Music

22 Feb 2024

Mesita, Nicki Nicole, Emilia & Tiago PZK Add Sixth Week Atop Billboard Argentina Hot 100 With ‘Una Foto’

Mesita, Nicki Nicole, Emilia and Tiago PZK‘s “Una Foto” adds a sixth week at No. 1 on the Billboard Argentina Hot 100 chart as the song leads the Feb. 24-dated list.

Luck Ra and Khea’s “Hola Perdida” holds strong at No. 2 for a fifth week. Trap singer Luck Ra also places two other songs in the ranking’s top 10, starting with “Que Me Falte Todo” with Abel Pintos, which rises 4-3, while nine-week ruler “La Morocha” featuring BM remains at No. 7 for a third week.

Meanwhile, Bizarrap and Young Miko’s “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 58” dips 3-4 after four weeks at No. 3.

Uruguayan Fer Vázquez and Argentinian Flor Álvarez earn their first top 10s on the 100-deep tally as “Sin Querer” rises 11-10. While Vázquez reached a No. 70 high through his featured role in Marama’s “Una Noche Contigo” (chart dated Feb. 17), Álvarez scored a No. 57 peak through “Con Vos,” with Rusherking (Feb. 10-dated list).

Further, FloyyMenor takes home the Greatest Gainer trophy of the week as “Gata Only,” featuring Cris MJ, climbs 51 places from No. 73 to No. 22.

Lastly, three songs re-enter the tally: Trueno and Nicki Nicole’s “Mamichula” featuring Bizarrap, Taiu and Tatool, re-enters at No. 82; Harry Styles’ “As It Was” at No. 99; and Andrés Calamaro’s “Flaca” bounces back at No. 100.

22 Feb 2024

Morgan Wallen Performs an Unreleased Song During Nashville Show: Watch

Morgan Wallen has been on the road all year on his One Night at a Time tour, but he’s also been working on new music.

During a pop-up concert for iHeartRadio at Nashville’s SoHo House, Wallen was performing an acoustic set alongside his long-time collaborators and Big Loud labelmates Ernest and HARDY, offering up a mix of hits such as “More Than My Hometown,” and slipping in a new song.

Judging by a video snippet of the performance that has been circulating online, this new track, which features lines such as “90 proof is telling me lies, lies, lies,” and “nothing I wouldn’t do for you,” this tune is one of heartbreak and possible romantic reconciliation.

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Of course, these kinds of heartbreak songs could be considered Wallen’s musical sweet spot, as many of his biggest hits — including “Wasted on You” and “Sand in My Boots” — revolve around romantic shakeups.

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Wallen, of course, previously collaborated with Ernest on the Billboard Country Airplay top 20 hit “Flower Shops,” while Ernest and HARDY have been key writers on many of Wallen’s hits, including “More Than My Hometown,” “You Proof” and “Up Down.”

Wallen recently announced the upcoming launch of his six-story venue on Nashville’s Lower Broadway, This Bar and Tennessee Kitchen, and teamed with fellow country artist Eric Church to reveal they are purchasing the Field & Stream brand, with plans to relaunch the print magazine and start an outdoor music festival.

See a snippet of his set with the new song below:

22 Feb 2024

Creepy Nuts’ ‘Bling-Bang-Bang-Born’ Is in the Global Spotlight: Here’s Why

Creepy Nuts’ new song “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” is blasting its way up the charts — not only in Japan, but on a global scale.

Creepy Nuts is a hip-hop unit consisting of R-shitei (R-rated), the first MC in J-rap history to win the country’s top MC battle competition UMB Grand Championship three times consecutively, and DJ Matsunaga, who won the world’s largest DJ competition DMC World DJ Championships in 2019 and performed at the closing ceremony of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. While they both have such impressive titles under their belts, both members of Creepy Nuts are known in their home country for their laid-back personalities and talk skills, making them popular staples in TV variety shows. They have also been regular hosts on the historic All Night Nippon radio program for five years, and many people probably recognize them as radio stars as well.

