Music has always been a passion for Steve Aoki, especially as a child. In our latest episode of Growing Up, the dance titan reflected on his early years, explaining why music became an outlet for him and how that passion helped shape the trajectory of his label, Dim Mak Records.
Pierce the Veil hits No. 1 on a Billboard radio airplay chart for the first time, as “Emergency Contact” climbs from No. 3 to the top of the Alternative Airplay tally dated Aug. 5.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
The song reaches the summit in its 28th chart week, completing the second-longest trip to No. 1 this year, after Weezer’s “Records” took 29 weeks.
Before “Emergency Contact,” Pierce the Veil had appeared on Alternative Airplay once, with “Circles,” which peaked at No. 31 in 2016.
One other song from the band had made an airplay survey: “Pass the Nirvana” reached No. 39 on Mainstream Rock Airplay in 2022.
Prior to “Emergency Contact,” the band last boasted a Billboard song chart No. 1 with “King for a Day,” featuring Kellin Quinn. The collab led Hard Rock Streaming Songs for a week in August 2022 following its revival on user-generated content platforms such as TikTok. The act’s other No. 1, “The Divine Zero,” ruled Hard Rock Digital Song Sales for a week in 2015.
Concurrently, “Emergency Contact” vaults 17-12 on the all-rock-format, audience-based Rock & Alternative Airplay survey with 2.4 million audience impressions, up 7%, July 21-27, according to Luminate.
On the most recently published multi-metric Hot Hard Rock Songs chart (dated July 29), “Emergency Contact” ranked at No. 18. In addition to its radio airplay, the song earned 492,000 official U.S. streams in the July 14-20 tracking period.
“Emergency Contact” is from The Jaws of Life, Pierce the Veil’s fifth studio album. The set debuted at No. 1 on Top Hard Rock Albums in February and has earned 112,000 equivalent album units to date.
Taylor Swift rewrites the record for the most No. 1s in the history of Billboard’s Pop Airplay chart, as “Cruel Summer” climbs to the top of the list dated Aug. 5. The song becomes her 12th leader on the list, surpassing the 11 each for Maroon 5, Katy Perry and Rihanna.
Swift claims the mark all to herself with a song that has been out for nearly four years: Originally released on Swift’s 2019 album Lover, and now being promoted by Republic Records as a single, “Cruel Summer” has been gaining momentum in recent weeks, as Swift has been performing it on her current 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. Each concert on the tour is divided into 10 acts, encompassing nine of her LPs; the Lover era kicks off the show, with “Cruel Summer” performed in the opening set.
Here’s a recap of Swift’s 12 No. 1s on Pop Airplay, which measures songs’ weekly plays, as tabulated by Mediabase and provided to Billboard by Luminate, on over 150 U.S. mainstream top 40 radio stations. (The chart began in October 1992.)
Just two weeks ago, Swift added her record-tying 11th Pop Airplay No. 1 with “Karma” from her most recent album, 2022’s Midnights.
Title, Weeks at No. 1, Year(s):
Meanwhile, “Cruel Summer” becomes the first Pop Airplay No. 1 from Lover. Lead single “Me!” featuring Brendon Urie hit No. 7 in May 2019, and “You Need to Calm Down” reached No. 9 that August. The set spun off two other top 20 hits: the title track (No. 16, November 2019) and “The Man” (No. 20, April 2020).
All charts dated Aug. 5 will update on Billboard.com Tuesday, Aug. 1.
Neal Langford, former bassist for The Shins, has died at age 50. The group’s lead singer, James Mercer, confirmed the news in a Thursday (July 27) Instagram post to the band’s official account.
“Just want to let you guys know one of the best friends I’ve ever had has passed,” Mercer captioned a black-and-white photo of Langford playing his bass on stage. “He was in several bands with me including the Shins. A very important figure in my life you could say. I mean this is the guy who talked me into getting over my shyness and up on the stage. He put me in front of the microphone!”
