Music
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Charli xcx is really your favorite reference, baby. Aminé is getting into the Brat Summer hype by dropping his “360.5” freestyle Tuesday. His 2-minute, 11-second video features a sublime Euro summer backdrop, with the sun setting behind the rapper, who’s wearing neon-green swim trunks and holding a glass of wine, in Ischia, Italy. “Yeah, 360, […]
Ivan Cornejo achieves his first No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart with Mirada, his third studio album, which debuts atop the Aug. 3-dated ranking. The 12-track effort follows two other top 10 albums for Cornejo, both within a year, between 2021-22.
Mirada starts at the summit on Top Latin Albums with 34,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. during the July 19-25 tracking week, according to Luminate. The set was released July 19, the first day of the tracking period, on Zaragoza/Insterscope/ICLG.
Of Mirada’s 34,000 units in its coronation week, 25,000 of those derive from streaming activity, which represent 35 million official on-demand U.S. streams of the album’s songs. Album sales comprise 9,000, while the remainder negligible amount stem from track sales. On Top Latin Albums, one unit equals one album sale, 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams for a song on the album.
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Third Regional Mexican Act to Debut at No. 1 on Top Latin Albums in the 2020s: 20-year-old Cornejo joins an elite group of regional Mexican acts whose projects launched at the summit on Top Latin Albums in the 20s decade. Alejandro Fernández’s Hecho En México debuted at No. 1 in Feb. 2020, while Eslabon Armado enlisted two No. 1 debuts, through Vibras de Noche and Desvelado in Aug. 2020 and May 2023, respectively.
Further, Cornejo captures his third top 10 on Top Latin Albums with a third appearance. The singer-songwriter visited the chart with the No. 7-peaking set Alma Vacía (Oct. 2021) and Dañado which peaked at No. 2 (Dec. 2022) and earned him a first Billboard Latin Music Award for regional Mexican album of the year in 2023.
Largest Debut Sales Week for a Regional Mexican Album Since 2020: Adding to Cornejo’s triumphs this week, the Riverside, Calif.-born artist likewise scores the largest debut sales week for a regional Mexican album since 2020, with 9,000 sold. The last regional Mexican album to start with a bigger sales figure was Fernández’s Hecho En México, which debuted at No. 1 on the Feb. 29, 2020-dated Top Latin Albums chart with 10,000 sold. Mirada‘s first-week sales were supported by a signed CD exclusive to his webstore, and a standard CD.
Second Regional Mexican Album to Debut in The Top 10 on Top Album Sales: Mirada is just the second regional Mexican album to debut within the top 10 on the all-genre Top Album Sales chart, which began in 1991. In total, 33 Latin albums have opened in the top 10. The only other regional Mexican album to debut in the top 10 was Fernández’s Hecho En México, with a No. 8 debut in 2020.
11 cuts from Mirada have landed on the multi-metric Hot Latin Songs chart, led by “Baby Please,” which bowed and reached a No. 8 high last March. Here’s a look at the album tracks on Hot Latin Songs, including two already ranked songs, a reentry, plus seven debuts on the current survey:
No. 7, “Intercambio Injusto”No. 9, “Sale Para Ser Feliz”No. 14, “Mirada”No. 19, “Baby Please”No. 21, “Herida Abierta”No. 23, “Vuelve”No. 27, “Donde Estás”No. 29, “Atención”No. 31, “Aquí Te Espero”No. 41, “Interlude”
Adding to Mirada’s breakthrough week, Cornejo reaches the top 20 for the first time on the overall Billboard 200, as the new album debuts at No. 17. He previously peaked at No. 28 with his last album, Dañado, in 2022. Plus, Mirada also debuts at No. 1 on Regional Mexican Albums, for Cornejo’s second No. 1 there.
Country music superstar Carrie Underwood seems primed to return to the show that set her career in motion nearly two decades ago, according to reports from multiple outlets. The multi-Grammy-winning country singer is expected to replace Katy Perry as the new judge of American Idol. Underwood was the winner of American Idol‘s fourth season in […]
He’s done rap, he’s done rock, and now Machine Gun Kelly is doing country.
After the 34-year-old artist covered The Chicks’ “There’s Your Trouble” at CMA Fest last month, a Spotify Singsles recording of the track has arrived — and you’re gonna want to grab your cowboy hat before pressing “play.”
On the song, the artist born Colson Baker adapts his voice to a twangy country croon, jamming out to a mix of guitar, drums and some good ol’-fashioned fiddle. “Should’ve all worked out but it didn’t/ She should be here now but she isn’t,” he belts. “There’s your trouble, there’s your trouble/ Keep seein’ double with the wrong one.”
