Music

07 Aug 2023

Nelly & Ashanti Cozy Up, Belt Out Usher’s ‘Nice & Slow’

Nelly and Ashanti continued to fuel rekindled relationship rumors on Monday (Aug. 7) with an adorable Instagram Story.

In the brief video, the duo are seen cuddling up to each other while singing Usher’s 1997 hit single, “Nice & Slow.” Watch the clip on Nelly’s IG Stories before it disappears here.

The “Body On Me” singers began dating back in 2003 and the details of their romance was somewat of a mystery to fans before they ultimately broke up in 2013. In June, fans began buzzing when Ashanti and Nelly attended the 3rd Annual Birthday Ball for Quality Control CEO Pierre “P” Thomas and were photographed together on the red carpet. The two have yet to confirm their current relationship status.

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“What I will say is we’re in a better place,” Ashanti said of the former couple’s relationship on Watch What Happens Live back in December. “You know, cause before, it was like [mimics fighting]. But we’re cool now. Yeah, we have some conversations, you know. So it’s cool.”

Usher, meanwhile, recreated the cover art of “Nice & Slow” in September to celebrate his album My Way‘s 25th anniversary. A deluxe edition of the album was released Sept. 16, and features newly reimagined versions of three songs –“Nice & Slow,” “My Way,” and “You Make Me Wanna” — a mini-doc, and more.

07 Aug 2023

Ciara Reflects on 20 Years of ‘Goodies,’ New Chris Brown Collab ‘How We Roll’ & K-Pop: ‘I Feel Blessed’

Last week (Aug. 4), Ciara debuted the Chris Brown-assisted “How We Roll,” the lead single from CiCi, her forthcoming EP. Today, the R&B powerhouse sat down with Billboard to reflect on the 20-year anniversary of her debut album, her recent K-Pop collabs, and the sound of CiCi.

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“I feel blessed. I feel like I’m just getting started at the same time,” Ciara gushed. “To know that it was 20 years ago that I was just really, really ambitious… dreaming big, I envisioned that I’d be sitting somewhere like this 20 years later.” In 2004, Goodies, Ciara’s debut studio album, debuted and peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200. The record spawned three consecutive smash hits on the Billboard Hot 100, including the Missy Elliott-assisted “1, 2 Step” (No. 2), the Ludacris-featuring “Oh” (No. 2), and the No. 1-peaking “Goodies” (with Petey Pablo).

Reflecting on the dominance of Goodies, Ciara said that she was very aware of her success during that moment because she always “believed in [herself].” “I was on camera, documented right at the graduation, and the guy said, ‘So, Ciara, where do you see yourself a year from now?’” the “I Bet” singer recounted. “And in my super-Atlanta thick accent, I said, ‘I see myself having the No. 1 song on the Billboard charts!’ And then literally, “Goodies” was No. 1 on the Billboard charts. I dreamed big!”

Speaking on her more recent music, the Grammy-winner described her new Chris Brown duet as “a great example of that feel-good R&B, dance, rhythmic, melodic energy that you can play at a house party. It’s gon’ set the house party off right.” She noted that this collaboration with Chris Brown is something that the pair have wanted to do for “a long time.” “It was an artist’s dream come true for the both of us,” she remarked.

The pair’s new single, “How We Roll,” is the first official single from Ciara’s forthcoming CiCi EP, which she describes as “classic [Ciara], but elevated.” “It’s got a super strong R&B core,” she revealed. “CiCi is that ‘turn that lip up, get a lil stank… Ciara, she keeps it cute, she’s a mom of three, she’s unbothered,” she said, outlining the two sides of her that are present on the upcoming project. “I really wanted to bring that classic R&B energy to this project.”

CiCi follows a string of 2023 releases from Ciara including “Da Girls” and the Summer Walker-assisted “Better Thangs.” The “Level Up” singer also released a slew of collaborations with Asian artists this year including XG (“Left Right Remixx”, Jackson Wang (“Slow”), and Agnez Mo (“Get Loose”). “I feel like I’m touching and tapping into a lot of the boxes I always wanted to, and that was one of them,” she said. “That audience is so special. It’s fascinating to see how they react to their own artists, I’m like ‘That’s the energy that you want. That’s the energy that you want to be apart of.’”

Ciara has earned four top ten albums on the Billboard 200, including 2006’s chart-topping Ciara: The Evolution. On the Hot 100, the “Body Party” singer has notched 21 entries, including notable hits such as “Promise” (No. 11), “Level Up” (No. 59) and “Lose Control” (No. 3).

