Music

16 Feb 2023

Nicki Minaj’s ‘Roman Holiday’ Doubles Up in Streams Following Revived Grammys Controversy

Has Roman finally gotten revenge? “Roman Holiday,” the lead track from Nicki Minaj’s 2012 sophomore album Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, has gone viral and climbed back onto streaming charts, nearly doubling its weekly streaming total thanks to recent fan outcries following the Grammy Awards earlier this month.

For their performance of their No. 1 smash “Unholy” at this year’s Grammys, Sam Smith and Kim Petras leaned into devilish imagery, complete with horns and red leather. Barbz were quick to hop online and point out that Minaj had earned criticism for her 2012 Grammys performance of “Roman Holiday,” which had a similarly winking demonic slant but was latter panned by conservative watch groups and longtime Grammys producer Ken Ehrlich, who called it “a disappointment both in terms of what we did and to an extent what she did.”

For Minaj diehards, the rapper seemingly being punished for her performance over a decade ago — Minaj has yet to return to the Grammys stage since the “Roman Holiday” spectacle, and has yet to win a Grammy, despite 10 career nominations — while Smith and Petras were lauded for their “Unholy” showcase, and soon awarded the best pop duo/vocal performance during the telecast, represented hypocrisy from the Recording Academy. (In the days following their own Grammys performance, Smith and Petras were also criticized, although the Recording Academy has not publicly dinged them.)

As a result, her fans began streaming “Roman Holiday,” and the non-single from Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded crashed the iTunes Chart 11 years after its release.

Weekly U.S. on-demand streams for “Roman Holiday” were up 99% during the week following this year’s Grammys, earning 125,000 streams during the week ending Feb. 9, according to Luminate. It also saw a tremendous jump in sales, going from a negligible weekly number to nearly 6,000 for the week. This isn’t the first time that “Roman Holiday” has gone viral — TikTok is full of sped-up versions of the track, dating back mostly to 2021 — but this time the resurgence is producing a sizable bump in listenership.

“Roman Holiday” never reached the Hot 100 upon its release, although Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded did spin off hits like “Starships,” “Pound the Alarm” and “Va Va Boom.” Last year, Minaj reached the top of the Hot 100 for the first time as a solo artist, thanks to “Super Freaky Girl.”

16 Feb 2023

Harry Styles, Beyonce & More: 2023 Grammy Awards’ Big Gainers in Streams & Sales

Following the 65th Grammy Awards Feb. 5, multiple songs, albums and artists show sizable surges in U.S. streams and sales, equating to gains on Billboard charts dated Feb. 18.

Among the most impactful: Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ “Unholy,” which lifts 5-4 on the multi-metric Billboard Hot 100 after being performed during the ceremony (broadcast on CBS) and winning for best pop duo/group performance.

In the Feb. 3-9 tracking, the former No. 1 earned 17.9 million official U.S. streams, up 16%, according to Luminate.

A pair of songs that were also part of the festivities — Beyoncé’s “Cuff It” and Harry Styles’ “As It Was” — sport gains as well, the former returning to the Billboard Hot 100’s top 10 while the latter extends its run in the region. “Cuff It,” which vaults 15-6 for a new high, earned a 37% boost in streams to 9.4 million, along with 78,000 in sales, up 4,026%, due in part to newly released remixes and its Grammy win for best R&B song.

Former 15-week Hot 100 No. 1 “Was” dips 9-10 but jumped 21% in streams to 12.4 million and 289% to 7,000 sold. Styles performed the song during the broadcast, while parent album Harry’s House took home album of the year honors.

Outside the Hot 100’s top 10, Lil Uzi Vert’s “Just Wanna Rock,” the closing song of the Grammy’s 50th anniversary pf hip-hop medley, backtracks to No. 12 from its No. 10 high but is up in overall metrics, garnering a 5% gain to 15.7 million streams, alongside 2,000 sold, up 18%. Elsewhere within the top 30, Luke Combs’ “Going, Going, Gone” pushes 24-23 after his performance of the song during the telecast, with 10.7 million streams, up 6%, and 3,000 sold, up 71%.

Lizzo‘s former two-week Hot 100 No. 1 “About Damn Time” climbs 50-41 after she performed the song and it won for record of the year nod, garnering 6.2 million streams, up 20%, and 5,000 sold, up 295%.

