Music

22 May 2024

Nelly Furtado Lands First Music Video in YouTube’s Billion Views Club

Nelly Furtado is officially a member of YouTube‘s Billion Views Club. The singer’s “Say It Right” music video featuring Timbaland becomes her first-ever visual to hit the milestone, just shy of 15 years after it was first uploaded.

Posted on the platform in June 2009, “Say It Right” finds Furtado performing the track atop a Los Angeles skyscraper, standing on a helicopter pad emblazoned with her name. Clips of a trio of male dancers performing choreography, as well as scenes of Timbaland providing the song’s signature backup vocals, are spliced in between the Canadian artist singing to the camera.

“In the day, in the night/ Say it right, say it all/ You either got it or you don’t/ You either stand or you fall,” she croons on the track, which snagged Furtado a Grammy nomination at the 50th annual awards for best female pop vocal performance. “But you got what it takes to set me free/ Oh, you could mean everything to me.”

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Released as a single from Furtado’s third studio album Loose, “Say It Right” peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2007 and assisted the LP in debuting atop the Billboard 200. The album also features the Timbaland-assisted hit “Promiscuous,” which spent six weeks atop the Hot 100.

Fifteen years later, Furtado is six albums deep into her music career. Her newest single “Love Bites” featuring Tove Lo and SG Lewis arrived Wednesday (May 22), following March’s “Gala y Dalí” with Juanes and 2023’s “Keep Going Up” with Timbaland and Justin Timberlake.

Watch the “Say It Right” music video above.

22 May 2024

After Claiming ILLIT’s Label Plagiarized NewJeans, ADOR CEO Sued for Defamation by HYBE Imprint

The latest escalation in the power struggle between HYBE and Min Hee-jin, the CEO of its subsidiary label ADOR, has arrived in the form of legal action from a separate label under the Korean conglomerate.

In a statement released Wednesday (May 22) local time in Seoul, HYBE label BELIFT LAB announced it is taking legal action against Min for defamation over her claims that the BELIFT team behind girl group ILLIT plagiarized her and ADOR’s work with NewJeans. The label is accusing Min of “obstruction of business and defamation,” according to the statement.

The news is just the latest development in a saga that has seen HYBE file a police report accusing Min of a “breach of trust” via an alleged plan to take over management control of ADOR, which was followed by an emotionally charged press conference on April 25 during which Min refuted the allegations.

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One of Min’s most widely discussed claims from the press conference was that BELIFT LAB “copied all the formulas that we had with NewJeans” for the recently launched ILLIT, including musical concept, fashion collaborations and more. As reported by the Korea JoongAng Daily, Min said the members of ILLIT are “innocent” and “it’s the adults that have sinned.”

Since that claim, online fighting between fans and social-media users on both sides of the conflict has brought various claims against multiple parties within the HYBE LABELS system, from artists to executives.

Further in its May 22 statement, BELIFT LAB declared that “Min’s accusations of plagiarism are not true” and that the label is “vigorously pursuing all necessary legal avenues to clarify the facts,” noting that the claims are Min’s opinions. The agency, which also houses boy band ENHYPEN, touched on the five members of ILLIT, noting that Yunah, Minju, Moka, Wonhee and Iroha “have been facing unjustified malicious attacks, ridicule, and slander,” adding that they “strongly urge these defamatory actions, ill-willed slander, the spreading of misinformation, and any form of personal attacks to stop.”

The news comes amid a major week for HYBE, as the company prepares for the highly anticipated releases of both Right Place, Wrong Person — the latest solo album from BTS‘ RM released under BIGHIT MUSIC — and How Sweet, a two-track single from NewJeans under ADOR, both out on Friday (May 24).

See the official English-language version of BELIFT LAB’s statement, as provided to Billboard by HYBE:

Hello,
This is BELIFT LAB.

Today, May 22, our company has formally submitted a letter of complaint against Hee Jin Min for obstruction of business and defamation. This action follows Min’s unfounded and erroneous allegations against ILLIT, a group of artists represented by BELIFT LAB. 

We would like to make it clear that Min’s accusations of plagiarism are not true. We have provided conclusive evidence to the appropriate judicial authority to refute them. We are committed to vigorously pursuing all necessary legal avenues to clarify the facts, regardless of the time it will take.

