Music News

28 Mar 2023

Hot 100 First-Timers: Yng Lvcas Arrives With ‘La Bebe,’ Sparked by Peso Pluma Remix

Singer-songwriter Yng Lvcas scores his first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 (dated April 1), thanks to his breakthrough single “La Bebe,” newly remixed with fellow rising Mexican artist Peso Pluma.

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The song, which Yng Lvcas released independently in December 2021, debuts at No. 77 with 6.8 million U.S. streams (up 128%) in the March 17-23 tracking week, according to Luminate. Its Peso Pluma remix arrived March 17 via Warner Latina. (All versions of the song are combined into a singular listing on Billboard’s charts.)

The track concurrently vaults 35-11 on Hot Latin Songs in its sixth chart week. It also surges 74-20 on Billboard Global Excl. U.S. and 103-21 on the Billboard Global 200 (32.1 million streams, up 79%, worldwide).

TikTok has been a big factor in the song’s growing profile, as a portion of it has been used in more than 35,000 clips on the platform to date. (TikTok does not contribute directly to Billboard’s charts.)

Yng Lvcas is a newcomer to Billboard’s charts. “La Bebe” became his first chart entry upon its debut on the Hot Latin Songs and Global Excl. U.S. surveys dated Feb. 25.

Outside of the charts, he has released Wup? Mixtape1 and the LP LPM, both in 2021. He also released two EPs last year: Taka Taka Mixtape and Puerqueo EP.

As for newcomer Peso Pluma and recent Hot 100 First-Timer, he scores his fifth Hot 100 hit with “La Bebe.” All five tracks are currently charting on the Hot 100: “Ella Baila Sola” with Eslabon Armado debuts at No. 26, “AMG” with Gabito Ballesteros and Natanael Cano stands at No. 70 (after reaching No. 66 in February), “Por Las Noches” rises 92-72 in its second week on the chart, and “PRC” with Cano rises 95-73 (a new peak),

Billboard’s Hot 100 First-Timers column highlights artists who achieve their first career entries on the Hot 100.

28 Mar 2023

Eslabon Armado & Peso Pluma Earn Career-Highs on Hot Latin Songs & Hot 100 Charts With ‘Ella Baila Sola’

Eslabon Armado and Peso Pluma celebrate multiple career chart achievements as their collaborative hit “Ella Baila Sola” earns both artists their highest charting entries on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs and Billboard Hot 100 charts (dated April 1). On the former it starts at No. 2, and at No. 26 on the latter.

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Eslabon Armado’s previous high on Hot Latin Songs came with the No. 3-peaking “Jugaste y Sufri,” featuring Dannylux, in 2021, which also marked its Hot 100 high, climbing to No. 69. For Peso Pluma, the act went as high as No. 6 on Hot Latin Songs with “AMG,” a co-billed collab with Gabito Ballesteros and Natanael Cano, in February. It was also its highest charting hit on the Hot 100, reaching No. 66.

“Ella Baila Sola” is Eslabon Armado and Peso Pluma’s first partnership. It was released March 17 via Prajin Parlay/DEL Records and arrives at No. 2 on the multimetric Hot Latin Songs chart after its first full tracking week mainly on the strength of streaming activity. The list blends airplay, digital sales, and streaming data.

“Ella Baila Sola” logged 16 million official streams in the U.S. during the March 17-23 tracking week, according to Luminate. The figure makes for a No. 1 start on Latin Streaming Songs and a No. 10 debut on the overall Streaming Songs chart. It’s the second No. 1 on Latin Streaming Songs for Eslabon Armado, and the first leader for Peso Pluma. On the all-genre Streaming Songs chart, it’s the first top 10 for both acts.

Notably, with 16 million streams in its opening week, “Ella Baila” logs the second-largest streaming week for a Latin debut this year thus far, trailing only Karol G x Shakira’s “TQG” which collected 29 million on the March 11-dated list.

While Bizarrap and Shakira’s “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53” registered 5 million in its opening week (Jan. 21) from only two days of activity — it then posted a 341% gain in its second chart week (and first full week of tracking), with 20 million streams. (It was released Jan. 11 at 7 p.m. ET, and launched with less than two days of activity.)

