Music

30 Aug 2023

10 First-Timers on Billboard’s Charts This Week: Alana Springsteen, Paul Russell, Duendita, Juiicy 2xs & More

Billboard has more than 200 different weekly charts in its menu, encompassing numerous genres and formats.

While established artists often compete for a spot on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart and Billboard 200 albums ranking, which track the most popular songs and albums of the week, respectively, up-and-coming talents typically start off on genre-specific lists.

Here’s a look at 10 acts who appear on surveys for the first time on the Sept. 2-dated charts.

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Alana Springsteen

The Nashville-based singer-songwriter is officially a Billboard-charting artist thanks to her debut LP, Twenty Something. Released Aug. 18 on Columbia Records, the 18-track set debuts at No. 17 on the Heatseekers Albums chart with 4,000 equivalent album units earned in its opening week, according to Luminate. The collection, which is broken up into three segments (“Messing It Up,” “Figuring It Out” and “Getting It Right”), follows a trio of EPs: her self-titled project in 2019 and the two-part History of Breaking Up in 2021 and 2022, respectively. The album also features collaborations with Chris Stapleton (“Ghost in My Guitar”) and Mitchell Tenpenny (“Goodbye Looks Good on You”; he also co-wrote other tracks on the album).

Earlier this year, Billboard named Springsteen (no relation to labelmate Bruce Springsteen) its January country rookie of the month. “There are songs on here that call out my struggles, areas that I’ve messed it up, which a lot for me has been in the areas of love and relationships. It’s pretty vulnerable,” she said of Twenty Something. “But then there are moments where, if you’re lucky, you start living your purpose and start figuring things out. I think your 20s are a mixture of all of that. I hope that people can just find a little bit of themselves in this record one way or another.”

Springsteen has opened for Tenpenny, Filmore, LANY and Josh Turner, among others. Her first headlining trek, the Twenty Something Tour, is set to kick off this October and run through December.

Paul Russell

Russell, from Texas and now based in Los Angeles, makes his first Billboard chart appearance thanks to his viral hit “Lil Boo Thang.” The feel-good song, which interpolates “Best of My Love” by the Emotions, debuts at No. 1 on Rap Digital Song Sales and No. 5 on the all-genre Digital Song Sales chart with 9,000 downloads sold, following its official release. It also starts at No. 9 on the Hot 100’s Bubbling Under ranking, while Russell begins at No. 4 on Emerging Artists and No. 89 on the Billboard Artist 100.

Russell first teased a snippet of the song June 28 in a TikTok post that has garnered more than 5 million views and launched over 55,000 creations from new fans who’ve paired it with other clips. He later repurposed the post on Instagram Reels, where it has generated another 10 million views. The virality helped Russell land a deal with Arista Records. “First and foremost, ‘Lil Boo Thang’ is meant to be a good time,” he told Billboard ahead of the full track’s release. “When I wrote it, I was stressed out on a Thursday afternoon, so I just turned on some of the music that makes me happy and imagined that I was celebrating something. I think what makes the song special is the fact that so many of us are ready to just forget about whatever is happening around us and enjoy the good things in life – not just thinking back to good times in the past but creating new ones in the present day.”

“Best of My Love,” written by Maurice White and Al McKay of Earth, Wind & Fire, spent five weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100 in 1977. It finished as Billboard’s No. 3 year-end Hot 100 song that year. White and McKay are both credited as co-songwriters on Russell’s song.

Outside of “Lil Boo Thang,” Russell has released two solo LPs: Via Text, with Ruslan, in 2018, and Once in a Dry Season, in 2019.

Duendita

The New York City-based singer-songwriter from Queens arrives on Billboard’s charts thanks to her featured appearance on Jamila Woods’ “Tiny Garden.” The song, released July 11 on Jagjaguwar/Secretly Group, debuts at No. 37 on Adult Alternative Airplay (up 20% in plays Aug. 18-24). Duendita, aka Candace Camacho, has released one solo LP so far: 2019’s Direct Line to My Creator. In an interview with Pitchfork that year, she said that the project was her college senior thesis for New York University’s Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music.