Music-wise, their mini-album To Us Former Prodigies, released August 2020, reached No. 2 on the Billboard Japan Hot Albums chart. Also, their track “Nobishiro” from the album Case became their first song to surpass 100 million streams (as of Dec. 1, 2022), and “Daten” — the opener for the anime Yofukashi no uta, which is based on the duo’s song of the same title — released in 2022, reached No. 35 on the Japan Hot 100, the highest position for them at the time. On their tour promoting the album Ensemble Play that includes this track, they sold out the Saitama Super Arena near Tokyo, the largest capacity venue in their career up to that point.

Then, “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” shot to No. 5 on the Japan Hot 100 on the chart dated Jan. 24, the week after it debuted No. 27, which was already higher than the duo’s record for “Daten.” The following week, “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” became Creepy Nuts’ first-ever No. 1 hit.

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This track is actually gaining more traction outside of Japan. Featured as the opener for the anime series MASHLE Season 2, the comical dance by the protagonist Mash set to the refrain of the song’s title attracted attention on TikTok. The song was downloaded and streamed on a global scale before it reached Japanese audiences. As a result, “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” hit No. 8 on the Global Japan Songs Excl. Japan chart (Jan. 18), which ranks “songs from Japan” being listened to in more than 200 countries and regions around the world outside of the country. In its second week on the tally, the viral hit hopped over the top seven songs from the week before to take the top spot. Total points and streams earned by “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” that week broke the chart’s all-time high, and the following week it quickly rewrote its own record to hold at No. 1 for the second week in a row (Feb. 1). The track is still at No. 1 for the fifth week on the chart dated Feb. 22.

Looking closer at the rankings for each country calculated from the Global Japan Songs Excl. Japan chart’s data, we can see that “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” has accomplished an unprecedented feat, dominating seven of the nine countries currently included in the tally: Thailand, Singapore, France, the U.K., South Africa, the U.S. and Brazil. In terms of points gained, the song’s popularity in the U.S. is exceptionally high, followed by France.

The duo’s breakthrough didn’t stop there. The following week, “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” debuted at No. 77 on Billboard’s Global 200 chart (Jan. 27) that ranks streaming and downloads on major digital platforms in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide. It surpassed even YOASOBI’s “Idol” and King Gnu’s “SPECIALZ” — two recent J-pop hits with an established global following — to become the highest-ranking song on that week’s list by Japanese artists. It also bowed at No. 48 on the Global Excl. US tally that week. “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” continued to ascend, and is currently at No. 12 on the former and No. 2 on the latter (Feb. 24) — again the highest position for Japanese artists on those weeks, indicating that the growing support in the Japanese market played a significant role in the breakthrough on both global charts.

Why did “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” suddenly attract so much attention on a global scale? The reason is simple: the synergistic effect of TikTok, dance, and animation. Encouraging users to participate in TikTok dance challenges is now a promotional standard, but that alone isn’t enough. Adding the element of a tie-in with an anime series, especially one being distributed worldwide on Netflix and other global platforms, to the synergy brings a song to the forefront of public attention.

Of the top 20 songs on the Global Japan Songs Excl. Japan chart, about half are anime tie-ins most weeks, indicating that being attached to a major anime title is enough to draw worldwide attention to new J-pop songs. Anime songs are particularly popular in France; about 14 songs out of the top 20 and over 65% of the total data collected are tracks linked to anime titles. Other such anime tie-ins that have made the Global Japan Songs Excl. Japan top 3 include YOASOBI’s “Idol” (Oshi no Ko opener), Tatsuya Kitani’s “Where Our Blue Is” (Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 opener), and King Gnu’s “SPECIALZ” (Jujutsu Kaisen Shibuya Incident story arc opener), all of which became hits in Japan and began climbing the charts worldwide at about the same time, then suddenly spread explosively on a global scale. This trend of simultaneous sharing is likely to become more prominent in the future, and not only with anime tie-ins.

