Music

02 Oct 2023

The Power of the Latin Catalog at Latin Music Week 2023: ‘It’s Like the Housing Market’

In the past few years, a number of Latin artists such as Shakira, Maluma and Ozuna, have been selling their catalogs, but when is it the right time to sell or buy?

“Everyone sees everyone selling and the big deals, and think they can do that, but those catalogs have to have matured already, at least have been five years since produced or recorded,” explained panelist Angela “Angie” Martinez, Esq., attorney at law, AngieLaw, during the Power of the Latin Catalog panel — presented by HarbourView — at Latin Music Week 2023.

During the discussion moderated by Hannah Karp, editorial director of Billboard, panelists Sherrese Clarke Soares, founder/CEO, HarbourView; Denny Marte, founder/consultant, MPA Advisors; and Martinez broke down opportunities for both artists looking to sell their catalogs and buyers who are interested in purchasing.

“There are plenty of opportunities for artists who want to sell and buyers who want to buy,” added Marte. “When it’s the right time to sell depends on the earnings of the catalog. There’s a lot of misinformation of names who are selling their catalogs and assume theirs would sell, [but] every catalog sells differently.It also depends on the buyer — everyone has a different criteria of what they’re looking for. It’s like the housing market and understanding when is a good time to sell your home.”

On their interest in purchasing in the Latin space, HarbourView is “really a genre-agnostic company,” explained Clarke Soares. “As a person of Caribbean descent, it was easy for me to see how important and impactful Latin music is to the communities that it serves. We saw so much growth in the underlying market, from the usage perspective … It was a no brainer for us. People who come from communities that are not mainstream are just as important.”

Latin music in general is more attractive now, hence the increase of interest on the buyers side. Compared to other genres, Latin music is catching up in terms of buyers interested in the Latin market “The numbers don’t lie,” said Marte. “Latin music is where it’s at and it has been for now some time. I already felt it was going to start happening. Latin would catch up, now it’s like we have to turn away clients because it’s too much, or their catalog is too young.”

Celebrated for more than 30 years, the 2023 edition of Latin Music Week includes a Superstar Q&A with Shakira; the Legends on Legends chat with Chencho Corleone and Vico C; Making the Hit Live! with Carin León and Pedro Capó; a panel with RBD’s Christian Chávez, Christopher von Uckermann, and Maite Perroni; Superstar Songwriter discussion with Edgar Barrera and Keityn, among many other panels, Q&As and workshops. See the ultimate Latin Music Week guide here.

This year’s Latin Music Week, taking place Oct. 2-6, also includes showcases by Peso Pluma, Mike Bahía and Greeicy, DannyLux and Fonseca, to name a few. Check out the dates and times for the showcases throughout the week here.

Official partners of the 2023 Billboard Latin Music Week include AT&T, Cheetos, CN Bank, Delta Air Lines, Lexus, Netflix, Michelob ULTRA and Smirnoff.

Latin Music Week coincides with the 2023 Billboard Latin Music Awards ceremony, which will broadcast live from the Watsco Center in Coral Gables, Fla., on Thursday (Oct. 5), and will air on Telemundo. It will also broadcast simultaneously on Universo, Peacock, the Telemundo App, and throughout Latin America and the Caribbean on Telemundo Internacional.

02 Oct 2023

Doja Cat’s ‘Paint the Town Red’ Holds Atop Billboard Global Charts

Doja Cat’s “Paint the Town Red” tallies a fourth week at No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200 songs chart and a second frame atop the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. ranking (both dated Oct. 7).

Elsewhere, Tate McRae’s “Greedy” bounds 11-4 on the Global 200 and Kenya Grace’s “Strangers” surges 12-5 on the survey, while cassö, RAYE and D-Block Europe’s “Prada” jumps 11-8 on Global Excl. U.S.

The Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts, which began in September 2020, rank songs based on streaming and sales activity culled from more than 200 territories around the world, as compiled by Luminate. The Global 200 is inclusive of worldwide data and the Global Excl. U.S. chart comprises data from territories excluding the United States.

Chart ranks are based on a weighted formula incorporating official-only streams on both subscription and ad-supported tiers of audio and video music services, as well as download sales, the latter of which reflect purchases from full-service digital music retailers from around the world, with sales from direct-to-consumer (D2C) sites excluded from the charts’ calculations.

