Hot 100
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It’s no secret that Disney fame often leads to mainstream success, and over the course of the Billboard Hot 100 chart’s history, we’ve seen actors and musicians from Disney Channel movies and shows turn into some of today’s biggest stars.
Most recently, Sabrina Carpenter scored her first Hot 100 chart topping song with “Please Please Please,” which made its way to the top of the tally on the chart dated June 29, 2024. With the achievement, Carpenter joins a number of fellow Disney musicians to earn a No. 1 hit, including Olivia Rodrigo, Miley Cyrus, Britney Spears, Selena Gomez, Justin Timberlake and more.
Besides the chart toppers, there are a number of former Disney darlings that have Hot 100 hits under their belts, even though they didn’t reach the summit. For example, Vanessa Hudgens, Zac Efron and Drew Seeley‘s “Breaking Free” from High School Musical reached No. 4 on the chart dated February 11, 2006. Fellow HSM alums, Ashley Tisdale and Lucas Grabeel, got a No. 35 hit with “What I’ve Been Looking For” during the same week. Raven Symoné entered the chart way back in 1993 with “That’s What Little Girls Are Made Of” (No. 68) and reappeared in 2006 with “Strut” (No. 53), alongside fellow Cheetah Girls stars Adrienne Bailon, Sabrina Bryan and Kiely Williams. Hilary Duff‘s 2007 hit, “With Love,” meanwhile, peaked at No. 24 in 2007.
In the 2010s, Ross Lynch entered the chart alongside Grace Phipps and Jason Evigan with “Cruisin’ for a Bruisin’,” which peaked at No. 82 in 2013. Meanwhile, Demi Lovato notched their biggest chart hit with “Sorry Not Sorry,” which reached No. 6 on the tally dated Nov. 11, 2017.
Ryan Gosling — who was in The All-New Mickey Mouse Club in the 1990s, scored his first appearance on the Hot 100 when “I’m Just Ken,” from 2023 Barbie movie, debuted at No. 87.
In celebration of former Disney stars’ success on the charts, see below for a list of nine former Disney stars who have topped the Billboard Hot 100.
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Months into writing a new song with Chappell Roan in 2023, Dan Nigro hit a wall. The Grammy-winner songwriter-producer had tried just about everything he could think of with the bubbling under pop phenomenon — boosting the production, cleaning up the lyrics, adjusting the key — and yet the song still didn’t have that special X factor they were looking for.
“We kept on getting so frustrated,” Nigro tells Billboard. “We knew that something about it was really special, but we could not figure it out. Was it the key? Was it the verses that needed to feel more spunky?”
But once the duo found what they were looking for in the stratospheric chorus, the song transformed into Roan’s runaway hit, “Good Luck, Babe!” Since the song’s release in April, Roan (born Kayleigh Rose Amstutz) has become one of the most talked-about voices in mainstream pop music. The single marked her first entry on the Billboard Hot 100, debuting at No. 77, and has risen to No. 16 on the June 29-dated chart, with three of her other songs — “Red Wine Supernova,” “Hot to Go!” and “Pink Pony Club” — populating the lower half of the list. Meanwhile, her debut album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, reaches a career-high at No. 8 on the Billboard 200.
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It shouldn’t come as a surprise that a track co-penned by Nigro is finding such breakaway success. Over the last several years, the songwriter has cemented himself as one of the most sought-after writers in the business, helping write hits for pop artists including Olivia Rodrigo, Caroline Polachek, Conan Gray and others. But in working with Roan, Nigro says he’s found something especially exciting.
“When we made [her May 2020 single] ‘California,’ which was the second song we wrote together, I had this feeling like I was a part of something deeply special,” Nigro says. “It felt magical and deeply relatable … and really important, [because] she was making it so that it felt important.”
Nigro breaks down the “intense” process of writing “Good Luck, Babe!,” its runaway success over the last two months and why he knew early on that Chappell Roan was destined to be “a superstar.”
Tell me about the beginning of the process with “Good Luck, Babe!” — where did the original idea for the track come from, and when did you begin working on this?
Kayleigh, Justin [Tranter] and I actually started the idea in November of 2022. We wrote a scratch idea — it was just a verse and a chorus. The idea was originally called “Good Luck, Jane” — Kayleigh was really set on having it be a name.
It’s a song we wrestled with for a while. We laid down a demo, and the two of us felt like it wasn’t right. We knew something was special about the song, but we couldn’t tell what it was that we were getting wrong. So, we worked on it for a day, we put it away, and then a few months later, she came in for something else, and she was like, “What about that one song we wrote? I feel like there’s something there.”
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Kayleigh’s voice is crazy across all of her songs, but it feels like she is in rare form on “Good Luck, Babe!,” where she’s almost expressing the entirety of her vocal range on one song.
Absolutely. When we opened it back up, we really narrowed in on the chorus and decided that some of the words needed to be in full voice. And then all of a sudden, we listened back and went, “Okay! I think we’ve figured it out!” Once we finally got it, it was such a relief. That song was so intense, and it was definitely one of the hardest songs to get right.
