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Supremely gifted songwriter, singer and actor Kris Kristofferson died Saturday (Sept. 28) at his home in Maui, Hawaii, at age 88.
Born Kristoffer Kristofferson in Brownsville, Texas in June 1936; he family soon moved to California. Kristofferson’s short stories were published in The Atlantic Monthly and soon after, he became a Rhodes Scholar who studied at Oxford University in England. His life also included time as a Golden Gloves boxer, and an Army ranger who also flew helicopters (and famously once landed a helicopter on Johnny Cash’s lawn in order to get Cash to listen to a demo tape), an A-list actor, a writer and a creator equally inspired by the works of William Blake as Bob Dylan. In the Army, Kristofferson rose to the rank of captain, but when he was commissioned to teach English at West Point, he abandoned that opportunity in order to head to Nashville to pursue songwriting.
He began working as a janitor at Nashville’s Columbia Studios, which allowed him to listen in on sessions including Dylan’s 1966 Blonde on Blonde album. His nuanced, elegant lyricism style led to Kristofferson earning multiple No. 1s as a writer of songs made famous by other artists, including Ray Price, Johnny Cash, Roger Miller and Sammi Smith. In 1970, he issued his eponymous first album, Kristofferson, which included his own versions of the hits “Me and Bobby McGee,” “Help Me Make It Through The Night” and “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down,” all of which he originally penned.
He also earned his own No. 1 country hit with “Why Me,” and another as part of the country supergroup The Highwaymen, with Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson.
As an actor, he starred in films and television series including Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, A Star Is Born (in a Golden Globe-nominated performance opposite Barbra Streisand), Blade (opposite Wesley Snipes), Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, Stagecoach, Convoy, Songwriter and Fire Down Below.
Kristofferson was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2004 — and a decade later, earned the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
Below, we look at 11 songs or albums that Kristofferson had a hand in as an artist or songwriter that reached No. 1 on various Billboard charts.
“Why Me”
Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ “Die With a Smile” dominates both the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts for a fifth total and consecutive week.
The song is a stand-alone single by the superstars. On Friday (Sept. 27), Gaga released her new album, Harlequin.
The Global 200 and Global Excl. U.S. charts, which began in September 2020, rank songs based on streaming and sales activity culled from more than 200 territories around the world, as compiled by Luminate. The Global 200 is inclusive of worldwide data and the Global Excl. U.S. chart comprises data from territories excluding the United States.
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Chart ranks are based on a weighted formula incorporating official-only streams on both subscription and ad-supported tiers of audio and video music services, as well as download sales, the latter of which reflect purchases from full-service digital music retailers from around the world, with sales from direct-to-consumer (D2C) sites excluded from the charts’ calculations.
“Die With a Smile” rules the Global 200 with 117.8 million streams (up less than 1% week-over-week) and 9,000 sold (down 2%) worldwide Sept. 20-26. The song is Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ first No. 1 each since the chart began.
Notably, the duet has drawn over 100 million streams globally in each of the last four weeks – the most such frames for a song this year; it one-ups Sabrina Carpenter’s “Please Please Please” (three weeks, June-July) and Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” (three, May-July).
Plus, “Die With a Smile” has gained in streams in each of its six Global 200 chart weeks, having started (at No. 2) with 75.2 million worldwide on the Aug. 31 survey and rising, respectively each week, to 97.2 million, 105.8 million, 111.4 million, 117.4 million and 117.8 million. It’s the first non-holiday song to link as many as four consecutive weeks of 100 million streams with gains in each week since The Kid LAROI and Justin Bieber’s “Stay” did so for four frames in August-September 2021.
Billie Eilish’s “Birds of a Feather” holds at No. 2 on the Global 200, following three weeks at No. 1 beginning in August.
Carpenter claims three songs in the Global 200’s top 10 for a fifth week: “Espresso” buzzes 4-3, following three nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 beginning in June; “Taste” drops 3-4 after reaching No. 2; and “Please Please Please” holds at No. 6, after two weeks at No. 1 also starting in June. She’s the first artist to triple up in the top 10 over five weeks in 2024; next up, Eilish and Taylor Swift each have posted two such weeks this year.
Rounding out the Global 200’s top five, Chappell Roan’s “Good Luck, Babe!” is steady at its No. 5 high.
