Music

20 Sep 2023

Peso Pluma’s Show in Tijuana Canceled After Threatening Banners

The concert that Peso Pluma had scheduled for Oct. 14 in Tijuana, Mexico, has been canceled, Prajin Music announced Wednesday (Sept. 20) on social media — days after the artist was threatened in a series of banners that appeared in the border city.

“Our goal is to protect the fans and the team. For the safety of everyone involved, we will cancel our show in Tijuana,” the company said in a message posted on its Instagram Stories.

The announcement comes after “narcomantas” appeared on Sept. 12 in different parts of the city warning the singer not to perform at the Caliente Stadium.

At that time, he municipal president of Tijuana, Montserrat Caballero Ramírez, indicated to local media that the possibility of canceling the Peso Pluma concert would be evaluated. The show was part of Peso Pluma’s Doble P Tour. The artist also canceled a show in Puebla, Mexico, for unknown reasons and changed his tour date in Guadalajara from Nov. 4 to Oct. 27.

On Sept. 13, municipal authorities said they arrested a suspect in connection with the banners. However, their identity was not revealed and no additional information was given until Wednesday, when the artist’s team announced the cancellation of the show.

A few days ago, without further explanation, a few changes were made to Peso Pluma’s tour dates in the U.S., specifically in Illinois, Wisconsin, Alabama and Indianapolis.

Meanwhile, Peso Pluma continues to triumph as a global artist. Although he didn’t get any nods from the Latin Recording Academy on Tuesday when the Latin Grammy nominations were announced this week, last week he made history as the first regional Mexican artist to perform at the MTV Video Music Awards and tops the list of finalists for the Billboard Latin Music Awards with 21 nods in 15 categories. He will also participate in Billboard’s Latin Music Week, scheduled in Miami from Oct. 2-6.

Get tickets for Latin Music Week 2023 here.

20 Sep 2023

The 2023 MAMA Awards Are Heading to Tokyo This Fall

The ultimate K-pop award show is heading to Japan.

CJ ENM revealed on Wednesday (Sept. 20) that the 2023 MAMA Awards will take place at Tokyo Dome, Japan, from November 28 to 29. Over the past 24 years, the beloved award show has held ceremonies across Asia, including in Macao, Singapore, Hong Kong and Vietnam, to showcase how far K-pop music is reaching across the globe.

“As MAMA Awards is a ceremony that acknowledges the most outstanding K-POP artists as chosen by global fans, it will continue to serve as a platform where countless music fans can engage and unite as one, transcending regions, backgrounds, and generations,” said Joon-beom Sim, head of music entertainment at CJ ENM, in a press statement. “We aim to spread the value of our statement ‘Music Makes ONE’ by embodying spectacular potential, boundless imagination, and positive energy.”

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This year’s event will highlight the “One I Born” concept, which, according to a press release, “symbolizes ‘I’ and ‘MAMA,’ each holding infinite possibilities, coming together to create positive energy and become a perfect ‘ONE.’”

The 2023 Mama Awards will host a number of performances and stages that deepen this year’s concept, as well as interactive arrangements that connect everyone through K-pop. Fans can learn more about the “One I Born” concept through the teaser page on the Mnet Plus app. 

More information on the 2023 Mama Awards, including artist lineup and more content, will be announced in the coming weeks.

20 Sep 2023

Myke Towers Sings His Way to No. 1 on Latin Airplay With ‘Lala’

Myke Towers’ “Lala” takes the Puerto Rican artist to No. 1 on Billboard’s Latin Airplay chart as the viral hit jumps 2-1 on the overall Latin tally dated Sept. 16. The new champ follows a double win, as the song commanded the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. and Latin Rhythm Airplay charts each for at least one week.

“Lala” is one of 23 tracks on Towers’ latest album La Vida Es Una, which granted him a third straight top 10 on Top Latin Albums (No. 9 high in April). The single blew up on TikTok after the music video dropped July 28, with over 5 million clips pouring into the platform to ignite a successful radio campaign. (Activity directly on the TikTok platform does not currently count toward the Billboard charts.)

“Lala” pushes to No. 1 on Latin Airplay in its eighth week despite a 1% dip in audience impressions, with 8.7 million, earned in the U.S. during the Sept. 8-14 tracking week, according to Luminate.

The new champ arrives just five months after Towers’ “Ulala,” with Daddy Yankee, took over the overall ranking for one week (April 8-dated list). With the new hit, Towers nabs his ninth No. 1, dating back to “Caramelo,” with Ozuna and Karol G, his first and longest-leading entry, three weeks atop in 2020.

