Music

10 Feb 2023

Ava Max & Elle King Notch Their First Top 10s on Billboard’s Album Sales Chart

Ava Max notches her first top 10 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart (dated Feb. 11) as her latest release, Diamonds & Dancefloors, debuts at No. 8. The set sold 7,000 copies in the U.S. in the week ending Feb. 2, according to Luminate. The new effort is her second charting title, following the No. 12-peaking Heaven & Hell in 2020.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

Also capturing her first top 10 on Top Album Sales is Elle King, as her new Come Get Your Wife starts at No. 9 with nearly 7,000 sold. She previously topped out at No. 15 in 2018 with Shake the Spirit.

Also in the top 10, TOMORROW X TOGETHER, Grateful Dead, Sam Smith, Bob Dylan and Elle King all arrive with new releases, while Avril Lavigne’s Let Go re-enters the chart in the top 10 after its 20th anniversary reissue on vinyl.

Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart ranks the top-selling albums of the week based only on traditional album sales. The chart’s history dates back to May 25, 1991, the first week Billboard began tabulating charts with electronically monitored piece count information from SoundScan, now Luminate. Pure album sales were the sole measurement utilized by the Billboard 200 albums chart through the list dated Dec. 6, 2014, after which that chart switched to a methodology that blends album sales with track equivalent album units and streaming equivalent album units. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

TOMORROW X TOGETHER snags its fourth No. 1 on Top Album Sales – and biggest sales week yet – as The Name Chapter: TEMPTATION enters with 152,000 copies sold.

The Name Chapter: TEMPTATION scores the largest sales week for any album since Taylor Swift’s Midnights debuted at No. 1 with 1.14 million copies sold on the Nov. 5, 2022-dated chart. Of The Name Chapter: TEMPTATION’s 152,000 sold, 98% were CD sales (148,500), while 2% were digital album sales (3,500). The set was not available to purchase in any other configuration (such as vinyl or cassette).

The CD configuration of The Name Chapter: TEMPTATION was issued in collectible packages (14 total, including exclusive editions for Barnes & Noble, Target and the Weverse webstore), each with a standard set of internal paper items and branded randomized mystery elements (photo cards, photo books, post cards). CD sales were also enhanced by autographed editions sold via the act’s webstore.

Grateful Dead’s latest archival live set, Dave’s Picks, Volume 45: Paramount Theatre, Portalnd, OR 10/1/77 & 10/2/77 debuts at No. 2 with 19,000 sold.

Dave’s Picks is the act’s continuing live archival release series, named for the group’s archivist, David Lemieux, that has been going strong since its first release in 2012. Releases in the series are issued exclusively on CD and in limited quantities.

On the Billboard 200 chart, Dave’s Picks, Vol. 45 debuts at No. 18, marking the band’s 55th top 40-charting album on the list. The act continues to have the most top 40 albums among groups since the chart began regularly publishing on a weekly basis in March of 1956. The band also surpasses Barbra Streisand to become the overall act with the third-most top 40-charting albums. The acts with the most top 40 albums on the Billboard 200 are: Frank Sinatra (58), Elvis Presley (58), Grateful Dead (55), Barbra Streisand (54) and Bob Dylan (51). (37 of Grateful Dead’s 55 top 40-charting albums are from the Dave’s Picks series.)

Taylor Swift’s former No. 1 on Top Album Sales, Midnights, falls 2-3 on the latest chart, with 18,000 sold (though up 4%). Sam Smith notches their fourth top 10-charting effort as Gloria bows at No. 4 with 14,000 sold.

Bob Dylan’s Fragments: Time Out of Mind Sessions (1996-1997) debuts at No. 5 on Top Album Sales with 11,000 sold. The effort is part of Dylan’s ongoing “Bootleg Series.” With this archival project, he revisits his 1997 album Time Out of Mind, presenting alternative versions and outtakes of songs from that album, in addition to other rare cuts and live performances.