Juiicy 2xs

The rapper reaches Billboard’s charts for the first time with her song “Yeah Yeah” featuring Lola Brooke. Released June 23 on Quiet Giants Ent./Zone 4, the track debuts at No. 39 on Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay (up 18% in plays). The song has been boosted by sped-up and slowed-down versions. Juiicy 2xs, from Cincinnati, has released two solo LPs: Hate. Sex. Love in 2020, and Juiice in 2022.

The Kolors

The Italian band from Milan notches its first Billboard chart appearance thanks to its song “ITALODISCO.” The cut, released May 5 on Warner Music Italy, debuts at No. 181 on the Global Excl. U.S. chart with 9.3 million streams outside the U.S. Aug. 18-24. It also spends an eighth week at No. 1 on the Billboard Italy Hot 100. The group has forged a successful career in Italy, having charted three albums on the Italy Albums chart, including the 12-week No. 1 Out in 2015. The Kolors have released two additional studio albums: I Want (2014) and You (2017). The group comprises Stash Fiordispino (vocals, guitar, synths), his cousin Alex Fiordispino (drums, percussion) and Dario Iaculli (bass, synths)

Taylor Goyette

The Nashville-based artist notches his first Billboard chart entry with his viral hit “The Show Goes On.” The song, which he self-released Aug. 18, debuts at No. 39 on the Digital Song Sales chart with 2,000 downloads sold in its opening week. He also starts at No. 49 on Emerging Artists. Goyette boasts more than 75,000 followers on TikTok and had been teasing the song through snippets leading up to its release.

J. Lock

The rapper logs his first chart appearance thanks to “Money” featuring Finesse2Tymes. The song, released July 7 via Block/Stoner Road Music Empire, opens at No. 40 on Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay (up 8% in plays). J. Lock, based in Atlanta, has released four additional songs so far: “Graduation Freestyle” in 2021, “On Deck” with Madmarcc, “Vengeance” (both 2022) and “Selfish” with RL (this February).

East Nash Grass

The Tennessee-based bluegrass troupe arrives on Billboard’s charts for the first time with its new 11-track sophomore album, Last Chance To Win. The set, released Aug. 18 on Mountain Fever Records, debuts at No. 4 on the Bluegrass Albums chart. The group dropped its first album, East Nash Grass, in 2021. The band is comprised of Maddie Denton (fiddle), James Kee (guitar), Gaven Largent (Dobro), Jeff Picker (bass) and Cory Walker (banjo). East Nash Grass performs at bluegrass night (on Mondays) at Dee’s Country Cocktail Lounge in East Nashville.

Shubh

The Punjabi rapper based in Brampton, Canada reaches Billboard’s charts with “Cheques.” The song, released in May on his debut seven-track album Still Rollin, enters at No. 197 on the Global Excl. U.S. chart (18.2 million streams, up 34%, outside the U.S. Aug. 18-24). It also rises to No. 3 on the India Songs chart.

ISEGYE IDOL

The six-member South Korean VTuber (“virtual YouTuber”) group lands on Billboard’s charts for the first time with its song “Kidding.” The track, released Aug. 19, debuts at No. 167 on the Global Excl. U.S. chart (7 million streams outside the U.S.) ISEGYE IDOL is a project owned by Korean Twitch streamer Woowakgood. The group is comprised of members Gosegu, Ine, Jinburger, Jururu, Lilpa and Viichan.

30 Aug 2023

Kirk Franklin Lands His Record-Tying 10th No. 1 on Gospel Airplay Chart With ‘All Things’

Gospel music star Kirk Franklin lands his 10th leader on Billboard’s Gospel Airplay chart as “All Things” ascends to No. 1 on the survey dated Sept. 2. In the Aug. 18-24 tracking week, the song increased by 7% in plays, according to Luminate.

With the coronation, Franklin ties Tamela Mann for the most Gospel Airplay No. 1s, dating to the chart’s 2005 launch. James Fortune & FIYA follow with eight leaders.

“All Things,” which Franklin penned and produced solo, is the lead single from his album Father’s Day, due Oct. 6.

