Music News

14 Dec 2023

JID’s ‘Surround Sound’ Crowns TikTok Billboard Top 50

There’s a new No. 1 on the TikTok Billboard Top 50 in JID’s “Surround Sound,” featuring 21 Savage and Baby Tate, which vaults from No. 5 to the top of the Dec. 16-dated tally.

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

The TikTok Billboard Top 50 is a weekly ranking of the most popular songs on TikTok in the United States based on creations, video views and user engagement. The latest chart reflects activity Dec. 4-10. Activity on TikTok is not included in Billboard charts except for the TikTok Billboard Top 50.

“Surround Sound” reigns in its fourth week on the chart, completing a climb that began with its No. 13 debut on the Nov. 25 survey, followed by a pair of weeks at No. 5.

The song, first released in 2022, has largely been carried by a dance trend in which users mount or tape a phone to the ceiling and record a choreographed dance or other scene below, as previously reported.

Concurrently, “Surround Sound” continues its march up the Billboard Hot 100, reaching a new peak of No. 64. It earned 8.8 million official U.S. streams on services that report to the Hot 100 Dec. 1-7, up 31%, according to Luminate.

“Surround Sound” reigns over Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” which spends a second week at No. 2 on the TikTok Billboard Top 50. It remains the leader of the pack when it comes to holiday tunes, with The Ronettes’ “Sleigh Ride” (specifically the PhatCap! trap remix) following at No. 6, its first time in the top 10, and Wham!’s “Last Christmas” and Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” rounding out the group top 10-wise at Nos. 7 and 9, respectively.

In all, seven holiday-themed songs reach the Dec. 16 ranking. Michael Buble’s “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” rises to No. 22, while Andy Williams’ “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” (No. 27) and Bobby Helms’ “Jingle Bell Rock” (No. 40) debut.

The week’s top debut is courtesy of Flo Milli, whose “Never Lose Me” bows at No. 12. That’s after its Nov. 30 premiere and occurs concurrent with the track’s No. 22 debut on Billboard’s Hot Rap Songs chart.

“Never Lose Me” marks the rapper’s first TikTok Billboard Top 50 appearance. Some of its top uploads so far follow trends captioned “we’ve made it to the too comfortable stage,” showing couples hanging out in their downtime, or people pretending to tell their grandkids a bedtime story using the song’s lyrics, while others simply celebrate the song being out at all after it was teased earlier in the fall.

It’s followed by a currently unreleased song in Alex G’s “I Wait for You,” which begins at No. 15. Though never officially released, the track has nonetheless become popular in the singer-songwriter’s canon, slowly rising over the past few months on TikTok both via its original version and a sped-up edition.

One spot above “I Wait for You,” mikeeysmind and Sanikwave’s “VVV (HE’S BACK)” vaults from its No. 48 debut Dec. 9 to No. 14, the sound again used in a variety of ways rather than one overarching trend – though many include footage of gameplay from a variety of video games, chiefly Fortnite. “VVV” incorporates vocals from Playboi Carti, though uncredited; it racked up 1.2 million streams in the latest Billboard tracking week, up 28%.

See the full TikTok Billboard Top 50 here, also featuring debuts from WILLOW, Flo Rida, Madonna and more. You can also tune in each Friday to SiriusXM’s TikTok Radio (channel 4) to hear the premiere of the chart’s top 10 countdown at 3 p.m. ET, with reruns heard throughout the week.

14 Dec 2023

Feid’s ‘Ferxxocalipsis’ Debuts in Top 10 on Top Latin Albums Chart

Just two months after Feid’s Mor, No Le Temas a La Oscuridad debuted at No. 4 on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart, the Colombian returns to the top tier with Ferxxocalipsis arriving at No. 9 on the Dec. 16-dated list.

The 10-track set was a surprise release announced Nov. 29 on his Instagram account, a day ahead of its Dec. 1 drop via Universal Music Latino/UMLE.

Ferxxocalipsis starts with 11,000 equivalent album units, earned in the U.S. in the week ending Dec. 7, according to Luminate. As with most of Feid’s album releases, streaming contributes the majority of the 10-track album’s first week total. That sum equals to 15 million official on-demand streams of the album’s songs.

