Music News

09 Sep 2024

Megan Thee Stallion Officially a Swiftie, Totally Down For a Taylor Swift Collab: ‘Would Be So Cute Next to Each Other’

Megan Thee Stallion is ready to level up. The “Mamushi” MC has released a string of hit collaborations over the past few years, but she now has her sights set on the very peak of the pop firmament with her dream for the ultimate pop-hop crossover. Speaking to People magazine, Meg, 29, said she is totally down for a potential Taylor Swift studio summit.

“I love Taylor Swift, and I would like to collab with her one day,” said Megan, who recently got Taylor-adjacent when she filmed a Pepsi commercial with Swift’s boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. “She’s a stallion too, she’s a tall girl. I love that. We would be so cute next to each other.”

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In addition to her own string of hits, Megan has mined a deep vein of chart gold over the past five years with high-profile collaborations, including her 2019 theme song, the No. 11-charting “Hot Girl Summer” with Nicki Minaj and Ty Dolla $ign, the 2020 “Savage” remix with Beyoncé that went to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, 2022’s No. 15 charting “Sweetest Pie” with Dua Lipa, as well as last year’s No. 11 hit “Wanna Be” with GloRilla and Cardi B.

She’s continued her hit collabs run this year thanks to the No. 36 hit “Mamushi” with Yuki Chiba and her just-released “Neva Play” with BTS’ RM, which fans just chose as their favorite new song of the week in Billboard’s all-genre poll. She’s also helped other artists score chart hits, including Cardi B’s 2020 No.1 “WAP,” Ariana Grande’s 2021 No. 2-charting single “34+35” remix also featuring Doja Cat, Maroon 5’s 2021 single “Beautiful Mistakes” (No. 13) and 2023’s “Bongos” with Cardi (No. 14).

Last week, Megan debuted her gladiator look in Pepsi’s Make Your Gameday Epic commercial, in which she is joined by Kelce and other NFL stars including Josh Allen, Justin Jefferson and Derrick Henry, in a spot cued to the rapper’s take on Queen’s “We Will Rock You.”

09 Sep 2024

Mark Moffatt, Legendary Australian Guitarist and Producer, Dies at 74

Mark Moffatt, the Australia-born, Nashville, TX-based guitarist, producer and engineer who worked on recordings by a long-list of important acts, from The Saints to Keith Urban, Tim Finn, Yothu Yindi and many others, died Friday (Sept. 6) following a year-long battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 74.

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Few Australian creatives can top Moffatt’s results in the studio. Moffatt was responsible for more tracks than another other single producer in the APRA Top 30 Australian songs, a list published in 2001 to celebrate the PRO’s 75th anniversary. And he produced a remarkable 15 ARIA Hall of Fame inductees.

Hailing from Maryborough, Queensland, he moved to Brisbane, then relocated to the U.K. to work on London’s Denmark Street for several years. When he found himself back in Brisbane in 1976, Moffatt slotted himself behind the desk producing The Saints’ “(I’m) Stranded,” a song that lit the powder keg that was the punk scene.

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Production stints with EMI and TCS Studios in Melbourne paved a way to Sydney in 1980, where Moffatt joined Festival Records as in-house producer, working on some of the biggest names in Australian music for more than a decade.

It was Moffatt who championed a young Keith Urban and produced Yothu Yindi’s hit “Treaty,” leaving a “rich catalog of success and an incredible legacy on the Australian and the global stage,” reads a statement from ARIA. “Mark gave life to sounds that defined generations.”

Moving to Nashville in 1996, Moffatt was APRA AMCOS’ inaugural Nashville member relations representative from his appointment in 2014, until he retired from the role in June 2024. During his time there, he was awarded the CMA Global Achievement Award.

The late music man “is without a doubt a legend of our industry and more importantly, a kind and wonderful person to have known,” reads a statement from APRA AMCOS.

