Music News

21 May 2023

Morgan Wallen’s ‘One Thing at a Time’ Clocks 11th Week at No. 1 on Billboard 200

Morgan Wallen’s One Thing at a Time clocks an 11th consecutive, and total, week atop the Billboard 200 albums chart (dated May 27). It now has the most weeks in a row at No. 1 since the Titanic soundtrack sailed at No. 1 for 16 consecutive weeks (its entire run at No. 1).

One Thing at a Time is also the first album of any genre to spend its first 11 weeks at No. 1 since Whitney Houston’s Whitney also ruled for its first 11 weeks in 1987 (its total run at No. 1). The only other album to spend its first 11 weeks at No. 1 is Stevie Wonder’s Songs in the Key of Life, which logged its first 13 weeks at No. 1 (of a total of 14 weeks in the top slot) in late 1976 and early 1977.

One Thing at a Time debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart dated March 18 and has yet to depart the top slot. It has now surpassed the total No. 1 run of Wallen’s last release, Dangerous: The Double Album, which spent its first 10 weeks at No. 1 (Jan. 23-March 27, 2021-dated charts).

One Thing at a Time earned 134,500 equivalent album units in the United States in the week ending May 18 (down 5%), according to Luminate.

The last album to spend at least 11 weeks in total at No. 1 was Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti, which pieced together 13 nonconsecutive weeks atop the list in May-October 2022.

One Thing at a Time has the most weeks at No. 1 for any country album since Taylor Swift’s Fearless notched 11 nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 in late 2008 and early 2009. (Country albums are those that have charted on, or are eligible for, Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart.)

Further, Wallen has now spent a total of 21 weeks at No. 1 across his two chart-topping albums (One Thing, with 11 weeks, and Dangerous, with 10). He surpasses Swift for the most weeks at No. 1 this decade (2020-onwards). Swift logged eight weeks at No. 1 with Folklore in 2020, four with Evermore in 2020-21, two with Fearless (Taylor’s Version) in 2021, one with Red (Taylor’s Version) in 2021 and five with Midnights in 2022. Swift will release her third Taylor’s Version re-recorded album, Speak Now, on July 7.

Also in the top 10 of the new Billboard 200, Jonas Brothers notch their seventh top 10 with the No. 3 arrival of The Album, YoungBoy Never Broke Again achieves his 15th top 10 (and third of 2023) with the No. 4 bow of Richest Opp, Bailey Zimmerman earns his second top 10 with the No. 7 debut of Religiously. The Album., and Daft Punk’s chart-topping Random Access Memories re-enters the chart at No. 8 after its 10th anniversary deluxe reissue.

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. The new May 27, 2023-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on May 23. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

Of One Thing at a Time’s 134,500 equivalent album units earned in the week ending May 18, SEA units comprise 124,500 (down 7%, equaling 165.47 million on-demand official streams of the set’s 36 songs), album sales comprise 8,000 (up 61% after the release of its standard vinyl album on May 12) and TEA units comprise 2,000 (down 5%).

Taylor Swift’s chart-topping Midnights rises 3-2 with 60,000 equivalent album units earned (up 1%).

Jonas Brothers notch their seventh top 10-charting album on the Billboard 200 as The Album debuts at No. 3. The set launches with 52,000 equivalent album units earned. Of that sum, album sales comprise 35,500 (making it the top-selling album of the week), SEA units comprise 16,000 (equaling 20.5 million on-demand official streams of the set’s 12 songs) and TEA units comprise a little over 500.

The album’s current single, “Waffle House,” climbed 88-82 on the most recently published Billboard Hot 100 songs chart (dated May 20). It also stepped 37-34 on the all-format Radio Songs tally the same week. On the Pop Airplay chart, “Waffle” wings 18-15 on the latest list (dated May 27).

The prolific YoungBoy Never Broke Again clocks his third top 10 of 2023 on the Billboard 200, as Richest Opp bows at No. 4. In total, it’s the rapper’s 15th top 10 — all earned since 2018. He now ties Drake and Future for the second-most top 10s among rap acts. Only Jay-Z and Nas have more among rap acts, each with 16.

Richest Opp enters with 51,000 equivalent album units earned. SEA units comprise nearly all of that sum, with 50,500 (equaling 74.37 million on-demand official streams of the set’s 17 songs). Album sales comprise 500 and TEA units comprise a negligible sum.

In total, YoungBoy Never Broke Again has placed 30 titles on the Billboard 200 albums chart, starting with AI YoungBoy in 2017, which peaked at No. 24 in August 2017.