The Cleveland artist performed the song on the Spotify House stage in June, where he also performed “My Ex’s Best Friend” and duetted with Jelly Roll on “Need a Favor” as part of this year’s CMA Fest. Baker and the country star later teamed up for a collaboration titled “Lonely Road,” borrowing its hook from John Denver’s classic hit “Take Me Home, Country Roads.”
The pair also shot a music video together, co-starring their real-life partners: Megan Fox, who was at one point MGK’s fiancée, and Bunnie XO, who is married to Jelly. In the cinematic visual, the two musicians struggle to provide for their spouses, leading the “I Think I’m Okay” artist to rob a bank in a scheme that gets him sent to jail. (Don’t worry, Fox and their fictional baby are free to visit him behind glass.)
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Though it looks like he could be headed for a rootsier era soon, Baker’s most recent album, 2022’s Mainstream Sellout, was distinctly pop-punk. It debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart dated April 9 of that year.
“There’s Your Trouble,” the second single from The Chicks’ 1998 blockbuster album Wide Open Spaces, topped the Hot Country Songs chart and was a top 40 hit on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 too.
Listen to MGK’s cover of “There’s Your Trouble” below.
Rema‘s rebelliousness and deep reverence for Afrobeats take center stage on his boundary-pushing sophomore album HEIS, stemming from his social media handle @heisrema and meaning the one in Greek. It reached No. 7 on Billboard‘s World Albums chart. Alté pioneer Boj delivers one of the season’s brightest LPs — while recruiting an international array of featured artists — on 12 Summers, which represents the dozen years he’s spent making music.
Tyla hops on her first song since releasing her eponymous debut album in March with Spinall’s “One Call” (also featuring Omah Lay), and it debuted at No. 12 on Billboard’s U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart this week (dated Aug. 3). And ODUMODUBLVCK flexes his chart success when he raps “22 weeks on the Billboard charts” on his braggadocious single “Not All That.”
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We’ve highlighted 10 of our favorite new Afrobeats (and related) songs that have come out roughly within the last month. Check out our latest Fresh Picks, and find your new summer soundtrack with our Spotify playlist below.
Odeal, “Soh-Soh”
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Odeal heats things up on “Soh-Soh,” the scintillating dancefloor highlight from his four-track EP Sunday At Zuri’s that’s influenced by Zuri Awela, an individual of Nigerian and South African descent he shouts out on X, and “represents parts of our Sunday at her beach house: noon (arrival), afternoon, evening, and night,” he wrote. While Odeal reminisces about last summer’s turnt vibes on “Soh-Soh,” he’s creating new memories this summer with a shorty he’s mesmerized by and willing to “spend one milli’ on” to win her heart. It’s impossible not to groove to the song’s sexy saxophone and crisp shakers – even Ciara can’t get enough of it.
Rema, “HEHEHE”
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“Monday morning, talking about me while I’m making money,” Rema boasts before bursting into his maniacal, cartoonish laugh that’s at the heart of his “HEHEHE” single from HEIS. The 24-year-old star guffaws at his haters with mischievous staccato chords punctuating each “HE,” the only time Rema catches his breath from his hoarse flow. His self-confidence reaches a fever pitch when he asserts himself in Afrobeats’ upper echelon alongside Wizkid, Burna Boy and Davido and doubles down on his three-month-old X statement: “No more big three, there’s now a big four.” But given Rema’s track record, and his latest LP being heralded for breathing new life into Afrobeats, it’s not a far-fetched statement.
Tay Iwar, Le Mav & GOLD, “Rock Steady”
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Five years after their first GOLD album, Tay Iwar and Le Mav (who are collectively known as GOLD) reunite on its glistening sequel EP GOLD II. On the highlight “Rock Steady,” Iwar muses about morning sex and his lover’s golden body, while Le Mav’s sultry production makes them want to linger in bed for just a little longer. But the tempo switch in the track’s final minute, where Iwar revs up the “These days, I’m feeling like I’ve been chosen” hook and Le Mav builds tension with the bridge’s piano chords before setting off the kaleidoscopic synth outro, ends “Rock Steady” on a highly spirited note.
Gabzy, JayO & Odeal, “Too Fine”
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UK R&B/Afrobeats artists Gabzy, JayO and Odeal aren’t letting a girl that’s “Too Fine” out of their sights in their latest collaboration. The trio combines swoon-worthy melodies, soulful guitar licks and saccharine lyrics to not just take a girl home for the night but to make her their wife, with Gabzy, whose alter ego is Mr. Malone, claiming she could be “Mrs. Malone” in the chorus. It’s hard not to succumb to their individual, irresistible charm, and their Vevo DSCVR performance is further proof.