Avril Lavigne’s debut album Let Go returns to the chart for the first time since 2004, and to the top 10 for the first time since 2003, as the set re-enters at No. 6 with 9,000 sold (up 3,586%). The album was originally released in 2002 and peaked at No. 2 that September. It bounds back onto the tally after it was reissued for its 20th anniversary on vinyl (nearly all of its sales for the week were from its vinyl LP configuration).

A charity effort A Philly Special Christmas vaults 24-7 (a new peak) on Top Album Sales with 9,000 sold (up 182%), largely owed to vinyl LP sales. Across all of its formats, the album has now sold 26,000 copies (15,000 on vinyl and 11,000 on digital download). The Philly album is led by Philadelphia Eagles players Jason Kelce, Lane Johnson and Jordan Mailata, the seven-track set includes renditions of holiday favorites like “White Christmas” and “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town.” All profits from the album benefit Philadelphia’s Children’s Crisis Treatment Center.

Rounding out the top 10 is Michael Jackson’s Thriller, which falls 6-10 with 6,000 sold (though up 10%).

In the week ending Feb. 2, there were 1.883 million albums sold in the U.S. (up 13.9% compared to the previous week). Of that sum, physical albums (CDs, vinyl LPs, cassettes, etc.) comprised 1.552 million (up 18.2%) and digital albums comprised 331,000 (down 2.7%).

There were 723,000 CD albums sold in the week ending Feb. 2 (up 38.3% week-over-week) and 820,000 vinyl albums sold (up 4.9%). Year-to-date CD album sales stand at 3.053 million (up 0.4% compared to the same time frame a year ago) and year-to-date vinyl album sales total 4.499 million (up 28.2%).

Overall year-to-date album sales total 9.260 million (up 7.4% compared to the same year-to-date time frame a year ago). Year-to-date physical album sales stand at 7.595 million (up 15.3%) and digital album sales total 1.664 million (down 18%).

10 Feb 2023

First Country: New Music From Luke Combs, Megan Moroney, Darius Rucker & More

First Country is a compilation of the best new country songs, videos & albums that dropped this week.

Luke Combs, “Love You Anyway”

In this ballad from Combs’ upcoming March 24 album, Gettin’ Old, Combs maintains that even if his current love turned to heartbreak, it would all be worth it. Written by Combs with Ray Fulcher and Dan Isbell, the song features lyrics comparing a love to broken glass and ancient Rome, all melded together by Combs’ burnished vocal.

Megan Moroney, “I’m Not Pretty”

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

While Moroney’s breakthrough hit “Tennessee Orange” continues to climb Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart, her new release is a cheeky, defiant clapback to her ex’s new lover, who seems intent on scrolling through her Instagram and tearing her down. Here’s she continues with the conversational lyrical stylings found in “Tennessee Orange,” as she sings, “Like the Queen of the Mean Girls committee/ But hey, whatever helps/ Keep on telling yourself I’m not pretty.”

Hannah Ellis, “Someone Else’s Heartbreak”

The initial lyrics on this smooth ballad make the listener think the song’s setup is a woman comforting her close friend with all the usual platitudes after a romantic breakup. But Ellis gives the storyline a twist, as it becomes clear that the advice she would give to a friend is hard to follow when it comes to her own fallout from a fizzled relationship. A sturdy, vulnerable release from Ellis.

Ernest, “This Fire”

Ernest offers up a continuation of his previous Flower Shops project, with Flower Shops: The Album (Two Dozen Roses), out today. The whole project melds traditional country with shades of sleek pop-country. Meanwhile, the rollicking “This Fire” portrays the impact of a heartbreak and alcohol-fueled bender, most keenly on the lyrics, “I’ve done it to myself, I dug a lonely grave/ I walk amongst the ashes of the bridges that I’ve made.”

Darius Rucker, “Lift Me Up”

Rucker lends his powerful, unmistakable voice to this cover of Rihanna’s “Lift Me Up,” from the soundtrack to Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Rucker lends gospel overtones to this piano ballad, delivering an understated, yet wisened and fervent vocal rendering that elevates the song’s somewhat generic lyrics.