SZA’s former leader SOS falls 4-5 with 51,000 equivalent album units earned (down 5%), while Wallen’s Dangerous: The Double Album, dips 5-6 with 48,000 (down 1%).

Bailey Zimmerman nabs his second top 10-charting effort on the Billboard 200 as Religiously. The Album. starts at No. 7. The set bows with 46,500 equivalent album units earned. Of that sum, SEA units comprise 38,000 (equaling 50.5 million on-demand official streams of the set’s 15 songs), album sales comprise 8,000 and TEA units comprise 500.

In October 2022, Zimmerman made his Billboard 200 debut with Leave the Light On, debuting and peaking at No. 9. In a little over a year, he’s earned eight top 40-charting his on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart (through the most recently published list, dated May 20).

Chart-watchers may have noticed that there are three titles in the top 10 that use the word “album” in their title: Jonas Brothers’ The Album at No. 3, Wallen’s Dangerous: The Double Album at No. 6 and Zimmerman’s Religiously. The Album. at No. 7. It’s the first time at least three albums concurrently in the top 10 have had the word “album” in their title since August of 1963, when Billboard combined its separate stereo and mono album charts into one single album chart. (See more history on the Billboard 200, which began publishing as a regular, weekly fixture in March of 1956.)

Daft Punk’s former No. 1 Random Access Memories jumps back onto the Billboard 200, re-entering at No. 8 with 40,000 equivalent album units earned (up 1,046%). The set was reissued for its 10th anniversary in a deluxe edition with previously unreleased archival tracks from the album’s recording sessions. Of its 40,000 units earned, album sales comprise 32,000, SEA units comprise nearly 8,000 and TEA units comprise a negligible sum. The set became the first leader for the duo, which disbanded in 2021, spending its first two weeks at No. 1 in June 2013.

Rounding out the top 10 of the new Billboard 200 is Ed Sheeran’s – (Subtract), falling 2-9 with nearly 40,000 equivalent album units (down 64%) in its second week and Swift’s chart-topping Lover, descending 7-10 with 38,000 units (up 2%).

Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.

21 May 2023

Foo Fighters Introduce New Drummer Josh Freese During ‘Preparing Music for Concerts’ Livestream

After months of speculation and radio silence, the Foo Fighters introduced their new drummer on Sunday (May 21) during the “Foo Fighters: Preparing Music for Concerts” livestream event.

The intimate studio show, presented in black and white, previewing the veteran group’s upcoming 11th studio album, But Here We Are (June 2), featured the live debut of Josh Freese, who is stepping into the formidable shoes of late Foos drummer Taylor Hawkins; the band’s time-keeper died at age 50 of undisclosed causes in March 2022 while on tour in South America.

Freese, a veteran studio/touring drummer, has played with acts including Guns N’ Roses, A Perfect Circle, and Nine Inch Nails. He was revealed as the drummer during the livestream after comedic cameos by Flea, Tommy Lee and Danny Carey of Tool.

Hawkins joined the Foos in 1997, taking over from the band’s first drummer, Sunny Day Real Estate’s William Goldsmith, who originally had the unenviable task of playing drums for the group fronted by Dave Grohl, one of rock’s most formidable bashers. Goldsmith’s tenure lasted from 1995 to 1997.

Just as Grohl’s drum stool was nearly impossible to take over thanks to the former Nirvana drummer’s formidable, crashing style, Freese will have a monumental task ahead following Hawkins, a beloved, blissful beat machine whose smile, good cheer and California cool became an enduring part of the Foos’ live appeal.

The livestream concert was the band’s first full set since a pair of Hawkins tribute concerts that took place in London and Los Angeles last fall. Those gigs feature a rotating group of drummers sitting in with the Foos, including Hawkins’ teenage son, Shane, Blink-182’s Travis Barker, tween viral sensation Nandi Bushell, The Darkness’ Rufus Taylor, Omar Hakim, Rage Against the Machine drummer Brad Wilk, Weezer drummer Pat Wilson, Metallica’s Lars Ulrich, the Police’s Stewart Copeland and the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Chad Smith.

Prior to Sunday’s show, both Pearl Jam’s Matt Cameron and the Darkness’ Taylor had publicly denied they were in the running for the FF drum seat amid unconfirmed reports that Freese — whose long resume includes stints performing with Guns N’ Roses, Devo, Nine Inch Nails, the Vandals, Sting, A Perfect Circle, the Replacements and Paramore, among others — would be taking over.

