Music

17 Oct 2022

SZA Reveals She Recorded ‘A Hundred’ Songs for Sophomore Album, Which She Says Is Coming ‘Any Day’

The wait for SZA‘s sophomore album has drawn on for half a decade now, but the singer dished on Monday (Oct. 17) that she’s spent all that time recording a whole lot of music.

At LAX airport, the Grammy winner was approached by TMZ for details about the long-awaited follow-up to 2017’s Ctrl, and she let slip that it’s set to arrive “any day” without giving a specific release date. “I’m hoping it goes well,” she added of the studio set.

As she made her way to the TSA Pre-Check line, the paparazzi following her asked, “How many total songs do you think you’ve recorded?” From beneath her white hoodie and black face mask, she replied, “Total? A hundred, maybe? Like, I don’t even know, actually… Five years worth of material.”

This summer, SZA issued a special deluxe re-release of her smash debut album to celebrate its fifth anniversary. Featuring seven previously unreleased tracks like “Tread Carefully, “2AM,” “Miles,” “Percolator,” “Awkward,” “Jodie” and an alternative version of “Love Galore,” the LP climbed back up Billboard‘s Top R&B Albums chart where it reclaimed the No. 1 spot for the first time since its initial release.

Ctrl was nominated at the 2018 Grammy Awards for best urban contemporary album and she was up for best new artist the same year.

The singer also joined Pharrell, Justin Timberlake, Clipse, Q-Tip and more at the 2022 Something in the Water festival over Juneteenth weekend in Washington, D.C., and more recently took the stage for the 10th iteration of Global Citizen fest all the way from Accra, Ghana, in order to help mark the 65th anniversary of Ghanaian independence as well as the 20th anniversary of the African Union.

17 Oct 2022

Here’s What Tina Knowles Had to Say About Kelly Rowland’s ‘Bad Parenting Moment’

Kelly Rowland joined Jennifer Hudson on the American Idol alum’s brand new talk show this week, and the duo took part in a fun rapid fire game.

Amid showing off her Toni Braxton impression, and a story detailing how nervous she was to perform in front of Muhammad Ali, Rowland shared which member of Destiny’s Child she’d recruit to help her commit a crime.

After debating in her head for a minute, the “Motivation” singer replied, “I mean, we’ve seen Bey in a ski mask,” referring to Beyoncé and her husband Jay-Z‘s promotional video for their On the Run tour. “I believe her with the ski mask on.”

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Later on in the interview, Rowland recalled what she called a “bad parenting moment” with her seven-year-old son Titan, when she took him to see The Curse of Bridge Hollow, a comedy horror film starring her and Marlon Wayans. “I thought since I’m sitting right there with them we’re fine,” she explained. “But there’s a scene in a movie where mommy looks like she’s about to go to the other side and basically Titan goes ‘Mommy!’ Like it was a whole release.”

Rowland said her son cried for a few minutes, as he believed it could be real. “I was like ‘Yo, I’m right here, I’m right here. I’m not going nowhere,’ and he was like, ‘No.’ It was a whole moment,” she said. The singer went on to call Bey’s mom, Tina Knowles, who gave her some tough motherly love about the situation. “She’s like, ‘Well, why the hell you do something like that?’ She didn’t understand why I even shot a movie,” she shared. “She’s like, ‘It’s Halloween, baby, you don’t do that no more.’”

Watch below.

17 Oct 2022

Elton John’s Farewell Tour Is Now Third Biggest in History With $661M Gross … and Growing

Way back in 2018, Elton John launched the Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour, billed as his final, three-year-long global trek. The announcement of his final shows has paid dividends, generating more than half a billion dollars while he plays to more than four million fans. So far, according to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore, the Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour has grossed $661.3 million and sold 4.5 million tickets across 257 shows around the world through Oct. 9.

John has been banking millions since the tour began, but stepped on the gas after returning from a two-year COVID-19 delay. After playing 39 North American arena dates in the spring, he flew to Europe for a 19-date stadium run, and then came back stateside for more than 30 domestic stadium shows. Of those, 20 have played so far, adding $133.4 million and 830,000 tickets to the tour’s sum.

From one North American leg to another, attendance jumped by 192% to 41,513 per show, and nightly revenue increased by 160% to $6.7 million.

The 39 stadium shows that have played so far in Europe and North America have earned $202.6 million and sold 1.3 million tickets, making up 31% and 30%, respectively, of the tour’s total figures, despite accounting for just 15% of its shows.