“‘All Things’ being the first single off my upcoming album is very special to me,” Franklin tells Billboard. “I’m so glad it resonated with the listeners and made it to the top of the Billboard Gospel Airplay chart. This [is my] 10th No. 1, but this one really hits different. Once the full album drops, you’ll see why. Let’s go!”

For Franklin, “All Things” follows “Bless Me,” a collaboration with Maverick City Music that reached No. 26 on Gospel Airplay in March. Before that, “Kingdom” with Maverick City Music and featuring Naomi Raine and Chandler Moore ruled for three frames beginning last October. He most recently reigned solo with “Strong God” for two weeks in December 2020.

Franklin first topped Gospel Airplay with his third chart entry, “Looking for You,” for 18 weeks beginning in November 2005.

The singer-songwriter will embark on The Reunion Tour alongside The Clark Sisters, Israel Houghton, David and Tamela Mann and Tye Tribbett, beginning Oct. 1 in Boston. The trek is set to run through Nov. 24 in Fort Worth, Texas.

30 Aug 2023

Billie Eilish Receives BRIT Billion Award

Billie Eilish has become the 20th artist to receive a BRIT Billion Award from the BPI. The award is presented to those who have surpassed one billion career U.K. streams as calculated by the Official Charts Company. Eilish’s Grammy-winning smash “Bad Guy” has more than 300 million U.K. streams, with six other Eilish tracks topping 100 million U.K. streams.

Eilish lands her second No. 1 hit on the Official U.K. Singles Chart this week with “What Was I Made For?” from Barbie: The Album. Her first U.K. No. 1 was also a film song, “No Time to Die” from the movie of the same name. Eilish has likewise had two No. 1 albums on the Official U.K. Albums Chart. She was just 17 when she topped that chart for the first time with her debut, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, which made her the youngest female artist to top that chart.

Eilish won BRIT Awards in three consecutive years. She was voted international female solo artist (2020, 2021) and international artist of the year (2022). Eilish, 21, continues to set “youngest” records. Just last week, she became the youngest artist to top the bills at Reading and Leeds festivals.

The first wave of 13 artists to receive the BRIT Billion award, which launched on May 4, consisted of global icons ABBA, Coldplay, Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston; pioneering rap and hip-hop artists AJ Tracey and Headie One; and chart-conquering pop artists and singer-songwriters Anne-Marie, Ellie Goulding, George Ezra, Lewis Capaldi, RAYE, Rita Ora and Sam Smith.

Recent recipients include Olivia Rodrigo (who at 20 is the youngest recipient to date), Lana Del Rey, Queen, Wizkid, Becky Hill and James Arthur.   

The award reflects the extent to which streaming has transformed the music landscape over the past decade. More than 85% of the U.K.’s recorded music consumption now takes place through streaming. In 2022, there were a record 160 billion audio streams in the U.K.

30 Aug 2023

Ariana Grande Surprises Fans at R.E.M. Beauty Pop-Up in NYC: ‘Today Made My Heart So Happy’

Fans went into Ariana Grande‘s R.E.M. pop-up shop in New York City thinking that they were just going to get ice cream, but walked out with an even sweeter surprise.

After spending months abroad in London filming for Jon M. Chu’s Wicked adaptations, the 30-year-old pop star made an unexpected stateside public appearance Tuesday (Aug. 29) for her beauty company’s new foundation line celebration at Morgenstern’s Finest Ice Cream shop in Greenwich Village. The star hid behind the store’s counter until fans entered, then popped up to say hi when they were least suspecting it.

“What can we get you?” she says casually to an unsuspecting fan, who lets out a scream, in a video posted to Grande’s TikTok.

“today made my heart so happy,” the singer-actress captioned another TikTok video of her hugging a couple of tearful fans. “i can’t wait to share more soon but for now… just this. i’ve watched 100 times. thank you for coming to our @r.e.m. beauty ice cream shoppe ! it will be open til Thursday !”

Grande also shared a clip of her waving out her car window to a sea of fans on her Instagram Story, writing, “love you please be careful omg i’m sorry i opened window [sic.] i just wanted to say hello”

The surprise meet-and-greet comes in honor of R.E.M. Beauty’s new Sweetener Foundation line, named after the “God Is a Woman” singer’s Grammy-winning 2018 album. At the Sweetener Shoppe, fans were able to have their skin tone matched to a shade of Grande’s foundation, enjoy complimentary ice cream and snag limited edition merch.