07 Aug 2023

Kanye West Joins Travis Scott Onstage During ‘Utopia’ Rome Concert

Travis Scott celebrated his Billboard 200-topping album Utopia on Monday (Aug. 7) with a performance at Rome’s Circus Maximus, and the show featured a rare onstage appearance by Kanye West.

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“There is no Utopia without Kanye West. There is no Travis Scott without Kanye West. There is no Rome without Kanye West. Make some noise for Ye,” Scott told the crowd before Ye took the stage, according to Pitchfork. The duo performed their collaboration, “Praise God,” off Ye’s Donda album.

The performance marks Ye’s first public performance since a string of controversies, from publicly posting violent remarks about Kim Kardashian’s now ex-boyfriend Pete Davidson to vocalizing antisemitic and racist rhetoric on multiple occasions.

Throughout the set, Scott performed a number of tracks off Utopia, including his The Weeknd and Bad Bunny team-up “K-Pop,” as well as his Beyoncé and Justin Vernon-featuring “Delresto (Echoes).” He also performed some pre-Utopia hits including “Highest in the Room” and “Butterfly Effect.” 

Circus Maximus served as Scott’s replacement show for his canceled Pyramids of Giza concert in Egypt. Live Nation Middle East tweeted their reasoning for the cancellation, citing “complex production issues,” while Scott responded to fans seeking a further explanation. “Egypt in the pyramids will happen but due to demand and detail logistics they just need a bit a time to set lay on lands. I will keep up posted on a date which will be soon love you alllll,” he wrote on Twitter. 

Utopia blasted in at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart (dated Aug. 12), marking the third-biggest week of 2023 for any album and the largest for any R&B/hip-hop or rap release. The project bows with 496,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending Aug. 3, according to Luminate.

07 Aug 2023

José Luis Perales Is Not Dead: ‘I’m More Alive Than Ever’

Contrary to reports published Monday afternoon (Aug. 7) by multiple media outlets, Spanish singer/songwriter José Luis Perales is not dead.

In fact: “I’m more alive than ever,” the 78-year-old superstar said in a video he posted on his official Instagram account denying the news published about his supposed death. Not only is Perales not dead, but he’s on vacation in London.

“Hello, friends, I am speaking from London, a beautiful place where I have spent a few days with my children and my wife,” he says in Spanish, looking directly at the camera. “And suddenly we find out that someone, a very bad idea, has said that I have died. But I’m more alive than ever. Happier than ever. And tomorrow we will be seeing each other in Spain. Thanks to all of you who have tried to find out if this thing was true.”

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Perales, who’s written legendary hits like “Porque Te Vas,” made popular by Jeanette in 1976; “Y Cómo Es Él” (which was re-recorded by Marc Anthony); and “Canción de Otoño,” among many others, spoke to Billboard at length in 2020, when he published the album Mirándote a los Ojos (2019), which included new versions of many of his hits. In that interview, he said that he did not like being called “legendary.”

“Legendary doesn’t sound right,” he said. “I would say that I am a storyteller with an age, but not excessive, and I am not the singer that people think. I’m a storyteller because my songs are usually people’s stories, my stories, to which I put music. I’m like a storyteller. A chronicler.” Listen to the complete interview here.

Watch Perales’ message to fans below:

07 Aug 2023

10 Cool New Pop Songs to Get You Through The Week: Cannons, Lauv, BAMBII With Aluna & More

Looking for some motivation to help power you through the start of another work week? We feel you, and with some stellar new pop tunes, we’ve got you covered.

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These 10 tracks from artists including Cannons, Lauv, BAMBII with Aluna, Meet Me @ the Altar and more will get you energized to take on the week. Pop any of these gems into your personal playlists — or scroll to the end of the post for a custom playlist of all 10.

BAMBII feat. Aluna, “Hooked”

Toronto-bred DJ BAMBII has become known for her unexpected fusions, ensuring each release offers a new roadmap to the same destination: a good time. On the sultry “Hooked,” she and Aluna journey through gently thumping, and at times oscillating orchestral beats — setting the scene as if the pair are slowly winding down a dim-light, hazy road in no rush at all to reach their destination. — Lyndsey Havens 

Saint Motel, “Fine Wine” 

The latest from Los Angeles pop band Saint Motel offers a reassuring take on growing up: “Our bodies will age but we’ll never grow old,” sings frontman AJ Jackson, comparing the process to that of fine wine, becoming better with time. And once the glimmering chorus hits, which sounds tailor-made to accompany an onstage curtain of sparklers, it’s hard not to buy in. — L.H.

