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28 Jun 2023

Lil Durk & J. Cole’s ‘All My Life’ Tops Rhythmic Airplay Chart

Lil Durk nabs his first lead-role No. 1 on Billboard’s Rhythmic Airplay chart as his track “All My Life,” featuring J. Cole, rules the list dated July 1. The single seizes the top spot — after just six weeks — with a 21% burst in plays that made it the most-played song on U.S. monitored rhythmic radio stations in the week ending June 22, according to Luminate. In addition to the chart crown, “All My Life” also wins the weekly Greatest Gainer honor for the largest increase in plays among the chart’s 40 titles.

While “All My Life” secures Lil Durk’s maiden Rhythmic Airplay No. 1, the Chicago rapper previously visited the summit in a featured role on Drake’s “Laugh Now Cry Later,” which ruled for five weeks in October 2020. For J. Cole, “All My Life” gives the rap superstar his third Rhythmic Airplay champ, after “Work Out” led for one week in 2011, as did “Middle Child” in 2019.

“All My Life” shoots to No. 1 on Rhythmic Airplay in just six weeks on the chart and wraps the fastest climb to the top since Nicki Minaj’s “Super Freaky Girl” also needed six frames to its coronation in October 2022. The track joins a short-list as one of only eight songs to conquer the radio format in six weeks or less of the 74 total No. 1s since 2020:

Shortest Time to No. 1 on Rhythmic Airplay in the 2020s:
Five weeks – “Toosie Slide,” Drake, reached No. 1 on May 9, 2020
Five – “First Class,” Jack Harlow, May 21, 2022
Six – “The Box,” Roddy Ricch, Feb. 22, 2020
Six – “Up,” Cardi B, March 20, 2021
Six – “Peaches,” Justin Bieber featuring Daniel Caesar & Giveon, May 8, 2021
Six – “Way 2 Sexy,” Drake featuring Future & Young Thug, Oct. 23, 2021
Six – “Super Freaky Girl,” Nicki Minaj, Oct. 1, 2022
Six – “All My Life,” Lil Durk featuring J. Cole, July 1, 2023

Elsewhere, “All My Life” wins a second term atop Rap Airplay after it improved 16% in audience in the latest tracking week. As on Rhythmic Airplay, the big boost there yields another Greatest Gainer prize. The track also rallies 6-3 on R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, where it added 12% in audience to 14.4 million, and climbs 28-26 on Pop Airplay thanks to a 49% swell in plays for the week.

“All My Life” appears on Lil Durk’s Almost Healed album, released on May 26. The set led Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart for two weeks, and its first-week units of 125,000 gave the rapper the best start of his career for any of his solo, non-collaborative albums.

28 Jun 2023

Christina Aguilera Reveals Why Her LGBTQ Allyship ‘Means the Most’ to Her

With a few decades of working as an LGBTQ ally under her belt, pop superstar Christina Aguilera is happy to make sure her queer fans feel seen this Pride Month.

On the Tuesday (June 27) episode of Nightline, Aguilera sat down with ABC News correspondent Steve Osunsami to talk about her history with the LGBTQ community, which led to her being honored as a headliner at this year’s Stonewall Day in New York City.

“I’m so appreciative for the ability I have to share and to help other people somehow in their lives,” she said. “That’s the stuff that means the most — Grammys are nice, but things like this brings it back to other people. The greater purpose that we’re kind of all here for its to connect and to, hopefully, spread positivity and unity.”

LGBTQ media advocates often point to the music video for Aguilera’s “Beautiful” as a clear example of representation in art — the clip featured same-sex couples and a transgender woman while Aguilera sings the iconic refrain. “I didn’t even think at the time that it was gonna be controversial,” Aguilera said of the video. “I don’t think anything of those things — I look at people as people. That’s why I’m so anti-judgement and criticizing other people, or having no sympathy or compassion for things that don’t fit the norm inside your own box.”

Aguilera also used her platform in 2008 to actively campaign against California Proposition 8, which aimed to ban same-sex marriage in the state. (The resolution was ultimately overturned in court.) Looking back today on all the critics who told her to “shut up and sing,” Aguilera remained clear in her convictions: “So [my music] is not for you, then. You don’t need to subscribe. I’m doing what I feel is intentionally right for me and what I am here as a greater purpose to do as a human being.”

