Music News

06 Oct 2023

Doja Cat Earns Her First Streaming Songs Chart No. 1 With ‘Paint the Town Red’

Doja Cat snags her first No. 1 on Billboard’s Streaming Songs chart with “Paint the Town Red,” which lifts 3-1 on the Oct. 7-dated tally.

It earned 27.5 million official U.S. streams in its eighth week on the survey, a boost of 3%, according to Luminate.

“Paint the Town Red” lands its first week at No. 1 following the release of its parent album, Scarlet, on Sept. 22; the set concurrently bows at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 with 72,000 equivalent album units earned, as previously reported.

Prior to “Paint the Town Red,” Doja Cat’s best rank on Streaming Songs had been via “Kiss Me More” featuring SZA, which peaked at No. 2 in May 2021. She first appeared on the ranking in 2019 when “Juicy,” co-billed with Tyga, peaked at No. 40 that November.

The new track concurrently returns to No. 1 on R&B/Hip-Hop Streaming Songs, spending a fifth week atop the survey; it’s Doja Cat’s third ruler there, following “You Right” (with The Weeknd) and “Ain’t Shit,” both in 2021. It also remains atop Rap Streaming Songs for a sixth week, her second following “Ain’t Shit.”

As previously reported, “Paint the Town Red” returns to No. 1 on the multimetric Billboard Hot 100. In addition to its stream count, the song earned 56.2 million radio audience impressions and 6,000 downloads in the Sept. 25-Oct. 1 tracking period. The latter amount was enough for the song to spend a second straight week at No. 1 on Digital Song Sales.

06 Oct 2023

Pianist & Composer Chloe Flower Signs With WME

WME has signed pianist, composer and activist Chloe Flower for global representation.

The signing comes just ahead of the release of Flower’s sophomore album, Chloe Hearts Christmas, out Nov. 1 on Sony Masterworks. The album follows Flower’s most recent single, “Christmas Tree,” which was released on Sept. 22.

In 2021, Flower released her eponymous debut album, which featured music that combines classical and pop music in a form she calls “popsical.” She’s recorded classical renditions of Billie Eilish‘s “Bad Guy” and Lil Nas X‘s “Old Town Road,” performed with Cardi B at the 2019 Grammys, with Lil Baby on Saturday Night Live this past February and served as the house pianist at the 2023 Golden Globes.

Flower has also co-produced and composed for artists including Céline Dion, Johnny Mathis, 2 Chainz, Swae Lee, Nas and Babyface. She’s also scored music for projects including the 2015 documentary A Ballerina’s Tale, a campaign for champagne house Krug and numerous works for Kevin Hart, including Hart to Hart and On the Come Up. She’s also a brand ambassador for Steinway.

Having played the piano since she was two, Flower received her musical education at Juilliard and the Royal Academy of Music. She serves on the advisory board for the United Nations Office on Drug and Crime Blue Heart Campaign and is the youngest board member of The Liberace Foundation. She’s also an activist against human trafficking and a champion of music education and therapy.

The 36-year-old writer, producer, composer and pianist was first discovered by Babyface in 2010 when she signed with Soda Pop, the Island Def Jam Records imprint owned by the veteran producer.

06 Oct 2023

Here’s Why Fans Think Drake Dissed Rihanna & A$AP Rocky on ‘For All the Dogs’

It’s been at least seven years since Drake and Rihanna broke up, but he’s still not over it — at least, that’s what fans have concluded following the Friday (Oct. 2) release of the rapper’s new album, For All the Dogs.

On some of the songs, particularly “Fear of Heights,” listeners are convinced that Drizzy takes shots at his superstar ex-girlfriend, as well as her partner and the father of her two kids, A$AP Rocky. This comes years after Drake and Ri sparked romance rumors in 2009 and went on to date on and off, before Rihanna told Vogue in 2018 that she and the “God’s Plan” musician “don’t have a friendship now, but we’re not enemies either.”