In addition to its new Latin Airplay domination, “Lala” previously ruled Global Excl. U.S. and Latin Rhythm Airplay: On the former, it vaulted from No. 13 to No. 1 in July with 70.4 million streams outside the U.S. (drops 3-4 on the current tally); on the latter, it rebounds to its No. 1 peak for a second week in charge.

Further, the viral activity for “Lala” fueled a rise in streams, peaking at No. 4 on the multimetric Hot Latin Songs on the Aug. 12-dated list, which blends airplay, digital sales, and streams. There, the song dips 5-6 with 7.94 million U.S. streams, that’s a 7% decline from the week prior.

Chencho Corleone Smokes His Way into The Top 10: Elsewhere on Latin Airplay, Chencho Corleone’s “Un Cigarrillo” checks into the top 10 at its new No. 3 peak. The single flies from No. 18 as the Greatest Gainer of the week powered by a 56% gain in audience impressions, to 8.1 million.

With “Un Cigarrilo,” Corleone acquires his fourth top 10. He visited the upper region three times prior through a trio of rulers, starting with his first No. 1, “Desesperados,” with Rauw Alejandro, in 2022. “Me Porto Bonito,” with Bad Bunny, followed for one week in command in Aug. 2022, while “Podemos Repetirlo,” with Don Omar, crowned the Sept. 16-dated chart. It falls 1-7 on the current tally.

Beyond its top 10 entry on Latin Airplay, “Un Cigarrilo” pushes 8-2 for its new peak on Latin Rhythm Airplay.

20 Sep 2023

FamousSally & YB’s ‘Wassup Gwayy’ Debuts at No. 1 on TikTok Billboard Top 50 Chart

There’s a new No. 1 on the TikTok Billboard Top 50 chart: FamousSally and YB’s “Wassup Gwayy,” which debuts atop the Sept. 23-dated survey.

The TikTok Billboard Top 50, which launched a week ago, is a weekly ranking of the most popular songs on TikTok in the United States based on creations, video views and user engagement. The latest chart reflects activity Sept. 11-17. (Activity on TikTok is not included in Billboard charts except for the TikTok Billboard Top 50.)

“Wassup Gwayy” was released in June and has taken off on TikTok thanks in large part to uploads by users referencing the song’s lyrics “In the cut with my twin, we be vibin’,” with videos featuring not only actual twins, but friends and even people and their pets dancing along.

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https://youtube.com/watch?v=5ne4-GJtizA&version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent

One of the most high-profile proponents of the trend? Drake, who was seen dancing to the song with a young fan in early September.

Rappers FamousSally and YB have not yet made a Billboard chart outside the TikTok Billboard Top 50. Still, in the tracking week (Sept. 8-14) for Billboard’s streaming-, airplay- and sales-based song charts dated Sept. 23, “Wassup Gwayy” earned 548,000 official U.S. streams, up 39% from 395,000 Sept. 1-7, according to Luminate.

“Wassup Gwayy” is the TikTok Billboard Top 50’s second No. 1 in the list’s two weeks of existence; the inaugural No. 1, Sexyy Red’s “SkeeYee,” drops to No. 2 on the Sept. 23 tally.

Chrisette Michele’s “Epiphany (I’m Leaving)” is another big mover on the latest ranking, leaping from No. 33 to No. 4. “Epiphany” is Michele’s lone Billboard Hot 100 entry as a lead artist to date, having peaked at No. 89 in May 2009. The 14-year-old tune has returned to prominence in 2023 sparked by a dance challenge largely set to the lyric “So I think I’m just about over being your girlfriend,” which kicks off the chorus.

“Epiphany” isn’t the only song from the 2000s/early ’10s in the TikTok Billboard Top 50’s top 10. It’s followed by a trio of tracks in J. Dash’s “Wop,” featuring Flo Rida; Cee-Lo Green’s “I’ll Be Around,” featuring Timbaland; and Usher’s “Hey Daddy (Daddy’s Home),” featuring Plies, which round out the tier at Nos. 8-10, respectively.

“Wop,” released in 2007, has had multiple runs of virality over the years, initially reaching Billboard’s charts in 2011 and peaking on the Hot 100 in 2013 (No. 51), hitting critical mass that year when Miley Cyrus uploaded a video of herself twerking in a unicorn costume to the tune. The song has continued to be popular for choreography routines on TikTok and other platforms and leaps 17-8 on the TikTok Billboard Top 50.

“I’ll Be Around,” which peaked at No. 52 on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart in January 2004, is scoring a viral bump due to dances using the song and surges 42-9 on the TikTok Billboard Top 50, while “Hey Daddy,” a No. 24 Hot 100 hit in May 2010, premieres on the TikTok Billboard Top 50 thanks to uploads largely populated with women using a filter adding facial hair to their faces.

