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Every month, Billboard Latin and Billboard Español editors spotlight a group of rising artists whose music we love. Think “diamantes en bruto,” or “diamonds in the rough.” These are newcomers who have yet to impact the mainstream — but whose music excites us, and who we believe our readers should make a point to discover.
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Our latest edition of On the Radar Latin includes a wave of emerging artists, who we discovered by networking, coming across their music at a showcase, scrolling through social media, or elsewhere. See our recommendations this month below:
Name: Juanita Donosso
Country: Colombia
Why They Should Be on Your Radar: Just graduated from ICESI University’s music program in Cali, Colombia, Donosso is part of that increasingly well-prepared generation of young artists who are schooled but also experienced onstage. With a sound that incorporates her major influences — from Erykah Badu to James Brown — Donosso sings a mix of funk, house and R&B with feel-good vibes and tons of attitude. The video to her newest single “Tuyo,” produced with fellow students, is a genre-bending girl party — with irresistible beats and dare-to-defy-me attitude — which bodes well for Donosso. — LEILA COBO
Song for Your Playlist: “Tuyo”
Name: Junior Zamora
Country: Colombia
Why They Should Be on Your Radar: Zamora may come from Cali, Colombia, the world’s “salsa capital,” and increasingly, a hub of urban music and sounds of the Pacific coast. But while Zamora’s music is touched by those influences, he breaks rank with heartfelt R&B, more grounded in gospel than salsa. It’s an excellent vehicle for soulful vocals, amplified by a visual aesthetic that makes Zamora an immediate standout. Initially independent, Zamora has been signed to Sony Music Colombia since 2023, which bodes well in terms of exporting his Colombian R&B to a broader audience — one that recently included showcases at Spain’s BIME conference in Bilbao. — L.C.
Song for Your Playlist: “Sagitario”
Name: Luister La Voz
Country: Colombia
Why They Should Be on Your Radar: The first time I heard Luister La Voz was through a Spotify recommendation. A couple of weeks later, I traveled to Barranquilla, Colombia, where I discovered more of his urban-pop music that’s rooted in champeta — a local genre that blends African sounds with reggae, characterized by a strong rhythmic foundation that enhances the melodic and harmonic lines. Luister La Voz’s unique sound is a delightful fusion; I became enchanted by his powerful-yet-sweet vocal harmonies that intertwine seamlessly. Each song presents a lyrical tapestry that carries messages from God, frequently drawing upon references to biblical psalms. — INGRID FAJARDO
Song for Your Playlist: “Las Cartas” feat. Maikol El Insoportable
Name: Luz Gaggi
Country: Argentina
Why They Should Be on Your Radar: With a powerful, velvety and nuanced voice reminiscent of the great R&B singers, Luz Gaggi rose to fame in Argentina in 2021 on the local version of The Voice, and shortly after was signed by Sony Music. Since then, she has been steadily carving her way up, and the last year or so has been particularly rewarding. In October 2024, she opened for Paul McCartney at River Plate Stadium in Buenos, and over the summer she received the Discovery Award at the LAMC in New York and was one of two “Artistas 2 Watch” at the 2025 Premios Juventud. The 23-year-old pop singer-songwriter is currently working on her sophomore album with renowned producer Cachorro López, from which she recently released the single “Qué mal.” — SIGAL RATNER-ARIAS
Song for Your Playlist: “Que Mal”
Name: Pahua
Country: Mexico
Why They Should Be on Your Radar: With over 20 million streams across music platforms, Mexican singer and songwriter Pahua (real name: Paulina Sotomayor) has been making the rounds for over a decade — first with her brother Raúl in the electronic and Afro Latin duo Sotomayor, and later (since 2020) as a solo artist. Also a DJ and a drummer, Pahua blends Latin folk with percussive modern beats and lyrics, inspired by nature and Latin American literature, a style that has received praise and recognition from The New York Times to the BBC and NPR.