Cannons, “Desire”

“I’ve got a fire / I feel it starting to grow,” Cannons singer Michelle Joy declares on their sensual new single, “Desire”: the line may be a knowing or unwitting callback to “Fire for You,” and like the band’s breakout hit, the new track conveys its yearning message through ’80s textures and clean, dreamy synth-pop. When Cannons release singles that are both smoky and designed for swaying, you better be ready to press the replay button. — Jason Lipshutz

Dylan feat. Bastille, “Liar Liar”

British singer-songwriter Dylan has specialized in emotionally heightened pop tunes during her speedy ascent, as have Bastille over the course of their mega-streaming career; together, Dylan and the band’s Dan Smith have conjured an intensely magnetic duet with “Liar Liar.” Both singers spit out the titular phrase as a decree against deception, accentuating the song’s piercing strings and sprinting beat with ample charisma. — J.L.

Lauv, “Love U Like That”

The single artwork for Lauv’s “Love U Like That” is a neon-purple lipstick print — a fitting image for a love song that embraces its listener with enough heartfelt emotion to glow in the dark. Lauv has earned billions of streams with this brand of vulnerable, immaculately constructed pop, and “Love U Like That” once again finds him navigating fizziness with airtight hooks and generous falsetto. — J.L.

Speedy Ortiz, “Ghostwriter”

“I’m tired of anger” is the lynchpin line on Speedy Ortiz’s bewitching new single “Ghostwriter,” as Sadie Dupuis sings about attempting to live with less rage while also existing in a world full of social injustices that deserve to be called out. Out of all of the singles that Speedy Ortiz has shared ahead of upcoming album Rabbit Rabbit, “Ghostwriter” may possess the most immediately satisfying balance of shimmer and substance, pushing forward with purpose as Dupuis ponders her next move. — J.L.

Chris Farren, “All We Ever”

“All We Ever,” the best song on Chris Farren’s great new album Doom Singer, essentially exists as a list of the singer-songwriter’s large and small desires: as the guitar surfs forward and a synth hook pops in and out, Farren proclaims that he wants to “fall asleep reading a book,” to “get drunk with my friends,” to “make my mother proud of me,” to “love being alive.” The cover of Doom Singer finds an animated Farren on his knees, pleading with the heavens; “All We Ever,” then, serves as that image’s lovely audio counterpart. — J.L.

LANY, “XXL”

Perhaps a song that’s nostalgic for the year 2018 will make you feel older than the dirt under your shoes, but LANY sell the not-so-distant look back on “XXL,” an expansive pop-rock track about a misbegotten romance and the too-large hoodie that makes the memories flood back. The repetition of the “XXL” motif, used at the end of each verse and throughout the chorus, serves the song well, turning what could have been a stray observation into a memorable anthem. — J.L.

Meet Me @ The Altar, “Take Me Away (Freaky Friday)”

For fans of Freaky Friday’s “Take Me Away,” as sung by actress Christina Vidal for the 2003 movie’s House of Blues performance scene, Meet Me @ The Altar put their spin on the classic track and revived it for Gen Z, just in time for the film’s 20th anniversary. Vocalist Edith Victoria injects a fair amount of bite, adding more of the band’s signature pop punk edge to the group’s rendition of the track. — Starr Bowenbank

Puddle Splasher, “Basic Forms”

Following 2019’s The Blankest Blue, Puddle Splasher — Brooklyn based trio consisting of members Dante Fotino, Andy Altadonna and Adam Thibeault — has returned with new single “Basic Forms,” their first in five years that doubles as the first look at an upcoming album. The band continues to dive headfirst into fuzzy, alternative leaning rock as Altadonna’s voice melts into energetic guitar and drum work at the turn of the chorus. — S.B.

07 Aug 2023

Jung Kook & Latto’s ‘Seven’ Scores Third Week Atop Billboard Global Charts

Jung Kook’s “Seven,” featuring Latto, adds a third week at No. 1 on both the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts (dated Aug. 12). Two weeks earlier, the song became the first leader on the lists for a member of BTS as a soloist.

Meanwhile, Travis Scott debuts three songs in the Global 200’s top 10: “Meltdown,” featuring Drake, at No. 2; “FE!N,” featuring Playboi Carti (No. 3); and “Hyaena” (No. 10). “FE!N” and “Meltdown” concurrently start at Nos. 7 and 8, respectively, on Global Excl. U.S.

Plus, Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For?” leads a trio of top 10s on each chart from the Barbie soundtrack and Quevedo reaches the Global Excl. U.S. top 10 with “Columbia” (14-9).

The Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts, which started 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.

