Music

17 Apr 2023

10 Cool New Pop Songs to Get You Through The Week: Jorja Smith, Jessie Ware, Dawn Richard & 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.

These 10 tracks from artists including Jorja Smith, Passion Pit, Jessie Ware, Dawn Richard, Lauren Spencer-Smith, GAYLE & Em Beihold 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.

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Shy Martin, “Glued to the Floor”

Shy Martin’s “Glued to the Floor” is a song about antidepressants that hails from an album (late night thoughts, May 19) written entirely in a bedroom. Naturally, it’s gonna feel introspective, but there’s a guileless warmth to the Swedish musician’s delivery here that makes the interiority of her world feel every bit as immediate as the one beneath your feet. – Joe Lynch

Khamari, “Right My Wrongs”

The gentle, sweet ache in Khamari’s voice is earning him understandable comparisons to Frank Ocean, but the Boston-born, L.A.-based singer-songwriter’s discography, while limited, demonstrates a musical range and creative perspective all his own. New single “Right My Wrongs” is a velvety, laid-back slice of R&B with retro soul and bedroom indie-pop vibes. Don’t be surprised if Khamari is the next big thing. – J. Lynch

Jessie Ware, “Begin Again”

Ware’s upcoming album is called That! Feels Good! (April 28), and latest single “Begin Again” is certainly as excitable as the exclamation point-happy title. Inspired by dreams of a Brazilian escape during the doldrums of lockdown, “Begin Again” melds Ware’s soulful disco with shades of samba-like syncopation, adding up to five-minutes of celebratory bliss. – J. Lynch

King Krule, “Seaforth”

Three years and a whole pandemic have passed since King Krule geared up to release an album, and new track “Seaforth” shows that Archy Marshall has changed for the better. Where some of his previous work explored his more melancholic side (“Dum Surfer”), “Seaforth” — the first look at Krule’s next album, Space Heavy — sees him sweetly embracing the little joys that fatherhood has to offer, from recognizing himself in his daughter’s eyes to taking walks together in a mall (“Now walk through shop centers together/ Our love dissolves this universe”). — Starr Bowenbank

Passion Pit, “American Blood”

What’s old is officially new again for Passion Pit, as singer Michael Angelakos has formally released “American Blood,” a deep cut from their 2012 critically acclaimed album, Gossamer, that only ever appeared on its iTunes deluxe version. Cloaked behind its upbeat synth instrumental is a darker reality, as Angelakos grapples with his past, and wonders if he can turn back the hands of time. — S.B.

Jorja Smith, “Try Me”

Jorja Smith released an EP in 2021 titled Be Right Back, and now that the R&B star (and former best new artist nominee) is indeed back, early returns on her sophomore LP sound extremely promising. “Try Me” drips elegance in its spaces of incredulity — “Nothin’ is ever enough / I don’t have to tell you what I’ve changed,” Smith sings with exasperation on the chorus — and reads as both complex in its rhythmic palette and straightforward in its pop presence, a line that Smith walks well. – Jason Lipshutz

Dawn Richard, “Bubblegum”

After Dawn Richard teamed up with composer-producer Spencer Zahn for last year’s experimental, gorgeous LP Pigments, she’s back with a rhythmic pop single that will delight fans of her avant-R&B solo work and her radio-friendly Danity Kane fare. “Bubblegum” pops with sexual innuendo and tempo increases, as Richard, continuing a period of circling through several stylistic approaches with ease, sounds as confident as ever. – J. Lipshutz

Lauren Spencer Smith with GAYLE & Em Beihold, “Fantasy”

Between “Fingers Crossed,” “ABCDEFU” and “Numb Little Bug,” Lauren Spencer Smith, GAYLE and Em Beihold have watched songs go unexpectedly viral over the past year and change, rack up millions of streams and unlock previously unfathomable professional opportunities. “Fantasy,” a strength-in-numbers kiss-off in which the three rising artists decimate the lamest type of ex, makes room for all of their respective styles, finding cohesion around a lovely piano line and the type of clouds-high chorus that the three artists have previously mastered on their own. – J. Lipshutz

Girl Ray, “Hold Tight”

The new single from London trio Girl Ray contains the power to make mundane activities feel thrilling — witness how the group traipses around a farm in the “Hold Tight” music video, high-kicking while pushing identical wheelbarrows, and you’ll get an idea. An endearing pop-rock love song, “Hold Tight” offers carbonated goodness without overselling its appeal, and as they prepare new album Prestige, Girl Ray have delivered a single that will be a blast to hear, and perform, live. – J. Lipshutz

Speedy Ortiz, “Scabs”

Wry vocal hooks, liner-notes-ready wordplay and guitar riffs twisting around time changes are all hallmarks of Speedy Ortiz, who return with a song decrying hollow activism as their first new single in five years. Yet “Scabs” possesses a tenacity that sounds fresh and hard-earned: credit goes to the solidified band lineup (longtime touring bassist Audrey Zee Whitesides and drummer Joey Doubek have joined singer-songwriter-guitarist Sadie Dupuis and guitarist Andy Molholt) as well as Sarah Tudzin, the Illuminati Hotties mastermind who co-produced “Scabs” and helps provide space for the band to roam. – J. Lipshutz

17 Apr 2023

Zach Bryan Says He & Travis Tritt Met ‘Eye to Eye’ to Settle Online Feud

Country stars Zach Bryan and Travis Tritt had a public Twitter spat last week over Bud Light teaming with trans activist Dylan Mulvaney for its latest campaign, and now the duo seem to be on good terms.

