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K-pop superstars Stray Kids and Jimin make a splash atop the Billboard 200 (dated Aug. 3), as the acts’ latest albums, ATE and MUSE, debut at Nos. 1 and 2, respectively. In turn, it marks the first time the top two on the Billboard 200 are K-pop (Korean pop) albums.

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Further, ATE lands Stray Kids their fifth No. 1 in a row, making the act the first group ever to debut at No. 1 with their first five charting albums. They previously opened atop the chart with ODDINARY, MAXIDENT (both in 2022), ROCK-STAR and 5-STAR (both in 2023).

The only other artist to debut at No. 1 with its first five chart entries was rapper DMX in 1998-2003 with It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot (1998), Flesh of My Flesh Blood of My Blood (1999), …And Then There Was X (2000), The Great Depression (2001) and Grand Champ (2003).

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ATE arrives with 232,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending July 25, according to Luminate. That’s the largest week of 2024 for any K-pop album, and the sixth-biggest debut for any album this year. MUSE moves in with 96,000 units, and gives BTS member Jimin his second solo album to reach No. 2 (after last year’s FACE).

Also in the top 10 of the new Billboard 200, the Twisters soundtrack debuts at No. 7 with 57,000 equivalent album units earned. The country music-heavy album is the first soundtrack to reach the top 10 in 2024, and it does so with the year’s biggest week, by units earned, for any soundtrack. Further, it’s the first country soundtrack from a theatrical film to reach the top 10 in over a decade.

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. The new Aug. 3, 2024-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on July 30. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.

Of ATE’s 232,000 first-week units, album sales comprise 218,000, SEA units comprise 13,000 (equaling 19.05 million on-demand streams of the set’s songs) and TEA units comprise 1,000. With 218,000 copies sold, ATE is the top-selling album of the week, debuting at No. 1 on Top Album Sales. It also nets the largest sales week for any K-pop album this year and 2024’s second-largest sales week for any album of any genre (trailing only the 1.91-million sales debut of Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department). ATE’s sales were bolstered by its availability across 11 different CD variants, all containing collectible items like photocards, stickers and posters (some of which was randomized), including signed editions, as well as variants exclusive to Barnes & Noble, Target and Walmart.

As ATE is mostly in the Korean language, it is the 25th mostly non-English-language album to hit No. 1, and the second of 2024. On the March 9-dated chart, TWICE’s With YOU-th garnered the group its first leader when it opened at No. 1. Of the 25 mostly non-English-language albums to reach No. 1, 16 are mostly Korean, five mostly (or all) Spanish, one mostly Italian, one entirely French, and two mostly a blend of Spanish, Italian and French. Of the 25 almost all non-English-language albums to reach No. 1, 21 have topped the chart since 2018 (the year that K-pop superstars BTS scored their first of six No. 1s, with the chart’s first Korean-language No. 1s). Further, of the 16 K-pop albums that have reached No. 1, Stray Kids and BTS account for 11 (five and six, respectively).

Speaking of BTS, the group’s Jimin sees his latest solo project MUSE bow at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 with 96,000 equivalent album units earned. Of that sum, album sales comprise 74,000 (aided by its availability across nine CD variants, containing collectible posters, photocards and stickers; inclusive of exclusive editions sold at Barnes & Noble, Target and Walmart), SEA units comprise 15,000 and TEA units comprise 7,000. In 2023, Jimin’s first solo charting set, FACE, debuted and peaked at No. 2.

MUSE was preceded by the Billboard Hot 100-charting “Smeraldo Garden Marching Band” (with Loco), which debuted at No. 88 on the July 13-dated list.

Eminem’s The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce) falls to No. 3 in its second week with 79,000 equivalent album units earned (down 72%) after debuting at No. 1 a week ago. Swift’s former leader The Tortured Poets Department is a non-mover at No. 4 with 74,000 units (down 9%); Zach Bryan’s The Great American Bar Scene slips 3-5 with 71,000 (down 19%); and Morgan Wallen’s chart-topping One Thing at a Time dips 5-6 with 65,000 (down 2%).