In the “Fear of Heights” intro, for instance, he repeatedly says the word “Anti,” aka the title of Ri’s Billboard 200 No. 1 2016 album. Then, after lamenting how people “make it sound like [he’s] still hung up on” his ex, Drake goes on to seemingly diss Rocky with “That man, he still with you, he can’t leave you/ Y’all go on vacation, I bet it’s Antilles.”

And yes, Barbados — Rihanna’s home country and frequent vacation spot — is located in Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean.

That’s not all, though. On the track “Virginia Beach,” Drake spits, “Drawin’ conclusions like you got a Parsons degree or somethin’/ I coulda treated you better, that’s crazy.” And who has an honorary degree from the Parsons School of Design? That’s right — Rihanna!

Plus, on “Another Late Night,” Drake seems to take aim once again at A$AP Rocky. “I ain’t Pretty Flacko,” he raps, nodding to Rocky’s nickname, “B—h this s–t get really Rocky.”

Billboard has reached out to Rihanna and Rocky’s reps for comment.

Needless to say, Drake’s apparent Rihanna and Rocky disses has a lot of fans fired up, the general consensus being that the “Rich Flex” rapper needs to just move on. “Drake dissed Rihanna and Asap Rocky and that only means one thing, it still hurts him enough to disgrace himself to the public after 6 years,” tweeted one critic. “I didn’t think I’d ever say this but, Drake, you flopped.”

“drake still crying about rihanna 7 years later we tired,” wrote one.

Added another, “drake still rapping about Rihanna pls HANG IT UP.”

See more fan reactions below:

06 Oct 2023

Megan Thee Stallion Drops New Song ‘Out Alpha the Alpha’ From ‘Dicks: The Musical’ Soundtrack: Listen

After flexing her dominance as Gloria Masters, the high-powered CEO for Dicks: The Musical, Megan Thee Stallion aims for total supremacy over all men on the soundtrack’s newest single, “Out Alpha the Alpha.”  

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

Co-written by Marius de Vries and co-composer Karl Saint, who also were behind all of the music for the film, “Out Alpha the Alpha,” finds Megan exuding the same swagger and bravado that has catapulted her career. “They say, ‘Boys will be boys,’ man, what a crock of sh–/ These men, they hold all the cards, it makes me wanna spit/ They always fu–in’ shit up, they’re always makin’ a mess/ But I’m a tell you the secret to my success,” she raps. 

“Out Alpha the Alpha” serves as Megan’s first solo record of 2023, after featuring on Cardi B’s “Bongos” last month. In an interview with Billboard in September, Meg dished when fans can expect new music. “It’s definitely coming very soon. I’m really excited about this chapter of my life because I feel like I’m finally closing all the old chapters, and now I’m starting with a blank slate. Very fresh, very new,” she said. “I think Thee Hotties are gonna be so excited. I’m trying different things. I got a lot of things that I produced with Ju and with some new producers.”

Meg’s last album, Traumazine, came in Aug. 2022 and had singles such as “Plan B,” “Sweetest Pie” with Dua Lipa and “Pressurelicious” featuring Future. The album debuted inside the top five of the Billboard 200 following its release. 

Dicks: The Musical, the new film created by A24, is in select theaters today. Listen to “Out Alpha the Alpha” below. 

06 Oct 2023

Drake Says He ‘Probably Won’t Make Music For a Little Bit’ to Focus on His Health

Drake has released three albums in the past year and after dropping his latest, For All The Dogs, on Friday (Oct. 6), he said he’s planning on taking a break. “I probably won’t make music for a little bit. I’m gonna be honest. I might, I got some other things I need to do for some other people that I made promises to, but I probably won’t make music for a little bit,” the rapper said on his SiriusXM series “Table For One,” which premiered on his Sound 42 channel just hours after the album’s release.