At the time of his death, Moffatt was putting the finishing touches on an album for KILO, a band he formed with Australian rock singer John “Swanee” Swan.

“As much as Moffatt loved his music, his first love was his family,” reads a statement on his social page. He is survived by his wife, Lindsey, step-daughter Dana and two granddaughters, his son Geordie, and extended family in Australia.

A celebration of his life is being planned, with details to be supplied in due course.

09 Sep 2024

Definitely, No Maybe: Oasis’s Debut Reclaims U.K. No. 1 After 30 Years

Oasis’s iconic debut album Definitely Maybe has stormed back to the top of the U.K. Official Albums Chart, 30 years after its original release in 1994.

This is the first time in 14 years that Liam and Noel Gallagher, alongside the rest of Oasis, have topped the Official Albums Chart together.

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The album, which debuted at No. 1 three decades ago, returned to the summit thanks to the release of its 30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition. The new edition features previously unreleased material, including the Monnow Valley sessions, outtakes from the Sawmills recordings, and an alternate demo of “Sad Song.”

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The album saw a staggering 408% week-on-week uplift in sales, with over 50% of its total weekly sales coming from vinyl, cementing its place at No. 1 on both the Official Albums Chart and the Official Vinyl Albums Chart​.

Alongside Definitely Maybe, two other Oasis albums entered the Top 5: Time Flies…1994-2009, their 2009 greatest hits compilation, climbed to No. 3, and their seminal 1995 album (What’s The Story) Morning Glory? reached No. 4.

The band’s remarkable chart performance aligns with the announcement of their much-anticipated Oasis Live ‘25 reunion tour, set for 2025, which will see them perform across major U.K. cities like Cardiff, Manchester, London, and Edinburgh.

Due to massive public demand, extra dates at Wembley Stadium have already been added​.

Elsewhere on the chart, the previous week’s chart-topper, Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet, has moved down to No. 2 after an impressive run, and continues to perform well despite Oasis’s return to the top​.

Meanwhile, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds celebrate their seventh U.K. Top 10 album as their latest release, Wild God, enters the chart at No. 5. English rockers Wunderhorse also secured their first Top 10 album with Midas, landing at No. 6​

This week’s chart also sees Vegas-formed Palaye Royale claiming the No. 38 spot with their latest release, Death or Glory​.

Stream Oasis’s Definitely Maybe below.

09 Sep 2024

Sabrina Carpenter Gets Another Sweet ‘Taste’ of No. 1 Victory on U.K. Chart

Sabrina Carpenter continues her reign on the U.K. Singles Chart, as her infectious single “Taste” holds the No. 1 spot for a second consecutive week.

The track, which is part of her sixth album, Short n‘ Sweet, dominates as the U.K.’s most-streamed song of the week, racking up 8 million streams. Sabrina has now accumulated a total of 14 non-consecutive weeks at No. 1 in 2024, placing her as one of the year’s most successful chart-topping artists.

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Making chart history, Sabrina is now the first female artist to simultaneously hold the top three spots on the U.K. Singles Chart for two consecutive weeks.

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Alongside “Taste” at No. 1, her previous chart-toppers, “Please Please Please” and “Espresso,” remain at No. 2 and No. 3, respectively. The only other artist to accomplish this feat was Ed Sheeran, who held the top three positions for multiple weeks back in 2017 with hits such as “Shape of You” and “Galway Girl.”

The success of “Taste” has been further amplified by the recent release of the viral horror-themed music video, which features Wednesday actress Jenna Ortega.

Aside from Sabrina’s chart domination, there are other notable movements in this week’s U.K. Singles Chart.

Oasis’s 1995 single “Live Forever” climbs to a new peak at No. 8, marking a milestone for the band as it surpasses its original 1995 peak of No. 10.

Meanwhile, another Oasis classic, “Don’t Look Back In Anger,” returns to the Top 10 for the first time in 28 years, landing at No. 9, bolstered by the band’s recent reunion tour news.

