Media

Charli XCX, Tinashe & Megan Thee Stallion’s Viral TikTok Songs You Need to Know | Billboard News

Charli XCX, Tinashe and Megan Thee Stallion are all over TikTok with their latest hits. Here are all the updates you need to know.

Tetris Kelly:
From Megan’s new Hot 100 hit, Charli bringing the apples and “Nasty” getting a remix, we’re talking about three of the most viral songs you should know. Tinashe’s “Nasty” has been all over the ‘Tok and even in our studio, but now Tinashe’s highest charting solo Hot 100 hit is getting a remix with superstar Chlöe Bailey.

And not sure if you heard, but it’s a BRAT summer. And as people are loving our cover star Charli XCX’s new album, its song “Apple” has a dance that her homie Troye joined for, one of our faves KEEHO, and even John Summit joined Jake Shane.

And we all think we know Japanese now thanks to Megan Thee Stallion’s “Mamushi” with Yuki Chiba, which became his first Hot 100 song and just climbed to No. 45 on the chart.

Charli XCX Takes Fans Through a Day In Her Life | Billboard Cover

Billboard cover star Charli xcx made a statement this summer with BRAT. She takes us through a day in her life in London, showing us her favorite spots and reflecting on how her previous records contributed to her current success. She explains how her BRAT inspiration transpired and why the BRAT green is uncool, her Sweat Tour with Troye Sivan and more!

Charli XCX:
Hi, Billboard. I’m Charli XCX. Let’s spend 24 hours together.

This is Artwords — this is a bookshop that I sometimes come into. It’s on a very cute street by London Fields and I just like to come here on the weekends when I’m in London. To be honest, I don’t read loads. I won’t lie — I’m more of a movie watcher, but I definitely go through phases where I’m, like, really on a book, you know? The book I’m reading at the moment is David Bailey’s autobiography. He is an amazing British photographer. I really like reading David Sedaris books, I love reading Natasha Stagg’s books, but I’m not a big fiction reader, to be honest. I like reading about people who exist in the real world and their stories and how they’ve ended up where they are.

I’ve definitely been on a journey with my creative process and the music that I make and I think … You know, my first record, True Romance, which I think literally, like, 11 people heard, is one that is really dear to me and I love it. And I think it’s, in my opinion, stood the test of time, but you know, obviously, everyone else will have their own opinions on that. But after that record, I made a much more, I don’t know, kind of like a commercial-sounding record which is what I wanted to do at the time.  

Keep watching to learn more!

Drake Vs Kendrick, Ice Spice Vs ATEEZ & More Battle It Out In Fan Army Face-Off 2024 | Billboard News

Billboard’s Fan Army Face Off is back this year and there’s loads of fandoms that are battling it out to take the No.1 spot. Head to billboard.com to cast your vote now!

Tetris Kelly:

Drake versus Kendrick, Ice Spice versus ATEEZ, NewJeans versus Sabrina Carpenter. Billboard’s Fan Army Face Off is back and the 32 matchups in round one to see who has the ultimate fandom are already heating up! Last year’s winner, SB19 takes on SZA in round one while their rubber up, SEVENTEEN, is up against viral chart new comer, Chappell Roan. Speaking of charts, the king and queen of this year’s charts, Morgan Wallen and Taylor Swift go head to head. While BLACKPINK, who hasn’t released an album in almost two years, takes on Charli XCX who has one of the most acclaimed albums of the year. But one of the biggest battles of round one has to be Drake versus Kendrick Lamar. We’ll see if the fans can settle this beef once and for all. For the full list of matchups in round one and to cast your vote, head to Billboard.com

Noah Kahan’s We’ll All Be Here Forever Tour In Madison Square Garden | All Access | Billboard News

Noah Kahan sold out Madison Square Garden for two nights in a row with his We’ll All Be Here Forever Tour, and we give you an exclusive behind the scenes look!

Tetris Kelly:

It’s “Stick Season” every season as Noah Kahan took over Madison Square Garden for his first two sold out nights. We take you there in Billboard All Access. Fans packed into the arena to grab their merch and get ready for a night that kicked off with James Bay as the opener, singing his new collab with Noah that’s out July 19th. And then it was time for the main event. Noah opened with “Dial Drunk” and sang fan favorites like “Homesick,” and “You’re Gonna Go So Far,” before James Bay joined him for his hit, “Stick Season.” Fans left MSG happy, and so was Noah.