In getting to this point, John’s goodbye run is the third tour in Boxscore history to pass the $600 million threshold, following U2’s 360 Tour, which grossed $736.4 million in 2009-11, and Ed Sheeran’s reigning champ, The Divide Tour, which earned $776.4 million from 2017 to 2019.

Sheeran’s all-time champ is an interesting comparison point, with 258 shows throughout its two-and-a-half-year run – just one more than John’s tour has played so far. In contrast to Sheeran and U2, as well as other $500 million tours by Guns ‘N Roses, The Rolling Stones and Coldplay, the Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour has spent most of its time in arenas. While these classic rock greats made their sums quickly in 50,000-plus-capacity stadiums, John has been a road horse in 15,000-cap arenas, able to push high ticket prices in a relatively intimate setting.

The current North American leg continues with 13 more shows before its Nov. 20 close at Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium. John continues with a 10-stadium run in Australia and New Zealand in January, plus a return to European arenas with more than 40 shows in the spring. The Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour is scheduled to close at Stockholm’s Tele2 Arena on July 8, 2023, and with just $115 million between him and the all-time record, John soldiers on at breakneck speed.

Across his career, John has grossed $1.7 billion and sold 19.1 million tickets, becoming the highest grossing solo act in Billboard Boxscore’s three-decade-plus history.

17 Oct 2022

Yungblud Is Selling Necklaces Made Out of His Used Gum

If you’ve ever wanted a piece of Yungblud‘s DNA on a necklace, the day has come. The 25-year-old rocker teamed up with 5 Gum and jewelry artist Greg Yuna to create a line of necklaces that contain chewing gum used by Yungblud, with proceeds going toward the National Independent Venue Foundation (NIVF).

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The 15 necklaces available for purchase include a piece of chewed limited-edition Cobalt Peppermint 5 gum in Lucite, white diamonds and a charm engraved with the 5 Gum logo and Yuna’s signature stamp, all on a 14K white gold chain, according to Consequence. The jewelry collection, called the “Masterpieces,” comes with a certificate of authentication plus a pack of 5 Gum with Yungblud’s name and image.

“I love these jewelry pieces that Greg Yuna created. His work is next level and the fact that some of my fans will have the chance to own a little piece of history is amazing,” Yungblud said in a statement. “I loved this tour with 5 Gum and I couldn’t think of a better way to have celebrated the release of my album than by hitting as many cities in the US as I could and seeing as many of my fans as possible. Playing these new songs for the first time in these beautiful record stores was an experience I’ll never forget.”

Fans can bid on the necklaces now through October 26 via eBay. 

Yungblud is fresh off the release of his self-titled third studio album, which scored him his first top 10 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart (dated Sept. 17) – and his best sales week yet – as it debuted at No. 3 with 13,000 copies sold in the U.S. in the week ending Sept. 8, according to Luminate.

The set also bowed in the top 10 on Top Rock & Alternative Albums, Top Rock Albums, Top Alternative Albums, Top Current Album Sales, Tastemaker Albums and Vinyl Albums.

17 Oct 2022

Sam Smith & Kim Petras’ ‘Unholy’ Tops Billboard Global Charts for Third Week

Sam Smith and Kim Petras‘ “Unholy” posts a third week at No. 1 on both the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts, two weeks after it launched at the summit of both surveys.

The two charts, 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 Billboard Global 200 is inclusive of worldwide data and the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart comprises data from territories excluding the U.S.

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.

‘Unholy’ Atop Global 200 for Third Week

Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ “Unholy” claims a third week at No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200, with 81.5 million streams (down 2%) and 18,000 downloads sold worldwide (up 9%) in the Oct. 7-13 tracking week.

Notably, songs by acts all from outside the U.S. have topped the Global 200 for 34 consecutive weeks, spanning seven titles (and five countries), both record streaks since the chart began. Here’s a recap:

“Heat Waves,” Glass Animals (U.K.), six weeks at No. 1, beginning March 5
“As It Was,” Harry Styles (U.K.), 15, April 16
“Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God),” Kate Bush (U.K.), three, June 18
“Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 52,” Bizarrap (Argentina) & Quevedo (Spain), four, July 30
“Pink Venom,” BLACKPINK (South Korea), two, Sept. 3
“Shut Down,” BLACKPINK (South Korea), one, Oct. 1
“Unholy,” Sam Smith (UK) & Kim Petras (Germany), three to-date, Oct. 8

The Global 200’s top five holds in place, with David Guetta and Bebe Rexha’s “I’m Good (Blue)” at its No. 2 high; Harry Styles’ “As It Was” at No. 3 following its record 15-week reign; Chris Brown’s “Under the Influence” at its No. 4 best; and OneRepublic’s “I Ain’t Worried” at its No. 5 highpoint.