This marks the first time the iconic Britpop group has had two singles in the Top 10 simultaneously. Other movements include Benson Boone’s “Slow It Down” rebounding to No. 19, and Gigi Perez’s viral hit “Sailor Song” jumping to No. 24.

Check out “Taste” by Sabrina Carpenter below.

08 Sep 2024

Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce Attend U.S. Open — 22 Years After 12-Year-Old Swift Sang ‘America the Beautiful’ There

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce were spectators at the men’s final of the U.S. Open tennis championships on Sunday (Sept. 8) in New York City, where the two were photographed attending several social events together over the weekend.

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Swift and Kelce were spotted going on a pizza date in Brooklyn on Friday, and celebrating Karen Elson and Lee Foster’s wedding at Electric Lady Studios in Manhattan on Saturday, before making it to the tennis match at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens on Sunday. If this is some kind of whirlwind tour around the city, only two boroughs remain in their welcome to New York this week: the Bronx and Staten Island.

The U.S. Open account on Instagram shared various videos of the pop star and football player on site Sunday afternoon, with Swift seen in a classic red gingham sundress (Reformation, $248) and Kelce in a white shorts-polo-cardigan ensemble topped with a bucket hat (all Gucci).

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The couple watched the match in a suite with Kelce’s teammate Patrick Mahomes and his wife Brittany.

At one point, Swift and Kelce were filmed in the middle of an animated sing-along to “I Believe in a Thing Called Love” by The Darkness playing over the stadium’s loudspeaker.

The Instagram account also jogged memories with a post referencing Swift’s earliest known appearance at the U.S. Open: 2002, around this time of year.

The then-aspiring singer — just 12 years old in 2002 — got the opportunity to sing “America the Beautiful” at Arthur Ashe Stadium at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, the complex where the U.S. Open is held.

Wearing a black, sleeveless dress and her long hair blow-dried straight, a young Swift — found in a clip that’s somewhat buried in a fan compilation video uploaded to YouTube over a decade ago — seemed aware of the art of commanding a crowd at what must have been one of her earliest stadium gigs. Even in her middle-school years, she didn’t shy away from taking a look around, or making eye contact with people watching from the stands.

At 12, with the slightest twang in her tone, Swift leaned on her early country influence for “America the Beautiful.” Her vocals have matured into something that’s all her own in her 30s, but that almost-teen’s performance is still unmistakably Swift.

“America, America, God shed his grace on thee,” she’s heard singing in the pre-fame clip.

Little did she know how many stadiums her name would headline, sell out and generate total ticket hysteria for within the next couple decades.

For September, and until Oct. 18, Swift’s on break from The Eras Tour, which will see a December finale. For now there’s no new Eras concert clips to pore over or ever-changing acoustic sets to anticipate.

Over the past several days the mind behind The Tortured Poets Department has been quite publicly out and about, which means fans have gotten a glimpse into her social calendar. Thursday night she showed up to support Kelce and the Chiefs at their Thursday game at Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium before the couple headed to New York to hang out for the weekend.

Their public appearances this week come after an alleged media plan leak from Kelce’s team earlier in the week — an outline of a supposed strategy in the event of the tight end’s breakup with Swift, whom he’s been linked to for the past year. Kelce’s public relations team, Full Scope, whose logo was put on the papers circulating online, stated the document was “entirely false and fabricated.” A spokesperson for the company said it was “not created, issued, or authorized by this agency” and Full Scope has “engaged our legal team to initiate proceedings against the individuals or entities responsible for the unlawful and injurious forgery of documents.” Swift’s reps did not issue a comment.

08 Sep 2024

BLACKPINK’s Jennie Signs With Columbia Records for Solo Career; New Single Coming in October

BLACKPINK member Jennie has signed to Columbia Records as a solo artist in partnership with her record label and entertainment company ODDATELIER, it was announced Sunday (Sept. 8). The singer is slated to release a new solo single in October.