Adele Wants to Step Away From Music for ‘a Big Break’ | Billboard News

Ahead of Adele’s Munich residency, she dropped the bombshell that she wants to take a “big break” from music. Keep watching for the details!

Tetris Kelly:
Adele says she’s taking a break from music, but what’s next for the chart-topper? Ahead of her 10-day residency in Munich, Germany, Adele sat down with German outlet, ZDF, to talk about her upcoming shows.

During the interview, according to NME, Adele said she has no plans for new music and wants “a big break after this … to do other creative things, just for a little while.”

No word on what those other creative things may be. We know from her stint on SNL she is a comedy queen. And she didn’t specify how long “a little while” is. But we do know she returns to Las Vegas to finish out the last 10 dates of her Weekends with Adele residency spanning Oct. 25 to Nov. 23.

Why Radio Is Still Valuable in the Streaming Age & More Burning Questions: Ask the Pop Shop

On the new Billboard Pop Shop Podcast, Katie & Keith are opening up the mailbag to answer your burning questions – starting with a question about why radio is still important (and valuable) in the streaming age.

Listener “yaelkaa” asks: “I’m still unclear about the point of (a) radio-released single in the time of streaming.”

We can start by looking at Billboard’s own charts to show how big of an imprint radio still has on American music fans. A few weeks ago, on the July 6-dated Radio Songs chart, the No. 1 song was Post Malone’s “I Had Some Help,” featuring Morgan Wallen, with 76.5 million audience impressions in the U.S., according to data tracking firm Luminate — meaning, it was estimated that song was heard 76.5 million times by people that week. Compare that to the same week’s No. 1 on the Streaming Songs chart, which was Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us,” with 45.4 million official streams in the U.S. And of course, that number includes repeated plays by the same person through the week. The numbers, at least that week, speak for themself: Radio is still very powerful when it comes to the sheer number of people that will hear a song.

Also, we can look at the financials of radio plays versus on-demand audio streaming plays. We dug into the numbers to estimate how much money was generated for the publishers and the songwriter for one major hit song, Noah Kahan’s top 10-charting Billboard Hot 100 hit “Stick Season.” How much would that have generated from radio plays and on-demand audio streams? Which of the two, radio or streaming, likely generated the bigger financial win? Listen to our special Ask the Pop Shop episode below to learn more about that and other questions.

Trending on Billboard

The Billboard Pop Shop Podcast is your one-stop shop for all things pop on Billboard‘s weekly charts. You can always count on a lively discussion about the latest pop news, fun chart stats and stories, new music, and guest interviews with music stars and folks from the world of pop. Casual pop fans and chart junkies can hear Billboard‘s executive digital director, West Coast, Katie Atkinson and Billboard’s managing director, charts and data operations, Keith Caulfield every week on the podcast, which can be streamed on Billboard.com or downloaded in Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast provider. (Click here to listen to the previous edition of the show on Billboard.com.)

Griff On ‘Vertigo’ Inspiration, Opening for Taylor Swift & Sabrina Carpenter & More | Billboard News

Griff released her debut album as a trilogy, and the final installment, ‘Vertigo,’ is out. She stops by Billboard and shares how she got inspired to release her debut album in three parts, her experience on opening for Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour, and how she will be opening for Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n Sweet Tour. Griff also shares how she’s preparing for her first tour and more!

Griff:

The eight year old me that listened to Taylor and like was obsessed with ‘Fearless’ is like so like dying inside that, like, the fact that that’s happening is an achievement in itself. Hey, it’s Griff and you’re watching Billboard News.

Lyndsey Havens:

Hey I’m Lyndsey for Billboard News, and we’re here with the stellar singer-songwriter Griff.

Griff:

Thanks for having me.

Lyndsey Havens:

Yeah. Thanks for being here. So you have some super exciting tour announcements. And then obviously, your debut album that we’ve all been waiting for. So it was announced that you’re opening for Sabrina Carpenter this fall. Congratulations on that one.

Griff:

Thank you.

Lyndsey Havens:

So if you can remember, how did you find out that this was happening?