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It all started when the “Something in Orange” singer tweeted on April 8, “I mean no disrespect towards anyone specifically, I don’t even mind @travistritt. I just think insulting transgender people is completely wrong because we live in a country where we can all just be who we want to be It’s a great day to be alive I thought.”

The thoughts were seemingly in response to Tritt announcing he would no longer be working with Anheuser-Busch and removing all of the company’s products from his tour hospitality rider. “I know many other artists who are doing the same,” the singer claimed.

While Tritt didn’t respond publicly to Bryan’s thoughts, he took to Twitter to try to get the young country star to meet with him in person. “Zach, Been trying to reach out to you through your manager,” he wrote on April 13. “Since we are both playing the Two Step Inn Festival in Georgetown, TX this Saturday, I was hoping we could chat in person. I will be there all day on Saturday. Please let me know if we can chat. Thanks.”

It appears that the duo did in fact meet in person at the festival, as Bryan revealed to fans that they talked “eye to eye” for “an hour and a half,” and noted while they do disagree on certain things, “the world did not end.”

Tritt then replied to Bryan’s tweet in support, writing, “So glad we had a chance to chat, Zach. Even better to discover that we have so much common ground. All the best to you on your first European tour!”

17 Apr 2023

J-Hope Debuts Buzzcut, Shares Farewell Message to ARMY Ahead of Military Enlistment

J-Hope jumped on social media on Monday (April 17) to share an optimistic message with ARMY ahead of his enlistment in the South Korean military.

“I’ll have a good trip!!” the BTS member wrote on Instagram in his native Korean against a yellowed paper backdrop. Fans also got a surprise when they swiped to the next slide, with the “Arson” rapper giving a first look at his newly shorn, military-approved buzzcut. He also posted a separate message on Weverse, saying, “I love you ARMY…I’ll go and come back well,” while flashing an adorable salute to the camera.

While comments were turned off on J-Hope’s Instagram post, ARMY flooded Twitter with well-wishes and heartbroken goodbyes. “We are so proud of u, our HOPE,” one fan wrote with a trio of heart emojis while another tweeted, “My life is leaving in a second” followed by three sobbing faces.

With the start of his mandatory military service looming, J-Hope becomes the second member of the K-pop boy band to serve after Jin, who began basic training in mid-December at a military base near the tense border with North Korea. At the time, he got a sweet send-off from all six of his bandmates, and J-Hope and Jimin even got to visit him at a different military camp at the beginning of last month.

J-Hope certainly made the most of the time before he joined the military — releasing his debut solo album Jack in the Box, which debuted at No. 17 on the Billboard 200 and included hit singles “MORE” and “Arson.” He also made history by headlining Lollapalooza (as documented in his Disney+ documentary J-Hope IN THE BOX), became a house ambassador for Louis Vuitton and later collaborated with J. Cole on one-off single “On the Street.”

Check out J-Hope’s message to ARMY below.

17 Apr 2023

Ed Sheeran Previews ‘Subtract’ Single ‘Boat’: Here’s When It Arrives

Ed Sheeran unveiled a first look at his upcoming single “Boat” as well as its watery music video on Monday (April 17).

“‘Boat’ is the first song I wrote and finished for Subtract, it’s where it all began, and a good way to kick off the album,” the pop star wrote on Instagram. “I’m gonna release the full song and video this Friday, hope you love it as much as I do x.”

In the preview of the track’s seaside visual, Sheeran’s car careens off a cliff into the ocean below — only for the singer to emerge from the water soaked but still standing as he sings, “But the waves won’t break my boat,” over tender acoustic guitar.

While “Boat” was the first song the British pop troubadour created for – (Subtract), it will follow lead single “Eyes Closed” as the second offering from the upcoming album, which is set to arrive in full on May 5 as the final chapter of the mathematically themed albums he began with 2011’s + (Plus).

Announcing – (Subtract) back in February, Sheeran described the studio set as “opening the trapdoor into my soul,” adding, “For the first time, I’m not trying to craft an album people will like, I’m merely putting something out that’s honest and true to where I am in my adult life.”

To coincide with the album’s release, Sheeran will also release The Sum of It All, a four-part docuseries debuting exclusively on Disney+ on May 3.

Get a glimpse of Sheeran in the “Boat” music video below.