With Ferxxocalipsis’ new top 10 debut, Feid scores his third top 10 chart visit. His first top 10, Feliz Cumpleaños Ferxxo: Te Pirateamos El Álbum, launched at No. 6 with 3,000 units in September 2022. Plus, as mentioned, Mor started at No. 4 with 20,000 units last October.

The new achievement cements Ferxxo as the new urban fighter with at least three top 10 sets on Top Latin Albums this decade; a list with Karol G as the only female representation. Let’s review the list of winners:

Artist, Top 10s:

  • Bad Bunny, 8
  • Ozuna, 7
  • Rauw Alejandro, 6
  • Anuel AA, 4
  • Arcangel, 4
  • Mora, 4
  • Myke Towers, 4
  • J Balvin, 3
  • Feid, 3
  • Karol G, 3

It’s not rare for Ferxxo to duplicate releases in a year. Since Ferxxo: Vol. 1 M.O.R. (2020), he’s secured two entries on Top Latin Albums in 2020, 2022 and now 2023, with Inter Shibuya: La Mafia the only effort to debut on the tally in 2021.

Elsewhere, Ferxxocalipsis debuts at No. 5 on Latin Rhythm Albums, matching Feliz Cumpleaños Ferxxo’s No. 5 peak (October 2022).

14 Dec 2023

Taylor Swift Looks Bejeweled on 34th Birthday Night Out With Blake Lively, Miles Teller & Keleigh Sperry

Taylor Swift is still making the whole place shimmer at 34. Fully embodying the lyrics of her Midnights single “Bejeweled,” the pop star celebrated her birthday Wednesday night (Dec. 13) by stepping out in a sparkly outfit, accompanied by friends Blake Lively, Miles Teller and his wife, actress-model Keleigh Sperry. 

Dressed in a black Clio Peppiatt cocktail dress decked out with silver crescent moon and star designs, which she paired with sky-high black heels and a furry coat, the musician spent her birthday night at The Box nightclub in Manhattan. She and Lively held hands as they arrived at the venue. Swift left the club holding hands with Sperry, who linked arms with the Top Gun: Maverick star on her other side. The couple also spent the night prior to Swift’s birthday with the 12-time Grammy winner at Zero Bond in New York City, an outing also attended by Selena Gomez. 

And for those wondering – no, Travis Kelce was not seen at the “Anti-Hero” singer’s birthday festivities. Swift’s football star boyfriend reportedly had to stay back in Kansas City for a mandatory Chiefs practice on the night of her 34th.  

The morning of her birthday, Swift rang in the special occasion with an Instagram post promoting the release of her extended Eras Tour concert film on streaming services, making it available to rent or purchase. “I had the time of my life fighting dragons with youuuu,” she wrote. “PS troll me all you want about my excessive and literal millennial emoji use but A) no one’s prouder to be a millennial and B) it’s my bday and today I am exempt! ?”  

See photos from Swift’s birthday bash with Lively and the Tellers below: 

Taylor Swift, Keleigh Sperry and Miles Teller

Taylor Swift, Keleigh Sperry and Miles Teller leave The Box after celebrating Taylor’s 34th birthday on Dec. 14, 2023 in New York City.

James Devaney/GC Images

Blake Lively and Taylor Swift

Blake Lively and Taylor Swift are seen arriving at ‘The Box’ on Dec. 13, 2023 in New York, New York.

MEGA/GC Images

14 Dec 2023

Watch ‘Merrily We Roll Along’ Stars Daniel Radcliffe, Jonathan Groff & Lindsay Mendez Sing ‘Old Friends’ From New Cast Album

Since its Broadway premiere in 1981, Stephen Sondheim‘s Merrily We Roll Along has been struggling to, well, get back to Broadway.

