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21 Jun 2023

10 First-Timers on Billboard’s Charts This Week: Rob Grant, &ME, That Mexican OT, Dudu Tassa & More

Billboard has more than 200 different weekly charts in its menu, encompassing numerous genres and formats.

While established artists often compete for a spot on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart and Billboard 200 albums ranking, which track the most popular songs and albums of the week, respectively, up-and-coming talents typically start off on genre-specific lists.

Here’s a look at 10 titles by acts who appear on surveys for the first time on the June 24-dated charts.

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Rob Grant

Rob Grant and his superstar daughter Lana Del Rey can now both say they’ve hit No. 1 on a Billboard chart. Grant, 70, lands his first-ever chart appearance this week thanks to his debut album, Lost at Sea. Released June 9 via Decca/Interscope Records/IGA, the album debuts at No. 1 on Classical Crossover Albums, No. 2 on Classical Albums, No. 2 on New Age Albums, and No. 75 on the Top Current Album Sales chart with 1,000 equivalent album units earned in the June 9-15 tracking week, according to Luminate. The set, almost entirely instrumental, features two collaborations between Grant and his daughter: the title track and the set’s final track, “Hollywood Bowl” — Dey Rey sings on both songs, while Grant plays piano.

Also contributing to the piano-driven album is the Budapest Art Orchestra and Jack Antonoff, who produced multiple tracks. Antonoff, notably, produced Lana’s Normal Fucking Rockwell! (2019), Chemtrails Over the Country Club (2021) and Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd (2023), which all reached the top five of the Billboard 200.

Grant spent the beginning of his career as a domain-name investor, real estate agent and copywriter (and boating enthusiast). “An accidental recording artist, Grant has never had a lesson on any instrument in his life. No kind of formal musical training at all. He can’t read sheet music,” reads a press release from Decca. “But when he sits down at a piano, something magical happens.”

&ME

Berlin-based producer and house/techno DJ &ME (real name André Boadu) notches his first career chart entry under an artist billing thanks to his new collaboration with Black Coffee, “The Rapture, Pt. III.” The song, released June 9 via Keinemusik, debuts at No. 41 on the Billboard U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart. While &ME has been releasing music and remixes for more than a decade, he scored a big break last year when Drake recruited him to produce two tracks on his LP Honestly, Nevermind. The songs, “Falling Back” and “A Keeper,” reached Nos. 7 and 21 on the Hot 100, respectively, while the album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. “Falling Back” also hit No. 1 on the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart. &ME has released two solo studio albums: You Are Safe in 2017 and Send Return in 2021.

That Mexican OT & DRODi

Both artists reach Billboard’s charts for the first time with their new collaboration with Paul Wall, “Johnny Dang.” The song, released May 26 through Manifest Music, debuts at No. 44 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, and No. 14 on the Hot 100’s Bubbling Under ranking. The title is an ode to the Texas jeweler of the same name, who also appears in the song’s official video. That Mexican OT (real name Virgil Rene Gazca), from Bay City, Texas, has been active in the Houston hip-hop scene lately. He’s released five LPs so far: South Texas Project (2020), Southside Steppin (2021), 1 Double 0 (2021), Nonsense and Mexican Shit (2022) and The Show Must Go On, with Saxkboy KD (2023). Freeport, Texas-based rapper DRODi is a frequent collaborator of That Mexican OT’s. Before “Johnny Gang,” they teamed up on “PADRE,” “SIDEWALK,” “SLAP,” “DRO-T” and “24z” in 2022, and “BOW DOWN” in February.

Dudu Tassa

The Israeli singer-songwriter-producer earns his first chart appearance thanks to his new collaborative album with Jonny Greenwood, Jarak Qaribak. The set, released June 9 via World Circuit/BMG, debuts at No. 68 on the Top Current Album Sales chart with 1,000 downloads sold in its opening week. Tassa is a veteran musician, and a highly regarded figure in Israel’s rock scene. He has released 19 studio albums, dating to his first, יותר ברור, (pronounced Yoter Barur, which means “Clearer” in Hebrew), in 2000. He’s also the leader of the group Dudu Tassa & The Kuwaitis, who opened for Radiohead (where Greenwood plays lead guitar), on their 2017 tour.