Further, only one other regional Mexican collaboration has accumulated at least 15 million official streams or more: Fuerza Regida and Grupo Frontera’s “Bebe Dame” (Feb. 4-dated ranking)

Sales also contribute to “Ella Baila’s” high start on Hot Latin Songs: Although the song sold a little under 1,000 downloads in its initial week, it generated enough to debut at No. 4 on Latin Digital Song Sales.

Global Entry

Elsewhere on the charts, “Ella Baila Sola” makes its first appearance on both Billboard Global charts, which rank songs based on streaming and sales activity culled from more than 200 territories around the world, as compiled by Luminate.

The track bows at No. 12 on the Billboard Global 200 with 47 million streams and 1,000 downloads sold. Meanwhile, the song collects 31 million streams and negligible amount in sales which yields a No. 14 launch on Global Excl. U.S. While Eslabon clocks its first entry on the latter, the song earns both acts their highest entry on Global 200.

28 Mar 2023

Morgan Wallen Tallies 10th Week at No. 1 on Artist 100

Morgan Wallen scores a 10th week at No. 1 on the Billboard Artist 100 chart (dated April 1), holding as the top musical act in the United States thanks to the continued success of his new LP, One Thing at a Time.

The 36-track album tallies a third week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, with 209,000 equivalent album units earned in the March 17-23 tracking week, according to Luminate, after opening with 501,000 units, the largest weekly sum for an album this year. The set became Wallen’s second No. 1, following 2021’s 30-track Dangerous: The Double Album. The latter places at No. 7 on the Billboard 200 (42,000 units).

Contributing to Wallen’s Artist 100 rule are 18 songs on the Billboard Hot 100. Two weeks earlier, he set a one-week record, with 36 songs on the chart, and then claimed the second-most weekly entries last week, with 28, with all from from One Thing at a Time. “Last Night” leads his 18 titles on the latest Hot 100 at No. 2, after becoming his first No. 1 two weeks ago.

Wallen is the 11th artist to reach the 10-week milestone on the Artist 100, dating to the chart’s 2014 inception. Taylor Swift leads with 64 weeks at No. 1, followed by Drake (37), The Weeknd (28), BTS (21), Adele (20), Ariana Grande (15), Justin Bieber, Post Malone and Ed Sheeran (14 each), Billie Eilish (12) and Wallen (10).

U2 re-enters the Artist 100 at No. 5, thanks to its new 40-track LP Songs of Surrender, which starts at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 (46,000 units). It’s the band’s 13th top 10 and makes the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers just the fourth group with new top 10s in the 1980s, ’90s, 2000s, ’10s and ’20s, after AC/DC, Def Leppard and Metallica. U2 topped the Artist 100 for a week in 2017.

Plus, BTS member Jimin debuts at No. 10 on the Artist 100 thanks to his new solo single “Set Me Free, Pt. 2.” The song debuts at No. 30 on the Hot 100 with 6.4 million official U.S. streams and 63,000 downloads sold, as he becomes the first BTS member to score an unaccompanied solo top 40 hit on the Hot 100. He’s the third member of BTS (which re-enters at No. 100) to reach the Artist 100’s top 10, joining RM (No. 6 peak in December) and Jin (No. 10, November).

The Artist 100 measures artist activity across key metrics of music consumption, blending album and track sales, radio airplay and streaming to provide a weekly multidimensional ranking of artist popularity.

28 Mar 2023

Ben Affleck Praises Jennifer Lopez for ‘Love & Support’ That Made New Movie ‘Air’ Possible

Ben Affleck just sang the praises of Jennifer Lopez, who was right there at her husband’s side Monday (March 27) at Los Angeles’ Regency Village Theatre for the premiere of his new movie, Air.

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While introducing his latest directorial project, which serves a courtside look at the creation of Nike’s famous partnership with basketball legend Michael Jordan, Affleck took a moment to thank the important players who contributed to the making of the film — one of whom, he said, was absolutely his superstar wife.

“I want to say that none of it would be possible — this company, this movie, this joy tonight — without the love and support of my wife who means more to me than anything in the world,” he said moments before Air‘s debut.