This year marked a turning point in her career, with a performance at the Kennedy Center in July and a 15-date U.S. tour over the summer. She recently was announced as part of the 2026 EDC festival in Mexico City, and she’s returning to NYC in January for two more shows. Pahua’s sophomore solo album, Cerca Del Lugar, was released in September, with “Vaquera Galáctica” — “a nod to women never giving up” — as the focus track. With Sotomayor, she is releasing a new album next year, WABI SABI, produced by Eduardo Cabra. — S.R.A.
Song for Your Playlist: “Vaquera Galáctica”
Name: Ronkalunga
Country: Cuba
Why They Should Be on Your Radar: He’s a self-proclaimed “musician, poet, and madman,” according to his bio on the DSPs — but beyond that, Ronkalunga (real name: Ronaldo Rodríguez Hernández) is a virtuoso singer-songwriter, hailing from eastern Cuba. Earlier this year, his song “El Carnicero” gained momentum on social media, ultimately showing up on my algorithm. Captivated by his deep and sensual vocals, and scruffy appearance with that “je ne sais quoi” appeal, I began to navigate his entire catalog, which goes back to his debut album Raros Pasos in 2020.
Ronkalunga’s sound is rooted in traditional Cuban music (changüí, bolero, and trova) fused with pop, alternative rock, and funk. In songs such as “Coco y Guayaba,” “Lo Mismo Me Dá,” and “Refranero,” you’ll also discover his witty penmanship, packed with double meaning and local sayings. Ronkalunga is currently touring the U.S. — JESSICA ROIZ
Song for Your Playlist: “El Carnicero”
Name: RØZ
Country: Mexico
Why They Should Be on Your Radar: Mexican act RØZ has been making strong waves in the electonic music realm since the release of its debut single “What You Want” in 2020. Since then, the emerging Mexican DJ and producer duo (made up of Manolo Cabrera and Hugo Lara) has racked over 4.5 million monthly listeners on Spotify, thanks to its innovative and progressive house sound. Earlier this year, the duo got the stamp of approval from Peso Pluma on their collaborative track “Apaga La Luz.” Other notable collaborations include “flashes” with Yng Lvcas, and “Cora de Hielo” with Natt Calma and Mau Moctezuma. This year, RØZ also made history as the first Latin American act to debut an official Spotify Sessions — and in 2026, the duo will make their Coachella debut, and will also perform at the Argentina, Chile and Brazil editions of Lollapalooza, and at Colombia’s Festival Estéreo Picnic. — J.R.
Song for Your Playlist: “Apaga La Luz” with Peso Pluma
Name: SouCream
Country: Venezuela
Why They Should Be on Your Radar: SouCream is an emerging talent from Venezuela who presents a fresh sound by mixing Brazilian funk with rap. I saw him perform for the first time as one of the opening acts at Akapellah’s concert in Miami this year. What caught my attention the most was not just his immense talent, but also the contagious energy he brought to the stage, which resonated deeply with the audience. His lyrics are full of expressions and phrases from Venezuela, reflecting his roots and storytelling ability. His flow moves smoothly over a steady beat, maintaining a consistent tone that enhances the dynamic feel of his music. He demonstrates great versatility in his musical approach, combining strong hip-hop influences with elements of electronic music in the instrumentals and with rap elements. — I.F.
Song For Your Playlist: “Só Putaria No Baile” with DJ Guuh & MC GW
Name: Twin Tribes
Country: United States
Why They Should Be on Your Radar: Armed with brooding synths, lush basslines, and lyrics steeped in themes of love, mortality, and the occult, Twin Tribes conjures an otherworldly sound that feels like a séance on the dancefloor. Its influences run deep — from The Cure and Depeche Mode to Caifanes and Soda Stereo — mixing haunting melodies and a dash of nostalgia into modern darkwave. In September, the Brownsville, Texas-based duo released Ecos, a two-track EP that pays homage to its Latin roots with covers of “Lobo-Hombre en París” (La Unión) and “Tren al Sur” (Los Prisioneros). Each track drips with reverence, yet spellbinds with a signature nocturnal edge, reshaping the familiar into something uniquely the duo’s own.