Fourth Coat of ‘Paint’ Atop Global 200

Doja Cat’s “Paint the Town Red” adds a fourth week at No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200, with 90.6 million streams (up 1%) and 11,000 sold (down 5%) worldwide Sept. 22-28.

Jung Kook’s “Seven,” featuring Latto, keeps at No. 2 on the Global 200, after spending its first seven weeks on the chart at No. 1 beginning in July, and Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer” returns to its No. 3 high, from No. 5.

Tate McRae’s “Greedy” roars 11-4 in its second week on the Global 200, led by 38.8 million streams (up 17%) worldwide. The singer-songwriter from Calgary, Alberta, Canada, achieves her first top 10 on the chart, surpassing her prior No. 16 best with her first entry, “You Broke Me First.,” in 2020.

Plus, Kenya Grace’s “Strangers” blasts 12-5 on the Global 200, with 39.9 million streams (up 14%) and 3,000 sold (up 21%). TikTok has been a big factor in the growing profile of the South African-born, British-raised singer-songwriter’s breakthrough song, as a portion of its audio has been used in over 700,000 clips on the platform; she also has over 530,000 TikTok followers. Three weeks earlier, Grace became a first-timer on Billboard’s charts.

Global Excl. U.S. Dons ‘Red’ & ‘Prada’

Doja Cat’s “Paint the Town Red” concurrently rules the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart for a second week, with 64.9 million streams (essentially even week-over-week) and 4,000 sold (down 4%) outside the U.S. Sept. 22-28.

Jung Kook’s “Seven,” featuring Latto, holds at No. 2 after spending its first nine weeks on the Global Excl. U.S. chart at No. 1; Kenya Grace’s “Strangers” pushes 4-3 for a new high; Myke Towers’ “LaLa” slips 3-4, after it led for a week in July; and Karol G and Peso Pluma’s “Qlona” climbs 6-5, up 3% to 38.4 million streams outside the U.S., becoming Karol G’s fifth top five hit and Peso Pluma’s fourth.

Plus, cassö, RAYE and D-Block Europe’s “Prada” sashays 11-8 on Global Excl. U.S., with 23.6 million streams (up 14%) and 2,000 sold (up 15%) outside the U.S. RAYE, from England, adds her second top 10 on the chart, after “Escapism,” featuring 070 Shake, hit No. 6 in January. U.S.-born cassö and Britain’s D-Block Europe each reach the top 10 with their first title on the tally.

The Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts (dated Oct. 7, 2023) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (Oct. 3). For both charts, the top 100 titles are available to all readers on Billboard.com, while the complete 200-title rankings are visible on Billboard Pro, Billboard’s subscription-based service. For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.

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.

02 Oct 2023

Takanashi Kiara of hololive English Talks Expressing Her Real Self on Debut Album ‘Point of View’

Takanashi Kiara, a virtual YouTuber belonging to the English division of Japan‘s VTuber agency hololive production, dropped her first album Point of View last month. Her debut set displays the various faces of the English-speaking VTuber, with songs ranging from the lead track “Pineapple,” a tropical summer song accompanied by a music video featuring the VTuber dancing brightly by the poolside, to tracks such as “The Great Wanderer” and “Retrospective” that highlights her inner conflicts, sadness and negative emotions.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

Takanashi — her name is in Japanese order, surname first — debuted in 2020 as a member of the early hololive English group called Hololive English -Myth-, and made her 3-D debut in February of this year. The pioneering English-language VTuber talks about her passion for music and the ways she infuses it with feelings for her fans in this new interview.

Could you tell us some of the things that were going through your mind around the time you kicked off your career as an English-speaking VTuber?

I never thought it would be such a success. Japanese hololive VTubers were well-known at the time, but not so much outside of Japan yet. As a comparison, Japanese anime is popular everywhere now, and many people prefer watching it in the original Japanese instead of English dubs. Hololive English -Myth-inking at the time was, if people enjoy watching anime in Japanese, then VTubers who speak English might come across as odd.

Which VTubers do you admire or draw inspiration from?