It is important to note that claims of plagiarism should not be determined by an individual’s biased opinions but should instead be assessed through established legal standards and processes. It is regrettable that our artists and employees are being subjected to unwarranted speculation and misinformation, impacting their hard work and integrity.

Additionally, members of ILLIT have been facing unjustified malicious attacks, ridicule, and slander, in spite of the fact that the members are unrelated to the accusations at hand. We strongly urge these defamatory actions, ill-willed slander, the spreading of misinformation, and any form of personal attacks to stop.

BELIFT LAB will spare no effort to protect our artists and employees.

Thank you.

22 May 2024

Brad Paisley Set to Perform at White House State Dinner

Grammy-winning country singer-songwriter Brad Paisley is set to perform Thursday night (May 23) at the White House State Dinner, as President Joe Biden and first lady Dr. Jill Biden welcome Kenya President William Ruto and first lady Rachel Ruto.

Additional entertainers for the evening will include the Howard Gospel Choir, as well as “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band Chamber Orchestra, in addition to the United States Army and Air Force Strings.

According to the first lady’s office, the selections of Paisley and the Howard Gospel Choir are nods to their guests’ love of country and gospel music. This marks the sixth State Dinner of the Biden-Harris Administration. Previous White House State Dinners hosted by the Bidens have included performers Jon Batiste, Paul Simon and Joshua Bell.

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Paisley performed at the White House last year, as part of a National Governors Association event, and joined Jill Biden at a COVID-19 vaccination site in Nashville in 2021. Paisley first performed at the White House in 2009, when he took part in a music series during the Obama administration.

For this week’s State Dinner, Dr. Jill Biden worked with White House Executive Chef Cris Comerford and White House Executive Pastry Chef Susie Morrison to develop the menu for the State Dinner, which will include fruitwood-smoked beef short ribs, butter-poached lobster, chilled heirloom tomato soup, and banana ganache among the offerings.

In 2023, Paisley released his Son of the Mountains album, which included “The Medicine Will,” “So Many Summers” and “Same Here,” featuring Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

22 May 2024

Nemo’s ‘The Code’ Translates Eurovision Win Into Global Chart Debuts

Another edition of Eurovision Song Contest – the pan-European Olympics of pop songwriting – has come and gone, but the competition’s impact lingers, with six songs appearing on the May 25-dated Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart. Nemo’s “The Code” won for Switzerland and leads all charting songs, debuting at No. 21, while also cracking the Billboard Global 200 at No. 52.

“The Code” arrives with 21.6 million streams worldwide, 20.8 million of which, or 96%, were from outside the U.S., May 10-16, according to Luminate. It crowns Billboard’s Switzerland Songs, while placing in the top 10 on rankings reflecting activity in Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Finland, Greece, Iceland, Luxembourg and Sweden.

Eurovision runner-up Baby Lasanga’s “Rim Tim Tagi Dim”, representing Croatia, and fourth-place finisher Slimane’s “Mon Amour” (France) also debut on both global charts. The former is new at No. 64 on Global Excl. U.S. and No. 139 on the Global 200, and the latter starts at Nos. 61 and 144, respectively.

Plus, third-place finalist “Teresa & Maria” by Alyona Alyona and Jerry (Ukraine) hits Global Excl. U.S. at No. 130 and seventh-place finisher “La Noia” by Angelina Mango (Italy) arrives one spot higher at No. 129.

One other Eurovision song appears on both global charts, but you won’t find it on the competition’s leaderboard. Joost’s “Europapa,” representing the Netherlands, was disqualified from competing after the singer threatened Eurovision’s production crew. The ban may have helped spur global consumption, as its No. 24 re-entry on Global Excl. U.S. comes just below the winning track’s debut, and it leads the Eurovision pack on the Global 200, one spot above “The Code,” at No. 51.

The global success of Joost’s entry, particularly on the Global 200, were U.S. sales and streams are part of the chart’s equation, is unique. On average, this year’s six Eurovision tracks drew 3.65% of their worldwide streams from the U.S. in the frame following the competition’s close, in line with last year’s 3.58%. But “Europapa” is an outlier, more than doubling that average. Of 23 million streams worldwide in the tracking week, 7.44% come from the U.S., marking the highest domestic share of any Eurovision song to have hit the global charts since 2021. The song’s spiked American activity is notable since its lyrics are in Dutch (while “The Code” is performed in English).

