Music

12 Jul 2023

Backstreet Boys Are Loving Coldplay’s ‘Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)’ Cover

Coldplay got everybody to rock their bodies during a recent Music of the Spheres tour stop, where the band performed a cover Backstreet Boys’ 1997 classic, “Everybody (Backstreet’s’ Back).”

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The boy band took to Instagram on Wednesday (July 12) to share excitement over Coldplay’s cover, posting a clip from the performance, in which frontman Chris Martin is seen singing the hook with the whole audience singing along with him.

“Buzzing from @coldplay’s cover of Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)! Truly an honor,” the Backstreet Boys captioned the post, which you can see here.

Coldplay continues to take its Music of the Spheres tour across the world through the end of this year, as they added a series of new North American dates for the fall, slated to kick off at Seattle’s Lumen Field on Sept. 20 and wind down on Oct. 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. 

Back in January, the group revealed in an interview with Toronto’s City News that they’re nearing completion of the follow-up to their 2021 album, Music of the Spheres. “We’re finishing an album called Moon Music,” Martin told the outlet, “which is the second Music Of The Spheres volume, but that won’t come out for a little bit.”

12 Jul 2023

Shania Twain Duets With Hoda Kotb & More Moments From Her NYC Tour Stop That Impressed Us Much

Shania Twain’s Queen of Me Tour rolled into New York City’s Madison Square Garden on Tuesday (July 11), bringing with it a formidable catalog of country classics as well as a kick-ass opener, Breland, one of the more promising fresh faces in country music.

But Breland – who joined Shania mid-show on “Inhale/Exhale Air” from her 2023 album Queen of Me – wasn’t the only surprise guest. NBC Today anchor Hoda Kotb, who is apparently text message pals with Shania, came out and duetted with the legend on one of her best-loved tunes. Plus, several lucky fans got the chance to share the stage with Twain over the course of the night.

“This really is the time of my life, and I really mean that,” Twain said before her raucous three-song encore. “I’m loving life and I’m loving all these moments. I’m overwhelmed by the welcome.”

She also announced that there’s a 25th anniversary edition of her indispensable 1997 album Come On Over on the way, which will features new mixes as well as live recordings of its songs with guests like Elton John, Chris Martin and Alison Krauss & Union Station. Come On Over – 25th Anniversary Diamond Edition drops Aug. 25 via Mercury/UMe and is available for pre-order now; Come On Over is the best-selling album from a female artist in the Luminate era (1991-present), giving her three of her seven No. 1s on the Hot Country Songs chart.

From duetting with a broadcast legend to wearing the costume from the “Man! I Feel Like a Woman!” music video on stage for the first time ever, here are the best moments from Shania Twain’s NYC tour stop.

12 Jul 2023

Snubs & Surprises in the 2023 Emmy Nominations

For the most part, the nominations for the 75th Emmy Awards went according to plan, but as ever, there were some snubs and surprises.

Nominations were announced Wednesday (July 12) from the Hollywood Athletic Club, the site of the first Emmy ceremony in 1949. The virtual ceremony was hosted by Emmy-nominated actress Yvette Nicole Brown and Television Academy chair Frank Scherma.

Succession was the year’s most nominated program, with 27 nominations, followed by The Last of Us (24), The White Lotus (23), Ted Lasso (21) and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (14).

Adam Blackstone, Nicholas Britell and pop titans Ed Sheeran and Max Martin were among the nominees in the seven music categories. Here’s a full report. And here, RuPaul, John Legend, Riley Keough and more stars celebrated their Emmy nominations.

There were 38 first-time performer nominees this season, including Jessica Chastain (George & Tammy), Taron Egerton (Black Bird), Riley Keough (Daisy Jones & The Six), James Marsden (Jury Duty), Jenna Ortega (Wednesday), Pedro Pascal (The Last of Us, Saturday Night Live and Patagonia: Life on the Edge of the World), Daniel Radcliffe (Weird: The Al Yankovic Story) and Jason Segel (Shrinking).

