Music

24 Apr 2023

Metallica Blasts to U.K. No. 1 With ’72 Seasons’

Metallica surges to the U.K. chart title with 72 Seasons (via Vertigo), for the U.S. metal giants’ fourth leader.

Debuting at the summit of the Official U.K. Albums Chart, 72 Seasons is the band’s first U.K. No. 1 in 15 years, and their ninth top 10.

Previously, James Hetfield and Co. led the weekly survey with 1991’s Metallica (aka The Black Album), 1996’s Load, and 2008’s Death Magnetic.

According to the Official Charts Company, 72 Seasons outsells the rest of the top 5 combined, and it’s the market-leader on vinyl. 72 Seasons led at the midweek stage, and finished its first chart week at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, and at No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart.

Fans in the U.K. can feel the noise when Metallica’s M72 World Tour 2023/4 stops by Download Festival at Donington Park, with performances on June 8 and June 10.

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Meanwhile, The Weeknd’s hits compilation The Highlights (Republic Records/XO) lifts 3-2, for its equal high, doing so in its 115th week on the survey.

Taylor Swift isn’t in the U.K. – yet – with her The Eras Tour. Swifties in this part of the world, however, are ready and waiting for their hero, and they’re absorbing her records in the meantime. Five of Swift’s LPs moves up the latest tally: 2022’s Midnights (up 5-3), 2014’s 1989 (17-13), 2019’s Lover (20-15), 2020’s Folklore (25-20), and 2017’s Reputation (27-29) – all via EMI. The Eras Tour is currently working its way around the United States, with dates slated to wrap Aug. 9 at Sofi Stadium in Los Angeles. International shows, including the U.K., have not yet been announced.

Finally, Houston, TX rock act Waterparks slide to a debut U.K. top 10 appearance and a career high with Intellectual Property (Parlophone), their fifth studio album. It’s new at No. 10.

23 Apr 2023

Lewis Capaldi Delivers Late Knockout For U.K. Chart Title

Lewis Capaldi delivered a second-half knockout as “Wish You The Best” (via Vertigo) debuts at No. 1 on the U.K. singles chart.

With his latest feat, the Scottish singer and songwriter bags his fifth U.K. leader after “Someone You Loved” (from 2019), “Before You Go” (2019), “Forget Me” (2022) and “Pointless” (2023).

According to the Official Charts Company, Capaldi now sits alongside David Bowie, Beyoncé, Cheryl, All Saints and the Bee Gees among artists with five U.K. chart-topping singles to his name.

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“With The Best” pulled off something of a miracle. The single, lifted from Capaldi’s forthcoming sophomore album Broken by Desire to Be Heavenly Sent, had trailed previous leader “Miracle” by Calvin Harris, and “Daylight,” by David Kushner, on the midweek survey before storming home in first place.

A special CD single and Capaldi’s Netflix documentary How I’m Feeling Now provide the punch. Almost 16,800 units of the single were shifted, the OCC reports, while two of his former leaders, “Forget Me” (up 8-7) and “Pointless” (up 17-16) are lifted by his emotional doc.

Desire to Be Heavenly Sent is scheduled for release May 19.

Meanwhile, “Miracle” (Columbia) dips 1-2 on the Official U.K. Singles Chart and remains the most-streamed track in the country with 5.6 million plays. U.S. viral star David Kushner makes his top 10 debut on the latest chart, published Friday, April 21, with “Daylight” new at No. 3. Kushner’s only other appearance in the top 40 was 2022’s “Miserable Man,” which got over the line at No. 39.

Post Malone earns his 15th top 20 hit, and just misses out on a ninth top ten, as his new pop-leaning single “Chemical” (Republic Records) blasts to No. 11. It’s his best-positioned single since 2019’s “Hollywood’s Bleeding,” which also reached No. 11.

Finally, rising U.S. rapper Ice Spice enjoys her first U.K. top 40 appearance with “Princess Diana” (10K Projects/Capitol), which has found new life thanks to a remix featuring Nicki Minaj. It’s at No. 22 on the latest tally.

23 Apr 2023

Fans Choose Suga’s ‘D-Day’ as This Week’s Favorite New Music

Agust D aka Suga‘s D-Day has topped this week’s new music poll.

Music fans voted in a poll published Friday (April 21) on Billboard, choosing the BTS member’s latest project as their favorite new music release of the past week.

D-Day brought in more than 49% of the vote, beating out new music from Grupo Frontera and Bad Bunny, The Weeknd and Future and more.