The pop-up also comes as Grande continues celebrating the 10th anniversary of her debut album, Yours Truly. In the past week, she’s shared a series of live performances of songs on the 2013 record, old footage and Q&A videos, all supporting the Aug. 25 release of her Yours Truly special anniversary edition.

Watch Ariana Grande surprise fans at her R.E.M. Beauty event below:

@arianagrande

today made my heart so happy. ♡ i can’t wait to share more soon but for now… just this. i’ve watched 100 times. thank you for coming to our @r.e.m. beauty ice cream shoppe ! it will be open til Thursday ! ?

♬ original sound – arianagrande

30 Aug 2023

ATEEZ Reflects on ‘Outlaw’ Hitting No. 1 on Top Album Sales Chart, Viral ‘Bouncy’ Challenge & More

2023 has been a packed year for the boys of ATEEZ. The K-pop group — which consists of members Hong Joong, Seong Hwa, Yun Ho, Yeo Sang, San, Min Gi, Woo Young and Jong Ho — recently went No. 1 on Billboard‘s Top Album Sales chart with its Outlaw EP, hit up this year’s KCON LA for a headlining performance and are about to embark on a series of tour dates in Latin America. In between the group’s stacked schedule, the K-pop stars stopped by Billboard News to discuss their latest career highlights.

Host Tetris Kelly kicked off the interview congratulating the group for the Outlaw EP’s success (the set also peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200), and asked the members their thoughts on why it had such positive reception.

“I think this era is a whole different ATEEZ, so that why many ATINY [the group’s fan name] and many audience wanna get some new piece of our album,” Hong Joon mused. “After we got a high number on the chart, we had pressure also, but we try to enjoy these days. We try to have a good mindset to make new songs. After debut, we try to put something deeper into it, like a new genre of music.”

K-pop has become one of the most popular genres of music in the last few years, and as a result, ATEEZ’s rise comes at the right time. Min Gi reflected on this shift and noted “there’s a growing change as K-pop is becoming more widely accepted by the general public despite the language differences.”

The shift has also led to the expansion of ATINY. The group recently mobilized across the world to perform flash mobs of the group’s single “Bouncy” in public spaces, with many of the videos going viral across social media.

“I think the only people that can really capture the ATEEZ energy are our ATINY, so seeing them follow along with our dance was really fascinating,” Yun Ho said of the dance videos. “It made me want to set more cool choreographies that we can do together in the future.”

Up next for the group is the continuation of its The Fellowship: Break The Wall tour. The trek continues on Aug. 30 with a stop in Santiago, Chile, and will visit Bogota, Singapore and Manila next month.

Watch ATEEZ’s Billboard News interview above.

30 Aug 2023

Karol G Replaces Herself at No. 1 on Hot Latin Songs With Peso Pluma Collab ‘Qlona’

Karol G’s “Qlona,” her first collaboration with Peso Pluma, conquers Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart as the song ascends 2-1 and ousts her own “Mi Ex Tenía Razón” from the lead, sending it to No. 2 on the Sept. 2-dated list. Both songs are part of her No. 1 album Mañana Será Bonito (Bichota Season).

“Qlona” leads the multimetric ranking powered by streaming activity. During the tracking week ending Aug. 24, it logged 12.6 million on-demand official streams in the U.S., a 7% rise from the previous week, according to Luminate. The sum yields the song to No. 1 on Latin Streaming Songs as the Greatest Gainer of the week and an 18-16 lift on the overall Streaming Songs chart; the only song by a Latin artist in the top 20 there.

With “Qlona,” Karol G captures her eighth No. 1 on Hot Latin Songs. She first led with “Dame Tu Cosita” with Pitbull and El Chombo, featuring Cutty Ranks, for two weeks in 2018. Her second and longest coronation to date arrived a year later as “China” — with Anuel AA, Daddy Yankee, Ozuna and J Balvin — crowned the list for 12 weeks in 2019.

