Music News

29 Dec 2022

RM’s ‘Indigo’ Reaches No. 2 on Top Album Sales Chart After CD Release

RM’s Indigo re-enters Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart (dated Dec. 31) at a new peak of No. 2 following the set’s CD release on Dec. 16. The album bounds back onto the list with 79,000 copies sold in the U.S. in the week ending Dec. 22 (up from less than 500 sales the week previous), according to Luminate. Of that 79,000 sales figure, CD sales comprise 77,500, while digital download album sales comprise 1,500.

Indigo debuted at No. 10 on the Top Album Sales chart dated Dec. 17 with 10,500 sold, following the set’s initial retail release as a digital download album. It slipped off the chart the following week, only to return on the new list after its CD release.

Like many K-pop releases, the CD configuration of Indigo was issued in collectible deluxe packages (three, including exclusive versions for Target and the Weverse webstore), each with a standard set of items and one randomized element (a photocard).

Also on Top Album Sales, Taylor Swift’s Midnights becomes the first album to spend its first nine weeks at No. 1 since the list launched in 1991. And, Bo Burnham’s Inside (The Songs) re-enters Top Album Sales at No. 8 following its deluxe vinyl release.

Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart ranks the top-selling albums of the week based only on traditional album sales. The chart’s history dates back to May 25, 1991, the first week Billboard began tabulating charts with electronically monitored piece count information from SoundScan, now Luminate. Pure album sales were the sole measurement utilized by the Billboard 200 albums chart through the list dated Dec. 6, 2014, after which that chart switched to a methodology that blends album sales with track equivalent album units and streaming equivalent album units. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

Swift’s Midnights holds at No. 1 on Top Album Sales for a ninth week — the entirety of it chart run. The effort sold 97,000 copies in the week ending Dec. 22 (up 31%). Midnights is the first album to spend its first nine weeks on the chart at No. 1 since the list launched with the May 25, 1991-dated chart.

Midnights is not the first title on Top Album Sales with nine weeks at No. 1 in a row, nor nine weeks in total at No. 1. The last album with nine consecutive weeks at No. 1 was Adele’s 21, which linked together 10 straight weeks (of its total 24) in 2012. And, the last album with nine weeks in total at No. 1, nonconsecutively, on Top Album Sales was Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper’s A Star Is Born soundtrack, with 10 weeks at No. 1 in 2018-19.

Midnights’ sales gain of 31% is owed to holiday shopping, as the chart reflects the sales week ending Dec. 22. (We’ll still see holiday gift-giving purchases impacting next week’s chart, dated Jan. 7, 2023, as that chart will reflect the tracking week of Dec. 23-29.) The bulk of Midnights’ sales were vinyl-driven, with 68,000 on vinyl sold for the week — up 41%. That also marks the third-largest sales week for any vinyl album in 2022, following the debut weeks of Midnights (575,000) and Harry Styles’ Harry’s House (182,000). Midnights continues to profit from its availability across five vinyl variants — all colored vinyl editions, including one exclusive to Target.

Vince Guaraldi Trio’s A Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack falls 2-3 on Top Album Sales with just over 23,000 sold (up 33%) — its largest sales week of 2022. Harry Styles’ former No. 1 Harry’s House moves 3-4 with 23,000 (up 41%); Michael Jackson’s Thriller rises 6-5 with nearly 23,000 (up 67%); Matteo, Andrea and Virginia Bocelli’s A Family Christmas dips 5-6 with 20,000 (up 43%), and Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours is a non-mover at No. 7 with nearly 20,000 (up 55%).

Bo Burnham’s Inside (The Songs) re-enters Top Album Sales at No. 8 with 19,000 sold following the album’s release in a deluxe triple-vinyl set on Dec. 16. The new expanded edition of the set includes 26 additional tracks and was offered in six variants (a standard black vinyl; plus four color variants, one of which included a signed insert by Burnham). Vinyl sales comprise the majority of the album’s total sales for the week, with 18,500 on wax.

Inside (The Songs) debuted at No. 43 on the June 29, 2021-dated chart and first reached the top 10 on the Jan. 1, 2022-dated list, when it re-entered at No. 3 after its initial vinyl LP release. The album has been absent from Top Album Sales since June.