Last week, the band dropped “Under You,” the second single from the upcoming album, and Brooklyn-based graphic arts studio Morning Breath Inc. revealed the stark white-on-white package design for But Here We Are, which is dedicated to Hawkins and Grohl’s late mother, Virginia, who also died in 2022.

With the livestream under their belts, the Foos are slated to make their road return on Wednesday (May 24) at the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion in Gilford, N.H. They have a very full summer planned, including more than a dozen festival appearances at Boston Calling, Sonic Temple, Rock Am Ring, Bonnaroo, Ottawa Bluesfest, Harley-Davidson Homecoming, Fuji Rock, Wildlands, Outside Lands, Jazz Aspen Snowmass, Riot Fest, Sea.Hear.Now, Louder Than Life, Ohana and ACL, as well as a number of North American and international headlining dates.

21 May 2023

Benedict Cumberbatch to Portray Pete Seeger in Bob Dylan Biopic ‘A Complete Unknown’

Benedict Cumberbatch has reportedly been cast as folk icon Pete Seeger in the upcoming Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown.

Director James Mangold revealed the news to Deadline at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival following a screening of his latest movie, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.

Seeger, who died in 2014 at age 94, played a significant role in Dylan’s early musical career in the 1960s, helping facilitate his record label contract and inviting him to perform perform at the Newport Folk Festival.

A Complete Unknown stars Timothée Chalamet as Dylan, Monica Barbaro as Joan Baez, and Elle Fanning in an unspecified role. Woody Guthrie will also be portrayed in the movie, though the actor cast for the role has not yet been announced. The biopic is scheduled to begin production in August.

The project is based on Elijah Wald’s book Dylan Goes Electric and a script from Jay Cocks.

As previously reported, Mangold confirmed that Chalamet will do his own singing in the forthcoming Searchlight Pictures film. During an interview with Collider at London’s Star Wars Celebration in early April, the director was asked whether the actor would do his own crooning in the biopic, instead of dubbing in Dylan’s voice. Mangold replied, “Of course!”

“It’s such an amazing time in American culture,” Mangold said when asked what drew him to the Dylan film. “The story of a young, 19-year-old Bob Dylan coming to New York with like two dollars in his pocket and becoming a worldwide sensation within three years — first being embraced into the family of folk music in New York and then, of course, kind of outrunning them at a certain point as his star rises so beyond belief. It’s such an interesting true story and about such an interesting moment in the American scene.”

20 May 2023

Songwriter Pete Brown, Co-Writer of ‘Sunshine of Your Love’ & ‘White Room,’ Dies at 82

Songwriter and poet Pete Brown, who co-wrote “Sunshine of Your Love” and “White Room” for the short-lived rock supergroup Cream in the 1960s, has died. He was 82.

The London-based Brown died of cancer late Friday (May 20), according to a post on his Facebook page.

A poet who worked in the same circles as Allen Ginsberg and Spike Milligan, Brown was asked by drummer Ginger Baker to help write songs for Cream, a band he had formed with guitarist Eric Clapton and bass player Jack Bruce.

He also helped write the group’s song, “I Feel Fine,” and formed a songwriting partnership with Bruce after Cream broke up that lasted more than four decades.

20 May 2023

Dua Lipa Makes Red Carpet Debut With Boyfriend Romain Gavras at Cannes Film Festival

Dua Lipa and Romain Gavras made their red carpet debut at the Cannes Film Festival on Friday (May 19).

The pop singer, 27, and French music video director, 41, were photographed in their first public appearance together on the red carpet for the film Omar La Fraise (The King of Algiers) at the Palais des Festivals.

“Last night in Cannes with my sweetheart,” Lipa wrote on Instagram alongside snapshots of herself cozying up to Gavras.

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The “Levitating” singer was first spotted with Gavras leaving a London party together in February, according to Entertainment Tonight. The couple was also seen holding hands that same month during Paris Fashion Week, E! Online reports.

Gavras, who was directed music videos for Jay-Z and Kanye West’s “No Church in the Wild” and M.I.A.’s “Bad Girls,” among others, previously dated Rita Ora for approximately six months, according to People.

Lipa formerly dated Anwar Hadid, the brother of models models Gigi and Bella Hadid, from 2019 through early 2021. Last September, the singer was rumored to be dating comedian Trevor Noah after they were spotted appearing to share a kiss during a one-on-one hangout in New York City.

Check out Lipa’s Cannes Film Festival post on Instagram here.

20 May 2023

Becky G, Anitta, Rauw in Forbes’ 30 Under 30 & More Uplifting Moments in Latin Music

From career milestones and new music releases to major announcements and more, Billboard editors highlight the latest news buzz in Latin music every week. Here’s what happened in the Latin music world this week.

