Music News

15 Sep 2023

Hozier’s ‘Francesca’ Becomes His Second Straight No. 1 on Adult Alternative Airplay

Hozier lands two straight No. 1s on Billboard’s Adult Alternative Airplay chart for the first time with “Francesca,” which lifts to the top spot on the tally dated Sept. 23.

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The song follows the two-week reign of “Eat Your Young” in May. It’s Hozier’s his fourth No. 1 in all, following “Take Me to Church” (August 2014) and “Nina Cried Power,” featuring Mavis Staples (October 2018).

Concurrently, “Francesca” ranks at No. 25, after rising to No. 23, on the all-rock-format, audience-based Rock & Alternative Airplay chart with 1.5 million audience impressions, up 7%, Sept. 8-14, according to Luminate. “Eat Your Young,” peaked at No. 7 in June; Hozier’s overall best, “Take Me to Church,” reached No. 3.

On the most recently published, multi-metric Hot Rock & Alternative Songs survey, “Francesca” appeared at No. 45, after reaching No. 22 earlier in September. In addition to its radio airplay, the song earned 1.1 million official U.S. streams in the Sept. 1-7 tracking week.

“Francesca” is the second single from Unreal Unearth, Hozier’s third studio album. It debuted at No. 1 on the Top Rock & Alternative Albums tally dated Sept. 2 and has earned 168,000 equivalent album units to date.

Hozier is currently on the road, with shows scheduled through Dec. 22. “I’m just excited to share the work live with a fan base that has been with me now for 10 years,” he recently told Billboard. “We’ve been bringing this killer nine-piece band to these tiny rooms. It’s a band that really needs to be on bigger stages. It has been tough in these club shows where there’s curfews in these cities, [so I’m excited] to be able to expand the setlist and actually offer a wider representation of the discography, and have a bit more time to play with the ebb and flow of the set.”

All Billboard charts dated Sept. 23 will update on Billboard.com on Tuesday, Sept. 19.

15 Sep 2023

Corey Taylor Returns to Top of Mainstream Rock Airplay Chart With ‘Beyond’

Corey Taylor scores his second solo No. 1 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart, as “Beyond” rises to the top of the survey dated Sept. 23.

“Beyond” follows the reign of Taylor’s “Black Eyes Blue,” for two weeks in October-November 2020.

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Taylor first appeared solo on the ranking as featured on Apocalyptica’s “I’m Not Jesus,” which hit No. 6 in May 2008. In between “Black Eyes Blue” and “Beyond,” he reached No. 10 as a lead act with “Samantha’s Gone” in March 2021.

Taylor has been a force on Mainstream Rock Airplay through the years, though. Slipknot boasts seven top 10s with him as frontman, paced by a pair of No. 2 hits in “Snuff” in March 2010 and “The Devil in I” in November 2014. Plus, Stone Sour with him as singer has 10 top 10s, including four No. 1s, most recently “Song #3” in July 2017.

Concurrently, “Beyond” places at No. 8, after rising to No. 6, on the all-rock-format, audience-based Rock & Alternative Airplay chart with 2.7 million audience impressions, up 9%, Sept. 8-14, according to Luminate. It’s Taylor’s top-performing solo song on the list, surpassing the No. 11-peaking “Black Eyes Blue.”

On the most recently published, multi-metric Hot Hard Rock Songs ranking (dated Sept. 16), “Beyond” debuted at No. 17. In addition to its radio airplay, the song earned 214,000 official U.S. streams Sept. 1-7.

“Beyond” is the lead single from CMF2, Taylor’s second solo album, out today, Sept. 15.

All Billboard charts dated Sept. 23 will refresh on Billboard.com on Tuesday, Sept. 19.

15 Sep 2023

Miley Cyrus’ ‘Flowers’ Ties Records With 24th Week Atop Adult Contemporary Chart

Having sprouted on Billboard’s charts in winter, Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” stood tall throughout spring and summer, and now ties a pair of records just before fall on the Adult Contemporary survey.

The single adds a 24th week at No. 1 on Adult Contemporary (dated Sept. 23), equaling the longest command for a song by a woman, first set by Adele’s “Easy on Me” in 2021-22.

Meanwhile, with both hits on Columbia Records, they now share the mark for the longest Adult Contemporary reign for a song released by the label over the chart’s history.