Mercer continued, “He was the catholic school kid who showed me how to sneak into the back of the old El Rey theatre and get a ‘free’ beer. An invaluable person! Who turned me onto Dinosaur Jr. and Interview Magazine and the Cocteau Twins and countless other piles of cool stuff. … There’s too much to the story but I loved him. And I owe him a lot. Neal Langford you were always loved and you always will be.”
NBC affiliate WITN in North Carolina reports that the musician, who was also a well-known hot air balloonist and co-owner of IBX Balloon Flight, was found him dead in Bath Creek near a private dock on July 21 by law enforcement in Beaufort County. Foul play is not suspected, and a cause of death was not revealed.
The bassist’s last update on his Instagram account came on June 23, when he shared a certificate of completion for successfully finishing a treatment program at the Walter B. Jones Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment Center in Greenville, N.C.
Langford and Mercer played together in a band called Flake — eventually renamed Flake Music — in 1992 that was based in Albuquerque, N.M. The band released one album, 1997’s When You Land Here, It’s Time to Return, that was later reissued by Sub Pop Records. The Shins was developed as a side project by Mercer and Flake Music drummer Jesse Sandoval in 1996; Langford joined the band in 1999 after Flake Music disbanded and former Shins members Dave Hernandez and Ron Skrasek left the band.
The bassist notably played on the group’s debut album Oh! Inverted World. The release — now regarded as a classic of the indie rock genre — peaked at No. 19 on Billboard‘s Top Alternative Albums chart and was later certified platinum by RIAA. The LP’s lead single, “New Slang,” was featured in the 2004 movie Garden State starring Natalie Portman.
See Mercer’s tribute post to Langford below.
New Music Latin is a compilation of the best new Latin songs and albums recommended by Billboard Latin and Billboard Español editors. Check out this week’s picks below.
Darell, Everybody Go to the Discotek (Sony Music Latin)
If the album’s title is any indication, Darell has just dropped an album that’s meant to dance and perrear, not all night long, but year-round. Everybody Go to the Discotek, named after his signature phrase, is home to 18 tracks that are not only crafted for a good time at the club but also showcases Darell’s musical versatility. At the core of each track is his distinct, deep, raspy vocals, but while some songs are hard-hitting perreos (“Deshidratado,” “Ponte Bonita,” and “Me Dice Daddy,” to name a few), the Puerto Rican act is as experimental as ever. “Lollipop” is a sensual merengue-bachata fusion, “Rulay” is a tribute to Dominican dembow “Funka” is a saucy Brazilian funk number and focus single “Wait Deh Man,” a reggae-infused collaboration with Nicky Jam, Wisin, and Luar La L. Other collaborators on Everybody Go to the Discotek include Ozuna, Myke Towers, Sech, Jory Boy, Maffio, Omar Courtz and Omar Montes. — JESSICA ROIZ
Kany García & Carin Leon, “Te Lo Agradezco” (5020 Records)
Kany García starts her new song with an imposing tuba beat that then gives space to a requinto-driven melody, with both instruments ultimately fusing to give life to this powerful pop ballad. For “Te Lo Agradezco,” the Puerto Rican singer-songwriter reels in regional Mexican star Carin Leon, whose signature vibrant vocals complement Kany’s equally potent voice, as they sing about being better off after ending a toxic relationship. “This love was too big for you, and you would say that I couldn’t live without you and now you’re looking for any reason to talk about me, oh love, you still have that urge to hurt my heart,” they sing, obviously striking a chord. — GRISELDA FLORES
Grupo Firme & Pipe Bueno, “Entre Botellas” (Music VIP Entertainment)
Pipe Bueno teamed up with Grupo Firme to create the ultimate heartbreak anthem, “Entre Botellas.” The unique vocals and fresh perspective of Pipe, along with the distinctive sound of Firme, reaffirms regional music’s ongoing success throughout the world, as “Entre Botellas” marks the debut collaboration between a Colombian artist and a renowned regional Mexican group. The song was penned by Eduin Caz and Abraham Hernández of Grupo Firme and narrates the tale of two friends who are catching up over drinks. As they discuss their recent love interests, they discover they have both fallen for the same woman. The duo then reminisce about their lost love while drowning their sorrows with a few more bottles. “Between bottles and already drunk, I don’t even remember that I love you and that I would like to be the owner of your kisses,” they sing in the chorus. — INGRID FAJARDO