“I’m gonna be real with you. I need to focus on my health first and foremost, and I’ll talk about that soon enough,” Drizzy added. “Nothing crazy, but just like, you know, I want people to be healthy in life, and I’ve been having the craziest problems for years with my stomach. I was just saying what it is now. I’m saying I was gonna say it. I’ll say it. So I, I need to focus on, on my health and I need to get right.”

At press time Drake did not offer up any specific details on what has been ailing him, but said that he plans to “lock the door in the studio for a little bit. I don’t even know what a little bit is. Maybe, maybe a year or something, or maybe a little longer.” For All The Dogs is the follow-up to last summer’s Honestly, Nevermind and November’s 21 Savage collab album Her Loss.

The tough news was packaged with some good news for fans in the form of Drake saying that he’d, literally, just stepped out of the studio with J. Cole and that the fruits of those sessions are slated to hit before the beginning of his open-ended recording hiatus. “I just got out of the studio. Fourth quarter magic, me and Cole going crazy,” he said. “Me and Cole went crazy tonight. Shout out J. Cole.” At press time no additional information was available on the title or timetable for that project; a spokesperson for Drake could not be reached for comment on the rapper’s health issues or the J. Cole collaboration at press time.

The boozy early morning chat also included a call-in from Lil Yachty, who said he’d never heard Drake so hammered; for the record, the 6 God said he was not drunk, just happy. “I’m proud of you always,” Yachty said as Drake chatted him up over the strains of Rose Royce’s 1976 disco classic “Car Wash.”

Listen to Drake talk about the “overwhelming love” he felt on his recent tour, chat with Yachty about smacking down haters and announce his recording hiatus below.





06 Oct 2023

Can Hip-Hop Afford a Drake Break?

On Friday (Oct. 6), Drake’s long-awaited eighth solo studio album, For All The Dogs, dropped after seemingly endless delays — including a last-second pushback to 6:00 a.m. to receive buzzer-beater features from J. Cole and SZA. Along with gift-wrapping his 23-track set, Drake revealed to fans on his SiriusXM series Table For One that after this album, he would take a hiatus from recording music, citing health reasons. 

After a Herculean run, which includes a staggering 14 albums since his 2009 entrance with So Far Gone, Drake not only borrowed Hov’s blueprint for holding the rap game hostage every summer, but he personified it. The Golden Age of Aubrey consisted of scintillating features, club-ready bangers, and trigger-happy volleys aimed at whoever had the unmitigated gall to test the 6 God. Now, a much-deserved break is necessary for one of the genre’s most prolific artists. Not only can Drake focus on his physical and mental state after a grueling nationwide tour, but he can come back with fresher experiences to brighten up his catalog after his back-breaking efforts over the last decade and a half. 

Now, if Drake does take a breather, where does this leave hip-hop? Will anyone dare contest him for the throne? With Drizzy out of commission, more artists can step up to the plate and challenge for the enviable position. The culture should rely on something other than a Drake album to save the year instead of treating his annual release like hip-hop’s Super Bowl. And though this year has been the least impressive showing from the genre commercially in quite some time, Travis Scott, Gunna, and Rod Wave still shined with their new releases. 

After a lengthy layoff amid anticipation and turmoil from his Astroworld Festival debacle, Scott executed a riveting album that again tinkered with listeners’ imaginations. His futuristic palette was on full display with Utopia reinforcing the hope that La Flame can continue to thrive as an unassailable force in music. Not only did the star-laden album debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 last August with close to 500,000 units, but Utopia remained at the summit for another three more. 