I first discovered hololive through Shirakami Fubuki. I was intrigued by the concept of VTubers and was hooked from the moment I checked her out. That was when I was living in Japan on a one-year visa, then the pandemic broke out. I was watching UsadaPekora’s videos to cheer myself up during that time and then the hololive English auditions began. It felt like destiny to me and I applied.

What kind of music did you grow up on?

I started listening to the Black Eyed Peas because of my parents. I also listened to Paramore and Kelly Clarkson. Like, mainstream artists on the radio that everyone knows. Paramore was one of my inspirations for the song “Retrospective” on this album. Right now I’ve been hooked on K-pop artists like TWICE and NewJeans. Today’s K-pop is influenced by American music but still has its own unique flavor. I wanted my songs to be like that.

What’s the concept of your debut album, Point of View?

My previous singles “HINOTORI” and “Heart Challenger” were Japanese-language tracks in the vein of J-POP, anime songs, and idol songs. I personally love that kind of music, too. But since we’re hololive English, some fans preferred that I sing in English. Also, there were many other hololive VTubers singing similar stuff, so I decided to try making songs that were different from that kind of music and also suited me. I tried to include elements such as my gratitude for my past history and activities and tried to create a collection of songs from Kiara’s various “points of view.”

I’d like to ask you about some of the songs off your new album. First, “Love Rush,” the second track on the set. It has a really positive mood.

The lyrics express my gratitude to all my listeners. I’m moved by it when I sing it, and it has a really profound meaning to me. Kai Gojo, who is also the songwriter for “HINOTORI” and “Heart Challenger”, wrote it for me, and he’s someone I can completely rely on because he can write both cool and cute numbers. I told him I wanted to try my hand at a cute song like “Heart Challenger” again for this project. But I also wanted a different vibe, so I asked him to include some elements reminiscent of the J-pop group fhána, like sounds of a violin.

The next song, “The Great Wanderer,” has a different, more serious tone.

When I first heard the instrumental, I felt a touch of loneliness, so I decided to have the lyrics written about such feelings. We all have moments in our lives when we feel lonely or sad, so I thought the song would resonate with people. There’s actually another angle to this song. VTubers are virtual beings so we can’t meet our fans in real life. It’s pretty sad, you know? Of course, the fact that you can only interact with them online is one of the good things about VTubers, but sometimes I want to break down that barrier. I tried to express such dilemmas specific to VTubers in this song.

You mentioned Paramore as an inspiration for the next song, “Retrospective.”

“Retrospective” is the song that contains the most of my negativity on this album. There’s no positive ending, only my hang-ups about failures in the past that I want to redo but can’t, or the things I lack and so on. But I think those kinds of songs are good to have once in a while. When I’m sad, sometimes I just want to listen to a song that makes me wallow in my sadness, not one that cheers me up.

Incidentally, the melody of the song was originally completely different, but I wanted something more Western-sounding so I could sing it more naturally in English. So I asked monii, who wrote the lyrics, to come up with a new melody. It ended up being really Evanescence-like and dramatic. When we were recording the song, even the expression on my face looked like I was in pain and I enjoyed singing with so much emotion.

Music might be a unique way of detoxing because negative emotions and experiences can be expressed as they are instead of having to convert them into positivity.

Yes, exactly. It’s a way of letting it all out. I think VTubers exist to give people comfort, but I figured this album was a good opportunity to show my real self, so I went ahead and tried it. I’m the type of person who wears my emotions on my sleeve, but it’s still hard to show these feelings. But people seem to like songs like “Retrospective” and I realized that it’s okay to talk about such feelings in music, so I hope I can keep expressing my personal story in the future.

The fourth track, “Sleep Talking,” is completely different in that it’s a song where you can let the sound wash over you without thinking too hard about it.

After releasing “DO U” on my second anniversary, I asked my team of creators if I could sing something with more of a K-pop feel, and they sent me several demos. One of them was “Sleep Talking.” I was like, “Whoa, I really like this one!” and asked to sing it as the keystone of this album. The album leads with “Pineapple,” but I consider “Sleep Talking” as another leading track in a way, and we plan to release a music video for it as well.

“Pineapple” is the first song of the album, a really fun pop number.