The post-punk pair (comprised of Luis Navarro and Joel Niño, Jr.) is now finishing the year with a Latin American tour, with dates in Brazil, Costa Rica and Peru, including a stop at Mexico City’s legendary Circo Volador on Friday (Nov. 28). Twin Tribes is continuing work on a new album and preparing for its March 28 appearance at Los Darks Festival in L.A., where the duo will share the stage with their heroes Caifanes, and other bands. — ISABELA RAYGOZA
Song For Your Playlist: “Lobo-Hombre en París”
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The latest episode of Real Time With Bill Maher became a viral sensation, due to a heated exchange between Maher and rapper Killer Mike concerning Haiti and American foreign policy, where Killer Mike’s points seemed to overwhelm the HBO host.
The discussion occurred as part of a larger conversation involving the failures of the American educational system and presidential administrations interfering in the affairs of foreign governments such as Libya. The Run The Jewels member referenced leaked emails from former Secretary of State Hilary Clinton about U.S. involvement in Libya, which alleges that it was due to French interests.
“When the emails came out, the emails said essentially we were doing it for the French,” Killer Mike said. “Like, how long do the French get to f-cking live off Haiti, Libya, West Africa?” He continued to talk about how the nation, like Libya, fell prey to dictatorship. When Maher brought up Libya’s former leader, Muammar Gaddafi, being a dictator despite offering other benefits to the people, Killer Mike challenged that along with fellow panelist, ABC News analyst Donna Brazile.
Maher, whose views align with libertarian principles, disagreed. “The people who have been repressing the people in Haiti for a very long time are not French,” he said, eliciting a “Sh-ting me?” response from Killer Mike. “They’re Haitians that are put into place,” the four-time Grammy Award winner responded. “Let’s not act like we don’t put dictators into place.”Killer Mike continued that there should be reparations made to Haiti. “So we took Libya. What have we done to help their country become democratic and get back in a better state?” he queried. “What have we done to help Haiti do it? Haiti is the reason we got Louisiana and west of that. America really owes Haiti.” He also brought up the 1825 compensation the Caribbean nation paid out to France after gaining its independence in 1804, which amounted to $21 billion today.
Maher would brush that aside, claiming, “you’ve gotta move forward.” “I’m not saying I don’t wanna move forward, I’m just saying put something in my pocket before you sock it,” Killer Mike replied, reiterating his point. “Let me have something for my move forward. We do it for other nations.”
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Welcome to Billboard Pro’s Trending Up newsletter, where we take a closer look at the songs, artists, curiosities and trends that have caught the music industry’s attention. Some have come out of nowhere, others have taken months to catch on, and all of them could become ubiquitous in the blink of a TikTok clip.
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This week: Rumored similarities to an Oscar-nominated actor helps a U.K. rapper break out stateside, while a video game synch turns around a singer-songwriter’s prospects and a likely AI-assisted Charlie Kirk tribute goes viral.
English Rapper EsDeeKid Turns Timothée Chalamet Conspiracy Theory Into Massive Streaming Gains
Timothée Chalamet may be hard at work on the Oscar campaign trail for his upcoming Marty Supreme film, but some fans think he’s secretly balancing a second artistic career.
After breaking through in 2024 with the Rico Ace-assisted “Bally,” enigmatic Liverpool rapper EsDeeKid — who conceals his identity and sports a balaclava — has found a streaming breakthrough as 2025 draws to a close. On Nov. 11, user @gothauntie0 posted a TikTok positing the theory that EsDeeKid is actually Timothée Chalamet; though it’s all speculation and her evidence is purely circumstantial, the theory quickly took off across social media, spurring new listeners to familiarize themselves with his music.