Kayleigh and I are not the people who go in the studio and write a song in one day. We take our time with it, comb over the lyrics and then forget about it for a month and come back to listen with fresh ears. A lot of times when you’re working on a song, in the midst of working on it, you tend to get really excited about it, and then you look back later and go, “Oh, that wasn’t as good as we thought it was.” Luckily, Kayleigh is so good at having that insight and knowing [when] to take a step back and reflect on it. She’s so incredible at having that self-awareness. She’s also such an incredible singer — which is a great thing, but because she often sounds really good singing any song, figuring out the difference between something being really good and being amazing can be tricky.
I know Kayleigh has said this song was “a b-tch to write,” and that very much tracks with what you’re describing here.
For sure. Though, it’s funny: To me, it wasn’t actually that much of a b-tch to write. I feel like it was the production and the process that was really tough. Actually writing the song was quite fluid. I remember she came over one day, and I was like, “Well, now we need a bridge.” She wrote the bridge all on her own in like two minutes. She said, “Put the pre-chorus chords on,” I looped it, and she just got on the mic and went for it. I was trying to keep looping the chords more because she just kept singing, and I was like, “No, we have to go further!” It was amazing.
You mentioned that the original version of the song you wrote with Justin had really different verses lyrically — what would you say fundamentally changed between that first draft and the final version?
I don’t exactly remember what the verses were to begin with, just because it’s been so long since we wrote them. But I do remember that we wanted the words to feel more effortless. We wanted to make sure it had that casual, cool, laid-back feeling to it. The lyrics were a little bit more pointed, a little more cutting. We chilled it out, and then she was sitting on the couch at one point, and she said, “I just want to have a line in there about my arms reaching out of a sunroof.” It was so funny.
At what point in this process, if at all, did you think that “Good Luck, Babe!” was going to be a hit?
When a song is difficult to get right, especially from the production side of things, I become so self-conscious of it that I can never see it super clearly. Also, “Good Luck, Babe!” is so dramatic — I tend to keep my productions pretty minimal for the most part. But “Good Luck, Babe!” is such an epic production — there are like 100 string parts! When I’m adding that much production, I tend to feel like I’m doing too many things. So, I don’t think there was any point in that process where I was like, “Oh, this one’s going to be a hit.”
I remember she texted me the day the song came out, just being excited about the song. Then her manager texted me and said, “This one feels special, this feels different right now.” That is, to me, the crazy thing about being able to see the numbers in real time: You have absolutely no way of knowing, and then within 12 hours, people can tell you, “Oh yeah, audiences are really liking this one.”
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It seems clear that “Good Luck, Babe!” really cemented this cultural moment for Kayleigh: The song has climbed into the top 20 of the Hot 100, “Red Wine Supernova,” “Hot to Go!” and “Pink Pony Club” have all entered the Hot 100, and The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess continues to climb on the Billboard 200, reaching the top 10.
It is crazy to watch. This feels like … I don’t want to say “destiny,” that’s the wrong word to use. It all happened for a reason. This song was made during the making for Rise and Fall, and to me, it felt like it could have easily been on the record. I’d like to think that because it came out at a different time, it held a different meaning and it was a different vessel for the album. Whereas, if it came out with the album, then the record would not be what it’s doing right now.
Why do you think this moment is happening right now, rather than with the album’s release last September?
All I can say is, three or four days into meeting her, I was convinced she was a superstar. I was so enamored by the way she thought about music, and I could not believe I was a part of it, because it felt magical and also deeply relatable. When we made “Pink Pony Club,” that was the record where it felt like we were making something actively powerful. It was that sort of feeling where you get the sense that you’re making a song that people need. I’ve always felt that something like this was going to happen for her; the question was just when it would happen.
The fact that she’s so phenomenal live means people are finally able to see in real time how good she is. That then becomes this word-of-mouth thing, and it’s wonderful to see her have such old school success. I’ve told so many people, “This is the way things used to be — you would have to see the artist live, and you see them be good at what they do and then spread the word.” She’s so good at what she does that the system is working again! It really is that simple.
That’s an important point — while a lot has happened in the last two months, this wasn’t “overnight” success. Chappell had been steadily growing before “Good Luck, Babe!” blew up.
I totally agree, it’s not “overnight” success in any way — even since the record came out nine months ago, every single day, the numbers were steadily going up by like a percentage each week. It just took so long to get to the point where enough people were talking about it every day for it to become exponential.
You’ve had a lot of success working with pop stars like Olivia Rodrigo, Conan Gray and Caroline Polacheck — is there anything about working with Chappell that feels different than your other collaborators? Or what things feel similar in the way you work with all of those artists?