The total tally of six Global Excl. U.S.-charting songs improves upon the four from Eurovision’s 2023 haul and matches 2022’s six. Still, 2021’s competition remains unmatched with seven, including Måneskin, which won for Italy with “Zitti E Buoni.” That song got as high as No. 10 but proved an appetizer for the group’s “I Wanna Be Your Slave” and “Beggin,” which climbed to Nos. 8 and 2, respectively, later that year.

22 May 2024

Sabrina Carpenter Fan Helps Brother Shoot His Shot by Rewriting ‘Espresso’: Watch

He looks so cute, wrapped around Sabrina Carpenter‘s finger.

A fan named Emmyn Calleiro — who makes music under the moniker Games We Play — is going viral for cleverly assisting his brother in wooing the “Espresso” singer, thanks to his hilarious reimagining of her biggest hit.

In a recent TikTok, Calleiro begins by standing in front of his brother on a porch and telling the camera, “Sabrina Carpenter, please watch this video.”

He then performs his own version of “Espresso,” altering the lyrics to advertise his brother’s interest in the Girl Meets World alum. “I know you got a boyfriend but this is my brother,” Calleiro sings, ripping off his laughing sibling’s shirt. “He is so, so single/ He’s 6’5″ and you’re really short, you’re so, so little.”

“He’s working late and he goes to the gym,” Calleiro continues. “He’s got tattoos and he’s never had a girlfriend.”

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As mentioned by the indie punk-rock artist, Carpenter indeed has a boyfriend. The “Feather” musician has been dating actor Barry Keoghan since the beginning of the year, and the pair recently attended the 2024 Met Gala together.

Calleiro’s take on “Espresso” comes amid the song’s fifth straight week on the Billboard Hot 100, where it reached its current peak of No. 4 on the chart dated May 11. Upon its debut, the single became Carpenter’s first top 10 hit on the ranking. The track has also logged three weeks at No. 1 on the Official U.K. Singles Chart, a first for the Work It actress.

Watch Calleiro’s TikTok below.

22 May 2024

ACM and Eurovision Winners (And One Disqualified Participant) Rise in Streams

Welcome to Billboard Pro’s Trending Up newsletter, where we take a closer look at the songs, artists, curiosities and trends that have caught the music industry’s attention. Some have come out of nowhere, others have taken months to catch on, and all of them could become ubiquitous in the blink of a TikTok clip. 

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This week: Winners and other participants post gains from both the ACMs and Eurovision, while a pair of new viral sensations make waves and an expecting pop superstar sees an appropriate song bump.

2024 ACM Awards Spur Streaming Gains for Chris Stapleton, Lainey Wilson & Kelsea Ballerini 



Last week’s Reba McEntire-hosted ACM Awards (May 16) treated viewers to show-stopping performances and moving acceptance speeches, both of which resulted in impressive streaming gains for some of country music’s biggest stars. 

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Chris Stapleton – who took home three trophies, including male artist, artist-songwriter and album of the year – had the night’s buzziest performance thanks to a surprise appearance from Dua Lipa. The pop star joined the soulful country crooner on a duet version of “Think I’m in Love With You,” the second single from his 2023 album Higher. During the Friday and Saturday preceding the ACMs (May 10-11), Stapleton’s track pulled 1.6 million official on-demand U.S. streams, according to Luminate. That number grew by 15% to 1.86 million streams the following Friday-Saturday (May 18-19). Notably, U.S. digital sales for “Think I’m In Love With You” ballooned 908% from 114 copies sold (May 11-12) to 1,149 copies sold (May 18-19). This bodes well for the pair’s upcoming collaboration, slated for release later this year. 

Stapleton and Lainey Wilson tied as the night’s most-awarded artists, with the recent Billboard cover star reigning victorious in the categories of entertainer, female artist and music event of the year. Wilson opened the show with a medley of Little Texas’ “God Blessed Texas” and her own “Hang Tight Honey,” the lead single for her forthcoming Whirlwind LP.  

Released mid-tracking week on May 13, “Hang Tight Honey” earned just over 223,000 official on-demand U.S. streams during the weekend preceding the ACMs (May 15-16). By the following weekend (May 18-19), that figure exploded by 333% to 968,000 streams, likely boosted by both her performance and key New Music Friday playlist placements. Like Stapleton’s track, “Honey” also posted sizable sales gains, more than doubling from 402 copies sold (May 15-16) to 851 copies sold (May 18-19). 