17 Apr 2023

Miley Cyrus Holds Atop Billboard Global Charts, Drake, Peso Pluma & Fifty Fifty Highlight Top 10 Moves

Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” remains the biggest song in the world, as it notches a 12th week at No. 1 on both the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts (dated April 22).

Plus, Drake’s “Search & Rescue” debuts at No. 2 on the Global 200 and Peso Pluma reaches the top five of both tallies for the first time – with two hits: “Ella Baila Sola,” with Eslabon Armado, and “La Bebe,” with Yng Lvcas, as Eslabon Armado and Yng Lvcas also achieve initial top five hits.

Additionally, South Korea’s Fifty Fifty enters the Global Excl. U.S. top 10 as its breakthrough hit “Cupid” shoots 22-9.

The Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. surveys, which began 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.

‘Flowers’ Leads, ‘Search’ Lights Up Global 200

Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” adds a 12th week at No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200, with 75.5 million streams (down 9%) and 18,000 sold (down 6%) worldwide April 7-13. It breaks out of a tie with The Kid LAROI and Justin Bieber’s “Stay” (11 weeks at No. 1, 2021) for the third-longest command since the chart began, after only Harry Styles’ “As It Was” (15 weeks, 2022) and Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” (13 weeks, 2020-23).

Drake’s “Search & Rescue” surges onto the Global 200 at No. 2. After it arrived April 7 (a day after he announced the song’s pending release), it begins with 52.2 million streams and 4,000 sold worldwide through April 13.

Drake claims his 28th Global 200 top 10, twice more than runner-up Taylor Swift’s total (14) since the survey started.

Peso Pluma jumps to the Global 200’s top five for the first time – with two songs: “Ella Baila Sola,” with Eslabon Armado, bounds 9-3, powered by its 17% gain to 74.5 million streams worldwide, and “La Bebe,” with Yng Lvcas, climbs 7-4, up 4% to 71.5 million global streams.

Along with Peso Pluma, from Mexico, quartet Eslabon Armado (from California) and Yng Lvcas (also from Mexico) likewise achieve initial top five Global 200 hits.

Rounding out the Global 200’s top five, The Weeknd and Ariana Grande’s “Die for You” dips 3-5, after reaching No. 2.

Cyrus Reigns, Peso Pluma, Fifty Fifty Fly on Global Excl. U.S.

As on the Global 200, Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” posts a 12th week at No. 1 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart, with 58.2 million streams (down 10%) and 10,000 sold (down 2%) outside the U.S. April 7-13. The song is now within one week of Harry Styles’ record 13-frame rule with “As It Was” since the list began.

Also as on the Global 200, Peso Pluma roars to the Global Excl. U.S. top five with two tracks: “La Bebe,” with Yng Lvcas (7-2; 54.2 million streams, up 2%, outside the U.S.), and “Ella Baila Sola,” with Eslabon Armado (8-5; 51.8 million streams, up 12%, outside the U.S.) All three acts rank in the Global Excl. U.S. top five for the first time.

The Weeknd and Ariana Grande’s “Die for You” rebounds to its No. 3 best, from No. 5, on Global Excl. U.S. and Karol G and Shakira’s “TQG” holds at No. 4, after it led for a week in March upon its debut.

Elsewhere in the Global Excl. U.S. top bracket, Fifty Fifty hits the top 10 for the first time as its breakthrough hit “Cupid” pierces the region with a 22-9 vault, up 35% to 40.2 million streams and 13% to 1,000 sold outside the U.S.

The four-piece – Aran, Keena, Saena and Sio – is the seventh K-pop group to have reached the Global Excl. U.S. top 10, joining BTS (10 top 10s), BLACKPINK (four), IVE, NewJeans, TWICE (two each) and BIGBANG (one).

The Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts (dated April 22, 2023) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (April 18). 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 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.

17 Apr 2023

Judy Collins, Shelly Peiken & More Honored at 2023 She Rocks Awards

Judy Collins, Shelly Peiken, Noelle Scaggs and more were honored at the 2023 She Rocks Awards, which were held at The Ranch in Anaheim, Calif. on Thursday (April 13).

The 11th annual event, sponsored by The Women’s International Music Network (the WiMN), honored the accomplishments of a diverse group of women representing all facets of the music industry.

The event kicked off with a set from Toronto-based band The Beaches. The all-woman quartet won their second Juno Award, rock album of the year, last year for Sisters Not Twins (The Professional Lovers Album).

Laura Whitmore, founder of the Women’s International Music Network and She Rocks co-producer, welcomed those in attendance.

The night proceeded with Legend Award honoree Collins, who quoted Mae West in her acceptance speech and lead the audience in an a cappella rendition of her 1971 hit “Amazing Grace.” Collins has a 59-year span of Grammy nominations. She was nominated for best folk recording in 1964 for her third studio album, Judy Collins #3, and was nominated again last year for best folk album for Spellbound, her 55th album. She won a 1968 Grammy for her hit rendition of Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now.”