If I’m being honest, I always feel weird when asked to compare people. I think the important thing is that she’s incredibly articulate about what she wants out of a song, and we have a great relationship when it comes to creating music. We’re writing songs together, but we’re also producing them together, and she’s in the room for a bunch of it. There’s a really good language between us when it comes to making music. I can understand what she’s looking for, and if I’m not getting something right when I’m producing, she can step in. She’s so good at explaining exactly what she wants, and it makes for a really good flow in our working relationship.
A version of this story originally appeared in the June 22, 2024, issue of Billboard.
It’s officially the Summer of Sabrina, and she’s taking some time to celebrate. On Monday (June 24), Billboard announced that Sabrina Carpenter scores her first Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit this week, with “Please Please Please” rising from No. 2 in its second week. And to add some whipped cream to the top of […]
Summer officially kicked off a few days ago, and it feels impossible to consider that this time last year, espresso was simply a coffee-brewing method and post-dinner option. At the start of spring, none of us were me espresso — were we ever so young?
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But then, Sabrina Carpenter went on the type of months-long run that turns an artist into a superstar. Over the past couple months, she played Coachella; performed on the season finale of Saturday Night Live; announced a tour that will make her an arena headliner, after playing opening act to Taylor Swift’s Eras stadium shows just a few months earlier; snagged a top spot at a major U.S. festival, Outside Lands; made her runway debut at Vogue World; hung out on- and off-camera with her movie star boyfriend, Barry Keoghan; and received countless celebrity co-signs as the cool new kid to join their ranks.
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After years of Disney-approved studio albums and a gradual reinvention into an adult pop singer-songwriter, the 25-year-old has scooped up several wins reserved for undeniable A-listers in a short amount of time. Of course, “Espresso,” the buoyant single that Carpenter released in early April, helped caffeinate her career. A top 10 mainstay on the Hot 100 since its release, “Espresso” has not only become a defining pop hit of 2024, but got meme’d ad nauseam, sending “me espresso” into the cultural lexicon as other superstars warbled its best parts in viral tribute. As “Espresso” spends another week in the Hot 100’s top 5, it shows no signs of slowing down.
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“Espresso” is Carpenter’s mainstream breakthrough — but it isn’t her first No. 1 hit. That honor is reserved for “Please Please Please,” Carpenter’s follow-up single, which climbs to the top spot after debuting at No. 2 last week. It’s an unexpected development following weeks of “Espresso” ubiquity, but for Carpenter, it’s an even more impressive crowning achievement.
“Please Please Please” may contain some typical characteristics of a modern smash — Jack Antonoff produced it, after all, and co-wrote the song with Carpenter and regular hit-maker Amy Allen. Its buzzy music video co-stars Keoghan, in a bit of action-packed celebrity interplay that has racked up 34 million YouTube views. Yet the studio pedigree and must-see visuals don’t mask its idiosyncrasies. The biggest song in America is a sly, low-key, downright weird single; “Please Please Please” doesn’t boast the instant catchiness of “Espresso,” but instead provides an even stronger jolt of Carpenter’s singular persona.
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Pivoting away from the confident synth-pop bounce of “Espresso,” Carpenter treats “Please Please Please” like a country-tinged confessional. She speak-sings about past and present errors in judgment over muted guitar and drum taps in the verses. When the hook hits, Carpenter pleads in high-definition, harmonizing with herself in a way that somehow splits the difference between a disco anthem and folksy ballad.
By the time Carpenter’s register dips in the second half of the chorus and she gurgles the threat, “I beg you, don’t embarrass me, motherf–ker,” she’s obviously upended any expectations of an “Espresso” rehash — but also, she’s remained as playful and off-kilter as she sounded when she sang “I’m working laaaate / ‘Cuz I’m a singerrrrr.” Carpenter possesses a wry sense of humor that helped define the songwriting on her great 2022 album Emails I Can’t Send, and after injecting her eccentricities into “Espresso,” “Please Please Please” amplifies them. Her personal and musical quirks can be felt in every line, hook and ad-lib, and they turn “Please Please Please” into a song that no other artist could deliver in quite the same way.
The immediate success of “Please Please Please” — which debuted at No. 2 on the Hot 100 last week after quickly becoming a streaming juggernaut, then overtook Post Malone and Morgan Wallen’s “I Had Some Help” in its second frame — confirms the breadth of Carpenter’s newfound popularity. After “Espresso” became her first career top 20 on the Hot 100, Carpenter quickly followed it with a song that was a sonic departure but a spiritual relative, and revealed more about what type of pop star she wants to be.
Maybe “Espresso” eventually hits No. 1 and stands as the bigger hit for Carpenter, or maybe its success was simply prelude for a less traditional smash. It doesn’t really matter. Either way, pop listeners are clearly invested in Carpenter beyond her breakout hit’s ultra-catchy refrain and have latched onto the personality that helped power these two hits.