During the week of Nov. 7-13 (when the conspiracy theory first popped up), EsDeeKid’s catalog earned over 5.8 million official on-demand streams, according to Luminate. The following week (Nov. 14-20), that figure jumped 54% to over 9.005 million official streams. Over the past three weeks, the underground rapper’s catalog has exploded over 145% in streaming activity — which helped his debut album, June’s Rebel, enter the Billboard 200 for the first time at No. 131 (on the chart dated Nov. 29).
“4 Raws” and “Phantom” are two of the set’s buzziest tracks. During the week of Nov. 14-20, the former collected over 3 million official on-demand U.S. streams (up 56% over the past three weeks), while the latter earned 2.98 million streams (up 53% over the past three weeks). On Halloween (Oct. 31), EsDeeKid dropped “Century,” which earned 1.68 million streams during Nov. 14-20, marking a two-week gain of 156%.
Neither EsDeeKid nor Timothée Chalamet have commented on the matter — but, for now, their silence is golden. — KYLE DENIS
Bershy’s Video Game-Featured “Radio” Turns on a Career Revival
“Two weeks ago i didn’t really think i’d make music again,” Cincinnati singer-songwriter Bershy (real name: Brea Shay) admitted in an Instagram post last week. But things have turned around for her, as her post was celebrating the recent success of her 2022 synth-pop love song “Radio” — which has been enjoying an overdue viral moment after being featured in the hit new “superhero workplace comedy” adventure video game Dispatch.
The disconcertingly catchy song is featured in an “episode six” housewarming party scene within the game, which begins with the lead character Robert cueing the song (with visible name and cover art) on his phone. Since the Nov. 5 release of the episode, the song has absolutely exploded on streaming, with the song zooming from under 2,000 streams a week to nearly 1.9 million streams for the tracking week ending Nov. 9, according to Luminate.
“Get ready, Bershy,” the official YouTube account of AdHoc Studio — the developer responsible for Dispatch — posted in the comments for the “Radio” music video. Indeed, it seems like she might have to putting those putting-the-career-on-hold plans on hold and tune in to her newfound virality. – ANDREW UNTERBERGER
Seemingly AI-Generated Charlie Kirk Tribute Song Takes Streaming by Storm
A Charlie Kirk tribute song has quickly gone viral on TikTok — but people are laughing at the track’s seemingly AI-generated vocals more than they’re earnestly singing along.
Titled “We Are Charlie Kirk,” the song popped up on streaming on Sept. 16, just six days after its namesake was shot and killed. Spaxelma, an apparently AI-generated act with no social media presence, is behind the track, in addition to several faith-based albums (and a Charlie Kirk Forever Alive tribute album) that date back to May 2024.
During the four-day period of Nov. 14-17, “We Are” earned 56,000 official on-demand steams. A week later (Nov. 21-24), the abrasive torch song leapt 656% to over 423,000 streams. The most popular “We Are” TikTok sound, which appeared on the platform the same day the song hit streaming with the caption “this is genuinely the worst song I’ve ever f—king heard in my life bro,” boasts over 62,000 posts. Currently, “We Are Charlie Kirk” is the only Spaxelma release to surpass one million Spotify streams.
The longevity of Spaxelma’s breakthrough “hit” remains to be seen, but it looks like Tom MacDonald may have some competition cut out for him. — K.D.
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Billboard’s Producer Spotlight series highlights creatives currently charting on Billboard’s producer rankings. Whether they are new to the industry or have been churning out hit after hit, the intention is to showcase where they are now, and their work that’s having a chart impact.
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Olivia Dean is having a major moment on Billboard’s charts, thanks largely to her breakthrough single “Man I Need,” now sitting in the top five on the latest Billboard Hot 100 (dated Nov. 29).
And alongside her breakthrough is her go-to collaborator Zach Nahome, who jumps from No. 5 to No. 1 on this week’s Hot 100 Producers chart — his first time leading a Billboard chart in any capacity. Nahome is the principal producer behind Dean’s album The Art of Loving, having produced or coproduced all 12 of its tracks.