‘Seven’ Is 1, Scott Has 3 in Top 10 on Global 200

Jung Kook’s “Seven,” featuring Latto, logs a third week atop the Billboard Global 200, with 124.3 million streams (down 19%) and 14,000 sold (down 82%) worldwide July 28-Aug. 3.

Travis Scott launches three songs in the Global 200’s top 10: “Meltdown,” featuring Drake (No. 2); “FE!N,” featuring Playboi Carti (No. 3); and “Hyaena” (No. 10). They start with 61.6 million, 56.1 million and 44.1 million streams worldwide, respectively. The tracks, from Scott’s new album Utopia, up his count to eight top 10s since the chart began. Drake achieves his record-extending 29th top 10 and Playboi Carti earns his first.

For a second week, three songs from the Barbie soundtrack, Barbie: The Album, infuse the Global 200’s top 10: Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For?,” which becomes the top-charting such hit (7-4, up 19% to 56.7 million streams worldwide); Dua Lipa’s “Dance the Night” (up 8-6 for a new high); and Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice’s “Barbie World,” with Aqua (down to No. 7 from its No. 6 best).

Elsewhere, Myke Towers’ “LaLa” falls 4-5, after reaching No. 3.

Jung Kook & Latto Lead Global Excl. U.S., Quevedo Hits Top 10

Jung Kook’s “Seven,” featuring Latto, concurrently tops the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart for a third week, with 112.8 million streams (down 18%) and 5,000 sold (down 81%) outside the U.S. July 28-Aug. 3.

Myke Towers’ “LaLa” rebounds 3-2 on Global Excl. U.S., three weeks after it led the list, and NewJeans’ “Super Shy” dips to No. 3 from its No. 2 high.

As on the Global 200, three songs from the Barbie soundtrack rank in the Global Excl. U.S. top 10: Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For?,” which likewise becomes the highest-charting hit from the set (7-4); Dua Lipa’s “Dance the Night” (steady at its No. 5 best); and Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice’s “Barbie World,” with Aqua (12-6, becoming Ice Spice’s second top 10 and Minaj and Aqua’s first each).

Travis Scott debuts two songs in the Global Excl. U.S. top 10: “FE!N,” featuring Playboi Carti, and “Meltdown,” featuring Drake, at Nos. 7 and 8, respectively. Scott adds his fourth top 10 on the chart, while Playboi Carti earns his first and Drake, his sixth.

Also new in the Global Excl. U.S. top 10, Quevedo’s “Columbia” jumps 14-9, with 35.7 million streams (up 9%) outside the U.S. The Spanish rapper/singer notches his second top 10, after “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 52,” with Bizarrap, reigned for six weeks in July-September 2022.

The Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts (dated Aug. 12, 2023) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (Aug. 8). 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.

07 Aug 2023

Kelly Clarkson Changes ‘Piece By Piece’ Lyrics After Brandon Blackstock Divorce

Kelly Clarkson is putting herself first following her divorce from Brandon Blackstock, and she’s reflecting that in her lyrics.

The star made noticeable changes to her 2015 hit, “Piece by Piece,” during her Las Vegas residency performance on Saturday (Aug. 5), telling the crowd, “This song I initially wrote just super hopeful, right? And well, sometimes hopeful turns into hopeless, so here we go.”

In the original song, she belts in the chorus, “But piece by piece, he collected me up / Off the ground, where you abandoned things, yeah / Piece by piece, he filled the holes that you burned in me / At six years old.” 

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But in her recent performance, Clarkson changed the lyrics from “he” to “I,” according to ET and videos circulating on social media. Additionally, she replaced, “He never walks away / He never asks for money / He takes care of me / He loves me,” with: “I just walk away / when they ask for money / I take care of me / ’cause I love me.”

Clarkson originally wrote the track about her father, who abandoned Clarkson’s family when she was a kid, and her now ex-husband Blackstock. In June 2020, however, Clarkson filed for divorce from Blackstock after seven years of marriage, and she channeled the pain of the split into her 10th studio album, Chemistry. She references “Piece by Piece” in her track named after iconic actor Rock Hudson.

“When I wrote ‘Piece by Piece,’ it was a very hopeful song,” the singer previously told The Hollywood Reporter. “I wasn’t able to say everything at the time. A lot of that song is about what I desired and what I hoped and what I saw in someone. And it turns out I might not be singing that song again. It turns out that I maybe did marry into what I didn’t want to do in the first place. So it’s OK now.”