Wilson’s win for female artist of the year came at the expense of Kelsea Ballerini, who was recognized in that category at the 2024 ceremony. Nonetheless, Ballerini scored a streaming win of her own thanks to her Noah Kahan-assisted mash-up of her own “Mountain With a View” and his smash hit “Stick Season.” 

“Mountain With a View,” the opening track to Ballerini’s Grammy-nominated Rolling Up the Welcome Mat EP, earned 95,000 official on-demand U.S. streams during the weekend preceding the ACMs (May 11-12). Following her beautiful Kahan link-up, that figure rose by 21% to 115,000 streams the weekend following the awards show (May 18-19). – KYLE DENIS

Disqualified Eurovision Single Scores Bigger U.S. Streams Than Song Contest Winner



Although Eurovision, the long-running international song contest held each spring, has historically had a muted impact on the U.S. charts, recent contests did produce some crossover stars (such as 2021 winners Måneskin) and singles (like Duncan Laurence’s “Arcade,” which became a top 40 hit on the Hot 100 after earning the 2019 Eurovision crown). Following the 2024 edition last week, multiple Eurovision singles are earning sizable weekly streams in the U.S. — although the winning Eurovision single is actually being out-gained by a song that wasn’t allowed to place in the contest.

“The Code,” an operatic drum-n-bass track by Swiss performer Nemo about their self-acceptance as a non-binary artist, emerged victorious in the Eurovision final, and its streams have skyrocketed in the days following the competition. Released in February, “The Code” earned 86,000 U.S. on-demand streams during the week ending May 9, the day the song was featured in the second semi-final, according to Luminate; the following week (May 10-16), that number jumped to 868,000, essentially multiplying its weekly U.S. streams tenfold after winning the competition on May 11.

In a bizarre twist, however, “Europapa,” the Netherlands’ Eurovision nominee by the Dutch artist and former YouTuber Joost, is practically doubling the U.S. weekly streams of “The Code,” earning 1.75 million streams during the week ending May 16. The rave track was disqualified from the Eurovision final “following threatening behaviour directed at a female member of the production crew” by Joost backstage at the contest, according to an official statement. And while “Europapa” may be earning more streams from American listeners, “The Code” is resonating with global listeners, debuting at No. 18 on the UK’s Official Singles Chart this week, while “Europapa” bows at No. 37. – JASON LIPSHUTZ

Dallas Rapper Ian Flips Months-Long Marketing Campaign into Breakout Streaming Success 



As the dust around the Kendrick Lamar-Drake beef settled, the hip-hop world’s attention turned to an enigmatic young rapper that simultaneously exists opposite to and in conversation with that generational battle. 

After making his recording debut with 2022’s “G63,” the Dallas-bred producer-rapper spent the following two years nurturing fans in various pockets of the underground rap scene with a series of standalone singles. That grind culminated in a breakout 2024 for the artist, with “Grand Slam” — alongside a new Instagram account – launching him further into the mainstream. 

Earlier this month (May 13), Ian released the music video for “Figure It Out” via Lyrical Lemonade. The clip featured an appearance from former NFL star Marshawn Lynch, who the rapper namechecks in the song. During the preceding weekend (May 10-12), Ian’s catalog garnered just over 1.1 million official on-demand U.S. streams. In the days following the music video release (May 13-15) that number soared by 63% to 1.83 million streams – but an even bigger boost was on the horizon. 

Last Friday (May 17), Ian unleashed his debut mixtape, Valedictorian, featuring a voiceover intro from DJ Holiday and production contributions from Sxprano and Tana. Upon release, Ian effectively became one of the most talked about recording artists in the world, with discourse surrounding his project dominating social media. During Valedictorian’s release weekend (May 16-18), streaming activity for Ian’s catalog soared to 11.4 million official on-demand U.S. streams, posting a jaw-dropping 525% increase. 