Boj & Sainté, “Koshi”
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Boj taps fellow UK artist Sainté on the breezy opener “Koshi” from the former’s latest album 12 Summers. Tropical guitar melodies complement the DRB LasGidi member’s effortless swagger (“Rock best drip on legendary, fresh to death to cemetery,” he sings in the first verse), while Sainté raps about impressing a girl with the kind of money her previous man never had. But no amount of money or level of drip could make anyone compare to these two.
ODUMODUBLVCK, “Not All That”
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Few MCs have a more distinctive aesthetic as ODUMODUBLVCK, and in this latest single he ramps the energy up to the maximum, delivering a relentless series of verses that overflow with self-confidence, both listing his co-signs — Burna Boy, Skepta, Wizkid, Davido, Stormzy and Olamide all get name checked — and comparing himself to a reincarnated Tupac, while celebrating his wins over the past few years since he exploded on to the scene, like his two Headies Awards and “22 weeks on the Billboard charts.” If he’s talking about his breakout hit “DECLAN RICE,” it was actually 27 weeks on U.S. Afrobeats Songs, but after a while, it’s got to be hard to keep track. This song is a deserved victory lap.
Olamide, Fireboy DML & Asake, “Uptown Disco”
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The YBNL boys join forces again for this posse cut off label boss Olamide’s latest EP, Ikigai / (生き甲斐), Vol. 1, which, while certainly not a disco groove, pulses with electricity regardless. Fireboy sets the tone and helms the first verse and trades on and off with Olamide for the hook, before deferring to the latter for the second verse, as the two effortlessly slip in and out of languages and sports references. Asake brings the track home, putting an exclamation point on one of the only songs that features all three artists
Spinall feat. Tyla & Omah Lay, “One Call”
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Spinall has been one of the most consistently great DJs/producers in West Africa over the past several years, and here he brings together stalwart Omah Lay with one of the brightest lights of the past 18 months in Tyla for an infectious and sultry track, with Tyla in particular providing an irresistible contribution. The production grows along with the song, bringing it to a collaborative finale, and making it one of the best tracks of the month.
Rema, “YAYO”
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Rema’s HEIS album represents a step forward in the young singer’s career as he continues to progress beyond the astronomical success of “Calm Down.” With “YAYO,” he delivers a frenetic track that ripples with energy, with a blistering hook that provides the only half-second break in the whole song — and a burst of melody that feels at once surprising and infectious.
Boj feat. Victony, “Pressure”
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This silky cut from Boj’s excellent new album 12 Summers represents another palette on which crooner Victony can paint, as he comes through with his distinctive voice to take over the track with a verse that brings his mind to the gutter. Which is not to say that Boj himself is lacking on the track, a standout on his collab-filled project — his vocal is the steady counterpoint, the tamer side of the human spirit that helps make the song whole, a great late-night single.
BOJ ’12 Summers’
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Megan Moroney is clearing the air about the longtime rumors that she dated Morgan Wallen. The country star is the latest guest on the Call Her Daddy podcast, where host Alex Cooper directly asked her if she dated the “Last Night” singer. “Never exclusively,” Moroney replied. “I have tried to avoid that in every single […]
The standard chord in a country song has three notes, but the members of Little Big Town approach their material with four voices.
The incongruity is a source of tension — good tension, to misquote John Lewis — that adds up to 25 years. The group gave its first public performance at the Grand Ole Opry in May 1999, sang the national anthem a day later before an Oscar de la Hoya boxing match in Las Vegas and received its first concert payday — a $2,000 check after opening for Dwight Yoakam — four weeks after that.
As Little Big Town celebrates its 25th anniversary with the Aug. 9 release of Greatest Hits, all four of the group’s original voices — Jimi Westbrook, Kimberly Schlapman, Karen Fairchild and Phillip Sweet — remain in the lineup, in a show of unity that defies the norm.
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“I think back to when we started and the people that were in town — a lot of those people are [still] here, but then there’s a lot of people that aren’t,” Westbrook reflects. “We know how hard it is to last this long in this. But then for a group of four individuals to stay together without any switch-out of personnel within the four of us — yeah, we know how hard that is. And we’re so grateful.”
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Little Big Town marks its silver anniversary with several notable undertakings. The band’s Greatest Hits collection will include three new collaborations: Sugarland joins the group on a cover of Phil Collins’ “Take Me Home,” Kelsea Ballerini assists on a reworking of the 2010 LBT track “Shut Up Train,” and Miranda Lambert updates the band’s 2010 single “Little White Church.” “She came in the studio and just smoked it,” Sweet says of Lambert’s performance.