Elsewhere in the Global 200’s top 10, Steve Lacy’s “Bad Habit” rebounds to its No. 10 best, from No. 12, up 3% to 37.6 million streams worldwide. It previously spent a week in the region on the Aug. 27 chart.

Smith, Petras Continue Atop Global Excl. U.S.

Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ “Unholy” concurrently logs a third week at No. 1 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart, with 59.3 million streams (down 2%) and 6,000 downloads sold (up 8%) worldwide in territories outside the U.S. in the Oct. 7-13 tracking week.

Similar to the Global 200, songs by acts from outside the U.S. have dominated the Global Excl. U.S. chart for 32 weeks in a row, covering nine titles (and six countries), likewise record streaks:

“Heat Waves,” Glass Animals (U.K.), three weeks at No. 1, beginning March 19
“Envolver,” Anitta (Brazil), one, April 9
“As It Was,” Harry Styles (U.K.), 13, April 16
“Yet To Come,” BTS (South Korea), one, June 25
“Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God),” Kate Bush (UK), one, July 16
“Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 52,” Bizarrap (Argentina) & Quevedo (Spain), six, July 30
“Pink Venom,” BLACKPINK (South Korea), three, Sept. 3
“Shut Down,” BLACKPINK (South Korea), one, Oct. 1
“Unholy,” Sam Smith (U.K.) & Kim Petras (Germany), three to-date, Oct. 8

The Global Excl. U.S. top five is stationary, with David Guetta and Bebe Rexha’s “I’m Good (Blue)” at its No. 2 best; Manuel Turizo’s “La Bachata” at its No. 3 high; Harry Styles’ “As It Was” at No. 4 following its record 13-week rule; and Bizarrap and Quevedo’s “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 52” at No. 5, after it reigned for six weeks.

The Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts (dated Oct. 22, 2022) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (Oct. 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 Oct 2022

Watch Kelly Clarkson & Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson Honor Loretta Lynn With a Duet

Kelly Clarkson kicked off a new week of The Kelly Clarkson Show with a very special Kellyoke featuring Dwayne Johnson! The twosome opened the Monday (Oct. 17) daytime talk show by duetting on Loretta Lynn‘s 1967 classic “Don’t Come Home a Drinkin’.”

“An extra special #Kellyoke duet with Dwayne @therock Johnson in memory of the late, great @LorettaLynn,” the show’s Twitter account announced that morning.

“No, don’t come home a drinkin’ with lovin’ on your mind/ Just stay out there, on the town and see what you can find/ ‘Cause if you want that kind of love, well, you don’t need none of mine/ So don’t come home a drinkin’ with lovin’ on your mind,” the pair sing in unison over the song’s honky-tonk instrumentation. (During the performance, Clarkson also rebuffed a playful kiss from the movie star as she sang, “You come in, kissin’ on me/ It happens every time.”)

Released off the late country icon’s ninth solo studio album, “Don’t Come Home a Drinkin’” earned the Coal Miner’s Daughter her very first No. 1 on the Hot Country Songs chart, a feat she would replicate 15 more times throughout her accomplished career. It was later recorded by Tammy Wynette on her 1967 album Your Good Girl’s Gonna Go Bad, and also covered by Gretchen Wilson on the 2010 LP Coal Miner’s Daughter: A Tribute to Loretta Lynn.

Johnson may be known for his acting, but he also notched his own Billboard Hot 100 entry back in 2016 when “You’re Welcome” from Disney’s Moana debuted at No. 83 on the all-genre chart.

Last week, Clarkson also welcomed Sam Smith to join her for a Kellyoke duet of her own 2004 smash “Breakaway” before covering Olivia Rodrigo’s “Traitor,” “Whitney Houston’s “Queen of the Night” and Alec Benjamin’s “Let Me Down Slowly” featuring Alessia Cara over her next four shows.

Watch Clarkson and Johnson pay tribute to Lynn below.

17 Oct 2022

Glass Animals’ ‘Heat Waves’ Is Now the Longest Charting Hot 100 Song of All Time

Glass Animals‘ former five-week Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 “Heat Waves” is now the longest charting song in the list’s 64-year history, as it tallies a record-breaking 91st week on the latest Oct. 22-dated survey.

