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Following news the death of Kris Kristofferson at the age of 88 on Sept. 28, tributes have poured in from some of the biggest names in the music industry, honoring the legendary songwriter and actor whose influence spanned decades.
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Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire, Eric Church, and more have shared personal reflections on the man they admired, loved, and called a friend.
Dolly shared a close friendship with Kristofferson, with the pair performing duets such as “From Here to the Moon and Back” and “Put It Off Until Tomorrow” over the years.
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“What a great loss,” Dolly said. “What a great writer. What a great actor. What a great friend. I will always love you.”
Country star Reba McEntire said, “What a gentleman, kind soul, and a lover of words. I am so glad I got to meet him and be around him. One of my favorite people. Rest in peace, Kris.”
Travis Tritt, who appeared in the spaghetti Western TV movie Outlaw Country alongside Kristofferson wrote, “Sad to hear of Kris Kristofferson’s passing. He was an inspiration to me and I was fortunate to get to know him on the set of Outlaw Justice that we filmed in Spain in 1998. My heartfelt condolences go out to Kris’s wife, Lisa and all of his family, friends and fans.”
For songwriter Diane Warren, Kristofferson was the epitome of a multi-talented artist.
She wrote, “Brilliant songwriter, Rhodes scholar, great actor, not to mention criminally handsome,” she noted in her tribute. “How often do U get all that in one human? Write in Power forever Kris Kristofferson. We are losing too many greats and we just lost another one.”
Country star Eric Church shared his admiration for Kristofferson as both a role model and a friend. “The ultimate life well lived. Thank you for being a beacon of light in a darkening world. You were my hero and my role model. And even then, you managed to exceed my expectations when you became my friend.”
“So long Captain. Till we meet again.”
Rosanne Cash, singer and daughter of legend Johnny Cash, said: “Here was a man. A man I knew most of my life. A piece of my heart and family history. I expected he’d leave the planet fairly soon, but it doesn’t change the magnitude of the loss.”
Cash’s words hold even more weight considering one of Kristofferson’s final public performances was with her. The two performed a heartfelt duet of “Lovin’ You Was Easier” at Willie Nelson’s 90th birthday celebration in April 2023.
She continued, “And yet we will always have him— his enormous legacy, his resonant spirit, the lasting power of his authenticity, his staggering gifts as a poet— in word, on screen, in his being. For the last several decades, there was no Kris without Lisa and her beauty and steadfastness is a constant inspiration. I send you all my love, Lisa.”
“Travel safe, dear brother. I will always love you.”
Barbra Streisand, who co-starred with Kristofferson in the 1976 version of A Star Is Born, also paid tribute to him earlier, recalling the first time she saw him perform at L.A.’s Troubadour. Their on-screen chemistry in A Star Is Born helped cement both actors’ status in Hollywood, with the film’s soundtrack—featuring their duet “Evergreen”—becoming a No. 1 hit on the Billboard 200.
Lana Del Rey wore a custom-designed dress for her wedding with Jeremy Dufrene, Billboard can confirm.
The dress Del Rey wore on her wedding day was “a custom CINQ gown made specifically for her,” designer Macye Wysner tells Billboard.
No further details were provided, out of respect for the singer’s privacy.
Both a music idol and a style icon, the artist born Elizabeth Grant is known for weaving American nostalgia into her songwriting and fashion aesthetic. Curiosity about what Lana Del Rey would wear as a bride set in when reports of her wedding ceremony in Des Allemandes, Louisiana, circulated, with paparazzi photos taken from a distance published by The Daily Mail.
People confirmed the entertainer tied the knot with airboat captain and swamp tour guide Jeremy Dufrene on the bayou on Sept. 26. At press time, Del Rey has not publicly commented on their relationship or the private Louisiana celebration.
In the low-resolution glimpse of Del Rey’s attire for the occasion, she appeared to wear a white or ivory gown with a romantic ruffle neckline, a fitted bodice and a full skirt. Her hair was styled over her shoulder in loose curls, fastened to the side with a powder blue ribbon.
The silhouette of her dress has a resemblance to that of The River gown by CINQ, which has a scalloped lace ruffle neckline and silk tulle skirt.