She continued, “It wasn’t for a couple years, but I think that’s the thing about seeing red flags and seeing things that aren’t healthy and recognizing that and not holding on to hope and potential all the time in a relationship. So just a lot of lessons learned, which is, I guess, all you can hope for, getting that it wasn’t all for naught.”

07 Aug 2023

Usher Addresses Keke Palmer Vegas Controversy: ‘It Was a Pop Moment’

The slow dance between Usher and Keke Palmer set the world on fire last month, and now the Grammy-winning R&B icon is finally revealing his thoughts on the whole ordeal.

“Every night I’m thinking about how the world now is going to react to this moment that I’ll have with whoever I’m choosing to sing to,” Usher told People. “But it was a pop moment, and it was fun to have at least conversation going, and we just keep it light. I don’t see anything negative happening in Las Vegas.”

Last month, the two entertainers made headlines when Palmer attended Usher’s show in a sheer dress with a bodysuit underneath. Usher serenaded the Emmy-winning actress while singing his hit “There Goes My Baby,” as the two shared a cheeky-but-respectful dance. Once footage of the moment hit social media, Darius Jackson — Palmer’s boyfriend and the father of her child — publicly denigrated her choice of outfit, tweeting, “It’s the outfit tho… you a mom.”

In a follow-up tweet, Jackson elaborated, “We live in a generation where a man of the family doesn’t want the wife & mother to his kids to showcase booty cheeks to please others & he gets told how much of a hater he is. This is my family & my representation. I have standards & morals to what I believe. I rest my case.” For her part, Palmer never publicly responded to Jackson’s comments and instead continued to post more pictures of herself and her outfit from that night.

“I think everybody’s vision or a version of what they felt happened there just leads you back to just really having a good time in Las Vegas,” Usher said. “And that’s what I hope came out of it. Rather, it was a conversation of what was going on with us having fun in front of the audience or conversation about that song.”

The “Burn” singer has since embraced a nickname granted to him by the Internet: the “Domestic Terrorist.” “The internet is crazy. You can’t beat the internet,” he joked.

07 Aug 2023

Morgan Wallen’s ‘Last Night’ Notches 15th Week Atop Hot 100, Travis Scott, Dua Lipa Hit Top 10

Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” rebounds to lead the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart for a 15th week. The hit ties for the fourth-longest reign in the Hot 100’s 65-year history, and the longest for a song by an act with no accompanying artists.

Travis Scott debuts two songs in the Hot 100’s top 10, both in the top five, as “Meltdown,” featuring Drake, and “FE!N,” featuring Playboi Carti, enter at Nos. 3 and 5, respectively, and Dua Lipa’s “Dance the Night” is also new to the top 10, rising 12-10.

Plus, Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer” hits the Hot 100’s top five (6-4), four years after its release on her 2019 album Lover, as it’s now being promoted as a single from the set.

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 Aug. 12, 2023) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (Aug. 8). For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.

Wallen’s “Last Night,” released on Big Loud/Mercury/Republic Records, drew 67.2 million radio airplay audience impressions (down 10%) and 26.7 million streams (down 8%) and sold 7,000 downloads (down 11%) in the July 28-Aug. 3 tracking week, according to Luminate.

As “Last Night” leads the Hot 100 for a 15th week, rising from No. 2, it ties for the fourth-longest domination in the chart’s history. It also ties Harry Styles’ “As It Was” for the longest rule for a song by an act with no accompanying artists.

Longest-Leading Billboard Hot 100 No. 1s:

  • 19, “Old Town Road,” Lil Nas X feat. Billy Ray Cyrus, beginning April 13, 2019
  • 16, “Despacito,” Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee feat. Justin Bieber, May 27, 2017
  • 16, “One Sweet Day,” Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men, Dec. 2, 1995
  • 15 (to date), “Last Night,” Morgan Wallen, March 18, 2023
  • 15, “As It Was,” Harry Styles, April 16, 2022
  • 14, “Uptown Funk!,” Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars, Jan. 17, 2015
  • 14, “I Gotta Feeling,” The Black Eyed Peas, July 11, 2009
  • 14, “We Belong Together,” Mariah Carey, June 4, 2005
  • 14, “Candle in the Wind 1997”/“Something About the Way You Look Tonight,” Elton John, Oct. 11, 1997
  • 14, “Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix),” Los Del Rio, Aug. 3, 1996
  • 14, “I’ll Make Love to You,” Boyz II Men, Aug. 27, 1994
  • 14, “I Will Always Love You,” Whitney Houston, Nov. 28, 1992

“Last Night” first led the Hot 100 in March, becoming Wallen’s initial leader on the list, and has now logged five distinct stays at No. 1: March 18; April 15-22; May 6-July 8; July 22; and Aug. 12. It likewise matches Styles’ “As It Was,” as well as Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” (over four distinct stays on the Hot 100), for the most interrupted runs at No. 1. (“Last Night” has yo-yoed between Nos. 1 and 3 over the 22-week span dating to its first week on top.)