“Die With a Smile” leads Global Excl. U.S. with 93.9 million streams (up 1%) and 5,000 sold (down 2%) outside the U.S. Sept. 20-26. As on the Global 200, the team-up became Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ first No. 1 each since the list launched.
Eilish’s “Birds of a Feather” flies high again at No. 2 on Global Excl. U.S., following three weeks at No. 1 beginning in August; Carpenter’s “Espresso” rises 4-3, following eight nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 beginning in May; Linkin Park’s “The Emptiness Machine” descends 3-4 after reaching No. 2; and Karol G’s “Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido” repeats at No. 5, also after hitting No. 2.
Carpenter’s “Taste” holds at No. 6 on Global Excl. U.S. (after reaching No. 4) and “Please Please Please” keeps at No. 7 (following a week at No. 1 in June); already the only artist with multiple weeks with three songs in the top 10 simultaneously this year, she adds a fifth week achieving the triple triumph.
The Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts (dated Oct. 5, 2024) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow, Oct. 1. For both charts, the top 100 titles are available to all readers on Billboard.com, while the complete 200-title rankings are visible on Billboard Pro, Billboard’s subscription-based service. For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.
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.
While Karol G, Bad Bunny and Peso Pluma dominate the charts — and elevate Colombia, Puerto Rico and Mexico’s music scenes, respectively, to the world stage — a new wave of artists across other Latin American countries is also seeking, and earning, the spotlight.
Earlier this year, Chilean artists scored their first No. 1 Billboard hit since 1991 when newcomers FloyyMenor and Cris MJ’s viral reggaetón hit, “Gata Only,” spent 14 consecutive weeks atop the Hot Latin Songs chart — a feat that would have seemed impossible for the country’s thriving local urban movement just five years ago.
The new generation of Chilean artists has broken out in part thanks to star-studded linkups: Pablo Chill-E on Bad Bunny’s “Hablamos Mañana” (alongside Duki) in 2020; Paloma Mami on Ricky Martin’s “Que Rico Fuera” in 2021; and Cris MJ enlisting Karol G and Ryan Castro for his “Una Noche en Medellín (Remix)” in 2023. All of those tracks made major inroads on Billboard’s Latin charts.
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“We believe a lot in the Chilean market, as it’s experiencing an extraordinary exploitation of music that’s still very young,” says Emilio Morales, managing director of Rimas Publishing, which this year expanded its services to the country through a strategic agreement with Chilean-based label Wild Company, providing A&R services, artist development and more. “Our interest in signing Chilean artists is not just to sign them. We are looking for new horizons for them and for them to be consumed outside of Chile. We want to boost their music to European and international markets.”
Argentina’s music scene has also stretched beyond the country’s borders. Among the speakers during this year’s Latin Music Week, María Becerra recently recorded with Paris Hilton and Enrique Iglesias, and Luck Ra, an emerging act from Córdoba, teamed with Chayanne for a revamped version of his 2003 hit “Un Siglo Sin Ti,” which peaked at No. 15 on the Tropical Airplay chart in September, Luck Ra’s first entry ever on the chart.
“I love collaborating with artists from abroad,” the Argentine newcomer says. “I feel that everyone in their country grows up with different music, everyone has different rhythms in their blood, but the fact that people from different ages and countries listen to you is the most beautiful thing.”
As Chayanne puts it, the song is proof that collaborations across the Latin world help all the artists involved: “The song’s rhythm, so close to Caribbean beats, once again demonstrates the deep brotherhood of all Latinos, reflected in our cultural expressions, especially in music.”
During Latin Music Week, Morales will appear on the “Role of Music Publishers in Cross-Cultural Collaborations” panel, Luck Ra on Billboard Argentina’s “Entre Amigos” panel and Becerra in a conversation with Thalia on mental health.
This story appears in the Sept. 28, 2024, issue of Billboard.
“Kellyoke” has been one of the most popular segments on The Kelly Clarkson Show since the show premiered in 2019. Clarkson has covered more than 800 songs in the segment, demonstrating on a daily basis that she can just sing about any kind of song. 2024 Grammy host Trevor Noah alluded to Clarkson’s prowess when […]
The Weeknd and Playboi Carti have unleashed the visual to their “Timeless” anthem. The Gunner Stahl-directed clip arrived on Monday (Sept. 30) following the single’s release last week. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news It’s an all-Black affair in the gloomy video as The Weeknd (born Abel Tesfaye) […]
Like any relationship, the one Ariana Grande shares with her fans isn’t perfect. While taking a lie detector test with her Wicked costar Cynthia Erivo for Vanity Fair, the 31-year-old pop star was candid about the complex dynamic she has with her millions of listeners.