Dreaming Out Loud honoree Peiken encouraged the crowd “to not be afraid to grow up.” Peiken is a two-time Grammy nominee, for co-writing Meredith Brooks’ 1997 smash “Bitch” and for best spoken word album for Confessions of a Serial Songwriter.

“I’m just finding my time at this point in my career,” Peiken said. “And there are many more adventures ahead. It’s truly an honor to be in the company of giants past, present and future.”

Powerhouse honoree Scaggs of Fitz & the Tantrums spoke of her inspiration for starting the organization Diversify the Stage (DTS). “I wanted young people to feel like they had a place in the industry,” said Scaggs. “It’s incredible to see our community standing up in ways I never got to see growing up; women are in greater positions of power to build new ways of thinking and actions that are truly moving the needle and bringing confidence to young people who may have felt they didn’t have a place here, or that the glass ceiling could never be broken. It’s important that young people see their reflections in this industry, to have people who share their identities, who have a familiar journey, this is what the DTS mission is, ensuring no human will ever feel dis-included in this space, because they see their reflections, in front and behind the scenes.”

Champion Award honoree, Stacey Ryan, COO of the School of Rock, spoke about the work needed to elevate more women into executive positions, and the importance of organizations like the Women’s International Music Network for mentoring young, up-and-coming women in the music industry. Her award acceptance was followed by an all-female School of Rock Band performing En Vogue’s 1992 smash “Free Your Mind.”

The night culminated with a performance from guitarist Gretchen Menn, She Rocks Inspire Award recipient, who led her band in an original song followed by a rendition of Led Zeppelin’s 1972 classic “Rock and Roll” with fellow Zepparella member Holly West on bass and lead vocals helmed by guest Laura Clapp.

Founded in 2012, the Women’s International Music Network unites women who work within all facets of the music and audio industries. The organization produces the She Rocks podcast, the LIVE: Front & Center web series, WiMN She Rocks Spotlight Showcase Series and the She Rocks Awards, and is founded by music industry veteran Laura B. Whitmore. For more information, go here.

Here’s a complete list of 2023 She Rocks Awards honorees:

Legend Award: Judy Collins, singer/songwriter icon; Grammy-winner and two-time Grammy Hall of Fame inductee

Powerhouse Award: Noelle Scaggs, co-frontperson for Fitz and the Tantrums and founder of Diversify the Stage

Dreaming Out Loud Award: Shelly Peiken, Grammy-nominated songwriter

Tone Setter Award: Mary Spender – guitarist, singer, songwriter and YouTube star

Mad Skills Award: Michelle Bell – vp of creative for Roc Nation

Vision Award: Lisa S. Johnson, photographer and author of 108 Rock Star Guitars and Immortal Axes

Groundbreaker Award: Katherine Wing, vp of marketing for Roland, drummer

Champion Award: Stacey Ryan, chief operating officer for School of Rock

Excellence Award: Helen Culleton, chief operating officer for Audiotonix

Inspire Award: Gretchen Menn, guitarist and founding member of Zepparella

Heart and Soul: Brad Tolinski, former Guitar World editor and author

17 Apr 2023

LMYK Talks New Jam & Lewis-Produced Album ‘DESSERTS,’ How Opposites Inspired the Project: Interview

LMYK is a singer-songwriter who debuted in November 2020, and her music has touched listeners around the world via anime works after being featured as the ending themes of Vinland Saga, The Case Study of Vanitas and other series. Two years and four months after her debut, the enigmatic artist — LMYK are the initials of her real name, but that’s about all we know of her profile — has finally completed her first album, a collection of 12 tracks that expresses her thoughts on life and death, joy and pain and other concepts that she has contemplated in the years since she was a child, given shape as if guided by sounds.

This project, called DESSERTS, was produced by Jam & Lewis, the producer team famous for their collaborations with numerous superstars including Janet Jackson, Mariah Carey and Hikaru Utada. Although the tracks included on the set are pop songs, they’re distinctive in that they were created using methods different from those commonly used in commercial music, and are precious musical works that carry listeners out to the sea of the mind and thoughts that people aren’t usually aware of. In this interview, writer Yukako Yajima spoke with LMYK on behalf of Billboard Japan about the inspirations and themes of her debut project.

Now that you’ve completed your first album, what do you think underlies these twelve tracks? In other words, what is fundamentally important to you in making music, or what’s the essence of LMYK that naturally overflows into the music you make?

Being alive. Questioning that. I think I’m always aware of the transience of time. Questioning being alive, and transience. Those things naturally go into my music. I also like humor. Maybe it’s because I’m originally from the Kansai area (where there is a long-standing culture of stand-up and other forms of comedy). [Laughs]

Your sense of fun can be felt throughout the album in a balanced way. I see what you mean about “questioning being alive.” We look within ourselves and at others, and by observing others, we understand ourselves again. I thought that kind of cycle was being depicted in each of the twelve songs. That sense of understanding oneself because others exist, is it something you’re strongly aware of? 