Reyna Roberts feat. Tayler Holder, “Another Round”

Roberts’ majestic voice is supported by Holder’s gravelly rendering, though their harmonies get slightly muddled through the chorus. Written by Roberts with Laura Veltz and Jimmy Robbins, this slow-burn track finds each vocalist concluding that — just like with booze — they know their limits and when they can’t take another round of a relationship that’s not serving their best interests.

Allie Colleen, “Honest Man”

“You say you love me, I’m calling you out/ Let’s set these plans with a stone,” Colleen sings in this lilting acoustic track, boldly willing to make an honest man of the guy she loves. Her voice is warm and a slightly rough around the edges, a perfect foil to the vulnerability and personal agency of the lyrics.

Michael Warren, What’s Country to You EP

Alabama native Warren’s new four-song EP operates along the same country-R&B lines that have made hits for artists like Thomas Rhett and Jimmie Allen. The radio-friendly title track (and Warren’s debut single), written by Dylan Schneider, Zac Kale and Jake Rose, rattles off a list of potential country bona fides and nods to the genre’s expanding boundaries. The EP follows with a trio of equally smooth tracks that showcase Warren’s agreeable, unassuming voice, including the pleasantly romantic “Another Round,” which namechecks Shenandoah, while “Chevy Shotgun” is nostalgic and bittersweet. “One Beer at a Time” blends elements of a soft R&B vibe as he declares he’s “gettin’ over you girl/ One beer at a time.”

10 Feb 2023

A Timeline of Offset & J. Prince’s Ongoing Feud

Tempers flared earlier this week when Offset and J. Prince’s feud spilled over to social media in wake of Takeoff‘s murder last year.

While the Migos have issues of their own when it comes to repairing the relationship between Quavo and Set, they’ve agreed to keep quiet when it comes to the tragic shootout that tragically took the life of their family member.

On the other hand, J. Prince has attempted to debunk rumors and clear his family’s name surrounding the deadly shooting, which took place in his hometown of Houston during the early hours of Nov. 1, outside a local bowling alley. The Rap-A-Lot Records founder has publicly addressed Takeoff’s death on multiple occasions in different interviews, which angered Offset — who has remained publicly tight-lipped regarding the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Tensions were raised to another level this week when J. Prince and the Mob Ties family appeared on an episode of Million Dollaz Worth of Game earlier in February, where the Houston native dissed Set for allegedly not being there for his late groupmate.

While J. Prince maintains there was previously love on both sides from interactions throughout his career with the Migos, the fuse was lit, and that love went to the wayside as the war of words intensified — becoming a trending topic on social media, with Cardi B even chiming in this week. Cooler heads have since seemed to (hopefully) prevail, as Offset promised in his most recent warning shot at Prince that it would be the final time he speaks on him publicly.

Check out our timeline of the J. Prince and Offset feud below.

10 Feb 2023

Chris Martin Praises Rihanna as the ‘Best Singer of All Time’

You can count Chris Martin among the millions of fans who can’t wait to watch Rihanna perform this weekend at the Super Bowl Halftime Show. In a new interview with Apple Music 1, the Coldplay frontman sang the pop star’s praises while reflecting on his own memories of performing on one of the world’s biggest stages with Beyoncé and Bruno Mars.

“I don’t know Rihanna very well,” Martin told host Zane Lowe on Friday (Feb. 10). “I’m mainly just a fan, and we have performed with her a few times, and you’re right, it is rarer and rarer for her to just sing, which is what makes it even more special, and in a strange way, it shows that she really, really wants to do it. No one can make Rihanna do anything at this point.”

“You have to be an idiot not to recognize that she’s the best singer of all time,” he continued. “I’m very biased because I’m such a big Rihanna fan. I mean, I think she could just walk out in sweatpants and sing, and that would be just great.”

The “Love on the Brain” singer has just two days left before she headlines the Apple Music-sponsored event between the game’s second and third quarters. This year, the Super Bowl will see the Kansas City Chiefs facing off with the Philadelphia Eagles at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday (Feb. 12) at Glendale’s State Farm Stadium in Arizona.