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Karol G Drops New Music Video

Karol G surprised fans this week by unleashing the official music video to her song “Amargura,” from her historic Mañana Será Bonito album. For her latest clip, the Colombian artist opted for a live version filmed during her stadium concert in Puerto Rico earlier this year. The video shows Karol rocking her long, red locks and an all-denim outfit while she energetically performing the infectious heartbreak reggaeton track. The video also shows aerial scenes of the packed Estadio Hiram Bithorn and fans jamming along to the lyrics.

Latin Artists Make Coveted Forbes List

This week, Forbes unveiled its coveted 30 Under 30, where three Latin acts form part of the North American 2023 music list: Anitta (No. 29), Becky G (No. 25), and Rauw Alejandro (No. 29). Other music acts who made the list include 24kGoldn (No. 22), Madison Beer (No. 24), and Blu de Tiger (No. 24), to name a few. On its official website, Forbes also highlighted its all-star alumni including Lizzo, Giveon, and Bad Bunny, who was part of the “Under 30 Class of 2019.”

Rauw Alejandro

Rauw Alejandro performs during the Uforia Mix Live 2022 at FLA Live Arena on October 01, 2022 in Sunrise, Florida.

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Manuel Turizo Teams Up with Kotex

Manuel Turizo has joined forces with Kotex Colombia, becoming the first male artist to partner with the menstrual hygiene product. During a since-deleted Instagram Live, the singer asked his fans in Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic and other Latin American countries to donate menstrual pads at his concerts. His goal is to collect 100,000 pads. “These towels will be donated to a non-governmental foundation in several countries, for women who need it and today cannot access these products,” an official Instagram post stated.

Corridos for Education

Meanwhile, on TikTok, a professor went viral for using corridos music to teach the Spanish language to her students. In the video, Elizabeth Coti, a Guatemalan-born, Texas-based teacher, is seen using the lyrics of Eslabon Armado & Peso Pluma‘s “Ella Baila Sola” to teach a verse or two to her class. “Educating the youth, one corrido at a time,” she captioned the clip, which had more than three million views at the time of publishing.

The Beautiful Game

In a new initiative, Loud And Live partnered with “The Beautiful Game,” a celebrity-friendly soccer match created and hosted by Brazilian soccer stars Ronaldinho and Roberto Carlos. The live events company will manage all the commercial and promotional aspects of the match, including marketing, sponsorship, ticket sales, and VIP experiences. “Their [Loud And Live] expertise in managing global large-scale events and their dedication to providing an exceptional experience for fans make them the perfect partner,” Rafael Alves, partner & managing director of The Beautiful Game, said in a statement. The Beautiful Game will be hosted on June 23 at the Exploria Stadium in Orlando, Fla.

19 May 2023

Beyoncé Calls on Kendrick Lamar for ‘America Has a Problem’ Remix

You can’t get no higher than this! Beyoncé has reunited with Kendrick Lamar for a sleek remix of her Renaissance hit, “America Has a Problem.”

In the new iteration of the track released on Friday (May 19), Lamar comes in blazing with a powerful, minute-long opening verse. He flows at his characteristic lightning speed, proudly proclaiming himself “honorary Beyhive” as he raps, “My momma told me that the money outgrew you / My horoscope said I’m really out my noodle / I’m troublin’, I’m puzzlin’, it’s sudoku / Say B, yes, America got a problem / Kicked up, choosing love, well, they chose violence.”

It’s hardly the first time the beloved duo have teamed up musically. Lamar was previously featured on the soaring “Freedom,” off Bey’s 2016 Billboard 200 chart-topping album Lemonade, and he took the stage with her at the BET Awards that year to perform the track. The rapper also joined the “Alien Superstar” performer on her closing Formation tour show, surprising the crowd with another performance of “Freedom” at New Jersey’s Metlife Stadium.

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For his 2017 Rolling Stone cover, Lamar opened up about what he has learned from working with Beyoncé. “How particular to be about your music,” he shared of her work ethic, adding, “She’s a perfectionist. Think about the BET performance. She was very particular – the lighting, the camera blocking, the transition from the music to the dancing. It was confirmation of something I already knew.”

The new remix of “America Has a Problem” featuring Kendrick Lamar is available to purchase on Beyoncé’s website here. Listen below.