The musical about 20 years of friendship between composer Franklin Shepard, lyricist Charley Kringas and writer Mary Flynn — which unfolds onstage in reverse chronological order, starting when that friendship has dissolved and all three are jaded shadows of their former selves — famously ran for just 16 performances and 44 previews in its original production. Over the years since, several prominent productions have attempted to solve what many considered the show’s inherent problems, and in that time, it’s also become one of Sondheim’s most beloved shows (and scores), a musical fan’s musical.

Now, Merrily has finally made that long-awaited return to Broadway, in an acclaimed production directed by Maria Friedman that critics have unanimously deemed the one the show always deserved. A second extension of its limited engagement at the Hudson Theatre was just announced (through July 7, 2024), and ticket sales have smashed its theater‘s record seven times. And the show’s success owes a great deal to the joyous chemistry between its three leads: Jonathan Groff as Shepard, Daniel Radcliffe as Kringas and Lindsay Mendez as Flynn.

The trio’s vocal talents can be heard on the new Merrily cast recording, streaming now and available on physical CD on Jan. 12 (via Sony Masterworks Broadway). Below, Billboard exclusively premieres a music video of them performing one of the musical’s central songs, “Old Friends.”

14 Dec 2023

Jelly Roll Determined to ‘Do Everything I Could to Give Back’ After Finding ‘Peace’ With Relationship to Alcohol and Drugs

Since the age of 14, Jelly Roll has been in jail upwards of 40 times on a variety of drug charges. But the 39-year-old “Save Me” singer (born Jason DeFord) told People that before he became a best new artist Grammy nominee and landed three No. 1 country chart hits he realized he needed to make some serious changes in his drinking and drug-taking.

“I had to learn that you could drink alcohol without doing cocaine. It took me a long time to learn that,” he told the magazine. “I’ve never said that, but that’s real. There was a long time where I just assumed, when people told me they drank without doing cocaine, I was like, I thought we only drank to do cocaine.”

That complicated substance tangle continued to be challenging once Jelly tried to figure out his relationship with alcohol outside of drugs; he said that he “never really had a problem with alcohol” and still has the occasional cocktail, even as he tries to stay away from drugs. “I thought [drinking] was to make us not feel like drug addicts. Nobody wants to snort cocaine sober, then you’re a drug addict,” he said. “But I had to re-look at my relationship with alcohol like that.”

And though it sounds like he was able to get those vices under control without the help of rehab, Jelly said that stark wake-up call inspired him to spend his downtime on the road visiting facilities across the country and delivering warm meals while playing a few songs to “do a little encouraging” for those in recovery and youth in juvenile centers.

“I always said that if I ever got in this situation, I would do everything I could to give back,” he said. “The fact that just me showing up places can make people happy is such a gift, and I feel like if God gave me that gift, I should show up.”

While he does still drink a bit and smoke some weed, Jelly said he also drops in on meetings from time-to-time if he’s struggling with his thought patterns. “I just, out of an abundance of respect for the people who really got off the drugs completely, and the alcohol and the weed, I don’t necessarily claim to be a part of the program, because I respect their work and I would never want to diminish it with some of my actions, but AA has done a lot for me,” he said.

14 Dec 2023

Top 10 Highest Grossing Rap Tours of 2023

Last week, Billboard revealed its year-end Boxscore charts, ranking the top tours, venues, and promoters of 2023. That coverage included analysis of the new wave of genre diverse artists crashing stadium stages, and in turn, our charts. Here, we are breaking down the year’s biggest tours, genre by genre. Today, we continue with rap.

Hip-hop had a confusing year, celebrating all of the groundbreaking art and success that has come in its first 50 years, while also dealing with a drought of crossover hits. But major releases from Drake, Nicki Minaj and Travis Scott helped momentum in the second half of 2023, while a new class of headliners waits in the wings.

Rap has never scaled on stage in quite the same way that pop, rock and country have. Its share of the top 100 tour grosses slips from 3.4% in 2022 to 2.7% this year, having peaked at 5.2% in 2019. And even as Latin and K-pop acts increase their touring footprint with international stadium shows, hip-hop artists have yet to cross that threshold. The genre’s biggest names have mounted stadium tours alongside pop peers (Jay-Z with Beyoncé and Justin Timberlake; Eminem with Rihanna) but outside of one-off dates, there has yet to be a major stadium tour by a rapper on their own.