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The 10-track album released via Big Hit Music is Suga’s first solo full-length, which was led by the single “People Pt.2” featuring IU.

Upon dropping the lead single earlier this month, Sugar told Billboard he was “actually a little bit worried” about the return to his solo moniker. “‘People Pt.2’ was made thinking about how people will receive Agust D’s music, which is why we also featured [his former collaborator] IU. It’s kind of a trial to release this music under the name Agust D,” he said.

Trailing behind D-Day on the poll is Grupo Frontera and Bad Bunny’s “un x100to,” with 21% of the vote, and The Weeknd and Future’s “Double Fantasy,” with 17%.

See the final results of this week’s poll below.

23 Apr 2023

Lizzo Brings Drag Queens on Stage, Protesting Tennessee Law

At a concert Friday night (April 20) in Knoxville, Tennessee, Lizzo filled the stage with drag queens in a glittery protest against the state’s legislation designed to restrict drag performances in public.

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While performing at Thompson-Boling Arena, the Grammy-winning “Juice” singer brought out a number of drag performers, including Aquaria, Kandy Muse, Asia O’Hara and Vanessa Vanji. On Saturday, Lizzo posted videos on Instagram from the show, including comments to the crowd that referenced the pending law.

In February, Republican Gov. Bill Lee signed the legislation against “adult cabaret” in public or in front of minors. A federal judge temporarily blocked the law in late March, saying it was too vaguely written. Civil rights groups have criticized the law as a violation of free speech.

The Tennessee law is part of a wider Republican effort to restrict drag shows and other LGBTQ+ public gatherings.

“In light of recent and tragic events and current events, I was told by people on the internet, ‘Cancel your shows in Tennessee,’ ‘Don’t go to Tennessee,’” Lizzo said during the Friday concert. “Their reason was valid, but why would I not come to the people who need to hear this message the most?”

“Why would I not create a safe space in Tennessee where we can celebrate drag entertainers and celebrate our differences?” added Lizzo.

23 Apr 2023

Morgan Wallen’s ‘One Thing at a Time’ Nabs Seventh Week at No. 1 on Billboard 200

Morgan Wallen’s One Thing at a Time spends a seventh consecutive and total week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart (dated April 29). The set earned 166,000 equivalent album units in the week ending April 20 (down 1%) in the United States, according to Luminate.

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In the last 10 years, only two acts – Wallen and Taylor Swift – have had multiple albums with at least seven weeks at No. 1 each. Wallen has done so with One Thing at a Time and his previous release, Dangerous: The Double Album, which spent 10 weeks at No. 1 in 2021. Swift did it with Folklore (eight weeks in 2020) and 1989 (11 weeks in 2014-15).

Also in the top 10 of the new Billboard 200, Metallica blasts in at No. 2 with its new studio album, 72 Seasons. The set debuts with 146,000 units earned – achieving the largest week, by units, for any rock or hard rock album in over three-and-a-half years. It also marks the band’s 12th top 10 charting album – of which eight have reached the top two. 72 Seasons marks the band’s first original album in seven years.

Plus, Taylor Swift’s 2019 album Lover ranks in the Billboard 200’s top 10 for the first time in over three years, climbing 12-9.

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 April 29, 2023-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on April 25. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

Of One Thing at a Time’s 166,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending April 20, SEA units comprise 151,000 (down 5%, equaling 201.71 million on-demand official streams of the set’s 36 songs), album sales comprise 12,000 (up 102% following the release of a new vinyl edition of the set) and TEA units comprise 3,000 (up 7%).

Metallica’s new studio album 72 Seasons starts at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, scoring the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band its 12th top 10-charting effort. The set opens with 146,000 equivalent album units earned – the biggest week for any rock or hard rock album since Tool’s Fear Inoculum arrived with 270,000 equivalent album units at No. 1 (Sept. 14, 2019-dated chart). (Rock and hard rock albums are defined as those that have hit or are eligible to chart on Billboard’s Top Rock Albums and Top Hard Rock Albums chart.)

Of 72 Seasons’ 146,000 units earned, album sales comprise 134,000 — it’s the top-selling album of the week, and it bows with the biggest sales week for any rock or hard rock album since Fear Inoculum’s debut with 248,000 sold, SEA units comprise 11,500 (equaling 15.91 million on-demand official streams of the set’s 12 songs) and TEA units comprise 500.

72 Seasons was led by the single “Lux Æterna,” which racked up 11 weeks at No. 1 on the Mainstream Rock Airplay chart – tying the band’s cover of “Turn the Page” (1998-99) for its longest ruler atop the list. The album’s title track rose 8-6 on the most recently published Mainstream Rock Airplay chart (dated April 29), and marks the group’s 26th top 10-charting song on the tally.