“Last Night” falls to No. 3 after 17 weeks at No. 1 on the Streaming Songs chart; drops to No. 4 from its No. 2 best on Radio Songs; and slips 6-7 following a week atop Digital Song Sales.

The single also tops Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, which employs the same multi-metric methodology as the Hot 100, for a 24th week, tying for the fourth-longest rule since the chart became an all-encompassing genre reflection in 1958; Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Line’s “Meant to Be” spent a record 50 weeks at No. 1 in 2017-18.

“Last Night,” which crowned the Country Airplay chart for eight weeks and crossed over to No. 5 peaks on both Pop Airplay and Adult Pop Airplay, additionally posts a 10th week atop Billboard’s Songs of the Summer chart, having ranked at No. 1 each week since the survey returned.

Luke Combs’ cover of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car” rebounds for a fourth week at its No. 2 Hot 100 high on the Hot 100, from No. 3, led by a 4% gain to 77.4 million in radio reach.

Travis Scott launches two tracks in the Hot 100’s 10, each in the top five: “Meltdown,” featuring Drake (No. 3), and “FE!N,” featuring Playboi Carti (No. 5). The songs start with 32.2 million and 25.6 million streams, respectively.

Scott adds his 13th and 14th Hot 100 top 10s (and charts multiple songs in the top five simultaneously for the first time). Playboi Carti collects his second top 10, following his featured turn on Drake’s “Pain 1993” (No. 7, 2020).

Drake, meanwhile, earns his record-extending 69th Hot 100 top 10.

Most Billboard Hot 100 Top 10s:

  • 69, Drake
  • 42, Taylor Swift
  • 38, Madonna
  • 34, The Beatles
  • 32, Rihanna
  • 30, Michael Jackson
  • 29, Elton John
  • 28, Mariah Carey
  • 28, Stevie Wonder
  • 27, Janet Jackson

“Meltdown” concurrently debuts at No. 1 on Streaming Songs, where it’s Scott’s fifth leader and Drake’s record-extending 17th. It likewise starts atop both the multi-metric Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Songs charts; on the former, Scott scores his sixth No. 1 and Drake, his record-extending 28th, while on the former, Scott adds his sixth and Drake, his record-furthering 29th.

The song is from Scott’s new album Utopia, which premieres at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, marking his third leading set.

Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer” climbs 6-4 on the Hot 100, four years after its release on her 2019 album Lover, as it’s now being promoted as a single, while she has been performing the song on her The Eras Tour. It takes the chart’s top Airplay Gainer award (up 10% to 64.4 million in audience) for a sixth consecutive week, the longest streak since Jack Harlow’s “First Class” linked six straight wins in April-June 2022.

Swift achieves her 27th top five Hot 100 hit, tying for the fourth-most in the chart’s archives – as Drake adds his record-padding 36th, as featured on Travis Scott’s “Meltdown.”

Most Top Five Billboard Hot 100 Hits:

  • 36, Drake
  • 29, The Beatles
  • 28, Madonna
  • 27, Mariah Carey
  • 27, Taylor Swift
  • 24, Janet Jackson
  • 24, Rihanna
  • 21, Elvis Presley
  • 20, Justin Bieber
  • 20, Michael Jackson
  • 20, Stevie Wonder

Rema and Selena Gomez’s “Calm Down” backtracks 5-6 on the Hot 100, after reaching No. 3, as it spends a seventh week atop Radio Songs (89.2 million, down 2%). The collab tops the Billboard U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart for a 49th week, extending the longest reign since the ranking began over a year ago.

Gunna’s “Fukumean” falls to No. 7 on the Hot 100 from its No. 4 high; Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice’s “Barbie World,” with Aqua, holds at No. 8, after reaching No. 7; and Olivia Rodrigo’s “Vampire” lifts 10-9, four weeks after it debuted as her third No. 1.

Rounding out the Hot 100’s top 10, Dua Lipa’s “Dance the Night” reaches the region, ascending 12-10 with 42.3 million in airplay audience (up 5%), 15.3 million streams (up 6%) and 6,000 sold (down 3%).

Lipa lands her fifth Hot 100 top 10, as “Dance the Night” joins “Cold Heart (Pnau Remix),” with Elton John (No. 7, January 2022); “Levitating” (No. 2, May 2021 – and the No. 1 song on the 2021 year-end Hot 100); “Don’t Start Now” (No. 2, March 2020); and “New Rules” (No. 6, 2018).