Check out the full TikTok Billboard Top 50 chart here to see additional debuts from Cardi B, HUS, Harry Styles and more.

20 Sep 2023

Willy Williams Scores His Second Entry in YouTube’s Billion Views Club

Willy William is now a two-time member of YouTube’s Billion Views Club. The French singer’s music video for his 2015 track, “‘Ego,” has officially hit 1 billion views, the video streaming platform confirmed Wednesday (Sept. 20).

The sparse visual for the track — which only features the colors black, white and gray — sees William grappling with his inner-monologue and looking into the mirror to fight off a dark smoke that threatens to overtake his spirit. The video additionally features a ballet dancer, professional fire breather, drummer, gymnast and krump dancer.

The artist took to Instagram to share his excitement at the news, noting that it is just the third song released in French to reach the 1 billion view landmark. “1 BILLION VIEWS FOR A SONG 100% IN FRENCH, 3RD FRENCH SONG TO PASS A BILLION VIEWS, JUST AFTER @off.indila AND @stromae,” he wrote in all caps, referencing videos by Indila and Stromae. “Thank you all and thank you @seblafrite for the final push. 1 BILLION VIEWS FOR A FRENCH SONG. THANKS Y’ALL.”

The video marks the second video for William to reach the impressive milestone. Alongside J Balvin, the pair’s collaborative track “Mi Gente” — which later included a Beyoncé feature — also surpassed 1 billion views and now sits at 3.2 billion on the platform. The song, released in 2017, earned William his first and only hit on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 3 and spending a total of 30 weeks on the chart.

Revisit the music video for “Ego” above.

20 Sep 2023

‘Billions’ Rules Top TV Songs Chart With Styx Synch

Styx’s “Renegade” reigns on Billboard’s Top TV Songs chart, powered by Tunefind, for August 2023, after it was heard in the season premiere of Showtime’s Billions.

Rankings for the Top TV Songs chart are based on song and show data provided by Tunefind and ranked using a formula blending that data with sales and streaming information tracked by Luminate during the corresponding period of August 2023.

“Renegade,” a No. 16 hit for Styx on the Billboard Hot 100 in June 1979, lands at No. 1 following its synch in Billions’ Aug. 11 episode, which coronated the premiere of its seventh and final season.

In August 2023, “Renegade” earned 5.1 million official on-demand U.S. streams and 1,000 downloads, according to Luminate.

The song reigns over Massive Attack’s “Teardrop,” which bows at No. 2. It was heard in the series premiere of The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, a newcomer to Amazon Prime Video’s slate of programming that first aired Aug. 4.

“Teardrop,” which bubbled under the Hot 100 in 1998, garnered 1.5 million streams in August 2023.

Music from the continuation of the second season of Amazon’s The Summer I Turned Pretty dots much of the remainder of the Top TV Songs top 10. The July 2023 list featured Guns N’ Roses’ “Sweet Child o’ Mine,” heard in the show’s fourth episode of its second season (July 21), at No. 1, and the final three episodes of season 2 aired in August.

“Exile,” by Taylor Swift and featuring Bon Iver, leads the pack of The Summer I Turned Pretty songs at No. 3 (15.6 million streams, 4,000 downloads), followed by Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the USA” at No. 4 (22.7 million streams, 3,000 downloads). In all, four of the chart’s 10 songs are from the Amazon series.

See the full top 10, also featuring music from Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, Hard Knocks and What We Do in the Shadows, below.

Rank, Song, Artist, Show (Network)
1. “Renegade,” Styx, Billions (Showtime)
2. “Teardrop,” Massive Attack, The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart (Amazon Prime Video)
3. “Exile,” Taylor Swift feat. Bon Iver, The Summer I Turned Pretty (Amazon Prime Video)
4. “Party in the USA,” Miley Cyrus, The Summer I Turned Pretty (Amazon Prime Video)
5. “Dear Mr. Fantasy,” Traffic, Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty (HBO)
6. “I Can’t Stand the Rain,” Ann Peebles, Hard Knocks (HBO)
7. “Jump Around,” House of Pain, What We Do in the Shadows (FX)
8. “Free Fallin’,” Tom Petty, The Summer I Turned Pretty (Amazon Prime Video)
9. “All the Small Things,” Blink-182, The Summer I Turned Pretty (Amazon Prime Video)
10. “I Feel Love,” Donna Summer, Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty (HBO)

20 Sep 2023

Megan Thee Stallion Is ‘So Down’ to Release a Joint EP & Tour With Cardi B

When Megan Thee Stallion and Cardi B hop on a track together, they make magic. The pair’s 2020 track “WAP” took the world by storm, spending four weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and their latest team-up “Bongos” is off to a top 20 start on this week’s chart.