As Del Rey’s design from CINQ was custom, her gown might have been loosely inspired by The River — but it presumably featured elements personal to the bride.
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CINQ, with heirloom designs that combine vintage silhouettes and modern details, “was created for the bride that connects on an emotional level to her gown,” the Los Angeles-based bridal collection states on its website. “It’s not just the dress .. it’s a precious, fleeting moment in time.. it’s the feeling when she’s wearing it.. it’s the moment of reflection.”
Del Rey crossed paths with Dufrene in 2019 on one of his boat tours, which are known to feature alligator encounters, and the couple seemingly reconnected and began dating earlier this year. (As Del Rey sings on the sweet ballad “Margaret,” penned for Jack Antonoff and Margaret Qualley ahead of their 2023 wedding, “When you know, you know.”)
She hinted at a relationship when she tagged Dufrene as “my guy” in an Instagram post in May, before the pair were seen holding hands at U.K. festival Reading & Leeds in August. Earlier this month, Del Rey and Dufrene were photographed hand-in-hand attending Karen Elson and Lee Foster’s wedding at New York City’s Electric Lady Studios.
Following 2023’s Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd, the singer-songwriter is next expected to release an album titled Lasso. The project was first announced as a country record, but as she noted in an interview last month, “All my albums are somewhat rooted in Americana.” She said of Lasso, “I don’t think it will be a heavy departure.”
“If anything, it will just be a little lighter lyrically, and more pointed in a classic country, American or Southern Gothic production — which again, so many of my songs already are,” said Del Rey.
Barbra Streisand has shared a heartfelt tribute to her A Star Is Born co-star Kris Kristofferson, who passed away at age 88 on Sept. 28.
Reflecting on their friendship and professional partnership, Streisand spoke of the qualities that made Kristofferson not just a talented performer, but also a deeply respected figure in both music and film.
“The first time I saw Kris performing at the Troubadour club in L.A., I knew he was something special,” Streisand wrote on social media. “Barefoot and strumming his guitar, he seemed like the perfect choice for a script I was developing, which eventually became A Star Is Born.”
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Their collaboration on the 1976 version of A Star Is Born became one of the most iconic moments in both of their careers. Streisand starred as Esther Hoffman, an aspiring singer whose career ascends as her lover, played by Kristofferson, spirals into self-destruction. Kristofferson’s portrayal of the troubled rock star John Norman Howard earned him a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor, while Streisand’s performance cemented her as a powerhouse in film and music.
In the film, the duo performed “Evergreen,” the love theme that Streisand herself had written for the movie. The song went on to win an Academy Award for Best Original Song, becoming a hallmark of their collaboration. Streisand fondly recalled the magic of their musical partnership: “In the movie, Kris and I sang the song I’d written for the film’s main love theme, ‘Evergreen.’”
Their chemistry on-screen translated into a genuine friendship that endured beyond the film’s success. Streisand reminisced about a memorable moment from her 2019 concert in London’s Hyde Park, where she invited Kristofferson to join her on stage.
“For my latest concert in 2019 at London’s Hyde Park, I asked Kris to join me on-stage to sing our other A Star Is Born duet, ‘Lost Inside Of You.’ He was as charming as ever, and the audience showered him with applause. It was a joy seeing him receive the recognition and love he so richly deserved,” she shared.
Their collaboration on A Star Is Born not only marked a significant moment in cinema but saw Kristofferson’s transition from country music star to acclaimed actor.
By the time he took on the role of John Norman Howard, Kristofferson was already well-established in the country music scene, having penned classics like “Me and Bobby McGee” and “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down.” His rugged charm made him a natural fit for the role, and his performance opposite Streisand brought a depth to the film that made it a lasting classic.
Streisand closed with a message of sympathy for Kristofferson’s family, particularly his wife of 40 years, Lisa. “My thoughts go to Kris’ wife, Lisa who I know supported him in every way possible,” she wrote.
Kristofferson’s career saw him secure 19 entries on the Billboard 200, including the No. 1 A Star is Born soundtrack alongside Streisand. He also claimed three No. 1 albums on the Top Country Albums chart, including Jesus Was a Capricorn and Full Moon with Rita Coolidge. His songwriting became legendary, with hits like “Me and Bobby McGee” (No. 1 for Janis Joplin), “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down” (No. 1 for Johnny Cash), “For the Good Times” (No. 1 for Ray Price), and “Help Me Make It Through the Night” (No. 1 for Sammi Smith).