There is a dual relationship  between “you” and “I”. There are aspects that we share that are exactly the same, and those that are unique to each individual. “Separated” and “connected,” I feel both. Even if we’re physically separated, we are fundamentally the same and feel connected. We can’t see it, we can’t imagine it, we don’t know it… It’s a mystery.

I get the impression that your music uses sounds to delicately express things like emotions and the natural order of the world that we humans don’t understand, things that we haven’t yet been able to put into words or that science hasn’t yet been able to prove. Is expressing such things important to you?

I think the sounds probably take me there naturally. When you play sounds, it’s a different world, isn’t it? The sounds take you to places that you can’t put into words, or to places that exist at the root of existence. Maybe it’s a place where thought can’t catch up. Language “solidifies” things. So it’s like being in between thoughts. When you play sounds, you naturally go there.

The sense of being able to connect through sounds to feelings, phenomena, something like the root of existence, before it becomes thought or language. How about what you said before about the transience of time, why do you think that’s one of your central themes?

It makes me think about life and death. The fragility of human beings. It’s hard to tell if humans are strong or weak. They have both sides. They’re fragile, but also powerful and resilient. The passage of time also feels different depending on what you’re doing, doesn’t it?

It sure does. Is there a reason why you began thinking about the passage of time and life and death in this way?

I lost my mother when I was 18. It was a huge shock at the time. Death is perceived differently depending on how important a person is to you, but when you lose something absolutely irreplaceable, you lose a part of yourself as well. That’s how big the impact is and it really shakes us up.

So that was one of your major motivators in making music.

Yes. I started making more music a few years after that, so I think maybe it’s related. It could be all the stuff that I had pent up inside.

Your music also feels like it brings down something from another world that’s not our reality. For example, in “Sorakara” you sing about something “falling from the sky (sora kara furu).”

That’s the earliest song on the album, from around 2017. The title means “from the sky,” and it’s about a region on the far side of the sky that we don’t understand or the other side of life. The feeling of being connected to those things but also not understanding them. I don’t understand exactly what I meant by “sora kara furu” either, but it felt right. When I create a piece of music, it’s a combination of parts that clearly make sense to me and parts that are more abstract.

Do you remember what you were thinking five or six years ago　when writing “Sorakara”?

Looking back objectively now, I think I was acting tough. There are lyrics in the song where I say “I know,” “I don’t need it” and “I have no complaints.” The words came naturally from me at the time, but when I read them later, I think I was trying to be strong. But that’s also typical of me.

Chronologically, “Weak” is also an earlier song, but would you say it expresses something exactly the opposite?

Yes, “Weak” is really honest. It admits my own weakness without any hesitation. But there’s also the question, “Is it OK to be weak and to need your love?”

The philosophy expressed in your songs often feels like it hits the truth. “Sorakara” is one and the bridge of “Little bit lonely” is another.

What is expressed in the lyrics of my music is something I think about all the time. Where does human suffering come from? Why do we suffer? What’s the difference between “suffering” and “having a hard time” and “feeling exhausted”? Human suffering can lead to one choosing to take its own life — the emotions behind behavior and where those emotions come from are things that interest me.

Which is closest to the sense you have when you make music: do you write songs from your own conclusions, or do you use sounds to express what’s going through your mind, or is it about wanting to affirm someone?

Now that you mention those three… I feel all of them while I’m working. Because when you affirm yourself, you’re also affirming others. I often write while thinking about people who are important to me, and I write music about things that I think I’ll never come to a conclusion about, and things that I feel but can’t put into words. I also write about things that I think I’ve come to a conclusion about, but it might not really be a conclusion. I guess I do what I do because I think maybe someone else will feel the same way as me when I find an answer to something that doesn’t need an answer.

So the thoughts and feelings you have are expressed not only in the lyrics but also in the music itself. As you mentioned at the beginning, that’s probably because sounds connect to your unconscious and you select the notes that inspire you. Do you usually start writing your songs sound first?

I have a notebook where I write down lyrics, and usually start from a lyrical idea or concept. 

When I make a track, I often look for sounds or create from sounds I like. I get inspired by what resonates with me and what I like, by using plug-ins and changing effects.

After making the track, I go, “Those lyrics I wrote before fits this track” and combine them.

You took your demos for this album to L.A. to complete them, right?

I went to L.A. for two weeks in April and two in June last year. I have fond memories of working with Jimmy (Jam) and Terry (Lewis) to finish up the demos I brought with me. The songs were brought close to completion all at once there.

For example in “Smiley” and “Tendency,” you combine Japanese and English and even Korean to make rhymes. What was your inspiration for this?

I think there’s music I listened to as a child that’s become embedded in me with rhymes that feel good. I can’t give specific examples, but I used to listen to Hikaru Utada a lot, so I guess it’s the music she created as a bilingual singer that influenced me.