“I love them always, but I think sometimes they can hurt my feelings,” Grande said in the video posted Monday (Sept. 30).
“Sometimes I don’t like them, but I love them always,” the “Yes, And?” singer added as Erivo nodded sympathetically. “It’s a hard relationship. [It’s] sort of weirdly parasocial, but it feels very real to me.”
In service of her point, Grande also confirmed that she still maintains yearslong friendships with multiple people who started off as a fans, and revealed that she’s DM’d admirers just to chat multiple times throughout her career. She also gave her thoughts on the name her fanbase has coined for itself: “Arianators.”
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“I’ve accepted it, but would I pick that? Of course not,” she said, laughing. “That would be insane.”
Filmed in conjunction with Grande and Erivo’s joint Vanity Fair cover story, the lie detector test also gave the R.E.M. Beauty founder an opportunity to set the record straight on numerous plastic surgery rumors that have followed her over the past couple of years. As the Harriet star fired off different procedures, Grande confirmed that no, she hasn’t had a nose job, face lift, eye lift, chin implant, Brazilian butt lift or breast surgery (“No, can you imagine?”) as the machine confirmed she was telling the truth each time.
“This is the best day of my life,” she said. “Take that, you YouTube people.”
“I’ve had fillers in various places, and botox, but I stopped like four years ago,” Grande added. “That is the extent. But also, like, [I’m] in full support of all people who do these things. Work. Whatever makes women, men, non-gender-conforming people feel beautiful should be allowed. Why do we care?”
Watch Grande take the lie detector test above.
After 16 years of waiting for new music from The Cure, the beloved goth rock godheads have going from zero to the end in quick succession. After dropping the broody “Alone” last week, the Robert Smith-fronted band pulled the curtain back a bit more on Monday morning (Sept. 30) with a tantalizing tease of the even more morose “Endsong.”
The 15-second instrumental bit of the track previewed on the band’s Instagram Story was missing Smith’s iconic haunting melancholy vocals, but it leans hard into the English band’s signature turbulent songcraft via layers of chiming guitars, churning drums and an overall foreboding vibe.
Smith talked about the overall feel of their upcoming Songs of a Lost World studio album in a video interview posted on Friday in which the singer said he doesn’t recall there being an “official beginning” to the sessions for their 14th studio album. “Because it’s been kind of drifting in and out of my life for like an awful long time,” said Smith of the long-awaited follow-up to 2008’s 4:13 Dream.
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“I mean, if I have one regret it’s that I said anything at all about it in 2019,” he added of an interview he did five years ago in which he blamed himself for “going back over and redoing them [the songs]” endlessly during a time when he was grieving the losses of his mother, father and brother.
He said he shouldn’t have talked about the album at all back then because the band had just started working on it at that point. “There are various points where I thought, ‘I think we’re gonna make a new album’… and then… for various reasons other things have happened and the idea’s been sort of pushed back.” During the course of the band’s nearly half-century career, Smith said the key to completing a record has been him nailing down both the opening and closing song on a project.
“[If I do that] I think that the album’s halfway done,” he said. “That’s the key for an album.” As proof, after releasing “Alone,” Smith said it was “the track that unlocked the record; as soon as we had that piece of music recorded I knew it was the opening song, and I felt the whole album come into focus.”
“Alone” and “Endsong” will appear on Songs of a Lost World, which is due out on Nov. 1 via Capitol Records. The album, whose full track list has not yet been announced, was produced by Smith and Paul Corkett, who also co-produced 2000’s Bloodflowers. It features contributions from Smith, Simon Gallup (bass), Jason Cooper (drums), Reeves Gabriel (guitar) and Roger O’Donnell (keyboards); the latter longtime member recently announced that he’d been diagnosed with rare and “aggressive” blood cancer a year ago, but added that “I’m fine and the prognosis is amazing”.
Listen to Smith talk about the new album below.
Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” tallies a 12th week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, extending 2024’s longest command. Notably, it has now reigned for twice as long as any other No. 1 this year, doubling up on Post Malone six-week leader “I Had Some Help,” featuring Morgan Wallen. “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” […]
Fans were hopeful that Maren Morris and Hozier might link up at this year’s All Things Go festival in Columbia, Md., where both artists were featured on the lineup.