Kendrick Lamar’s good kid, m.A.A.d city jumps 19-9 on Top Album Sales with 15,000 sold (up 97%), owed to stock replenishment of his recently released 10th anniversary edition of the album. Taylor Swift’s Evermore rounds out the top 10, falling 8-10 with 14,000 (up 23%).

In the week ending Dec. 22, there were 3.897 million albums sold in the U.S. (up 33.9% compared to the previous week). That’s the biggest week of 2022 and the largest for album sales since the week ending Dec. 23, 2021, when 4.231 million were sold.

In the week ending Dec. 22, physical albums (CDs, vinyl LPs, cassettes, etc.) comprised 3.526 million (up 39%) and digital albums comprised 371,000 (down 1.1%).

There were 1.276 million CD albums sold in the week ending Dec. 22 (up 27.5% week-over-week) and 2.232 million vinyl albums sold (up 46.7%). It’s the largest week for CD album sales in 2022, and the biggest since the week ending Dec. 23, 2021, when there were 1.584 million CD albums sold.

Further, the 2.232 million vinyl albums sold in the week ending Dec. 22 marks the largest week for vinyl album sales since Luminate began tracking sales in 1991. It surpasses the 2.115 million vinyl albums sold in the week ending Dec. 23, 2021.

Year-to-date CD album sales stand at 35.098 million (down 11.6% compared to the same time frame a year ago) and year-to-date vinyl album sales total 41.891 million (up 3.6%).

Overall year-to-date album sales total 97.359 million (down 8.4% compared to the same year-to-date time frame a year ago). Year-to-date physical album sales stand at 77.539 million (down 3.9%) and digital album sales total 19.821 million (down 22.8%).

29 Dec 2022

Travis Scott Hosts Christmas Eve Toy Drive for 1,000 Houston Families

Travis Scott returned to his native Houston on Saturday (Dec. 24) to hold the third annual Winter Wonderland and Toy Drive through his Cactus Jack Foundation.

For the Christmas Eve event, the rapper, his team and several members of his family gave out toys to one thousand families and children in need in the neighborhood of Sunnyside. Additionally, the Cactus Jack Foundation gifted Roku TVs and pairs of Scott’s Air Jordan 1 Low OG SP ‘Black Phantom’ sneakers.

In a statement, the superstar said he was “grateful” to be able to hold the event in his hometown. “The holiday season was my favorite as a child and I know some families are having a tough time in our community this year,” he continued. “We wanted to do our part to ensure we still spread the Christmas joy to area children. Sometimes even Santa needs a helping hand to deliver.”

The “Sicko Mode” rapper’s ‘Black Phantom’ shoes are just one element of his latest collaboration with Nike, which also includes a six-piece apparel collection featuring hoodies, cargo pants and shorts in both black and green.

As the year draws to a close, Scott was also tapped by Future to direct the music video for his pal’s single “712PM” and headlined the tribute to the late Virgil Abloh at Art Basel Miami. However, any hope for THE SCOTTS, his long-planned full-length follow-up with Kid Cudi to their 2020 No. 1 hit of the same name was officially dashed when Cudi declared the project dead in the water earlier this month.

Get a look at Scott and his family at the Winter Wonderland and Toy Drive below.

travis scott family

Jordan Webster, grandmother Miss Sealie, Jordan Webster and parents Wanda and Jacques.

Crayton Gerst

29 Dec 2022

Soccer Icon Pelé Dead at 82: Anitta, Caetano Veloso & More Latin Artists React

Brazilian soccer icon Pelé died on Thursday (Dec. 29) in a hospital in São Paulo at age 82. He had been battling colon cancer since September 2021, and was hospitalized in November. News of his death was confirmed on his official Instagram page.

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“Inspiration and love marked the journey of King Pelé, who peacefully passed away today,” the caption reads. “On his journey, Edson enchanted the world with his genius in sport, stopped a war, carried out social works all over the world and spread what he most believed to be the cure for all our problems: love. His message today becomes a legacy for future generations. Love, love and love, forever.”

Regarded as one of fútbol’s greatest players of all time, Pelé (born Edson Arantes do Nascimento) went on to win three World Cup tournaments with his country’s national team, and 10 league titles with his local club Santos.

Pelé, the king of the “jogo bonito (beautiful game),” wasn’t just a star on the soccer field — he also loved music and even recorded a few songs during his time “for fun.” One of those was “Esperança,” which he released six years ago.