Why do you call this album DESSERTS?

DESSERTS represents the pleasures in life that alleviate the burden that comes with living as a finite being in spacetime. Alleviating that burden is what surviving means. In that process, emotions are born, like feelings of joy and sadness that we all share. I thought those emotions were honestly expressed on this album. And also, the questioning the root of those emotions that arise. So the emotions on the surface and the fundamental root of our existence that causes those emotions are expressed in all the songs on this project. When you read DESSERTS backwards, it’s “STRESSED,” so I wanted to communicate the relationship between pleasure and pain and how they are inextricably linked.

Your music feels to me like it overflows with zest for life. Could it be that this is because your desire to live comes across naturally in the music from the thought process you shared with us today?

I’m always overwhelmed by how beautiful the physical life is through my five sense despite the pain that comes with it, so that probably comes across. I feel both pain and beauty very strongly. I also feel beauty in the transience of finite things.

The things you can feel with your five senses are so fleeting. And if you don’t recognize them fully, they slip away.

Thoughts can go forward and backward. That’s also why humans can survive. We can write songs and create art with our imagination, and thinking ahead can prevent the risk of dying. For humans, it’s what’s called “a gift and a curse” in English. Both a strength and a weakness.

The album DESSERTS that expresses what you shared with us today will probably be an important and tangible part of your life going forward. I’m sure listeners will also find it valuable, and the more I hear you talk about it, the more I feel glad that you’re making music.

I also feel glad that I came across the act of making music. This album is filled with what I honestly wanted to express at various moments in the past five years. It contains parts of me that probably won’t change in the future, and also things that I could only feel at that moment in time. Everything that I felt at the time is valuable to me. There are lots of songs that I wrote over the past five years that aren’t included in this album, so I’d like to finish those, too. I’m looking forward to releasing more music.

–This interview by Yukako Yajima first appeared on Billboard Japan

17 Apr 2023

Here Is the Lyric Translation to Bad Bunny & Grupo Frontera’s ‘un x100to’

When two ‘perfect worlds’ join forces, a new heartbreak anthem gets delivered. On Monday (April 17), Grupo Frontera and Bad Bunny officially dropped “un x100to” (one percent) after Benito showed off his cumbia-dancing skills on his TikTok account before a surprise announcement posted on Sunday (April 16) afternoon.

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Produced and composed by Latin hitmaker Edgar Barrer, the romantic cumbia-norteño — backed by the captivating percussion and an accordion melody, and Grupo Frontera’s signature tunes — narrates the story of a person who misses their ex and makes a phone call with one percent of battery left on their phone.

Below, read the full lyrics translated into English.

I have 1% left
And I’ll use it to tell you how sorry I am.
That if they see me with another at a club, I’m just wasting time
Baby, why am I lying to you?
That they saw me happy is not true

nothing makes me laugh anymore
Only when I see the photos and videos I have of you
I went out with another to forget you, and she had the perfume that you like
I light it up to go to sleep
Because I sleep better if I dream that you are here
If you knew that I wrote to you
I have not sent the messages, they are all still there
Wow, how much it has cost me
Maybe I did you a favor when I left your side
Drunk looking at your photos. It hurts to see that you have improved
You don’t have gray days, and the scars no longer hurt
And I am thinking whether to tell you that

I have 1% left
And I’ll use it to tell you how sorry I am.
That if they see me with another at a club, I’m just wasting time
Baby, why am I lying to you?
That they saw me happy is not true, (hey)

I haven’t thought about you in a long time
Drunk, your Insta I checked
Baby, I already know that you are doing well
That you don’t have to know about me, hey, hey
Living in a hell that I set on fire myself
Playing with you as if it were the ten
I feel that I am no longer in your heart, now I am at your feet’
Begging you, drowning in tequila
The boys’ are asking me out
I have a good time, but I always end up missing you
Drowning in tequila, hey
‘Las morritas’ texting me, hey
Where is the peda today, but

I have 1% left
And I’ll use it to tell you how sorry I am.
That if they see me with another at a club, I’m just wasting time
Baby, why am I lying to you?
That they saw me happy is not true, (hey)

And this is Grupo Frontera
And the ‘compa’ Bad Bunny

17 Apr 2023

Morgan Wallen No. 1 on Hot 100, Drake Debuts, Eslabon Armado & Peso Pluma Bring Regional Mexican to Top 10

Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” leads a busy Billboard Hot 100 top 10, adding a third nonconsecutive week atop the chart. It first ruled last month, marking the country singer-songwriter’s initial No. 1.

The song is from Wallen’s LP One Thing at a Time, which notches a sixth week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart.

Elsewhere in the Hot 100’s top tier, Drake’s “Search & Rescue” launches at No. 2. It marks the superstar’s record-extending 68th top 10.

Plus, Eslabon Armado and Peso Pluma log a historic Hot 100 top 10 with “Ella Baila Sola”: Their first top 10 each is also the first regional Mexican top 10 in the chart’s 64-year history.