But the reason “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” became such an breakout hit can be attributed to the fact that in addition to its link to a popular anime title, it became a TikTok favorite where non-anime fans could share the song, combined with the element of dance, which has strong distribution potential. Plus, the original manga that the anime was based on was serialized in the Weekly Shonen Jump magazine, released worldwide in multiple languages via the official MANGA Plus by SHUEISHA app, so the already established global fan base for the original manga gave “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” an advantage.

The track also adopts the Jersey club sound, a global trend originating in the U.S. used in music by other recent breakout acts such as NewJeans (“Super Shy” etc.) and LE SSERAFIM (“Eve, Psyche & The Bluebeard’s wife”), and this is probably another reason why it caught the attention of listeners around the world, centering around the U.S.

The fact that the part used for the TikTok dance challenge was the refrain of the simple and catchy title may also have contributed to the song’s widespread popularity. The aforementioned NewJeans’ “Super Shy” and LE SSERAFIM’s “Eve, Psyche & The Bluebeard’s wife” were also popular dance challenges on TikTok, and the viral snippets featured short rhymes in the lyrics or refrains of the same word, not limited to the songs’ hooks. While equipped with this type of TikTok-friendly refrain, the lyrics of “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” as a whole overlap sympathy with the position of MASHLE’s main character Mash with the rapper’s own braggadocio in a clever way. It’s brilliant as an anime theme song and a hip-hop single, a high-quality number that can satisfy both fans of the original work and fans of hip-hop.

After making an unexpected, yet understandable impact on a global scale with their first release of 2024, Creepy Nuts followed up with another Jersey club-infused track called “Nidone” (“Back to Sleep”) on Jan. 27, which is being featured as the theme song for the time-traveling drama series Futekisetsu nimo hodo ga aru! (which loosely translates to “That’s so Inappropriate”). As they begin to expand their reach beyond their home country, we can look forward to more “Nobishiro” (“Room for Growth”) from the duo.

—This article by Maiko Murata first appeared on Billboard Japan

22 Feb 2024

HARDY’s ‘Rockstar’ Reigns on Hot Hard Rock Songs Chart

HARDY notches a second No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Hard Rock Songs chart thanks to the appropriately named “Rockstar,” which bows atop the Feb. 24-dated survey.

“Rockstar” accumulated 2.5 million official U.S. streams, 209,000 radio audience impressions and 2,000 sold from its Feb. 9 release through Feb. 15, according to Luminate.

The download count launches “Rockstar” at No. 1 on Hard Rock Digital Song Sales, where it’s HARDY’s third ruler, following “Jack” and “The Mockingbird & the Crow,” both in October 2022.

“Rockstar” also premieres at No. 21 on Hard Rock Streaming Songs, No. 31 on the multi-metric Hot Rock & Alternative Songs and No. 40 on Mainstream Rock Airplay.

The song follows “Sold Out” in April 2022 as HARDY’s second Hot Hard Rock Songs No. 1. In between “Sold Out” and “Rockstar,” he logged nine entries on the survey, including six top 10s, paced by a pair of No. 2 debuts and peaks in “Jack” and, last month, “Quit!!”

HARDY boasts entries on both Billboard’s rock and country hybrid charts; “Truck Bed” ranks at No. 11 in its 46th week on Hot Country Songs, after peaking so far at No. 10 in January. It’s the current radio single from The Mockingbird & the Crow, HARDY’s second studio album and his first to fuse country and rock elements. The song concurrently reaches a new No. 6 high on Country Airplay.

“Rockstar” is currently a standalone single. The Mockingbird & the Crow debuted at No. 1 on the Top Country Albums and Top Rock & Alternative Albums charts in February 2023 and has earned 1 million equivalent album units to date.