Now, we’re likely about to experience a summer full of two tonally disparate Carpenter singles racking up millions of streams and numerous weeks in the top 10 of the Hot 100. At the end of it, we’ll get a new Carpenter full-length, Short n’ Sweet — after a first half of 2024 full of big-name album releases, it could dominate the cultural conversation during a relatively quiet third quarter. Carpenter commanded the spring thanks to “Espresso”; “Please Please Please” may have set her up for a whole lot more winning seasons.
Post Malone is set to release his upcoming album, F-1 Trillion, on Aug. 16, revealing the news via a billboard in Nashville on Tuesday (June 18). The album marks his sixth studio album, following 2023’s Austin. Post Malone is currently riding high atop the Billboard Hot 100 chart with his Morgan Wallen collaboration “I Had […]
Koe Wetzel may be one of 2024’s bigger breakout artists, but he’s certainly no rookie. The 31-year-old country-rock singer-songwriter has been releasing albums for nearly a decade, with a big sound that’s rooted in country but also mixes in plenty of alternative rock and Americana. His gritty (and sometimes uncomfortably personal) lyrics have helped him grow a sizable core audience. In 2022, he first made his presence felt on the Billboard charts with the anthemic “Creeps,” which reached the top 30 on Hot Country Songs and the top 15 on Hot Rock & Alternative Songs.
Now, Wetzel has reached the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time with a song that integrates a new genre to his usual mix. “We kinda wanted it to have a little R&B feel,” he says of the soulful “Sweet Dreams,” which entered the Hot 100 at No. 47 on the chart dated June 1. “We had talked about just computer drums on it, off a beatpad. I said, ‘I think it would be really cool if we just set up a smaller kit, and tightened up the snare drum a little bit, and give it that pad sound.’ I think it really set the mood for that song a little bit more, to give it that R&B feel.”
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“Sweet Dreams” is Wetzel’s long-awaited first taste of Hot 100 success, but it likely won’t be his only for very long — “High Road,” a new duet with country and pop hitmaker Jessie Murph released a few weeks after, is expected to follow it onto next week’s Hot 100 (dated June 22). Both are set to be included on the ascendant country-rocker’s upcoming album 9 Lives, due for a July 19 release on Columbia, which will be followed by the Damn Near Normal World Tour, taking Wetzel all over the U.S. and then through Europe this late summer and autumn.
Below, Wetzel talks with Billboard about his breakout chart hit, the factors that led to his recent crossover success and the unexpected cover song he has planned for this album cycle.
How did “Sweet Dreams” first come together?
We were in the studio writing — actually, a different song — and it was going nowhere. So we stepped back, like, “Do we want to go a different direction?” I wrote in my notes, probably two weeks prior, “It’s hard to have sweet dreams when I’m such a nightmare.” And we had a guitar lick that we had put together a couple days before on the road while touring. We went in and the song pretty much wrote itself. It came out quick and easy.
When you say “We,” who were the other primary players on the song?
It was Gabe [Simon, co-writer/producer], and then it was [co-writer] Amy Allen — she had a huge influence on it. She does a lot more pop music, and it’s something that I’m not really used to, working with somebody that’s in the pop world. My guitar player Josh Serrato, coming up with the melody for it, and the lick on it. Man, it turned out really good.
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“Sweet Dreams” has many lyrical similarities to your last single before this one, “Damn Near Normal,” including themes of sleeplessness and self-medication. Were those songs either inspired by the same moment or come together at the same time?
Yeah, the mood was in the same realm — we wrote those songs probably 24 hours apart from each other. So we were still in that mood, kind of the same air of the song.
Is there anything you feel comfortable sharing about the personal meaning behind those songs?
Yeah, absolutely. A lot of my songs come from personal experiences, past relationships or [whatever]. This song wasn’t about a certain personal relationship, or a past relationship. It was just kind of multiple relationships — and then bouncing it off people who had had similar problems with relationships and then making it all come together.
When you heard the final product of the song for the first time, did you feel like, “This is going to be a song that takes me to a new level?”
I mean, we knew it was good. We didn’t really have a plan for it. It was so much different than the rest of the record, different from anything I’d done before. So I was excited to have that kind of sidestep genre from the country-rock stuff that I’m normally used to. When we first heard it for the first time, we were like, “Man, this is cool, this is a different sound for us.” We didn’t expect the people to dig into it the way that they did, but we’re glad that they did.
You’ve been building momentum step by step with your audience, getting a bigger foothold on streaming. Do you feel like this song having the immediate results that it has is more a matter of it being a different feel sonically than your other stuff, or is it just good timing?
I think the timing is just great right now, because like you said, with “Damn Near Normal” and the other songs that we teased, people were getting behind [everything] because I feel like it’s something that they’ve expected from me for a while. The last five albums have kind of had the same similar sound. So this is me kind of getting away from that and trying a new sound. I never wanted to have the exact same sound all the time. I think that the way that these songs are going in a different direction, and people having the response that they are — especially after what I’ve put out the last five records — it’s awesome.
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You talked about teasing new music. Is that something that comes natural for you, that sort of TikTok promotional aspect of it? Is that fun for you, or is it just, “This is the business, this is how we gotta get this stuff done”?