Ranking at No. 21 on the newest Hot 100, “Heat Waves” surpasses The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights,” which logged 90 weeks on the chart in 2019-21.

Over the course of its run on the chart, “Heat Waves” also broke the record for the steadiest climb to No. 1 when it reached the summit in its 59th week in March.

“Wow, all I can say is wow, ” Glass Animals frontman Dave Bayley marvels to Billboard about the band’s achievement. “Many of you know when I wrote this song I was writing about missing someone I loved very dearly. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that it would lead to so much love and connection across the globe. You all have done that. Thank you to everyone who has helped this song reach so many people. You know who you are. Thank you.”

Here’s an updated look at the songs with the most weeks spent on the Hot 100, from to the chart’s Aug. 4, 1958 inception through the Oct. 22-dated ranking:

Most Weeks Spent on the Billboard Hot 100:

  • 91, “Heat Waves,” Glass Animals
  • 90, “Blinding Lights,” The Weeknd
  • 87, “Radioactive,” Imagine Dragons
  • 79, “Sail,” AWOLNATION
  • 77, “Levitating,” Dua Lipa
  • 76, “I’m Yours,” Jason Mraz
  • 69, “Save Your Tears,” The Weeknd & Ariana Grande
  • 69, “How Do I Live,” LeAnn Rimes
  • 68, “Counting Stars,” OneRepublic
  • 68, “Party Rock Anthem” LMFAO feat. Lauren Bennett & GoonRock

“Heat Waves” has also spent the second-most weeks in the Hot 100’s top 40 (76), trailing only the sum of “Blinding Lights” (86), and is tied with The Kid LAROI and Justin Bieber’s “Stay” for the fourth-most weeks spent in the top 20 (57), after “Blinding Lights” (80), Dua Lipa’s “Levitating” (62) and Post Malone’s “Circles” (60).

“Heat Waves” debuted at No. 100 on the Hot 100 dated Jan. 16, 2021. The No. 1 song that week was 24kGoldn’s “Mood.” Since then, an additional 27 songs (excluding “Heat Waves”) have reached the pinnacle. From the Jan. 16, 2021-dated Hot 100 to the current, Oct. 22, 2022, chart, “Heat Waves” has ranked alongside a whopping 1,266 other songs.

“Heat Waves” is Glass Animals’ first Hot 100 hit. Over its run, it has also spent 37 weeks at No. 1 on both Hot Rock & Alternative Songs and Hot Alternative Songs, six weeks at No. 1 on Radio Songs, three weeks at No. 1 on Alternative Airplay and two weeks at No. 1 on both Pop Airplay and Adult Pop Airplay. It also reached No. 5 on Rock & Alternative Airplay, No. 7 on Adult Contemporary and No. 17 on Adult Alternative Airplay.

Of the 91 weeks that “Heat Waves” has spent on the Hot 100, 66 were shared with The Weeknd and Ariana Grande’s “Save Your Tears,” the most of any song over the former’s run. “Levitating” follows with 64 shared weeks, then “Stay” (63).

As for “Blinding Lights,” the song logged four weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100 and set records for the most weeks spent in the top five (43), top 10 (57), top 20 (80) and top 40 (86). Its longevity helped it earn the distinction as the No. 1 title on Billboard’s Greatest of All Time Hot 100 Songs ranking.

“Blinding Lights” had held the longevity record on the Hot 100 since August 2021, when it overtook Imagine Dragons’ “Radioactive.” The latter track spent 87 weeks on the chart and had held the mark since 2014, when it surpassed Jason Mraz’s “I’m Yours” (76 weeks, 2008-09).

17 Oct 2022

Here’s How Eminem Ended Up Producing Akon’s ‘Smack That’

It’s been 16 years since Akon unveiled his R&B hit, “Smack That,” and the 49-year-old star shared how Eminem came to be a producer as well as a featured artist on the track.

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While appearing on the Bootleg Kev podcast this week, Akon discussed his past collaborations with the superstar rapper. “It’s interesting because every record I ever put out, I actually produced, except ‘Smack That,’” he explained. “Eminem produced that record. Isn’t that crazy? He always had them small little sounds, it was something minute, but it felt like Eminem.”

Akon went on to admit that he didn’t expect Em to be such a good producer. “He gave me a folder with, like, 30 tracks in there. And out of 30, I picked five. And I recorded all five, and the one that stood out was ‘Smack That.’ I was like, ‘Bro, this is it’,” he recalled.