It’s a summer party song, the kind you’d want to listen to at the beach. The music video is also based on the theme of a beach party, and for the dance scene, I went to the U.S. to shoot motions at the studio of my colleague, Watson Amelia. The choreography was pretty hard and I had a lot of trouble with it. I shared a short video of the chorus dance for YouTube Shorts, so I hope people enjoy it.

We’re also looking forward to your live performances.

I would really like to do solo live performances in real life and not just on YouTube. All my songs are choreographed and I’m ready to perform any time, so I’ll keep doing what I can to stand on stage someday. But first, I want everyone to listen to the album, even those who aren’t really into VTubers. I hope I can reach as many people in the world as possible.

–This article by Takuto Ueda first appeared on Billboard Japan

02 Oct 2023

Metro Boomin Reveals His Dream Collaborators

Metro Boomin is Billboard‘s latest cover star, and in his wide ranging interview, the hip-hop producer opened up about his musical process and the creation of the Spider-Verse soundtrack and his 2022 album, Heroes & Villains.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

And while the album is jam-packed with A-list collaborations with everyone from Travis Scott, Future and A$AP Rocky to John Legend and The Weeknd, there are plenty of stars that Metro still wants to work with in the future. “I still really want to do something with Justin Timberlake,” he shared in Billboard‘s cover profile. “I need to work with Miguel. I still haven’t worked with Jay-Z.”

With an extensive musical production career under his belt, Metro teased that he’s channeling his talent for artist discovery and development into a more executive role so he can start signing artists. As a result, he’s starting his own production company that will allow him “to do stuff for screen.”

“The amount of grind and effort I put in my 20s into the music, I’mma put into the business aspect through these 30s,” he revealed. “I watched my music seeds grow from 20 to 30. I can watch the rest of these grow from 30 to 40.”

2022’s Heroes & Villains topped the all-genre Billboard 200 albums chart in December. Read Billboard‘s full cover story with Metro Boomin here.

02 Oct 2023

Fuerza Regida’s Jesús Ortiz Paz & Live Nation Talk the Rise of Mexican Music Touring at Billboard Latin Music Week

The hottest genre on the charts is the hottest genre on the road. In the panel called The Rise of Mexican Touring, held on Monday (Oct. 2), Fuerza Regida’s frontman Jesús Ortiz Paz and Latin Nation’s Hans Schafer (svp of Latin touring) and Jorge García (global promoter of tours) talk how to book, market and sell out Mexican music shows, moderated by Billboard Latin’s senior writer, Griselda Flores.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

In the midst of his ambitious tour Otra Peda (meaning Another Drunken Party), the Fuerza Regida lead singer shares his experience from starting out performing at flyer parties six years ago to now selling out American arenas and stadiums across the nation. Meanwhile Schafer and García spoke about how they’ve been helping amplify, within the live music space, the música mexicana movement internationally.

In many candid moments, Jesús, who also goes by JOP, shared how Otra Peda was conceived. “I was my own Live Nation. I was the waiter, the one who charged you for your beers, and sing,” he said. “I would throw my own flyer parties, it was like 20 to 50 people, then 50 to 100. Now we’re doing this on a greater scale. [Since the beginning of our shows] people got extra drunk, that’s where Otra Peda came from.”

“Several years ago, taking these [música mexicana] bands to the club it made sense. Years before you were lucky to sell 2,000 to 3,000 tickets,” recalls García. “Now this generation of Latinos are growing up [with the genre]. The same kind of people that buy the Drake tickets, buy the Fuerza Regida tickets.”

“We are American so we have that flow, we started dressing different, and took Mexican music to the next level,” says Jesús about connecting with this new generation of Latinos. “Back in the day, you had to lower the music; we were shy that we liked regional Mexican, you had to change it to hip-hop. We love the legends, John Sebastian, Luis Mi, Vicente Fernández, but that was all tío‘s music. We made it cool,” he adds and the audience chuckles.

Flores’ asks about the steps to get a club act to an arena level. “It can’t feel forced. You’re just trying to tighten that bond that they have with their fans,” explains Schafer. “Nothing can be cookie cutter, everything that we do starts with inception, what is this tour about, Otra Peda…developing ideas and the concepts you’re doing with the tour.”

