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15 May 2023

Eurovision Contestants Mae Muller, Loreen Make Early Gains In U.K. Chart Race

Europe didn’t care much for it, but the British are falling for Mae Muller’s “I Wrote A Song.”

Muller had the honor of representing her homeland, the United Kingdom, at the Eurovision Song Contest, the grand final of which was presented Saturday night (May 13) at Liverpool Arena.

The U.K. so often flounders at Eurovision, and Muller’s entry had an underwhelming reaction from the Eurovision panel and with viewers, coming second-from-last with just 24 “public” and “jury” votes, well off the pace of winners Sweden with 583 combined points.

Despite that lackluster feedback, Muller’s song is heading for its first U.K. top 10 appearance, and should handsomely beat its No. 30 peak, set in March of this year.

Based on sales and streaming data captured from the first 48 hours of the chart cycle, “I Wrote A Song” is on track to lift 36 places to No. 9. If it holds its chart tune, the song, co-written with Karen Poole and Lewis Thompson, will give Mae her first top tier appearance.

Meanwhile, Sweden’s Loreen should experience that winning feeling all over again on the U.K. chart, as her Eurovision winning song “Tattoo” is poised to debut at No. 28. On the weekend, Loreen became the first woman to win Eurovision twice, and the second artist overall after Johnny Logan, the Melbourne-born Irish singer.

At the pointy end of the chart blast, Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding are shuffling to a sixth non-consecutive week at No. 1 with “Miracle”. It’s one of several dance music tunes on the way up, including Switch Disco and Ella Henderson’s “React” (No. 6) and David Guetta, Anne-Marie and Coi Leray’s “Baby Don’t Hurt Me” (No. 10), while K-pop girl group Fifty Fifty is flying to a new high of No. 7 with “Cupid”.

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All will be revealed when the Official U.K. Singles Chart is published Friday (May 19).

14 May 2023

Calvin Harris & Ellie Goulding Extend U.K. Chart ‘Miracle’ For Fifth Week

It’s another chart miracle in the U.K., as Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding’s throwback rave number bags a fifth non-consecutive week at No. 1.

According to the Official Charts Company, “Miracle” (via Columbia) is once again the most-streamed track of the week in the U.K., with 5.1 million plays, to lord over the chart published May 12.

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“Miracle” becomes Goulding’s longest-running U.K. leader, surpassing the four-week stretch at the summit for her 2015 hit “Love Me Like You Do.” It’s still some way off the eight-week reign of Harris’ 2018 hit “One Kiss” with Dua Lipa.

Holding at No. 2 on the latest tally is U.S. artist David Kushner’s viral effort “Daylight” (Miserable Music), while Ed Sheeran‘s former leader “Eyes Closed” (Atlantic) lifts 6-3, to complete the podium.

In the week that Sheeran’s Subtract album bows at No. 1 on the national albums chart, for his sixth straight leader, three tracks from it impact the singles chart, led by “Eyes Closed”.

Further down the list, “Boat” sails into the top 40 for the first time at No. 15, while new single “Curtains” opens at No. 16, lifting Sheeran’s tally of U.K. top 40 singles to 60. “Curtains” slowed in the second half the week, having set an early top 10 pace.

After becoming the first K-pop girl group to crack the top 10 on the Official U.K. Singles Chart, FIFTY FIFTY continues to fly with “Cupid” (ATTRAKT). It’s up 9-8, for a new peak.

Finally, in the wake of the coronation of of King Charles III, a protest song enters the U.K. top 10. The Krown Jewelz’ “Scrap The Monarchy” (Pegging Prince) starts at No. 9, for the week’s highest new debut. The punk act typically goes by the name the K**ts, which has landed pre-Christmas top 10s in each of the past three years.

14 May 2023

Ed Sheeran’s ‘Subtract’ Shoots to No. 1 In U.K.

With a blockbuster sales week, Ed Sheeran‘s – (subtract) flies to No. 1 on the U.K. albums chart, extending his perfect streak.

The English singer and songwriter’s sixth studio LP notches 76,000 combined sales in its first seven-day cycle, easily the fastest-selling album in the U.K. this year, blitzing the 41,000 chart units shifted by Lana Del Rey’s Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd.