Most Weeks at No. 1 on Adult Contemporary Chart:

  • 36, “Girls Like You,” Maroon 5, beginning Nov. 10, 2018
  • 35, “Blinding Lights,” The Weeknd, Nov. 7, 2020
  • 28, “Drift Away,” Uncle Kracker feat. Dobie Gray, June 7, 2003
  • 24, “Flowers,” Miley Cyrus, April 15, 2023
  • 24, “Easy on Me,” Adele, Nov. 13, 2021
  • 24, “Shape of You,” Ed Sheeran, May 6, 2017
  • 22, “Perfect,” Ed Sheeran, Feb. 24, 2018
  • 22, “Hey, Soul Sister,” Train, July 3, 2010
  • 21, “Hello,” Adele, Nov. 28, 2015
  • 21, “Breakaway,” Kelly Clarkson, March 12, 2005
  • 21, “A New Day Has Come,” Celine Dion, March 30, 2002
  • 20, “Memories,” Maroon 5, March 21, 2020
  • 20, “Just the Way You Are,” Bruno Mars, Feb. 5, 2011

The Adult Contemporary chart ranks titles by weekly plays on a panel of 85 adult contemporary radio stations. The tally began in Billboard‘s pages (as the “Easy Listening” chart) on July 17, 1961; once Luminate data began powering the chart exactly 32 years later (July 17, 1993; airplay is now provided to Luminate by Mediabase), lengthy reigns became much more common than before.

“Flowers” previously topped the mainstream top 40-based Pop Airplay chart for 10 weeks and the adult top 40-focused Adult Pop Airplay ranking for 17 frames – the most atop the latter list among songs by women.

“Flowers” launched at No. 1 on the all-genre, multimetric Billboard Hot 100 in January and ruled for eight weeks. It’s from Cyrus’ album Endless Summer Vacation, which debuted at its No. 3 best on the Billboard 200 albums chart in March, marking her 14th top 10.

All charts dated Sept. 23 will update on Billboard.com Tuesday, Sept. 19.

15 Sep 2023

Halsey Teases 5th Album in Cryptic Post: ‘Splitting Myself in Two Everyday So That I Can Give You My Deepest Wounds’

Halsey surprised fans on Friday (Sept. 15) when they revealed that they are hard at work on their fifth album, the first record under a new contract with Columbia Records.

“not pictured: me splitting myself in two everyday so that I can give you my deepest wounds (and a handful of perfect joys) for the 5th time in 10 years,” the singer wrote alongside a picture in which they are standing in front of a painting in a long black skirt and black crop top.

At press time Halsey didn’t provide any additional information on the album’s release date or track list and the accompanying pic post mostly featured what appeared to be scenes from the 28-year-old “So Good” star’s private life. 

The snaps included a picture of a spider in a web, a group of young men with their skateboards on the roof of a building, a dish of pasta, footage from an unnamed concert, a snap of someone packaging dried flowers, a few selfies, a short video of Halsey laying on a couch and laughing while watching The Last Airbender animated film (like the other videos, it had no sound) and a picture of an elaborate LEGO house.

Halsey signed a new recording contract with Columbia Records in June after parting ways with their longtime label home Capitol Records after eight years. They released their first four albums on Capitol, dating to their 2015 debut, Badlands, on its Astralwerks imprint. Capitol also released 2017’s Hopeless Fountain Kingdom, which reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200, as well as 2020’s Manic and 2021’s collaboration with Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power.

The break with Capitol came a year after Halsey appeared to call the label out for not releasing their single, “So Good,” until, “they can fake a viral moment on TikTok.” In May, Halsey wrote on Tumblr that they were “hard at work” on new music.

Halsey re-worked her If I Can’t Have Love song “Lilith (Diablo IV Anthem)” with  BTS‘ Suga as part of the latest installment of Blizzard Entertainment’s Diablo IV video game in June. At the time, she told Billboard, “Collaborating with Suga on a project that revolves around our mutual admiration for dark mythology has been a longstanding dream of mine. ‘SUGA’s Interlude,’ our previous collaboration, while introspective, is pretty whimsical in tone. Together, we were able to infuse the anthem with intricate narratives that encompass a wider range of emotions I wouldn’t have been able to tell without him. He added a whole new perspective to the song. Plus, it was just honestly really cool to do something so badass with my friend.”

Check out Halsey’s new album tease below.

15 Sep 2023

Drake & SZA Drop ‘Slime You Out’ Collab: Stream It Now

Drake and SZA joined forces on “Slime You Out,” which was released midday Friday (Sept. 15) as the first single from Drizzy’s upcoming album For All the Dogs.

The five-minute song is a slugfest fueled by disappointment and lies. Drake leads the way on the R&B-centric tune by expressing his frustrations about spending an exorbitant amount of money on women. Clever lines such as “sending wires on wires on wires like Idris” are aplenty. At the same time, SZA delivers counterjabs about her beau’s fraudulent behavior, including one colossal haymaker: “Tripping when that d–k is barely third place.”