In all, 10 songs performed during the Grammy broadcast are among the 2,000 most-streamed titles of the week Feb. 3-9 in the U.S. and garnered at least a 5% gain:

Performed

  • Sam Smith & Kim Petras, “Unholy” (17.9 million streams, up 16%)
  • Lil Uzi Vert, “Just Wanna Rock” (15.7 million streams, up 5%)*
  • Harry Styles, “As It Was” (12.4 million streams, up 21%)
  • Steve Lacy, “Bad Habit” (11.6 million streams, up 6%)
  • Luke Combs, “Going, Going, Gone” (10.7 million streams, up 6%)
  • Lil Baby, “Freestyle” (8.1 million streams, up 6%)*
  • Lizzo, “About Damn Time” (6.2 million streams, up 20%)
  • Bad Bunny, “Después de la Playa” (3.1 million streams, up 34%)
  • Nelly, “Hot in Herre” (1.8 million streams, up 5%)*
  • DJ Khaled feat. Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, John Legend & Fridayy, “God Did” (1.7 million streams, up 57%)

(*performed during the Grammy’s hip-hop medley)

Additionally, nine songs that won Grammy awards, either during the main ceremony or during the pre-telecast, were both up at least 5% and within the top 2,000 songs in U.S. streams Feb. 3-9.

Won

  • Sam Smith & Kim Petras, “Unholy” (17.9 million streams, up 16%) (best pop duo/group performance)
  • Future feat. Drake & Tems, “Wait for U” (10.9 million streams, up 5%) (best melodic rap performance)
  • Beyoncé, “Cuff It” (9.4 million streams, up 37%) (best R&B song)
  • Lizzo, “About Damn Time” (6.2 million streams, up 20%) (record of the year, best remixed recording, non-classical)
  • Adele, “Easy on Me” (5.8 million streams, up 16%) (best pop solo performance)
  • Cody Johnson, “’Til You Can’t” (4.8 million streams, up 7%) (best country song)
  • Beyoncé, “Break My Soul” (3.5 million streams, up 41%) (best dance/electronic recording)
  • Muni Long, “Hrs and Hrs” (3.5 million streams, up 8%) (best R&B performance)
  • Taylor Swift, “All Too Well (Taylor’s Version)” (3.3 million streams, up 9%) (best music video)

Concurrently, the Billboard 200 dated Feb. 18 reflects multiple bumps for albums either prominently featured during the Grammys or by artists who appeared at the ceremony. Leading the way, Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti rises 8-7 with 45,000 equivalent album units, up 16%. Aforementioned album of the year winner Harry’s House follows, jumping 13-9 with 38,000 units, a 51% boost.

Samara Joy’s Linger Awhile also appears on the Billboard 200 for the first time, debuting at No. 158 (8,000 units, up 319%) following her best new artist victory.

16 Feb 2023

Depeche Mode Adds Second North American Leg to Memento Mori World Tour

Depeche Mode expanded its upcoming world tour on Thursday (Feb. 16) by adding a new run of fall dates across North America.

“29 new shows just announced. On sale next week,” the duo announced on Instagram, directing fans to their official website for more information.

The new leg of shows will kick off Sept. 21 in Mexico City after Dave Gahan and Martin Gore wrap up their summer run in Europe. From there, the bandmates will head stateside and hit major cities including Dallas, Miami, Boston, New York City, Denver, Las Vegas, San Francisco as well as Canadian markets such as Montreal, Toronto, Edmonton and Vancouver. The tour closes then closes out Dec. 10 and 15 with dual shows in Los Angeles at the Kia Forum and Crypto.com Arena.

Tickets can be purchased by the general public starting next Friday, Feb. 24, at 10 a.m. local time. A special fan presale will take place a few days prior on Tuesday, Feb. 21.

Depeche Mode’s announcement extends their global trek to 75 dates in support of the group’s upcoming 15th album, Memento Mori, which is set to be released March 24 via Columbia Records. Preceded by lead single “Ghosts Again,” the studio set is the English electronic act’s first full-length since 2017’s Spirit. In the interim, founding member and original keyboardist Andy Fletcher passed away last May, leaving Gahan and Gore as a duo for the first time.

Check out all the dates on Depeche Mode’s newly announced second North American leg below.

16 Feb 2023

Linkin Park’s New ‘Lost’ Song Off to Strong Start, Lifts ‘Meteora’ Tracks

Linkin Park‘s anniversary plans for their 2003 album Meteora this spring are already off to a soaring start. A reissue of the soon-to-be-20-year-old album was recently announced for this April, along with exciting news of a previously unreleased song from the era (featuring original vocals from the band’s late frontman Chester Bennington) being discovered for the set: the appropriately haunting “Lost.”