Point North

The Los Angeles-based rock band tallies its first chart appearance, thanks to “Safe and Sound” with The Ghost Inside. The song, released Feb. 24 via Hopeless Records, debuts at No. 34 on Mainstream Rock Airplay (up 18% in plays). The group — which is comprised of Jon Lundin (vocals), Andy Hershey (guitar) and Sage Weeber (drums) — is slated to hit the road later this summer, supporting Escape the Fate on its Out of the Shadows Tour. Point North’s new third LP Prepare for Despair is due Aug. 18.

Danae Hays

The comedian and country singer lands on Billboard’s charts with her first-ever release, “Rode Hard.” The song, which she self-released June 14, debuts at No. 8 on Country Digital Song Sales and No. 22 on Digital Song Sales with 2,000 downloads sold. The track also helps the Alabama native debut at No. 34 on the Emerging Artists chart. TikTok has been a significant factor in Hays’ growing profile, as she boasts over 2.5 million followers on the platform.

Joel de La P & Tito Double P

Both artists achieve their first chart entry thanks to their new collaboration with Luis R Conriquez, “Dembow Belico.” The song, released June 3 on Double P Records, debuts at No. 36 on the multimetric Hot Latin Songs chart. Joel de La P and Tito Double P are both music newcomers. They’re affiliated with Peso Pluma’s newly launched label Double P Records, which he started in April (“La Doble P” is Peso Pluma’s alter ego). Tito Double P has two featured credits on Peso Pluma’s upcoming third studio album Genesis, due June 22: “Gavilán II” and “La People.”

Amarion

The Puerto Rican singer-songwriter arrives with his new collaboration with Ozuna, “Tucu.” The song, released May 25 through Aura/Sony Music Latin, debuts at No. 23 on Latin Rhythm Airplay (up 113% in radio audience). Amarion has been releasing music for almost a decade. He dropped his debut studio album, Mood, in 2021, via AARM LLC. He’s also collaborated with Bryant Myers, Lyanno, Dimelo Flow and Green Cookie, among others.

Lim Young Woong

The South Korean singer and YouTuber lands his first Billboard chart entry thanks to “Grain of Sand.” The song, released June 5 via Dreamus, debuts at No. 102 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart. Prior to his latest track, he had released one studio album: the 12-track set Im Hero in May 2022. He broke through in South Korea after competing in – and winning – the reality talent show Mr. Trot in 2020.

DJ Yus

The Cuban artist scores his first Billboard chart appearance thanks to his breakthrough club hit “Hoy No Se Duerme.” The song, released May 5 via LAUM MUSIC, debuts at No. 25 on Tropical Airplay. DJ Yus has released three additional songs: “Rompe La Bocina” with El Micha and El Chacal in 2018, “Siguete Moviendo” (2019) and “Pa Que Lo Goce” (2020).

21 Jun 2023

Symone on Being Inspired by ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race,’ Her First Drag Performance & More | Billboard Cover

RuPaul’s Drag Race season 13 winner Symone talks about her start in drag, performing for the first time and more for our Billboard Pride cover with Maren Morris.

Symone:
At 18, I went to an amateur night at the club back home in Arkansas. I stepped on that stage, honey — the lights, the cameras hit me. And it was over from there.

Symone on how she got into drag:
I was watching RuPaul’s Drag Race and I was about 15, 16 years old, and I had a job at the time. And I would save up my money, and I just started putting on makeup because, you know, I wanted to look good. You know, I was like, “If I’m doing it, I’m gonna look good in the face.” So I did that for a while. Then I went to my prom — went to my senior prom in drag. That was the first time I stepped out in drag in full regalia. And then at 18, I went to an amateur night at the club back home in Arkansas. And I stepped on that stage honey, the lights, the cameras hit me. And it was over from there.