Jesús recalls a time in his career with Fuerza Regida that he had to stop the 10 freeway in L.A., and perform in front of the traffic, with the venue serving as a backdrop. That led to the band selling out the show at the time.

The discussion surrounding Mexican music is about going global, reaching as far as Australia and New Zealand. Schafer elaborates on how European countries have warmly embraced this movement, with both the Latino demographic and new non-Latino fans developing a fondness for the Mexican style.

But now that it’s reaching unprecedented heights, “There needs to be greater representation because it’s going to keep growing,” adds Schafer. “We have the responsibility in the industry to set the tone with the space that it deserves.”

Celebrated for more than 30 years, the 2023 edition of Latin Music Week includes a Superstar Q&A with Shakira; the Legends on Legends chat with Chencho Corleone and Vico C; Making the Hit Live! with Carin León and Pedro Capó; a panel with RBD’s Christian Chávez, Christopher von Uckermann, and Maite Perroni; Superstar Songwriter discussion with Edgar Barrera and Keityn, among many other panels, Q&As and workshops. See the ultimate Latin Music Week guide here. This year’s Latin Music Week, taking place Oct. 2-6, also includes showcases by Peso Pluma, Mike Bahía and Greeicy, DannyLux and Fonseca, to name a few. Check out the dates and times for the showcases throughout the week here.

Official partners of the 2023 Billboard Latin Music Week include AT&T, Cheetos, CN Bank, Delta Air Lines, Lexus, Netflix, Michelob ULTRA and Smirnoff.

Latin Music Week coincides with the 2023 Billboard Latin Music Awards ceremony, which will broadcast live from the Watsco Center in Coral Gables, Fla., on Thursday (Oct. 5) and will air on Telemundo. It will also broadcast simultaneously on Universo, Peacock, the Telemundo App, and throughout Latin America and the Caribbean on Telemundo Internacional.

02 Oct 2023

‘Creepin” Became the Biggest Hit Off Metro Boomin’s ‘Heroes & Villains’ — But It Almost Didn’t Make the Album

“Creepin’” by Metro Boomin with The Weeknd and 21 Savage — a remake of Mario Winans’ 2004 R&B smash “I Don’t Wanna Know” featuring Diddy and Enya — became the biggest hit off the superproducer’s latest solo album, Heroes & Villains. The song spent the entire first half of 2023 in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 3.

But getting the green light from those credited on “I Don’t Wanna Know” proved to be quite the feat, Metro tells Billboard during his latest cover story interview that was published Monday (Oct. 2).

“[Amir ‘Cash’ Esmailian], one of my managers, [and I] were figuring out what songs Abel [Tesfaye] and I would do for Heroes. Cash had mentioned, ‘Yo, between me and you, [Abel] always wanted to do something with “I Don’t Wanna Know.”‘ One day, I just presented the idea to him and he was like, ‘Hell yeah, I been wanting to do that!’” Metro recalls. “We both f–k with Mario hard; he’s served like a mentor [to me]. So he did the background vocals. And it was always in my mind to put Savage on it, ‘cause I know [him and Abel] have never had a song before and he’s nonchalant, like how Puff’s verse was back in the day.”  

Diddy had no issue clearing “I Don’t Wanna Know,” which samples Enya’s 1987 track “Boadicea,” but the Irish singer did. She didn’t sign off on Metro’s original working title, which abbreviated the original hit to “IDWK.” “I tried to call it something else, and she wasn’t with that,” he says.



“That’s one of them ones that almost didn’t make it just ’cause the process of trying to get it cleared was so much,” adds Ryan Ramsey, another one of Metro’s managers.

Since he was cutting it too close to his album release date, Metro suggested Enya send over a list of acceptable song titles that he could pick from. That list included “Undecided,” “Creepin’,” “Don’t Come Back to Me,” “Better Off That Way” and “Wanna Let You Know.”

“‘Creepin’’ was the one. I was like, ‘F–k, why didn’t I think of that?’” says Metro. “It ended up being a blessing because it’s the best name for it.”  

02 Oct 2023

Latin Music Week 2023: 5 Best Tips to Maximize Your Revenue in the Streaming Era

The 2023 Billboard Latin Music Week kicked off Monday, Oct. 2 at the Faena Theater and Forum in Miami Beach with a handful of educational panels about the music industry. 