According to the Official Charts Company, physical copies account for 71% of the Asylum set’s total, with an additional 10% from downloads. Subtract is also the best-seller on wax.

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In the end, Subtract won the chart race in a canter. By the midweek point, the LP had moved into a near-unbeatable position with more than 56,000 combined units.

Sheeran now boasts a perfect six No. 1s, dating back to his 2011 full-length debut +, then x (from 2014), ÷ (2017), No. 6 Collaborations Project (2019) and = (2021).

And with that unbroken string of leaders, Sheeran climbs the ranks of acts who’ve scaled the summit with every studio album. The “Shape of You” singer scoots past the 1975 on the list. Only Noel Gallagher with 10 albums, including his recordings with Oasis and as frontman of Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds; Brandon Flowers and Coldplay (with nine); and the Killers and Oasis (seven) are ahead of him.

Also new to the Official U.K. Albums Chart, published May 12, is Tunde with First Lap (via Tunde). It’s new at No. 4, for the Manchester rapper’s first top 10 appearance.

Also enjoying his first solo top 40 appearance is former Kasabian frontman Tom Meighan, with The Reckoning (Destruct). It’s new at No. 17. Meighan split with Kasabian in 2020 to deal with “personal issues,” he said at the time, leaving a group that had reigned over the chart with five albums. With guitarist Sergio Pizzorno taking-on vocal duties, the band last year added another No. 1 with The Alchemist’s Euphoria.

When Taylor Swift speaks, she scores. That’s precisely what happened when the superstar U.S. singer announced Speak Now would be the next to undergo a full rerecording. The 2010 collection (via Mercury) rebounds into the top 40 for the first time in 13 years, the OCC reports, up 54-23, and is one of six Swift albums impacting this week’s U.K. top tier. Speak Now peaked out at No. 6 following its original release. Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) is due out July 7.

Finally, Northern Irish rock trio Therapy? bags a sixth top 40 album and highest-charting title in 25 years, as Hard Cold Fire (Marshall) debuts at No. 29 on the latest tally.

14 May 2023

10 Things to Know About Frank Sinatra, Who Died 25 Years Ago Today

Sunday (May 14) marks 25 years since Frank Sinatra died at the age of 82. That’s hard to imagine, because he remains an icon and a cultural force. His compilation Nothing but the Best reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200 in May 2008, a decade after his death. Jay-Z gave him a shout-out in “Empire State of Mind,” his 2009 smash with Alicia Keys: “I’m the new Sinatra, and since I made it here/ I can make it anywhere, yeah, they love me everywhere.”

Sinatra had major hits spanning 40 years, from “I’ll Never Smile Again” in 1940, which he recorded with Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra, to “Theme From New York, New York” in 1980, in which he took a song Liza Minnelli had introduced three years earlier in the film of the same name and simply took it to another level. It became his final top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100.

Sinatra had four No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200 (which originated in 1956): Come Fly With Me (1958), Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely (1958), Nice ‘N’ Easy (1960) and Strangers in the Night (1966).

He topped the Billboard Hot 100 (which originated in 1958) twice — with “Strangers in the Night” (1966) and “Somethin’ Stupid,” a duet with his daughter, Nancy Sinatra (1967).

Sinatra won nine Grammys and an Oscar. His classic 1965 TV special Frank Sinatra: A Man and His Music won an Emmy for outstanding musical program, but he didn’t personally win for it and never officially won an Emmy. (I hate it when that happens!)

Here are 10 facts you should know about Sinatra.

14 May 2023

Fans Choose BTS’ ‘The Planet’ as This Week’s Favorite New Music

BTS‘ “The Planet” has topped this week’s new music poll.

Music fans voted in a poll published Friday (May 12) on Billboard, choosing the group’s latest as their favorite new music release of the past week.

“The Planet” brought in more than 45% of the vote, beating out new music from the Jonas Brothers, Lil Durk and J. Cole, Shakira and more.

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The song, BTS’ first new music release to feature all seven members since they’ve been focused on solo projects and military service, is featured as the theme song for the new South Korean animated series Bastions.

BTS’ “The Planet” is an uptempo track with a sunny chorus about letting your colors shine. An animated music video accompanied the release.