22 Feb 2024

It’s Raining Views: Rihanna & Jay-Z’s ‘Umbrella’ Video Joins YouTube’s Billion Views Club

Ooh, baby, it’s raining views. As of Thursday (Feb. 22), the music video for Rihanna‘s “Umbrella” featuring Jay-Z has more than 1 billion clicks on YouTube, 15 years after it was first uploaded.

The late 2000s time capsule opens with Jay-Z rapping in front of a curtain of falling sparks, flanked by a troupe of models wearing dark hoodies and sunglasses. Then, 21-year-old Rih Rih takes over, armed with umbrella props as she gracefully dodges splashes of water and performs choreography in a number of settings. At one point, we see the future Fenty Beauty founder painted silver from head to toe.

“When the sun shines, we’ll shine together/ Told you I’ll be here forever,” she sings on the iconic track. “Said I’ll always be your friend/ Took an oath, I’mma stick it out to the end.”

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“Umbrella” topped the Billboard Hot 100 in 2007 and remained in the top spot for a total of seven weeks. It remains one of Rih’s biggest songs on the chart to date.

The same can be said for the “Empire State of Mind” rapper, who has only had one song last longer at No. 1 on the Hot 100 than “Umbrella” so far: his 2003 duet with now-wife Beyoncé, “Crazy in Love” (eight weeks).

Rihanna and Jay-Z have worked together a number of times since “Umbrella,” including on “Run This Town” with Kanye West in 2009, “Stranded (Haiti Mon Amour)” with Bono and The Edge in 2010 and “Talk That Talk” in 2011.

Watch the billion-viewed “Umbrella” music video above.

22 Feb 2024

Billboard Explains: Ice Spice’s Meteoric Charts Debut

With a year packed with jaw-dropping collaborations (Taylor Swift! Nicki Minaj!) and countless viral moments, it’s not a stretch to say Ice Spice owned 2023. Thus, it’s only right that the Bronx emcee be honored with the Hitmaker Award at the upcoming 2024 Billboard Women In Music Awards.

After going viral with her drill-rooted “Munch” back in August 2022, the fast-rising rap star conquered 2023 with a bevy of Billboard Hot 100 smashes and culture-shifting tracks. From “Barbie World” to “Actin a Smoochie,” Ice Spice’s knack for hits garnered her four Grammy nominations, including best new artist, and a slot as an opener on Doja Cat‘s Scarlet Tour.

Ice Spice has earned eight Hot 100 entries, almost all of them hitting the chart in 2023. Four of those hits reached the chart’s top 10, including “Boy’s a Liar, Pt. 2” (No. 3, with PinkPantheress), “Princess Diana” (No. 4, with Nicki Minaj), “Barbie World” (No. 7, with Nicki Minaj and AQUA) and the remix of Taylor Swift’s “Karma” (No. 2). Most recently, Ice’s latest single — the new jazz-inflected “Think U the Shit (Fart)” — debuted at No. 37 on the Hot 100. The “Gangsta Boo” rapper has also proved to be a force at radio, with “Princess Diana,” “Barbie World” and “Boy’s a Liar, Pt. 2” all reaching No. 1 on Rhythmic Airplay.

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Perhaps most impressively, Ice Spice has achieved all of these milestones without an official studio album. As fans await her forthcoming debut LP — titled Y2K — they can continue to spin Like..?, Ice’s debut EP. That project reached No. 15 on the Billboard 200 and included notable hits such as “Bikini Bottom” and “In Ha Mood.”

After the video, catch up on more Billboard Explains videos and learn about how Beyoncé arrived at Renaissance, the evolution of girl groups, BBMAs, NFTs, SXSW, the magic of boy bands, American Music Awards, the Billboard Latin Music Awards, the Hot 100 chart, how R&B/hip-hop became the biggest genre in the U.S., how festivals book their lineups, Billie Eilish’s formula for success, the history of rap battles, nonbinary awareness in music, the Billboard Music Awards, the Free Britney movement, rise of K-pop in the U.S., why Taylor Swift is re-recording her first six albums, the boom of hit all-female collaborations, how Grammy nominees and winners are chosen, why songwriters are selling their publishing catalogs, how the Super Bowl halftime show is booked and why Olivia Rodrigo’s “Drivers License” was able to shoot to No. 1 on the Hot 100.