Check out the full segment from Nightline above, including an inspiring message from LGBTQ activist and icon Victoria Cruz calling for acceptance of the LGBTQ community.

28 Jun 2023

Watch ‘America’s Got Talent’ Hopeful Lachune Wow the Judges With Her Cover of Coldplay’s ‘Yellow’

America’s Got Talent judges Simon Cowell, Howie Mandel, Sofia Vergara and Heidi Klum received a breath of fresh air on Tuesday night (June 27) when South Carolina native Lechuné auditioned.

“Tell me: Why have you waited so long to do something like this, because something obviously has held you back,” Cowell asked the hopeful, who a moment prior revealed she was a voice teacher and student.

“I grew up in a singing family, I spent most of my life observing them do it,” Lechuné told the judges. “I just never pictured myself actually having the moment to be on stage, and so that held me back, but I started teaching because I learned that if I can’t do the thing, try to work close to it, and so that kept the spark alive.”

She continued, “I am here because I am taking my own advice. As a teacher, I’m always sitting on the opposite side of the piano, and you’re always pouring into them and saying, ‘Yay, take the initiative. Don’t get too comfortable. Go for it. Be yourself.’ And after a while, I started getting a little convicted about it because I was like, ‘Am I doing the same thing?’ And so today is about coming out here, taking initiative, and being along with my students.”

After sharing her touching story, the 31-year-old launched into a cover of Coldplay‘s “Yellow” and made the song her own with a full-bodied tone, multiple high notes and well-placed vibrato. “And your skin, oh yeah, your skin and bones/ Turn into something beautiful/ And you know, for you, I’d bleed myself dry/ For you, I’d bleed myself dry/ Look how they shine for you/ Look how they shine for you,” she passionately sang on the ending chorus before receiving a standing ovation from the audience.

Following Lachuné’s performance of “Yellow” — the original Coldplay version of the track peaked at No. 48 on the Billboard Hot 100 — she received four yeses from the judges, and moved on to the next round of the competition.

Watch Lechuné’s performance above.

28 Jun 2023

Exonerated 5’s Yusef Salaam Handily Wins NYC City Council Primary

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Yusef Salaam, a member of the Exonerated Five, won his primary election to the New York City Council in a strong fashion.

As the results of the Democratic primary for the City Council’s 9th District came in at 11 P.M. on Tuesday night (June 27th), the 49-year-old author and justice activist was leading state Assembly members Inez Dickens and Al Taylor with more than 50% of the vote. Dickens and Taylor netted 25% and 15% of that vote, respectively. Kristin Richardson Jordan, the incumbent who dropped out of the race unexpectedly but was still on the ballot, came in last but earned 10% of the vote.

Salaam gathered with his supporters at Harlem Tavern, entering to raucous applause. In a speech he gave to the crowd which was covered by Jeff Coltin of City & State NY, he said: “What has happened on this campaign has restored my faith in knowing that I was born for this. I am not a seasoned politician. So therefore this was not politics as usual.”

In being one of the five Black and brown teens – the others being Antron McCay, Kevin Richardson, Raymond Santana, and Korey Wise – falsely accused and convicted of assaulting and raping Trisha Melli in 1989, Salaam’s experience served as fuel for his life as a justice advocate after he and the others were exonerated after another man confessed to the crime. That story drew many in the Harlem district to back his campaign. The win guarantees that Salaam will serve on the City Council for two two-year terms, as there is no Republican candidate slated for the district.

He referenced that situation and the 1989 newspaper advertisement by Donald Trump calling for the death penalty in their case, although he deigned to call out the former president by name. “This campaign has been about those who have been counted out, those who have been forgotten,” Salaam said in his speech. “I am here because, Harlem, you believed in me.”

There was the possibility of Salaam potentially going through a second round of counting votes due to New York’s ranked-choice voting system, but the lead that he holds makes it mathematically impossible for Dickens and Taylor to overcome. The 73-year-old Dickens, who scored the only endorsement by Mayor Eric Adams in any City Council election this primary, reportedly called Salaam to concede later that evening.

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28 Jun 2023

SZA’s ‘Snooze’ Cruises to No. 1 on R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay Chart

SZA achieves her second No. 1 on Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart as “Snooze” ascends to the summit of the list dated July 1. The song advances from No. 3 after a 20% surge to 17.6 million in audience from 14.7 million in the prior frame, making it the week’s most-heard song on U.S. monitored R&B/hip-hop radio stations in the week ending June 22, according to Luminate. Thanks to the nearly 30 million audience gain, the song nabs the week’s Greatest Gainer award for the largest increase among the chart’s 50 titles.

“Snooze” brings at least a temporary halt to the reign of Tems’ “Free Mind,” which logged its 22nd week at No. 1 last week, the longest-running champ by a woman in a lead role in the chart’s history.

Before “Snooze,” SZA scored her first R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay leader with the four-week champ “I Hate U” in 2022.

In addition to leading R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, “Snooze” also captures the No. 1 spot on the Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, which ranks the most-played songs at U.S. monitored R&B/hip-hop radio stations. There, the single rises from the runner-up rank due to a 15% rally in plays in the latest tracking week.

“Snooze” likewise is SZA’s second career champ on Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay. She first led with the two-week No. 1 “Shirt” in February.

Elsewhere, “Snooze” is eyeing a third radio chart conquest as it moves 4-3 on Rhythmic Airplay through a 14% boost in plays. The track is also progressing on Pop Airplay, with a 19-18 bump on the new chart and an 18% swell in weekly plays at monitored mainstream top-40 stations.

With increased support from the R&B/hip-hop, rhythmic and pop formats, “Snooze” jumps 13-9 on the all-genre Radio Songs chart. There, it improved 20% in total audience, to 47 million in the tracking week, up from 39.2 million in the previous frame. Radio gains, in turn, push the single to new peaks on multiple multimetric charts, which combine radio airplay with streaming and sales for their calculations. Most notably, “Snooze” lifts 7-6 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and 15-13 on the Billboard Hot 100.

28 Jun 2023

How Kim Petras Handles the ‘Brutal’ Wave of Anti-Trans Hate: ‘Find the People Who Get You’

Despite the title of her hit song “Alone,” Kim Petras wants the trans community to know that they are in good company.

During her interview with Alex Cooper on the latest episode of the Call Her Daddy podcast, Petras spoke up about the anti-trans rhetoric spreading around the United States, thanks in no small part to right-wing legislatures passing bills that hurt the community. “It’s brutal how people treat trans people. Everybody deserves to live their lives how they can,” she said. “The judgement around it is still so intense and scary — there’s so much actual murder and things like that happening [to] the trans community that’s really terrifying.”

But Petras added that the attempts to break the community down have only resulted in a sense of further unity. “That’s the one thing that I want people to know — the dolls have each other’s backs,” she said. “There’s so many trans friends of mine that I couldn’t live life without.”

As for her young trans fans who are seeing the rise of this kind of bigotry, Petras offered a simple piece of advice: “Find the people who get you and who support you and focus on that,” she said. “I still get called a man every single day … I know how like horrible that situation can be. Know that like there’s amazing people out there who have all got your back and think you’re really beautiful and you deserve everything. Don’t settle for anything less; I’ve done it, it sucks.”

The “Unholy” singer’s statement comes as legislation targeting queer and trans people in the U.S. reaches an all-time high. The ACLU is currently tracking nearly 500 bills that have been introduced in 2023 alone, the most of any year on record. Many of these bills aim to ban gender-affirming care for minors and occasionally adults, while others aim to make it harder for trans people to update their gender information on government-issued IDs and records, including their birth certificates.

Check out Petras’ full interview on the Call Her Daddy podcast below:

28 Jun 2023

Fan Gives Pink a Giant Wheel of Brie Mid-Concert — and It Goes Over Better Than the Human Ashes

Well, at least it isn’t human cremains this time. Pink is once again going viral for accepting an unorthodox present from a fan in the crowd at one of her concerts, but luckily, instead of a plastic bag containing the remains of someone’s mom, this gift was simply a large wheel of Brie cheese.

In a video taken from her show at Hyde Park in London over the weekend, the singer can be seen interacting with concertgoers at the edge of the stage, smiling and giving air-hugs to fans in between belting out lyrics to her 2010 smash “F–kin’ Perfect.” Then, she eagerly bends down to take an offering from the crowd — a circle of Brie de Meux, which she hugs close to her chest — and mouths, “I love you.”

Overall, Pink looked happy to be the recipient of the delicious dairy product, which is a lot more than can be said about another so-called gift she received recently. When another fan in the audience over the weekend chucked a plastic bag of gray dust onstage, which the “So What” musician then confirmed was the fan’s dead mother’s ashes, Pink looked horrified at best.

“This is your mom?” she asked in disbelief. “I don’t know how I feel about this.”

Between the cheese and the cremains, some folks online are calling for people at concerts to practice more respectful boundaries with Pink — and all artists, for that matter. (It’s only been a few days since Bebe Rexha suffered facial injuries after a fan threw his phone at her while she was performing).

“Someone’s ashes and now cheese?” one person tweeted. “What is wrong with her fans?”

“y’all need to get a handle on ur parasocial relationships bc??? she doesn’t know you??” wrote another. “what were you thinking?? now ur moms ashes are gonna end up in the trash bc you wanted to get noticed by P!nk??”

“do y’all not know boundaries anymore when it comes to artists and how to behave at concerts….?” added someone else.

Watch Pink receive a wheel of Brie at her concert below:

28 Jun 2023

Music Industry On ‘Cusp’ of Sweeping Changes as Revenue Growth Slows, Says Goldman Sachs

The pace that global music industry revenues have been growing is expected to slow this year, as the industry is “on the cusp of another major structural change” stemming from the changing price of streaming subscriptions, artificial intelligence and new payment models, according to a closely watched report from Goldman Sachs.

In its latest Music in the Air report, published Wednesday, Goldman’s research analysts say they expect global music industry revenues in 2023 to grow by 7.1%, down from an 8% growth projection last year, as live music and publishing growth rates return to more normal ranges of 6% and 8% growth this year respectively. The compound annual growth rate for revenues from 2023 to 2030 ticked up slightly to 7.3%, from 7.1% last year, and streaming revenue is expected to hold steady at an 11%-growth rate, according to the report.

That indicates steady and even more broadbased growth, researchers say, but the industry is about to face a fresh wave of massive changes.

“We believe the music industry is on the cusp of another major structural change given the persistent under-monetisation of music content, outdated streaming royalty payout structures and the deployment of Generative AI,” Goldman researchers wrote in the new report. “In the wake of these developments, we believe a more coordinated and collaborative response from the main stakeholders will be key to ensure that the industry not only continues on its path of sustainable growth but also captures new business opportunities.”

Echoing a frequent refrain of music industry executives, Goldman’s researchers say monetization of music content is way behind the rate of consumption. They estimate that the revenue earned per audio stream has fallen 20% over the past five years, and that the revenue companies earn per hour of music streamed on Spotify is four times lower than for Netflix.

They estimate that up to $4.2 billion in potential revenue could be gained over time by charging different audience segments, such as super fans, more for subscriptions.

Goldman analysts also wrote that the current method of treating all streams lasting less than 30 seconds the same and paying content owners a pro-rata share of streams “needs to evolve…to cope with dilution of market share.” This weakening, they say, is coming from the fast-growing number of songs uploaded to digital service provider (DSP) platforms, fraudulent and artificial streams and “the propensity of algorithms to push lower royalty content.”

Researchers also sounded a positive note on the potential for generative AI to lower barriers for artists, boost music creation capabilities and improve industry productivity overall, with the major music companies best positioned to benefit.

“We believe the quality of the input to large language models is critical and the largest owners of proprietary (intellectual property) are best positioned to leverage the technology,” researchers wrote, noting the industry will need to be aligned in controlling the deployment of that tech.

The report also notes that, despite fears of market dillution from the rush of new content, Universal Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment both maintained their recorded music market share in 2022, with only Warner Music Group losing market share — about half a percentage point — to independents.