Read Barbra Streisand’s tribute to Kris Kristofferson below.
Stevie Nicks‘ “The Lighthouse” tops this week’s new music poll.
Music fans voted in a poll published Friday (Sept. 27) on Billboard, choosing the rock icon’s fresh song as their favorite new music release of the past week.
The poll presented stiff competition, but Nicks’ new song brought in almost 72% of the vote. Voters this week chose “The Lighthouse” over hot new music releases from talent including Lady Gaga, The Weeknd and Playboi Carti, Rosalía featuring Ralphie Choo, and more.
“The Lighthouse,” Nicks stated upon releasing the track on Sept. 27, “may be the most important thing I ever do.”
“I have my scars, you have yours/ Don’t let them take your power,” she sings with skilled restraint, with verses leading up to a dynamic chorus that urges listeners to “see the future and get mad.”
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“I wrote this song a few months after Roe v. Wade was overturned,” wrote Nicks in a post on Instagram. “It seemed like overnight, people were saying ‘what can we, as a collective force, do about this…’ For me, it was to write a song.”
She continued, “It took a while because I was on the road. Then early one morning I was watching the news on TV and a certain newscaster said something that felt like she was talking to me~ explaining what the loss of Roe v. Wade would come to mean. I wrote the song the next morning and recorded it that night. That was September 6, 2022. I have been working on it ever since. I have often said to myself, ‘This may be the most important thing I ever do. To stand up for the women of the United States and their daughters and granddaughters ~ and the men that love them.”
“This is an anthem,” Nicks said.
Among the new music trailing behind “The Lighthouse” on this week’s poll is Lady Gaga’s Harlequin project, nearing 18% of the vote, and The Weeknd and Playboi Carti’s new collab “Timeless,” with 3% of the vote.
See the final results of this week’s poll below.
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Until YouTube and performing rights organization SESAC reach an agreement on renewal terms of their expiring contract, consumers might find many of their favorite songs unplayable on the video streaming service.
Some (but not all) songs by artists including Adele, Mariah Carey, Bob Dylan, Green Day, Kendrick Lamar, Nirvana and R.E.M. were among those unavailable on YouTube over the weekend, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
At press time Sunday night (Sept. 29), Billboard can confirm hits like Adele’s “Hello” and “Someone Like You,” and R.E.M.’s “Losing My Religion,” as just a few examples of music videos that remain unplayable on YouTube while its licensing deal with SESAC remains unsettled. When the page loads, an error message appears in place of a music video preview. The message reads, “Video unavailable. This video contains content from SESAC. It is not available in your country.”
In a statement sent to Billboard, a YouTube spokesperson wrote, “We have held good faith negotiations with SESAC to renew our existing deal. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, we were unable to reach an equitable agreement before its expiration. We take copyright very seriously and as a result, content represented by SESAC is no longer available on YouTube in the US. We are in active conversations with SESAC and are hoping to reach a new deal as soon as possible.”
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Billboard reached out to SESAC but did not receive a response on Sunday.
SESAC, which licenses the public performance of more than 1.5 million songs, collects royalties and helps protect copyrights on behalf of thousands of songwriters and publishers in the U.S.
As THR points out, YouTube customer service has been addressing users’ frustrations in responses on X (formerly Twitter). On the TeamYouTube account, replies to complaints have read, “Our music license agreement with SESAC has expired without an agreement on renewal conditions despite our best efforts. For this reason, we have blocked content on YouTube in the US known to be associated with SESAC – as in line with copyright law … We understand this is a difficult situation and our teams continue to work on reaching a renewal agreement.”
Kris Kristofferson, a Rhodes scholar with a deft writing style and rough charisma who became a country music superstar and A-list Hollywood actor, has died.
Kristofferson died at his home in Maui, Hawaii, on Saturday (Sept. 28), spokeswoman Ebie McFarland said in an email. He was 88.
McFarland said Kristofferson died peacefully, surrounded by his family. No cause was given. He was 88.