Peso Pluma, meanwhile, secures his second champ after the 19-week ruler “Ella Baila Sola” with Eslabon Armado, the longest leading song on Hot Latin Songs in 2023 thus far.

As “Qlona” exchanges places with “Mi Ex Tenía Razón,” Karol G replaces herself at No. 1 again. She is the last woman with direct successors at the summit, as “Mamiii” with Becky G ceded the throne to her own “Provenza” on the May 14, 2022-dated chart. Among all acts, Bad Bunny did it last, when “Me Porto Bonito” ejected his own “Titi Me Preguntó” from the lead (list dated May 28, 2022).

“Qlona” is the second ruler from Karol G’s Bichota Season to lead Hot Latin Songs. Thanks to nine new debuts from the set on last’s week chart (Aug. 22 dated chart), the Colombian made history, breaking the record for the most songs among female artists on the list’s history, which dates to 1986.

Elsewhere, “Qlona” rallies 29-12 on Billboard Global 200 and flies 55-15 on Global Excl. U.S., to new peaks on both rankings.

30 Aug 2023

Hozier’s ‘Unreal Unearth’ Debuts at No. 1 on Top Rock & Alternative Albums Chart

Hozier’s new album, Unreal Unearth, launches at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Rock & Alternative Albums, Top Rock Albums and Top Alternative Albums charts dated Sept. 2.

The set earned 62,000 equivalent album units in the Aug. 18-24 tracking week, according to Luminate. That opening-week sum includes 39,000 units from album sales; with 23,000 in vinyl sales, the set also starts at No. 2 on Vinyl Albums.

Unreal Unearth is Hozier’s third No. 1 on all three charts, encompassing each of his full-lengths. He first reigned with his self-titled debut in 2014, followed by Wasteland, Baby! in 2019.

Concurrently, Unreal Unearth begins at No. 3 on the all-genre Billboard 200. All of his LPs have reached the top three, with Wasteland, Baby! debuting at No. 1 and Hozier premiering at No. 2.

The entirety of Unreal Unearth has appeared on the multimetric Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart, including 15 of the album’s 16 songs on the latest tally. (Lead single “Eat Your Young” peaked at No. 6 in April and has since gone recurrent.) The album’s “Damage Gets Done,” co-billed with Brandi Carlile, is the highest ranking cut on the latest list, new at No. 21 with 2.5 million official U.S. streams and 1,000 downloads sold.

“Francesca,” the album’s second and current single, follows at No. 22 with 2.3 million streams (up 317%) and 1.4 million radio audience impressions (up 14%). The song spends a second week at its No. 3 high on Adult Alternative Airplay; predecessor “Eat Your Young” ruled Adult Alternative Airplay for two weeks in May.

“Eat Your Young” also peaked at No. 13 on Alternative Airplay in June and made a modest crossover to adult top 40 radio, reaching No. 32 on Adult Pop Airplay that month.

30 Aug 2023

Kylie Minogue Ratchets Up the ‘Tension’ With New Single Announcement: ‘Are You Ready?’

She already taught you what your heart sounds like with “Padam Padam.” Now, Kylie Minogue is ready to put the pressure on with her new single.

In a post to her Instagram on Wednesday (Aug. 30), Minogue revealed the release date for her latest single, “Tension.” Due out on Thursday (Aug. 31), the clip played what appears to be a short instrumental snippet of the song, as a club-ready ’90s house piano plays a series of chunky chords.

“LOVERS!!! New music is coming!!” the Australian icon wrote in the caption of her Instagram post. “The single TENSION is yours 31st August. Are you ready??”

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The song, along with being her newest single, serves as the title track for her new album Tension, due out on Sept. 22. With her latest single “Padam Padam,” Minogue certainly drove interest in her new project. Yhe pounding club track earned the pop singer her very first top 10 hit on Billboard‘s Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart after going viral throughout the summer.

Minogue also recently announced that once her new album is officially out, she’ll be heading to Las Vegas for what she promised would be “More Than Just a Residency,” according to its title. Kicking off on Nov. 3 at Venetian Resort Las Vegas’ Voltaire, tickets to the pop star’s first-ever residency have already sold out.