Twisters: The Album debuts at No. 7 on the Billboard 200 with 57,000 equivalent album units earned — marking the first soundtrack the reach the top 10 in 2024 and the year’s biggest week, by units, for any soundtrack. Of that sum, SEA units comprise 40,000 (equaling 52.85 million on-demand official streams of the set’s 29 songs), album sales comprise 14,000 (it was available to purchase a digital download, CD and in three vinyl variants) and TEA units comprise 3,000.

The country music-heavy project is the companion album to the film Twisters, which blew into U.S. movie theaters on July 19. The film is a standalone sequel to 1996’s Twister, which boasted a rock-focused soundtrack (peaking at No. 28 on the Billboard 200).

The Twisters album features a wealth of new original material from country stars including Luke Combs, Jelly Roll, Miranda Lambert and Lainey Wilson, and was preceded by three charting hits on the Hot Country Songs chart (Combs’ “Ain’t No Love In Oklahoma,” Bailey Zimmerman’s “Hell or High Water” and Tyler Childers’ “Song While You’re Away”). Twenty of the album’s 29 songs appear in the movie, and over half of the album’s tracks were released over the course of the 10 weeks leading up to the set’s drop on July 19.

Twisters is the first country soundtrack to reach the top 10 since the Jan. 4, 2014-dated chart, when The Robertsons’ TV soundtrack Duck the Halls: A Robertson Family Christmas closed out its last week in the top 10, having peaked at No. 3 the previous November. As for country soundtracks to theatrical films, like Twisters, the last to reach the top 10 was Country Strong, which peaked at No. 6 on the Jan. 29, 2011, chart. The last country soundtrack from a theatrical film to debut in the top 10, like Twisters, was Hannah Montana: The Movie, which bowed at No. 2 on the April 11, 2009, chart, later reaching No. 1 on the May 2 list. (Soundtrack and country albums are defined as those that are eligible for, or have charted on, Billboard’s Soundtracks and Top Country Albums charts, respectively.)

Closing out the top 10 of the new Billboard 200 is Chappell Roan’s The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess (falling 7-8 with 54,000 equivalent album units; up less than 1%), Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft (6-9 with nearly 54,000; down 5%), and Noah Kahan’s Stick Season (holding at No. 10 with 43,000; up 10%).

Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.

Sinead O’Connor‘s official cause of death has been revealed one year after her passing.
The “Nothing Compares 2 U” singer’s death certificate lists that she died from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma, the Irish Independent reported on Saturday (July 27).

The death certificate specifically noted that O’Connor’s passing was a result of “exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and bronchial asthma together with low grade lower respiratory tract infection,” the publication said.

The certificate was reportedly registered by the late Grammy winner’s husband, John Reynolds, in London on Wednesday (July 24).

O’Connor died at 56 in her London home on July 26, 2023, where authorities said she was found “unresponsive.” The next day the police announced that they were not treating her passing as suspicious and had handed the investigation over to the coroner’s office to determine the cause of death.

In January, London’s Southwark Coroners Court announced that O’Connor died of natural causes and that the coroner had “therefore ceased their involvement in her death.”

At the time of her death, O’Connor’s family said, “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Sinéad. Her family and friends are devastated and have requested privacy at this very difficult time.”

The Irish singer struggled with mental illness throughout her life, including PTSD, depression and suicidal tendencies. In 2022, her 17-year-old son Shane died by apparent suicide. She is survived by three children, including daugher Roisin Waters, aged 28.

O’Connor released her bracing debut album, The Lion and the Cobra, in 1987, featuring the alt radio hits “Mandinka” and “I Want Your (Hands On Me),” followed by her breakthrough 1990 masterpiece, I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got. The sophomore effort featured her global breakthrough hit, the No. 1 Prince-written smash “Nothing Compares 2 U,” as well as such enduring favorites as “The Emperor’s New Clothes” and the hypnotic “I Am Stretched on Your Grave.”