22 Feb 2024

10 First-Timers on Billboard’s Charts This Week: The Castellows, Jordana, HOL!, TWS & More

Billboard has more than 200 different weekly charts, encompassing numerous genres and formats.

While established artists often compete for a spot on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart and Billboard 200 albums ranking, which track the most popular songs and albums of the week, respectively, up-and-coming talents typically start off on genre-specific lists.

Here’s a look at 10 titles by artists who appear on surveys for the first time on the Feb. 24-dated charts.

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The Castellows



The siblings are officially Billboard-charting artists for the first time, thanks to their debut seven-track EP, A Little Goes a Long Way. The set, released Feb. 9 via Henry-Dixon Line/Warner Records/Warner Music Nashville/WMN, debuts at No. 48 on the Top Current Album Sales chart with 2,000 copies sold in the U.S. in its opening week (through Feb. 15), according to Luminate. The group also enters at No. 28 on the Emerging Artists chart.

The Castellows are comprised of sisters Ellie (lead guitar), Lily (vocals), and Powell Balkcom (banjo), who hail from Georgetown, Ga., and are now based in Nashville. The group signed with Warner Music Nashville and Warner Records in October, along with Make Wake Artists for management and WME for global representation. “From the moment we met The Castellows, we knew they were the real deal,” Warner Records’ co-chairman/CEO, Aaron Bay-Schuck said in a press release. “Not only was their talent and star power immediately apparent, but they were also unapologetically themselves. The personality that Ellie, Lily and Powell display with their social posts and the stories they tell with their music are consistent with who they are in real life, and it’s this authenticity along with their determination and drive to be truly great that will make them an unstoppable force.”

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The trio is currently on the road on a string of tour dates that runs through June. The act is also slated to perform at several upcoming festivals, including Tortuga Music Festival, Boston Calling, Under the Big Sky and Bourbon & Beyond. Last month, CMT featured the group in its 11th annual Next Women of Country franchise.

Jordana



The singer-songwriter (full name Jordana Nye) debuts on Billboard’s charts thanks to her nearly three-year-old album with TV Girl, Summer’s Over. Released in October 2021 on Grand Jury Music, the seven-track set debuts at No. 2 on the Tastemakers Albums chart (which ranks the week’s top-selling albums at independent and small chain record stores). The album’s latest gains can be attributed to a new vinyl variants released, one being a Rough Trade exclusive vinyl pressing of the album, released Feb. 9. The set’s standard black vinyl pressing will also be released April 5.

In addition to releasing Summer’s Over with the group, the bedroom-pop musician has also served as a touring act with the band, performing bass and backing vocals. Separately, Jordana has released three solo LPs in her career: Classical Notions of Happiness (which she self-recorded and self-released in 2019), Something to Say to You (2020) and Face the Wall (2022). Her most recent release is a collaboration with Yot Club, “Safe House,” released in September.

HOL!



The French DJ nets his first career Billboard chart hit thanks to his team-up with Marshmello, “Movement.” The song, released Feb. 9 on Joytime Collective, debuts at No. 30 on the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart with 719,000 U.S. streams earned in its opening week.

HOL! has been releasing music on streaming services since 2020. While he’s already a familiar face in France, he broke through in the U.S. with his viral 2022 dubstep track “Country Riddim,” which Fred Again.., Four Tet and Skrillex played during their set at Coachella last year. The song combines riddim elements with classic country sounds — a genre rarely seen in the dance/dubstep community. HOL! released his debut full-length album, Black Hole Final Chapter, in 2021.