Trailing behind “The Planet” on the poll is the Jonas Brothers’ The Album, with 18% of the vote, Lil Durk feauturing J. Cole’s “All My Life,” with 15% of the vote, and Shakira’s “Acróstico,” with 9% of the vote.

See the final results of this week’s poll below.

14 May 2023

Beyoncé Shares Sweet Mother’s Day Tribute at Renaissance Tour Stop in Brussels

Beyoncé is showing appreciation to her mom on Mother’s Day.

Queen Bey took to Instagram on Sunday (May 14) share a loving post featuring a large photo of Tina Knowles-Lawson displayed onstage at the superstar singer’s Renaissance tour stop at Brussels’ King Baudouin Stadium. The post also included a short video of Knowles-Lawson excitedly cheering on her daughter from the side of the concert stage.

“Happy Muva’s Day,” Beyoncé captioned the gallery. “I love you so much Mama and I’m so grateful for all you do for me.”

The same sweet message also appeared on the homepage of Beyoncé website on Mother’s Day.

Beyoncé’s long-awaited Renaissance World Tour launched on May 10 in Stockholm, Sweden, with a jaw-dropping, three-hour showcase featuring dozens of career-spanning hits. The trek will continue throughout Europe until July 9, with stops in London, Barcelona, Brussels and Amsterdam before heading to Toronto for two dates at Rogers Centre.

The Renaissance tour then heads to the United States, starting with Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field and making stops in Chicago, East Rutherford, N.J., Atlanta, Houston and more before concluding Sept. 27 at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.

The stint is in support of her 2022 album, Renaissance, which topped the Billboard 200 albums chart upon its release and won the Grammy Award for best dance/electronic album. Three of the project’s songs also won individual awards, with “Break My Soul” winning best dance/electronic recording, “Plastic Off the Sofa” taking home best traditional R&B performance and “Cuff It” winning best R&B song.

See Beyoncé’s Mother’s Day tribute on Instagram below.

14 May 2023

Morgan Wallen’s ‘One Thing at a Time’ Spends 10th Week at No. 1 on Billboard 200

Morgan Wallen’s One Thing at a Time logs a 10th consecutive, and total, week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart (dated May 20). The album bowed at No. 1 on the chart dated March 18 and has yet to depart the top slot. It equals the No. 1 run of Wallen’s last release, Dangerous: The Double Album, which also spent its first 10 weeks at No. 1 (Jan. 23-March 27, 2021-dated charts).

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One Thing at a Time earned 141,000 equivalent album units in the United States in the week ending May 11 (up 2%), according to Luminate.

As One Thing at a Time holds at No. 1, Wallen becomes the first male soloist to spend 10 weeks at No. 1 with back-to-back full-length albums, since the Billboard 200 began publishing on a regular, weekly basis in March of 1956. Only five acts — including Wallen — have notched consecutive No. 1s that ruled for at least 10 weeks. Wallen joins Adele (25, 10 weeks, 2015-16 and 21, 24 weeks, 2011-12), Whitney Houston (Whitney, 11 weeks, 1987 and her self-titled album, 14 weeks, 1986), The Monkees (More of the Monkees, 18 weeks, 1967 and its self-titled album, 13 weeks 1966-67) and The Kingston Trio (String Along, 10 weeks, 1960 and Sold Out, 12 weeks, 1960).

Wallen is now the third solo male artist overall to have at least two albums spend 10 or more weeks at No. 1 each. He joins Elvis Presley and Henry Mancini. The former did it four times with his self-titled album (10 weeks in 1956) and the soundtracks for Loving You (10, 1957), G.I. Blues (10, 1960-61) and Blue Hawaii (20, 1961-62) and the latter did so twice, with the soundtracks The Music From Peter Gunn (10, 1959) and Breakfast at Tiffany’s (12, 1962).

Further, Wallen becomes the only act with at least two country albums to have spent 10 or more weeks at No. 1. (Country albums are those that have charted on, or are eligible for, Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart.)

In total, nine acts — including Wallen — have at least two albums that have spent at least 10 weeks at No. 1. Wallen is now among elite company, standing alongside only The Beatles, Presley (four such albums each); Houston, The Kingston Trio (three each); Adele, Mancini, The Monkees and Taylor Swift (two each).