19 May 2023

Jay-Z & Beyoncé Set California Record With $200 Million Malibu Mansion Purchase

Beyoncé and Jay-Z continue to prove that they’re Hollywood’s most iconic couple. The duo recently purchased a more than 30,000-square-foot home in the Paradise Cove area of Malibu, Calif., and they paid $200 million for the property, according to TMZ.

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With that hefty price, the house is now the most expensive home ever sold in California, breaking the previous record of $177 million. The architectural masterpiece of concrete and glass was bought for $14.5 million by art collector William Bell in 2003, before bringing in Japanese architect Tadao Ando to create the minimalist concrete design. The L-shaped home has floor-to-ceiling walls of glass and leads outside to a swimming pool, cabana and a grass lawn perched on a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The superstar couple previously purchased a modern mansion in Bel-Air for $88 million in 2017 that had a similarly minimalist design.

In other Bey news, the “Break My Soul” singer is currently in the midst of her long-awaited Renaissance tour, which kicked off with a jaw-dropping showcase of 37 hits in Stockholm, Sweden, last week and will continue throughout Europe until July 9, before heading across the pond to the United States.

The tour is in support of her 2022 album, Renaissance, which topped the Billboard 200 albums chart upon its release and won the Grammy award for best dance/electronic album. Three of the project’s songs also won individual awards, with “Break My Soul” winning best dance/electronic recording, “Plastic Off the Sofa” taking home best traditional R&B performance and “Cuff It” winning best R&B song.

19 May 2023

The Dream Setlist for Luis Miguel’s 2023 Tour

In April, Luis Miguel surprised fans with the announcement of his 2023 tour, which will make stops in North and South America this summer and fall.

The 43-date stint, produced by Cárdenas Marketing Network (CMN Events) and Fenix Entertainment, kicks off Aug. 3 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and will visit major cities in the U.S. such as Chicago, Las Vegas, Miami and Los Angeles before wrapping up Dec. 17 in Guadalajara, Mexico.

This marks El Sol de Mexico’s (The Mexican Sun) first trek in years, following his México Por Siempre tour that ran from 2018 to 2019, grossing $101.4 million and selling 965,000 tickets across 116 shows, according to Billboard Boxscore. The México Por Siempre tour, which supported his Latin Grammy-winning album of the same name, was the highest-grossing Latin tour in Boxscore history until last year, when Bad Bunny‘s El Último Tour del Mundo and World’s Hottest Tour surpassed it.

While fans count down the days to see Luismi — one of Latin music’s biggest stars and one of the top vocalists of his generation — in concert, the Billboard Latin team curated a dream tour setlist featuring 16 of his biggest Billboard hits. Each of the songs on the list hit No. 1 on the coveted Hot Latin Songs chart, dating back to 1987, a year after the chart launched.

The list includes his first No. 1 hit on the chart, “Ahora Te Puedes Marchar” (1987); plus “La Incondicional,” which spent seven weeks at No. 1 in 1989; and “Tengo Todo Excepto a Ti,” which spent eight weeks at No. 1 in 1990, to name a few.

See the complete dream setlist below:

19 May 2023

‘Glee’ Stars Jenna Ushkowitz & Harry Shum Jr. Ate the ‘Worst’ Foods Before Kissing Scenes to Make it More ‘Interesting’

Jenna Ushkowitz and Harry Shum Jr. had a lot of make out scenes as Tina Cohen-Chang and Mike Chang on Glee, and now the duo is revealing a funny tidbit about the behind-the-scenes of all those smooches.

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The actors revealed on a new episode of Ushowitz and Kevin McHale’s podcast And That’s What You REALLY Missed that they would purposely eat the “worst” food to make their “awkward” make out sessions more fun.

“Making out is so awkward, especially when you have to do it over and over again and then try and make it interesting,” Shum Jr. shared. “Remember me and you used to eat the worst s— that we could think of to just make it just a little more interesting?”

“Sour Cream and onion chips,” Ushowitz replied, to which Shum Jr. added that he would opt for “peanut and butter” sandwiches. “Yeah that combination existed for sure,” he said. Listen to the full episode here.

Ushowitz and McHale previously addressed the idea of a Glee reboot to Insider, with Ushowitz noting that she’d only take part in a reboot if co-creator Ryan Murphy was involved. “I look to the leader. Ryan Murphy said something on our podcast about it, so you’ll have to listen,” she said. “I think if it could be done in the right way, he would do it. The stars have to align in order for something to make sense to do it, or he’s not gonna do it. Like, the integrity has to be there.”

“If Ryan was involved, I mean, that’s when you consider it,” she added. “That’s when you talk about actually the possibility of doing it. Otherwise, you can count me out.”