TWS: 24/7:WITH:US



The South Korean boy band arrived on Billboard’s charts for the first time last week (charts dated Feb. 17), thanks to its debut EP TWS: Sparkling Blue. Released Jan. 22 on Pledis Entertainment/Geffen/IGA, the five-track project debuted at No. 6 on World Albums and No. 8 on Heatseekers Albums (5,000 units) and No. 10 on Top Current Album Sales and No. 16 on Top Album Sales (4,000 albums sold). The set ranks on all four charts for a second consecutive week at, respectively, Nos. 11, 17, 24 and 36.

The act also debuted at No. 2 on the Feb. 17-dated Emerging Artists chart and ranks at No. 9 on the latest list. TWS: 24/7:WITH:US comprises members Dohoon, Hanjin, Jihoon, Kyungmin, Shinyu and Youngjae.

Wyatt Ellis



The 14-year-old bluegrass artist scored his first career Billboard chart entry thanks to his debut album Happy Valley. The 12-track set, released Feb. 2 on Knee High Records, debuted at No. 5 on the Feb. 17-dated Bluegrass Albums chart, and ranks at No. 6 on the latest list.

Ellis, from Maryville, Tenn., is a self-taught mandolin player who has already cemented himself as one of bluegrass’ biggest up-and-comers. He’s shared the stage with Dierks Bentley, Billy Strings and Molly Tuttle, among others, and made his debut at the Grand Ole Opry in November. On the new album, Ellis collaborated with several bluegrass mainstays, including Mike Compton, Sierra Hull, Bobby Osborne and Marty Stuart.

Maleek Berry



The Nigerian singer-songwriter/producer reaches Billboard’s lists for the first time as a recording artist thanks to his solo track “Kontrol.” The song, released in May 2016, debuts at No. 49 on the latest Billboard U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart, powered by AfroNation. TikTok has been a contributing factor to the song’s growing profile. A portion of the song’s audio has soundtracked over 160,000 clips on the platform to date.

Berry (full name Okunola Abdul Maleek Anu-Oluwapo Shoyebi) has been releasing music for more than a decade. In 2016, he dropped his debut EP Last Daze of Summer (which includes a version of “Kontrol”) and followed it up with his First Daze of Winter EP in 2018. In 2020, he released his debut full-length Isolation Room, which includes a collaboration with the prominent Afrobeats singer-songwriter Tiwa Savage (“Balance”). He has also collaborated with Adekunle Gold, GoldLink, Raye, Rudimental, Wizkid and Ycee. Outside of his work as a recording artist, he’s also an in-demand producer in the Afrobeats space, having produced songs for many artists, including Wande Coal, Davido and Wizkid.

Daniel Allan & Lyrah



Both artists arrive on Billboard’s charts for the first time with their collaboration “I Just Need.” Released in August 2023 on Family Affair, the song debuted at No. 37 on the Feb. 17-dated Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart and rises to No. 34 on the latest list (up 8% in plays).

Allan has been releasing music since 2019, with three studio LPs to his name since then: Glass House (released in 2022), Criteria with Reo Cragun (May 2023) and Duality (November 2023). Allan was one of the first breakout musical talents in the Web3 space in 2022. He sold a collection of 1,000 music NFTs, named Glass House, in less than 24 hours. “It was one of the most emotional moments I’ve had,” he told Billboard at the time. “It was the last thing I saw coming, genuinely.” He has three headlining shows on the calendar, all within the next month, in Denver, Los Angeles and New York City’s Brooklyn.

As for Lyrah, the L.A.-based singer-songwriter also reaches Billboard’s charts for the first time. She has released more than a dozen songs on streaming services, all since 2018, including two EPs: Chemicals in 2019 and Drain My Bank Account in June 2023. In December 2022, her song “Taken (Autograf Remix)” was featured in the HBO series The Sex Lives of College Girls.

Z3ELLA



The DJ duo lands its first career Billboard chart hit as “Why Should I?” debuts at No. 31 on Dance/Mix Show Airplay (up 80% in spins). Before that, the duo released six other songs on streaming services, including collaborations with Glass Petals, Koastle, Klo, Lash, Mondry and Piques. Z3ELLA comprises Julia Seeley and Kiana Tebyani.