The news follows last December’s revelation that all BLACKPINK members had split with their label, YG Entertainment, for their solo output, while extending their contract with the label for group activities.

Last June, Jennie released “One of the Girls” alongside The Weeknd and Lily-Rose Depp, her co-stars on HBO’s The Idol. The track has since been streamed more than 1 billion times on Spotify alone and has been certified platinum by the RIAA; it also peaked at No. 18 on Billboard‘s Pop Airplay chart. She followed that up in October with “You & Me,” which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart, making her the second member of BLACKPINK to hit No. 1 on the survey after Rosé’s “On the Ground.”

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Earlier this year, Jennie dropped a pair of collaborative singles: “SPOT!” with ZICO and “Slow Motion” with Matt Champion. Her first solo single, the aptly-titled “SOLO,” was released in 2018 and went on to top Billboard‘s World Digital Song Sales chart.

Jennie was first introduced in 2016 as one-fourth of the K-pop girl group BLACKPINK, which in 2023 became the first Korean act ever to headline Coachella. The group has charted a total of nine songs on the Billboard Hot 100, with their highest-charting, “Ice Cream” with Selena Gomez, peaking at No. 13. With the release of the group’s second studio album, 2022’s Born Pink, BLACKPINK became only the third South Korean act ever to top the Billboard 200 after BTS‘ Proof and Stray Kids‘ Stray Kids Mini Album: Oddinary.

08 Sep 2024

JC Chasez & Jimmy Harry Announce Musical Theater Concept Album Inspired by ‘Frankenstein’

JC Chasez is ready to delve into the world of musical theater. The *NSYNC superstar revealed exclusively via Billboard on Sunday (Sept. 8) that he’s teaming up with Golden Globe-winning songwriter and composer Jimmy Harry for a musical theater concept album called Playing With Fire. The 16-track project is inspired by Mary Shelly’s seminal 1818 novel, Frankenstein, and blends electronic pop with classical music from the romantic era to create a fresh twist on a centuries-old story.

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The reimagining of the classic story came together when Harry showed Chavez a theatrical adaptation of the story by his late mother, playwright Barbara Field. Chasez was immediately captivated by the story, and the duo worked together to create an album that represents a conversation between a dying Frankenstein and his creation, The Creature, at the grave of Frankenstein’s wife, Elizabeth. Through musical conversation and flashbacks, “the two grow to understand each other and the reasons for their actions that brutally affected each other’s lives. They eventually find sympathy, love, and forgiveness for each other,” per a press release.

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In addition to writing the project, Chasez also lends his vocals to a number of tracks on Playing With Fire, alongside singers Cardamon Rozzi and Lily Elise. The album marks his first major musical project since his 2004 solo album, Schizophrenic.

“There are similarities [between writing a pop hit and musical theater songs] and there are some some very big differences,” the star previously told Billboard of his interest in musical theater. “When you’re writing a single for something, you’re just looking to write about what you’re feeling in the moment. When you’re working on a musical, there’s always a bigger picture and the story is always the driving force.”

He added, “It’s kind of like the last thing that I haven’t really dabbled in. I started in television, then I moved into music and I made a couple of films. Now, it feels like this is the last untapped thing. It’s nice to experience all sides of it.”

Playing With Fire is out via Center Stage Records on Oct. 25. See the full track list below.

  1. “This Is How the World Ends”
  2. “How Do You Sleep”
  3. “You Used to Touch Me”
  4. “Broken”
  5. “This is the Beginning”
  6. “One Over R Squared Part 1”
  7. “I Found Death at the University”
  8. “One Over R Squared Part 2”
  9. “The Animation”
  10. “Father”
  11. “No One Loves No One”
  12. “It’s Just a Dream”
  13. “Build Me Someone to Love”
  14. “Playing With Fire”
  15. “The Death of the Brides”
  16. “Don’t Go”

08 Sep 2024

Fans Choose Megan Thee Stallion & RM’s ‘Neva Play’ as This Week’s Favorite New Music in All-Genre Poll

Megan Thee Stallion and RM‘s “Neva Play” has topped this week’s new music poll that features artists in various genres of music.