The “Locomotion” singer also recently announced her upcoming TV special, An Audience With Kylie, which will see the star look back through her greatest hits during a performance at London’s iconic Royal Albert Hall. The special is set to film at the iconic venue on Dec. 1, and subsequently air on ITV in the U.K.

Check out Minogue’s official teaser for “Tension” below:

30 Aug 2023

Watch One Direction Cover Kelly Clarkson’s ‘My Life Would Suck Without You’ in New ‘X Factor’ Footage

Suddenly, it’s 2010 again. Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik and Niall Horan‘s very first moments together as One Direction were revealed Wednesday morning (Aug. 30) in nearly 30 minutes of never-before-aired X Factor footage, showing the then-teenagers getting put through the ringer by Simon Cowell during the early Judges’ Houses stage of the competition show that made them stars.

The footage features raw shots of the five boys practicing their make-or-break performances together, including a previously unreleased group cover of Kelly Clarkson’s “My Life Would Suck Without You” for Cowell. When their passionate, albeit rough-around-the-edges audition earns the band — already unified under the name One Direction — a pass into the next round, Styles, Payne, Tomlinson, Malik and Horan tearfully jump for joy and exchange several group hugs.

At one particularly prophetic point in the video, Cowell wisely predicts that the group will have a “falling out” or two in the future. “You will, trust me,” he tells them.

One Direction would go on to win third place on the British competition series, after which the group quickly released its debut single, “What Makes You Beautiful,” under Cowell’s mentorship. After five years, multiple Billboard Hot 100 hits and four Billboard 200 No. 1 albums, Malik would make his departure from the band in 2015. The next year, the remaining four went on hiatus.

All five of the guys went on to pursue solo careers following their boy-band days, and everyone seems to be on good terms with each other in 2023. True to Cowell’s prediction, though, there were a handful of spats along the way.

The new X Factor footage comes about a year after the show released decade-old video evidence proving that it had actually been Nicole Scherzinger to put the members of One Direction together — not Cowell, as many had believed for years. The assembly of 1D actually saved the guys from elimination, taking their failed solo auditions and sending them forward as a band.

 “They’re just too talented to get rid of,” Scherzinger said at the time, piecing the group together based on a pool of headshots of male hopefuls. “They’ve got just the right look and the right charisma onstage. I think they’ll be really great in a boy band together. They’re like little stars. You can’t get rid of little stars, you know? So you put ’em all together.”

Watch the new, previously unseen footage of One Directions early days on The X Factor above.

30 Aug 2023

Phil Wickham’s ‘I Believe’ Bounds In at No. 1 on Top Christian Albums Chart

Singer-songwriter Phil Wickham scores his fourth No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Christian Albums chart, as I Believe rockets in atop the Sept. 2-dated tally.

The 14-song set, released Aug. 18, earned 7,000 equivalent album units, with 3,000 in album sales, in its first week (ending Aug. 24), according to Luminate.

The LP was produced by Jonathan Smith.

“Wow, I am absolutely floored by all the love and support for this album,” Wickham tells Billboard. “This is wild. I felt called when I started writing this record to create songs that feel fresh, but at the core get back to the basics of who we are to God, and who He is to us. Thanks to everyone for listening!”

For the 39-year-old San Diego-based Wickham, I Believe marks his fourth Top Christian Albums leader, and his third to open at the summit. His last No. 1, Hymn of Heaven, arrived in the penthouse in July 2021. The set followed his prior leaders Living Hope, in August 2018, and Sing Along 3 with Kari Jobe, Shane & Shane and Jeremy Riddle in May 2015.

The new collection is also Wickham’s ninth Top Christian Albums top 10, a run that began with his self-titled first entry, which hit No. 8 in May 2006.

Meanwhile, “This Is Our God,” the lead single from I Believe, climbs 6-2 for a new high on the streaming-, airplay- and sales-based Hot Christian Songs chart. It drew 1.8 million official U.S. streams, up 33%, during the tracking week. The song, which Wickham solely wrote, led Christian Airplay for two weeks starting in June, becoming his fourth No. 1.