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

The “So you have a Million Streams… Now what?” panel, presented by Rimas Publishing, featured artist-songwriters Lyanno and Miky Woodz, and executives Emilio Morales, managing director of Rimas Publishing and Enrique Marquez Paris, songwriter and publishing relations of Latin music, Spotify.  

The conversation, moderated by Billboard Latin’s senior charts and data analyst, Pamela Bustios, focused on how artists can optimize their songwriting and production revenue in the streaming era. 

Below, check out the best tips given at the panel: 

On the importance of streaming: According to both Woodz and Lyanno, streaming has benefited the success of their music careers. “We’re in a digital era where we can take advantage of everything we have in our reach,” Lyanno said. “Thanks to streaming, we can reach new audiences,” added Woodz. 

On splitting royalties: “Immediately talk about the splits when you enter a recording studio,”  recommends Marquez Paris, who also says it’s important to communicate with your publisher about any song or piece of work that comes out of a recording session. “Publishers are not fortune tellers, but they will protect your composition,” he explains.

On not buying fake streams: “I don’t recommend it because it’ll damage your algorithm as an artist,” noted Morales. Buying bots will amplify your numbers and reach territories you might not want to reach with your music. Instead, Morales states that being consistent is crucial, which includes having your own formula and creating your own fan base, organically.

On optimizing revenue: The key is to never stop working. “Put out more music, more compositions, and work harder. The more you work, the more success you will have,” Lyanno said. For Woodz, it’s key to create content for fans. “The fan base supports you and consumes your content. It is with them that you have to have a connection. Continue giving them music, content, and make them feel identified with you.”

On creating music with artificial intelligence: All panelists agreed that AI has its pros and cons when creating music but they are aware that technology is advancing and it really depends on each artist, composer, and producer if they want to use it in the studio.

Celebrated for more than 30 years, the 2023 edition of Latin Music Week includes a Superstar Q&A with Shakira; the Legends on Legends chat with Chencho Corleone and Vico C; Making the Hit Live! with Carin León and Pedro Capó; a panel with RBD’s Christian Chávez, Christopher von Uckermann, and Maite Perroni; Superstar Songwriter discussion with Edgar Barrera and Keityn, among many other panels, Q&As and workshops. See the ultimate Latin Music Week guide here. This year’s Latin Music Week, taking place Oct. 2-6, also includes showcases by Peso Pluma, Mike Bahía and Greeicy, DannyLux and Fonseca, to name a few. 

Check out the dates and times for the showcases throughout the week here.

Official partners of the 2023 Billboard Latin Music Week include AT&T, Cheetos, CN Bank, Delta Air Lines, Lexus, Netflix, Michelob ULTRA and Smirnoff.

Latin Music Week coincides with the 2023 Billboard Latin Music Awards ceremony, which will broadcast live from the Watsco Center in Coral Gables, Fla., on Thursday (Oct. 5) and will air on Telemundo. It will also broadcast simultaneously on Universo, Peacock, the Telemundo App, and throughout Latin America and the Caribbean on Telemundo Internacional.

02 Oct 2023

Peter Gabriel Shares Song Co-Conceived With Skrillex: ‘He Was Trying to Encourage Me to Write a Song About Staying Up All Night’

In the realm of perhaps surprising collaborations, Peter Gabriel‘s latest song, “This Is Home” had some input from Skrillex.

In a statement released with the song, out Friday (Sept. 29), Gabriel noted that “I’d had a call from Skrillex, who’s a very talented musician, and I thought it would be interesting to see what he had in mind, so he came to my home studio and we sat down and talked and tried to evolve bits and pieces and it was mainly for this song.

“He was trying to encourage me to write a song about staying up all night in a night club and that sort of thing, but that’s not really my life so I made it more about family and home and I like it. Though we took the song in this other direction it was an interesting experience nonetheless, and I think it is good for me to be taken outside my normal comfort zone sometimes.’

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

The final product is indeed more domesticity than drops, with the gentle love song featuring orchestral arrangements and contributions from a Swedish male voice choir. The song does have some electronic world bonafides, however, with the first released being the (Dark-Side Mix) by producer Tchad Blake. Listen below.