So it’s no surprise that Thee Hot Girl Coach wouldn’t mind collaborating with Cardi, she revealed in a new interview with Complex.

“I literally think that’s the route that we’re going,” she said. “So I’ve done two songs for her. And now I feel like I’m in a space where I know exactly what songs I want her to do for me. So we’re really building a little EP already. We’re gonna have enough music that we need to go on tour together. Me and [Cardi] going out on together will be so amazing. We are already so cool. And I feel like we got similar fans. So if she wanted to do a little EP, I would definitely be so down to do that, but we are making enough music to already have that.”

In Megan’s recent interview with Billboard, she shared that Cardi is easy to work with because “she literally just let me do me. This is the second time she’s sent me a song, and I’ll be like, ‘Friend, can I do whatever I want to do on the beat? I’m finna put two verses on here, all right?’ She always let me do whatever I want to do creatively. I just appreciate that so much because sometimes people try to give you a direction and they want you to do what they want you to do.”

As for solo music from Megan, the Hotties need not worry about if her next album on the horizon. “It’s definitely coming very soon,” she promised.

“Bongos” arrived on Sept. 8, marking Megan’s first song to be released in 2023. The track debuts on the Sept. 23-dated Hot 100 at No. 14.

20 Sep 2023

Can Rod Wave Shore Up His Third No. 1 on the Billboard 200 This Week? 

The Contenders is a midweek column that looks at artists aiming for the top of the Billboard charts, and the strategies behind their efforts. This week (for the upcoming charts dated Sept. 23), one of rap’s most self-contained stars aims for his third straight No. 1 on the Billboard 200 – though one of the summer’s biggest new releases still stands in his way.  

Rod Wave, Nostalgia (Alamo): Florida singer-rapper Rod Wave continues to quietly build his case as one of the most consistently successful artists in popular music. Without any major breakout Hot 100 hits – he’s reached the top 30 seven times to date, but still never the top 10 – Wave has nonetheless hit the Billboard 200’s top 10 with each of his five official sets so far, and topped the chart with his last two albums: 2021’s SoulFly and 2022’s Beautiful Mind.  

Two of those top 30 Billboard Hot 100 hits (the No. 16-peaking “Fight the Feeling” and the No. 26-debuting “Call Your Friends”) arrived in advance of his new LP, Nostalgia, which was released on Friday (Sept. 15). As has traditionally been the case with Wave’s albums, the 18-track Nostalgia is relatively short on big-name features – though he does get one major lift from guest rapper 21 Savage on “Turks & Caicos.”  

The album’s performance will rely solely on its digital performance, as it is not yet available for any kind of physical purchase. However, Wave has been regularly dominant on streaming since his breakthrough at the end of the 2010s, and Nostalgia appears to be no exception so far — five days after its release, the album still claims 15 of the top 18 spots on Apple Music’s real-time chart. It’ll need robust numbers to get by Olivia Rodrigo’s Guts in its second week, though: The 302,000 units that album debuts with on this week’s Billboard 200 was the year’s fourth-biggest total so far, and the set remains strong in streams and sales.  

Mitski, The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We (Dead Oceans): Indie darling Mitski made a huge jump into the mainstream at the beginning of the decade, becoming a massive favorite on TikTok over the pandemic and cashing in on her newfound visibility with a top five Billboard 200 debut for her Laurel Hell album in early 2022. She looks to keep that momentum going with this month’s The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We, which is available in four vinyl variants (as well as on cassette and CD), and which eschews the sparkling synth-pop of its predecessor’s singles for the dustier singer-songwriter balladry of some of its deeper cuts. It’s already paid off with one breakout hit: “My Love Mine All Mine” climbs to a new high of No. 50 on Spotify’s Daily Top Songs USA chart today.  

Dan + Shay, Bigger Houses (Warner Bros. Nashville): After nearly breaking up following their tour in support of 2021’s Good Things, the hitmaking country duo of Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney make a big return this week with their Bigger Houses album. The set, released in five variants on vinyl and two on CD (with signed copies available in both formats), should sell well – but it might not be as big a performer on streaming as past sets, since none of the advance songs have really taken off there yet (“Save Me the Trouble” has been the highest Hot 100-charter so far, at a modest No. 84.). The duo has a streak to protect with Houses: Each of their four full-lengths to date have reached the Billboard 200’s top 10. 