“I want to say thank you,” added Affleck, who also stars in the film as Nike founder Phil Knight. “I love you. You mean the world to me. You’re fabulous, you’re amazing, you’re wonderful, good, kind, magnificent and I love you.”

The 50-year-old actor had more to say about Lopez — whom he married in a summertime Las Vegas chapel ceremony last year — while walking the red carpet before Air‘s premiere. “She’s brilliant,” he told ET. “And [she] helps me in every conceivable way.”

The “Let’s Get Loud” singer, whose new album This Is Me … Now arrives this summer, afterward posted about the event on Instagram. With a video montage of clips from the red carpet, she shared footage of her posing with Affleck on the carpet in a neon yellow gown, the Oscar winner signing autographs and hanging out with costar and longtime best friend Matt Damon. See her video below:

28 Mar 2023

Kaya Stewart Gets Help From Superstar Dad During Impressive ‘American Idol’ Audition

By this point, singers auditioning for American Idol understand that they need one of three things if they have any hope of making it through the early auditions rounds: unimpeachable talent, a great/moving backstory or an unexpected hook that makes for good TV.

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What very few can do, however, is bring along a ringer to accompany them who has sold as many, or more, records as judges Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie. Kaya Stewart ticked all those boxes and more on Sunday night (March 26), prompting Perry to exclaim, “Oh my God, blast from the past!” upon seeing Eurythmics co-founder Dave Stewart standing proudly next to his daughter.

Richie noted that he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last year along with the Annie Lennox-fronted British new wave duo known for such hits as “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This),” “Here Comes the Rain Again,” “Love is a Stranger” and “Missionary Man,” among many others. No big deal, but Kaya, 23, said she toured with the duo while her mom was pregnant with her and that music has always been part of her DNA. Go figure.

“Music has been a part of my life since before I was even born. My dad was in a group called the Eurythmics,” she told the judges. “When I was born, my dad was on tour, and I was going to shows when I was still in my mom’s tummy… The musician’s lifestyle has been something that’s just been a part of my life. There was never a question of what I wanted to do with my life. That was always going to be what I was going to do.”

Taking a chance, Kaya sang an original she wrote with her pops, “This Tattoo,” an emotional country pop break-up ballad featuring the refrain, “And I’ve got a feeling that it’s over/ And I couldn’t be any better/ And I’m gonna get this tattoo removed.” The judges were all impressed, with Perry subtly hinting at some potential nepo baby potholes along the way, suggesting that the panel may be “a bit more nitpicky with you” because of Kaya’s famous lineage and because the singer understands how the business works.

That said, they flagged Stewart through to the next round, with Richie calling the performance “great” while commending Kaya for presenting an original song, especially alongside her A-list dad. “In the midst of all this you slayed it,” he said, with Bryan adding that he could tell Stewart had grown up on stage and seemed comfortable performing for an audience.

Check out Stewart’s Idol audition below.

28 Mar 2023

‘Snowfall’ Star Damson Idris Says Jay-Z Helped Him Get His Green Card

As Damson Idris continues to help roll out the series finale of the popular FX show Snowfall, the British actor recently sat down with Complex as the publication’s latest cover star to discuss myriad topics, including how Jay-Z helped him land his green card. 

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“Hov didn’t offer that up. I had to ask him,” Idris shared when asked if the rumor was true. “But he’s done many things for me over the years. He’s always supported me. He supports everyone. He supports so many people that you don’t even know. Like, genuinely I should tell everyone this right now: If you ever run into Jay-Z, just say thank you and keep it moving because he is definitely a pioneer of the culture, but of everything.”

Jay-Z has a history of being of great help to his friends and peers in the industry, including Meek Mill and Lil Wayne. When the Philly rapper was imprisoned in 2017 for violating his probation, Jay-Z not only wrote a New York Times op-ed calling out the justice system, but according to Meek, quietly spent millions of dollars on his legal fees as well. 

“Jay-Z is actually responsible for some of my legal fees, which I thought was the dopest in the world because it was some millions of dollars,” Meek revealed in a 2020 interview with The Breakfast Club. “I don’t even think I could have afforded it.”