Starting in the late 1960s, the Brownsville, Texas, native wrote such classics as “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down,” “Help Me Make It Through the Night,” “For the Good Times” and “Me and Bobby McGee.” Kristofferson was a singer himself, but many of his songs were best known as performed by others, whether Ray Price crooning “For the Good Times” or Janis Joplin belting out “Me and Bobby McGee.”
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He also starred opposite Ellen Burstyn in director Martin Scorsese’s 1974 film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, starred opposite Barbra Streisand in the 1976 A Star Is Born and acted alongside Wesley Snipes in Marvel’s Blade in 1998.
Kristofferson, who could recite William Blake from memory, wove intricate folk music lyrics about loneliness and tender romance into popular country music. With his long hair and bell-bottomed slacks and counterculture songs influenced by Bob Dylan, he represented a new breed of country songwriters along with such peers as Willie Nelson, John Prine and Tom T. Hall.
“There’s no better songwriter alive than Kris Kristofferson,” Nelson said during a November 2009 award ceremony for Kristofferson held by BMI. “Everything he writes is a standard and we’re all just going to have to live with that.”
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As an actor, he played the leading man opposite Barbara Streisand and Ellen Burstyn, but also had a fondness for shoot-out Westerns and cowboy dramas.
He was a Golden Gloves boxer and football player in college, received a master’s degree in English from Merton College at the University of Oxford in England and turned down an appointment to teach at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, to pursue songwriting in Nashville. Hoping to break into the industry, he worked as a part-time janitor at Columbia Records’ Music Row studio in 1966 when Dylan recorded tracks for the seminal Blonde on Blonde double album.
At times, the legend of Kristofferson was larger than real life. Cash liked to tell a mostly exaggerated story of how Kristofferson, a former U.S. Army pilot, landed a helicopter on Cash’s lawn to give him a tape of “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down” with a beer in one hand. Over the years in interviews, Kristofferson said that with all respect to Cash, while he did land a helicopter at Cash’s house, the Man in Black wasn’t even home at the time, the demo tape was a song that no one ever actually cut — and he certainly couldn’t fly a helicopter holding a beer.
In a 2006 interview with The Associated Press, he said he might not have had a career without Cash.
“Shaking his hand when I was still in the Army backstage at the Grand Ole Opry was the moment I’d decided I’d come back,” Kristofferson said. “It was electric. He kind of took me under his wing before he cut any of my songs. He cut my first record that was record of the year. He put me on stage the first time.”
One of his most recorded songs, “Me and Bobby McGee,” was written based on a recommendation from Monument Records founder Fred Foster. Foster had a song title in his head called “Me and Bobby McKee,” named after a female secretary in his building. Kristofferson said in an interview in the magazine, Performing Songwriter that he was inspired to write the lyrics about a man and woman on the road together after watching the Frederico Fellini film La Strada.
Joplin, who had a close relationship with Kristofferson, changed the lyrics to make Bobby McGee a man and cut her version just days before she died in 1970 from a drug overdose. The recording became a posthumous No. 1 hit for Joplin.
Hits that Kristofferson recorded include “Why Me,” “Loving Her Was Easier (Than Anything I’ll Ever Do),” “Watch Closely Now,” “Desperados Waiting for a Train,” “A Song I’d Like to Sing” and “Jesus Was a Capricorn.”
In 1973, he married fellow songwriter Rita Coolidge and together they had a successful duet career that earned them two Grammy awards. They divorced in 1980.
He retired from performing and recording in 2021, making only occasional guest appearances on stage.
The music streaming service Spotify was down temporarily on Sunday (Sept. 29), leaving thousands of listeners without access to tunes and podcasts earlier in the day. More than 40,000 people reported outages with the music platform on downdetector.com, a website that allows users to report problems with popular apps and services. The highest amount of […]
Congratulations are in order for Frances Bean Cobain and her husband, Riley Hawk, who have welcomed their first child together.
The daughter of late Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain revealed through Instagram on Saturday (Sept. 28) that she and the son of skateboarding legend Tony Hawk are now proud parents to a baby boy.
“Ronin Walker Cobain Hawk,” Frances, 32, captioned adorable black-and-white photos of the newborn, revealing he was born on Sept. 17. “Welcome to the world most beautiful son. We love you more than anything.”