With hip-hop heavyweights like Cole Bennett and DJ Holiday already in his corner, it looks like the Ian takeover is just getting started. – KD

Rising Artist Lithe Springs Forward With “Fall Back”



The Australian singer and producer Lithe turned major label heads quickly with “Fall Back,” a slippery, subdued R&B track released on March 21st. His follower count on TikTok — where several “Fall Back” videos have earned millions of views — started to rocket upwards in the first week of April, according to Chartmetric. And his streaming numbers soon followed suit: Plays in the U.S. more than doubled from around 834,000 during the week ending April 25th to 1.76 million the week ending May 2nd. The count has continued to increase, topping the 3 million threshold for the week ending May 16th. “Been vibing with him since early 2023,” one excited fan commented on TikTok of the still-unsigned artist. “Now he’s finally getting the recognition he deserves!” – ELIAS LEIGHT

Season’s Gainings: Happy Mother’s Day, Hailey Bieber



The pop world was overjoyed a couple Fridays ago (May 9) to hear the news that pop star Justin Bieber and his wife, model and beauty influencer Hailey Bieber, would be expecting their first child. The expecting couple enjoyed their first Mother’s Day just a couple few later (May 12) – and the combination of the holiday and the announcement evidently spurred Beliebers to get a little sentimental with one of Bieber’s (loosely) parentally titled pop classics. “Baby,” the song that confirmed The Bieb as one of the great pop sensations of the early ‘10s, racked up 2.6 million official on-demand U.S. streams for the tracking week ending May 16 – a 13% gain over the previous week, according to Luminate. – ANDREW UNTERBERGER 

22 May 2024

Sexyy Red Confirms ‘WWE NXT’ Appearance for Next Week

Sexyy Red continues her dominance over the pop culture landscape. Over the weekend, she linked with Lana Del Rey at Hangout Festival in Alabama, and TikToker Young Mantis recently mocked up a prank Skee-Yee Shrimp promotion to help get Red Lobster out of bankruptcy.

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Now after helping save America’s favorite seafood chain, the St. Louis rapper is setting her sights on the world of wrestling. Last night on X, she teased an appearance on WWE’s developmental show NXT, tweeting:

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No one really knew if she was trolling or not, so we had to wait for WWE to confirm, which it did on last night’s WWE NXT show on USA:

Sexyy and her fans seem hype too, with one X user calling her Sexyy Orton:

Her music is no stranger to the wrestling world. Last year, wrestler Jey Uso used her hit “SkeeYee” as a walk-up song and, in turn, spurred this interesting partnership.

According to the WWE, Sexyy Red is “a lifelong WWE fan.” Backing up that claim are a bunch of posts across social media, like when she took to X to comment on wrestler Trick Williams and his feud with the Meta-Four stable:

Hip-hop has been intertwined with pro wrestling since the ’80s when Run-DMC performed at Wrestlemania V in 1989. A slew of rappers have also made appearances in and outside of the ring like Ice-T, Bad Bunny and Salt-N-Pepa, to name a few. And rappers like Westside Gunn, Action Bronson and Wale frequently make wrestling references in their music, with the latter going as far as to host a yearly wrestling event called WaleMania.

Big Sexyy will be on NXT, live next Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET, on the USA Network.

22 May 2024

Miley Cyrus to Appear on David Letterman’s ‘My Next Guest Needs No Introduction’

Miley Cyrus certainly needs no introduction, and the superstar is set to sit down with David Letterman for an upcoming episode of his popular interview series, My Next Guest Needs No Introduction.

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In a teaser for the Netflix show’s upcoming fifth season released on Wednesday (May 22), the 31-year-old “Flowers” singer jokes to the talk show host, “My biggest fear used to be getting fired, and now how good does that sound? Every time someone’s like, ‘Oh, they might kick you — maybe they don’t want you to do this anymore.’ I’m like, ‘Thank God.’”

The season, which also features an interview with sports analyst and former NBA star Charles Barkley, shows Cyrus performing for Letterman in a dimly lit bar. The episodes are set to release on June 12.

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It’s been a huge year for Cyrus, who took home her first-ever Grammy at the 2024 ceremony as “Flowers” won both record of the year and best pop solo performance. The single topped the Billboard Hot 100 for eight weeks in 2023.

Her 2023 single “Used to Be Young,” followed her full-length album Endless Summer Vacation, and peaked at No. 8 on the Hot 100. In October, she joined Dolly Parton — who just so happens to be her godmother — for a revamped version of her 2013 hit “Wrecking Ball.”

Earlier this week, Calvin Harris teased a summery collaboration that fans believe is with the pop star. “We were dancing, we were wild in the ocean,” the mystery artist sings over gentle acoustic guitar in a video Harris posted to social media, which later morphs into a bright EDM beat. “When the crowd is all around me, you’re still all I see.”

Watch the My Next Guest Needs No Introduction season five teaser below.

22 May 2024

Billie Eilish vs. Taylor Swift: Who Will Score Next Week’s No. 1 Album?