Also in the top 10 of the new Billboard 200, Ed Sheeran achieves his sixth top 10-charting effort as his new studio set, pronounced Subtract, starts at No. 2, while Korean girl group LE SSERAFIM notches its first top 10 (and second chart entry) with the No. 6 bow of Unforgiven.

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. The new May 20, 2023-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on May 16. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

Of One Thing at a Time’s 141,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending May 11, SEA units comprise 134,000 (up 3%, equaling 179.33 million on-demand official streams of the set’s 36 songs), album sales comprise 5,000 (down 6%) and TEA units comprise 2,000 (down 5%).

Sheeran collects his sixth top 10-charting effort on the Billboard 200 as his latest studio album, – (Subtract), debuts at No. 2. The set starts with 112,000 equivalent album units earned. Of that sum, album sales comprise 81,000 (making it the top-selling album of the week), SEA units comprise 29,000 (equaling 38.43 million on-demand official streams of the set’s tracks) and TEA units comprise 2,000.

The album was preceded by its lead single “Eyes Closed,” which debuted and has so far peaked at No. 26 on the Billboard Hot 100 dated April 8. Sheeran’s last three albums (Equals, No. 6 Collaborations Project and Multiply) were each led by top 10-charting singles before the sets dropped: “Bad Habits” (No. 2), “I Don’t Care,” with Justin Bieber (No. 2) and the dual lead singles off Multiply, “Shape of You” (No. 1) and “Castle on the Hill” (No. 6).

Subtract marks Sheeran’s biggest sales week since 2017, thus larger than any week posted by Sheeran’s last two albums (Equals and No. 6 Collaborations Project). Subtract also nets 10th-largest sales week of 2023 for any album, and the fifth-largest for a non-K-pop title.

Subtract’s sales were aided by its availability in both a standard 14-track and 18-track edition (digital download, CD and vinyl). The set was also available in nine vinyl variants (including exclusives for Amazon, Barnes & Noble, independent record stores, Target, Urban Outfitters and Walmart) and multiple CD iterations in collectible packages (including a signed CD, a version with a lenticular cover, a “textured sand” cover and a “Zine” CD package).

A trio of former No. 1s is next on the Billboard 200, as Taylor Swift’s Midnights is a non-mover at No. 3 (60,000 equivalent album units; up 4%), SZA’s SOS is stationary at No. 4 (54,000; down 4%) and Wallen’s Dangerous is steady at No. 5 (49,000; up 4%).

LE SSERAFIM debuts at No. 6 with Unforgiven, marking its first top 10 and second charting effort on the Billboard 200. The Korean pop girl group’s album enters the chart with 45,000 equivalent album units earned (up 691%). Of that sum, 38,500 comprise album sales, 6,500 comprise SEA units (equaling 9.04 million on-demand official streams of the set’s 13 tracks) and TEA units comprise a negligible sum.

The album was released to digital retailers and streaming services on May 1, and earned 6,000 equivalent album units in the week ending May 4 (not enough to debut on the Billboard 200). The set debuts on the chart following the release of its CD edition on May 5.

Like many K-pop releases, the CD edition of Unforgiven was issued in collectible CD packages (11 total, including exclusives for Target, Walmart and the Weverse webstore), each containing a standard set of bonus items and randomized photocards. Effectively all of Unforgiven’s first-week album sales were CDs, with a negligible sum generated by digital download album sales. The set was not available in any other retail format (such as vinyl or cassette).

While LE SSERAFIM has yet to chart on the Billboard Hot 100, the album’s title track — with Nile Rodgers — debuted at No. 61 on the Billboard Global 200 and No. 39 on the Global 200 Excluding U.S. chart (both dated May 13).

Swift’s chart-topping Lover rises 10-7 on the Billboard 200 (37,000 equivalent album units earned; up 8%), Bad Bunny’s former leader Un Verano Sin Ti jumps back to the top 10, climbing 11-8 (36,000; up 8%), Luke Combs’ Gettin’ Old falls 7-9 (nearly 36,000; down 3%) and Metro Boomin’s former No. 1 Heroes & Villains dips 9-10 (34,000; down 1%).

Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.

14 May 2023

Nicki Minaj Goes Back to Trinidad in Island-Themed ‘Red Ruby Da Sleeze’ Video: Watch

Nicki Minaj has shared the music video for latest single “Red Ruby Da Sleeze.”