In 2016, it was Coldplay who headlined. Wanting to do justice to the NFL’s 50th anniversary Super Bowl, the band brought out a pair of superstar guests — Bey and Bruno — to assist them.

“I felt really straight away, well, we have to ask Beyoncé because we had a song together at the time, but it hadn’t come out yet,” Martin recalled. “And then Beyoncé, we spoke on the phone and she said, ‘Should we do our song together?’ And I thought, ‘I don’t know. No one knows it yet, and maybe just do something that you want to do.’ And then she came up with ‘Formation,’ which was the best.”

Not everyone loved the final product of Coldplay’s efforts, however. The band was met with criticism from certain viewers, something Martin also opened up about with Lowe. “We got quite a hard time afterwards from some people who didn’t really like it, which was hard to take at the time,” he confessed. “But then at a certain point I realized, ‘Well, we did exactly what we wanted to do given all those limitations.’ We would do exactly the same way, I think. We would ask the same guests.”

“I don’t mind the fact that I’m going to be in a dance-off with Beyoncé and Bruno and lose, that’s the point,” he added. “Someone has to represent the non-dancing humans. So I think I sort of became really at peace with it a few weeks afterwards.”

10 Feb 2023

Mariah Carey Drops ‘It’s a Wrap’ EP After Song’s Viral Revival

Surprise, dahhlings! Mariah Carey revealed a special treat for her fans on Friday (Feb. 10) in the form of a new EP celebrating her 2009 deep cut “It’s a Wrap.”

“lIT’S A WRAP!!” the icon shared on Instagram announcing the release, “by popular lamb demand, EP out now!”

The four-track project contains the original album cut from 2009’s Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel and the Mary J. Blige-assisted remix originally included as a bonus track on 2014’s Me. I Am Mariah… The Elusive Chanteuse, as well as a TikTok-friendly sped-up version and a new three-minute edit of the song.

The EP’s arrival comes on the heels of Mimi turning the fan favorite into a viral hit thanks to the “It’s a Wrap” TikTok challenge she launched after the start of the new year. In addition to giving Carey a dose of post-holiday glee as she watched thousands of Lambs lip-synch to the song, the challenge also gave “It’s a Wrap” a massive streaming bump, earning more than one million weekly streams as of the start of February.

Prior to the kiss-off’s unexpected revival, the singer-songwriter wrapped up her absolute domination of yet another holiday season with “All I Want for Christmas Is You” returning to the summit of the Billboard Hot 100 for four consecutive weeks from the middle of December through the beginning of January. The chart achievement marked the modern holiday classic’s fourth year topping the chart since it first became Carey’s nineteenth career No. 1 in 2019.

Check out Mariah’s announcement and stream the It’s a Wrap EP below.

10 Feb 2023

Here’s Why Penn Badgley Thinks This Taylor Swift Hit Is ‘Perfect’ for His ‘You’ Character

The lyrics in Taylor Swift‘s “Anti-Hero” hit home for a lot of people, but when you look at them through the perspective of a serial killer? They take on a whole different meaning. Just ask Penn Badgley, the actor behind frequent murderer Joe Goldberg on Netflix’s You, who recently caught the pop star’s attention for lip-syncing her Midnights lead single dressed as his character in a viral TikTok.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

The success of Badgley’s “Anti-Hero” TikTok (nine million views and counting) is made even more impressive when you consider that it was the very first video he ever posted on his account. But in a new interview with Rolling Stone, the Gossip Girl alum explained that it was actually Swift’s track that inspired him to start his TikTok career in the first place.

“I thought for years, ‘I’ll get a TikTok when the time is right,’” he told the magazine in an interview published Friday (Feb. 10). “And then when Taylor’s record came out, it just seemed the song wouldn’t have worked with anybody else. Me. Joe. Anti-Hero. Taylor Swift? It just was the perfect moment.”