Released on Friday (Feb. 10), “Lost” has enjoyed the kind of explosive first week the band used to regularly post with new singles during their commercial prime. The song started with nearly 2 million official on-demand U.S. streams its debut day, and earned 7.1 million total plays through Tuesday (Feb. 14), according to Luminate — while also putting up robust sales numbers, moving nearly 11,000 copies over that timespan. It even has started to make radio impact, with 7.1 million in all-format radio audience from Feb. 10-13.

The extra attention around “Lost” and the Meteora reissue (scheduled for Apr. 7 via Warner) has also led to a bump in the songs from that original RIAA seven-times-platinum-certified 2003 blockbuster. The album, which features such Linkin Park staples as “Numb,” “Faint,” “Somewhere I Belong” and “Breaking the Habit,” jumped from just over 1.7 million combined official on-demand U.S. streams the day before “Lost” to nearly 2.3 million on the day of its release, a gain of 32%.

“Lost” should make a significant impact on the Billboard charts next week (dated Feb. 25), including a likely debut on the Billboard Hot 100 — which would be the band’s first since they reached No. 45 with the Kiiara-featuring “Heavy” in Aug. 2017, following Bennington’s tragic death at the age of 41 that July. (If it made the chart’s top 40, that would be their first visit to the region since “Burn It Down” reached No. 30 in May 2012.)

16 Feb 2023

A ‘Masked Singer’ Judge Is Reduced to Tears After an Icon Is Revealed as The Gnome

The Masked Singer‘s ninth season kicked off on Wednesday night (Feb. 15) without a hitch, and had a legendary entertainer in their midst — or in costume, if you will.

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After performing a passionate rendition of Frank Sinatra’s “When You’re Smiling,” The Gnome was one of the two masked singers to be placed on the show’s chopping block. Judges Ken Jeong, Jenny McCarthy, Nicole Scherzinger and Robin Thicke had no clue who the man underneath the costume could be, guessing everyone from Robert De Niro to Dustin Hoffman and Tony Bennett. But the surprise the judges got was much larger than they anticipated.

The Gnome was unmasked to be none other than Emmy, Golden Globe, Tony and Grammy winning entertainer and comedian Dick Van Dyke. “It was real dark in there,” the 97-year-old said after host Nick Cannon asked him what it was like being The Gnome. “You can’t see anything. I just love that they thought I was Robert De Niro. I didn’t know Robert De Niro could sing, to tell you the truth.”

Jeong, McCarthy and Thicke stood up on the judge’s table to give Van Dyke a standing ovation, while Scherzinger was overcome by emotion and started crying during the applause. “I love you so much. The whole world loves you so much. It’s an honor to have you on our show,” she told him through tears. Jeong added, “You are one of the reasons why I got into comedy. You are comedy. You are our childhood. Greatest reveal ever.”

After the show, Van Dyke spoke with People and revealed that going into the program, he was certain none of the judges would have been able to guess his identity. “I had never even seen the show when they asked me. So I checked it out and it looked like a lot of fun,” he shared. “I was positive they wouldn’t be able to guess who I was. And I was right!”

Also unmasked on the season premiere of The Masked Singer was the Mustang. Mustang took the stage for a rendition of Whitesnake’s 1987 classic “Here I Go Again” and Rihanna’s “Diamonds” for the battle round. The dark horse was unmasked to be none other than “A Little Bit Stronger” singer Sara Evans.

Speaking with Billboard before her elimination, Evans said she did not inform her family that she would be competing on the singing competition. “I wanted my kids to be surprised and I didn’t trust my mom not to tell people,” she explained. “I’m going to tell my mom and siblings and everyone tonight, like around five or six o’clock and ask them to watch.”

As for Evans’ choice to sing Whitesnake, the song choice was a result of production decisions and last-minute changes behind the scenes.

“I was going to be on a different episode, doing ABBA Night. But then someone had to drop out and the producers asked me if I would fill in for that person and take their songs to be on the first episode of The Masked Singer instead,” she explained. “So I already knew the Whitesnake song. Of course, everyone knows it, but I got it at like 11:30 the night before we had to film it, at the last minute. Everyone was really appreciative, though, and I ended up having so much fun singing the Whitesnake song, especially.”

Watch Dick Van Dyke’s Masked Singer reveal above, and Sara Evans’ unmasking below.

16 Feb 2023

Beyonce’s Grammy-Winning ‘Renaissance’ & ‘Break My Soul’ Surge on Dance/Electronic Charts

Beyoncé, fresh off her historic wins at the Grammy Awards on Feb. 5, takes more honors on Billboard‘s Feb. 18-dated dance/electronic charts.