“I didn’t want the public to make the comparison between Pelé the composer and Pelé the football player,” he told The Guardian in 2006. “That would have been a huge injustice. In football, my talent was a gift from God. Music was just for fun.”

Following news that Pelé had died, Latin artists took to social media to mourn his death. Anitta posted a photo of Pelé in an Instagram Story and wrote, “R.I.P. King Pelé.” Former President Barack Obama also remembered Pelé, writing on Twitter, “Pelé was one of the greatest to ever play the beautiful game. And as one of the most recognizable athletes in the world, he understood the power of sports to bring people together.”

See other reactions below:

29 Dec 2022

Courtney Love Says Brad Pitt Got Her Fired From ‘Fight Club’

Courtney Love was almost Fight Club‘s Marla Singer before the role eventually went to Helena Bonham Carter, but the “Hole” frontwoman revealed that a tense conversation with the 1999 film’s star Brad Pitt led to her losing the role.

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While joining Marc Maron for an interview on his WTF podcast, Love claimed that she “went nuclear” on Pitt after the actor director Gus Van Sant pitched a Kurt Cobain movie to her. “I wouldn’t let Brad play Kurt,” she said. “I went nuclear. I don’t do Faust. Who the f— do you think are?”

She added that she told Pitt, “I don’t know if I trust you and I don’t know that your movies are for profit. They’re really good social justice movies, but… if you don’t get me, you kind of don’t get Kurt, and I don’t feel like you do, Brad.”

Love, who married the Nirvana frontman in 1992 and was with him until his death at age 27 in 1994, revealed that after that conversation, she was fired from Fight Club. Pitt’s co-star Edward Norton, who was Love’s romantic partner at the time, was the one who told her the news. “He starts sobbing,” Love recalled. “And he was like, ‘I don’t have the power!’”

Van Sant went on to helm the Michael Pitt-starring Last Days, which was inspired by Cobain — but Love said the film wasn’t the one that was discussed in the fateful meeting.

29 Dec 2022

J-Hope Sends 5-Year Anniversary Wish to BT21: ‘Stay Strong Together’

BT21 celebrated its five year anniversary on Thursday (Dec. 29), and J-Hope crashed the virtual festival to share a special video message for the occasion.

“Congratulations on your fifth anniversary, BT21,” the K-pop idol said while squeezing an adorable MANG plushie. “We BTS have already been together for 10 years — I hope the same goes for you guys and that five years won’t be your end. I hope you guys stay strong together for [the] next 10, 15, 20 years and so on.

“I will root for you guys! And good luck on the various promotions, projects and businesses coming up. Hope you make bank,” he continued before breaking out into laughter and adding, “I’m just kidding. We will be here supporting you guys throughout your journey.”

J-Hope then went on to encourage BT21 to “spread positive energy and brightness” to the people who love and support them — including the members of BTS. “I wish you guys the very best and fighting!” he said to conclude his video message.

Designed by BTS, the eight BT21 characters were launched in 2017 and include blue koala KOYA, alpaca RJ, cookie SHOOKY, playful puppy CHIMMY, heart-headed TATA, pom-pom-wielding bunny COOKY and gray alien VAN, along with J-Hope’s aforementioned dancing pony.

On the very same day as the 2022 BT21 Festival, Suga dropped a 10-minute video on the official BANGTANTV YouTube channel of himself attending an introductory hip-hop class. Just before the holidays, V also covered “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” for ARMY.

Watch J-Hope’s message to BT21 above.

29 Dec 2022

Cardi B Explains Why She’s Willing to Fight Other Women Over a Man

Just hear her out. In a candid video posted to her Twitter Thursday (Dec. 29), Cardi B shed some light on one her more controversial lyrics by explaining which circumstances would definitely compel her to fight “a b—h” over a man if it came to it.

“Don’t mind me, I’m drunk,” smiled the “WAP” rapper, chilling in bed with a super glitzy Playboy bunny necklace on as the video begins. “Nah, I don’t give a f–k. I’ll say it if I’m drunk or not.”

Cardi went on to say that she’d been seeing a lot of tweets from fans sharing that they disagreed with her over a lyric in “Tomorrow 2,” her September-released song with GloRilla. The line in question? “I fight for my b—-es and I’m fightin’ over d–k too.”

