Music
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Slim Shady’s not dead on Australia’s charts.
Eminem’s The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce) (via Interscope/Universal) enters a second week at No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart, published Friday, July 26.
As previously reported, The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce) is the Rap God’s 11th No. 1 in Australia, a streak that reaches back to The Marshall Mathers LP in 2000. It’s his 10th to debut at the summit.
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The top new release on the latest ARIA Chart belongs to K-pop group Stray Kids with their mini album Ate (VMG/Universal), new at No. 5. It’s Stray Kids’ fifth ARIA Top 50 appearance after Noeasy (No. 14 in 2021), Maxident (No. 4 in 2022), 5-Star and Rock-Star (both peaked at No. 2 in 2023).
Stray Kids have an Australian connection through bandmates Felix and Bang Chan. Earlier this week, the pop group announced the Australia leg of their dominATE world tour, with shows at Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium (Oct. 19) and Sydney’s Allianz Stadium (Oct. 26), produced by Live Nation.
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British indie band Glass Animals roars to No. 5 with I Love You So F***ing (via Polydor/Universal), their fourth studio album. Glass Animals made an early breakthrough with Australian audiences when, in 2021, their song “Heat Waves” won triple j’s Hottest 100 countdown. “Heat Waves” went on to finish 2021 as the year’s best-selling single in Australia.
As TV Girl completes a four-date, three-city tour of Australia, the U.S. alternative pop act lands chart debuts with the independently-released 2016 LP Who Really Cares (at No. 13) and 2014 debut French Exit (No. 19). TV Girl wrapped its national tour July 20 with a performance at Brisbane’s Riverstage with The Last Dinner Party.
Further down the albums tally, BTS member Jimin’s new album Muse (BigHit Entertainment/Universal) arrives at No. 27, for his first solo appearance on the national albums survey.
Over on the ARIA Singles Chart, Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” (via Empire) starts a fourth consecutive week at No. 1. Meanwhile, Billie Eilish’s “Birds Of A Feather” flies 3-2, for a new chart position. According to ARIA, it’s the U.S. pop phenomenon’s fourth single to reach the top 2 following “Bad Guy,” “Everything I Wanted” and “What Was I Made For?” “Birds of a Feather” is lifted from former No. 1 Hit Me Hard And Soft, which dips 2-3 on the albums leaderboard.
Finally, Sabrina Carpenter doubles up with top 5 appearances for platinum-certified “Espresso” (down 2-3 via Island/Universal) and “Please Please Please” (down 4-5). Both singles have logged time at No. 1.
INI will return to California later this week to hit the stage at KCON LA 2024, the third time the group has participated in this event since their first appearance in 2022. This year’s KCON takes place Friday (July 26) to Sunday at Crypto.com Arena, L.A. Convention Center and Gilbert Lindsay Plaza in Los Angeles.
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INI — pronounced “eye-en-eye” — is an 11-member global boy band born from the survival audition program Produce 101 Japan Season 2 (GYAO!/TBS), broadcast in 2021. The group has been popular from the start — a special program with a title that roughly translates to Nice to meet you! We are INI! (GYAO!) aired in Japan before the band’s debut, and the members were featured on a segment on the TV show Yoru no Brunch (TBS) from the day they debuted. The group’s fandom has grown steadily since then, and while its continued popularity can mainly be attributed to the appeal of each member, another major reason behind the group’s breakthrough is that in the early days of the group’s formation, it took measures that had rarely been implemented in Japan before.
For example, prior to the release of their debut single “A,” INI released teasers of two songs, “Rocketeer” and “Brighter,” and invited fans to vote for their favorite. As a result, the powerful dance number “Rocketeer” came out on top, which helped set the image of INI being a group skilled in hip-hop-tinged dance tracks. When launching this voting system, INI announced on its official website: “We adopted a new system where fan votes determine the group’s music, since INI is a group chosen by popular vote.” This message suggests that the band wanted to welcome its fandom — collectively called MINI — that had been watching over them since the audition as part of its team. In fact, the hashtag “#TeamINIandMINI” has recently been created on social media.