That’s not to say that rap hasn’t generated stars big enough to compete with pop stars such as Taylor Swift and Harry Styles. R&B/hip-hop was confirmed as the most popular genre in America in 2017 and has continued that reign into the new decade. Rap artists led Billboard’s year-end Top Artist ranking for four consecutive years (2018-21) and there are six in this year’s top 20 – more than any other genre. With Doja Cat, Lil Uzi Vert, Rod Wave and Travis Scott already touring into the 2024 reporting period, the genre’s prospects are looking up.

Keep reading to check out the top 10 highest grossing tours of 2023 by hip-hop artists, with such acts qualifying due to recent performance on Billboard’s Top Rap Albums and/or Hot Rap Songs charts. Rankings are determined according to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore. All reported shows worldwide between Nov. 1, 2022 – Sept. 30, 2023, are eligible.

14 Dec 2023

Double Feature: Beyoncé’s ‘My House’ Premieres in Top 10 on Rap & Dance Charts

Beyoncé earns her first lead entry on Billboard’s Hot Rap Songs chart as “My House” debuts at No. 9 on the list dated Dec. 16. The standalone single, released on Dec. 1 via Parkwood/Columbia Records, accompanied the launch of Beyoncé’s concert film, Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé, which arrived in theaters the same day. The house and rap-flavored track also starts at No. 2 on the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

For its debut week on both multimetric charts — which combine streaming, radio airplay and sales for its rankings — “My House” generated 9.7 million official U.S. streams in the tracking week of Dec. 1-7, according to Luminate and opens at No. 7 on the Rap Streaming Songs chart. The single sold 5,000 downloads in the same period, prompting its No. 2 entrance on the Rap Digital Song Sales ranking, and registered 1.8 million in total radio audience.

With “My House,” Beyoncé scores her sixth top 10 on Hot Rap Songs and first in a leading role. Here’s a look at the superstar’s six visits to the top tier:

Song Title, Artist, Peak Position, Peak Date

  • “’03 Bonnie & Clyde,” Jay-Z featuring Beyoncé Knowles, No. 2, Dec. 28, 2002
  • “Part II (On the Run),” Jay-Z featuring Beyoncé, No. 9, March 29, 2014
  • “Feeling Myself,” Nicki Minaj featuring Beyoncé, No. 6, June 6, 2015
  • “Walk on Water,” Eminem featuring Beyoncé, No. 6, Dec. 2, 2017
  • “Savage,” Megan Thee Stallion featuring Beyoncé, No. 1 (three weeks), May 16, 2020
  • “My House,” No. 9 (to date), Dec. 16, 2023

On the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart, “My House” gives Beyoncé her fifth top 10 appearance. The previous four titles all come from the diva’s Renaissance album in 2022: the 11-week No. 1 “Break My Soul,” “Summer Renaissance” (No. 3), “Thique” (No. 4) and “Pure/Honey” (No. 6).

In addition to its top-10 premieres on the Hot Rap Songs and Hot Dance/Electronic charts, “My House” begins at No. 11 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and No. 57 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100.

14 Dec 2023

Quavo Prepares to Enter His André 3000 Era in Tokyo With the Purchase of a Flute

André 3000 has been breaking records with his flute-forward solo album New Blue Sun. And while the no rapping, finger-snapping ambient jazz collection has disappointed some OutKast fans who were hoping for the first fresh bars from 3 Stacks in more than 20 years, it has clearly had a huge impact of fellow A-town MC, Quavo.

The Migos member has been chronicling his whirlwind visit to Japan on his Instagram over the past two weeks, and in one of his latest videos he appears open to following in André’s footsteps. Watching a street vendor show off his flute skills, Quavo asks someone off camera, “can you give me one? I want one. I want a flute,” he says as the man calmly trills behind him.