“Once he heard my concept to it, he was like, ‘Yo, I’m jumping on this one’. And I said, ‘You know what, if he jumps on this one, this will be a single,’” he continued. “And that’s the only one we ever had together, besides all those we did. But I still have them. I literally still have those records today. These are all the records that’s gonna drop in the future.”

“Smack That,” which was featured on Akon’s 2006 album, Konvicted, peaked at No. 2 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 dated November 4, 2006, and spent 30 total weeks on the chart.

Watch the full interview below.

17 Oct 2022

Rising Boy Band THE SUPER FRUIT Featured in Billboard Japan & TikTok’s ‘Next Fire’ October Edition

J-pop boy band THE SUPER FRUIT livestreamed a showcase studio set on Oct. 7 as the featured act of the month on Next Fire, the hybrid program produced by Billboard Japan and TikTok.

Next Fire is a show on TikTok Live that highlights the hottest J-pop artists of the moment, based on Billboard Japan’s TikTok Weekly Top 20 chart. The collaborative project streams live performances and pre-recorded interviews by the featured act of the month to give fans an in-depth look at their artistry. 

The seven members appeared in the studio with the opening music in the background, cheerfully greeting viewers, “Good evening! We are THE SUPER FRUIT!” The group immediately kicked off the set with “Seven Fruits” from the mini album THE SUPER FRUIT, released as a limited edition before the band’s debut. The bouncy, airy rhythm filled the studio with a cheerful atmosphere from the start, and the falsetto vocals in the chorus served as a catchy accent that left a lingering impression. From there, the group followed up with a cover of the pioneering ‘70s Japanese idol group Finger 5’s “Gakuen Tengoku” (School Heaven). The beaming members urged fans watching the show to clap and sing along to the classic number, and the sharpness of their dance during the interlude also caught the eye.

After each member introduced himself, THE SUPER FRUIT went on to perform “Kimi wa Riako Seizouki.” The song features adorable lyrics and melody, with a dance during the chorus that people would want to imitate. The excitement in the comment section steadily increased, filling up with messages calling them “Cute!” and cheering them on. The following number, “Bokura no Yoake” (Our Dawn), was performed as a piano-based ballad, with fans commenting that they were touched by the youthful and emotional vocals.

The members then went on to address viewers with some humble words expressing their current position as rookie group: “Today was the first time we got to perform five songs on a live program,” noted one member, while another shared, “We usually perform three songs at release events, so this has been a wonderful experience.” The group then wrapped up its showcase performance with “Chiguhagu,” the title song of their debut single that stayed at No. 1 on Billboard Japan’s TikTok Weekly Top 20 tally for six consecutive weeks. It’s no surprise the tune has a high affinity with the short video-sharing platform, as the positive lyrics celebrating diversity perfectly matches the cute, fun choreography.

When the song ended, the lights faded out as the boys held their final poses and THE SUPER FRUIT’s show came to an end, leaving a lingering impression. The showcase set displayed the freshness and momentum of a group that got started only a year ago. A pre-recorded interview by the members of THE SUPER FRUIT will stream on Billboard Japan’s TikTok channel starting Oct. 14, and excerpts from the livestream will be available on the boy band’s TikTok account.

17 Oct 2022

NCT 127 Talks ‘2 Baddies’ Album & Reconnecting With U.S. Fans on Tour

NCT 127‘s North American takeover continues, this time with a visit to Billboard News to discuss what its been like coming up during the K-pop boom as well as the success of the group’s recently released album, 2 Baddies.

The K-pop stars sat down with Billboard News host Tetris Kelly and shared their thoughts on 2 Baddies cementing a new accolade for the group, making them the second K-pop group to have three top five albums in the United States.

“‘2 Baddies’ is our fourth album, and within our company [SM Entertainment], there’s this legendary line of fourth albums,” rapper Taeyong explained. “Likewise, since this was our 4th, it’s an album that our team is very satisfied and happy with. As much as our fans have been waiting, we were able to come all the way way here to the States because of their support.”

Of 2 Baddies, which has thus far spent a total of three weeks on the Billboard 200 and peaked at No. 3, Mark added, “This is the sound that really represents NCT 127.”

Kelly also asked the idols how they felt leading up to the group’s string of tour dates in the United States, and why it’s going to be even more special than previous times. “We haven’t seen our fans in three years, and throughout that time we did come out with a lot more music, and we just can’t wait to show our performance to our fans,” Johnny said. “It has much more meaning.”

Watch NCT 127’s interview with Billboard News above.