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All of INI’s singles released since have reached No. 1 on Billboard Japan’s weekly Top Singles Sales chart. Also, the group’s sixth single “THE FRAME,” which dropped June 26, launched with 812,184 copies in its first week and became its best-selling single to date, far exceeding “I,” the second single that had been the group’s previous best-seller at 742,208 first-week copies. “THE FRAME” went on to hit No. 1 on the Japan Hot 100, the comprehensive song chart that includes six metrics in its methodology including downloads, streaming, radio airplay and more. The music video for “LOUD,” the lead track off “THE FRAME,” has been viewed over 11.8 million times as of July 24 after being released June 17 on the group’s official YouTube channel.
The members are gradually becoming more and more involved in the production, beginning to present their individualities. Hiroto Nishi took part in writing the lyrics for “SPECTRA,” “DROP,” and “LEGIT,” and the songwriting for “Walkie Talkie.” Xu Fengfan was involved in the lyrics for “I’m a Dreamer,” Hiromu Takatsuka for “My Story,” Shogo Tajima for “Runaway,” “TAG,” and with Takatsuka for “Dirty Shoes Swag,” Kyosuke Fujimaki for “YOU IN,” Rihito Ikezaki for “10 THINGS” with Tajima and “Ferris Wheel” with Fujimaki. Furthermore, Masaya Kimura choreographed “Moment,” “YOU IN,” and “KILLING PART” (with Nishi).
The group’s popularity lies not only in each member’s creative abilities, but also in their performance skills — when all eleven members perform together, the result is powerful and bold. The word “flamboyant” is probably the most apt description, and their gripping performance has the strength to captivate a wide audience. The members come from different backgrounds — some are good at dancing, others at singing. In particular, Ikezaki and Yudai Sano participated in the audition with no prior experience in singing or dancing, but have both now reached the level of uploading their own dance videos on TikTok, and now all eleven members make their presence felt in their stage performances. That the traces of each member’s hard work can be seen adds to the appeal of their performances.
INI has also gained experience by performing on numerous stages. The INI 1ST FAN MEETING took place right after their debut, and showcase events have accompanied every CD release. The band successfully completed a hall tour in 2022, an arena tour in 2023, and on February 24 and 25, 2024, they performed at Kyocera Dome in Osaka for the INI 2ND ARENA LIVE TOUR [READY TO POP!] IN KYOCERA DOME OSAKA concerts. The [READY TO POP!] arena and dome tour drew a total of 200,000 fans.
The group has also performed in many outdoor rock festivals including the 1CHANCE FESTIVAL 2022 presented by power trio WANIMA and JAPAN JAM 2024, steadily gaining fans by showcasing its unique appeal in situations where not all the people in the audience are familiar with the group. This summer, INI will take the stage in some of Japan’s premier music festivals such as ROCK IN JAPAN FESTIVAL 2024 and SUMMER SONIC 2024, and will likely expand its fandom through its overwhelming performances.
INI has also become a fixture at KCON, not only at the L.A. event — again, their third consecutive year to perform — but also at KCON 2023 THAILAND, KCON in South Korea, and the music program M COUNTDOWN, gradually gaining experience performing outside of Japan. After almost three years since the group’s debut, INI is on its way to winning the hearts of new MINIs around the world.
KCON LA, including INI’s performance, will be broadcast on The CW.
—This article by Azusa Takahashi first appeared on Billboard Japan
Empire of the Sun are back. The visionary duo from Down Under, consisting of Emperor Steele (Luke Steele) and Lord Littlemore (Nick Littlemore), have ended their eight-year hiatus with the release of their highly-anticipated fourth studio album, Ask That God.
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“This body of work represents the greatest shift in consciousness our world has ever seen and that’s reflected in the music,” says Littlemore. Ask That God takes listeners on a holistic musical adventure where imagination and reality blur and the surreal reigns supreme.
“We are nothing more than conduits, gathering experience and finding what is meant for the Empire to find,” explains Emperor Steele. “We know these songs have wings, and once they are released, they will fly and find a home with all kinds of souls all over the planet.”