“If a b—h goes through your purse and she steals some of your money, you not gonna fight that b—h?” posited the Bronx native in her new video. “Yeah, b—h, you gonna fight for your money, right? So if a n—a is providing for you, giving you money, paying your bills, doing all that s–t, and a b—h go take him from you — you not gonna fight over that d–k?”

“That’s your money,” she added. “You not gonna fight for that? B—h, cause I’m fighting with teeth.”

Then, echoing the sentiment of one of her lyrics in 2021’s “Up” — “Broke boys don’t deserve no p—y” — she concluded the video by saying, “Now if it’s a broke n—a, b—h, I can’t help you. You deserve charges on you. You deserve a whole restraining order.”

“Don’t drag me !!!” Cardi captioned the video.

The Cardi Tries star’s PSA comes on the heels of a trio of throwback photos she tweeted out the day prior. The pictures, as she explained, were taken to promote her 2016 debut mixtape Gangsta Bitch Music Vol. 1.

And, speaking of that particular mixtape, Cardi also received good legal news on Thursday. A federal judge refused to overturn her triumph earlier this year in a lawsuit filed against her by a man who claimed he’d suffered harm after his tattoos had been Photoshopped onto the male model on the cover of Gangsta Bitch Music Vol. 1.

Watch Cardi B explain what she meant on “Tomorrow 2” below:

29 Dec 2022

Tove Lo’s ‘Habits (Stay High) – Hippie Sabotage Remix’ Video Joins YouTube’s Billion Views Club

Tove Lo has secured another major achievement with just three days left until the new year: The Swedish singer’s music video for the Hippie Sabotage remix of “Habits (Stay High)” has joined YouTube’s billion views club.

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The original version of “Habits” was released as Lo’s second single in 2013, and later appeared on her debut studio album, Queen of the Clouds, with the Hippie Sabotage remix released in April 2014. The song served as the singer’s breakout hit in the United States and peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in November 2014.

Speaking with Billboard about the track for “My Billboard Moment,” Lo recalled when she found out the song hit the top of the Hot 100. “When ‘Habits’ hit top 10 on Billboard, I remember it very clearly … I remember Ludvig [Söderberg] who co-wrote and produced the song with me leaned over and just showed me on his phone that ‘Habits’ was No. 3,” she said. “It was such a surreal moment being from little Sweden, and my little dreams and goals about becoming an artist and getting to tour, I never though it would reach that. It was a huge feeling.”

In the time since, several remixed versions of “Habits” have gone viral on social media, primarily on TikTok. In 2020, the track saw a resurgence on the social media platform through a “drummer girl” version of “Habits” that featured heavy, edited-in drums. Videos of users popping their bodies in conjunction with the beats made the rounds on the platform and quickly went viral. A jazz remix version of the track also became popular on TikTok.

Revisit the Hippie Sabotage remix of “Habits (Stay High)” above.

29 Dec 2022

Modest Mouse Says Jeremiah Green’s Cancer Treatment Is ‘Making a Positive Difference’

Modest Mouse is giving fans an update on drummer Jeremiah Green’s ongoing cancer battle.

“Hi. Some of you may have already heard, but I figured it would be good to hear the news directly from our camp. Jeremiah was diagnosed with cancer a short while ago, and he’s currently in treatment,” Green’s friend and bandmate Isaac Brock wrote on Instagram Wednesday (Dec. 28). “It seems to be going smoothly and making a positive difference. Jeremiah, as am I, are believers in the power of positive energy, so if you would be so kind as to send ‘good vibes'( to quote Jeremiah) in the direction of Jeremiah and his family, that’d be great. Thank you and love, Isaac Brock.”

The singer’s post, which included a brooding, black and white photo of his bandmate, comes days after Green’s mother initially broke the news of Jeremiah’s cancer on Facebook on Christmas Day. In that post, Carol Namatame also included the detail that her son’s cancer is currently stage 4. Radio host Marco Collins also added in a separate post that despite the severity of the cancer, Green’s prognosis remains “good” and that his oncologist is a major Modest Mouse fan.