Elsewhere in Idris’s interview with Complex, he shed light on his friendship with Tyler, the Creator. “He’s a great guy. He’s hilarious,” Idris gushed. “You’ll introduce Tyler to someone important, and randomly, he’ll be like, ‘Yeah, me and Damson take bubble baths together, and you’re like, ‘Whoa. No, we don’t.’ He’s just like that.”

Watch Damson Idris’ entire interview below.  

28 Mar 2023

Madlib Says He’s Finishing Up His Collaborative Album Featuring the Late Mac Miller

There’s potentially more Mac Miller music on the way. On Monday (March 28), revered hip-hop producer Madlib told Sway in the Morning that he’s finishing several projects, including a posthumous release with the late rapper. 

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“Right now, I’m finishing up the Mac Miller album, the Planet Asia album, and the Erykah Badu album,” he said while discussing his newly released joint project Liberation 2 with Talib Kweli. Sway then asked if Mac’s estate agreed to the completion of the project, which Madlib confirmed. 

For years, rumors have swirled regarding the possible release of the collaborative effort between Miller and Madlib. In a 2019 interview with DJ Booth, Miller’s producer Theolonious Martin said the two recorded an entire project together and dubbed it Maclib. He also revealed that he had a song of theirs during Madlib’s set at the Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago that same year. 

“[Madlib] just randomly plays a Mac Miller joint. And I turn to him, I’m like, ‘There’s more of these, right?’ He’s said, ‘Oh, yeah, there’s a whole album. Maclib,’” Martin said at the time. “If Madlib decides to bless the world with that project, he should.” 

Clips of an unreleased song between Miller — who died in September 2018 — and Madlib titled “Shut the Front Door” surfaced in 2019, but were later scrubbed off the internet. The last Mac Miller album to be released was 2020’s Circles, intended to be the companion to his August 2018 Grammy-nominated effort, Swimming. Producer Jon Brion helmed the production for Circles; the album debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 with 164,000 album-equivalent units, the highest opening week of Miller’s career. 

Billboard has reached out to Miller’s reps for comment. Check out the clip of Madlib’s interview below.

28 Mar 2023

Ariana Grande Celebrates 10th Anniversary of ‘The Way’ Collab With Mac Miller: ‘I Love You’

It’s been 10 years since Ariana Grande dropped “The Way,” the debut single from her first studio album, 2013’s Yours Truly. The song, featuring the singer’s then-boyfriend, late rapper Mac Miller, peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in April of that year.

After a fan account noted the anniversary of the song’s release on Sunday, along with a clip from the flirty video for the song and the message, “can’t believe it’s been a whole DECADE (and more) in this road together ? how are u guys celebrating today?,” Grande responded “I love you.” The singer then reposted the video on her Insta Story with the same loving caption.

Grande and Miller reportedly began getting friendly in mid-2013 after “The Way” blew up and teamed up again for the remix of her song “Into You,” before going public as a couple at the 2016 MTV VMAs. The singer announced that they’d broken up in May 2018, just four months before Miller was found dead at age 26 of an accidental overdose of fentanyl, cocaine and alcohol.

On Monday, Grande previewed her next act via a sneak peek at the eagerly anticipated Wicked movie musical. The preview included behind-the-scenes pics from the set in which she elegantly posed with co-star Cynthia Erivo with the caption “up to (no) good,” followed by bubbles and a broom emoji.

While director Jon M. Chu has kept things tightly under wraps during the shoot, an excited Jeff Goldblum spilled some secrets last week on Jimmy Kimmel Live! when he confirmed that he had joined the cast of the film. “I was just on the set of Wicked. I’m not supposed to talk about that. But it’s been out and about,” Goldblum said with a wicked grin.

It’s still not confirmed what role Goldblum will play, but he had nothing but praise for his co-stars, adding, “you should see our witches, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, very good.” The film based on Gregory Maguire’s novel and the hit Broadway musical adaptation, will also feature Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, as well as Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, Bowen Yang, Adam James, Keala Settle and Bronwyn James.

Check out “The Way” video and the fan post below.

28 Mar 2023

Lauren Daigle Postpones Album Preview Show to Hosts Prayer Vigil For Victims of Nashville Grade School Mass Shooting

Lauren Daigle postponed a planned concert to preview songs from her upcoming third studio album on Monday night (March 27) in order to host a prayer vigil for the victims of a mass shooting at Nashville’s The Covenant School.