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Later in this anniversary year, LBT embarks on a Take Me Home Tour of 18 arenas with Sugarland, and NBC will present a two-hour holiday special, Little Big Town’s Christmas at the Opry, with a slate of unnamed guests.
Plenty has changed during LBT’s 25-year run. The members have been with three different labels; Westbrook and Fairchild married seven years into the band’s existence; Schlapman lost her first husband to a heart attack; and the addition of kids into the LBT mix created additional dynamics to navigate.
No matter how the tides of fortune have turned or their personal relationships have changed, the quartet has stayed committed to the group. They’ve done some work outside LBT, but none of them has released a band-challenging solo album.
“I think we find real joy in creating together,” Sweet says. “There’s something about that that heals — it brings things in that we couldn’t have done if we were all independent solo [artists]. I mean, harmony — cheesy as a word as that can be — it is a true thing. We found harmony within ourselves, and then when our voices sing together, we feel that joy, we feel that harmony, we feel something bigger than ourselves.”
The 25th anniversary and Greatest Hits point in tandem to what makes Little Big Town’s brand bigger than the average career. The bulk of the songs on Greatest Hits — including 2005’s “Boondocks,” 2012’s “Pontoon” and 2014’s “Girl Crush” — feel more recent than they really are. LBT’s Taylor Swift-written “Better Man” topped Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart in 2017, seven years ago. It’s the last top 10 single the group has had, though other, more recent songs — including 2020’s RIAA-certified double-platinum party track “Wine, Beer, Whiskey” and 2019’s female-empowerment statement “The Daughters” — have made their biggest impact by widening the group’s creative turf.
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This year’s Sugarland dates are a reminder of how Little Big Town connects even when country’s most traditional means of exposure, broadcast radio, isn’t particularly receptive. Those two acts teamed with Jake Owen for a 2007 cover of “Life in a Northern Town,” a choice that seemed quizzical at the time: a melancholy post-new wave pop song that contrasted with the heartland rockers that were most often used as country covers during that era. “Life in a Northern Town” didn’t chart, but it earned a Grammy nomination and became a cult favorite among the LBT fan base. It also strengthened the group’s creative convictions.
“It definitely shaped the way we approach making music — following our own creative inspiration rather than trying to chase radio, because that wasn’t always available for us,” Westbrook says. “I feel like we’ve probably always been that band that people gave us opportunities when we would stretch ourselves. So I think a lot of the biggest songs that we’ve had were moments that weren’t necessarily what people would call chasing a trend. It was us just kind of following our creative inspiration.”
That inspiration plays out unlike any other act in the format, in great part because LBT crams four voices into those three-note chords. In some of the act’s most effective pieces — “When Someone Stops Loving You,” “Silver and Gold,” “Leavin’ in Your Eyes,” “Tumble and Fall” — there are moments when the extra voice wedges itself in on a note that makes the harmonies thick and unstable with a slight sting of dissonance. Even if those songs don’t land among the band’s greatest hits, they fill out the members’ creative palette and put them in a distinct sonic country space.
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“There’s tones between the tones,” Sweet explains. “There’s beautiful things that happen when we create together that I can’t explain. There’s vibrations and overtones and things that happen. You can’t explain it; you just have to feel them. [If] it goes to No. 58 on the charts, who cares? We loved it.”
Those songs, it can be argued, are — alongside the still-necessary hits — the key to the group’s longevity, keeping the fan base interested in Little Big Town’s work even as they keep the members interested in staying together.
“We’re still out here, fighting and loving every minute of it,” Westbrook says. “And I’m grateful that after 25 years that it’s still happening.”
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: Big movie soundtracks are back, as the classic hits-laden Deadpool and Wolverine and the modern country All-Stars-colleting Twisters both generate huge gains for their featured synchs upon their release, while a pair of very different artists get bumps from their memorable Olympics appearances and much more.
Deadpool & Wolverine & *NSYNC: Marvel Smash Boosts ‘Bye Bye Bye’ & More
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Last weekend at the box office, Deadpool and Wolverine tag-teamed to shatter records: the Marvel superhero crossover starring Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman grossed a staggering $205 million domestically in its opening weekend, earning the top debut of 2024 so far, and the biggest bow ever for an R-rated movie. Naturally, the success of a film full of popular music cues — the Deadpool & Wolverine soundtrack includes smashes from Fergie, Goo Goo Dolls, Huey Lewis and the News and Avril Lavigne, among others — has resulted in several of those songs experiencing hefty streaming bumps… with Justin, JC, Joey, Lance and Chris leading the way.