“This Is Home” is the tenth track from Gabriel’s forthcoming album, i/o.

Gabriel is currently on tour in the United States, with shows happening through October 21. Meanwhile Skrillex had a busy weekend playing Australia’s Listen Out festival in Sydney, then flying around the world to play a Sunday night set at Portola in San Francisco.

Listen to “This Is Home” (Dark Side Mix) below.

02 Oct 2023

Thomas Rhett, Lainey Wilson & Lynyrd Skynyrd to Lead CBS’ ‘New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash’

Thomas Rhett, Lainey Wilson and Lynyrd Skynyrd will help ring in the new year in Nashville, as the first performers announced for CBS’ New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash, airing Sunday, Dec. 31 from 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET/PT. The annual concert will put Nashville in the national spotlight, highlighting a range of artists, including some of country music’s current premier performers and several of the city’s beloved venues.

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

ACM entertainer of the year winner Thomas Rhett just headlined two electrifying shows at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, while current CMA entertainer of the year nominee Wilson just earned her third Billboard Country Airplay No. 1 hit. Meanwhile, southern rock practitioners Lynyrd Skynyrd is gearing up to celebrate five decades since the band’s debut album. They will perform at Nashville’s Bicentennial Park stage.

Thomas Rhett, Wilson and Lynyrd Skynyrd are just a few of the performers that can be expected during the five-hour show, which will feature more than 50 performances from venues across Nashville, including the mainstage at Nashville’s Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park. Additionally, the music-filled evening will conclude with the anticipated Nashville note drop and fireworks at midnight CT.

The show will also stream on Paramount+, live and on demand for Paramount+ with Showtime subscribers and on demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the special airs.

“Building on what we have established over the last two years by focusing on our artists, the fans and the vibrancy of downtown Nashville, this year’s lineup is shaping up to be our most exciting yet. We will celebrate 50 years of the iconic southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, the skyrocketing Lainey Wilson and country music superstar Thomas Rhett, with over a dozen artists and special guests still to be announced,” said executive producer Robert Deaton in a statement. “Nashville is quickly becoming THE destination for New Year’s Eve, and we are honored that CBS wants to help us continue to show off our music and incredible city with a new multi-year deal!”

The Bicentennial Park stage is free and open to the public.

New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash is executive produced by Deaton and Mary Hilliard Harrington in partnership with the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp. The special will be directed by Sandra Restrepo.

02 Oct 2023

Doja Cat’s ‘Paint the Town Red’ Tops Hot 100 for Second Week, Taylor Swift’s ‘Cruel Summer’ Rules Radio

Doja Cat’s “Paint the Town Red” rebounds from No. 2 for its second week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart. The rapper/singer’s second career leader, which first led three weeks earlier, is her first to reign for multiple weeks, after her “Say So,” featuring Nicki Minaj, spent a week at No. 1 in May 2020.

Plus, Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer” rises 6-4 on the Hot 100 (after reaching No. 3) and ascends to the summit on the Radio Songs chart, becoming her eighth leader on the airplay ranking.

The Hot 100 blends all-genre U.S. streaming (official audio and official video), radio airplay and sales data, the lattermost metric reflecting purchases of physical singles and digital tracks from full-service digital music retailers; digital singles sales from direct-to-consumer (D2C) sites are excluded from chart calculations. All charts (dated Oct. 7, 2023) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (Oct. 3). For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.

“Paint the Town Red,” released on Kemosabe/RCA Records, drew 52.6 million radio airplay audience impressions (up 17%) and 27.5 million streams (up 3%) and sold 6,000 downloads (down 19%) in the Sept. 22-28 tracking week, according to Luminate. It wins the Hot 100’s top Airplay Gainer award for a second consecutive frame.

The single climbs 3-1 on the Streaming Songs chart – becoming Doja Cat’s first leader on the list; adds a second week at No. 1 on Digital Song Sales; and pushes 9-7 on Radio Songs. It concurrently tops the multi-metric Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Songs charts for a fifth and sixth week, respectively.