The story of Gunna in 2023 might be one for the books. Upon being released from jail last December after taking an Alford Plea in the YSL case, questions arose about how his music career would continue. Fans believed that the allegations that he had snitched on YSL head Young Thug would beset the rapper’s legacy, as his peers mostly steered clear of showing him any public support. In June, he quashed doubts about his continued star power as he doled out his fourth studio album, A Gift and a Curse. Riding solo, Gunna swatted detractors on tracks like “Back at It” while pushing out arguably the song of the summer with “Fukumean.” After 15 weeks on the Hot 100, the RIAA platinum-certified hit remains inside the chart’s top 10, sitting at No. 9 this week. His biggest win came last month when he sold out New York’s Barclay Center Arena and delivered a rousing and well-received 90-minute set, signaling his prowess as a top-billing performer and mainstay in the genre. 

And we can’t forget Rod Wave, who has become hip-hop’s silent assassin over the last few years. Adept at soul-stirring vibes, Wave can puncture the hearts of even the darkest souls, which is why he is quickly growing into one of hip-hop’s most noteworthy artists. And though his emotional savvy and heart-on-sleeve demeanor borrows from the Book of Drake, Rod’s soulful voice is one of one, proving why hip-hop will have legs for years to come. His last three releases including this September’s Nostalgia, have all debuted at No. 1 with over 100,000 units, and the second week of Nostalgia boxed out Olivia Rodrigo from the top spot last week.  

Those three artists, along with the usual suspects such as 21 Savage, Lil Baby, Lil Durk, Uzi Vert, and more, have the stamina and excitement to continue pushing the genre forward even in the top dog’s absence. Burgeoning rookies like Teezo Touchdown and Yeat — featured on Drake’s FALD album — are only getting started and have room to grow into perennial hitmakers. Meanwhile, the ladies – from veterans like Nicki Minaj, Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion to still-rising stars like Latto, Ice Spice and Sexxy Red — are continuing to take over, fueling the parties with their salacious raps. 

So, will hip-hop be fine without Drake for the next year or two? Sure, as long as the artists can continue to grow commercially and  creatively, and do it collectively, since there’s room for everybody to make an impact going forward.

06 Oct 2023

Hayley Williams Recalls How Taylor Swift’s Mom Andrea Helped Kick Off Their Friendship

Taylor Swift and Hayley Williams have been friends for over a decade, and apparently, they have Mama Swift to thank for it. While visiting The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon Thursday (Oct. 5) to promote Paramore‘s new This Is Why remix album, Williams revealed that it was actually the “Anti-Hero” singer’s mom, Andrea, who helped them become friends.

“We kind of both got started around the same time and the same age,” the frontwoman recalled to the comedian of meeting Swift. “Me and Taylor met because both of us — Paramore and Taylor — were nominated for best new artist the same year at the Grammys. We were at some Grammy party — it was actually Timbaland’s Grammy party. Huge. I was very nervous.”

“But a woman came up to me,” Williams continued. “And she said, ‘I’m Taylor Swift’s mom and Taylor doesn’t have a lot of friends her age that do music, and I would love to introduce you guys or get your number. So Andrea, the legend that she is … she connected us.”

Williams and bandmates Taylor York and Zac Farro are slated to support Swift’s Eras Tour when the trek makes its way to Europe next year. In March, Paramore opened for the pop star’s kickoff dates in Glendale, Ariz., which was temporarily named “Swift City” in honor of the shows.

The “Simmer” artist was also featured on one of Swift’s Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) vault tracks, “Castles Crumbling.” “Taylor was the first industry friend I ever made and hung out with outside of work things,” Williams said following the collaboration’s announcement in June. “When Speak Now dropped, I bought my friend’s record (as you do!) and listened to the whole thing in my first car, sitting still in the driveway. It’s my favorite Taylor Swift album for so many reasons.”

While speaking with Fallon, Williams also poked fun at her and Swift’s signature pose in photos: a thumbs-up. “Every photo of us that’s on the internet, one or both of us is like … I don’t know why,” she joked, adding sarcastically, “It’s just to show how cool we are.”

Watch Hayley Williams recall meeting Taylor Swift on The Tonight Show above.