The superstar rapper first announced the single at the Austin stop of his It’s All a Blur Tour with 21 Savage. “I’m even going to say something tonight in Austin, Texas, I haven’t said yet,” he shared at Moody Center. “I know y’all excited to hear the album. I know it’s, like, two weeks out. I’m a drop a song for y’all this week. Yeah, yeah. What a time, what a time. I appreciate y’all. Deeply, by the way, I do. It’s a lot of love in Texas.”

The green slime-covered cover art for “Slime You Out” originates from Halle Berry getting slimed at the 2012 Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Awards.

Although “Slime You Out” marks Drake and SZA’s first official collaboration, the two have nodded to each other multiple times throughout their musical releases. SZA’s 2016 “2AM” track — which was officially released last June as part of CTRL‘s deluxe edition to commemorate her critically acclaimed debut studio album’s five-year anniversary — refers to PartyNextDoor and Drake’s “Come and See Me” from the former’s 2016 album PartyNextDoor. On Drake’s “Diplomatic Immunity” track from the 2018 Scary Hours two-pack, he raps, “I just pulled up on Solána show, the girl’s a natural/ I knew her way back when Hollywood was international.”

On “Mr. Right Now” from 21 Savage and Metro Boomin‘s 2020 joint project Savage Mode II, he raps “Yeah, said she wanna f–k to some SZA, wait/ ‘Cause I used to date SZA back in ’08” in his guest verse. (She later confirmed on Twitter — now X — that the pair dated in ’09, but “in this case a year of poetic rap license mattered.”) And most recently, SZA’s guest verse on the Future-assisted “Telekinesis” from Travis Scott‘s 2023 Utopia album seems to directly respond to Drake’s third verse on “Marvins Room” from his 2011 sophomore album Take Care.

For All the Dogs will be released next Friday, Sept. 22, via OVO Sound and Republic Records. He announced the highly anticipated album’s release date by posting an archival video on Instagram of his father, Dennis Graham, from the early ’90s, singing alongside a blues band on the local Toronto TV show Stormy Monday With Danny Marks. 

For All The Dogs marks the 6 God’s eighth studio album and his first solo album since his dance-heavy Honestly, Nevermind project that he released in June 2022. Five months later, he teamed up with 21 Savage on their joint LP, Her Loss. Both releases debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. 

Listen to “Slime You Out” below.

15 Sep 2023

Nas & Lil Wayne Flex Their Icon Status on New Song ‘Never Die’: Listen

Two of Billboard’s newly crowned R&B/Hip-Hop Hall of Fame recipients joined forces on Friday morning (Sept. 15), when Nas enlisted Lil Wayne for his Magic 3 standout track “Never Die.”

The Hit-Boy-produced song comes shortly after Nas’ 50th birthday, as the venerable MCs ruminate about their longevity in the rap game. “We ain’t gon’ never die, I’m an icon in real-time,” declares Nas on the triumphant hook. Esco also gave a nod to his partner-in-rhyme during his verse, saying, “The brand new Brand Nubians, N-A-S and Wayne.”

Weezy closed things off with a smoldering verse littered with sports metaphors as he name-drops Deion Sanders and Zion Williamson. He also salutes Nas during his lyrical barrage, rhyming, “Weezy and my slime Nas, ain’t nobody like us.”

For Nas and Wayne, “Never Die” marks their first collaboration in 12 years. They last sparred together on Weezy’s Tha Carter IV song “Outro” before pairing up on Nas and Damien Marley’s 2010 Distant Relative track “My Generation.” 

Last month, Nas and Lil Wayne were honored at Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop Power Players event after being inducted into the Hall of Fame Class of 2023 for their cultural contributions in honor of the 50th anniversary of hip-hop.

“To see that we’re here and [hip-hop is] thriving [is incredible],” said Nas in his cover story with Billboard in August. “The art form is crazy right now. That’s a beautiful thing, and for younger artists that are just 20 years old to realize the history that is there and was laid down for them, to look at it and go, “Wow, this is a long history with deep roots,” is a great feeling.” 

Listen to “Never Die” below. 

15 Sep 2023

Watch Offset Pay Tribute to Michael Jackson With New ‘Thriller’-Inspired Music Video for ‘Fan’

Time and time again, Michael Jackson’s immeasurable influence reminds us why he’s called the King of Pop. Now, Grammy-nominated rapper Offset is leaning on Jackson’s iconography, as well as the antics of social media personality Kai Cenat, to deliver a music video for new song “Fan” that shows off his artistic eye, dancing ability and overall creative vision.