On the Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart, the superstar enjoys a 13th week at No. 1 with Renaissance, which won the best dance/electronic album Grammy (among her four wins this year, upping her career total to a record-breaking 32). The set earned 37,000 equivalent album units, up 109%, in the Feb. 3-9 tracking week, according to Luminate.

On the multi-metric Hot Dance/Electronic Songs survey, the set’s lead single “Break My Soul” bounds 9-6, earning the top Streaming Gainer award with 3.5 million official U.S. streams, up 41%. The track, which dominated the chart for 11 weeks last July-September and won the Grammy for best dance/electronic recording, also sold 1,600 downloads, up 30%, and drew 4.3 million radio airplay audience impressions, up 18%.

Concurrently, “Break” bolts 5-4 on the Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales chart and 18-7 on Dance/Electronic Streaming Songs. It spent 10 weeks at No. 1 on each tally, as well as five frames atop Dance/Mix Show Airplay.

David Guetta and Bebe Rexha roll back to No. 1 for a 20th week atop Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales with “I’m Good (Blue),” The track – nominated for the best dance/electronic recording at the Grammy Awards – sold 9,000 downloads, up 118%. The track ties DJ Snake and Lil Jon’s “Turn Down for What” (2014-15) for the seventh-most weeks at the summit in the chart’s 13-year history; Elton John and Dua Lipa’s “Cold Heart (Pnau Remix)” ruled for a record 44 frames in August 2021-June 2022.

“Good” claims top Sales Gainer honors on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs, racking up a 21st week at No. 1, the ninth-most dating to the chart’s January 2013 premiere. In addition to its sales, “Good” collected 76.9 million airplay impressions and 11 million streams Feb. 3-9.

“Good” also adds a 14th week at No. 1 on Dance/Mix Show Airplay, tying “Cold Heart” and Rihanna’s “We Found Love,” featuring Calvin Harris (2011-12), for the sixth-most weeks on top since the chart’s August 2003 inception; the Chainsmokers’ “Closer,” featuring Halsey, leads with 20 weeks at No. 1 in 2016.

Shifting to Dance/Electronic Streaming Songs, P!nk powers into the top 10 with “Trustfall,” up 12-6 in its second week. Her first top 10 on the chart totaled 4 million streams, up 35%.

Also noteworthy on Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales is Depeche Mode‘s second-ever showing with “Ghosts Again,” new at No. 12. The Feb. 9-released track, from the band’s album Memento Mori (due March 24), sold 900 downloads in its first day of release. It’s the electronic-rock legends’ second appearance, following their 1990 Billboard Hot 100 No. 8 classic “Enjoy the Silence” (which reached its No. 5 high on Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales in May 2022).

16 Feb 2023

Ozuna & Feid Unite Atop Latin Rhythm Airplay Chart With ‘Hey Mor’

Ozuna adds a 29th No. 1 to his career count on Billboard‘s Latin Rhythm Airplay chart as “Hey Mor,” featuring Feid, leads the Feb. 18-dated ranking. The song trades places with Bad Bunny and Rauw Alejandro’s “Party,” which slides 1-2 after two weeks in charge.

“Hey Mor” was released Oct. 8 via Aura/Sony Music Latin. It ascends 2-1 in its 10th week with 9.3 million in audience impressions, up 7%, earned in the U.S. in the week ending Feb. 9, according to Luminate.

The song is the sixth single from Ozuna’s fifth studio album OzuTochi which debuted at No. 5 on Top Latin Albums and at No. 4 on Latin Rhythm Albums last October.

“Hey Mor” gives the Latin rhythmic hitmaker his 29th champ on Latin Rhythm Airplay, and steps closer to the lead extending his second-best count of No. 1s among all acts on the 17-year-old chart. Daddy Yankee and J Balvin continue to have the most champs, both with 34 No. 1s. Here’s the leaderboard:

34, Daddy Yankee
34, J Balvin
29, Ozuna
20, Bad Bunny
19, Maluma
19, Wisin
19, Wisin & Yandel

Feid, meanwhile, captures his third No. 1 among seven career appearances. The Colombian’s first offering arrived with “Porfa,” with an all-star team comprising J Balvin, Maluma, Nicky Jam, Sech and Justin Quiles in August 2020. Plus, he locked in his first and only champ as a soloist, unaccompanied by any other act, on Latin Rhythm Airplay with “Normal” in January.

Elsewhere, “Hey Mor” doubles its previous peak on the all-genre Latin Airplay chart, rallying 8-4 in its seventh week. Plus, Feid scores a career best on the overall Billboard Hot 100 ranking, as the song climbs 96-88.