Music fans voted in a poll published Friday (Sept. 6) on Billboard, choosing the Houston rapper and BTS star’s team-up as their favorite new music release of the past week.

“Neva Play” brought in nearly 90% of the vote on the poll, securing a notable edge ahead of new releases from Halsey (“Ego”), Camila Cabello (C,XOXO – Magic City Edition), Linkin Park (“The Emptiness Machine”) and A$AP Rocky featuring J. Cole (“Ruby Rosary”), among others.

Released just a week after the pair started teasing that they’d be joining forces on social media, “Neva Play” finds the Houston Hottie and K-pop phenomenon taking turns showing off their rap skills.

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“This is one of my favorite RM verses I’ve heard!” Meg wrote of the collaboration days before it dropped, sharing the track’s comic-book-esque artwork. “I’ve never heard him rap in this style before,” she added at the time.

The new track marks the second time Meg has stepped into BTS’ world, having previously teamed up with the boy band on a remix to the Billboard Hot 100 chart-topping “Butter.” She first started teasing “Neva Play” with a simple emojis tweet after which BTS all but confirmed it was involved in the project by retweeting with its own string of emojis.

“Neva Play” comes at a busy time for Megan Thee Stallion, whose album Megan debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 in July. Meanwhile, BTS’ full-band activities have been on pause as the members fulfill their mandatory military obligations in South Korea, although some of the boys have dropped solo projects in the meantime.

Trailing behind Meg and RM on this week’s poll is Halsey’s vulnerable track “Ego,” which brought in almost 3% of the vote. The single is part of the rollout for her upcoming album, The Great Impersonator.

See the final results of this week’s poll below. Check out Billboard‘s Friday Music Guide to catch up with more must-hear releases from this week.

08 Sep 2024

5 Best Moments From Day 1 of Arre Festival 2024 in Mexico City

In its second edition on Saturday (Sept. 7), the Arre Festival transformed the Curva 4 Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, typically a race track, into a sprawling venue where legendary regional Mexican music groups like Los Tigres del Norte and Los Cardenales de Nuevo León captivated both young audiences and solo artists such as Xavi and Carolina Ross, among others. The event gathered 54,300 attendees on its first day, according to the promoter Ocesa.

It was a multi-generational party that honored sounds such as the popular corridos tumbados, norteño music, mariachi, sierreño, banda sinaloense, Tex-Mex, duraguense, corridos alterados and other regional Mexican music variations. They were all delivered by acts such as Banda Cuisillos, El Fantasma, Guardianes del Amor, El Komander, Tito Double P, Adriel Favela, Joss Favela, EME Malafe and Los Esquivel. Curva 4 became a huge dance floor, where up to three generations gathered to enjoy the music that has been around for over a century.

Birthday celebrations, surprise shows, tributes to the greats and the passing of the baton to the younger generations of musicians were some of the most significant moments that took place during the first day of the festival.

On day two, taking place on Sunday (Sept. 8), Junior H, La Única Internacional Sonora Santanera, Gerardo Ortiz, Banda Los Recoditos, Los Invasores de Nuevo Leon, K.Paz de la Sierra and the popular electronic duo from the border city of Tijuana, Nortec: Bostich + Fussible, and more, are expected to perform.

Here are five of our favorite performances from the first day of Arre Festival.

08 Sep 2024

Sabrina Carpenter’s ‘Short n’ Sweet’ Scores Second Week Atop Billboard 200

Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet stays steady atop the Billboard 200 (dated Sept. 14) for a second week, after opening at No. 1 a week ago. In its second frame, the album earned 159,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in the week ending Sept. 5 (down 56%), according to Luminate.

