Music
Page: 103
Cold Chisel carves out another leader on Australia’s albums chart, as the homegrown rock legends blast to No. 1 with 50 Years – The Best (via Cold Chisel/Universal Music Australia).
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
The career retrospective is Chisel’s sixth chart-topper and 18th top 10 appearance on the albums tally.
Formed in Adelaide, South Australia back in 1973, Chisel is the prototype Aussie rock band, both a household name and a national treasure. The band was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 1993, and frontman Jimmy Barnes was inducted as a solo artist in 2005.
With this latest chart champ, Barnes extends his lead as the artist with the all-time collection of ARIA No. 1s at 21, a tally that includes 15 solo best-sellers.
Trending on Billboard
The result is a welcome tonic for Barnes, who is recovering following another trip to the operating theater, and a cause for celebration for the Australian music industry. 50 Years – The Best is the fourth consecutive No. 1 on the ARIA Chart by an Australian act, following new releases from Lime Cordiale, Tones & I, and Amy Shark.
The latest ARIA chart, published Friday, Aug, 23, marks the longest run for local acts at No. 1 since late 2020, when Midnight Oil, Kylie Minogue and AC/DC reigned for a combined six weeks, ARIA notes.
You’d have to go back almost a decade, to 2015, for the last time when four or more different Aussie acts consecutively ruled the chart. On that occasion, Parkway Drive, triple j Like A Version 11, Boy & Bear, Hillsong and 5 Seconds Of Summer did so, for a five-week stretch.
“It’s a big day for chart numbers,” comments ARIA CEO Annabelle Herd. “Huge congratulations to Cold Chisel for a phenomenal sixth No. 1 and 18th top 10 album. It’s an extremely exclusive club of artists who can rival the band’s storied legacy and impact on Australian music over 50 years. Congratulations again to the band, their team and everyone who has contributed to such a triumph.”
Chisel will dish out the hits on a 50th anniversary national tour later in the year, The Big Five-0, which sold over 200,000 tickets sold in a matter of hours, reps say.
Coming in at No. 2 is Post Malone with his first collaboration-stacked country album, F-1 Trillion (Universal).
It’s Posty’s seventh top 10 in Australia, after Stoney (No. 5 in 2016), Beerbongs & Bentleys (No. 1 in 2018), Hollywood’s Bleeding (No. 1 in 2019), Twelve Carat Toothache (No. 2 in 2022), Austin (No. 2 in 2022) and The Diamond Collection (No. 3 in 2023).
Completing the top three is Billie Eilish’s former leader Hit Me Hard Hit Me Soft (Interscope/Universal), down 2-3.
Also new to the chart is Falling In Reverse with U.S. rock band’s fifth studio album Popular Monster (Epitaph Records/RKT). It arrives at No. 8, their career equal-best chart position (Just Like You also peaked at No. 8 in 2015).
Meanwhile, Eilish’s hit “Birds Of A Feather” holds at No. 1 on the ARIA Singles Chart, ahead of Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” (unchanged at No. 2 via Empire) and Post Malone featuring Morgan Wallen’s “I Had Some Help” (Universal), up 5-3.
Finally, the top new release on the ARIA Singles Chart — indeed, the only new release in the top 50 — belongs to Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars, as their duet “Die With A Smile” debuts at No. 10.
R&B icon Usher finally launched his Past Present Future tour with two sold-out performances at Washington D.C.’s Capital One Arena on Aug. 20 and 21.
The tour’s launch followed a brief delay caused by a neck injury Usher sustained during rehearsals, which led to the postponement of the initial three shows in Atlanta that were originally scheduled for mid-August.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
The multiaward-winning artist performed a two-hour set on both nights, mixing hits from his 30-year career with tracks from his latest album, Coming Home. The setlist included “Yeah!,” “Confessions,” “U Remind Me,” and “U Don’t Have to Call,” alongside new songs “Good Good” and “Risk It All.”