Yeah, for me, it’s not really [that fun]. This is the first time we’ve actually teased the whole record. But I mean, in this world today, with social media and the way TikTok and all that stuff’s working, man, it’s so vital to do it. It helps out so much. Times are changing, and it’s really cool to see.
The week after “Sweet Dreams” debuted, the biggest debut on the Hot 100 was “Pink Skies” by Zach Bryan. You guys aren’t necessarily doing the same thing, but do you feel like his success opened up more opportunities for guys working in your lane of alt-country, country-rock, whatever you want to call it?
Yeah, absolutely. Zach Bryan is, like you said, opening up a whole new world to country music, or whatever genre you want to call it. Because [listeners] go look at “Pink Skies,” they go look at “Something in the Orange,” whatever Zach’s done. And it sets them up for other artists that are in that kinda same sound. So all he’s doing is bringing more people into our world — it’s incredible for all of us.
Do you have any more plans for “Sweet Dreams” now that it’s out? Anything to keep it in the spotlight given its success?
No, I think we’ll let it have its own time. Especially when the record comes out, it’ll make a little bit more sense. It’s one of those songs that kind of rounds out the whole sound of the record. So I think we’ll just let it have its own day in the sun — and that’s why we put it out as a single. We didn’t want it to get overlooked in the record.
Anything fans can look forward to on the album or tour that they wouldn’t be expecting, or maybe wouldn’t be obvious from what you’ve done already?
We did an XXXTENTACION cover of “Depression & Obsession.” It’s going to be on the deluxe, after the record comes out. He was one of my favorite underground rap artists, and I always like to throw something kinda left field into my records. I put my own spin to it, and I’m really excited for people to hear it.
“Sweet Dreams” is a pretty well-traveled song title from music history. Do you have a favorite “Sweet Dreams” from the past, whether it’s Eurythmics or Patsy Cline or Beyoncé?
Ah, man. Any that come to mind, no, [not] right now. I thought I was the only one that thought of “Sweet Dreams”! And then, like you said, a lot of people were like, “Well, there’s this song, and that song…” I was like, “Sh-t. Maybe I’m not as smart as I thought I was.”
A version of this story originally appeared in the June 8, 2024, issue of Billboard.
When Myles Smith initially posted a teaser of what would become the soaring folk-pop hit “Stargazing” to his TikTok in early April, he had no idea what would become of it — both in terms of its overwhelming fan response, but more pressingly, how the then-still-unfinished preview would sound when it ultimately became a completed product.
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“As the song was gaining momentum, I was like, ‘Oh snap, I’m gonna have to finish this thing,’ ” Smith tells Billboard. A week after making that initial post, which featured him singing a stripped-down rendition of the song’s captivating hook over a simple acoustic guitar, Smith unveiled a studio demo of “Stargazing,” which he continued to use as a teaser — generating 80 million views across several videos — until its official release on May 10.
Soulful melodies, heartfelt lyrics and an online following of fans hungry for more made the perfect recipe for the 26-year-old Luton, England native’s debut on the Billboard charts. With 6.7 million official U.S. streams in its opening week, according to Luminate, the track became Smith’s first-ever Billboard Hot 100 entry at No. 77 on the chart dated May 26. And the song is continuing to heat up as summer rolls in — it reaches a new No. 51 high on this week’s list, boosting Smith into the top five on Billboard‘s Emerging Artists chart for the first time as well.
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As “Stargazing” continues to shine, Smith is taking it all in, without abandoning his go-to strategy: sharing glimpses of unfinished projects with fans along the way. In the past few weeks alone, Smith has already posted demos of the pop-infused folk ballad “Whispers” and the charming love song “Be Mine” to his TikTok. “It could be a ‘Stargazing’ part two,” he teases of the latter track. “You never know with these things. I was itching to get it out.”
Below, Smith opens up about the cosmic growth of “Stargazing,” balancing social media with mental health, his experience being on tour, his dream collaboration list and more.
Where did you get the idea for “Stargazing,” and how did it come together?
It was something that was birthed out of being with the people that I loved in a space that I loved. I was out in Malibu in L.A. [in January], my first time ever there, and distinctly different from where I grew up. I was with songwriter Jesse Fink and a songwriter-producer Peter Fenn, who I’ve collaborated with before. I just signed with my label [RCA Records], and I was like, “I want to write something that’s really warm, fun and happy.” I came up with the hook pretty instantaneously.
It was just us jumping around, about day five into writing — looking at each other with guitars and having the time of our lives. It came from the idea of the people that you love, the things that you love, always being present in your life, maybe in a way you don’t recognize or see. And then that coming into light later in the day, and that euphoric moment of realizing that. The whole song wasn’t finished on that day, but the embers of it definitely were. From the very moment that that melody was found, the warmth in the room was infectious.
Where did the “Stargazing” metaphor come from?