(As “Paint the Town Red” samples Dionne Warwick’s 1964 standard “Walk on By,” legendary late songwriters Burt Bacharach and Hal David are credited as writers on both songs. Doja Cat’s hit is Bacharach’s first multi-week leader, among eight total No. 1s, since “That’s What Friends Are For” by Warwick, Elton John, Gladys Knight and Stevie Wonder [four weeks in 1986]; David has his first multi-week No. 1, among five leaders, since the Carpenters’ “[They Long To Be] Close to You” [four weeks, 1970].)

SZA’s “Snooze” rises 3-2 for a new Hot 100 high, with 72.9 million in radio audience (up 4%), 17.5 million streams (down 18%) and 2,000 sold (down 35%); a week earlier, it jumped from No. 8 following the Sept. 15 release of its remix featuring Justin Bieber. It tops the multi-metric Hot R&B Songs chart for a 10th week.

The song becomes SZA’s third to reach the Hot 100’s top two – all this year – following her first two No. 1s: “Kill Bill,” which led for a week in April, and Drake’s “Slime You Out,” on which she’s featured; the latter debuted at No. 1 a week earlier and falls to No. 12.

Luke Combs’ cover of Tracy Chapman’s No. 6-peaking 1988 Hot 100 classic “Fast Car” rides 4-3, following eight weeks at its No. 2 high. It adds a second week at No. 1 on the multi-metric Hot Country Songs chart.

Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer” advances 6-4 on the Hot 100, after hitting No. 3, and elevates 2-1 to crown the Radio Songs chart (76.1 million, up 2%). The song becomes Swift’s eighth Radio Songs leader, as she breaks out of a tie with Maroon 5, Katy Perry and Usher for the fourth-most since the chart began in December 1990; Rihanna leads with 13 Radio Songs No. 1s, followed by Mariah Carey (11) and Bruno Mars (nine).

Here’s an updated look at Swift’s Radio Songs No. 1s:

Title, Weeks at No. 1, Year(s):

  • “Cruel Summer,” one, to date, 2023
  • “Anti-Hero,” five, 2022-23
  • “Wildest Dreams,” two, 2015
  • “Bad Blood” (feat. Kendrick Lamar), five, 2015
  • “Blank Space,” six, 2014-15
  • “Shake It Off,” four, 2014
  • “I Knew You Were Trouble.,” four, 2013
  • “You Belong With Me,” two, 2009

As previously reported, “Cruel Summer” becomes Swift’s sole longest-leading No. 1 on Billboard’s Pop Airplay chart, where it leads for an eighth week, surpassing her seven-week reign with “I Knew You Were Trouble.”

“Cruel Summer” was originally released on Swift’s 2019 album Lover. Republic Records began promoting it as a single in June, as Swift has performed it on her The Eras Tour, her first in which she’s been able to spotlight songs from Lover, which was released shortly before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Notably, the song is the second released in the 2010s to top Radio Songs this year; The Weeknd and Ariana Grande’s “Die for You” (also on Republic) dominated for two weeks in February, after it was originally released, by The Weeknd solo, in 2016.

Meanwhile, with Radio Songs No. 1s in the 2000s, ’10s and ’20s, Swift is the only artist with leaders on the chart in each of the three decades, as well as the only artist with No. 1s as a lead act in any three distinct decades, dating to the ‘90s.

Zach Bryan’s “I Remember Everything,” featuring Kacey Musgraves, holds at No. 5 on the Hot 100, four weeks after it debuted at No. 1. It leads the multi-metric Hot Rock & Alternative Songs and Hot Rock Songs charts for a fifth week each.

Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” rebounds 8-6 on the Hot 100, following 16 weeks at No. 1, the most ever for a non-collaboration; Olivia Rodrigo’s “Vampire” keeps at No. 7, following two nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1; and Gunna’s “Fukumean” rises 9-8, after hitting No. 4.

Rema and Selena Gomez’s “Calm Down” returns to the Hot 100’s top 10, lifting 11-9, after reaching No. 3. It rules the Billboard U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart for a record-extending 57th week.

Rounding out the Hot 100’s top 10,  Dua Lipa’s “Dance the Night” is steady at No. 10, after hitting No. 6.

Again, for all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram and all charts (dated Oct. 7), including the Hot 100 in its entirety, will refresh on Billboard.com tomorrow (Oct. 3).

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.