The Hot 100 blends all-genre U.S. streaming (official audio and official video), radio airplay and sales data. All charts (dated April 22, 2023) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (April 18). For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

Wallen’s “Last Night,” released on Big Loud/Mercury/Republic Records, drew 36.6 million streams (up 4%) and 34.5 million radio airplay audience impressions (up 16%, good for the chart’s top Airplay Gainer award for a second consecutive week) and sold 10,000 downloads (up 6%) in the April 7-13 tracking week, according to Luminate.

The track falls to No. 2 on the all-genre Streaming Songs chart, after five weeks at No. 1; holds at No. 3 on Digital Song Sales, following at the summit; and ascends 21-17 on Radio Songs. A multi-format radio hit, it pushes to No. 13 on the Country Airplay chart, No. 20 on Pop Airplay and No. 21 on Adult Pop Airplay and debuts at No. 27 on Adult Contemporary.

“Last Night” concurrently leads the Hot Country Songs chart, which uses the same methodology as the Hot 100, for a 10th week. It became just the 20th song to have topped both lists – and the first by a solo male unaccompanied by any other acts since Eddie Rabbitt’s “I Love a Rainy Night” ruled Hot Country Songs for a week and the Hot 100 for two weeks in 1981.

As “Last Night” has now ruled Hot Country Songs for 10 weeks and the Hot 100 for three, it’s the first song among those that have topped both charts with that many weeks atop that pair of tallies since Taylor Swift’s “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” also ran up 10 and three weeks at No. 1, respectively, in 2012-13.

Drake’s “Search & Rescue” bounds onto the Hot 100 at No. 4. After it premiered April 7 (a day after he announced the song’s pending release), it begins with 33.8 million streams, 6.9 million in radio airplay audience and 3,600 sold through April 13.

The track opens at No. 1 on Streaming Songs, becoming Drake’s record-furthering 16th leader. (While the song’s sum of raw streams is the week’s second highest, after Wallen’s “Last Night,” “Search & Rescue” tops the chart due to the application of weighting to all titles’ paid/subscription and ad-supported on-demand streams and programmed/radio streams.)

Drake posts his record-extending 68th Hot 100 top 10, and first of 2023.

Most Billboard Hot 100 Top 10s:

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

“Search & Rescue” is also Drake’s record-padding 35th top five Hot 100 hit (distancing himself further from runners-up The Beatles’ 29); his 174th top 40 hit (ahead of Taylor Swift, second with 105); and his 294th entry overall (with the Glee Cast second with 207). (He adds his 20th top two hit; The Beatles and Mariah Carey lead with 23 each.)

The track concurrently crowns the multi-metric Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Songs charts upon its debut, marking Drake’s record-extending 27th and 28th No. 1s on the surveys.

We did some re-‘search’: “Search & Rescue” is the highest-charting Hot 100 hit with “search” in its title, surpassing Survivor’s No. 4-peaking love song “The Search Is Over” in 1985. (Honorable mention to the No. 3 classic “Love Potion Number Nine,” in 1965, by The Searchers.) Drake’s new hit is also the highest charting with “rescue” in its name. It bests The Rolling Stones’ “Emotional Rescue” (No. 3, 1980), followed by “Rescue Me” by Fontella Bass (No. 4, 1965).

Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” keeps at No. 3 on the Hot 100, after eight weeks at No. 1, beginning upon its debut in January. It claims a ninth week atop Radio Songs (93.5 million in audience, down 9%).

SZA’s “Kill Bill” retreats to No. 4 on the Hot 100, from No. 2, where it has spent eight weeks at its highpoint. It also dominates the multi-metric Hot R&B Songs charts for a 17th week. (Its new remix featuring Doja Cat arrived Friday, April 14, and will begin contributing to next week’s charts [dated April 29], with all versions of the song rolling up into one chart listing.)

Metro Boomin, The Weeknd and 21 Savage’s “Creepin’ ” dips 4-5 on the Hot 100, after hitting No. 3, and Rema and Selena Gomez’s “Calm Down” climbs 7-6 for a new high. The latter tops the Billboard U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart for a 33rd week, extending the longest rule since the ranking began a year ago (in partnership with music festival and global brand Afro Nation).

The Weeknd and Ariana Grande’s “Die for You” drops 5-7 on the Hot 100, following a week at No. 1 in March, and PinkPantheress and Ice Spice’s “Boy’s a Liar, Pt. 2” slips 6-8, after reaching No. 3. Still, the latter becomes each act’s first top 10 on Radio Songs (14-10; 40.9 million, up 3%).

Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero” descends 8-9 on the Hot 100, following a personal-best eight weeks at No. 1 in November-January. It has now spent 24 weeks in the top 10 – equaling Swift’s longest stay in the region, first set by “Shake It Off” in 2014-15. Next up, her “Blank Space” totaled 17 weeks in the top 10, also in 2014-15, followed by “I Knew You Were Trouble.” (16 weeks, 2012-13) and “You Belong With Me” (16, 2009).