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That 159,000-unit sum is substantial for an album’s second week in recent times. In the last 12 months, only three other albums have logged a second week as big as Short n’ Sweet’s. Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department tallied 439,000 units in its second week (chart dated May 11; down from its 2.61 million-unit debut), Swift’s 1989 (Taylor’s Version) earned 245,000 in its second week (Nov. 18, 2023; down from 1.653 million), and Drake’s For All the Dogs earned 164,000 in its second week (Oct. 28, 2023; down from 402,000).

Notably, Republic Records is the distributing label of all four albums. Short n’ Sweet was released via Island/Republic, For All the Dogs was issued via OVO Sound/Republic, and Swift’s two albums are straight Republic titles.

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Also in the top 10 of the new Billboard 200, LE SSERAFIM captures it third top 10-charting effort with the No. 7 arrival of CRAZY, while Destroy Lonely achieves his first top 10 as Love Lasts Forever enters at No. 10.

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 Sept. 14, 2024-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on Tuesday (Sept. 10). For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.

Of Short n’ Sweet’s 159,000 equivalent album units earned in its second week, SEA units comprise 126,000 (down 28%, equaling 168.45 million on-demand official streams of the album’s 12 songs; it holds at No. 1 on the Top Streaming Albums chart, as well), album sales comprise 32,000 (down 83%) and TEA units comprise 1,000 (down 38%).

Post Malone’s former leader F-1 Trillion (released via Mercury/Republic) rises one rung to No. 2 with 86,000 equivalent album units earned (down 23%), Chappell Roan’s The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess (KRA/Amusement/Island/Republic) is up a spot to No. 3 with 64,000 (down 10%), Morgan Wallen’s chart-topping One Thing at a Time (Big Loud/Mercury/Republic) steps 5-4 with 55,000 (down 5%) and Swift’s former No. 1 The Tortured Poets Department climbs 6-5 with 54,000 (down 6%).

Republic Records holds the entire top five titles — a feat that it’s achieved four times. Republic remains the only label to claim the entire top five since the Billboard 200 combined its previously separate mono and stereo album charts into one all-encompassing chart in August 1963. Republic previously controlled the top five on the Jan. 13 and 20, 2024, charts, and on the Dec. 9, 2023-dated list.

Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft rises one rung to No. 6 on the latest Billboard 200, earning 49,000 equivalent album units (down 7%).

LE SSERAFIM’s CRAZY debuts at No. 7 with 47,000 equivalent album units earned, landing the Korean pop ensemble its third top 10-charting effort — and largest week by units earned. Of its starting sum, album sales comprise 38,000 (it’s No. 1 on the Top Album Sales chart), SEA units comprise 9,000 (equaling 12.08 million on-demand official streams of the set’s five songs; with over half of that sum driven by the title track) and TEA units comprise a negligible sum. CRAZY’s first-week was bolstered by its availability across more than 20 CD variants, all containing collectible branded paper ephemera such as photocards, postcards, stickers, and posters.

Noah Kahan’s Stick Season rises 10-8 on the latest Billboard 200, with 40,000 equivalent album units earned (up 7%) in the week ending Sept. 5. The set’s gain is concurrent with the Aug. 30 arrival of Kahan’s new album, Live From Fenway Park.

Zach Bryan’s The Great American Bar Scene is a non-mover at No. 9 on the new Billboard 200 with 39,000 equivalent album units earned (down 6%).

Rapper Destroy Lonely lands his first top 10-charting set on the Billboard 200 as his second studio album, Love Lasts Forever, bows at No. 10 with 37,500 equivalent album units earned — his best week by units. Of its starting sum, album sales comprise 19,000, SEA units comprise 18,500 (equaling 25.19 million on-demand official streams of the album’s songs) and TEA units comprise a negligible sum. The album’s first week was bolstered by its availability in a signed CD edition and two digital download album variants — all exclusive to the artist’s webstore. The latter two were each sold for $5 and each included five additional bonus songs (five different songs per variant).

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.