16 Feb 2023

The Weeknd Drops Official Live ‘Die For You’ Video in HBO Special Preview

The Weeknd dropped the official live video his single “Die For You” on Thursday morning (Feb. 16) as a preview of the singer’s upcoming (Feb. 25) HBO live special. The clip, filmed at Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium in November opens with the packed house screaming as Abel takes the stage backed by a projection of a giant moon.

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“I f—in’ love you Los Angeles, thank you so much,” he tells them, strutting across the stage in an all-black ensemble accented by black leather gloves. “This is the last show and I think it’s the best f—in’ show all tour, baby, let’s go!” He then cued up the song’s sensual groove as the arena filled with flashing blue and red lights and he crooned the track’s promise of forever love as a group of dancers cloaked in full-body coverings solemnly walked out to join him on the glowing stage.

The Weeknd: Live at SoFi Stadium was taped in L.A. during the first U.S. leg of the singer’s After Hours Til Dawn Tour. A release announcing the video also noted that another one of his huge chart hits, “Earned It (Fifty Shades of Grey),” has just achieved Diamond Certification from the RIAA, marking his fifth Diamond single; his other Diamond tracks are “The Hills,” “Starboy,” “Blinding Lights” and “Can’t Feel My Face.” The Weeknd is only the fourth artist to score five or more Diamond certifications joining Bruno Mars (six) and Post Malone and Drake (five).

Watch the “Die For You” live video below.

16 Feb 2023

Mariah Carey Gets an Assist From One of Dem Babies on Latest ‘It’s a Wrap’ Challenge

Mariah Carey shared a new take on the “It’s a Wrap” TikTok challenge on Wednesday (Feb. 15) with some help from her son Moroccan.

In the video, the superstar lip syncs to the sped-up version of the 2009 deep cut off Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel. “When it’s gone, it’s gone, it’s gone, it’s gone/ You’re dead wrong, so wrong, so wrong, so wrong” she pretends to argue on a call before the 11-year-old — whom she shares with ex-husband Nick Cannon — grabs the phone and declares, “It’s a wrap for you baby,” ends the call and tosses the smartphone on the floor.

The Lambily-inspired campaign has already sparked a major viral revival for the track, which has exploded on streaming platforms with more than one million weekly streams in the wake of the challenge.

Carey also capitalized on the moment by dropping a four-song EP centered on “It’s a Wrap,” which features the original song, the TikTok-friendly sped-up version, the 2014 remix with Mary J. Blige and an edited three-minute edition. (Fans also chose the EP as their favorite new release last week in Billboard‘s New Music Friday poll, with the release garnering 70 percent of the vote over Paramore’s This Is Why, Taylor Swift’s Felix Jaehn remix of “Lavender Haze” and more.)

Meanwhile, Roc and his twin sister Monroe have become new half-siblings several times over in the last six months, thanks to their dad welcoming five new kids since last July — bringing his total brood to 12 children with six women including Carey.

Watch Mariah and Moroccan nail the “It’s a Wrap” challenge together below.

16 Feb 2023

CeCe Winans Banks Her Fourth No. 1 on Gospel Airplay Chart With ‘Goodness Of God’

CeCe Winans rolls up her fourth No. 1 on Billboard’s Gospel Airplay chart, as “Goodness of God” tops the tally dated Feb. 18. In the tracking week ending Feb. 9, the song increased by 5% in plays, according to Luminate.

“Goodness” was written by Ed Cash, Ben Fielding, Jason Ingram, Brian Johnson and Jenn Johnson.

“Creating and sharing music that encourages people to not give up and believe for the impossible is what keeps me going,” Winans tells Billboard. “‘Goodness of God’ is a song people identify with because of their personal experience with Him. Regardless of what’s going on around us, He continues to be good.”

Detroit native Winans earns her third Gospel Airplay leader in a row. It follows “Believe for It,” which dominated for two frames starting in January 2022, and “Never Lost,” which led for a week in May 2021. Winans’ debut entry (among 10 chart appearances), “Pray,” reigned for two frames beginning in January 2006. In between her first No. 1 and her latest three leaders, she notched her other top 10, “Never Have To Be Alone” (No. 5, 2017).

Over on Billboard’s Christian Airplay survey, “Goodness” ranks at No. 39 (248,000 audience impressions). Winans has netted one top 10 in her four visits to the chart: “Believe for It” (No. 7, August 2021).

Notably, as barriers weaken among numerous genres, Winans is one of a growing number of artists, alongside the likes of Elevation Worship, Maverick City Music and Tauren Wells, that are actively being promoted to both contemporary Christian and gospel radio.