In addition to Pascal, performers with multiple nods this year include Murray Bartlett (The Last of Us and Welcome to Chippendales), Alex Borstein (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Family Guy), Quinta Brunson (Abbott Elementary and Saturday Night Live), Bill Hader (performance, directing and writing for Barry), Sharon Horgan (performance and writing for Bad Sisters), Melanie Lynskey (Yellowjackets and The Last of Us), Jason Sudeikis (performance and writing for Ted Lasso), and Ali Wong (BEEF and Tuca & Bertie).

The nominations may be revised in cases where names or titles are incorrect or appeals for changes are approved by the Television Academy’s Emmy Awards Committee. Producer nominees in certain program categories will be announced mid-August and may increase the number of multiple nominees. Final-round online voting begins Aug. 17.

The complete list of Emmy nominations, and other Academy news and updates are available at Emmys.com.

The 75th Emmy Awards is scheduled to broadcast live coast-to-coast on FOX on Monday, Sept. 18, (8:00-11:00 p.m. ET/5:00-8:00 p.m. PT) from the Peacock Theater at L.A. LIVE. Emmy winners Jesse Collins and Dionne Harmon and Emmy nominee Jeannae Rouzan-Clay of Jesse Collins Entertainment will executive-produce the show.

The 2023 Creative Arts Emmy Awards are scheduled to take place at the Peacock Theater over two nights on Saturday, Sept. 9, and Sunday, Sept. 10. An edited presentation is planned to air on Saturday, Sept. 16, at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on FXX.

Here’s a list of snubs and surprises, with a focus on music, talk and variety categories.

12 Jul 2023

Billie Eilish Looks Just Like Barbie in ‘What Was I Made For’ Teaser

Billie meets Barbie! Billie Eilish is just a day away from unveiling her contribution to the Barbie film soundtrack, and on Wednesday (July 12), she gave a brief look into “What Was I Made For” and its accompanying music video.

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In the 15-second teaser posted to Instagram, the 21-year-old superstar is seen dressed as the iconic doll, wearing a yellow dress with her hair up in a ponytail. She pulls a Barbie chest close to her, and opens it as she sings the lyrics, “I used to float,” over a piano melody.

See the teaser here.

“What Was I Made For” is slated for a July 13 release and features contributions from Eilish’s Grammy-winning older brother, FINNEAS. The duo previously won an Oscar for best original song in 2022 for co-writing the title song from the James Bond film No Time to Die.

Executive produced by Academy Award-winning songwriter and Grammy-winning producer Mark Ronson, the Barbie soundtrack is set to feature songs from some of contemporary pop’s biggest and brightest stars, such as Lizzo, Fifty Fifty, Kali, Gayle, Khalid, Haim and Ava Max. A slew of singles have already been released from the soundtrack, including two that have reached the Billboard Hot 100: Dua Lipa’s “Dance the Night” (No. 31) and Nicki Minaj, Ice Spice and AQUA’s “Barbie World” (No. 7).

Barbie hits theaters on July 21.

12 Jul 2023

Kevin Gates Explains Why He Re-Released ‘The Luca Brasi Story’ Mixtape 10 Years Later: ‘It Was Before Its Time’

Kevin Gates made waves throughout the late 2000s and 2010s, the latter of which saw the release of 12 mixtapes and the birth of The Luca Brasi Story series. The rapper released the first installment in 2013, and gave it a 10th anniversary re-release in February to celebrate the work, he explains to Billboard News in a new interview.

Speaking with Tetris Kelly, Gates says that The Luca Brasi Story was a transcendent body of work that the industry wasn’t prepared for when it was originally released. “I’m immortal. For the people that don’t know what that means … when I put it out, it was before its time,” he asserts. “It was received well, but once I put it out again, it was re-received ’cause people like to discover Kevin Gates, and I’m still discovering Kevin Gates.”