“Today’s shooting is truly heartbreaking for our Nashville community and all of those impacted,” the Christian pop singer said in a statement. “I’m going to postpone my performance tonight, and in its place, host a community-wide Prayer Vigil. To everyone who was planning to come out, please continue to come join us as we share in a time of prayer and worship to honor the victims and everyone in need.”

Daigle was slated to preview her upcoming self-titled album (May 12) at the Marathon Music Works on Monday night; the show is now scheduled for April 5. Instead, the venue hosted a free-to-all community-wide prayer vigil to honor the three nine-year-old children and three school staff members who were killed during Monday’s mass shooting in which the shooter — armed with two semi-automatic long guns, a pistol and tactical gear — was killed by police 14 minutes after the rampage began at the private Christian school in Nashville.

A number of Nashville musicians spoke out in grief and anger after the nation’s 132nd mass shooting so far this year. Singer-songwriter-musician Charlie Worsham wrote via his Instagram Stories, “It seems impossible to find fitting words to say about the shooting in Nashville today. I’m heartbroken and enraged that we can’t seem to provide the simplest, most common-sense safeguards for our own children. If this was something other than a gun problem, it’d be happening all over the world. But it only seems to happen here.”

Kelsea Ballerini, who has previously spoken with Billboard about her own experience surviving a school shooting when she was a high school sophomore, shared via Instagram Stories, “i’m heartbroken i’m triggered i’m angry and i’m terrified for the loss we continue to have in this country due to guns. three f**king kids. what are we doing.”

In a stark post last Monday night, Justin Timberlake tweeted out a list of the victims, which included three fourth grade children and three adults in their 60s.

See Daigle’s statement and Timberlake’s post below.

28 Mar 2023

Lil Nas X Makes Soap Opera Debut, Cruises Down ‘Old Town Road’ for ‘Carpool Karaoke’

Lil Nas X came to “Carpool Karaoke” to play. On Monday night’s (March 27) Late Late Show, the rapper hopped into the passenger seat with James Corden and hit all the musical high notes of his career, of course, while also realizing his soap opera dreams, spilling about celebrity dating apps and proclaiming himself a “woman of God.”

Rocking a powder blue gauzy top with a large silver cross on it, Lil Nas explained that it’s all about connection, leading Corden in a recitation of the mantra “I… am… a woman of God.” But when James said it was all very Mary Magdalene, turns out Nas skipped that part of the good book and, like, wasn’t familiar.

Regardless, the two easy segued into the MC’s 2019 breakthrough hit, “Old Town Road,” moseying down the road to the song’s languid beat before Corden surprised the former first chair trumpet player with a shiny horn. “I’m not really sure how to play this that well anymore,” Lil Nas stammered as Corden pulled out a matching instrument and they ripped some scales together.

“This sounds incredible,” Lil Nas bragged. “When I came up with this I thought, ‘oh this will be hilarious because we’ll be so bad,’” Corden admitted. “But now I’m here and it’s just two women of God playing the trumpet,” he said to Nas X’s delight. They then busted out a pretty credible horn intro to “Industry Baby,” before running through the 2021 hit that featured Jack Harlow.

Lil Nas also talked about how he dates these days, confessing that he has used celebrity dating app Raya, but now tries to find his partners in the real world. “I’ve met quite a few famous guys,” he said, without naming names, prompting Corden to ask if any of them had done “Carpool” in the past. “For sure,” Nas X said to Corden’s glee. But even as Lil Nas seemed determined to keep his dating life private, Corden kept poking around trying to suss out who it could be.

The new best friends bounced through “That’s What I Want” before Corden sprung a big surprise on budding actor Lil Nas by taking him to the set of the daytime soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful, where they played a pair of busboys in an emotional restaurant scene. Annoyed that he didn’t get any lines — to Lil Nas’ nine — Corden complained bitterly as the rapper tried, and failed, to deliver his dialogue without cracking up.

His SAG car punched, Nas X slipped back in the car for a final performance, going out on “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name).”

Check out video of Lil Nas X’s “Carpool Karaoke” trip below.