Trending on Billboard
On night two, Usher brought out D.C. artists as special guests. Rapper Wale performed “The Matrimony” and “No Hands,” R&B singer Raheem DeVaughn sang “You,” and E.U.’s Sugar Bear led the crowd through the go-go hit “Da’ Butt.”
The Past Present Future tour continues with two shows at Baltimore’s CFG Bank Arena on Aug. 23 and 24 before heading to major cities like Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York. The tour will circle back to Atlanta in December for the rescheduled performances on Dec. 9, 10, and 12 at State Farm Arena, giving fans another opportunity to see Usher live.
Following the U.S. leg, Usher will take the tour to Europe, starting with an eight-night residency at London’s O2 Arena on Mar. 29, 2025. The European leg includes performances in Paris, Amsterdam, and Berlin.
The tour follows Usher’s standout performance at the Super Bowl LVIII halftime show in February, where he was joined by artists like Alicia Keys, H.E.R., and Ludacris.
Adding to the Usher-mania, his concert film, USHER: RENDEZVOUS IN PARIS, is also set to be screened in about 2,000 theaters worldwide from Sept. 12 to 15, offering fans an immersive look at the “U Got It Bad” singer’s recent work.
Earlier this month, Usher issued a statement to social media apologizing to fans for delaying the tour.
“My hope was that with physical therapy and medical treatment, I would be able to overcome the injury and be ready for opening night,” he explained in his Aug. 15 statement. “Unfortunately, the injury has not healed yet, and my doctors have instructed me not to perform any shows this week.”
He continued, “You’re still going to get a bit of the past, some of the present and a unique look into the future on the rescheduled date but you’ll also be getting 100% of me. The last thing I want to ever do is disappoint you, the fans who have been eagerly waiting for this tour to start.”
“However, I wouldn’t be the entertainer that I am if I can’t physically give you my best. My team will be sharing news of the rescheduled date soon. I can’t wait to celebrate this legacy with you.”
Annie Clark, known to the world as St. Vincent, has never been one to play it safe, and her seventh studio album All Born Screaming is no exception.
While All Born Screaming is unmistakably a St. Vincent album, Clark’s keen ear for talent has brought some serious star power into her orbit.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
At the top of the list? None other than drum legend and Foo Fighters frontman, Dave Grohl, whose thunderous beats grace two tracks on the album, “Broken Man” and “Flea.”
Trending on Billboard
“Dave Grohl is a buddy, and he’s, well, Dave Grohl,” Clark told Rolling Stone AU/NZ as she prepares to head Down Under for ALWAYS LIVE 2024. “I thought, ‘What if fucking Dave Grohl played on this song?’ Then I remembered, oh, I can hit him up, you know? He was totally down, so generous and cool, and just came over to my studio and killed it.”
For the multitalented artist, Grohl’s contribution wasn’t just an exciting feature—it was a full-circle moment that bridged her past and present.
“He’s the best. I mean, he’s everything you want him to be,” St. Vincent enthused. “I wouldn’t be playing if it wasn’t for the music of Dave Grohl and Nirvana, so it’s really full circle.”
But the drumming deity isn’t the only notable name to make an appearance on All Born Screaming. She also welcomed contributions from a host of talented musicians, including Rachel Eckroth, Josh Freese, and Justin Meldal-Johnsen.
St. Vincent also spoke highly of the creative synergy she shared with singer-songwriter Cate Le Bon on the album’s title track.
“Cate’s one of my best friends and, honestly, my favorite modern songwriter,” she revealed.
“I was really at a point in making the record where I was close to being done but just burnt out. I brought Cate in to play bass on some songs and sing and just get her take on it. She was so helpful.”
As the mastermind behind All Born Screaming, Clark also took on the role of producer for the first time, navigating the challenges of wearing multiple hats. “It’s not for the faint of heart,” she confesses. “You wrestle with ego, you wrestle with self-doubt, you wrestle with all kinds of things.”