Angelina Mango



The Italian singer-songwriter, from Maratea, Basilicata, achieves her first Billboard chart hit with “La Noia.” Released Feb. 7 on Warner Music Italy, the song (which translates to “The Boredom” in English) debuts at No. 51 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart and No. 110 on the Billboard Global 200 with 18.3 million streams.

The song was Mango’s winning entry in the 74th annual Sanremo Music Festival, which concluded Feb. 10. As Mango won, she’s now set to represent Italy in the Eurovison Song Contest in Malmö, Sweden. Since Italy is a member of the “Big Five” (along with France, Germany, Spain and the U.K.), Mango is automatically qualified to compete in the finals. Mango is the first female artist to win Sanremo in 10 years. “I’ll be honest, I didn’t expect anything of what happened,” Mango said in a press conference on Feb. 11, after the finals. “I was able to live every moment without too much pressure. I received a lot of strength from people and I had the best week of my life.”

Outside of “La Noia,” Mango has released two solo EPs: Monolocale in 2020 and Voglia di vivere in May 2023.

Geolier



The Italian rapper, from Naples, reaches Billboard’s charts for the first time with his international hit “I P’ Me, Tu P’ Te.” The title translates to “Me for Myself, You for Yourself.” Released Feb. 7 on Warner Music Italy, the song debuts at No. 33 on the Global Excl. U.S. chart and No. 91 on the Global 200 with 23.1 million streams worldwide.

Geolier competed in the 2024 Sanremo Music Festival, performing “I P’ Me, Tu P’ Te,” and ultimately placed second behind Angelina Mango.

Geolier has released numerous songs on streaming services, all since 2018, along with two full-length albums: Emanuele in 2019 and Il coraggio dei bambini in January 2023. He has also collaborated with many other Italian rappers, including Sfera Ebbasta, Guè, Lazza and Marracash.

22 Feb 2024

Madonna, the Weeknd & Playboi Carti Live the Lush Life in ‘Popular’ Video

Madonna, the Weeknd and Playboi Carti live the lush life in the new video for their collaboration “Popular.” The Cliqua-directed clip opens with a close-up for Madonna’s glittering grill, as she whispers, “I’ve seen the devil/ Down Sunset/ In every place/ In every face,” while the camera cuts to a shot of a lush hillside and the Weeknd (who now goes by his birth name, Abel Tesfaye) sings from inside a massive, art-dripping gilded mansion.

After flashing to Carti — wearing two Band-Aids on his cheeks a la rapper Nelly — spilling his red Solo cup drink near a luxury SUV, the scene cuts back to Madonna in a penthouse apartment, lolling on a couch and pointing the camera with a cane. The trio inhabit their own luxe spaces, but never intersect in the visual shot in New York and Atlanta.

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The song was originally released last June as part of the roll-out of music from Tesfaye’s ill-received HBO music drama The Idol.

The video’s debut came after Madonna posted a one-minute clip on Wednesday (Feb. 21) from a visual she shot for a Brazilian bank in which the pop icon asserts that her royal music status is not what you think. “The call me the Queen of Pop,” the singer says as she walks up the stairs of an ornate mansion in a flowing black coat, thigh-high leather boots and a black mini-dress and bustier combo. “I know it’s a compliment, but the monarchy is in the past.”

The 65-year-old singer then asserts, “I am not. I have no age. I’m all ages. It’s not about who I am, it’s about how many I am. Count my achievements, not the number of years I have lived on this planet.” Meanwhile, clips of some of her most iconic videos play over a symphonic, languorous version of her 1990 classic “Vogue.”

“I am always reinventing myself,” she says, staring directly into camera, her neck flooded with a cascade of pearls — some of which she later spits out of her mouth — while images of her many reboots and classic video looks flicker by. “So that I can keep being myself. I think the most controversial thing I have ever done is to stick around. I have seen many stars appear and disappear, like shooting stars. But my light will never fade.”