Griff:

I was doing my first ever European tour. And I just finished a show and I was getting on the tour bus and my tour manager called me and I had to step off. And he was like, so, Sabrina Carpenter wants you to join her on tour, which was obviously so surreal, and it’s such an honor that she would want that to happen. I bumped into her for the first time at a Grammy party last time I was in LA. And then I saw her last time she was in the UK for a festival. So that was nice, like, fully hang out and say hi, but yea I’m so excited. 

Keep watching to learn more!

Jin Participates in 2024 Olympics, WOOZI Snaps Back, Jimin & Jung Kook Tease New Show | Billboard News

Jin shares his experience as South Korea’s representative of the 2024 Olympics, SEVENTEEN’s WOOZI has something to say about the accusations of AI use, and Jimin & Jung Kook tease their new show.

Tetris Kelly:

Ji-Kook doesn’t know if we’re ready for what we are about to see, SEVENTEEN’s WOOZI snaps back to people saying they use AI, and Jin is thankful for his Paris experience. Here’s three things you need to know in K-Pop. Though SEVENTEEN’s epic video for “MAESTRO” played with the concept of AI and technology, one of the members and songwriter of the group said ‘no’ on their songs. After a BBC story said they used artificial intelligence in the creative process, WOOZI posted to IG saying, “All of SEVENTEEN’s music is written and composed by human creators.” And their entertainment label backed him up saying, “It is not true that AI was used in SEVENTEEN’s song lyrics, and we have conveyed our position to the foreign media outlets that reported on this to correct the content.” BBC added an editor’s note. Jin of BTS was South Korea’s official representative in the Paris 2024 Olympic torch relay, the 31-year-old K-pop star was beside himself with excitement. In a statement he said: “I was able to take on the honorable role of a torchbearer thanks to the support of ARMY. I am truly grateful. I was so nervous to the point of not knowing how the time passed, but I was able to do my best thanks to the many people who loudly cheered me on.” And Jin we will always do so. Jimin & Jung Kook are coming to Disney+ in a new travel show August 9th and today they walked to ARMY about the adventurous details. We are not ready! Okay, yes we are.

Musicians React to Donald Trump Shooting | Billboard News

After Donald Trump’s shooting at his rally in Pennsylvania, musicians have taken to social media to voice their opinion. Keep watching to see what they have to say.

Tetris Kelly:

From meme album covers, to passionate support and song dedications- after gunshots rang through Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania leaving one attendee dead and the former President’s ear injured, musicians throughout the industry are reacting. That’s 50 Cent performing “Many Men (Wish Death).” After posting that he was trending on X following the shooting with an edited version of his album ‘Get Rich or Die Tryin.’” Kid Rock took a more angry tone and they weren’t the only ones with something to say. Lil Pump posted, “we spinnin for Trump glad ur ok.” With M.I.A. saying she was looking into bulletproof hats. Several country stars have spoken on the situation live at their shows with Cody Johnson speaking on American rights. And Jason Aldean taking his song, “Try That In A Small Town,” a track many took to be a song inciting violence and dedicating it to the former President.

Peso Pluma Reveals His Secrets to Living the Fine Life Video | Billboard

Peso Pluma offered fans an intimate look at his pastimes as part of his new partnership with Corona. See how the Mexican superstar likes to live the fine life in a new animated interview.

Peso Pluma:
And this is the real secret to living the fine life. It’s that perfect mix between family, friends, good music and a dish that takes you to those moments.

What’s up guys? I’m Peso Pluma, and I’m going to tell you how to live the fine life. I believe the fine life is to enjoy, and in my free time, I like to be at the beach. I like drinking a nice cold beer. My favorite beach is Cancun, and the perfect day is being with my friends, listening to music. A dip in the water to cool off, or at least I try.

And after being in the water, a soccer match in the sand is a must. But in the end, the most important thing is to recharge creative energy and connect with myself. What I enjoy the most when I’m watching a soccer match is when the fans of each team start singing because it reminds me a lot of when I was a kid and used to go to the stadium with my dad to watch my favorite team.

Soccer is something that’s truly felt, especially when you watch your team win and you become part of it. I get that same feeling with video games. I always have a good time playing video games, Laughing with my friends, too. Enjoying the moment right?