St. Vincent has consistently made her mark on the Billboard 200 with several of her albums. Her 2009 album Actor reached No. 90, followed by Strange Mercy in 2011, which climbed to No. 19. In 2012, her collaboration with David Byrne, Love This Giant, peaked at No. 23. Her self-titled album St. Vincent in 2014 reached No. 12, and Masseduction in 2017 peaked at No. 10.
[embedded content]
For a year that has featured a mind-boggling number of major album releases, from Taylor Swift to Beyoncé to Billie Eilish to Ariana Grande, pop music in 2024 has, surprisingly enough, been more clearly defined by smaller artists rising to meet their respective moments. We’ve seen it play out with Charli xcx over the course of Brat Summer, Chappell Roan as her audiences have ballooned to watch her seize festival stages, and Tinashe while “match my freak” has become common parlance.
And now, after Sabrina Carpenter joined pop’s A-list thanks to the back-to-back explosions of “Espresso” and “Please Please Please,” new album Short n’ Sweet is a moment that’s perfectly timed, highly anticipated, and entrusted with lofty expectations.
[embedded content]
Plenty of signs existed that Carpenter, a Disney Channel veteran who released four studio albums on Disney-owned Hollywood Records, was a special talent prior to “Espresso” becoming her first top 10 hit in April. Her 2022 album Emails I Can’t Send demonstrated a natural understanding of pop songwriting and vocal nuance, and was one of that year’s strongest pop projects. Yet Short n’ Sweet comfortably surpasses its predecessor by simultaneously expanding Carpenter’s sound and drilling down on the qualities that make her such a singular top 40 talent.
Carpenter tosses out shimmery hooks that stick in your brain and cheeky phrases that you’ll want to share with your friends — get ready for “bed chem” and “Juno” to turn into slang — but as her sexuality has become a bigger part of her musical identity, her romantic subjects have also become more fleshed-out, and her self-examinations more poignant. Meanwhile, the bubblegum riffs on Emails have deepened into explorations of country, rock, folk and R&B in ways that speak to an inherent curiosity yet never stray too far away from what Carpenter does best.
She has more radio-ready darts to throw, with the dazzling “Taste” appearing to be next up — but the finger-picked woe of “Slim Pickins” and the rhythmic bounce of “Good Graces” push Carpenter into bold new territory, and make for a more comprehensive full-length. Working with studio vets like Jack Antonoff, Amy Allen, Julia Michaels and Julian Bunetta, Carpenter has assembled a team of confidantes that know how to navigate an unfamiliar shade and maximize a refrain — and at 12 songs, Short n’ Sweet breezes by, a well-oiled machine without a uneven track in the bunch.
We shall see how many more hits Carpenter scores off of Short n’ Sweet, after already collecting two off of its track list. Regardless of which songs go viral or cross over to radio, though, the singer has unveiled one of the most accomplished pop albums of the year, making good on years of potential with a definitive statement. Consider the moment met.
We’re still digging into the Short n’ Sweet track list, but here is a breakdown and preliminary ranking of all 12 songs on Sabrina Carpenter’s latest:
“Slim Pickins”
Travis Scott re-released his second mixtape Days Before Rodeo for its 10th anniversary on Friday (Aug. 23). Days Before Rodeo was originally released on Aug. 18, 2014, via Grand Hustle Records. The 12-track project includes the singles “Don’t Play” featuring The 1975 and Big Sean, and “Mamacita” featuring Rich Homie Quan and Young Thug. Thug […]
08/23/2024
See how we broke down every track from Wilson’s new album.
08/23/2024
Lainey Wilson, one of country music’s brightest stars, is back with her latest album, Whirlwind, released today (Aug. 23) via BBR Music Group/BMG.
The album follows her critically acclaimed 2022 project Bell Bottom Country, which took home the Grammy for Best Country Album.
Whirlwind features 14 tracks, including standout singles “4x4xU” and “Ring Finger,” showcasing Wilson’s signature blend of storytelling and Southern charm.