Grupo Frontera’s latest single “Ángel,” featuring Romeo Santos, has topped this week’s new music Latin poll. In a poll published on Friday (July 26) — in support of the weekly New Music Latin roundup and playlist, curated by Billboard Latin and Billboard Español editors — music fans voted for the Texas-based group and Dominican artist’s […]

Just four days after officially wrapping her Mañana Será Bonito World Tour in Madrid, Spain’s Santiago Bernabéu Stadium (where she became the first artist to sell out four shows at that venue), Karol G made a surprise appearance at Feid’s own Madrid stadium concert on Saturday (July 27) at Estadio Cívitas Metropolitano.

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“I invited a person who’s very special to me, and I hope you receive her with a lot of noise and demonstrate the love we have for her, ready?” an ecstatic Feid told the crowd. “Hey mor, let’s give it up for my queen!”

Matching in light denim, armored motorcycle vests and neon sneakers, the power couple performed their 2021 collaboration “FRIKI” — the head-bopping reggaetón produced by Noize and Sky Rompiendo, and interpolates Karol’s 2018 hit “Pineapple.” In the rare public appearance, El Ferxxo and La Bichota did not hold back from an intense perreo dance, and a sweet pop kiss before leaving the stage.

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“A night of pure perreo and sweat in Madrid, WHAT A BLAST, what a crazy show Spain!!” Feid expressed on Instagram Sunday (July 28). “Thank you my queen for sharing this day with my combo.” On his Instagram Story, the Colombian artist continued gushing over how incredible his girlfriend looked and for “accompanying me on this special day.”

Up next, Feid is taking his Ferxxocalipsis Tour to Mexico. Karol, on the other hand, has finalized her MSB tour, and recently shared a heartfelt post on Instagram, thanking her team, family, friends, colleagues, and fans, for being part of her successful journey. 

“Today I look at the result of what we built and I see exactly everything I dreamed of years ago,” she wrote, assuring her fans that she is inseparable with them, and that this is only the beginning of many wonderful things.

Seven people were killed and many others were injured during a stampede at a music concert in Congo’s capital Saturday (July 27), authorities said. The stampede occurred at the 80,000-capacity Stade des Martyrs stadium in the heart of Kinshasa where Mike Kalambayi, a popular Congolese gospel singer, was performing, Kinshasa Gov. Daniel Bumba said. Explore […]

Taylor Swift‘s live version of “…Ready for It?” from The Eras Tour is the soundtrack to a new NBC commercial promoting the network’s coverage of the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
Swift shared the ad Saturday night (July 27) on Instagram, following her concert at Olympiastadion in Munich, Germany, where she’s performing twice this weekend.

“So ready to scream at my tv cheering for these athletes,” she wrote in an Instagram Story, adding a gold medal emoji to her comment while sharing a reel of the “…Ready for It?” promo.

“Baby Let The Games Begin. #WeAreReadyForIt, @taylorswift. Primetime in Paris: 8/7c on NBC and Peacock #ParisOlympics,” the official NBC Olympics account wrote about the ad themed to Swift’s bold Reputation album opener.

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The spot features U.S. Olympic stars including Noah Lyles, LeBron James, Carissa Moore, Jagger Eaton and more, with Simone Biles appearing at the end of the ad for the 2024 Olympics on NBC.

“Are you guys ready for it?” the famed gymnast asks with a big grin.

The 2024 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony featured performances from Lady Gaga and Celine Dion, as well as a pre-recorded cameo from Beyoncé, who introduced Team USA in Friday’s primetime coverage.

“We’ve got superstars and we’ve got legends. We’ve got big dreamers who fought their whole lives to get here. Who gave up everything for one shot, and made it. That pride and that joy? That’s what gets me about this team. And that’s what makes me believe in this team,” Beyonce, in a red, white and blue leotard, announced in the clip, which featured a patriotic rendition of Cowboy Carter track “YA YA.”

Find all the details about how to stream the 2024 Olympics here.

Check out NBC’s “…Ready for It?” Olympics commercial, and Swift’s Instagram Story reaction.