The Luca Brasi Story continued with two other mixtapes — Luca Brasi 2 debuted at No. 38 on the Billboard 200 chart in 2014, while its follow up, Luca Brasi 3, peaked at No. 4 on the all-genre tally in 2018.

As for the state of mixtapes in rap, “I don’t feel like it’s making a comeback,” Gates says. “It’s me staying true to my roots, because when you say ‘mixtape,’ it takes the pressure of an album. When you say ‘album,’ that’s when the anxiety hits, like, ‘Oh my god, I have a fear of failure. Is it going to be received well?’ But when you say ‘mixtape,’ it’s like I’m going to give you the current events in between the album.”

In recent months, the Baton Rouge native has kept busy by releasing a string of singles including “Do It Again,” “Prada Me” and “Breakfast,” which charted at No. 45 the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs survey. “I love this version of myself,” Gates says of himself and what’s to come. “I’ve never been more in love with version of myself right now because I come from being so hard on myself.”

Watch Gates’ full interview with Billboard News above.

12 Jul 2023

RuPaul, John Legend, Riley Keough & More Stars Celebrate Emmy Nominations

The 75th Emmy Awards will air live from Los Angeles on September 18.

RuPaul

RuPaul at the 2022 Creative Arts Emmy Awards press room held at the Microsoft Theater on September 3, 2022 in Los Angeles.

Michael Buckner

Community star Yvette Nicole Brown and Television Academy chair Frank Scherma announced the nominees for the 75th Annual Emmy Awards on Wednesday (July 12), with Succession leading the list with a whopping 27 nominations.

HBO series The Last of Us and The White Lotus followed, receiving 24 and 23 nominations respectively.

Over on the music front, Billboard ran down the nominations for all seven music-related categories here, including outstanding music direction; outstanding music supervision; outstanding original music and lyrics; outstanding music competition for a series (original dramatic score); outstanding music competition for a limited or anthology series, movie or special (original dramatic score); outstanding music competition for a documentaries series or special (original dramatic score); and outstanding original main title theme music.

In order to be eligible for this year’s awards, a television show, limited series, or made-for-TV film must have been released between June 1, 2022, and May 31, 2023. 

The 75th Emmy Awards will air live coast-to-coast from Los Angeles on Monday (Sept. 18) at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on FOX. Emmy winners Jesse Collins and Dionne Harmon and Emmy nominee Jeannae Rouzan-Clay of Jesse Collins Entertainment will executive produce the show.

See the celebratory reactions from stars like John Legend, RuPaul, Riley Keough and more below.

12 Jul 2023

Will ‘Speak Now’ Be Taylor Swift’s Biggest ‘Taylor’s Version’ Debut Yet?  

The Contenders is a midweek column that looks at artists aiming for the top of the Billboard charts, and the strategies behind their efforts. This week (for the upcoming charts dated July 22), Taylor Swift once again leaves the rest of the pop world in the dust with perhaps her best-performing Taylor’s Version full-album recreation yet.  

Taylor Swift, Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) (Republic): When it was released in 2010 as her third album, Speak Now became Taylor Swift’s first set to sell over a million copies in its first week. Her Taylor’s Version re-recording of the fan-favorite album might not post a seven-digit debut, but it’s already come closer than any other album in 2023. Billboard reported on Tuesday (July 11) that this Speak Now had passed 575,000 equivalent album units in just its first four days — already blowing past the 501,000 moved by previous mark-setter, Morgan Wallen’s One Thing at a Time, in its first frame. 

Those would be incredible numbers for any new release in 2023, let alone one where 16 of the 22 tracks included are near-soundalike re-dos of 13-year-old songs. Making the 400,000 in direct sales that the album has already accrued even more impressive is that the album is only available in a handful of physical editions – three vinyl variants (including an exclusive color for Target), a CD, a cassette, and a digital release – compared to many 2020s best-sellers (including Swift’s own 2022 blockbuster Midnights), which are released in dozens of physical editions to maximize fan purchases.   

Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) has already put Swift’s peers in its rearview, but how will it compare to her own recently set standards? It’s unlikely to get close to the first-week numbers of Midnights, which scored an unthinkable-for-2022 1.578 million units. But it has a very good chance of passing 2021’s Red (Taylor’s Version), which debuted with 605,000 units, to become the biggest first week for any of her three re-recordings to date.  

To pass Red (Taylor’s Version) would also be pretty staggering for this Speak Now, considering it has fewer tracks (22 to Red (TV)’s 30) and lacks a song driving as much pre-release excitement as that set’s “All Too Well (10-Minute Version),” which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 the same week the new Red topped the Billboard 200. (“I Can See You,” one of the set’s six first-time recordings, did receive a music video co-starring Speak Now-era Taylorverse fixtures Joey King, Taylor Lautner and Presley Cash, and looks to be due for a major Hot 100 debut next week.)  

In the Mix

Lucki, S*x M*ney Dr*gs (EMPIRE): One of the most acclaimed rappers from the current rising wave of Chicago MCs, Lucki reached a career-best No. 12 on the Billboard 200 with 2012’s Flawless Like Me set. He may do even better with this month’s S*x M*ney Dr*gs mixtape, which only features one guest (fellow cult favorite Veeze) on its 15 tracks, but is already posting career-best streaming numbers that most rappers would be, well, lucky to have in 2023.  

Dominic Fike, Sunburn (Columbia): If you listened to Spotify’s New Music Friday playlist last week, you might have noticed that the lead track was not from Taylor Swift’s latest, but rather from the long-awaited second album for singer-songwriter Dominic Fike. Columbia executives still have big hopes for Fike, who greatly increased his profile last year with a big role on HBO phenomenon Euphoria, and he may have something of a breakout hit with the album’s “Mona Lisa” — written for and briefly included on the deluxe edition of Metro Boomin’s Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse soundtrack — which climbs to No. 36 on Billboard’s Pop Airplay chart this week.  

Lana Del Rey, Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd (Polydor/Interscope): Lana Del Rey’s ninth album debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 in April — and while it’s remained on the chart for the past 15 weeks, it’s dropped all the way to No. 184. It should rebound significantly next week, though. thanks to a recent vinyl reissue with a cover featuring a partially nude photo of Del Rey. (She had previously considered the image for the album’s original cover, before deciding to “let the songs do the talking for now.”)  

12 Jul 2023

10 First-Timers on Billboard’s Charts This Week: Grian Chatten, Yellow House, DaBoii & 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 July 15-dated charts.

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Grian Chatten

The Irish singer-songwriter and frontman of the post-punk group Fontaines D.C. makes his first solo visit to Billboard’s charts thanks to his new solo LP, Chaos for the Fly. The set, released June 30 on Partisan Records/Knitting Factory, debuts at No. 88 on Top Current Album Sales with 1,000 copies sold in its opening week, according to Luminate. Fontaines D.C. have charted two entries on the Top Album Sales tally: A Hero’s Death (No. 16 in 2020) and Skinty Fia (No. 38, 2022). A Hero’s Death also reached No. 25 on the Top Alternative Albums chart. The group has also sent two songs onto Adult Alternative Airplay, both in 2022: “Jackie Down the Line” (No. 40 peak) and “Roman Holiday” (No. 35).

Yellow House

The Cape Town, South Africa-based artist (real name Emile van Dango) reaches Billboard’s charts for the first time with his new collaboration with ODESZA, “Heavier.” The song, released June 27 via Foreign Family Collective/Ninja Tune, debuts at No. 29 on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs with 798,000 official U.S. streams earned. The song is set to appear on the new EP from ODESZA and Yellow House, Flaws in Our Design, due out July 21. “In 2018, I received an email from ODESZA reaching out to explore some ideas together,” Yellow House said in a recent Instagram post. “I followed a link which led to a page of dreamy, synth-laden works in progress. The idea was to pick one I resonated with, add my touch to it and see how it turned out. In 2019, I secretly travelled to Seattle to work in studio with the guys. Five years on from that first demo, we have completed an EP of material that has morphed and grown every step of the way, just as we have in our own personal lives.”