Swift has described “Anti-Hero,” her longest-running No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, as being like a “guided tour through all the things I tend to hate about myself.” In his TikTok — on which the “All Too Well” singer herself commented “OMG!!!!” — Badgley dons Joe’s trademark baseball cap and hilariously sings the track’s self-deprecating main hook, “I’m the problem, it’s me.”

As You fans can attest, Joe (who goes by Jonathan Moore while hiding out in London in the Feb. 9-released fourth season) is definitely the problem in almost every scenario. And just like Swift, he often struggles internally with his insecurities and personal demons — his just happens to be a psychological inability to stop stalking, kidnapping and gruesomely murdering people in his life.

“I wasn’t sure I wanted to play Joe,” Badgley explained in the new interview. “And so I bring that to it in a way. Joe is always struggling with who he is, and what he’s doing,” he says. “There’s always like three levels of lies with Joe no matter what’s happening.” 

Watch Penn Badgley sing along to “Anti-Hero” below:

10 Feb 2023

Every Song Ranked on Paramore’s ‘This Is Why’

Perhaps no album from a band in recent months has been as anticipated as Paramore‘s sixth studio set, This Is Why. The group, which currently consists of lead vocalist Hayley Williams, guitarist Taylor York and drummer Zac Farro, released their poppier, ’80s-tinged LP After Laughter in 2017 and later, took a break that resulted in the trio trading the sadness behind their rose-colored glasses for anger — and for what feels like the first time, political discontent.

“Everything is political, and it’s either politicized to a degree that maybe isn’t fair or it just inherently is political,” Williams said in the group’s recently Billboard cover story. “Even if I tried to not say one word about anything political [on the album], I think it was just in the DNA. It was in every conversation.”

And the group tackles the issues seamlessly, albeit with a new groove that sounds equal parts fresh and familiar to new and old fans alike. This Is Why‘s title track (also the first on the record) establishes the band’s mission statement, critiquing society’s lack of empathy and the human tendency to be unyielding with our beliefs. Follow up singles “The News” and “C’est Comme Ça” expands, with the former heaving an exasperated sigh at current events and the latter taking the aftermath with a resigned shrug of the shoulders. The preliminary songs the band offered — and the album as a whole — cut the weight of their themes with a danceable, punk leaning edge.

While there are no definite skips on the album, certain tracks of the group’s newest offering in years do stand out a bit more than others. Here is a preliminary opinion on every song that appears on Paramore’s This Is Why.

Want more on Paramore’s new album? Click here to read Billboard’s cover story with the band, in which they talk at length about This Is Why.

10 Feb 2023

Missy Elliott and Jack Harlow Beyond Hyped For Rihanna’s Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show: ‘It Will Be Incredible’

Even stars get starstuck, especially when talking about Rihanna. Missy Elliott and Jack Harlow weighed in on what they hope to hear and see from RihRih on Sunday (Dec. 12) when she takes the stage for the halftime show at Super Bowl LVII. And, as you might expect, they’re anticipating nothing but the best.

“I expect nothing less than the best from Rihanna,” Elliott tells Billboard. “When Rihanna steps out she will most definitely give 200%. I know she’s working hard and I can’t wait to see it. I know it’s going to be incredible.”

Elliott and Harlow — who co-star in a Doritos commercial along with Elton John that will air during the game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs — say they will be on the couch awaiting the big moment just like everyone else.

“Sheesh. I mean, what an icon,” says Harlow about Rihanna’s step into the halftime performer pantheon. “I can’t wait to see what she’s got planned. I know it’s going to be show-stopping. It’s amazing to have someone that’s such a legend still fully relevant and completely important to what’s going on at the moment. I think Rihanna’s incredible.”

As for what songs he wants to hear? Harlow isn’t picky. “The whole catalog,” he says. “Everything.”

Elliott — who performed with Katy Perry and Lenny Kravitz during halftime at the 2015 Super Bowl — says game day is a huge event in her house, which is why she’s excited for Rihanna to join the exclusive halftime veterans club.