Nick Jonas remembers the “Disney Games” in a very specific way: “like Love Island on crack.”
Jonas, who tells Jimmy Fallon he skipped the 2024 Summer Olympics opening ceremony to visit The Tonight Show, appeared on NBC’s late-night show Friday, July 26. (The singer mentioned plans to head to Paris for the games later on, with friend/designer Ralph Lauren, who dressed him for his wedding with Priyanka Chopra in 2018.)

“You never competed in the Olympics,” Fallon pointed out. “You did, however, compete in the Disney Games.”

“What do you remember about this time of your life?” the host asked the Jonas Brother.

“So much hair,” joked Jonas, looking at a photo circa his youthful Disney star days.

“For those that don’t know,” Jonas explained, “the Disney Channel Games were basically the Olympics, but they would bring in 100ish Disney Channel stars from all over the world and make us compete in silly games.”Then he revealed where the real fun came in: “What it really was, was like Love Island on crack. They would put a bunch of teenagers in the Disney park after hours and just say, ‘Let’s see what happens.’”

Friday’s episode of The Tonight Show, with musical guest Ice Spice performing “Did It First/Think U The Shit (Fart),” also had a bonus: a pre-taped segment starring Will Ferrell, Nick Jonas and Jimmy Fallon performing a song about jorts, a sweet summer staple for the trio.

In the musical sketch about jorts, Fallon and Ferrell bring the basics — “I’m in my jorts/ I’m in my jort shorts/ I’m in in my jorts/ Jean shorts/ That means jorts” — and Jonas jumps in to jazz things up.

“I wear my jorts every day of the week/ They start at my hips and they end at my knees/ And if you see me you’ll know that I’m in ‘em/ They’re jorts and they’re short and they’re totally denim,” he sings on the spot, vying to join the jorts troupe.

Watch Jimmy Fallon’s latest interview with Nick Jonas, plus their “Jorts” sketch with Will Ferrell, below.

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Justin Bieber is counting down the days to fatherhood.
On Friday (July 26), the 30-year-old pop superstar shared a gallery of new photos on Instagram featuring himself cuddling up with his pregnant wife, Hailey, 27. The “Love Yourself” singer’s carousel begins with a snapshot of the married couple flipping the bird, followed by a sweet image of Justin snuggling up to Hailey’s bare baby bump. Other pictures show the Biebers flashing smiles as they enjoy what looks to be a tropical location.

Justin’s adorable post garnered comments from numerous celebrities, Quavo, Big Sean and Diplo. “The Biebs,” Quavo wrote, adding a fire emoji. “Love u bro,” Big Sean added with a red heart emoji. And Diplo commented, “yes papi.”

Hailey opened up about her pregnancy journey for a W Magazine cover story in late July.

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“I probably could have hid it until the end, but I didn’t enjoy the stress of not being able to enjoy my pregnancy outwardly,” the model explained of announcing her pregnancy at the six-month mark. “I felt like I was hiding this big secret, and it didn’t feel good. I wanted the freedom to go out and live my life.”

Hailey added, “In the beginning [of pregnancy], it was super emotional for me. Like, ‘I love this human so much. How can I possibly bring someone else into this?’ I’m trying to soak in these days of it being Justin and me, just the two of us.”

The pop star and Rhode founder announced that they are expecting their first child together in May, when they took to Instagram to share a series of photos and videos from a film shoot they did among a vast meadow, in which Hailey is seen wearing a skin-tight lace gown, cradling her growing baby bump as Justin snaps photos of her. In one of the clips, the couple also renewed their vows.

The couple officially wed in September 2018 at a New York City courthouse. A year later, they flew down to the Montage Palmetto Bluff hotel in South Carolina with their friends and family for a more traditional wedding ceremony and star-studded party.

See Bieber’s photos of his wife Hailey’s growing baby bump on Instagram here.

Kelly Clarkson was fighting back tears following Celine Dion‘s magical performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
During the games’ opening ceremony on Friday (July 26), the iconic chanteuse, 56, delivered an emotional rendition of Édith Piaf’s “Hymne A L’Amour” from the Eiffel Tower.

Dion’s jaw-dropping performance of the 1950s track, which translates to “The Hymn of Love,” marked her first live appearance since canceling North American concerts before revealing her battle with Stiff Person Syndrome, a rare neurological disorder that causes severe muscle spasms.