The new video begins with a newscaster reporting live from “the aftermath of a riot,” while a Cenat lookalike screams, “I don’t know what’s going on! It’s a riot” before the scene cuts to Offset waking up on a mattress placed in the center of the chaos. The scene appears to be in reference to Cenat’s headline-making Manhattan giveaway on Aug. 4; the giveaway-turned-unruly riot injured several people, damaged property and resulted in Cenat being taken into NYPD custody and charged with rioting, inciting a riot and unlawful assembly.

Cenat himself appeared in a promotional clip via Offset’s Instagram page on Thursday (Aug. 14); the streamer subsequently made a cameo in the official music video.

The bulk of the video’s visual identity, however, comes courtesy of Jackson, with the plot taking inspiration from “Thriller.” Offset and his girlfriend — played by Everybody Hates Chris actress Paige Hurd — take a walk around the neighborhood, and after she ends the relationship, his immediate emotional turmoil transforms him into a werewolf. Similar to Jackson’s boundary-pushing John Landis-helmed video, the scene turns out to be part of a movie that Offset and his girlfriend are watching in the present day. Nonetheless, once the couple steps outside of the movie theater, Offset morphs into a zombie — just as Jackson did in his visual.

The MJ references don’t stop there. When the camera zooms out to capture the full scene of Offset lying on a mattress in the middle of a riot, the “Clout” rapper is wearing a replica of Jackson’s iconic singular rhinestone-encrusted white glove. In another part of the video, an Off the Wall vinyl decorates the couple’s bedroom. The second half of the “Fan” video takes some cues from Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal,” with Offset wearing a similar white suit and hat as he smoothly executes a dance sequence that includes a reverse Moonwalk.

The new video comes on the heels of some MJ-adjacent controversy in the world of Offset and Grammy-winning wife Cardi B. In an interview with Hot 97 on Sept. 8, Cardi hilariously lamented about Offset’s unfortunately placed Michael Jackson stomach tattoo. “I don’t even wanna take it there. I will take it there, but it’s just like, y’all really have to see it,” Cardi said. “Because every single time I, you know like, [mimes oral sex], it just be looking at me. I swear to God. You gotta see that tattoo. The tattoo really be looking at me like, ‘Yeahhhh.’” Offset responded that he’s “never” removing the tattoo.

On Thursday (Sept. 14), Offset revealed the official title and artwork for his forthcoming sophomore solo studio album. The new record, titled Set It Off, features a semi-apocalyptic album cover and is slated for an Oct. 13 release. Set It Off is the follow-up to Father of 4, his 2019 debut solo studio album which spawned Billboard Hot 100 hits such as “Red Room” (No. 49) and the Grammy-nominated “Clout” (No. 39, with Cardi B). As a member of Migos, Offset has released four studio albums — two of which have topped the Billboard 200.

Watch Offset’s new “Fan” music video above.

15 Sep 2023

HYBE x Geffen ‘The Debut: Dream Academy’ Loses First 2 Contestants: Who Went Home?

The 20 contestants of The Debut: Dream Academy were put to the test on Friday (Sept. 15) when they completed the first mission of the competition. And the newest YouTube installment of the girl group competition also says goodbye to its first two finalists.

The mission was a showcase with the goal to “level up your skills as a global girl group,” as the contestants were previously split into two dance teams and two vocal teams. “Team members are crucial business partners, and it’s important to know proper work etiquette with your business partner,” HYBE Chairman Bang Si-Hyuk explained in the first episode, which aired last week.

The girls were split into four teams for the mission, with two vocal teams and two dance teams. The first dance team consisted of Daniela, Megan, UA, Adéla and Hinari, while the second dance team featured Emily, Ezrela, Marquise, Yoonchae and Mei. The first vocal team included Karlee, Lexie, Iliya, Brooklyn and Manon and the second vocal team consisted of Sophia, Lara, Celeste, Samara and Nayoung.

Fans voted on WeVerse and YouTube for their favorite contestants after the jaw-dropping performances, but ultimately, the first two contestants eliminated in the mission were 19-year-old Adéla from Slovakia and 14-year-old Hinari from Japan (pictured below).

Adela

Adela

Courtesy of HYBE x Geffen Records

Hinari

Hinari

Courtesy of HYBE x Geffen Records

The remaining 18 contestants have flown from Los Angeles to Korea for Mission No. 2, where they will continue the competition at a training & development facility where many K-pop groups have trained.