Symone on the first song she performed in drag:
“Domino” by Jessie J. And there’s no specific reason why — it was just because at the time I loved it. And it was just what got me going, and I wore that song out.

Symone on her signature drag number:
It’s either Tina Turner’s “Disco Inferno,” or it’s my Whitney medley, my 11-minute Whitney medley I do. I shut it down.

Symone on musicians who have inspired her:
Whitney Houston, of course. Tina Turner, Rihanna, Lil Kim and Diana Ross.

Watch the full video above!

21 Jun 2023

Fans Think Olivia Rodrigo Shared a Snippet of New Song ‘Vampire’: Listen

Olivia Rodrigo’s new single arrives on June 30, and fans are analyzing every crumb of content to figure out what the 20-year-old pop phenom has in store for them. Titled “Vampire,” the single will act as the first piece of new non-soundtrack music from Rodrigo since her Grammy-winning blockbuster debut album Sour.

Ahead of the release of Sour back in 2021, the “Drivers License” singer launched the Sour Heartbreak Hotline at 323-622-SOUR (7687). Rodrigo used it to tease snippets of various album tracks leading up to the release of the full record. Recently, fans discovered that the hotline was playing what sounds like new music — and they think it is the first taste of “Vampire.”

The 15-second clip doesn’t give fans much, but the piano chords simultaneously evoke the sonic profile of Sour as well as a song Edward might play for Bella in Twilight. With a title like “Vampire” and cover art that places two lilac bandages over what can only be assumed to be a vampire bite, the connection isn’t too far off, especially since the three-time Grammy winner is a self-professed Twihard.

Rodrigo and go-to collaborator Dan Nigro have been teasing “Vampire” across social media in recent weeks. On June 15, Nigro shared a snap of a grocery store beverage named “Vampire Juice” on his Instagram Story, and on Tuesday (June 20), Rodrigo posted a photo to her Instagram feed with the lyric “How do you lie?” written three times.

Listen to the snippet from the Sour Heartbreak Hotline here:

21 Jun 2023

Morgan Wallen’s ‘Last Night’ Tops Hot Country Songs for 19th Week, Tying His Longest Reign

Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” adds a 19th week atop Billboard’s streaming-, airplay- and sales-based Hot Country Songs chart (dated June 24), matching his longest command among seven career No. 1s.

“Last Night” retains the Hot Country Songs penthouse as it concurrently dominates Country Airplay for a seventh week (33 million impressions, down 2%). It also drew 29.6 million official streams and sold 7,000 in the United States June 9-15, according to Luminate.

The crossover hit also enters the top 10 on Adult Pop Airplay (11-8) and pushes to No. 9 on Pop Airplay. His ninth Country Airplay leader, it’s his first top 10 on the two pop tallies.

“Last Night” and “You Proof” are now tied with two other tracks for seventh place among the longest reigning titles since Hot Country Songs became an all-encompassing genre ranking in 1958.

Here’s a recap.
The Longest-Leading No. 1s on Hot Country Songs (since 1958):

  • 50 weeks, “Meant to Be,” Bebe Rexha & Florida Georgia Line, starting in December 2017
  • 34, “Body Like a Back Road,” Sam Hunt, February 2017
  • 27, “I Hope,” Gabby Barrett, July 2020
  • 24, “Fancy Like,” Walker Hayes, July 2021
  • 24, “Cruise,” Florida Georgia Line, December 2012
  • 21, “10,000 Hours,” Dan + Shay & Justin Bieber, October 2019
  • 19, “Last Night,” Morgan Wallen, February 2023
  • 19, “You Proof,” Morgan Wallen, May 2022
  • 19, “The Bones,” Maren Morris, March 2020
  • 19, “Walk on By,” Leroy Van Dyke, September 1961
  • 18, “H.O.L.Y.,” Florida Georgia Line, May 2016

A ‘Lane’ to the Top 10

Old Dominion scores its 10th Hot Country Songs top 10 as “Memory Lane” pushes 11-10. It’s the act’s first title to reach the tier since “I Was on a Boat That Day” (No. 8 peak, October 2021).