It jumped out of nowhere. It was getting late in Malibu, and we’re looking over at the ocean and the sun setting, and in that beautiful moment, I stood there and it was quite cathartic. I was like, “Damn, I’m doing the thing that I’ve really wanted to be doing while looking at this beautiful night sky setting.” We were like, “Oh snap, is this what it’s called?” We threw the word in and it found its life there.
How much did the initial recording change from the final product?
At the time, it was just really the hook and the bare bones of the verse and melody. I think that’s the exciting part of where we are now in music. Not everything has to be done, and not everything has to be perfect. In fact, the process of getting there was very much a reciprocal relationship between me and my fans. Watching them react to it, I was even more inspired to finish the song. We kept the bones of the demo in there, and we embellished it to bring it to studio standard. We wanted to not step too far away from the magic that had been created.
So when you posted that initial snippet on TikTok, you didn’t have the whole song done yet?
No, the whole song was not done by that point but it was something that we knew was special. “Solo” and “My Home” — my two songs before that — were a similar process. I just fell in love with the bare bones of the song. I’ve got this really itchy finger in which I can’t wait to put something out. I know for a lot of artists, it’s about putting out what’s perfect. But for me, there’s so much beauty in imperfection.
A big part of why I love the audience that I have is that they bear with me as I get through things and as I explore what something should sound like. Them being part of my creative process is integral to the music being what it is and to it connecting the way that it connects. I’m forever thankful to the feedback online. It really matters in that final mastering and finishing of any song that I make.
Has there been any reaction to its chart success from friends or family that stands out?
My mum was exactly like me, and was like, “Is this real? Are you being scammed?” [Laughs.] We got on FaceTime and I got about 50 texts from friends and family because my mum had gone mental on all the group chats. Especially here in the U.K., the reality of a U.K. artist being on the Billboard [charts] isn’t very big, so when you hear it, it does sound a little bit like a dream. Then it happened, and we were like, “Oh my word. We’re making waves across the pond.”
It’s so fulfilling and so inspiring, the fact that I’m able to do this, and follow so many great British artists. To have support across the water and feel like I have a home away from home has just been so humbling, and such a privilege of an experience. Charting on the Hot 100 has such a profound impact on an artist’s journey, to really gain confidence and validity in how they think and feel about their art and their music.
Do you have a favorite interaction or use of the song on TikTok?
The ones that really get me are the wedding ones. This is someone’s biggest day of their life to this point, potentially. And they’ve chosen my voice, a kid from a million miles away who grew up in a town that no one’s ever heard of, as their soundtrack. It stops me in my tracks every time that I see it, and it reminds me that the thing that we do as artists really does have an impact on people’s lives.
Sometimes on the internet, you can be so distracted by the things that don’t matter. When you’re pulled back into reality by those moments, it really amplifies the role of an artist — but also the beauty of the music industry and moving towards social media in a global perspective. I’m so lucky to be a part of a generation of artists who are doing that.
What is your current relationship with social media like?
My relationship is healthier than what it was. We naturally compare ourselves to people so much and look at people doing amazing things. For a long time, I took that as a reflection of what I wasn’t doing. That wasn’t great for me. But I started to use social media, for lack of a better word, in a more selfish way — like, “Hey, I want to use this as a tool to find my community, build relationships and network.” I started focusing on what was important to me, and it became such an incredible part of my artist journey.
Now I have a community that thinks, feels and expresses themselves in such similar ways and teaches me things about myself and the world that I didn’t know. I see it now as an opportunity to connect with people across the world.
You’re currently on tour in Europe. What’s that experience been like?
I did a mini-run of shows at the start of this year, and that was my first moment of bridging the gap between online and real life. It was such a surreal moment. Being on stage and being in cities I’ve never been and people singing lyrics back to me, it stopped me in my tracks every single night. This tour is that, just a little bit bigger. It’s still the exact same feeling. It feels like I’m living a dream. People ask me, “Is this normal yet?” For me, it’s not. I don’t ever want it to be normal.
The magic of living your dream and seeing it every night is what I think what music’s all about. To see people in real life, hear their stories and hardships and sing, laugh, cry in a room together is what I want to do for the rest of my life. I’ve loved every moment of this tour. I can’t wait to go to the States and run it back.
What’s next for you after tour?
After tour I will be taking… I’m lying. I’m not gonna be taking a break. I don’t have time to take a break! I’m going to be straight back in the studio, writing and recording more music. The part I love about what I do, and the part about working with the people I work with and the label that I now call home at RCA, is that they really support my vision of being able to put out music, and not always having to wait.
Who are some of your dream collaborators?
I’m a huge Mumford & Sons stan. I love Noah Kahan — I think what he does is just unbelievable. I can’t think of someone who’s a better songwriter at this current stage. Hozier is a GOAT of GOATs. But if I had to pick an all-time dream, it’d be Chris Martin. I will forever be a Coldplay stan.
A version of this story originally appeared in the June 1, 2024, issue of Billboard.