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The beginning of Deadpool & Wolverine features Deadpool performing *NSYNC’s classic “Bye Bye Bye” choreography while the No Strings Attached single soundtracks an opening-credits action scene, a sequence that has already been deconstructed and meme’d across TikTok ad nauseum. As a result, “Bye Bye Bye” is booming on streaming platforms — the track sits at a new high of No. 32 on today’s Spotify daily top 50 U.S. chart, ahead of more recent smashes like Eminem’s “Houdini” and Taylor Swift & Post Malone’s “Fortnight” — and scored 3.35 million official on-demand U.S. streams from July 26-29, according to Luminate, up 382% from that streaming total during the same period the previous week (695,000 from July 19-22). “Bye Bye Bye” peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2000, and while the boy band classic probably won’t climb that high again, *NSYNC could actually threaten a return to the Hot 100 if these streaming numbers continue to grow in the coming days and weeks.
While “Bye Bye Bye” may be getting the biggest boost from Deadpool & Wolverine, just about every song on the soundtrack – from Eric Carmen’s ‘80s pop gem “Make Me Lose Control” to the Platters’ doo-wop standard “Only You” – sees major gains this week. In particular, a pair of late-20th-century pop perennials see major gains after being featured in the blockbuster: Madonna’s “Like a Prayer” was up 229% in streams from the weekend prior to the film opening (506,000 streams from July 19-22) to its opening weekend (1.66 million streams from July 26-29), while over that same tracking period, Green Day’s “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” was up 88% in streams, from 708,000 streams to 1.33 million streams. – JASON LIPSHUTZ
New Songs by Country Hitmakers Swept Up by Twisters Soundtrack
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Before Deadpool and Wolverine stormed the box office, the biggest story in the film world this July was the breakaway success of Twisters, spiritual sequel to the 1996 tornado-chasers action-drama blockbuster Twister. While the soundtrack to the Oklahoma-set original film featured a mix of alternative and stadium rock, with just a smattering of country, the new installment – also taking place in the Sooner State – leans all the way in on the latter genre, with a 29-track accompanying album featuring big names from all corners of the country world.
While many of the tracks had been rolled out prior to the official release of the movie and its soundtrack two Fridays ago (July 19), all of those previously available songs saw huge bumps in the tracking week that followed. Miranda Lambert’s “Ain’t in Kansas Anymore” was up 112% in official on-demand audio streams (to 2.3 million) and up 268% in sales (to 1,700) from the prior week, according to Luminate, while Lainey Wilson’s “Out of Oklahoma” grew 182% in streams (2.9 million) and 750% in sales (3,100). And Luke Combs’ “Ain’t No Love in Oklahoma,” already an established top 40 hit, jumps to a new peak on the Hot 100 this week (32-13), thanks to gains of 75% gain in streams (15.2 million) and 178% in sales (7,400).
All the streaming success helped Twisters: The Album score an impressive No. 7 debut on the Billboard 200 albums chart this week – making it the first soundtrack album to reach the chart’s top 10 since last summer’s Barbie: The Album, and the first country soundtrack to do so since Country Strong in 2011. – ANDREW UNTERBERGER
Olympics Opening Ceremony: Gojira, Céline Dion Streaming Catalogs Go for the Gold
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The opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics — the first commencement extravaganza held outside of a stadium in modern Olympics history, as athletes from around the world paraded by boat along the Seine in Paris on Friday night (July 26) — also included some unexpected musical showcases, from Lady Gaga’s take on “Mon truc en plumes” to Drag Race France stars dominating a fashion runway.
Two of those performances, at very opposite ends of the musical spectrum, were still making waves on streaming platforms in the U.S. days after the opening ceremony: French head-bangers Gojira, which became the first metal act to perform at an Olympics ceremony, and pop legend Céline Dion, in her first performance since 2022 due to her struggle with stiff person syndrome.
Gojira’s surprising spot on the world stage naturally led viewers to peruse the long-running group’s back catalog: the band’s discography earned 3.12 million U.S. on-demand streams from July 26-29, according to Luminate, which represented a whopping 283% increase from the same four-day period the previous week (814,000 streams from July 19-22). And while Dion’s streaming catalog was starting at a much higher level of listens prior to the Olympics, her emotional return to the stage also sparked a major increase in plays, from 4.13 million streams from July 19-22 to 5.91 million streams from July 26-29 — a 43% gain. – JL
Virality of Royel Otis Cover (And Cranberries Original) Continues to “Linger” Thanks to… Uh, Well Just Read On
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Australian pop-rock duo Royel Otis is rapidly becoming the internet’s favorite covers band. After their rendition of Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s Saltburn-revived U.K. pop hit “Murder on the Dancefloor” brought them a surprise top five hit on the Rock & Alternative Airplay chart, they caught fire this summer with a new take on the Cranberries’ enduring mid-’90s crossover smash “Linger.” While the cover version had been racking up millions of U.S. streams every week for months already, the song is spiking again the past week, for some extremely 2024 reasons.