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The album, which follows on from 2016’s Two Vines, includes the recently released singles “Cherry Blossom,” “Changes,” “Music On The Radio,” and their latest single, “The Feeling You Get.”
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“Sometimes you don’t know what it is, you don’t know what you do or why you do it….it’s just the feeling you get,” says Steele of the new track. “It’s like a nostalgic ’80s British pop anthem that gets under your skin.”
Littlemore adds, “Songs can speak for words we can’t find. This song speaks to the listener, to remind them it’s never too late to get out there and really have some experiences and make some memories.”
The single is accompanied by a visually stunning music video directed by Michael Maxxis, who collaborated with award-winning new media artist AUJIK. Filmed in the stunning landscapes of Thailand, the video takes viewers on an immersive journey into surreal realms.
Empire of the Sun have enjoyed significant success on Billboard’s charts over their career.
Their breakthrough single “Walking on a Dream” peaked at No. 65 on the Billboard Hot 100 (powered eight years after its release by a sync to a Honda Civic campaign); topped the Dance Club Songs chart; reached No. 3 on the Alternative Songs chart; and peaked at No. 40 on the Mainstream Top 40 chart.
Their single, “Alive,” achieved No. 1 on the Dance Club Songs chart, peaked at No. 13 on the Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart, and reached No. 26 on the Hot Rock Songs chart.
Stream Empire of The Sun’s latest album Ask That God below.
No matter what DJ Premier does, he’s always going to remain authentic to himself and never sacrifice an ounce of creativity.
Preemo returned on Friday (July 26) with a star-studded single featuring a trio of 21st century rap titans with Lil Wayne, Rick Ross and Big Sean joining forces on “Ya Don’t Stop.”
The Houston-bred DJ scratches kick off the smooth cypher with Rick Ross setting the tone. “Bust down a million and send it to n—-s caged in/ 100 kilos in the Days Inn, I’m trying to get it like n—-s still paying rent,” he raps with hunger.
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Big Sean takes the baton reflecting on the hard work it took to reach stardom. “They don’t know nothing about sacrifice/ N—s want the perks without doing all the work/ They don’t see all of the hard work, they just all the results,” Sean Don testifies.
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Weezy bats third and steals the show from the three-hole. “I’m a sniper with this rifle/ I’m spitting like it’s a cypher/ You decipher is you Mike, is you Beckford or is you Tyson/ I got ice on top of ice on my neck,” the Young Money honcho rhymes.
Sean Don, Rozay and Wayne were somehow yet to collaborate throughout their decorated careers. The closest thing was on Future’s 2015 anthem “Commas,” when Ross and Sean hopped on the official remix while Weezy added a guest verse of his own separately.
“I’ve been on a run, and releasing singles more consistently. I had an idea and wanted to initially get Wayne and Ross on the same track,” Preemo said in a press statement about the track’s genesis.
He continued: “I reached out to Rozay first and he sent me back vocals the same day. I sent two tracks to Wayne to choose from and he sent both back the same night and told me to keep them both. Big Sean called me to do a scratch hook for him. In return he hopped on as well. Cypher complete!”
As for Rick Ross and Big Sean, they teamed up for Mastermind‘s “Sanctified” with Ye in 2014. While Sean and Weezy have joined forces in the past on tracks like “Beware” and “Deep.” Rozay and Wayne have also gotten busy in the studio plenty of times with collaborations such as “John” and “Thug Cry.”
Preemo has been hard at work this summer and “Ya Don’t Stop” looks to take the iconic producer’s year to another level. Showing off his versatility, he united for an unlikely collaboration with O.A.R. and Brady Wyatt on the rock-tinged “Gonna Be Me (The Friendship Song)” earlier in July.
Fans are still awaiting an update on the long-anticipated Nas and DJ Premier joint album, which is rumored to release at some point in 2024 after the Illmatic collaborators collided for “Define My Name” in April.
Listen to “Ya Don’t Stop” below.
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Dua Lipa dropped a remix of her single “Illusion” featuring Creepy Nuts, Japan’s breakout hip-hop duo that made waves with its viral hit ”Bling-Bang-Bang-Born,” the No. 1 song on Billboard Japan’s mid-year tally for 2024.