In the same post, Quavo is seen rapping on a monitor in what appears to be footage from a new music video for an unnamed song. Earlier in the week, Huncho posted a series of pics in which he chilled near a classic car with a tall stack of cash, as well as a shot of him eating sushi off the body of a naked woman, rocking a black kimono — which appears to be part of a costume for the same video — and breaking a board with his fist in a dojo. And, in the latest tribute to his late Migos bandmate, TakeOff, Quavo also appeared in a video with a shirtless Japanese fans who, literally, gave Huncho the TakeOff shirt off his back as a present, with the rapper dubbing his new favorite city “Tokyo-off.”

Quavo recently released his new Huncho Farms Cookbook, just in time for Thanksgiving, while providing meals for those in need.

Watch Quavo’s search for a magic flute below (video appears in fourth slide).

14 Dec 2023

Watch Ed Sheeran and Elton John Adorably Exchange Ugly Soccer-Themed Christmas Sweaters

Celebrities, they’re just like us. Look no further than mega-selling pop pals Elton John and Ed Sheeran, who posted a sweet video on Wednesday (Dec. 13) of their annual gift exchange. The 82-second clip opens with Sheeran in a dark blue puffer jacket preparing to go watch a soccer match between Ipswich Town and Watford with John.

“And I’ve brought him some Christmas presents,” Sheeran says. As he arrives at the stadium, Sheeran reveals that he’s gotten John a classic holiday gift: an ugly sweater (or “jumper” as they call them in England.) Asked by his companion if he thinks the famously stylish John will wear it, Sheeran laughs, “I doubt it.”

Cut to the two exchanging packages, Merry Christmases, a hug and “I love you”s before Sheeran shows off his truly terrible Christmas-themed Watford sweater and John proudly holds up his snowflake-decked Ipswich Town top; Sheeran is famously an Ipswich supporter. “Just what I wanted… A Watford jumper!” Sheeran enthuses as John busts out the Ipswich nickname, “come on you Tractor Boys!”

The two then hit the stands, where they perform an impromptu bit of John’s “Your Song” — and Sheeran steals John’s famous spectacles as a prank — before Ed raises his first in victory after his team bested Watford 2-1. An annoyed John, who bought the Watford team in the 1970s and served as its chairman and president for more than 25 years, shakes his head in resignation at the result.

The friends share one more hug and Sheeran sings a bit of their hit new holiday classic, “Merry Christmas,” which went straight to No. 1 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart in 2021.

Watch the video below.

14 Dec 2023

Lady Gaga Children’s Picture Book Coming From ‘My Two Dads and Me’ Author

The life and times of Lady Gaga are the subject of a new children’s picture book titled Lady Gaga: A Little Golden Book Biography. The latest in the series of board books for actual Little Monsters — which has previously included the stories of Dolly Parton, Taylor Swift and Beyoncé, among others — is a 24-page dive into all aspects of Gaga’s rise to stardom.

Due out on Jan. 2, a description of the project promises to, “help your little one dream big with a Little Golden Book biography about pop music icon, actress, and philanthropist Lady Gaga. Little Golden Book biographies are the perfect introduction to nonfiction for young readers — as well as fans of all ages!”

It was written by best-selling children’s book author Michael Joosten (My Two Dads and Me) and illustrated by Laura Catrinella (Stupendously Sampson: Princess Auroras Horse) and is available for pre-order here now; though it’s not out yet, the books is already No. 27 on Amazon’s list of best-selling children’s books thanks to pre-orders.

According to Rolling Stone, the book tells the story of Gaga’s rise from aspiring singer Stefani Germanotta to “playing open mic nights, to appearing on stage at the Grammys and Oscars.” It also chronicles how the singer got her famous Queen-inspired stage name and became both a music and acting superstar, including a section on her Oscar-winning work in A Star Is Born.

Gaga has kept a relatively low profile lately, but she came out on Tuesday night to support her Star co-star, Bradley Cooper, at the Los Angeles premiere of his latest musical adventure, the Leonard Bernstein biopic Maestro. The pair met up on the red carpet, with Cooper rocking a three-piece black suit and Gaga matching his energy with her own tailored black suit with silver bead accents.