Caloncho, “Wacha Checa” (Universal Music Mexico)
Caloncho brings us a romantic mid-tempo indie pop song with hints of reggae and folk that’s as “refreshing as mint,” to quote part of the lyrics. In “Wacha Checa,” the Mexican singer-songwriter invites us to open our eyes and appreciate the good things in life. “Let go of everything that weighs you down/ Leave behind everything that happened/ The occasion is so perfect, wacha, checa/ Where are you today,” he sings in his characteristic laid-back style, in Spanish. “[This song] is an attempt to make someone else see everything that is around them that it is beautiful, and that for some reason they are not seeing it from the correct angle,” the press notes say. The music video, starring Caloncho and his wife sharing everyday moments in their home, is just as sweet and serene. — SIGAL RATNER-ARIAS
Kurt, “Luz Prendida” (Universal Music Mexico)
Armed with an acoustic guitar and honest lyrics, Mexican singer-songwriter Kurt presents his new song “Luz Prendida.” Without embellishments or pretensions, Kurt describes the virtues and particularities of the muse of his inspiration that make him fall in love, creating a beautiful romantic ballad. “I didn’t think I would find you and that, instantly, you would teach me so many ways to love you/ You are the true proof, that love is not a waiting room/I want to be closer to you, seeing you already makes me happy/You are the true proof, that love takes time, but it always arrives,” he sings throughout the song. The video, set in an eclectic home where vintage and contemporary elements converge, shows the artist in his essence, accompanied by his instrument and his beloved. The song comes at a good time, as a friendly reminder not to lose hope and to keep believing that love can be found at the right time, even when breakup news takes over the headlines. — LUISA CALLE
Luiza Lian, 7 Estrelas | quem arrancou o céu? (ZZK Records)
Buoyed by psychedelic-leaning electronic music and experimental pop, Luiza Lian concocts a highly imaginative album on 7 Estrelas | quem arrancou o céu? (or 7 Stars | Who Ripped Out the Sky?) that twists and turns in unexpected ways. With unpredictable drum patterns, courtesy of longtime collaborator French/Brazilian producer Charles Tixier, and her ethereal voice (which can turn stormy in an instant), Lian’s fourth studio album puts a spotlight on her unflinching approach at making soul-stirring art. Languorous beats with occasional subtle distortions take the lead on “A Minha Música É,” while “Tecnicolor” displays a range of sound with vibrant vocal effects. “My music is a landscape for you to enter your own journey,” she sings in Portuguese on the intro track. As the press release notes, the album is “a profound reflection on how we distort our lives based on false reflections we see both digitally in our use of social media and materially in an increasingly consumerist society.” — ISABELA RAYGOZA
Check out more editor’s picks in the weekly playlist below!
This week in dance music: Beatport announced that it’s awarding $150,000 in grants to initiatives supporting diversity and equality in dance music, and we went behind the scenes of Toolroom Records — the U.S. tech house label currently celebrating its 20-year anniversary — with the imprints founders Mark and Stuart Knight.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
New music? We’ve got it. These are the best new dance tracks of the week.
Calvin Harris with Sam Smith, “Desire”
The Label: Sony Music Entertainment
The Spiel: Harris continues on the trance tip started with his March Ellie Goulding collab “Miracle” by pairing up with another old pal, Sam Smith. Together the duo also delve deep into the trance realm, with flecks of piano giving hints of Robert Miles’ genre classic “Children” while a galloping beat serves as a foundation for Smith to breathily declare, “You are my desire, and just the thought of you is keeping me awake.” The star of the show here is the squiggly synth line that Harris inserts throughout, giving the song a very late night club vibe that nonetheless will surely work on the many mainstages Harris is playing this summer.