DaBoii

The rapper (real name Wayman Barrow) and former member of the hip-hop group SOB X RBE achieves his first solo chart entry thanks to his new song with E-40, Lil Jon and P Lo, “What We On.” The song, released April 21 through Lil Jon’s self-titled imprint/EMPIRE, debuts at No. 39 on Rhythmic Airplay (up 9% in plays). As a member of SOB X RBE, which disbanded in 2019, the Vallejo, Calif., native reached Billboard’s charts in 2018. The group’s breakthrough hit “Paramedic!” was featured on the Black Panther soundtrack and includes uncredited vocals from Kendrick Lamar and Zacari; it reached No. 29 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and No. 65 on the Billboard Hot 100. Their albums Gangin and Gangin 2 also hit No. 74 and 191 on the Billboard 200, respectively.

6YNTHMANE & RXDXVIL

Both artists notch their first Billboard chart appearances thanks to their collaboration “BRAZILIAN DANÇA PHONK.” The song, released May 12 on Black 17 Media, debuts at No. 50 on the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart with 497,000 U.S. streams. The track was boosted by two remixes: a slowed and reverb version, and a sped-up mix. TikTok has also been a big factor in the song’s growing profile, as the track has been used in over 30,000 clips on the platform. 6YNTHMANE (real name Oleksandr Liubchenko) and RXDXVIL (real name Fysun Serhii Volodimirovich) have each released several other phonk tracks, and are both based in Ukraine.

Mo Louis

The jazz musician and saxophonist arrives on Billboard’s charts with his song “Static.” The track, which he self-released May 1, debuts at No. 30 on the Smooth Jazz Airplay chart (up 17% in plays). Louis has been recording music since childhood, but “Static” is just his fifth solo song released streaming services. He previously released his four-track EP Perfect Timing in September. The EP’s lead single “Turn It Up” arrived in April 2022.

Emir Can İğrek

The Turkish alt-rock singer-songwriter hits Billboard’s charts with his breakthrough hit “Ali Cabbar.” The song, released June 2 on his sophomore LP Parti İptal, debuts at No. 62 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart and No. 145 on the Billboard Global 200 with 17 million official streams worldwide. The song also hits No. 1 on this week’s Turkey Songs chart. TikTok has been instrumental in the song’s growing buzz, as the track has been used in more than 20,000 clips on the platform. İğrek, who hails from Çerkezköy, Turkey, released his debut studio album, Ağır Roman, in 2018.

Mc Livinho

The Brazilian singer (real name Oliver Santos) reaches Billboard’s charts with his new collaboration with DJ Matt D, “Novidade na Área.” The song, released June 23 on MBB Diamond, debuts at No. 141 on the Global Excl. U.S. chart (10.5 million streams outside the U.S.), and also rises 9-3 on the Portugal Songs chart and debuts at No. 4 on Brazil Songs. Mc Livinho has been releasing music since 2014 and has dropped three studio albums: Vagabundo Romântico in 2016, Mágico dos Flows in 2021 and PÁGINAS in 2022.

Joseph James

The New York-based singer-songwriter and producer (real name Joe Vulpis) earns his first Billboard chart entry with his song “For All You Know.” The song, released May 19 on his own AP Music Group (which he founded), debuts at No. 30 on Adult Contemporary (up 2% in plays). James has released one additional song on streaming platforms — “Valentine,” in January.

Dezko

The Colombian dance artist makes his arrival on Billboard’s charts with his song “Ascend.” Released June 21 on Too Future/Alt:Vision, it debuts at No. 41 on the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart with 440,000 U.S. streams. Save for an alternative version of the song, titled “Ascend (My Mind Edit),” the track is Dezko’s only release so far.