06 Oct 2023

Friday Music Guide: New Music From Drake, NewJeans, Noah Kahan & Kacey Musgraves and More

Billboard’s Friday Music Guide serves as a handy guide to this Friday’s most essential releases — the key music that everyone will be talking about today, and that will be dominating playlists this weekend and beyond. 

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

This week, Drake lets the Dogs out, NewJeans joins the League of Legends, and Noah Kahan spins gold with Kacey Musgraves. Check out all of this week’s picks below:

Drake, For All The Dogs 

Following the long-awaited, chart-conquering Certified Lover Boy in 2021, Drake spent last year experimenting — first with his house music detour Honestly, Nevermind, and then with his jaw-smashing 21 Savage joint album Her Loss. To some degree, For All The Dogs represents a return to the star-studded, knowingly indulgent aesthetic of CLB, but Drake’s highly anticipated new album also offers a more diverse approach to that maximalism, from the raucous fun of “Rich Baby Daddy” with Sexyy Red and SZA to the haunted rhyming of “First Person Shooter” with J. Cole to the zonked-out crooning with “All the Parties” with Chief Keef. There’s a lot to dig into with For All The Dogs, the ultimate more-is-more declaration from Drake, upon first listen.

NewJeans, “GODS” 

If “GODS” sounds like quick-rising K-pop group NewJeans striking a particularly anthemic pose, that’s because the new single arrives as the official song of the League of Legends 2023 World Championship; it’s a pretty lofty platform for the collective considering that series’ track record of success, and “GODS” sounds like it will fit in just fine as another crossover hit. “Welcome to the big show / Next on the ladder / Is it your name in the rafters?,” Hyein sings over trap drums, in between an arena-sized chorus that aims to turn “GODS” into your new favorite jock jam.

Noah Kahan & Kacey Musgraves, “She Calls Me Back” 

After separately linking up with Zach Bryan in recent months — Kacey Musgraves on the Hot 100-topping duet “I Remember Everything,” Noah Kahan with the tender surprise collaboration “Sarah’s Place” — the two singer-songwriters have joined forces on their own with “She Calls Me Back,” a heartfelt slice of storytelling that gains its power in its brisk pace. Kahan’s voice adopts a jittery cadence in the back half of the opening verse as the guitar strums gain steam, and when Musgraves arrives with the line, “I’m running out of tears to cry,” the emotional heart of “She Calls Me Back” swells, then strides forward.

Tems, “Me & U” 

On her first solo music release since 2021, Tems looks upward instead of around at all of the success she’s achieved over the past few years, and addresses a higher power with devotion and purpose: “Give me one break, I need faith / Faith to believe you, faith to receive you,” she sings. “Me & U” relies on those intimate pleas, but also isn’t confined to a small scale — if anything, the single expands the Nigerian-based superstar’s collection of sensual dance music, capable of soundtracking a night out in addition to a request to the heavens.

Jennie, “You & Me” 

BLACKPINK’s Jennie has been previewing the solo track “You & Me” on the K-pop quartet’s stadium tour, so while its sleek pop contours may be familiar to fans across the globe, receiving the studio version of the single represents an exclamation point on another huge year for the collective and its supporters. The ping-ponging production envelops Jennie’s voice as she effortlessly navigates the different components of the track; it’s been years since Jennie’s last solo song, and her confidence has grown considerably since then.

Editor’s Pick: Sufjan Stevens, Javelin 

Some Sufjan Stevens fans solely want to hear the quiet, heartbreaking indie-folk of projects like Seven Swans and Carrie & Lowell; others want their minds blown with epic writing exercises like The Age of Adz and The Ascension. Javelin, Stevens’ towering new full-length, feels like a summation of both modes: songs like “So You Are Tired” and “A Running Start” are built around finger-picked elegance, but the greatest achievement here might be the eight-minute, devastating “S–t Talk,” as one of the greatest songwriters of his generation fully justifies widening his stance.