The Vibe: Urgent. Anthemic. Maybe also acid?
DJ Koze, “Candidasa”
The Label: Pampa Records
The Spiel: The press release for the German producer’s latest notes that it’s “the result of DJ Koze’s inspiring stay in a secluded Benedictine monastery on the enchanting island of Sulawesi. Amidst this idyllic setting, he found the perfect environment to unleash his musical vision. He composed all of the music of ‘Candidasa’ while lying on his stomach, in an act of deepest devotion and self-reflection. In doing so, he fed exclusively on so-called heroin kebabs to immerse himself in a trance-like state of creative flow.”
This all might be true, or none of it might be true, or some of it might be true. In any case, the 10-minute experimental production is the kind of hypnotic, inventive, playful, kind of mystic music one would create if they were indeed in such a stomach-down trance like creative flow. The song comes from the two-track Wespennest EP, which are together Koze’s first new music since 2018 and part of the lead up to a new album coming in 2024.
The Vibe: Deepest devotion and much dancing.
Jungle, “Back on 74”
The Label: Caiola Records
The Spiel: Jungle return with the same kind of tight, breezy, throwback production that’s become their signature. A warm summer afternoon of a song, “Back on 74” comes with one of the intricately choreographed music video’s that have become the duo’s signature — this one leveling up as a first-of-its-kind interactive music video made with WeTransfer. The clip functions like an interactive art gallery, with viewers able to download works of art as they watch. When the viewer claims an artwork they like, it is pulled from the video canvas in real time, revealing a blank canvas in its place. Every viewing of the video populates with six different art pieces, pulled from a bank of 10,000 unique works created by the duo’s J. Lloyd.
The concept creates a different viewing experience for each person, with tickets for Jungle’s upcoming tour hidden in some of the downloadable artwork. For the next two weeks, the video is available exclusively at junglejunglejungle.wetransfer.com. The song itself is from the U.K. duo’s forthcoming album Volcano, coming August 8.
The Vibe: The classiest gallery on the internet.
Mia Moretti, “Sweet Juju”
The Label: Spaghetti Moretti Records
The Spiel: Fresh off DJing the Barbie premiere party last weekend (check her playlist from the event here), DJ/producer Mia Morietti demonstrates why she was the woman for the gig with a fresh, fun, extremely effervescent new single, “Sweet Juju.” The song sounds exactly as its name suggests, with Moretti layering a funky guitar lick with loads of hand percussion and whistles and crowd sounds and an infectious vocal hook into a track that really does sound like a party.
The Artist Says: “‘Sweet Juju’ is a NYC summery disco bop,” Moretti says. “I made this track during a cold New York winter, dreaming of the days when it would be too hot to do anything but dance. Sweaty block parties, impromptu stoop hangs, boombox bicyclists, funky bodegas and dark basement clubs are the summer moments ‘Sweet Juju’ is made for. It’s infectious, delicious and full of summer soul.”
The Vibe: What she said.
SIDEPIECE, “What You Need”
The Label: Big Beat Records
The Spiel: The SIDEPIECE guys just know what they’re doing, adding another hypnotic tech house anthem to their catalog with “What You Need.” The song’s success is largely a function of an earworm vocal that adds melody over the track’s thumping, scintillating percussion which builds to a perfectly effective build and release, altogether cultivating the kind of party anthem these guys have made their name on. The song is part of a two-track release that also includes the similarly effective “Stimulate.”
The Vibe: You do actually need it.
Families that make music videos together, stay together. In the self-directed visual for Offset‘s new song “Jealousy” featuring his wife, the one and only Cardi B, one of hip-hop’s biggest power couples works through their issues onscreen while keeping hold of what’s most important: their kids, each of whom makes a cute cameo in the project.