Due to his chemotherapy treatments, Green was forced to pull out of Modest Mouse’s recently completed tour celebrating the 25th anniversary of their 1997 sophomore album The Lonesome Crowded West. The band’s most recent studio set, meanwhile, was 2021’s The Golden Casket, which was the last to feature members Jim Fairchild and Lisa Molinaro, and included singles “We Are Between,” “Leave a Light On” and “The Sun Hasn’t Left.”

Read Brock’s post about Green’s cancer treatment below.

29 Dec 2022

Nick Cannon Welcomes 12th Baby, His Second With Alyssa Scott

For the fifth time in Nick Cannon’s fatherhood journey, it’s a girl! On Thursday (Dec. 29), Alyssa Scott announced the birth of her second child — a daughter named Halo Marie — with the Masked Singer host, who’s now dad to five daughters and seven sons.

“Our lives are forever changed,” Scott wrote on Instagram, revealing that baby Halo arrived Dec. 14. “I will remember the sound of Nicks voice saying ‘it’s a girl’ and the look of everything we’ve been through flash across his face. I will remember the sound of her crying out with her first breath and feeling her heartbeat against mine. My sweet girl, I got my surprise!!”

Scott and Cannon’s daughter arrived almost exactly one year after the death of the couple’s son, Zen, who died at just five months old from brain cancer. Along with the announcement of Halo’s birth, Scott shared a family video that paid tribute to Zen while celebrating her new daughter.

“Zen is in every breath I take,” the model wrote. “I know his spirit was with us in the room that morning. I know he is watching down on us, he shows me signs everyday. I will hold onto this memory forever.”

Shortly after sharing the announcement video, Scott also revealed a photo of the newborn. “HI BABY !!” she captioned the adorable photo of the little one.

Now that Halo is here, Cannon is officially a father of 12. He shares twins Monroe and Moroccan with ex-wife Mariah Carey, and twins Zion and Zillion with Abby De La Rosa — who gave birth to her third baby with Cannon, Beautiful Zeppelin, less than two months prior to Halo’s birth.

He is also Dad to Golden Sagon, Powerful Queen and Rise Messiah, whom he shares with Brittany Bell; Legendary Love, whose mom is Bre Tiesi; and Onyx Ice Cole with LaNisha Cole.

Watch Scott’s announcement of baby Halo’s arrival and see the photo:

29 Dec 2022

Miley Cyrus‘ New Year’s Resolution Was Inspired by Dolly Parton’s Husband: ’I’m Not a Great Listener Sometimes’

Look out 2023, here comes a new and improved Miley Cyrus. In a teaser clip for NBC’s upcoming new year’s special, A Toast to 2022!, the 30-year-old pop star shared that her resolution for next year is to be a better listener — and revealed that it was actually Dolly Parton‘s husband who inadvertently inspired her to set her mind to it.

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“I guess my resolution would really be — my instinct is very loud, but I’m not a great listener sometimes,” she told Today host Hoda Kotb in the clip, premiered exclusively by People. “Dolly was telling me, her husband [Carl Thomas Dean] says, ‘You’re not hard of hearing. You’re hard of listening.’ And I guess that would kind of be my resolution, to not just listen to myself, but listen to others.”

“I always say that my truth, and the opposite of what that is is also true,” Cyrus continued, before switching gears to talk about entering her 30s. “Somehow I’m completely different, and then somehow I’m exactly the same. Now, in my 30s — I mean, my 20s were so much fun. If you don’t believe me, I think you can Google it…”

Cyrus and Parton — who you may also know as Cyrus’ godmother in addition to country music legend — will both appear in the Hannah Montana alum’s new year’s special Miley’s New Year’s Eve. Also featuring Sia and Latto, the special will air at 10:30 EST Saturday (Dec. 31) on NBC, shortly after A Toast to 2022! wraps up on the same network.

In another clip from Cyrus’ Toast to 2022! interview, posted on Today‘s website, the “Midnight Sky” singer revealed that she almost went brunette for her own new year’s special — but Parton, wanting to continue having matching hair colors with her goddaughter, shut down that idea immediately.

“I’ve never seen Dolly actually scared before,” Cyrus continued. “She acted like I told her the worst news you could imagine.’ She goes, ‘You can’t do that. You are me.’ So I’m somehow some extension of Dolly Parton, where she looked like I had just given her the worst news you’ve ever heard. So I will be blonde.”