Check out the “Popular” video and the Itau Unibanco promo clip below.

22 Feb 2024

Gayle Reveals the Depths of Her Love for ‘Queen of Everything’ Taylor Swift

Like most Swifties, Gayle couldn’t help but gush about Taylor Swift several times during a recent conversation about music. 

While speaking to Interview in a Wednesday (Feb. 21) Q&A, the 19-year-old singer-songwriter – who opened for Swift during several Eras Tour stops in North America last year – shared that she thinks the “Anti-Hero” singer is the undeniable Queen of Pop. 

“Taylor Swift is the queen of everything,” Gayle told the publication, noting that the 14-time Grammy winner was her top artist of 2023. 

The “Abcdefu” musician also revealed that a song she wishes she wrote is the 34-year-old pop star’s 2014 hit “Wildest Dreams,” and opened up about the turmoil of choosing a favorite Swift era. “Reputation and Folklore are constantly fighting each other in my heart — but also, 1989,” she said. 

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Gayle is fresh off the Valentine’s Day release of her new single with Royal & the Serpent, “Kinda Smacks.” In addition to supporting Swift’s trek, the Nashville artist also opened for P!nk’s Summer Carnival run last year before embarking on her own Scared But Trying headlining tour. This summer, she’ll reunite with the “So What” singer for a string of shows in Europe. 

In December, Gayle opened up about how she signed on to the Eras Tour after meeting her idol for the first time. “[Swift] was like, ‘What are you doing next year?’ I was so nervous,” she recalled in an interview with NBC News Now. “I was like, ‘Yes, ma’am, I’m doing music next year.’” 

“And she’s like, ‘OK, do you tour?’ I was like, ‘Yes, ma’am, I tour,’” Gayle continued. “And then she was like, ‘Well, do you open up for people?’ And I don’t know why I said this, […] I was like, ‘I open up for people who ask me to open up for them.’” 

22 Feb 2024

Olivia Rodrigo & Noah Kahan to Release Live Lounge Covers of Each Other’s Songs for Record Store Day

The season of the sticks just keeps on giving. To celebrate this year’s Record Store Day, Noah Kahan and Olivia Rodrigo have announced a special vinyl package featuring both artists’ covers of each other’s songs — “Stick Season” and “Lacy,” respectively — on the BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge.

The announcement comes five months after Rodrigo covered Kahan’s breakthrough hit while making her Live Lounge debut — the recording of which will be on Side A of the duo’s special edition vinyl. Side B will feature the “Dial Drunk” singer’s rendition of the former Disney star’s fan-favorite Guts deep cut, which he performed on BBC Radio 1 just a couple months after Rodrgio stopped through.

The 7-inch colored disc will be available at participating record stores April 20. On the cover is a photo of Kahan in white overalls, smiling as he wraps an arm around Rodrigo.

Trending on Billboard

With the 27-year-old folk-pop artist’s recent string of collaborations as part of his Stick Season (Forever) reissue, many fans have been hoping that Rodrigo will be his next duet partner. In January, the 21-year-old “Vampire” singer revealed she was open to working with Kahan “I think he’s so great and he’s very inspiring,” she told Variety in January. “One of these days.”

That said, the Record Store Day joint release is probably the next best thing. This year, the annual celebration of independent music stores will be led by Paramore, following past ambassadors such as Taylor Swift, St. Vincent, Metallica, Pearl Jam and Jack White.

Both Kahan and Rodrigo will spend much of 2024 touring, with the latter artist’s first-ever arena trek kicking off Friday (Feb. 23) at Acrisure Arena in Palm Springs, Calif. On the same day, Kahan will perform in Copenhagen.

Rodrigo’s sophomore album Guts arrived in September and debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Kahan’s Stick Season, originally released in 2022, reached its current peak of No. 3 on the chart in June.