Before R&B-leaning singer Tommy Richman vaulted into the mainstream conversation, he recorded music in his mom’s basement. An ardent supporter of her son’s career, she’d often tell him her favorite songs — but oddly enough, his breakthrough hit hardly cracks the list. “‘Million Dollar Baby,’ that’s the one everybody likes?” Richman playfully teases during our Zoom conversation in late May, mirroring his mom’s reaction. “She likes a lot of older songs way more and [other] stuff off the album, too.” But while his parents may not be captivated by the ‘80s funk-inspired track, the rest of the country has been infatuated, giving him a steady top-5 Billboard Hot 100 hit.
A native of Woodbridge, Va., Richman, 24, grew up listening to 50 Cent and Lil Wayne. Though the small town near the nation’s capital lacked an active music scene, he earned some of his musical sensibilities from his father, a drum teacher. And despite many residents working government jobs, his musical aspirations trumped the idea of a traditional 9-to-5 career. He self-released the somber single “Pleasantville” on YouTube as a freshman in college; then, he spammed various YouTube pages linking to it and urging listeners to “be brutally honest with the last song I posted.”
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The positive feedback he received online encouraged Richman to chase music as a full-time career, and in 2022, he met Darren Xu, COO of Brent Faiyaz’s imprint, ISO Supremacy, and his now-manager. Before long, Xu felt Richman was ready to take the next step and connected him with Faiyaz. By last August, the two artists were in business as well, with Richman signing a record deal with ISO Supremacy in partnership with PULSE Music Group. He also joined Faiyaz on his F*ck the World, It’s a Wasteland Tour that summer, and in October, they collaborated on Faiyaz’ Larger Than Life album standout “Upset” alongside FELIX!, which reached No. 12 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Songs chart.
“[My team] values me as a person,” Richman says. “A lot of people look at you as an object: ‘We have to stay around this guy because he makes good songs.’ This sh-t wouldn’t have really transpired like that if we didn’t get along as people.”
He adds that “Drake reached out super early when I put out [2023 single] ‘Last Nite.’” And as the A-list cosigns began to accumulate, Richman’s confidence grew. He released two grooving singles in 2024 before his breakthrough, first with “Soulcrusher” and then “Selfish.” On April 13, Richman uploaded a teaser of another track — what would ultimately become “Million Dollar Baby” — to social media, shot in a grainy VHS style and featuring the artist and his friends dancing to the beat in the studio. It went viral, garnering over 12.5 million views on TikTok alone, as his falsetto in the infectious chorus quickly struck a chord with fans: “Cause I want to make it so badly/I’m a million dollar baby, don’t at me,” he sings.
“It was the combination of the sound of the VHS camera, the vibe of the people in the studio, how short the snippet was and how in your face the audio was,” says Richman. “The audio is really loud. I compare the audio to my other TikToks, and the one snippet is in your face. I think that’s why it caught on.”
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He followed it with a few more clips, and according to PULSE Music Group vp of marketing Sara Ahmed, they made the decision to drop the song just four days before its ultimate April 26 release. Richman turned in the master recording at 1:00 a.m. on April 23. “I built him a rollout [plan to] build into the hype of the song,” she says. “We didn’t have much lead time to [create] a campaign.”
Nevertheless, “Million Dollar Baby” had a seismic debut, netting 38 million official U.S. streams in its first full tracking week (April 26-May 2), according to Luminate. It entered at No. 2 on the Hot 100, and atop Billboard’s Streaming Songs, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot R&B Songs charts — a particularly notable feat given the track was released amid the vicious hip-hop battle between Drake and Kendrick Lamar. Lamar’s “Euphoria” arrived as “Million Dollar Baby” was gaining momentum; in the same weekend as its release, Drake’s “Family Matters” and Lamar’s “Meet the Grahams” and “Not Like Us” dropped, elevating the culture-defining feud. But even as the heavyweights threatened to stymy his opening week numbers, Richman remained unfazed.
“It was a blessing, low-key,” Richman relays. “I was reading a lot of comments like, ‘Damn, this is like the worst time to drop your song.’ It was kind of funny. A lot of people looked at us like we were the palate cleanse.”
“There’s nothing out there like this,” Ahmed adds. “I think people are looking for something new, exciting and different, and Tommy is it. This great song coupled with sharp strategy and Tommy’s determination really carried the song through — and we have barely scratched the surface.”
Gustavo Soriano
In five weeks on the Hot 100, “Million Dollar Baby” has remained a fixture in the top 10, and according to Richman, the song’s music video will arrive ahead of summer. As for a potential remix, fans shouldn’t get their hopes up. “There’s no remix, man,” he says. “A couple people [have reached out]. It’s cool, but for the integrity of the track, let’s keep it by itself.”
As Richman savors his newfound success, he’s already chipping away at his debut album, Coyote. Though he doesn’t have a release date, Richman believes his project will showcase his artistry beyond being a one-hit wonder.