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In the first photo, the tiny baby is seen holding his mother’s hand, while another shows proud dad Riley, 31, cradling his son in a soft blanket.
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The couple’s friends and family flooded the comments section of France’s post, sharing messages of well-wishes and congratulations. New grandfather Tony Hawk joked, “My favorite grandson!” and Harper Grohl, the daughter of the Kurt’s former bandmate Dave Grohl, replied with heart and teary-eyed emojis.
The comments section also included touching notes from famous musicians, including R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe, Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon and Dresden Dolls’ Amanda Palmer, among others.
“With all the love and energy in the whole world,” commented Stipe, who is France’s godfather. Gordon added, “Huge congratulations!” And Palmer wrote, Oh my god!!! MAZEL TOV to all of you and everyone over there. I am so incredible happy to see this universe-stitching news. All the love to you.”
Frances and Riley’s romance was first revealed through social media in 2022, and the couple married about a year later in an intimate ceremony officiated by R.E.M.’s Stipe.
See France Bean Cobain’s baby announcement on Instagram here.
Future notches his 11th No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart — and third in 2024 — as Mixtape Pluto debuts atop the list dated Oct. 5. The long-teased set’s Sept. 20 release date was announced on Sept. 11. Mixtape Pluto earned 129,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in the week ending Sept. 26, according to Luminate, largely driven by streaming activity.
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Future scored two No. 1s earlier in 2024 with his two co-billed sets with Metro Boomin: We Don’t Trust You (a debut atop the April 6 chart) and We Still Don’t Trust You (also debuting at No. 1, April 27). The last act to notch three new No. 1 albums faster than Future — who has earned his three latest in a span of just six months — was the Glee Cast, which notched three chart-topping soundtracks in less than two months in 2010. If one discounted the Glee titles, as they were soundtracks and not traditional artist-driven albums, the last act to notch three new No. 1s as fast as Future was The Beatles in 1965-66. The Fab Four collected its fifth, sixth and seventh No. 1 albums also in a span of six months, as Beatles VI hit No. 1 on the July 10, 1965 chart, followed by the Help! soundtrack on Sept. 11 and then Rubber Soul on Jan. 8, 1966. (Since the Billboard 200 began publishing on a regular, weekly basis in March of 1956, no other solo artist has accumulated three new No. 1s as fast as Future.)
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With an 11th No. 1 on the Billboard 200, Future ties Eminem, Bruce Springsteen, Barbra Streisand and Ye (formerly Kanye West) for the fifth-most No. 1s on the Billboard 200, dating to March 1956. Ahead of them are The Beatles (a record 19 No. 1s), Jay-Z and Taylor Swift (each with 14) and Drake (13).
Also in the top 10 of the latest Billboard 200 chart, Chappell Roan scores her best week yet in terms of units and album sales, as The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess returns to its peak of No. 2 in the wake of promotion surrounding its first anniversary. Plus, Katy Perry lands her sixth top 10 with the arrival of 143, and Lil Tecca nabs his fourth top 10-charting set with the debut of Plan A.
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 Oct. 5, 2024-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on Tuesday (Oct. 1). For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.
Of Mixtape Pluto’s first-week equivalent album units of 129,000, SEA units comprise 118,500 (equaling 156.62 million on-demand official streams of the 17 songs on the streaming edition of the album; it debuts at No. 1 on Top Streaming Albums), album sales comprise 10,000 and TEA units comprise 500. The album was available to purchase either as a standard 11-song album (via download, CD and vinyl) or as an expanded 17-song album (download).
Chappell Roan’s The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess rises 3-2 on the Billboard 200 for a third nonconsecutive week at its peak position. The set earned 105,000 equivalent album units in the tracking week (up 64%) — it’s biggest week yet by units earned. Of that sum, album sales comprise a career weekly-best 56,000 (up 328%; it’s also the top-selling album of the week, reaching No. 1 on Top Album Sales for the first time). The week-over-week growth is owed to the release of four new vinyl variants and a cassette tape in celebration of the album’s first anniversary on Sept. 22. Of the album’s sales, vinyl comprises 50,000 — easily Roan’s best week on vinyl and the sixth-largest week for any vinyl album in 2024.