IN THE MIX 

Diddy, The Love Album: Off the Grid (Love/Motown): Diddy’s long-awaited Love Album is his first solo release in 17 years, and his first major release of any kind since 2010’s cult classic Last Train to Paris set as part of Diddy – Dirty Money. The new album has no advance hits to support it, but it does have volume on its side: both with its length (23 tracks) and a robust guest list that includes such big-name guests as The Weeknd, 21 Savage, Justin Bieber, H.E.R., Jazmine Sullivan, Swae Lee, Mary J. Blige, Summer Walker and Babyface.  

Sleepy Hallow, Boy Meets World (Winners Circle/RCA): Two years after hitting the Billboard 200’s top 20 with debut album Still Sleep?, New York rapper Sleepy Hallow returns with sophomore set Boy Meets World. The set includes a handful of the one-offs he’s released over those two years (like 2022 Hot 100 hit “Die Young”), as well as new collabs with hitmakers Fivio Foreign and Doechii – the latter on “Anxiety,” which has already found some early success on TikTok.  

Thirty Seconds to Mars, It’s the End of the World But It’s a Beautiful Day (Concord): One of the biggest rock bands of the late ‘00s and early ‘10s, the Jared Leto-led 30STM scored their best Billboard 200 debut in 2018, with their America album. That set finally gets its follow-up this month with the more pop- and electronic-influenced It’s the End of the World But It’s a Beautiful Day, with 13 separate vinyl variants available to attract the kind of sales that powered America’s debut. Beautiful Day won’t have the advantage its predecessor did of being able to count concert ticket/album sale redemption offers towards its final tally, though, with such bundles being removed from BB200 calculations in July 2020.  

20 Sep 2023

‘The View’ Co-Host Claims Taylor Swift Is ‘Doing More for the Economy’ Than Joe Biden & Whoopi Goldberg Has Thoughts

We’re still more than a year out from the 2024 U.S. presidential election, but one particularly unlikely name seems to have The View co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin’s vote.

During a heated Wednesday morning (Sept. 20) roundtable discussion about the imminent government shutdown, Griffin controversially claimed that Taylor Swift is doing more for the economy than President Joe Biden.

The remark came after co-host Joy Behar expressed her admiration for the breadth of Swift’s audience. “I want to give a shout-out to Taylor Swift, because Taylor Swift is really rallying the young people,” she said. “That girl appeals to I think 100 million people — that’s one-third of the United States population.”

Griffin then added, “[Taylor’s] doing more for the economy than Joe Biden’s agenda, but that’s neither here nor there.”

A visibly stunned Whoopi Goldberg clapped back with, “I’m sorry, untrue, but that’s OK.”

While Swift’s record-breaking Eras Tour is poised for a potentially historic gross — and the tour’s impact on local economies has been well-documented — Goldberg took issue with the statement that she’s doing more for the overall U.S. economy than the president himself.

Swift has an easy enough time staying in the political conversation without Griffin’s help. On Tuesday — which was also National Voter Registration Day — Swift posted a message encouraging fans to harness the full extent of their political power. “I’ve heard you raise your voices, and I know how powerful they are. Make sure you’re ready to use them in our elections this year!” she said. “Register to vote in less than 2 minutes at vote.org/nvrd.” Earlier in the summer (Jul. 17), the “Anti-Hero” singer shared an Instagram Story reminding her Nashville fans to participate in early voting for their local elections.

Also on Wednesday, Swift announced the five new vault tracks slated to appear on 1989 (Taylor’s Version), which is set for an Oct. 27 release: “Is It Over Now?,” “Now That We Don’t Talk,” “Say Don’t Go,” “Suburban Legends” and “SLUT!”

20 Sep 2023

3 Stray Kids Members Involved in Minor Car Accident, Upcoming Concert Schedule Adjusted

Stray Kids‘ upcoming schedule has been modified after three members of the group were involved in a minor car accident.

JYP Entertainment revealed the news on Wednesday (Sept. 20) in a statement noting that on their way back home the night prior, Lee Know, Hyunjin and Seungmin were involved in a “minor car collision” and were taken to the hospital and “received a thorough medical examination.” Thankfully, according to a translation of the Korean statement, “none of the members and accompanying staff in the vehicle were seriously injured.

The note continues, “As they have sustained mild muscle pain and bruises, medical professionals have advised that they receive conservative treatment for the time being.”

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As a result of the incident, two of the group’s upcoming appearances have been canceled, including Milan Fashion Week and Seungmin’s Birthday YouTube Live. The band’s upcoming performance at Global Citizen Festival on Saturday (Sept. 23) will now feature Bang Chan, Changbin and HAN performing as 3RACHA.

See the full statement, as well as Global Citizen Festival’s announcement below.