“This is a big record, but this s–t doesn’t define me,” he says. “I’m using this as ‘We’re here. We arrived.’ Not as ‘We made it!’ This is the start of a run.”
A version of this story will appear in the June 8, 2024, issue of Billboard.
Emerging New York City rapper Cash Cobain scores his first career entry as a billed recording artist on the Billboard Hot 100 chart (dated June 8), thanks to his new collaboration with Don Toliver and Charlie Wilson, “Attitude.”
Released May 22 on Cactus Jack/Atlantic Records, the song debuts at No. 96 almost entirely from its streaming sum: 5.7 million official U.S. streams in its first full tracking week (May 24-30), according to Luminate. It also starts at No. 25 on Hot Rap Songs and No. 29 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.
The song is slated to appear on Don Toliver’s fourth album, Hardstone Psycho, due June 14. It samples Snoop Dogg’s No. 6-peaking 2003 Hot 100 hit “Beautiful,” featuring Pharrell and Wilson.
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Cash Cobain, from The Bronx, has had an eventful year so far. After Billboard named him among the R&B/Hip-Hop Artists to Watch in 2024, the MC scored his first chart appearance as a recording artist when his viral breakthrough track “Fisherrr,” with Bay Swag, debuted on the May 4-dated Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay ranking. It hits a new No. 16 high on the latest list, while rising to No. 15 on Rap Airplay and No. 19 on R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay. It also reached No. 33 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.
The song has been boosted by a viral dance trend on TikTok, “The Reemski,” helping it soundtrack over 75,000 videos on the platform to date. In April, Cash Cobain released a remix of “Fisherrr” with Ice Spice.
On the June 1 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, Cash Cobain tallied his second entry, via his featured turn on A Boogie Wit da Hoodie’s “Body” (No. 46).
Before debuting as a billed recording artist, Cash Cobain produced two tracks that charted on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs: B-Lovee’s “My Everything” (No. 37, December 2021) and Drake’s “Calling for You,” featuring 21 Savage (No. 5, October 2023); the latter likewise hit No. 5 on the Hot 100. He has also produced songs for Central Cee, PinkPantheress, LUCKI and Trippie Redd.
Last month, Cash Cobain teamed with J. Cole on “Grippy,” a reworked version of the former’s song “Dunk Contest,” as well as Jay Critch on “Kick It” and Lancey Foux and Teezo Touchdown on “Daylight.”
Billboard named Cash Cobain its R&B/Hip-Hop Rookie of the Month for April. He has teased upcoming collaborations with Lil Yachty and Frank Ocean, after releasing six solo projects to date: Sliick Cobain, 719, Nirvana, Slizzy Timing, 2 Slizzy 2 Sexy and Pretty Girls Love Slizzy.
Ashley Cooke is officially a Billboard Hot 100-charting artist.
The singer-songwriter debuts at No. 95 on the latest chart (dated June 8) with her single “Your Place.”
Released in July 2023 via Back Blocks/Big Loud, the track debuts on the Hot 100 with 23.3 million radio airplay audience impressions and 2 million official U.S. streams May 24-30, according to Luminate. It also holds at its No. 7 high on Country Airplay and climbs 25-23 on Hot Country Songs.
Cooke is just the second woman to reach the top 10 of Country Airplay in 2024, after Lainey Wilson, whose “Wildflowers and Wild Horses” hit No. 5 in May.
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In a December interview with Billboard, Cooke shared her experience of dumping a boyfriend after discovering that he had cheated on her and how that inspired her current hit. “In a weird way, writing ‘Your Place’ was kind of my line in the sand of, ‘Hey, I’m going to turn a new leaf and not deal with those kinds of relationships anymore,’ ” she said. “Singing that song every night on tour, you feel that power kind of being put back into who you are and your worth and your respect for yourself. And it’s cool to see people in the crowd also responding to that.”
Cooke’s relationship experiences are further detailed on her sophomore LP and major-label debut, Shot in the Dark, which includes “Your Place.” Released in 2023, the set reached No. 14 on Heatseekers Albums (which ranks the most popular albums each week by new or developing acts) last August.
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“As a young person growing up and falling in and out of love — and what you think is love, and what actually isn’t love — I think it’s easy to get so caught up in it,” she shared. “I put up with a lot of stuff in different relationships that, if you listened to my whole debut album, it’s a lot about relationships and about toxicity.”
“Your Place” was produced by Jimmy Robbins, who earns his second Hot 100 entry in that role, following Kelsea Ballerini’s “Half of My Hometown,” featuring Kenny Chesney (No. 53, 2022).
Cooke scored her first overall Billboard chart appearance in April 2022 when “Never Til Now,” with Brett Young, debuted and peaked at No. 5 on Country Digital Song Sales, No. 14 on Digital Song Sales and No. 46 on Hot Country Songs. The track also hit No. 49 on Country Airplay that December. She followed with “It’s Been a Year,” which hit Nos. 2 and 6 on the respective sales surveys.