On Country Airplay, “Memory Lane” lifts 9-7 for a new high (23 million, up 12%). Plus, it drew 7.3 million streams and sold 1,000 in the tracking week.

“Memory Lane” follows Old Dominion’s collaboration with Kenny Chesney, “Beer With My Friends,” which hit No. 35 on Hot Country Songs last September. Before that, “No Hard Feelings” reached No. 24 in August 2022. The band posted its initial top 10 with its first of 14 Hot Country Songs entries, “Break Up With Him,” which rose to its No. 3 best in October 2015.

21 Jun 2023

Pusha T Seemingly Aims Bars At Jim Jones On Unreleased Clipse Track

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Pusha T is in possession of an exact way of writing when it comes to his music, dating back to his days alongside his brother No Malice in the Clipse. A new track featuring the Thorton brothers surfaced earlier this week and it appears that Pusha T threw shots toward Jim Jones, sparking Twitter to debate the possibilities.

The unreleased track features strong verses from both Pusha T and No Malice over a busy track that played while the brothers walked in Pharrell Williams’ first Louis Vuitton show in Paris this past Tuesday (June 20). Jay-Z and Beyoncé were in attendance and both superstars were seen in the clip of the show enjoying the track.

Several snippets of the song made its way online and King Push’s signature snarl was in full effect on the track. However, many fans are examining the lyrics and believe Capo Jones is the target.

From the track:

Beware of my name, that there’s delegate/ You know I know where you’re delicate/ Crush you to pieces, I’ll hum a breath of it/ I will close your heaven for the hell of it/ You think it’d be valor amongst veterans/ I’m watching your fame escape relevance/ We all in a room but here’s the elephant/ You chasing a feature out of your element

This all may stem from Jones appearing on the Rap Caviar Podcast earlier this year and stating his opinion that Pusha T is not a top 50 rapper while also questioning his former drug dealing days. In the same breath, Jones did prop up King Push as a great lyricist and rapper but doesn’t believe the Virginia star has a great influence on the culture.

Jones is also aware of the track as it made its rounds and posted a video laughing at all the chatter while adding on his Instagram Story feed, “Let me know when they really ready.”

There is speculation that the new song from the Clipse will drop this coming Friday. For now, the reactions on Twitter to the track are all over the map. Check out the track in question below.

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Photo: Dominique Charriau / Getty

21 Jun 2023

Niall Horan Says One Direction Are Still Close Because They ‘Never Believed the Hype’: Exclusive

It’s been seven years since One Direction split up in 2016, but the boys have still had each other’s back throughout the years. Niall Horan, for example, recently shared that he sent his new third studio album The Show to Louis Tomlinson for feedback. Horan is now opening up about the group’s maintained closeness in a new interview with Sunday TODAY.

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“I just think we never believed the hype,” Horan told host Willie Geist, who observed how 1D avoided the “fire” that has damaged other boy bands. “As I said, the state of shock was always there. You have to remember, it was us, our team, our bubble around us, and we just went from place to place worldwide and kind of went along with it. If you’re looking in, it must have looked crazy, and everybody’s going, ‘You’re in the biggest band!’ We were just having a great time. We always used to say we’re normal people doing an abnormal job, which is a good outlook to have.”

He continued, “One of the stadium tours was called Where We Are tour, because we always used to be like, ‘Look where we are.’ Every now and then, you catch yourself looking at each other, just going, ‘This is nuts.’ Onstage at MetLife or The Garden, you’ll have a moment now and then that’s like, ‘This is nuts.’ Thankfully, that’s never gotten old.”

Watch the clip exclusively via Billboard below, and catch the full interview on Sunday (June 25) on Sunday TODAY.

21 Jun 2023

Taylor Swift Spends Record-Extending 69th Week at No. 1 on Artist 100 Chart

Taylor Swift extends her record-run atop the Billboard Artist 100 chart (dated June 24), as she rises from No. 2 to No. 1, leading as the top musical act in the United States for a 69th total week.

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Swift returns to the top thanks to the continued success of her latest album Midnights, plus eight additional charting sets on the Billboard 200.

Here’s a recap of her current Billboard-charting titles:

Rank, Title:

  • No. 4, Midnights
  • No. 10, Lover
  • No. 15, Folklore
  • No. 20, 1989
  • No. 24, Reputation
  • No. 25, Red (Taylor’s Version)
  • No. 39, Evermore
  • No. 42, Fearless (Taylor’s Version)
  • No. 43, Speak Now

Also contributing to Swift’s reign are four songs on the latest Billboard Hot 100: current Midnights single “Karma” featuring Ice Spice (No. 9), former eight-week leader “Anti-Hero” (No. 12), Lover cut “Cruel Summer” (No. 39) and “Hits Different” (No. 84).

“Cruel Summer” was recently announced as an official single, four years after its release. It’s now the fifth promoted single from 2019’s Lover. It’s one of Swift’s 107 career top 40 Hot 100 hits, the most among women and second overall only to Drake (174).

As the song is now generating radio play, the track debuts at No. 33 on Pop Airplay (up 147% in plays). It becomes her 41st career entry at the format, tying Justin Bieber for the third-most in the chart’s 30-year archives, after Rihanna (51) and Nicki Minaj (44).

Niall Horan re-enters the Artist 100 at No. 3, powered by his new third solo LP, The Show. The album debuts at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 (80,000 equivalent album units), becoming his third top five solo album. One Direction, with him as a member, has scored five top five albums, including four No. 1s.

Noah Kahan debuts at No. 6 on the Artist 100, thanks to the new expanded version of his third studio album, Stick Season. The new version contains six new tracks, plus one extended version of a previously released song, helping the set vault from No. 100 to No. 3 on the latest Billboard 200, becoming his first top 10 album. One track, “Dial Drunk,” debuts at No. 43 on the Hot 100, earning him his first appearance on the chart.

Kahan also lands a whopping 18 songs on the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart, all of which appear on Stick Season. He’s just the fifth act to chart at least 18 or more songs in a single week, after David Bowie, Linkin Park, Swift and Zach Bryan.

The Artist 100 measures artist activity across key metrics of music consumption, blending album and track sales, radio airplay and streaming to provide a weekly multi-dimensional ranking of artist popularity.

21 Jun 2023

Kim Petras Prepares Her Quest to ‘Feed the Beast’ In Person With New World Tour: See the Dates

With a brand new album out this week, pop singer Kim Petras is done being “Alone” and wants to celebrate with her fans.

On Wednesday (June 21), the singer unveiled the details for her new Feed the Beast World Tour set to take place this fall. Produced by Live Nation and featuring a whopping 34 dates, the tour will kick off on Sept. 27 in Austin, Texas, jumping around the country with dates in Brooklyn, Los Angeles, Chicago, Nashville and more. Then, Petras will cross the pond for a final set of European stops in February 2024, starting in Birmingham, U.K., before ultimately closing out in Milan on March 5.

To celebrate her forthcoming tour, Petras put out an announcement video that shows her trekking around New York City wearing a heavy set of medieval plate armor. Hearing renditions of her songs “Heart to Break,” “Unholy” and “Coconuts” throughout her walk in the city, the singer eventually arrives in a bodega to buy a Red Bull and a bag of chips — which she attempts to pay for with medieval coins.

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Petras’ artist pre-sale for the tour starts on Thursday, June 22, before the general on-sale begins on Monday, June 26, at 10 a.m. local time.

The news comes just ahead of Feed the Beast, Petras’ long-awaited new album due out Friday (June 23) via Amigo Records. The album is set to feature the singer’s headline-making collaboration with Nicki Minaj “Alone,” as well as her chart-topping Sam Smith duet “Unholy.” Among the set of forthcoming songs is a new collaboration with alt-pop singer BANKS on a track titled “Bait,” as well as other previously released songs such as “Brrr” and “Coconuts.”

Learn more about tickets for Kim Petras’ Feed the Beast World Tour here, and check out the full list of dates below.

21 Jun 2023

Ava Max Attacked on Stage During L.A. Show: ‘He Slapped Me So Hard’

Less than 24 hours after Bebe Rexha was hit in the face by a fan’s tossed cell phone during a show, fellow pop star Ava Max was slapped by a man attending her show in Los Angeles on Tuesday night (June 20). In a fan video of the incident an unnamed man is seen appearing to swipe at Max’s face during her show at the Fonda Theater.

“He slapped me so hard that he scratched the inside of my eye. He’s never coming to a show again,” the singer tweeted early Wednesday morning (June 21) along with two angry face emoji. “Thank you to the fans for being spectacular tonight in LA though!!”

Fan video of the incident shows a man dressed in black storming the stage and reaching out in what looks like an attempt to touch Max, before getting wrapped up by security and hauled away after brushing her face with his hand.

A fan at the show described the wild scene during the final song of Max’s set, writing, “The guy rushed on stage at the end right when the last song ended. The security guard tackled him and literally THREW him down the stairs. Wild!!! It happened so fast. You can see here she couldn’t even open her eyes but she STILL did M&G.” At press time a spokesperson for Max had not returned a request for additional information on the incident.

The stage rush took place less than 48 hours after Rexha was taken a New York hospital after 27-year-old Nicolas Malvagna chucked his cellphone at her during a show at The Rooftop at Pier 17; the New Jersey resident was arrested and charged with two counts of assault in the third degree, as well as one count of harassment in the second degree, one count of aggravated harassment in the second degree and a count of attempted assault in the third degree. Rexha had to get stitches above her eye as a result of the phone strike.

See Max’s tweet and fan footage of the incident below.

21 Jun 2023

Lil Durk Says He Waited Two Years for J. Cole Collaboration to Happen: ‘In My Eyes He’s a Legend’

As Lil Durk’s “All My Life” enjoys its fifth week in the top five on the Billboard Hot 100, the Chicago rapper recently sat with Apple Music 1’s Nedeska Alexis to reflect on the success of his J. Cole-assisted hit. 

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“I think that the J. Cole feature was definitely unexpected for my fans,” he shared. “He went super crazy. And it’s so crazy, because we’ve been talking for two years. He always be like, ‘Send me a record,’ and I’m like, ‘I got to find the right record.’”

Durk said he waited two years to land the coveted Cole feature, and expressed gratitude for the collaboration. “And I’m glad I waited two years, because in my eyes he’s a legend. So if you have a chance to do a song with legend, do you send him something just to send it, just to say you got one, or you’re going to make it stick? So that’s why I never just sent him a record, because I want something that’s going to stick.”

“All My Life” sits at No. 5 on the Hot 100 and resides on this latest album, Almost Healed. The project debuted at No. 2 earlier in June, earning 125,000 equivalent album units in its opening week. Almost Healed was the third time Durk charted at least 15 records in a week on the Hot 100. He previously accomplished the feat in 2022 with 17 songs on the Hot 100, mainly in part to the success of his Billboard 200 No. 1 album The Voice. 

The Lil Durk episode with Nedeska Alexis drops on Apple Music 1 on Wednesday (June 21).