“My cousins are all Super Bowl fanatics,” Elliott ays of her family’s reaction when the rapper/songwriter/producer got the call for Perry to huddle up for that year’s extravaganza. “I knew it was big, but not to the magnitude that my cousins was like, ‘Oh my God, do you understand what is about to happen?’”

They were so hyped, in fact, that even industry veteran Elliott says she got a bit scared. That said, Elliott thinks it’s only fitting that a huge star like Rihanna is taking the biggest stage during the year’s most tuned-into event. “Doing the Super Bowl is amazing because I don’t think there’s a bigger platform of people that are watching you,” Elliott says. “I was on a high.”

Super Bowl LVII will air on Fox at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday.

10 Feb 2023

Rihanna’s Top 30 Songs on the Billboard Hot 100

You can’t talk about game changers in the music industry without talking about Rihanna. Whether you know her as the Caribbean Queen, the “good girl gone bad,” RiRi or simply Rih, the Barbadian singer has come a long way since her pre-Roc Nation days. Case in point: Robyn Fenty is the 2023 Super Bowl Halftime Show headliner as the Kansas City Chiefs face off against the Philadelphia Eagles, making her the first headliner since Apple Music took over the Halftime Show.

In 2005, Rih dropped her first single “Pon De Replay” off her debut album, Music of The Sun. At just 17, the singer was already experiencing her first major hit: the reggae-influenced club track peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and spent 27 weeks on the chart. But she quickly proved she was no one-hit wonder: The following year, her track “SOS” spent three weeks crowning the chart. Now, she has dozens of charting hits under her belt — including 14 No. 1s and features with Drake, Britney Spears, Eminem and more.

Though mainly known as a hitmaker, her talents go beyond music-making — she launched her Fenty Beauty line of cosmetics and skincare products in 2017 and lingerie brand Savage X Fenty in 2018. Plus, RiRi’s fashion consistently turns heads (in the best way possible) — whether she’s red carpet ready or simply taking a stroll around town.

With a Navy of fans who will wait a lifetime for the Barbadian singer’s next release — and her 2023 Super Bowl Halftime Show performance — there’s no doubt that Rihanna has made her mark on music. Take a look back at her biggest hits on the chart below.

Rihanna’s Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits ranking is based on weekly performance on the Hot 100 (through Feb. 8, 2023). Songs are ranked based on an inverse point system, with weeks at No. 1 earning the greatest value and weeks at lower spots earning the least. Due to changes in chart methodology over the years, eras are weighted differently to account for chart turnover rates during various periods.

10 Feb 2023

Elvis Costello Pays Tribute to Burt Bacharach During N.Y. Show: ‘It’s Been a Tough Day’

Elvis Costello kicked off his 10-night series at New York’s Gramercy Theatre on Thursday night (Feb 9) by paying paid tribute to his dear friend and collaborator Burt Bacharach a day after the beloved pop composer passed away at 94 due to natural causes.

“It’s been a tough day,” Costello told the sold-out crowd about the loss of his musical compatriot before covering three of Bacharach’s most beloved hits according to Variety. “You know, a really great man left us yesterday. And people say, when somebody reaches a great age, they say, ‘well, it was a good ending,’… it’s never time to say goodbye to somebody if you love ‘em. And I’m not ashamed to say I did love this man. And for everything he gave me, Mr. Burt Bacharach.”

Costello then went on to perform a gentle, acoustic cover “Baby It’s You” — which he said he learned after hearing the Beatles’ 1963 cover — as well as one of Bacharach and lyricist Hal David’s indelible collaborations with Dionne Warwick, “Anyone Who Had a Heart” and a tender, solo piano take on the 1961 Drifters song “Please Stay.”

And while the theme of night one of Costello’s Gramercy run was songs he wrote before the 1977 release of his debut album, My Aim Is True, he promised that when his longtime bandmate Steve Nieve joins him later in the run they would tackle some of the songs that Costello wrote with Bacharach for the film Grace of My Heart and their 1998 joint album, Painted From Memory.

A four-CD box set of Costello and Bacharach’s recorded works, The Songs of Bacharach and Costello, is due out on March 3.

Watch video of the performances below.