Your 14-year-old cousin could probably do a better job explaining the ins and outs of the cover’s recent virality than us, but we’ll give it a shot: Recently, popular Twitch streamer Sketch (real name: Kylie Cox) did a livestream that he called “Sketch of the Union,” meant to address rumors that had surfaced about him having previously appeared in gay porn films that had been shared on adult subscription service OnlyFans. During a particularly memorable part of the stream, Sketch gave credit to some of the folks who had stood by him during backlash he’d received stemming from the rumors (“Shout out Banks, shout out my parents…”), with his voice breaking from the emotion.
Clips of this climactic moment of the livestream ultimately made their way from Twitch to TikTok, with user @DennysJob laying the Royel Otis “Linger” underneath video of Sketch’s shoutout section, for a clip that has amassed nearly seven million views. The combined audio of the song and the speech ended up going viral in its own right, with other users lip synching to the shoutouts, and many more flocking to the song’s YouTube comments section to post variations of “shout out Banks” (with Banks referring to FaZe Clan CEO Richard Bengston, better known as FaZe Banks). As a result, the Royel Otis “Linger” posted over 3 million official on-demand U.S. streams over the first four days of this tracking week (July 26-29), a gain of 135% over the same period the week before, according to Luminate.
But that’s not all, of course. The Cranberries’ original “Linger” – which has already seen some major TikTok success this year, even reaching No. 13 on the Billboard TikTik Top 50 back in February – also had been racking up weekly streams in the millions this summer, and is now also seeing a spillover bump from the Royel Otis version’s increased exposure. The ‘90s “Linger” notched nearly 2.6 million streams from July 26-29, a 25% gain over the same period the week before. If the gains continue, the two versions could be duking it out for position on various rock-based Billboard charts in the weeks to come. – AU
Indian Rapper Hanumankind Makes Global Splash With Project Pat-Inspired “Big Dawgs”
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Thanks to an eye-popping daredevil music video and Project Pat’s timeless, irresistible flow, Kerala-born rapper Hanumankind has scored his first global hit with “Big Dawgs.” During the week of July 12-18, “Big Dawgs” earned just over 40,000 official on-demand U.S. streams. That number exploded by an unbelievable 3,055% to over 1.27 million streams during the week of July 19-25, according to Luminate.
Hanumankind, who is signed to Def Jam India, dropped “Big Dawgs” on July 9, with its official music video arriving the following day (July 10). The music video is inspired by the Well of Death, an attraction where people essentially drive motorbikes or cars around the walls of a silo at a near-90-degree angle. Naturally, such a visually arresting video made major waves, with several major streamers and Internet personalities sharing the clip with their Stateside followings.
On July 24, hip-hop commentator DJ Akademiks shared the music video to his official Instagram page, which boasts 5.3 million followers. On July 25, TikTok personality @itsyujen shared a reaction to the music video, which garnered a whopping 6.4 million views. Over the next four days (July 26-29), “Big Dawgs” posted an 824% increase in streaming activity versus the same period the week prior, with over 3.8 million streams.
The song, which also features Kalmi, has taken over hip-hop discourse in the States, with many lauding Humankind’s nod to Project Pat and his commitment to the art of the music video. On TikTok, the official “Big Dawgs” sound boasts over 25,300 videos and the official music video has earned over 6.1 million views on YouTube.
In an interview with The Hindu, Hanumankind revealed that both Project Pat and Bun B have privately given him his flowers. “These are my idols, my heroes. They hit me up,” he said. “They’re messaging me, telling me that they appreciate what we’re doing over here.” – KYLE DENIS
Kapo Scores Breakout Hit With “Ohnana”
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Five years after he debuted with the sultry “Humo,” rising Latin music star Kapo has secured an undeniable breakout hit in “Ohnana.
According to Luminate, “Ohnana” has posted a 125% increase in streams over the past four weeks, with the song pulling in over one million official on-demand U.S. streams in each of those weeks. Released June 6, the song ended that month with just under 700,000 streams during the period of June 21-27. On June 27, TikToker user @kendryoficiall posted a self-choreographed dance video that kicked off a larger trend on the app. To date, Kendry’s initial video – which featured several dancehall-informed moves – has garnered 4.1 million views, leading the official “Ohnana” sound to over 230,500 posts on the app.