Josi Cuen

The Mexican singer-songwriter reaches Billboard’s charts for the first time with his new collaboration with Luis Angel “El Flaco,” “Prefiero Estar Muerto.” Cuen released the original version of the song (without Angel) in September on his debut studio album Ya Estuvo Suave. Sparked by the new collaborative mix, the song opens at No. 36 on Regional Mexican Airplay (up 76% in airplay audience).

12 Jul 2023

It’s the Summer of Sexyy Red on Streaming

Welcome to Billboard Pro’s Trending Up column, where we take a closer look at the songs, artists, curiosities and trends that have caught the music industry’s attention. Some have come out of nowhere, others have taken months to catch on, and all of them could become ubiquitous in the blink of a TikTok clip. 
 
This week: Sexyy Red follows her breakout hit with two more viral singles, Taylor Swift’s new-old smash sends listeners to an even older warm-weather perennial and Myke Towers launches a mid-summer bid for global ubiquity.

Summer 2023 Is Sexyy Red Season 

Sexyy Red is officially one of the biggest breakout artists of summer 2023. The St. Louis rapper has been a social media fixture for years thanks to her vulgar raps and round-the-way personality, but she has now reached a new level of mainstream prominence and commercial success thanks to the virality of several tracks from her latest mixtape, Hood Hottest Princess. 

Back in January, Sexyy Red released “Pound Town,” a delightfully ratchet ode to the crudest edges of the sexual experience, which eventually received an equally ratchet remix from rap icon Nicki Minaj, titled “Pound Town 2” in May – helping the song debut at No. 66 on the Billboard Hot 100. Minaj’s remix also kickstarted a new phase of the song’s multi-platform appeal: According to Luminate, “Pound Town” collected 5.4 million official on-demand U.S. streams in the week ending July 6 – up 4% from the previous week – while on radio, “Pound Town” currently ranks at No. 14 on Rap Airplay and No. 21 on R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay for the charts dated July 15. After driving the culture for so many months — the love for her breakout song is so strong that Sexyy Red gave an impromptu performance of the track from her seat in the audience at the 2023 BET Awards — “Pound Town” now has legitimate commercial success to add to its accolades. 

“Pound Town” functioned as the de facto lead single for Hood Hottest Princess. Released on June 9, the mixtape did not debut on the Billboard 200 until this week’s chart (dated July 15), entering at No. 193 — a testament to the consistent growth of the tape’s streams. Two songs from the 11-track tape have emerged as the follow-ups to “Pound Town:” “Skee Yee,” a burgeoning summer anthem that garnered love on TikTok pre-release, collected 2.5 million official on-demand U.S. streams in the week ending July 6, a 22% increase from the week prior. Aided by a trend in which users aggressively whip their hair as Sexyy Red yells out her “skee yee” ad-lib, the most popular “Skee Yee” sound has over 237,000 clips on TikTok. Recently, Grammy-nominated rap star Travis Scott invited Sexyy Red to perform the song (along with “Pound Town”) during his headlining set at Wireless Festival in London — further proof that the rapper’s TikTok virality is translating into streams and support.  

Another song from her mixtape, “Looking for the H–s (Ain’t My Fault),” is currently going viral on TikTok. Users put their own voice over Sexyy Red’s as she raps, “You like my voice? It turn you on? / This ain’t nothin’, wait ’til you see it in a thong.” “H–s” earned 1.6 million official on-demand U.S. streams in the week ending July 6, a whopping 292% increase from the period prior. The official TikTok sound for the song soundtracks over 305,000 clips on the app. 