The album ranks at No. 7 on the Billboard 200 after reaching a new No. 5 peak last week, marking her first top 10 album.
Nahome reaches No. 1 on Hot 100 Producers thanks to five production credits on the Hot 100 this week, all from Dean’s album. Here’s a recap:
No. 4, “Man I Need”
No. 18, “So Easy (To Fall In Love)” (coproduced with John Ryan and Julian Bunetta)
No. 55, “A Couple Minutes”
No. 82, “Nice to Each Other”
No. 97, “Let Alone the One You Love” (coproduced with John Ryan, Julian Bunetta and Matt Zara)
While all five tracks contribute to Nahome’s chart points, “Man I Need,” “A Couple Minutes” and “Nice to Each Other” give him the biggest boost, as he’s credited as the sole producer on all three tracks. “Let Alone the One You Love” is also a big contributor too, debuting at No. 97 this week. The song raked in 4.7 million official U.S. streams, a 45% increase from the week before, likely boosted by Dean’s Nov. 15 performance of the song on Saturday Night Live, where she was the musical guest. The song also surged 842% in digital song sales to just under 1,000 downloads sold.
“Man I Need” became the first Hot 100-charting hit for both Dean and Nahome. Before that, Nahome had charted once before with a production credit on PinkPantheress’ “Reason,” which reached No. 39 on Hot Rock & Alternative Songs in 2021.
Beyond Dean and PinkPantheress, Nahome has also produced songs for Bakar, gnash, slowthai and Biig Piig.
Billboard’s Hot 100 Producers chart is based on total points accrued by a producer for each attributed song that appears on the Hot 100. So, for Nahome, all five of his current Hot 100 entries contribute to his points total for Hot 100 Producers. For a song such as “So Easy (To Fall In Love),” which is credited to three producers, all three would split the song’s points equally.
The full Hot 100 Producers chart and full genre rankings can be found on Billboard.com.
Trending on Billboard Doja Cat and SZA’s groovy “Take Me Dancing” collaboration caught fire on social media thanks to a viral TikTok trend, which was created by an Australian superfan named Joel Houwen in September following the arrival of Doja’s Vie. Explore See latest videos, charts and news She brought the Tour Ma Vie World […]
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INI’s “Present” soars to No. 1. on this week’s Billboard Japan Hot 100, on the chart dated Nov. 26, halting Kenshi Yonezu’s nine-week reign over the tally.
“Present” serves as the lead track off INI’s new single THE WINTER MAGIC, released Nov. 19. The CD launched with 1,213,001 copies to become the eleven-member boy band’s first million seller, and moved 15,230 downloads to rule the metric. It also hits No. 2 for radio airplay, No. 44 for streaming, and No. 80 for video views. The group earns its fifth No. 1 hit with “Present,” following “CALL 119,” “Password,” “LOUD,” and “WMDA (Where My Drums At).”
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Kenshi Yonezu’s “IRIS OUT” slips to No. 2 after dominating the Japan Hot 100 for the past nine weeks. Though it falls a notch on the list, the Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc theme continues to hold atop the streaming and video tallies for the tenth straight week since its debut, and extends its streak on karaoke to seven weeks.
Four tracks from the RADWIMPS tribute album Dear Jubilee -RADWIMPS TRIBUTE- land inside the top 10: Mrs. GREEN APPLE’s “Kyoshinsho” at No. 4, Vaundy’s “Zenzenzense” at No. 5, Kenshi Yonezu’s “Tremolo” at No. 6, and My Hair is Bad’s “Iindesuka?” at No. 7. 13 of the album’s 14 tracks have entered the chart. The original songs by the band are also resurging, with titles such as “Sokkenai,” “Kaishin no Ichigeki,” “Kyoshinsho,” and “Iindesuka?” rising primarily on streaming.