When the 20 finalists were announced last month, Chairman Bang said at a press event in LA: “I have wanted to form an international group based on K-pop methodology for a while. To do this, I believed we needed a capable partner. When I met [Interscope Geffen A&M Records CEO] John [Janick], from the first moment, we both felt instantly that we had a connection, musically and creatively. I am very proud of the rich history we have made and the tremendous talent we have found. I am proud of the opportunities we have created within the K-pop universe.”

For his part, Janick added: “Since we began our partnership two years ago, Bang and I have often spoken about our shared beliefs in artist development, music and creativity. To develop a global group with Bang, with the best of K-pop methodology, and our Geffen team, is truly special and will bring to life a first-of-its kind experience in music. Each candidate is incredibly talented, dedicated, and driven, making this an exciting moment for music fans around the world.”

Watch the episode above.

15 Sep 2023

Kevin Bacon Reveals That Taylor Swift Is on His Ultimate Collab Bucket List: ‘That’s Obviously the Right Answer’

Kevin Bacon is an eternal optimist. The legendary Footloose star and Bacon Brothers singer who scored his first solo entry (No. 7) on the Billboard songs chart in December with “Here It Is Christmastime” from The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special was recently asked to come up with a wish list of potential musical collaborators and he definitely aimed high.

Appearing on SiriusXM’s Pop Culture Spotlight with Jessica Shaw to promote his new Six Degrees with Kevin Bacon podcast, Bacon talked about the joy he felt after joining Billy Joel on stage at Madison Square Garden last month to run through the Piano Man’s “The Entertainer” and “You May Be Right” during Joel’s 93rd gig in his record-setting MSG residency.

Bacon said the Joel team-up wasn’t necessarily a “bucket list” item for him, because he saves those for things that are within the realm of possibility. “To me, a bucket list is a list of things you can actually see yourself doing one day,” he told Shaw. “This is the NFW [No F–king Way] list.”

Shaw was game, so she asked who is next on Bacon’s NFW collab list? “Taylor [Swift],” he said. “That’s obviously the right answer… I really do admire her, though. I think she’s a great songwriter, and I think what she’s done with her messaging and the messages she gives to young women, it’s awesome.”

And though Swift’s Eras Tour made headlines for the impressive list of A-listers who attended the U.S. shows, Bacon didn’t make it out to any of the stadium gigs, even though he really wanted to. “I’ve never seen her. No, I haven’t seen her. I really need to,” he said, while also shooting his shot to have Swift join him on his pod. “Hey, if you’re listening, come on!” he said.

It’s not the first time Bacon showed that he’s a true blue Swiftie. In April the actor and his wife, Kyra Sedgwick, danced around their living room to Taylor’s Midnights hit “Karma” wearing T-shirts that read “drag is an art and drag is a right,” while urging fans to support the ACLU’s Drag Defense Fund targeting anti-drag bills being passed and proposed by conservative lawmakers across the country. “Drag bans are bad karma. Right now, drag performers and the LGBTQIA+ community need our help,” he wrote at the time.

Listen to Bacon manifesting his Swift collab below.

15 Sep 2023

Justin Bieber Joins SZA on Surprise ‘Snooze (Acoustic)’ Version

Fans were pleasantly surprised last month when Justin Bieber made an unexpected cameo in the video for SZA‘s single “Snooze.” In the sultry visual for the song from SZA’s sophomore album, S.O.S., JB lounges on a picnic blanket with the singer, who also spends quality time in the clip with Benny Blanco, Beef star Young Mazino and Power Book II: Ghost actor Woody McClain.

So you can imagine the double surprise on Friday (Sept. 15) when SZA dropped an unplugged version of “Snooze (Acoustic),” featuring fresh vocals from Bieber on the song whose original found a spot on former president Barack Obama’s 2023 summer playlist.

Over gently picked acoustic guitar, the laconic song’s first SZA-sung verse proceeds as usual before Justin joins her on backing vocals on the chorus: “I can’t lose when I’m with you/ How can I snooze and miss the moment?/ You just too important,” they sing together.

Then, Bieber takes over lead vocals on the song’s second verse, singing, “In a droptop ride with you, I feel like Scarface/ Like that white b–ch with the bob, you’ll be my main one/ Let’s take this argumеnt back up to my place/ Sex rеminds you I’m nonviolent, I’m your day one,” with SZA adding ad-libs and harmonies behind. The pair intertwine their vocals on the remaining choruses on the track originally co-produced by Babyface, BLK Beats and The Rascals.

“Snooze” snagged SZA her second No. 1 on Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, topping the list dated July 1. The song was also SZA’s second career No. 1 on the Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay tally.

Listen to “Snooze (Acoustic)” below.