All in all, from the period of June 30-July 6, Sexyy Red’s catalog has received 11.1 million official on-demand U.S. streams, a 24.5% increase from the week prior. Between her audacious one-liners and knack for natural hooks, Sexyy Red has become one of the defining artists of the summer, one outrageously obscene song at a time. – KYLE DENIS

A Summer Twice as Cruel: Taylor Swift’s Smash Boosts Bananarama Streams  

On this week’s Hot 100 chart, Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer” completes its long-overdue climb into the top 10, as the former deep cut from her 2019 album Lover jumps from No. 13 to No. 7 after recently becoming promoted as an official single. “Summer” has benefited from prime placement in Swift’s Eras tour set list, renewed fan support on TikTok and social media as the summer heats up, and prime placement on playlists like Spotify’s Today’s Top Hits and top 40 radio blocks (it’s up to No. 20 on this week’s Radio Songs chart).  

Benefiting, in turn, from Swift’s “Cruel Summer”: Bananarama’s classic hit of the same name. The British trio’s “Cruel Summer” became a new wave crossover hit upon its 1983 release, climbing as high as No. 9 on the U.S. Hot 100. And while Swift’s song becomes the highest-peaking “Cruel Summer” in Hot 100 history this week, Bananarama’s track is riding the “Summer” wave to increased plays, four decades after its release. 

Weekly streams for Bananarama’s hit have increased for seven straight weeks: after earning 519,000 U.S. on-demand streams during the week ending May 25, according to Luminate, the original “Cruel Summer” is up to nearly 724,000 streams for the most recent tracking week (ending July 6), making for a 39% cumulative spike in weekly listens. Of course, streams for Swift’s “Cruel Summer” dwarf those numbers – the song enters the Streaming Songs top 10 with 14.4 million weekly streams for this week. But who knows? Maybe if there’s another hit “Cruel Summer” in the year 2063, Swift’s version will see an uptick then, too. – JASON LIPSHUTZ 

Myke Towers Turns TikTok Into ‘Lala’ Land

Puerto Rican rapper-singer Myke Towers has been a fixture on Billboard’s Latin charts for most of the past half-decade, but he’s yet to score a major crossover onto the Billboard Hot 100. That may be coming soon with the sweet reggaetón jam “Lala,” which is the penultimate cut on his 23-track March album La Vida Es Una. The song has taken over TikTok in the past month with its addictive title hook, a super-sticky backing vocal that plays throughout most of the song. 

The song has come to soundtrack both a dance challenge and a series of CapCut videos, with over 1.4 million videos being made to the official sound. Consequently, the song has absolutely exploded on streaming, jumping from 206,000 U.S. official on-demand audio streams for the chart week ending June 22 to over 2.6 million for the week ending July 6 – a gain of 1,172% over the two-week span, according to Luminate.

With the song’s upward trajectory continuing this week – debuting at No. 26 on this week’s Billboard Global 200, and even rising to No. 1 on Spotify’s Daily Top Songs Global chart – “Lala” may be on pace to announce itself as a very late song of the summer contender. – ANDREW UNTERBERGER

12 Jul 2023

Read Ahead: A Release Calendar of Music Books & Biographies Being Published in 2023

In the upcoming chapters of 2023, quite a few promising page-turners are expected to hit the “Music” shelf in a bookstore near you.

Spanning all genres and time periods, the second half of this year holds dozens of commentaries, historical deep dives, juicy biographies and more music-related volumes in store. So whether you’re in need of a rainy day read, beach suntanning entertainment or a before-bed future bestseller, Billboard has rounded up a list of upcoming books fit for even the most casual of music fans to pour over in the coming months – and it’s bound to have something you’ll love.

Take Britney Spears‘ memoir The Woman In Me, for example. One of the most anticipated memoirs of all time (with a price tag of $15 million), Spears announced that the autobiographical project would finally arrive in October just three months ahead of time. And speaking of highly anticipated memoirs, Barbra Streisand‘s My Name Is Barbra finally has a November release date, after years of delay. The book, which will detail the Broadway icon’s astronomical career, has been in the making since 2015.

Plus, look out for books by or featuring words from such other legends as Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Reba McEntire, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan and Jeff Tweedy on the list below. Make sure to bookmark this page so you can keep checking back for updates as more titles are announced in the future.

See Billboard‘s list of music books to watch out for this year, including release dates, below: