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Blake Shelton’s first studio album in four years, For Recreational Use Only, debuts in the top 10 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales (No. 6), Top Country Albums (No. 8) and Independent Albums (No. 8) charts (all dated May 24). It’s his first studio set since Body Language, which was released in May of 2021.
The new project is also his first with BBR Music Group/BMG Nashville (via Ten Point Productions/Wheelhouse Records), after a career with Warner Music Nashville. Shelton signed to BBR/BMG Nashville in September 2024.
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On Top Country Albums, the set lands Shelton his 18th top 10 – all of which have come since 2001. Notably, this century (2000-present), only six total acts have tallied at least 18 top 10s: Shelton and Tim McGraw have 18 each, while Kenny Chesney, Alan Jackson, Toby Keith and George Strait are all tied with 20 each.
Over on Top Album Sales, For Recreational Use Only marks Shelton’s 18th top 10-charting set (it launches with 10,500 copies sold in the United States in the week ending May 15, according to Luminate).
Elsewhere in the top 10 of the all-genre Top Album Sales chart, five more titles debut in the region, including the No. 1 debut from Sleep Token’s Even in Arcadia.
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 (TEA) units and streaming equivalent album (SEA) units.
As earlier noted, Sleep Token’s Even in Arcadia debuts at No. 1 on Top Album Sales. The set, the band’s first leader, launches with 73,500 copies sold – the group’s best sales week ever. Kali Uchis’ Sincerely, debuts at No. 2 with 38,000 copies sold – marking the third top 10 for the singer. P1Harmony collect its fourth top 10 as DUH! debuts at No. 3 with 22,000 sold. The Weeknd’s chart-topping Hurry Up Tomorrow rallies 35-4 with 15,000 sold (up 540%) after new vinyl and CD editions of the album were released. Forrest Frank rounds out the top 10, and secures his second top 10 (and first top five set) as Child of God II debuts at No. 5 with 12,000 sold.
PARTYNEXTDOOR and Drake’s $ome $exy $ongs 4 U reenters the chart at No. 7 with 9,000 sold (up 8,558%) after its vinyl release, Kendrick Lamar’s former leader GNX falls 7-8 (7,000; up 5%), Ghost’s chart-topping Skeletá slips 5-9 (6,500; down 37%) and Arcade Fire’s Pink Elephant bows at No. 10 with 6,000 sold (notching the band its sixth top 10).
PinkPantheress delivered her acclaimed nine-track Fancy That mixtape this month, and fans are hoping she’ll get back on the road soon to tour around the new project.
Pink has been critiqued as a performer in the past, and she sat down with Capital Buzz where she agreed that the criticism has been “fair” and that she doesn’t make music for the stage.
“I don’t do music to perform, I think is the thing, and that’s perfectly fine,” she said around the 23:55 mark of the interview. “I think that people are probably used to and also expect a singer to be able to perform well. And I don’t blame anyone for thinking that. I’m not the best performer. Again, it’s one of those things where I’m like ‘I’m going to get better.’”
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PinkPantheress continued: “But the thing is, no amount of rehearsals can make a difference when you’re in front of like 10,000, 50,000, 100,000. No amount of rehearsal you can do, and as somebody that has got very bad stage fright… I think one of the things people say is like, ‘Oh, I think her performances are a hindrance to her career.’ And I do think there is a level of if you want to make it as like a big, big pop-diva.”
The British artist is at peace in more intimate settings and doesn’t think the performance aspect is a hindrance to her blossoming career. Pink also caught up with Billboard earlier in May, which saw her reveal that touring with Olivia Rodrigo made her learn that she’s “not an arena artist.”
“Watching her and how she combats an arena and how she actually does the arena made me realize, ‘Wow, some people are arena artists and some people are not.’ I’m not an arena artist,” she admitted. “That’s something I learned about myself. What I learned from her is there are ways you can approach an arena and interact with people in the up theres or the far backs. She did that and is amazing at it.”
PinkPantheress added: “What happened when I watched her was, I saw my own failing and my own incapabilities, and I was like, ‘I’m not an arena artist.’ That’s not for a lack of trying. It just made me realize there are some things in life as an artist you’re told you should try one day — but for me, I think I’m one of those artists where I’m comfortable is where I always strive.”
The 24-year-old opened for Rodrigo for six or seven shows before leaving the tour for personal reasons related to her health in 2024.
As for Fancy That, Pink heavily tapped into the drum and bass genre and pulled on inspiration from Basement Jaxx and Calvin Harris to complete the cohesive work, which she thinks is her sonic magnum opus.
Stream the mixtape below.
Billboard got to sit courtside at the New York Liberty’s WNBA opening game and championship ceremony, and we take you inside what you missed on the big night, including an interview with Jonquel Jones. Are you excited for this WNBA season? Let us know in the comments! Narrator: Billboard was courtside for the New York […]
Bow Wow gave fans some interesting insight into how beats get passed around, while also making a crazy revelation. Sitting down with former NBA player Jeff Teague for his Club 520 podcast, Bow Wow was asked which songs he’s passed on over the course of his career. First, he mentioned passing on the beat that […]
SZA has come to Megan Thee Stallion’s defense after Tory Lanez‘sattorneys and a Florida congresswoman have spoken out about new evidence that they say will prove the Toronto singer/rapper’s innocence.
SZA was spotted by eagle-eyed fans in the comments of an Instagram video posted by user @theluncheonlawyer, who was speaking on the alleged new evidence uncovered in the 2020 shooting case.
“The density !!!!! I’m actually SO shocked at the amount of ppl fully comfortable bullying a woman that’s proven to be a victim of assault,” SZA wrote in defense of her “Freaky Girls” collaborator. “Like out loud where other ppl can see you ?? Lmao u finna be stupid OUTLOUD ?”
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Megan Thee Stallion has also heard the negativity and noise. She clapped back in a comment on her TikTok earlier this week, where she referred to Lanez as a “demon.”
“At what point are yall gonna stop making me have to re live being shot BY TORY,” she reaffirmed. “At what point are Tory and yall FANS gonna stop lying ? Like how much is the check to keep harassing me?”
Meg continued: “One min him/ yall said I was never shot now yall letting him play in yall face AGAIN and say I was shot but it wasn’t him oh ok… ? Ain’t no new f—ing evidence yall been saying the same sh– for years, TORY PLEASE LEAVE ME ALONE you are a f—ing demon.”
Lanez was the victim of a prison stabbing earlier in May. A rep for the Toronto singer claimed he was stabbed 14 times and suffered collapsed lungs, but was “in good spirits” while recovering at a nearby hospital. The Canadian artist was attacked by an inmate inside California Correctional Institution in Tehachapi around 7:20 a.m. PT on May 12, according to a spokesperson for the prison who talked with ABC News.
Lanez is serving a 10-year sentence in prison after being convicted on three felony counts for shooting Megan Thee Stallion during a heated dispute outside a Hollywood Hills party in July 2020. She was granted a restraining order against Lanez in January.
The new evidence claims came from the Los Angeles nonprofit social justice organization Unite the People, as attorney Walter Roberts alleged new findings in Tory’s case during a press conference last week. Roberts claimed that Kelsey Harris’ bodyguard, Bradley James, filed an affidavit saying he overheard Harris admit to shooting the gun and not Lanez.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida’s 13th district also called for Tory Lanez’s freedom earlier this week and claimed that new evidence was going to be presented in the next 36 hours, proving Lanez’s innocence.
“I am calling on Gov. Newsom @CAgovernor to review Tory Lanez’s case and issue a pardon,” she wrote. “His 10-year sentence was based on flawed evidence, political pressure, and prosecutorial bias. Justice must be blind— not driven by headlines. Free Tory Lanez.”
She added on Tuesday: “We have compelling evidence proving Tory Lanez’s innocence, and it will be released within the next 36 hours. Those who rushed to call for his incarceration, and worse yet pushed false evidence, should prepare to be held accountable.”
Karol G lands her first No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Latin Pop Songs chart as her new single “Milagros” flies from No. 19 to the top of the May 24-dated ranking after its first full tracking week.
“Milagros” was released May 8 on Bichota Records/Interscope/ICLG, the last day of the May 2-8 tracking week. Thus, it debuted at No. 19 on the Hot Latin Pop Songs chart with only one day of activity. On the current list, it surges to No. 1 with a 687% boost in streams, that is 4.4 million clicks earned in the U.S. on the tracking week ending May 15, according to Luminate.
As “Milagros” rises to No. 1, Karol G wraps a dominant stretch for Selena Gomez, benny blanco and The Marías at the Hot Latin Pop Songs chart. The trio ruled with “Ojos Tristes” for the last six weeks, since the chart launched on the ranking dated April 12.
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Sales too, assist “Milagros” rise to the summit, after a 253% gain in sales, with 1,000 downloads sold during the same period, enough for an equal No. 1 on Latin Digital Song Sales.
Beyond its Hot Latin Pop Songs coronation, “Milagros” also bows at No. 20 on the Hot Latin Songs chart, which also mixes airplay, streaming data and digital sales into its formula. With the new arrival, Karol adds her 68th career entry, an extends her record for the most career entries among women.
Becky G & Manuel Turizo Hit It Off: Over on the Hot Tropical Songs chart, Becky G secures her maiden top 10 on her first try, thanks to “Qué Haces,” with Manuel Turizo. The song debuts at No. 3 with 1.9 million streams registered on the May 15 tracking week. Plus, it launches at No. 17 on Tropical Airplay with 1.3 million audience impressions.
In terms of digital sales, “Qué Haces” logged little less than 1,000 downloads, enough for a No. 2 debut on Latin Digital Songs.
For Turizo, “Qué Haces” marks his second top 10 on Hot Tropical Songs, among three entries. “En Privado,” with Xavi, took him to a No. 2 debut and peak on the April 12-dated tally.
Kneecap band member Liam O’Hanna has been charged with a terror offense by London police after he allegedly waved a Hezbollah flag onstage, according to the BBC.
The charge comes about six months after the alleged incident, during which the 27-year-old Irish musician — whose stage name is Mo Chara — is said to have displayed the flag during his band’s gig at the O2 Forum on Nov. 21, 2024. The London Metropolitan Police only learned of the alleged offense in April, when a video of the concert surfaced online.
Hezbollah, an Iran-backed Lebanese Shia militia that the United States has designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization, is banned in the U.K., with the BBC reporting that it is illegal to express support for the group. The same goes for Hamas, a Palestinian terrorist organization that Hezbollah has backed amid the former’s ongoing conflict with Israel.
O’Hanna is reportedly due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on June 18.
The update is just the latest development in a series of controversies for Kneecap, which made headlines in April for ending its Coachella set with the following message displayed onscreen: “Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people. It is being enabled by the U.S. government who arm and fund Israel despite their war crimes. F— Israel; free Palestine.”
While some criticized the Coachella message, some fellow musicians — including Massive Attack, Pulp and Fontaines D.C. — expressed support for the group in an open letter. The Belfast trio has been one of the most outspoken voices in the music world in supporting Palestine amid Israel’s war on Hamas, which began Oct. 7, 2023, when the terrorist group killed 1,200 Israelis and kidnapped 250 more. More than 53,000 Palestinians have since died in the violence, according to The Associated Press.
Kneecap again drew criticism when footage of the group allegedly calling for the deaths of British MPs (members of parliament) in 2023 resurfaced online in April, shortly after London authorities announced that they were assessing a video taken of a band member appearing to say “up Hamas, up Hezbollah.” Around that time, Kneecap released a statement: “Let us be unequivocal: we do not, and have never, supported Hamas or Hezbollah,” the band wrote. “We condemn all attacks on civilians, always. It is never okay. We know this more than anyone, given our nation’s history. We also reject any suggestion that we would seek to incite violence against any MP or individual. Ever. An extract of footage, deliberately taken out of all context, is now being exploited and weaponised, as if it were a call to action.”
“We also reject any suggestion that we would seek to incite violence against any MP or individual,” it continued. “Ever. An extract of footage, deliberately taken out of all context, is now being exploited and weaponised, as if it were a call to action.”
Dead & Company have released new details about the Grateful Dead 60th-anniversary concerts at San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park from Aug. 1-3, including the announcement of special guests booked to play each show. Bluegrass phenom Billy Strings will open the Aug. 1 concert, while singer/songwriter Sturgill Simpson, performing as Johnny Blue Skies, will perform Aug. […]
Jurors at Sean “Diddy” Combs’ sex-trafficking trial heard testimony Wednesday (May 21) from a psychologist about abusive relationships and from one of the hip-hop mogul’s former assistants, who was granted legal immunity before he took the stand.
Midway through the second week of Diddy’s trial, prosecutors called Dawn Hughes, a clinical psychologist who also testified at the sex abuse trials of disgraced R&B singer R. Kelly and NXIVM sex cult leader Keith Raniere, as well as in Johnny Depp’s civil defamation case against Amber Heard.
Hughes is one of many witnesses already called by prosecutors, who claim Combs coerced longtime girlfriend Cassie Ventura and others into participating in drug-fueled sex shows known as “freak-offs.” Defense attorneys have said the events were consensual.
On the stand, Hughes said it’s common for victims of abusive relationships to stay for years because they feel trapped: “They experience a tremendous amount of shame, humiliation, degradation,” Hughes told the jury, as reported by CNN, before later adding that victims often use substances to “numb” themselves.
Later in the day, the jury heard from George Kaplan, a former assistant to Diddy who was subpoenaed to testify, according to NBC News. After concerns that Kaplan might invoke his Fifth Amendment right to not testify, prosecutors granted him immunity so that he could do so without concern of prosecution.
Kaplan testified that part of his job was setting up and cleaning up rooms for freak-offs, after which he would often find liquor bottles and baby oil strewn around the hotel rooms. He said he understood that Diddy’s reputation had to be closely safeguarded: “Protecting him and protecting his public image was very important and that was something I was very keen on doing,” Kaplan said.
Combs was indicted in September, charged with running a sprawling criminal operation aimed at facilitating the freak-offs — elaborate events in which Combs and others allegedly pressured Ventura and other victims into having sex with escorts while he watched and masturbated. Prosecutors also say the star and his associates used violence, money and blackmail to keep victims silent and under his control. (Read Billboard‘s full explainer of the case against Diddy here.)
Once one of the music industry’s most powerful men, Combs is accused of racketeering conspiracy (a so-called RICO charge), sex trafficking and violating a federal prostitution statute. If convicted on all of the charges, he faces a potential life prison sentence.
During the first week of the trial, Ventura herself spent four days on the stand detailing how Combs allegedly controlled and physically abused her during their 11-year relationship. She said the sex parties left her feeling “humiliated” but that she felt she had no choice but to participate.
Defense attorneys maintain that Ventura and other women consensually took part in the sex parties. They’ve admitted that Combs had committed domestic violence during his and Ventura’s “toxic” relationship and had unusual sexual preferences, but that he had never coerced her into participating in his “swinger” lifestyle.
While cross-examining Ventura, Combs’ attorneys showed jurors huge numbers of text messages and emails between the couple — some romantic, others graphically sexual — in an effort to show that Ventura was a willing and, at times enthusiastic, participant in the freak-offs.
The trial will continue Thursday (May 22), first with more testimony from Kaplan and then from rapper Kid Cudi, who will likely be asked about an infamous incident in which Combs allegedly set Cudi’s car on fire as payback for dating Ventura. Cudi, a surprise witness, was originally going to take the stand on Wednesday, but his testimony was postponed.
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Lil Durk is currently embroiled in a legal battle, facing accusations of intimidating witnesses in a murder-for-hire case set to go to trial later this year.
Prosecutors allege that Durk was not only responsible for financing the crime but also for orchestrating and directing it. The charges stem from the murder of Savaiy’a Robinson, the cousin of rapper Rondo, which Durk is said to have been involved in planning. U.S. Attorney Bilal A. Essayli has firmly rejected Durk’s attempt to have the case dismissed, arguing that the rapper’s defense fails to provide valid reasons for such a motion.
In a recent court filing, Essayli pointed out that the prosecution’s case is focused on the actions Durk allegedly took regarding the murder plot, not on his music or lyrics. He further emphasized that witnesses in the case and their families have already been subjected to threats, adding to the gravity of the situation.
Durk’s legal team, on the other hand, has pushed back against these claims. They argue that the lyrics used as evidence were recorded long before the murder took place, suggesting that the prosecution is relying on irrelevant material. In a statement, Durk’s family condemned the legal process, accusing the government of presenting false evidence to the grand jury in an attempt to frame him. With the trial approaching, the controversy surrounding the case continues to grow, putting Durk’s fate in serious jeopardy.
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