Meanwhile, with “Dance the Night” and “Barbie World” both from Barbie: The Album, the soundtrack to the box office smash Barbie, the set is the first soundtrack to spin off multiple new Hot 100 top 10s since Disney’s Encanto yielded two in 2022: “We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” by Carolina Gaitán, Mauro Castillo, Adassa, Rhenzy Feliz, Diane Guerrero, Stephanie Beatriz and the Encanto Cast (No. 1 for five weeks), and “Surface Pressure,” by Jessica Darrow (No. 8).

Notably, a week after Jason Aldean’s “Try That in a Small Town” hit No. 1 on the Hot 100, the song tumbles to No. 21, down 47% to 16.2 million streams and 85% to 26,000 sold, although it spends a third week at No. 1 on Digital Song Sales; it’s also up 35% to 11.8 million in radio audience. The song is the sixth to fall from No. 1 to a rank on the chart outside the top 20, after Jimin’s “Like Crazy” (1-45; April 15, 2023); Taylor Swift’s “Willow” (1-38; Jan. 2, 2021); 6ix9ine and Nicki Minaj’s “Trollz” (1-34; July 4, 2020); BTS’ “Life Goes On” (1-28; Dec. 12, 2020); and Travis Scott’s “Franchise,” featuring Young Thug and M.I.A. (1-25; Oct. 17, 2020).

Plus, as chart-watcher Jesper Tan of Subang Jaya, Malaysia, notes, having written in anticipating Wallen’s potential return to No. 1 on the Hot 100, as “Last Night” replaces “Try That in a Small Town” at the summit, country songs (as defined by those that have hit Hot Country Songs) top the Hot 100 back-to-back for the first time in over 42 years: on the chart dated March 14, 1981, Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5” returned to No. 1, supplanting Eddie Rabbitt’s “I Love a Rainy Night.”

Again, for all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram and all charts (dated Aug. 12), including the Hot 100 in its entirety, will refresh on Billboard.com tomorrow (Aug. 8).

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.

07 Aug 2023

Travis Scott Lands Third No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 With ‘Utopia’

Travis Scott’s Utopia blasts in at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart (dated Aug. 12), capturing the third-biggest week of 2023 for any album and the largest for any R&B/hip-hop or rap release.

The star-laden hip-hop effort bows with 496,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending Aug. 3, according to Luminate. Among the guests featured on Utopia are 10 acts who have all topped the Billboard 200 on their own: 21 Savage, Bad Bunny, Beyoncé, Drake, Future, Lil Uzi Vert, Playboi Carti, SZA, The Weeknd and Young Thug.

Utopia is Scott’s third No. 1 and first solo album since 2018’s Astroworld, which started atop the chart. In between Astroworld and Utopia, the Jackboys supergroup – led by Scott – notched a No. 1 with its self-titled release in early 2020. Utopia has been teased for years, as Scott first shared the album title in a series of social media posts in the summer and fall of 2020.

Also in the top 10 of the new Billboard 200, Post Malone clocks his fifth consecutive top five-charting effort as Austin bows at No. 2.

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. The new Aug. 12, 2023-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on Aug. 8. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

Of Utopia’s 477,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending Aug. 3, SEA units comprise 243,000 (equaling 330.68 million on-demand official streams of the streaming set’s 19 total songs – the second-biggest streaming week of 2023), album sales comprise 252,000 (the second-largest sales week of 2023) and TEA units comprise 1,000.

Streaming activity comprises nearly half (49%) of Utopia’s first-week activity, with almost all of the remainder generated by album sales. The set’s streaming activity was so robust that the album would have been No. 1 from only its SEA units (and still have twice the total units of the No. 2 album on the chart, Post Malone’s Austin). The most-streamed song on the Utopia album, by official on-demand streams, is “Meltdown,” featuring Drake. It accounted for nearly 10% of the album’s streams during the week.

Utopia was preceded by its first single, “K-POP,” with The Weeknd and Bad Bunny, which debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 dated Aug. 5.

Utopia is available with three different track lists: a standard 18-song edition through all major digital retailers (including the iTunes Store and Amazon), a 19-song set at digital retail and streamers (which includes the song “Meltdown,” featuring Drake), and a 19-song version available on CD, vinyl and a “First Edition” digital album sold through Scott’s webstore (that includes the song “Aye” with Lil Uzi Vert). All of the standard digital retail release’s 18 songs are on both 19-song expanded versions. The “First Edition” digital album was released at the end of the tracking week, in the closing hours of Aug. 3, and sold for just $4.99. The “First Edition” variant sold exceptionally well, due to fan speculation as to the set’s track list, which was not advertised by Scott’s webstore.