06 Oct 2023

NCT 127 Returns With Fifth Studio Album ‘Fact Check’: Stream It Now

NCTzens, the wait is over. NCT 127 is back, and released new album Fact Check on Friday (Oct. 6).

The album arrived alongside a music video for the high-energy title track. The visual features members Taeil, Taeyong, Yuta, Jaehyun, Winwin, Mark and Haechan hitting intricate choreography in streetwear outfits, dancing in abandoned alleyways, shutting down bridges at night and taking to the top of skyscraper buildings with helicopter lights shining down on them.

“Check the facts, go check that,” they demand of their haters on the track’s chorus.

To celebrate the album’s release, NCT 127 will be holding a comeback showcase titled “A Night of Festival” on Oct. 6 at the Sampyo at Seoul Forest, where the K-pop stars will perform tracks from the new album.

Fact Check serves as the follow up to the K-pop group’s 2 Baddies, which arrived in September 2022. The project’s title track peaked at No. 147 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart. The album was later re-packaged into Ay-Yo in January; the expanded album included single “Ay-Yo” and features B-sides “DJ” and “Skyscraper” in addition to all 12 of the songs originally included on 2 Baddies. Ay-Yo: The 4th Album Repackage peaked at No. 13 on the Billboard 200 and spent a total of two weeks on the chart.

Listen to Fact Check, and watch the visual for the title track above.

06 Oct 2023

Past to Present: How Connecting Changed Everything for RBD

Billboard Latin Music Week is always a star-studded event filled with intimate conversations— but this year, fans were treated to an extra special moment: the first-ever public conversation with RBD since their comeback. Members Maite Perroni, Christian Chávez, Christopher von Uckermann were joined by their manager Guillermo Rosas for the panel “Reviving RBD Presented by AT&T.” The discussion was a beautiful testament to how far they have come since the group’s inception in 2004, moderated by Griselda Flores, senior writer, Latin at Billboard. 

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

RBD is currently on the Soy Rebelde Tour, with upcoming dates in stadiums and arenas across North and South America. When asked how the experience has been so far, the group expressed gratitude for their fans. “We feel it with our hearts to be on the stage again and to connect with each of every one of you,” Maite said to the audience, “This is more than music: it’s a connection between our hearts.”

The Soy Rebelde Tour reunited the Mexican Latin pop group onstage for the first time in 15 years. After venturing on their separate paths, RBD’s reunion was the rekindling of a connection that transcends music. “I think that people connect with us because each one of us is so different, but we’re a family,” said Christopher. “We know each other. We understand each other without having to speak. We are family and that is something you can feel.”

One of the most touching moments took place toward the end of the conversation when RBD was reflecting on how performing in 2023 is different from the past. Christian expressed how important it is to him to be able to express himself freely. “I can be queer on stage,” he said, “It has been wonderful to take the hand of that little 12 year-old me who wanted to use this color or this clothing that I couldn’t.” Maite acknowledged how he bravely embraced his sexuality before the public: “It’s important that he was honest. He was courageous in a very difficult moment. He became the spokesperson for a lot of people and a generation, and he taught us that. He taught everyone that we don’t want prejudice and it’s time that we don’t have fear.”

When reflecting on the impact of their current tour, Christopher emphasized the importance of connection. “We are not looking for anything,” he said, “we just want to connect. We have lived through a lot and once you move throughout your career, you have your ups and downs— and the most important thing is to connect with people and be yourself. That’s what lasts.

As the proud presenting sponsor of RBD’s Soy Rebelde national tour, AT&T continues to connect Latin music fans to the artists and music they love by extending the partnership and surrounding RBD’s exclusive panel at Latin Music Week. Because at AT&T, Connecting Changes Everything™.

Celebrated for more than 30 years, the 2023 edition of Latin Music Week included intimate conversations with the hottest artists in Latin music, networking sessions, and workshops. See the ultimate Latin Music Week guide here.

Stay tuned for more content from Billboard Latin Music Week.