On July 17, Grammy-nominated global superstar Maluma teased an upcoming remix of “Ohnana,” which garnered over 9.3 million views on his official Instagram alone. While the remix is still yet to be released, the tease helped “Ohana” earn one of its biggest week-over-week increases, jumping 35% in streaming activity from 1.7 million streams (July 12-18) to 2.3 million streams (July 19-25).
In addition to its TikTok virality, “Ohnana” has soundtracked nearly 150,000 Instagram Reels and its official music video has pulled in nearly 31 million views in just one month. Already a massive hit in his hometown of Colombia – the song reached a new peak of No. 3 on the Colombia Songs chart dated Aug. 3 — “Ohnana” also helped Kapo make his first appearance on the Billboard Global 200 (No. 112, chart dated Aug. 3). With the Maluma remix still on the way, Kapo could be making hisHot 100 debut next. – KD
Billboard JAPAN interviewed Official HIGE DANdism for the latest edition of its “MONTHLY FEATURE” series, highlighting today’s leading artists and works. The four-man band recently released Rejoice, its first album in almost three years.
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Starting with their breakout 2019 release “Pretender,” they have created countless hits, become a beloved band throughout the country. Their October 2022 release “Subtitle” was an especially big success, claiming the No. 1 spot on five of Billboard JAPAN‘s charts for the first half of 2023, such as the “JAPAN Hot 100” chart. Rejoice, their new album, contains a total of 14 songs, including “Subtitle” and “Mixed Nuts,” the opening theme of the SPYxFAMILY anime.
Billboard Japan spoke to all four members of the band about what led to the creation of this new album and the growing support they’re enjoying from overseas fans.
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When did you first start working on the overall image and concept of your new album?
Satoshi Fujihara: When we finished our last album, Editorial, we were talking about making our next album a more joyful one. The last album had shined a spotlight on deep-down feelings and melancholy about the future, we wanted to change the mood and go in a happier direction next.
How have the past three years, since your last album, been for you, as a band?
Fujihara: Our fan base has been growing since 2019. When we started out, I thought I might find that uncomfortable, but over the past three years, I’ve become comfortable with the fact that I live a kind of unusual life, in a good sense. A very blessed life. At the same time, it’s also felt like we’ve been able to expand our potential, always striving to create even better music, but not in a stoic way — instead, we’ve been able to do that while having fun. It’s been an extremely fruitful and pleasant three years.
Daisuke Ozasa: I think over these years we’ve become more confident in the music we like, our own individual character, and the kind of music that has shaped us through the years. I think that all comes out through the music on the album.
Masaki Matsuura: The discussions we had while creating the new album were relaxed and at ease. I think that was a sign of just how much we grew over those three years.
Makoto Narazaki: Of course, I want to get better, and I want to record good songs. But in the past, I felt like I had to hold myself up to a really high standard, while now I feel like I can just be myself. I think that the whole group’s atmosphere has changed in the same way. It feels more open, with more room to breathe. There’s this sense of “Why don’t we just try to have fun with everything we do?”
I’m sure you put a lot of care into the arrangements of the songs on the album, and how the songs develop, but you’re saying that one of your driving forces was a more simple sense of “It might be fun if we did this” or “It could be interesting if we did that”?
Fujihara: Exactly. Without that, it would just be a copy-and-paste job. I think that approach of arranging songs is a more natural style for us.
I think one of the things that makes Official HIGE DANdism’s music so appealing is that it goes in directions that the listener isn’t expecting. Your songs take on all kinds of musical challenges.
Narazaki: One of the biggest and most prominent examples of that is the structure of our songs, but we’re also taking on new challenges with our tone and in other areas which maybe listeners won’t notice. Songs are more fun if there’s some playfulness to them, and it’s great to listen to a completed song and be like, “that sounds really cool.” When you can do that, there’s the potential for doing it with different concepts, as well, which presents its own new challenges. I find that really satisfying.
Which are each of your favorite songs on the album?
Narazaki: For me, it’s probably “TATTOO.” We all got together in the studio, started up the DAW, and we were looking at the demo data on Satoshi’s computer, talking about how we wanted the song to sound. The demo had these vintage synth and keyboard sounds. It may just be me, but I find those kinds of sounds cheesy but at the same time kind of cool. Like, they put me at ease when I hear them, or they strike my fancy at the time. They’re timely, in an odd way. That’s why I like “TATTOO.” “Nichijo” and “Get Back To Jinsei” have a similar feel. If you think of each song as a stew, then it’s like they’re different stews but they have similar spices. They have that same sense of place in time, that same kind of nostalgic flavor. After working on them, when we worked on the other songs (on the album), I got that same sense of cool cheesiness and that same nostalgic feeling.