Utopia’s sales were also enhanced by its availability across five CD variants (each with a different cover), five vinyl LP variants (with different covers and color vinyl), 15 deluxe boxed sets – each containing a piece of branded clothing and a copy of the album on CD or vinyl, six zine/CD deluxe editions (where a copy of the CD is housed inside a magazine-like package branded to the album), and two Fan Pack offers in which customers could choose to purchase a copy of the CD or vinyl LP with a piece of branded merchandise for a discounted price. Initially, the assorted CD and vinyl album cover art was not displayed to customers on Scott’s webstore. When fans placed orders, they selected one of five covers, not knowing what the final design would look like. Eventually, closer to street date, the cover art for all variants was revealed.

All physical formats of the album are exclusively sold through Scott’s official webstore. It has not been announced when, or if, any of the physical versions of the album will be released wide to any other retailers.

Scott drove customers to his webstore during Utopia’s pre-order campaign and during its first-week thanks to frequent new merchandise releases. Alongside merch drops, the webstore promoted discounted pricing on the Utopia album – going as low as $4.99 for its digital album.

In total, Utopia sold 252,000 copies in its first week. Of that sum, digital downloads comprise 111,000 (with 79% of that sum from the “First Edition” variant), CD sales comprise 63,000 (80% of that figure were CDs housed in boxed sets and zine packages) and vinyl sales comprise 79,000 (30.5% were vinyl housed in boxed sets). Of the album’s 252,000 sold across all formats (digital download, CD and vinyl), deluxe boxed sets and zine packages combined to sell 30% of that figure (about 75,000 of 252,000).

Utopia’s vinyl sales were so big, they mark the largest sales week for an R&B/hip-hop or rap album on vinyl since Luminate began tracking sales in 1991. Notably, Scott sold 55,000 copies of the vinyl edition of Utopia as individual purchases – those not contained inside a deluxe boxed set with merch. That figure would still represent the largest week for an R&B/hip-hop or rap set on vinyl in the Luminate era.

At No. 2 on the new Billboard 200, Post Malone scores his fifth consecutive and total top five-charting set as Austin launches with 113,000 equivalent album units earned. Of that sum, SEA units comprise 78,000 (equaling 101.14 million on-demand official streams of the set’s 18 songs), album sales comprise 34,000 and TEA units comprise 1,000.

Austin was led by a trio of charting songs on the Hot 100: “Chemical” (No. 13 peak in April), “Mourning” (No. 36 in June) and “Overdrive” (debuted at No. 47 on the July 29-dated chart).

Austin is absent any guest stars and presents a sonic shift for Post Malone, focusing more on pop and alternative sounds and guitar-based tunes instead of hip-hop. (Post Malone’s four previous albums all hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.)

The set was available to purchase across five CD variants (four with alternative covers, one of which includes a bonus track), three vinyl LPs (including a Target-exclusive color variant), a cassette tape, four digital download variants (each with a different cover, exclusive to his official webstore), and two Fan Pack offers. In addition, the album was issued in a deluxe version in the middle of its first tracking week, with a new bonus track added, “Joy.”

Austin sold about 11,500 copies on vinyl – marking Post Malone’s biggest week ever on vinyl.

Morgan Wallen’s chart-topping One Thing at a Time is a non-mover at No. 3 on the Billboard 200, shifting 96,000 equivalent album units (down 7%). It’s the first time the album has fallen below 100,000 units in a single week, in its 22nd week on the chart. The set earned in excess of 100,000 equivalent album units in its first 21 chart weeks, the most weeks of 100,000-plus units since the Billboard 200 began ranking titles by units in December of 2014.

The Barbie film soundtrack dips 2-4 in its second week with 91,000 equivalent album units (down 28%), Taylor Swift’s former leader Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) falls 4-5 with 66,000 units (down 16%), NewJeans’ 2nd EP ‘Get Up’ falls 1-6 in its second week with 55,000 units (down 56%) and Peso Pluma’s Génesis slips 5-7 with 50,000 units (down 6%).

Three former No. 1s round out the top 10, as Swift’s Midnights backtracks 6-8 with 49,000 (up less than 1%), Wallen’s Dangerous: The Double Album falls 7-9 with nearly 49,000 (down 5%) and Swift’s Lover holds steady at No. 10 with 43,000 (up 2%).

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.