Meanwhile, Gen Hoshino’s “Ikidomari” jumps 22-8 this week, boosted by radio (up 773% from last week) and streaming (up 142%).
The Billboard Japan Hot 100 combines physical and digital sales, audio streams, radio airplay, video views and karaoke data.
See the full Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart, tallying the week from Nov. 17 to 23, here. For more on Japanese music and charts, visit Billboard Japan’s English X account.
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A former security guard’s lawsuit over an alleged assault in Germany is now creating even more legal trouble for Nicki Minaj.
Thomas Weidenmuller was awarded $500,000 in his lawsuit against the New York rapper and her hubby, Kenneth Petty, according to Complex. Now the Judge has pointed to an outstanding document revealing how much Minaj owes Bank of America for the mortgage on a home she purchased in 2022. The mansion is worth $13.3 million, and the judge is pushing for it to be sold:
“Let’s say there’s no bidder who offers the full $20 million, and it goes up for auction, and they don’t get fair market value, and it doesn’t cover everything. If it doesn’t cover what the sale is required to cover, including the judgment, in this instance, then I would use that evidence to help me determine that.”
Thomas, the former security guard, attempted to find an alternative way to settle the judgment, but both Nicki and her husband remained silent. The situation stems from an alleged squabble in 2019, when he claims the Starships rapper’s husband assaulted him backstage at a concert in Frankfurt. Weidenmuller says the Beez In The Trap rapper became upset with him after a fan jumped the barricade and made it onto the stage.
He also claims the rapper snapped on him and recorded the interaction.
The confrontation made him fear his career could be “ruined,” since anything negative posted by someone with Nicki’s massive following could be believed without context. During the heated exchange, he also alleged that Nicki Lewinski threw a shoe at him.
“I now have five plates in my jaw, and my jaw has not yet been fully reconstructed.”
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Megan Moroney and Morgan Wallen were never officially dating, or exclusive, as far as their fans know. But there was definitely something between the two country stars a few years ago when they were linked following the release of Moroney’s suggestive “Tennessee Orange,” a love song about a Georgia girl who falls in love with a charming Tennessee man that hit No. 30 on the Billboard Hot 100 in October of 2022.
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“I think Morgan is great and his new album [I’m the Problem] is great,” Savannah, Ga. native Moroney told People magazine about the latest album from Sneedville, Tennessee’s Wallen, 32. “Him and I are still friends.”
Moroney, 28, said she is well-aware that people love to dig into the unspoken meaning behind her lyrics, telling the magazine that she is focused on “being honest” in her songs. “I never let the possibility that people might speculate who [a song] is about, stop me from writing about how this situation made me feel,” said the singer. In “Tennessee Orange” Moroney calls to tell her mom — and warn her dad — that “I met somebody and he’s got blue eyes/ He opens the door, and he don’t make me cry/ He ain’t from where we’re from, but he feels like home/ Yeah, he’s got me doing things I’ve never done.”
At the time, fans speculated about the possible Wallen link to “Tennessee Orange,” after the country stars started commenting on each other’s Instagram posts. In a 2024 Call Her Daddy podcast appearance Moroney said the pair “never exclusively” dated and wouldn’t confirm that the song is about Wallen, who she met right before the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic when she was a senior in college.
“We were friends for a long time. We were not just friends. And now we’re friends,” she explained at the time. “I feel like he’s a very private person. We weren’t exclusively dating ever and I think that both of our schedules… when we tried to hang out it was like, ‘OK, we have this one day of the whole month where we’re both maybe in town and then the other has something going on.’”
Between her song, the Instagram comments and Wallen’s 2023 One Thing at a Time song “Tennessee Fan” — about him meeting a sorority girl from Alabama who rolls her allegiance over to Tennessee after he takes her to a Vols college football game — fans had lots of thoughts on their potential love affair.