Fujihara: For me, it’s “Sharon.” In terms of musical theory, what we’re doing is a little fiddly, but the end result is incredibly natural. I’m very happy with how it came out. Now, we’re rehearsing it in preparation for live shows, and the power of the band really comes across. In a way, it’s a very dependable song — I can feel comfortable giving myself up to the music, which makes it one of my favorites.
Ozasa: I like “B-Side Blues.” It’s the first song that the whole band has recorded in a single take in about five years. The whole album isn’t exactly packed with notes, but this one has even fewer notes than most, so the feeling of each of our performances comes across very vividly. It’s also a beautiful song for bringing the album to a close. The word Rejoice has this image of profound, powerful joy. The album starts off with extremely energetic songs, like “Get Back To Jinsei.” But as the album progresses, the joy it expresses comes closer to home. Little by little, it becomes more personal, more about the things we value in our own lives. The album ends with “B-side Blues,” which truly expresses this personal joy.
Matsuura: Of all the songs on the album, the process of recording the drums took the longest for “Mixed Nuts,” so it left the strongest impression on me. It has a lot of jazz elements, and the tempo is fast, making it a hard song to play. I don’t have a jazz background, so I had someone who used to play jazz show me the ropes. There were a lot of cases like that, where I was studying new things, and when I’ve jammed with other musicians, sometimes they’ll ask how I played my part on “Mixed Nuts,” or they’ll say they think it’s a really interesting song. It’s the kind of song that spurs a lot of talk as a drummer, and was a ton of fun to play.
I expect you’ve been hearing from overseas audiences, too. Tell us about what their reaction has been like.
Fujihara: Yes, we’re getting a lot of messages on social media from overseas fans, in languages we can’t read, asking us to come to their countries and perform. It’s a strange feeling, but also a wonderful one. We did once play in Korea, a long time ago. There were only like three people in the audience. That makes all the feedback we’re getting from overseas audiences now feel that much stranger.
On Billboard JAPAN’s Global Charts, songs like “Pretender” are also very popular in Korea. They’re ranking highly in various countries throughout Asia.
Fujihara: Every time we hear a fan saying they’re waiting for us to play a show in their country, it makes us want to go there and perform even more. We haven’t done any overseas shows since that show in Korea, but lately we’ve been talking about how it would be nice to perform overseas sometime in the near future.
—This interview by Tomonori Shiba first appeared on Billboard Japan
THE RAMPAGE from EXILE TRIBE’s “24karats GOLD GENESIS” soars to No. 1 on this week’s Billboard Japan Hot 100, rising 49-1 on the chart dated July 31.
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Digitally released in June, the track debuted at No. 40 on the list dated June 19 after collecting points in downloads, streaming and radio airplay. The CD version went on sale July 24 and sold 326,342 copies in its first week, powering the track to No. 1 after seven weeks on the Japan Hot 100 where it consistently performed well mainly in radio leading up to this week.
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Mrs. GREEN APPLE‘s “Lilac” holds at No. 2, still leading streaming for the sixth straight week. Overall points for the Oblivion Battery opener have increased slightly, with the track coming in at No. 7 for downloads, No. 3 for video, No. 98 for radio, and No. 9 for karaoke.
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Creepy Nuts’ “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” is back at No. 3, rising a notch after points for radio increased from the week before. The viral hit has been charting in the top 5 for 28 consecutive weeks.
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STARTO for you’s “WE ARE” rises to No. 4. The charity single by the project featuring 75 members from 14 groups under STARTO ENTERTAINMENT, including King & Prince, SixTONES, and Snow Man, launched with 209,847 CDs to hit No. 2 for sales, but didn’t chart in any of the other metrics of the Japan Hot 100’s methodology.
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Kocchinokento’s “Hai Yorokonde” continues to rise, moving 10-8 on this week’s chart. The track continues to hold at No. 1 for video for the fourth week in a row, and climbs 12-9 for downloads, 16-13 for streaming, and debuts at No. 75 for karaoke. Incidentally, while the video for “Hai Yorokonde” is being watched mostly in Japan (60%), it’s also being consumed in other countries including South Korea (8%) and the U.S. (5%), and the number of views in the latter two countries has been increasing in recent weeks, according to Luminate.
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The Billboard Japan Hot 100 combines physical and digital sales, audio streams, radio airplay, video views and karaoke data.
See the full Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart, tallying the week from July 22 to 28, here. For more on Japanese music and charts, visit Billboard Japan’s English Twitter account.