The moving delivery was emotionally overwhelming for Clarkson, who was covering the event as part of an NBC broadcasting team consisting of Mike Tirico and Peyton Manning.

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“I’ve been inspired, I’ve been dancing, I was not ready for that ending,” Clarkson said, beginning to get choked up. “If you know anything about Celine right now, she feels this is her purpose … and if you know anything about what she’s going through right now — I’m so sorry, I’m trying to hold it together right now. But then she got through that. That was incredible. In my field, she is the gold winner for vocal athletes.”

Dion previously seeded hope for her return to the stage in her recent Prime Video doc I Am: Celine Dion, in which she said of her determination to perform again: “If I can’t run, I’ll walk. If I can’t walk, I’ll crawl… I won’t stop.” She was also spotted earlier this week greeting fans in Paris outside Royal Monceau hotel near the Champs-Élysées.

Elsewhere in Friday’s ceremony, the Olympic cauldron was lit following a months-long torch relay, in which Snoop Dogg, BTS’ Jin and Pharrell Williams participated. Earlier in the day, Lady Gaga took the stage to perform a cabaret-style rendition of the French-language “Mon Truc en Plume” (“My Thing With Feathers”) in a minutes-long, highly choreographed routine.

Watch Clarkson’s emotional reaction to Dion’s Olympics performance via TMZ here.

Three members of the Nelons, a Gospel Music Association Hall of Fame quartet and the chairman of the board overseeing the Georgia Department of Corrections, were among seven people killed in a plane crash in Wyoming, according to a statement by a group member who was not aboard the aircraft.
The Nelons co-founder, Kelly Nelon Clark, her husband Jason Clark, and their daughter, Amber Nelon Kistler died in the crash Friday (July 26) afternoon, according to a statement from another daughter, Autumn Nelon Streetman. She is the fourth member of the Georgia-based quartet.

“Thank you for the prayers that have been extended already to me, my husband, Jamie, and our soon-to-be-born baby boy, as well as Jason’s parents, Dan and Linda Clark,” Nelon Streetman said. “We appreciate your continued prayers, love and support as we navigate the coming days.”

Also killed in the crash were Nelon Kistler’s husband, Nathan Kistler, family friend Melodi Hodges, and Larry and Melissa Haynie, according to Nelon Streetman.

There were no survivors.

Larry Haynie was chairman of the Georgia Board of Corrections and was remembered for “a career of valued public service,” according to a statement from Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp.

“Our entire family is asking everyone to join us in praying for those who have been lost, for their loved ones and communities, and for those throughout the gospel music community who have lost dear friends in this heartbreaking accident,” Kemp said.

The group was traveling to join the Gaither Homecoming Cruise to Alaska, according to a statement from Gaither Music Group, the sponsor of the cruise that features numerous gospel singers and groups.

Gaither Music said Hodges was an assistant for the band and that Larry Haynie was pilot of the aircraft and Melissa Haynie was his wife. The aircraft was identified as a single engine turboprop Pilatus PC-12/47E.

The crash occurred about 1 p.m. in Campbell County, Wyoming, north of Gillette and about 250 miles (402 kilometers) north of Cheyenne, according to a statement from Campbell County spokesperson Leslie Perkins.

Campbell County Fire Department Jeff Bender said in a statement Saturday that a fire caused by the crash has been contained to less than one square mile and that firefighters would remain on the scene throughout the day.

The National Transportation Safety Board spokesperson Keith Holloway said Saturday that preliminary information indicated the plane crashed following an “auto pilot issue during flight” and a team of investigators was headed to the site.

“The aircraft is in a remote location and once they gain access, they will begin documenting the scene, examining the aircraft,” Holloway said. “The aircraft will then be recovered and taken to a secure facility for further evaluation.”

A preliminary report on the crash is expected in about 30 days while a final report with the probable cause of the crash could take up to two years to complete, Holloway said.

The Nelons were inducted into the Gospel Music Association Hall of Fame in 2016 and were winners of 10 GMA Dove Awards, including multiple song of the year and album of the year awards.