The Queen of Rap took to social media on Mother’s Day (May 14) to officially unveil the island-themed clip, which was filmed in the superstar rapper’s home island of Trinidad and Tobago.

“There’s now a full #RedRubyDaSleeze video on YOUTUBE!!!! It’ll be everywhere else next week. Happy early MOTHER’S DAY,” Minaj wrote on Instagram.

In the video, Minaj dons a strappy black swimsuit while ferociously rapping the track’s lyrics atop a deck that overlooks the ocean. Elsewhere, she lounges oceanside and struts city streets with Basketball Wives star Brooke Bailey. Other footage shows Minaj looking stunning in a “red ruby”-colored silk robe, which she later takes off to provide a better look at her bathing suit.

Minaj previously revealed that she filmed the “Red Ruby Da Sleeze” video while spending time in spending in her native Trinidad for the island’s 2023 Carnival festivities.

“Red Ruby da Sleeze,” which debuted at No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 in mid-March, saw the the rapper interpolating Lumidee’s “Never Leave You (Uh Oooh, Uh Oooh),” which peaked at No. 3 on the Hot 100 in 2003. The track follows a similar formula to her 2022 Hot 100 No. 1 hit “Super Freaky Girl,” which sampled Rick James’ 1981 song “Super Freak.”

Watch Minaj’s “Red Ruby Da Sleeze” video below.

14 May 2023

NBA Dumbboy: Ja Morant Spotted Flashing Gun On IG Live Again, Twitter Is Livid

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Ja Morant is proving himself to be excellent at hustling backwards. The NBA superstar was recently spotted once again flashing a gun while appearing on an Instagram Live, and the NBA is aware of the situation while NBA Twitter is as pissed as anyone.

Previously, Ja Morant flashing a firearm on IG cost him an 8 game suspension and time away from the team. Well clearly, he didn’t take the message to heart.

There was Mr. Morant holding what seems to be a black pistol while on IG which started circulating on Saturday night (May 13). In the since-deleted video (but nothing is ever truly deleted on the Internets), Morant is seen in his friend Davonte Pack’s account holding a handgun while in the passenger seat of a car and singing along to a rap song. Also, the original IG Live had a viewership of just over 100 people.

Bruh…

There is no doubt that the high-flying point guard will be suspended for a significant number of games for the 2023-2023 NBA season. But for now, the Memphis Grizzlies have already suspended Morant from all team activities according to ESPN.

“We are aware of the social media post involving Ja Morant and are in the process of gathering more information,” said NBA spokesperson Mike Bass in a statement Sunday (May 14).

Twitter has not been too kind to Morant considering this is his second offense of the same kind of incident. There have also been other off the count incidents that don’t place Morant in the best of lights like allegedly beating up a teen basketball player or beefing with workers in a sneaker store.

Check out reactions to Morant’s latest headass decision-making in the gallery.

14 May 2023

Taylor Swift Appears to Defend Fan from Security Guard at Eras Concert in Philadelphia

Taylor Swift was looking out for her fans on Saturday (May 13) during night two of her Eras Tour stop at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field.

The 33-year-old pop superstar stopped mid-performance during a shortened version of “Bad Blood” to seemingly call out a security guard. As seen in a fan-captured video, Swift noticeably lingered near the side of the stage and shouted, “She’s fine!” and “She wasn’t doing anything!” between song lyrics. She then shouted, “Hey! Stop!” before continuing on with the performance.

Although it was unclear what specifically happened during the incident, social media users who said they attended the concert agreed that Swift was defending a fan from an overly aggressive security guard, who were strict and plentiful near the stage.

“taylor was yelling at a security guard because they fully kept putting their hands on us to physically push us off of the barricade instead of just telling us to move,” @jackandtaylor wrote on Twitter. “we weren’t throwing anything, we weren’t screaming anything insane, she was fully coming over to dance and sing with us and it resulted in security being extremely aggressive for no reason.”

Other standout moments during the Philly show included the surprise song portion of her set, which included Fearless deep cut “Forever & Always” (requested by her friend Lena Dunham) and 1989 standout “This Love.”

Swift’s three-date Philadelphia weekend at Lincoln Financial Field comes to a close on Sunday night.

Watch Swift defending a fan during “Bad Blood” in the clip below.