After walking out on a screaming match with Cardi, Offset indulges in some boy time with their almost 2-year-old son, Wave, while playing mini-basketball and riding bikes with his sons Jordan and Kody from previous relationships. Kulture, his 5-year-old daughter with Cardi, and 8-year-old Kalea, whom he shares with Shya L’amour, are later captured giggling adorably together in the front seat of a car.
But just because the video was a family function doesn’t mean it was strictly PG. One scene, for instance, featured Cardi crouching down to mimic a NSFW action on ‘Set, who is leaning against a vintage convertible.
All the while, the two superstars take turns getting things off their chest, both of them using their respective verses to call out haters who speculate on their relationship.
The couple first started teasing “Jealousy” earlier this week, enlisting Jamie Lee Curtis to play a reporter questioning their relationship drama in a spoof on James Brown‘s memorable 1988 CNN interview. Later, Cardi shared a video co-starring Taraji P. Henson, in which the “WAP” rapper rants about Offset’s past infidelity and Henson encourages her to stay with him.
“Jealousy” may or may not be Cardi and Offset’s response to their own recent real-life relationship issues, which went public last month after the Migos rapper accused his wife of cheating on him via Instagram Stories. Shortly afterward, Cardi jumped on Twitter Spaces to emphatically deny the accusations.
But based on a few public appearances in the weeks since, and now, their new collaboration, it definitely seems like the two have resolved the conflict. Plus, an insider tells Billboard that Offset’s family is “his No. 1 priority,” adding, “He’s making sure they are involved.”
Watch the “Jealousy” music video above.
Drake was the topic of conversation on Friday (July 28) after he linked with oft collaborator Travis Scott on La Flame’s fourth studio album, Utopia. Social media hummed when he unleashed shots aimed at Pusha T and Pharrell on the track “MELTDOWN.”
Drake fired scathing bars targeting Pharrell’s newly appointed position as men’s creative director for Louis Vuitton, a title held by the late Virgil Abloh — a friend of the OVO commander. “Man, f–k all that spinning the narrative s–t/ I melt down the chains that I bought from your boss,” spews Drake in the latter half of his verse, taking slight aim at Pusha’s relationship with Pharrell. “Give a f–k about all of that heritage s–t/ Since V not around the members done hung up the Louis/ They not even wearing that s–t.”
While promoting his joint album Her Loss with 21 Savage earlier this year, Drake flaunted his accessories that once belonged to Pharrell in the “Jumbotron Shit Poppin” video. From the iconic N.E.R.D. brain pendant to the famed skateboard pendant chain, Drake sported most of P’s auctioned pieces from last year’s Joopiter auction.
In 2022, Joopiter — Pharrell’s first global auction house and content platform — presented different items once worn by the Virginia powerhouse, including a jeweled-out pair of Oakley glasses at the New York City pop-up.
Later on in “MELTDOWN,” Drake continues with his verbal assault, rapping, “You lucky that Vogue was suing/ ‘Cause I would’ve been with the Wassas in Paris and s–t.”
In June, Pharrell hosted his debut Louis Vuitton fashion show at the French capital, where Jay-Z, LeBron James and more supported his endeavor. Pusha T was also on hand, performing a new track that took shots at Jim Jones — a staunch supporter of Drake.
Drake and 21 settled with Vogue earlier this year after using a faux cover to promote their album, Her Loss, last November.
Listen to “MELTDOWN” below.
Listeners are feeling the rush! Troye Sivan’s newest single debuts across a wide spread of July 29-dated Billboard charts, spanning genres and geographical borders.
“Rush” is new on the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 77. That marks Sivan’s first entry on the list since 2021’s “You” with Regard and Tate McRae, and first solo appearance since “My My My!” in 2018. The new track scored 6.1 million on-demand streams and sold 2,000 copies in the week ending July 20, according to Luminate.
Sivan adds eighth career Hot 100 hit, having hit a No. 23 high with “Youth” in 2016.