The Contenders is a midweek column that looks at artists aiming for the top of the Billboard charts, and the strategies behind their efforts. Next week (for the upcoming Billboard 200 dated June 1), it’s a superstar showdown between Billie Eilish’s new album and Taylor Swift’s reigning blockbuster.  

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Billie Eilish, Hit Me Hard and Soft (Darkroom/Interscope): Perhaps the most anticipated release of this month, Billie Eilish’s third LP Hit Me Hard and Soft debuted on Friday (May 17). The follow-up to her acclaimed 2021 sophomore set Happier Than Ever marked a first for Eilish, as it featured no advance singles, as the artist encouraged her fans to experience the album – largely focused on her self-discovery in terms of her identity and sexuality as she enters her 20s – all at once.  

And it seems many have done just that. Hit Me – which has racked up perhaps the strongest reviews yet of her already highly celebrated young career – has performed very well on streaming through its first five days of release, with every one of its 10 tracks still ranking in the top 25 of Spotify’s Daily Top Songs USA chart, with each garnering over a million spins each. Of course, there being only 10 tracks on the album may mean the album still ends up with a relatively modest overall stream total compared to some recent blockbusters with more gargantuan tracklists, but its impressive endurance across the board throughout the week should still lead to fairly resounding first-week numbers.  

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The set should also sell quite well, with Eilish a reliably strong performer there – Happier sold 154,000 copies in its first week, making for well over half of the set’s overall first-week performance (238,000 equivalent album units). To help with those numbers, Eilish has released nine vinyl editions of Hit Me (one of which, a webstore exclusive, was signed), all in different-colored variants. There are also four separate CD options (standard CD; a signed CD exclusive to her webstore; a “splatter” CD where Eilish splattered paint across the CD booklets en masse, and then those were collated into their packaging; and a Target-exclusive CD containing a poster), as well as a cassette version, and a digital deluxe album that also includes isolated vocal tracks for the 10 songs on the album.  

Taylor Swift, The Tortured Poets Department (Republic): But of course, to get her third straight No. 1 album, Eilish will have to unseat the album that’s topped the chart for the last month: Taylor Swift’s historic-selling The Tortured Poets Department. This week, in its fourth week on top, Poets posted 260,000 units – mostly in streams, with the set remaining a consistently dominant performer on DSPs with the 31 tracks of its Anthology edition. (It was also assisted in the most recent frame from added interest following the resumption of her Eras Tour in Europe on May 9, with six Poets tracks now newly added to the setlist.)  

Revived live attention won’t be the only thing likely to help Poets’ performance on next week’s chart, though. On May 16 – at the end of the last tracking week – Swift posted pre-orders on her site for a May 17 delivery of new digital editions of her latest album, with three different variants that all also offered one “First Draft Phone Memo” version each of one of the album’s tracks (“Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?,” “Cassandra” and ”The Black Dog”). In addition to that, her sales week could also still be impacted by a variety of CD edition releases – featuring bonus tracks and/or other collectibles — posted to her website for pre-order in May prior to this tracking week, whose exact shipping dates are currently unknown.  

The race could be a close one, as the excitement over Eilish’s brand-new release competes with the sheer overwhelming volume of Swift’s reigning behemoth. It’s one that’s sure to get a lot of attention in the pop community – particularly after Eilish’s comments in a Billboard March interview decrying artist wastefulness in releasing excessive vinyl variants were interpreted by many Swifties as a shot at Taylor. (Eilish later clarified that she was not singling out any artist with her comments, and acknowledged that she was guilty of the practice herself.)  

IN THE MIX 

Zayn, Room Under the Stairs (Mercury/Republic): Elsewhere in the pop world: Zayn goes country! The One Direction alum’s latest set is influenced by his love of Willie Nelson and Chris Stapleton, and is even co-helmed by the latter artist’s go-to producer Dave Cobb. The album is not expected to stream in particularly robust numbers – Zayn has not had a hit on the Billboard Hot 100 since 2020 – but it should sell respectably, thanks in part to the availability of six vinyl and four CD variants, as well as a deluxe digital album with five bonus “Z sides” tracks. 

New Kids on the Block, Still Kids (BMG): Speaking of boy band vets: Nearly four decades into their career, NKOTB remain hangin’ tough, and just released their eighth album Still Kids, still with the classic Donnie, Joey, Jordan, Jonathan and Danny lineup. The new set – their first since 2013’s 10, which reached No. 6 on the Billboard 200 — features collabs with fellow late-’80s survivors Taylor Dayne and DJ Jazzy Jeff, and is available in four vinyl and two CD variants.  