And though Wallen has not spoken in public about their connection, in a 2022 interview with SiriusXM’s The Highway in 2022, Moroney confirmed that the Vols shirt she wore in a promo photo for “Tennessee Orange” belonged to Wallen.
The weather outside may be frightful, but the music will be so delightful this holiday season, as acts of all musical stripes are embarking on Christmas tours sure to bring cheer. Whether you like your yuletide mixed with a little country, R&B, jazz or rock, there is sure to be a tour or two or […]
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The Contenders is a midweek column that looks at artists aiming for the top of the Billboard charts, and the strategies behind their efforts. This week, for the upcoming Billboard 200 dated Dec. 6, a couple true chart heavyweights duke it out for the top spot.
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Stray Kids, DO IT (JYP/Republic): A new five-track mixtape wouldn’t be a particularly big threat from most artists to take down the record-setting new album by the biggest pop star in the world. But when it comes to the Billboard 200, Stray Kids isn’t most artists. Between albums, EPs and mixtapes, the South Korean pop octet has launched seven sets onto the Billboard 200 since 2022 — and all seven of them have debuted at No. 1. The Kids haven’t missed the top spot yet.
Now, they look to go eight-for-eight with DO IT, the five-track set officially being called the group’s new mixtape, released last Friday (Nov. 21). The release, which offers both a regular version and a “Festival Version” of its title track as its bookending cuts, got off to a strong streaming start, with each of its four new tracks debuting on Spotify’s Daily Top Songs USA chart. (“Do It” remains on the listing four days later.)
But as is usually the case with Stray Kids, physical sales will likely provide the biggest chunk of the album’s overall first-week consumption. To that end, the group has made DO IT available in a wide array of formats — including seven CD variants, all featuring collectibles (some randomized). There’s also four total webstore-exclusive download versions of the mixtape, each of which adds its own “chat” bonus audio tracks with the bandmembers.
Will it all be enough for the Kids to unseat Republic labelmate Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl, which has reigned for the first seven weeks of its release? Well, in its seventh and most recent week at No. 1, Showgirl amassed 93,000 total equivalent album units. The group’s last Billboard 200-topper, this September’s full studio album KARMA, bowed with 313,000 units. The shorter DO IT might not post numbers quite so robust, but if it’s anywhere in range of that number — well over triple what Showgirl posted in last week — it’s going to be pretty challenging for Swift to make up the difference.
Wicked Movie Cast, Cynthia Erivo & Ariana Grande, Wicked: For Good — The Soundtrack (Republic/Verve): Even without a new Stray Kids project, it would still be far from smooth sailing for Swift’s blockbuster on the Billboard 200 this week. Showgirl also has to compete with perhaps the year’s most-anticipated movie soundtrack (and yet another fellow Republic release), with the accompanying OST to blockbuster film musical sequel Wicked: For Good also debuting on Friday — featuring musical contributions from co-stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, as well as cast members Jonathan Bailey, Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum and more.
The set has also gotten off to a solid start on DSPs, with a number of songs debuting on the Spotify Daily Top Songs USA chart — most of which have stuck around throughout the week, most notably Erivo and Grande dueting on the “For Good” title track. The album should also sell well to the musical’s (and stars’) many obsessive fans, particularly with seven vinyl and four CD variants available for purchase, one of the latter also coming signed by Erivo and Grande.
Does For Good also have a strong chance at a six-digit debut? If the performance of the original Wicked: The Soundtrack is any indication, then yes: That set bowed with 139,000 units in December 2024, with 85,000 of that number coming in sales. This set may come up a little short of that, with the musical’s first half containing some of its more traditionally beloved songs, like “Defying Gravity” and “Popular.”
But this new set does have the benefit of a pair of new compositions: the Erivo solo “No Place Like Home” and Grande solo “The Girl in the Bubble.” And it also now has a historic box office bow for the movie it accompanies — not to mention Thanksgiving weekend (and Black Friday) coming up — meaning that if it doesn’t get to 100k this week, it very well still might in week two.