“Illusion (Creepy Nuts Remix)” is the latest remix of the track off the “Houdini” artist’s latest album Radical Optimism, released in May. The original, a song about a character that breaks away from her formerly weak self and is now assertive when faced with another potentially toxic relationship, reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart and also reached the top 10 of the U.K. Official Singles Chart. The song has been streamed more than 250 million times worldwide, and the music video viewed more than 35 million times.
Why was Creepy Nuts tapped to collaborate with Lipa, a Grammy-winning star who recently headlined this year’s Glastonbury? It all started when Creepy Nuts’ “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” reached the top 10 on the Billboard Global 200 chart in March. The catchy hip-hop banger peaked at No. 8 and became the fourth song by a Japanese artist/act to break into the top 10 on this tally. The other three are “Glimpses of Us” by Japanese-Australian artist Joji (No. 2 in 2022), “Homura” by LiSA (No. 8 in 2020), and “Idol” by YOASOBI (No. 7 in 2023). “BBBB” also hit No. 3 on the Global 200 Excl. US chart that focuses on all territories outside the United States, and the track’s global breakthrough caught Dua’s attention.
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Lipa asked Creepy Nuts to do the remix via her team in Japan and the duo consisting of rapper R-shitei (“R-rated”) and DJ Matsunaga readily agreed to the offer, resulting in the exciting collaboration between two chart-topping global acts. The remix — surprisingly, it was the “Nidone” pair’s first collaboration with an artist from outside their home country — combines Matsunaga’s catchy track with R’s signature rapid-fire bars and lyrics paying homage to the “Levitating” singer’s past works by including their titles.
“The track turned out well, and it was a fresh challenge that brought out a new side of us as well,” says Matsunaga, while R notes, “I looked to the original lyrics of Dua Lipa’s ‘Illusion’ and participated in the world it depicted, letting the illusionist in me appear in the lyrics that I wrote.”
Dua Lipa is set to return to Japan for the first time in six years this November for two arena shows, which sold out on the day tickets went on sale. The “Dance the Night” songstress has been recognized by Spotify as “the first artist in history to hold five songs with over 2 billion streams” and “the 25th most listened-to artist of all time.” Her album “Radical Optimism” has been streamed over 2 billion times worldwide and topped the Official UK Albums chart, making her one of the world’s top artists in both name and reality.
Creepy Nuts’ “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” recently dominated Billboard Japan’s mid-year Japan Songs chart — a tally that tracks songs from Japan being listened to in countries around the world — by topping the lists for six countries. On July 20, the “Nobishiro” duo performed at the AFEELA Pregame Performance at Dodger Stadium Center Field in Los Angeles, performing live for the first time in the U.S. Creepy Nuts will hit the stage in Tokyo Dome for the first time for their LIVE at TOKYO DOME concert on Feb. 11, 2025.
“[The remix] is precisely us, and it’s also a new side of us that was brought out because the song was Dua Lipa’s ‘Illusion,’” say the duo. “It’s in both English and Japanese but turned out smooth; we hope you enjoy it.”
Dua adds: “Be sure to listen to the remix by these two amazing talents.”
Stream “Illusion (Creepy Nuts Remix)” here: http://dualipa.lnk.to/illusioncreepynuts
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Halsey’s so lucky, she’s a star! The singer dropped her latest single, “Lucky,” on Friday (July 26). The song interpolates Britney Spears’ 2000 hit, “Lucky,” an ode to the lonelier side of fame. “I’m so lucky, I’m a star/ But I cry, cry, cries in my lonely heart, thinking/ If there’s nothing missing in my […]
It’s been an enduring journey to Machine Gun Kelly and Jelly Roll’s first collaboration. After fine-tuning “Lonely Road” for two years, the anticipated track is finally here. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “Lonely Road” hit streaming services on Friday (July 26), which features an homage to John […]
Ice Spice has finally dropped her debut album Y2K! on Friday (July 26) via 10K Projects and Capitol Records. The 10-song set features previously released singles “Phat Butt,” “Think U the Shit (Fart)” and “Gimmie a Light.” “Think U the Shit (Fart)” became Ice’s highest charting unaccompanied solo Billboard Hot 100 hit to date, and she performed […]
Munchkins, your time is now! After dominating 2023 with four Billboard Hot 100 top 10 hits, and kicking off the year with four Grammy nominations — including best new artist — and a Super Bowl commercial, Ice Spice has finally unveiled her debut studio album.