Sivan released “Rush” on Thursday, July 19, spurring enough activity to debut on last week’s Hot
Dance/Electronic Songs at No. 30 from one day of consumption. This week, it blasts to No. 3. It’s his first solo hit on the chart; he spent eight weeks at No. 1 with “You” in June-August 2021.
“Rush” also hits No. 1 on Dance/Electronic Streaming Songs and Dance/Electronic Song Sales.
The song’s success extends beyond these U.S.-based charts, debuting on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. survey at No. 29 and the Billboard Global 200 at No. 34. Worldwide, “Rush” drew 23.4 million streams and sold 4,000 downloads in the tracking week. It’s Sivan’s first time in the top 100 of the Global 200, much less his first in the top 40.
The immediate success for “Rush” builds upon the slow-burn rise of Sivan’s “Angel Baby.” Released in September 2021, “Angel Baby” first appeared on Global Excl. U.S. seven months later, on the April 16, 2022-dated chart. It ultimately rose to No. 75, and No. 156 on the Global 200, largely backed by consumption from Asian countries. It topped Billboard’s Hits of the World charts in Malaysia and the Philippines and hit No. 2 in Indonesia and Singapore.
“Rush,” on the other hand, opens at Nos. 13 and 14, respectively, on Australia Songs and Ireland Songs, while hitting No. 40 on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100. While traditional ballads like “Angel Baby” are welcomed Asia (Justin Bieber’s similarly paced “Ghost” was the lone other English-language track in the top 10 in Malaysia at the time), these primarily English-language markets, particularly in Europe and Sivan’s native Australia, tend to be riper for a pop-dance track like “Rush.”
Flashback to her mistakes, her rebounds, her earthquakes. In another case of life imitating art (this time, the art being lyrics to Taylor Swift‘s 2017 Reputation track “Dress”), Swifties at the Eras Tour in Seattle last weekend danced so hard, they generated enough seismic activity to rival a low-grade earthquake. The discovery was found by Jackie Caplan-Auerbach, a geology professor at Western Washington University, who measured the “Swift-quake” at Lumen Field to be equivalent to a 2.3 on the magnitude scale.
“For Taylor Swift, I collected about 10 hours of data where rhythm controlled the behavior,” Caplan-Auerbach explained to CNN Thursday (July 27). “The music, the speakers, the beat. All that energy can drive into the ground and shake it.”
The findings called back to another incident at Lumen Field in 2011, when fans watching a Seattle Seahawks game went wild over an impressive touchdown by running back Marshawn “Beast Mode” Lynch. The rumblings from the game showed up on the same local seismometer as the activity from the Eras show, according to Caplan-Auerbach.
“The shaking was twice as strong as ‘Beast Quake,’” she added. “It absolutely doubled it.”
Comparing activity from the Saturday (July 22) show with the Sunday (July 23) show, Caplan-Auerbach shared that there wasn’t one crowd of Swifties that was discernibly more raucous than the other. Both groups danced equally enthusiastically, the only main difference being that the second show started about half an hour later than the first due to delays.
It wasn’t just scientists who noticed the record-breaking movement at the stadium, by the way. Even Swift was impressed by all the energy she greeted with, afterward writing on Instagram, “Thank you for everything. All the cheering, screaming, jumping, dancing, singing at the top of your lungs.”
The conclusion of the Seattle shows means that Swift has just one more state to visit on the U.S. leg of the Eras Tour, which she’ll wrap up with two performances at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., followed by six concerts at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. From there, she’ll embark on months of international shows, traveling through Latin America, Europe, Asia and Australia with support from Sabrina Carpenter and Paramore.
And even regardless of seismic activity, fans at the rest of those Eras Tour venues have a lot to live up to following Seattle. While onstage Sunday night, Swift doubled down on a diary entry she recalled writing during 2018’s Reputation Tour: “Seattle, Washington is the best crowd I have ever played for.”