“We continue to expect modest dilution of market share over time, mostly driven by the revenue mix shift towards EM, although we believe that the major record labels will continue to expand their presence in EMs through partnerships, investments and bolt-on M&A,” researchers wrote.

Spotify maintains its clear lead among the DSPs with 34.8% of total global market share in 2022, although it edged 60 basis points lower. YouTube Music was the “major gainer,” gaining about 3 percentage points of market share over the past three years to hold market share in 2022.

28 Jun 2023

Kim Petras Recalls First Meeting Madonna While ‘Obliterated’ at an ‘SNL’ Afterparty

You never get a second chance to make a first impression, and Kim Petras certainly had a memorable first meeting with her pop idol Madonna.

In the latest episode of Alex Cooper’s Call Her Daddy podcast posted on Wednesday (June 28), Petras revealed that she first met Madonna while in a bit of an altered state at an afterparty for Saturday Night Live. “She came to the SNL afterparty, and I was so obliterated,” she told Cooper, laughing at herself. “I just kept talking her ear off about Confessions on the Dancefloor, and I was like, ‘That’s one of the best albums ever. It’s a timeless classic, people don’t appreciate it enough!’”

Eventually, as Petras recalls, Madge suggested that the pair pose for a photo together. “She said, ‘Let’s take a picture,’ and I said, ‘Thank you so much for saying that,’” she said, giggling. “Because I would have just talked her f–king ears off for hours … she must think I’m insane.”

There’s good reason why the “Alone” singer felt compelled to gush about Madonna to her face. Earlier in her conversation with Cooper, Petras said that Madonna was always her favorite pop star because of the way she used her platform.

“Madonna is someone who broke a lot of these gender stereotypes, and who can be very masculine in some of her music, and talk about sex very freely and in a very different way,” she said. “[She] was so ahead of her time in liberating people from feeling this shame about their sexuality … I will forever feel inspired and liberated by her just taking the hit for so many people.”

It felt especially important to Petras when Madonna introduced the “Brrr” singer’s performance with Sam Smith at the 2023 Grammy Awards, where the pop icon told the audience at home that the pair were “two incredibly talented artists who have risen above the noise, the doubt, the critics, and all the bulls–t.”

According to Petras, that speech may not have happened had Madonna not specifically asked to introduce them. “She was supposed to [announce] record of the year or something, but she said she wanted to introduce the first trans performer at the Grammys,” Petras revealed. “I was like, ‘You really are the coolest to ever exist.’”

Check out the full episode of Call Her Daddy featuring Kim Petras below:

28 Jun 2023

Queens of the Stone Age’s ‘In Times New Roman’ Crowns Rock Album Charts

Queens of the Stone Age launches atop all four of Billboard’s rock albums charts with In Times New Roman…, which begins at No. 1 on the Top Rock & Alternative Albums, Top Rock Albums, Top Alternative Albums and Top Hard Rock Albums surveys dated July 1.

The set begins with 40,000 equivalent album units earned in the June 16-22 tracking week, according to Luminate. Of that sum, 36,000 units are via album sales.

The album is the Josh Homme-led act’s third leader on all four lists. The band first reigned with 2013’s …Like Clockwork, followed by 2017’s Villains.

On the all-genre Billboard 200, In Times New Roman… is Queens of the Stone Age’s fourth top 10, starting at No. 9. The band first reached the top 10 with Lullabies to Paralyze, which debuted and peaked at No. 5 in 2005. The group boasts one No. 1, …Like Clockwork.

Concurrently, three songs from the album appear on the multimetric Hot Hard Rock Songs chart. “Paper Machete” debuts at No. 11, thanks to 961,000 official U.S. streams and 386,000 radio audience impressions, followed by “Emotion Sickness” (No. 21) and “Obscenery” (No. 24).

“Emotion Sickness” peaked at No. 31 on the Alternative Airplay list dated June 10, with “Paper Machete” having since become the album’s new radio single. The band has 12 entries on Alternative Airplay so far, first appearing with “The Lost Art of Keeping a Secret,” which peaked at No. 36 in September 2000. Of those, three were top 10s, including four-week No. 1 “No One Knows” in 2003.