Rounding out the Hot 100’s top 10, Eslabon Armado and Peso Pluma’s “Ella Baila Sola” soars 17-10, led by 24.4 million streams, up 30%, as it wins the Hot 100’s top Streaming Gainer trophy, and jumps 6-3 on Streaming Songs.

Quartet Eslabon Armado, from California, and Peso Pluma, from Mexico, each reach the Hot 100’s top for the first time – as “Ella Baila Sola” makes history as the first regional Mexican song ever to hit the Hot 100’s top 10. The genre has surged this decade, thanks in part to exposure on TikTok and other social media, with Gera MX and Christian Nodal’s “Botella Tras Botella” having become the first regional Mexican Hot 100 hit in May 2021, peaking at No. 60.

After “Ella Baila Sola,” Peso Pluma also has the second-highest-charting regional Mexican Hot 100 hit: “La Bebe,” with Yng Lvcas, rises to a new No. 17 best on the latest, April 22-dated chart. The next-highest-peaking such hits: Yahritza y Su Esencia’s “Soy El Unico” (No. 20, April 2022 – it debuted at that rank, the highest entrance for a regional Mexican song) and Fuerza Regida and Grupo Frontera’s “Bebe Dame” (No. 25, this January).

Among Latin genres, regional Mexican’s arrival in the Hot 100’s top 10 follows that of Latin pop, which, after English-language hits by Gloria Estefan in the 1980s (plus Los Lobos’ “La Bamba,” in Spanish) surged in the late ‘90s and beyond thanks to songs (in varying degrees of English and Spanish) by Enrique Iglesias, Jennifer Lopez and Ricky Martin, among other stars. At the same time, Marc Anthony helped tropical break through on the chart. In more recent years, Daddy Yankee and Luis Fonsi’s pop-centered, mostly-Spanish-language “Despacito,” featuring Justin Bieber, spent a then-record-tying 16 weeks at No. 1 in 2017, while, this decade, Bad Bunny, with Spanish-language songs, has carried the torch for Latin rhythm in the top 10.

As for Latin music overall, Eslabon Armado and Peso Pluma earn the Hot 100’s third Spanish-language top 10 this year, following two Latin pop hits: Bizarrap and Shakira’s “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53” (No. 9, January) and Karol G and Shakira’s “TQG” (No. 7, March).

“Ella Baila Sola” was released on Prajin Parlay/DEL Records, both of which likewise appear in the Hot 100’s top 10 for the first time.

The collaboration concurrently achieves a second week at No. 1 on the multi-metric Hot Latin Songs chart, where it became the first leader for both Eslabon Armado and Peso Pluma. “We didn’t expect for the song to make so much noise!” Pedro Tovar, lead singer for the former act, and the song’s sole author, told Billboard upon its coronation. “I really liked the song when I first wrote it, but I didn’t really expect it to be such a big hit. I previewed it on my stories on Instagram and, two days after, it went viral on TikTok, and that’s when I knew that the song was going to do big numbers.”

“Normally I don’t expect to chart with songs,” Peso Pluma marveled. “We just enjoyed the process of doing it.”

Again, for all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram and all charts (dated April 22), including the Hot 100 in its entirety, will refresh on Billboard.com tomorrow (April 18).

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.

17 Apr 2023

DannyLux Gets Hometown Support, Bad Bunny Makes History, Becky G Throws a Star Parade & More Memorable Latin Moments at Coachella 2023

More Spanish-language artists were featured last year at Coachella compared to this year. In 2022, over 20 Latin acts were on the lineup — the most ever featured at the festival — while this year’s number just cracked double digit. But those that were featured at the 2023 fest — including headliner Bad Bunny, Becky G, Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, Conexión Divina and DannyLux — performed enthralling, history-making sets during weekend one of the festival, and are set to do it all over again next weekend (April 21-23) in Indio, Calif.

Just days after the RIAA revealed that Latin music revenues in the United States had hit an all-time high last year, exceeding the $1 billion mark, global superstar Bad Bunny, who has massively contributed to the continuous growth of the genre, made history at Coachella on Friday (Apr. 14), becoming the first Latin act to close out the festival’s main stage. “Latinos have been rompiéndola (killing it) for some time now,” the Puerto Rican hitmaker said during his nearly two-hour show. “It’s the first time a Benito closes the festival. It may be the first time, but perhaps not the last time.”

That same day, just hours before Bad Bunny made history, Becky G rocked the main stage and paid tribute to her Mexican roots, spotlighting regional Mexican Music and its new generations of artists, which included special guests Marca MP, Jesús Ortiz Paz of Fuerza Regida and Peso Pluma.

Billboard tried to catch as many performances by Latin or Spanish-language artists as possible throughout the weekend. Here are some memorable moments from a few of those sets.