SZA’s chart-topping SOS rises 4-3 on the Billboard 200 with 66,000 equivalent album units (up 9%), Taylor Swift’s former No. 1 Midnights falls 3-4 (60,000; up 1%) and Wallen’s former leader Dangerous: The Double Album rises 6-5 (49,000; up 3%). Luke Combs’ Gettin’ Old bumps 7-6 (43,000; down 7%), Metro Boomin’ chart-topping Heroes & Villains goes up 9-7 (37,000; up 1%) and Bad Bunny’s former No. 1 Un Verano Sin Ti steps 10-8 (36,000; up 5%).

Taylor Swift’s chart-topping Lover rises 12-9 (34,000; up 4%) – marking the first week in the top 10 for the set, which debuted at No. 1 in September 2019, in over three years – since the chart dated Feb. 22, 2020. The album has been bumping around the top 20 of the Billboard 200 in the last month, since Swift’s The Eras Tour launched on March 17. It’s moved 35-13-16-15-12-9 in the last six weeks.

Melanie Martinez’s Portals rounds out the top 10 of the Billboard 200, falling 5-10 with 33,000 (down 31%).

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.

22 Apr 2023

Morgan Wallen Makes History as First Artist With Three Songs in Country Airplay Top 10

Morgan Wallen places three titles inside the top 10 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart (dated April 29) – becoming the first artist to achieve the feat since the survey began in January 1990.

The 29-year-old Sneedville, Tenn., native earns his 10th Country Airplay top 10 as “Last Night,” on Mercury/Republic/Big Loud Records, jumps from No. 13 to No. 8. It rose by 21% to 19.4 million audience impressions in the week ending April 20, according to Luminate.

The song leapfrogs Wallen’s “One Thing at a Time,” up 10-9 for a new high (17.9 million, up 3%), while “Thought You Should Know” dips 5-7 (21.7 million, down 5%). The latter gave Wallen his eighth Country Airplay leader when it began a three-week reign in February.

Concurrently, “Last Night,” which is being promoted to pop and adult radio, climbs to No. 16 on Pop Airplay, No. 19 on Adult Pop Airplay and No. 26 on Adult Contemporary. It claimed a third week atop the all-genre, streaming, airplay and sales-based Billboard Hot 100 dated April 22.

All three Wallen hits are on his 36-track LP One Thing at a Time, which has led Top Country Albums and the all-genre Billboard 200 for its first six weeks.

Wallen’s triple in the Country Airplay top 10 follows pop radio’s increasing willingness to play multiple hits by a single artist simultaneously. In May 2021, Ariana Grande became the first act to log three top 10s at once on Pop Airplay; Doja Cat and Harry Styles have since earned the honor, while Miley Cyrus currently has three songs on the latest list from her new album, Endless Summer Vacation: “Jaded” debuts at No. 39, as “Flowers” tallies a ninth week at No. 1 and “River” ranks at No. 25.

“I’m excited to see radio continuing to invest in [country’s] core artists,” Big Loud vp of promotion Ali Matkosky recently told Billboard. “In a time where listeners are pointing out daily what they want to hear [via streaming services], it makes more and more sense to lean into that data.”

‘Rock’ on a Roll

Bailey Zimmerman notches a fifth week atop Country Airplay, as “Rock and a Hard Place” holds at the apex (32 million, down 6%). The song first led the list dated April 1, giving Zimmerman his second straight career-opening chart-topper, following “Fall in Love,” which ruled for one week in December.

Meanwhile, Zimmerman’s latest single, “Religiously,” pushes 56-50 (1.3 million, up 33%).

Additional research by Gary Trust

22 Apr 2023

Sam Hunt & Wife Hannah Lee Fowler Expecting Second Baby

Sam Hunt and wife Hannah Lee Fowler are expecting their second child, a representative for Hunt confirms to Billboard.

The news was first reported earlier on Saturday (April 22) via ET, who said a concertgoer at Hunt’s Friday night Las Vegas show at Resorts World Theatre heard the country singer make the announcement on stage.

Baby No. 2 will join sibling Lucy, who was born in May 2022. Hunt announced the birth of their first baby during an appearance at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium on June 7, when he said the little one had arrived “a couple of weeks ago.”

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Hunt and Fowler married in April 2017. The pair weathered tumultuous times, and Fowler had filed for divorce from Hunt in February 2022, reportedly citing “inappropriate marital conduct.” She withdrew the filing hours later and soon filed again in a different county, then called off the divorce.