Cage the Elephant, Neon Pill (RCA): Kentucky hitmakers Cage the Elephant have been getting it done on rock radio and on tour for over 15 years now, and though their days of competing for the top of the Billboard 200 – their 2011 set Thank You Happy Birthday peaked at a career-best No. 2 – are likely over, they’re still going to make an impact each time out. Sixth album Neon Pill, featuring the Alternative Airplay-topping title track, is the band’s first album in five years, and is for sale in five vinyl variants and a standard CD edition.  

22 May 2024

Post Malone, Morgan Wallen and Shaboozey Hit New Highs for Country Music on Billboard Global Charts

Post Malone’s “I Had Some Help,” featuring Morgan Wallen, and Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” both strike the top 10 on each of Billboard’s global charts (dated May 25) – the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. – joining forces as the first pair of country songs to simultaneously appear in the top 10 of both surveys.

“I Had Some Help” debuts atop the Global 200 with 119 million streams worldwide in the week ending May 16, according to Luminate. In doing so, it becomes Post Malone’s second No. 1 debut on the ranking in just four weeks. Taylor Swift’s “Fortnight,” on which he’s featured, ruled for two weeks earlier this month. For Wallen, it’s his first leader, surpassing the No. 5 peak of last year’s “Last Night.”

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“A Bar Song (Tipsy)” is Shaboozey’s third global chart entry, following his two features on Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter. Both “Spaghettii” and “Sweet * Honey * Buckin’” logged one week on the April 13-dated list, just two frames before the arrival of “A Bar Song (Tipsy).”

Post Malone and Wallen’s team-up is just the third country song to crown the Global 200 in its four-year history (as defined by titles that have hit Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart), following Beyoncé’s “Texas Hold ‘Em” in March and Taylor Swift’s “All Too Well (Taylor’s Version)” in 2021, with each having led for one week.

Shaboozey follows at No. 5 on the latest Global 200, bookending the first pair of country songs to simultaneously appear in the top five.

The breakthrough of both tracks is even more significant on the Global Excl. U.S. chart, where country music has historically struggled, dating to the list’s September 2020 inception. While the Global 200 ranks songs based on sales and streams from over 200 international territories, Global Excl. U.S. removes domestic consumption, revealing the biggest songs in the world outside of the United States.

On Global Excl. U.S., “I Had Some Help” starts at No. 3 and “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” rises 13-10, marking just the third and fourth country songs to hit the tally’s top 10, following entries by Beyoncé and Swift.

While Post Malone and Shaboozey’s top five success on the Global 200 are in line with the highs of 2023 hits from Jason Aldean, Zach Bryan, Oliver Anthony Music and Morgan Wallen, their concurrent top 10 placements on Global Excl. U.S. far exceed that group, which, of their tracks, reached a No. 82 high on the tally via Wallen’s “Last Night.” None of the others even hit the top 100.

Plus, Post Malone and Shaboozey’s new hits appear on 13 of Billboard’s Hits of the World charts. “I Had Some Help” replaces “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” atop Norway Songs and leads Ireland Songs, while the latter holds at No. 1 on Sweden Songs. Throughout its run last year, which included 16 weeks atop the U.S.-based Billboard Hot 100 and a No. 1 finish on the chart’s year-end edition, Wallen’s “Last Night” appeared on just three such international rankings.

Surely “I Had Some Help” and “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” are both helped by major elements outside of country music. The former is by Post Malone, one of Billboard’s top 10 artists of the 2010s with strong history in pop and hip-hop circles, much like the crossover success of global country hits from Beyoncé and Swift. And while Shaboozey is a new act without ties to other genres, the song interpolates J-Kwon’s 2004 hit “Tipsy,” a No. 2 Hot 100 hit that also topped Hot Rap Songs for five weeks. His recent collaborations with Beyoncé can’t hurt, either.

Post Malone and Shaboozey’s chart hits are examples of the broadening borders of the genre, as a wave of new artists gain traction on streaming services and social media internationally. Extending the hot streak, Dasha’s country-pop hit “Austin” went viral on TikTok earlier this year and has since climbed to No. 23 on Global Excl. U.S., almost 60 positions above Wallen’s previous high.