The album also includes a collaboration with Miranda Lambert on the track “Good Horses,” a track that reflects the pull between life on the road and the comforts of home that was written at Lambert’s farm.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
“Miranda said, ‘Come hang out and take a nap. Me and Brendan [McLoughlin, Lambert’s husband] will feed you and then maybe we can write a song.’ They made burgers and pasta, we had everything,” Wilson told Billboard in a recent interview.
Trending on Billboard
“I had this [song] idea for quite a while and a lot of people had passed us up on writing it. Looking back on it, I’m glad they did because it was supposed to be us who wrote it together. But I think the magic kind of came from me and her having a lot in common when it comes to that love of the road, having a gypsy soul.”
Fans can expect a mix of emotions and experiences throughout the album, as Wilson digs deep into her life, love, and career.
“For this, it had to be quality over quantity. I couldn’t write 200 songs to get to my 14 [songs on Whirlwind]. I had to map out what I want to share, where do I want to get vulnerable, and really figure out the message I want to bring,” about the writing process for Whirlwind.
Wilson has been on a roll lately, earning accolades such as CMA Entertainer of the Year, ACM Entertainer of the Year, and a recent induction into the Grand Ole Opry.
Stream Lainey Wilson’s Whirlwind in full below.
Sabrina Carpenter is keeping it Short n’ Sweet with her sixth studio album, which officially arrived on Friday (Aug. 23). The album features previously released singles “Espresso” and her Billboard Hot 100 chart topper “Please Please Please.” Along with the album release, Carpenter also dropped the thriller-inspired music video for “Taste,” starring Wednesday actress Jenna […]
The worlds of sports and music often collide, and the cultures have become synonymous with one another. Four MLS superstars have revealed what’s getting them in the zone before they hit the pitch to dominate.
On Thursday night (Aug. 22) Apple Music launched The Warm-Up playlists curated by FC Cincinnati’s Luciano “Lucho” Acosta, Nashville SC’s Hany Mukhtar, LAFC’s Denis Bouanga and Columbus Crew member Cucho Hernández.
“Music helps me to release tension and lets me focus,” Acosta told Apple Music. He blends the worlds of hip-hop and reggaeton for his pregame jams, with picks like Kendrick Lamar’s atomic Drake diss “Not Like Us,” as well as a mix of Bad Bunny, Nicky Jam, Anuel AA and Feid.
Trending on Billboard
Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” could motivate the laziest of individuals to run through a wall. Mukhtar brings that same intensity to Nashville SC as a rap savant with playlist selections including Drake, Cardi B, Lil Durk, Lil Baby, Travis Scott, Rick Ross, Meek Mill and more.
While Bouanga relocated to the West Coast to suit up for LAFC, the star winger still favors his French roots with rappers such as SDM, Maes and Niska. He’s still nuanced in American rap, with Pop Smoke, Drake, DMX, Travis Scott being some of his favorites.
“Music plays an essential role in the preparation of my match. It allows me to put myself in my bubble and not think of anything at all. Once the headphones are removed, motivation and determination is already present. I just have to go to the field and win,” he said to Apple Music of his picks. “They make me do the ‘butterfly effect,’ which means making me move my head and sing!”
With Cucho Hernández thousands of miles away from Colombia, the talented striker gets a taste of home with Colombian Vallenato across his pre-game playlist. He presses “play” on Anuel AA, Bad Bunny, Maluma, J Balvin and more before taking the field.
“Music cheers me up,” the 25-year-old shared with Apple Music. “Helps me focus before training, concentrates us in the locker room, helps me concentrate and boost my vibes.”
Fans can catch Hernández and Bouanga in action on Sunday (Aug. 25) when they match up as part of the Leagues Cup, which can be streamed exclusively on Apple TV.
Listen to the players’ playlists below:
Hany Mukhtar:
Luciano Acosta:
Denis Bouanga:
Cucho Hernández:
Coldplay is less than two months away from releasing a new LP, and the band dropped a new single on Thursday (Aug. 22), “We Pray,” featuring Little Simz, Burna Boy, Elyanna and TINI. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “I know somewhere that heaven is waitin’/ And […]