And during the “My Church” musician’s set Sunday (Sept. 29), the pair gave concertgoers exactly what they wanted when the Irish singer-songwriter emerged on stage with her without much fanfare, making fans at the Merriweather Post Pavillion grounds shriek with excitement and surprise. As fans sang along, Hozier and Morris traded harmonies on their 2019 duet “The Bones,” which peaked at No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 in April 2020.
“When the bones are good, the rest don’t matter/ Yeah, the paint could peel, the glass could shatter/ Let it rain, ’cause you and I remain the same,” they sang, exchanging a sweet hug before the “Take Me to Church” artist stepped offstage.
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A couple hours later, Hozier took the main stage to close out the entire festival with his headlining set, during which he gave Morris a shout-out. “Maren is such a wonderful person and just a uniquely talented artist as well,” he told the cheering crowd, calling “The Bones” a “stunning” song. “That was a lot of fun, thanks for anybody who was there at that set.”
During his performance, Hozier also thanked the crowd for helping him nab his first U.S. No. 1 this spring by propelling “Too Sweet” to the top of the Hot 100 and called for acceptance and world peace — encouraging fans to reach out to their representatives to support a ceasefire in Gaza — in a passionate minutes-long speech to the crowd. The performance closed out two days packed with live music, featuring Laufey and the Kennedy Center Orchestra, Reneé Rapp, Conan Gray, Janelle Monáe, Bleachers and more.
One person whose absence was felt heavily by the crowds at both the New York City and Maryland installments of the festival was Chappell Roan, who dropped out of All Things Go last minute to focus on her mental health. Muna saved the day by going on in her place Sunday — in addition to covering “Good Luck, Babe!” at both days of the festival — while a cohort of drag performers led a The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess dance party in lieu of Roan’s set in New York Saturday (Sept. 28).
Watch a clip of Morris and Hozier singing “The Bones” at All Things Go below.
Chino XL — born Derek Barbosa — died on July 28 at the age of 50, but no cause of death was given at the time. His family confirmed to People on Monday (Sept. 30) that the rapper-actor died by suicide.
“It’s been the most painful and personal experience of our lives, but in honor of Suicide Awareness Month, we decided to share this truth,” Chino’s children relayed in a statement, which also noted that the Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office had listed his cause of death as asphyxia due to ligature hanging.
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“Our father was our rock and our best friend. Papa Bear loved us and taught us so much. Hundreds of emails, texts, chats and beautiful posts and comments on social media, have shown us that Dad was a fountain of strength to so many,” his children continued. “He encouraged and comforted pretty much everyone in his path and left this dimension with an untouchable creative legacy. We are grateful beyond words for our time with Dad and are overwhelmed by the immeasurable global outpouring of love from around the world.”
The statement also noted that the rapper was diagnosed with congenital heart failure in 2020 along with stage 4 prostate cancer earlier in 2024. He also struggled with bouts of depression throughout his life.
Chino XL is survived by his five kids, five grandchildren, his mother Carole and former longtime partner Stephanie. His niece Lady London was among those in the hip-hop community to pay tribute to the New Jersey-bred star.
Over the weekend, the late rapper-actor’s estate cleared up that there is no October release date for Chino XL’s upcoming posthumous album that’s in the works.
“It is with frustration, anger and pain that we renounce the ‘October release’ date for Chino XL’s posthumous album,” they wrote to Instagram. “The family and estate of Derek Barbosa own all rights, copyright and trademarks of the Chino XL name; his voice and likeness.”
Chino XL was born in the Bronx and raised in East Orange, N.J. He formed the Art of Origin duo with Kerri Chandler, and they signed to Def Jam Recordings via Warner in 1991.
His Here to Save You All debut album arrived in 1996 and reached No. 56 on the Top R&B Albums chart. Chino XL also notched collaborations over the years with the likes of Kool G Rap, Proof, J. Dilla and B-Real. He even headed to give Hollywood a try as an actor where he starred in movies such as Alex & Emma, while appearing in television shows such as CSI: Miami, The Young and the Restless and Reno 911!
If you or anyone you know is experiencing suicidal ideation, reach out to the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling 988 or visiting the website for free, confidential support that is available 24/7, 365 days a year.