Sabrina Carpenter’s former No. 1 Short n’ Sweet slips 2-3 on the Billboard 200 with 100,000 equivalent album units earned (down 7%); Post Malone’s chart-topping F-1 Trillion is a non-mover at No. 4 (53,000; down 12%), and Morgan Wallen’s former leader One Thing at a Time is steady at No. 5 (53,000; up 2%).
Katy Perry lands her sixth top 10-charting effort on the Billboard 200 as her new studio album 143 debuts at No. 6. The set earned 48,000 equivalent album units in the tracking week ending Sept. 26. Of that sum, album sales comprise 37,500 (her best sales week since 2017), SEA units comprise 10,000 (equaling 13.11 million streams of the album’s songs) and TEA units comprise 500. The album’s first-week sales were bolstered by its availability across eight vinyl variants (including a signed edition), four CD variants (including a signed edition), a cassette tape and multiple digital download variants (including two exclusive to her webstore, each with bonus tracks).
The album was preceded by a trio of songs, including its first single, “Woman’s World,’ which reached the top 30 on the Pop Airplay, Adult Pop Airplay and Adult Contemporary radio charts.
Taylor Swift’s chart-topping The Tortured Poets Department falls 6-7 on the latest Billboard 200 (47,000 equivalent album units; down 9%), while Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft is steady at No. 8 (45,000; up 2%).
Lil Tecca captures his fourth top 10-charting set on the Billboard 200 as Plan A arrives at No. 9 with 42,000 equivalent album units earned — his biggest week by units since 2019. Of that sum, SEA units comprise 28,500 (equaling 40.45 million on-demand official streams of the set’s songs), album sales comprise 13,500 (his best sales week ever) and TEA units comprise a negligible sum. The set’s sales were aided by its availability in two CD variants (including a signed edition) and multiple digital download variants (including three exclusive to the artist’s webstore, two of which included bonus tracks).
The album was preceded by a pair of charting songs on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs: “Number 2” (peaking at No. 45) and “Bad Time” (No. 25).
Closing out the top 10 of the new Billboard 200 is Noah Kahan’s Stick Season, falling 9-10 with 38,000 equivalent album units earned (down 1%).
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.
Brat summer isn’t over just yet.
During the season 50 premiere of Saturday Night Live on Sept. 28, cast member Bowen Yang hilariously portrayed British pop star Charli XCX in a political-themed talk show featuring her current tourmate Troye Sivan (played by SNL‘s Sarah Sherman) as the DJ.
The nearly five-minute sketch opened with Yang’s Charli introducing her Talk Talk Show, a nod to one of the singer’s song titles, and moving into a segment called “brat or nat,” in which she ran through a handful of recent news topics, including Hunter Biden’s laptop (deemed “brat”) and Mark Robinson’s search history (“nat”).
Yang’s Charli — who sported a black wig, dark sunglasses and stylish dress — then welcomed her guests: club legend Susanne Bartsch (played by SNL host Jean Smart), CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins (Chloe Fineman) and Rep. Jasmine Crockett (Ego Nwodim).
“Have you ever done ketamine?” Yang’s Charli asked to Fineman’s Collins, who responded with frustration over not being asked current political events.
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The talk show’s background was appropriately colored the same lime green as the cover of Charli XCX’s latest album, Brat, which reached No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart in late June. The singer is currently on the road with her Sweat Tour, which visits U.S. arenas through the end of October.
Saturday’s SNL season premiere also featured musical guest Jelly Roll, making his debut on the long-running NBC sketch comedy show. The country star performed “Liar” and “Winning Streak,” which will appear on his upcoming album, Beautifully Broken, set for release on Oct. 11.
The next SNL on Oct. 5 will see comedian Nate Bargatze returning as host for a second straight season with Coldplay back as musical guest for an eighth time on the long-running show. The Chris Martin-fronted band first performed on the show in 2001, and their most recent appearance was in 2023.
Watch SNL‘s “Charli XCX Talk Show” sketch below. For those without cable, the broadcast streams on Peacock, which you can sign up for at the link here. Having a Peacock account also gives fans access to previous SNL episodes.