Titled Y2K! — a nod to her Jan. 1, 2000, birthday — the new record finds the Bronx rapper assuming her throne as the queen of New York drill. The album builds on the dynamic she and go-to producer RiotUSA established with 2023’s Like..? EP, looping in new names like Lily Kaplan, Nico Baran, Synthetic and Venny to add different textures to Ice’s take on drill. The album finds its anchors in those skittering snares, but nods to Jersey Club, nifty dancehall samples and star-studded collaborations (Travis Scott, Gunna and Central Cee) make Y2K! feel much more expansive than its predecessor.
And yet, at just under half an hour, Y2K! never tries to be something that it’s not, or overstay its welcome. This is an unfussy collection of 10 tracks that double down on Ice’s (sometimes) poop-minded metaphors, her trademark laid-back flow (although she does beef up her voice for the album’s most drill-forward tracks), and her effortless charisma that captivated the world by way of “Munch” two summers ago.
The “Princess Diana” rapper brought in 2024 with “Think U the Shit (Fart),” a hilariously infectious joint that found her throwing shots at fellow Grammy-nominated rapper Latto over a beat that played on the wonky video game-esque synths of new jazz. Although that track peaked at No. 37 on the Billboard Hot 100 — her highest peak for a solo single — the Y2K! era would not begin in earnest until the springtime, with the Sean Paul-sampling “Gimmie A Light” arriving on May 10.
She then revealed the New York-themed album cover — which drew some ire due to the LP’s title being digitally spray-painted over a trash can — on June 5, with a pre-release single “Phat Butt” arriving later that month (June 21) ahead of her 2024 BET Awards performance. By July, Ice had unleashed the record’s latest radio single, the Central Cee-assisted “Did It First,” which became her first Hot 100 entry since “Fart,” debuting at No. 62 on the chart dated July 27. She also spent the first half of the year guesting on Cash Cobain and Bay Swag’s “Fisherrr” remix and preparing for her upcoming Y2K! World Tour, which kicked off on July 4 at the Rockslide Festival, marking her first headlining trek.
Read Billboard’s ranking of every song on Ice Spice’s Y2K! LP.
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In one of the most powerful and emotional moments of the 2024 Premios Juventud, Lele Pons emphasized her message of self-love when she was recognized as an Agent of Change at the Thursday (July 25) ceremony in Puerto Rico’s José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum .
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After tearfully receiving the award from her father, who seemed to have surprised her by presenting it, the Venezuelan influencer and singer regained her composure and gave a powerful and eloquent speech to the millions of people who follow her on social media.
“Enough of looking for your happiness in the acceptance of other people who don’t value you. Look for it in God, look for it in yourself and in the people who love you and who will be there for you,” Pons said. “I use my platform to see if I can help people love themselves and take life [more lightly] and laugh at their cellulite, and if you got your nose done, please show that, be you, be transparent.”
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“I’m here because I want you to love yourselves, because, who cares? So what? Not everyone is going to love you, you don’t have to be liked by everyone. That is THEIR problem, not yours. Love yourself, respect yourself, you’re enough,” she added.
Pons served as the evening’s co-host alongside Clarissa Molina and Wisin, and was one of three honorees with the Spirit of Change award, which “recognizes and celebrates” young entrepreneurs and prominent stars who “selflessly contribute to creating a better world.” The other two honorees were Anitta and Los Tigres del Norte.
In its 21st annual edition, Premios Juventud had Carín León, Maluma, Peso Pluma, Karol G, and Shakira among its main nominees. To see the list of winners, click here.
Watch Lele’s speech below.