In March, Hunt announced his headlining Summer on the Outskirts Tour, a 27-date, Live Nation-produced trek that launches in July. The tour’s name comes from Hunt’s promotional single “Outskirts.”

22 Apr 2023

Sofia Richie and Elliot Grainge Marry in South of France

Congratulations are in order for Sofia Richie and Elliot Grainge, who married over the weekend in the South of France.

The 24-year-old model and designer, who is the daughter of legendary singer Lionel Richie, exchanged vows with Grainge, 29, the son of Universal Music Group chairman/CEO Lucian Grainge, during a ceremony in Antibes, France, according to People.

Richie took to her Instagram Story on Saturday to share several photos of a colorful breakfast for the bride ahead of the nuptials. Her posts also included beautiful photos of the French Riviera coastline. The wedding took place at Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Antibes, Vogue reports.

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Ahead of her wedding, Richie shared on social media that she had converted to Judaism.

“What a magical day. I want to thank cantor Nathan Lam for helping me along this journey of converting to Judaism,” Richie posted on her Instagram story, according to People. “It has been one of the greatest experiences of my life. Today was that day!!!”

Richie and Grainge announced their engagement in April 2022. A photo of the stunning proposal showed the music exec on one knee at sunset, with the couple surrounded by dozens of romantic candles.

“Forever isn’t long enough,” Richie wrote on Instagram. Grainge mirrored the excitement over on his Instagram page, sharing a photo of the two kissing, with the classic caption, “She said yes.” Richie sweetly responded in the comments, “I love you.”

The pair, who made their relationship Instagram official in April 2021, have kept their love relatively private. Elliot is the founder and CEO of independent record label 10K Projects.

At the time of their engagement, Sofia’s sister, Nicole, shared the happy news about in her Instagram Story with the hilarious caption, “Can’t wait to find ways to make this about me.”

21 Apr 2023

Loren Gray Shares the Beauty of Her ‘Backwards’ Music Career & How Her Debut Album Captures Her Growth

Loren Gray unveiled her debut studio album Guilty on Friday (April 21) and to celebrate, the 21-year-old sat down with Billboard‘s Rania Aniftos to open up about her journey from social media star to pop star.

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Gray released her album as an independent artist after leaving her deal with Virgin Records and Capitol Records. “Everything, for me, is backwards,” she explains. “Usually, you make the music, you grow the audience and it grows from there. For me, it’s like, ‘You have this audience. Now what do we do?’”

She continued, “I almost feel like everyone was afraid to touch my project. No one really wanted to develop an artist. The way I always looked at it was that my social media presence and everything I built there means nothing when it comes to my music, because music is a completely different audience and it should be treated that way.”

While she’s still so young, Gray often expresses her maturity online to her 54 million TikTok followers when discussing heavier topics like mental health and developing genuine friendships. “Through the years, because I grew up online, I got more and more comfortable sharing things that I was going through,” she reveals of her growth. “I started looking for that connection and that’s sort of what kept me passionate and interested. […] I keep a very small circle now, and everyone that’s in my life is like family and I trust them.”

Watch Billboard‘s full interview with Loren Gray above.

21 Apr 2023

Jake Gyllenhaal & Kelly Clarkson Duet on ‘Mr. Brightside’ in Hilarious Game of ‘Sing That Name That Tune’

Jake Gyllenhaal showed off his musical chops — and his affinity for accents — when he stopped by the Kelly Clarkson Show on Friday (April 21) and played a game of Sing That Name That Tune with the superstar singer.

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The rules of the game, hosted by Matt Iseman, are simple. When Clarkson’s band begins playing a song, Gyllenhaal and Clarkson have to step up on a platform and sing along once they recognize the track. Whoever does it first wins a point.

However, the Nightcrawler actor wasn’t feeling too confident at first. “I just want to apologize to the left side of the audience before we begin,” he told the section of the crowd he’d be competing on behalf of.

“I have a feeling he’s slow playing you,” Iseman warned Clarkson, and he turned out to be right. Gyllenhaal won every round of the game, delivering performances of Billy Ray Cyrus’ “Achy Breaky Heart” and The Proclaimers’ “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles),” complete with Southern and Irish accents, respectively.

The final round came in the form of The Killers’ “Mr. Brightside,” which Gyllenhaal and Clarkson performed flawlessly together — despite some lyrical mishaps.

“Who knew it could be this easy?” Gyllenhaal joked after winning the game. Watch it all go down below.