Dec. 26 (up 297%), according to Luminate. With its return to No. 1, the set collects an 11th nonconsecutive week atop the list, and its first since the March 4, 2023-dated chart. That 22-month gap between weeks at No. 1 is the longest for any album since the Billboard 200 began publishing on a regular, weekly basis in March 1956.
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Notably, had the 15 new songs on the LANA deluxe edition of the album been released as a new stand-alone album, its track activity alone would have been enough for that stand-alone set to debut atop the list. (The 15 new songs generated 105,000 in SEA and TEA units. The No. 2 title this week, Michael Bublé’s former leader Christmas, earned 100,000 units from SEA, TEA and traditional album sales combined.)
SOS debuted atop the Billboard 200 dated Dec. 24, 2022, and logged 10 nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 on the list through the March 4, 2023-dated chart. It has never left the weekly top 20 of the chart during the 107 consecutive weeks that it has spent on the list. SOS closed 2024 at No. 6 on the year-end Billboard 200 Albums chart, after it was No. 3 on the year-end list in 2023.
Also in the top 10 of the latest Billboard 200 chart, Frank Sinatra scores his first top 10-charting in over a decade, as his holiday compilation Ultimate Christmas vaults 17-10.
The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. The new Jan. 4, 2025-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on Tuesday (Dec. 31). For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.
Of SOS’ 178,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending Dec. 26, SEA units comprise 167,000 (up 341%, equaling 220.22 million on-demand official streams of the set’s songs; it hits No. 1 on the year-old Top Streaming Albums chart for the first time), traditional album sales comprise 10,000 (up 44%, rising 39-23 on Top Album Sales) and TEA units comprise 1,000 (up 1,744%).
A deluxe reissue of SOS had been in the works since at least February of 2023, and SZA first mentioned LANA as the name of the expansion in September 2023. The deluxe reissue was preceded by the Billboard Hot 100-charting hit “Saturn” (one of the 15 added tracks), which debuted and peaked at No. 6 in March.
The last R&B/hip-hop album with at least 11 weeks atop the Billboard 200 was Drake’s Views, which notched 13 nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 in 2016 (May 21-Oct. 8). SOS has the most weeks at No. 1 for an R&B/hip-hop album by a woman, or an R&B album by a woman, since Mariah Carey’s self-titled debut spent 11 weeks, all consecutively, at No. 1 in 1991. (Honorable mention to the Whitney Houston-led soundtrack to The Bodyguard, which logged 20 nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 in 1992-93. The 12-track album has six songs by Houston and six songs by other artists.) SOS has the most weeks at No. 1 for any R&B album since The Bodyguard’s 20-week reign. (R&B/hip-hop and R&B albums are defined as those that have hit or are eligible for Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and Top R&B Albums charts, respectively.)
At No. 2 on the latest Billboard 200, Michael Bublé’s former leader Christmas jingles 5-2 with 100,000 equivalent album units earned (up 47%). The set spent a total of five weeks atop the list in late 2011 and early 2012, following its release in October of 2011. It has climbed to No. 2 in four of the last six holiday seasons. With 100,000 units earned, Christmas tallies its largest week, by units, since the Billboard 200 began ranking by units in December 2014.
The Jan. 4-dated Billboard 200 is set to be the last chart of the holiday season to showcase high-ranking Christmas efforts, as the tracking week for the chart closed on Dec. 26, the day after the Christmas Day holiday.
Bing Crosby’s Ultimate Christmas rallies 6-3 on the new Billboard 200, marking the late entertainer’s highest-charting effort since the Jan. 5, 1959-dated chart, when his former No. 1 Merry Christmas ranked at No. 2. Merry Christmas had previously spent a week at No. 1 on Jan. 6, 1958-dated chart.
Nat King Cole’s The Christmas Song moves 11-4, matching its peak, with 84,000 equivalent album units earned (up 56%). Kendrick Lamar’s chart-topping GNX falls 2-5 (76,000; down 24%), Mariah Carey’s Merry Christmas rises 10-6 (nearly 76,000; up 36%), and Taylor Swift’s former No. 1 The Tortured Poets Department dips 3-7 (74,000; down 13%).
The Wicked film soundtrack falls 7-8 on the Billboard 200 with 71,000 equivalent album units earned (up 9%) and the festive compilation A Christmas Gift for You From Phil Spector climbs 16-9 with 70,000 units (up 60%).
Rounding out the top 10 is Frank Sinatra’s Ultimate Christmas, climbing 17-10 with 63,000 equivalent album units earned (up 55%). The title — which previously peaked at No. 12 and reaches the top 10 in its 52nd week on the chart, dating to its December 2017 debut — is the late legend’s first visit to the top 10 since August 2012, when his 2008 hits package Nothing Best the Best returned to the top 10 (re-entering at No. 3 on the Aug. 25, 2012-dated list after sale pricing and promotion). Nothing had previously debuted and peaked at No. 2 on the May 31, 2008-dated chart.
Ultimate Christmas becomes Sinatra’s 33rd top 10-charting effort, the most among solo males. The Rolling Stones have the most top 10s, with 38. They are followed by Barbra Streisand (with 34), Sinatra and The Beatles, whom he passes (32).
Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.
The Holiday 100 makes its annual jolly jaunt back to Billboard’s charts menu. The survey ranks the top seasonal songs of all eras via the same formula used for the Billboard Hot 100, blending streaming, airplay and sales data.
Mariah Carey‘s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” – which surges six spots to No. 10 on the Hot 100 – rules the Holiday 100 for a 61st week of the chart’s 69 total weeks since the tally originated in 2011.
The only other Holiday 100 No. 1s to date: Justin Bieber’s “Mistletoe,” for a week in the 2011-12 holiday season; Pentatonix’s “Little Drummer Boy” (one, 2013-14) and “Mary, Did You Know?” (two, 2014-15); Ariana Grande’s “Santa Tell Me” (one, 2014-15); and Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” – which reigned for three weeks on both the Holiday 100 and Hot 100 last holiday season, granting the legendary singer a gift 65 years in the making, following the song’s 1958 release.
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Carey’s carol reigns with 26.8 million streams (up 52% week-over-week), 15.7 million airplay audience impressions (up 68%) and 2,000 sold (up 25%) in the United States Nov. 22-28, according to Luminate.
The song also boasts top honors on Billboard’s Greatest of All Time Holiday 100 Songs chart.
“When I wrote [it], I had absolutely no idea the impact the song would eventually have worldwide,” Carey marveled of “All I Want for Christmas Is You” in 2021; it was originally released 30 years ago. “I’m so full of gratitude that so many people enjoy it with me every year.”
Rounding out the Holiday 100’s top five are Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” (No. 2); Wham!’s “Last Christmas,” which marks its 40th anniversary this year (No. 3); Bobby Helms’ “Jingle Bell Rock,” from 1957 (No. 4); and Burl Ives’ “A Holly Jolly Christmas,” which turns 60 this year (No. 5).
The entire latest Holiday 100, and all other seasonal charts – Top Holiday Albums, Holiday Streaming Songs, Holiday Airplay, Holiday Digital Song Sales, Holiday 100 Songwriters and Holiday 100 Producers – along with all additional rankings, will update on Billboard.com Tuesday (Dec. 3).
‘Tis officially the season, which means its time for festive songs on the radio! iHeartMedia announced that the annual station flip to holiday music kicked off on Friday (Nov. 15) with more than 85 stations across the country broadcasting modern holiday hits as well as Christmas classics from Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra and […]
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Not much of a baker? Patti LaBelle has dessert covered.
The holidays are right around the corner, and if you’re not into baking but want something sweet, LaBelle’s bestselling sweet potato pies are currently on sale at Walmart. The retailer kicked off the first of three Black Friday sales earlier this week offering up to 70% off select items.
The 8-inch sweet potato pie is on sale for less than $5 at Walmart. The pie serves up to five people, but if you’d like a smaller dessert option, try the sweet potato cookies, also available at Walmart ($7.47).
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Patti LaBelle 8-inch Sweet Potato Pie
$4.57
$5.87
22% off
Walmart
Patti Labelle Sweet Potato Pie Cookies
And it’s not just sweet potato pies and cookies: Patti’s Good Life makes buttermilk pies, lemon and lemon blueberry pies, peach cobbler, peach apple cobbler, blueberry cobbler and banana pudding, plus mini pies in sweet potato, buttermilk and lemon blueberry; macaroni and cheese; and buttermilk pancakes and waffles.
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LaBelle — who recently partnered with American Express for an ad about managing money as a small business owner — celebrated her 80th birthday in May. “You can’t always take for granted that you’re going to be here at the age of 80, still performing and still in your right mind, so every day I say, ‘Thank you God for another day,’ LaBelle told Billboard over the summer.
The Philadelphia native launched Patti’s Good Life in 2008 and it’s still going strong. The food brand, available at major grocery retailers such as Walmart, Target, Kroger and Ralph’s, has made over $200 million, according to Bloomberg.
For more product recommendations, see our list of musician-owned wines and other celebrity brands to shop.
All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes. Make room on the mantel, Martha Stewart is moving in! The lifestyle guru joins her bestie Snoop Dogg in releasing her […]
‘Tis the season, and Kelly Clarkson is helping ring in the holidays. The superstar is set to return for her second year as host of NBC’s annual Christmas in Rockefeller Center telecast. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news She announced the exciting news during Tuesday’s (Nov. 5) episode of The […]
Tick tock on the clock! The Halloween party isn’t going to stop just yet, but the Christmas season is coming early to Spotify. The music streamer is set to release five new Spotify Singles at the stroke of midnight local time on Tuesday (Oct. 15), including one by Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard 200 chart-topper Kesha.
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This year’s annual singles collection — which arrives a little earlier than usual this time — will feature four other artists and their covers of holiday tunes. The featured musicians and their yuletide songs are:
“Holiday Road” by Kesha
“Driving Home for Christmas” by Dasha
“River” by Max Richter
“Run Rudolph Run” by Mark Ambor
“Emmanuel” by Miel San Marcos
“As you’ll hopefully hear, each single really showcases the personality and style of each artist — often reinventing holiday classics in an entirely new way,” Talia Kraines, Spotify’s senior editor of pop, tells Billboard.
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“With ‘Holiday Road,’ Kesha has taken this really fun ’80s song – which wasn’t originally a holiday song – and brought it to the modern day. We just knew she would sound amazing singing it, and she does. Her vocals make me think of The Go-Gos or The Bangles here. It feels like a monumental year for Kesha, and we’re thrilled to be a part of it – she’s reclaiming her joy and owning her own voice,” she adds of the Grammy nominated artist. “It also seemed fitting to have Kesha make a holiday song with us because her music actually hits a high each year on Spotify during the holiday season. Tracks like ‘Tik Tok’ and ‘Timber’ have come to be known as New Year’s and celebration anthems.”
Kesha for Spotify Singles
Courtesy of Spotify
As for “Driving Home for Christmas,” Kraines notes that it’s “huge in the U.K. and Europe” if not the U.S. “We saw this as a great opportunity to give this holiday song a whole new audience in America while sharing a new version for countries where the song is already beloved,” she says of Dasha’s contribution.
Last year’s Spotify Singles’ holiday collection was announced during mid November, usually when the music streamer decks the speakers with holiday tunes. It featured Laufey’s interpretation of the classic “Winter Wonderland,” which peaked at No. 2 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 and No. 80 on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100 charts; Kirk Franklin’s gospel take on “Joy to the World”; Ezra Collective’s cover of “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen”; and Musica Mexicana artist Panter Bélico offered his original tune “Un Vaquero En Navidad.”
Previous Spotify Singles for its Holiday Collection include Kurt Vile’s take of Bob Dylan’s version of holiday classic “Must Be Santa,” IVE’s holiday mix of its own “After LIKE” and more. The overall Holiday Collection playlist on Spotify also includes contributions from Miley Cyrus, DMX, Demi Lovato, Sam Smith, Liam Payne, John Legend, Fifth Harmony, Camilo, Black Pumas and many, many more.
‘Tis the season for some holiday joy! Jimmy Fallon announced on Thursday (Oct. 10) that his festive comedy album, Holiday Seasoning, will be arriving on November 1 via Republic Records. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The album is a collection of all original songs and star-studded […]