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04 Apr 2023

Rosalía & Rauw Alejandro’s ‘Beso’ Makes Top 5 Debut on Hot Latin Songs Chart

Rosalía and Rauw Alejandro each add a new top 10 to their Billboard charts career history as “Beso” debuts at No. 4 on the Hot Latin Songs ranking dated April 8. The new achievement is their first as a couple, following five top 10s collaborative entries for Rosalía, and eight for Rauw Alejandro.

In total, “Beso” is Rosalía’s seventh top 10, and the 10th for Rauw Alejandro.

“Beso” is from the pair’s joint three-song release, RR, which arrived March 24 through Duars/Columbia/Sony Music Latin. The track, previously teased on Rosalía’s TikTok account on March 16, was accompanied by its music video, in which the couple announced their engagement.

The reggaetón-pop tune traces its high debut on the upper region on Hot Latin Songs — a blend of airplay, digital sales, and streaming activity– largely to 9.1 million official U.S. streams earned during the March 24-30 tracking week, according to Luminate. The sum makes for a No. 38 start on the all-genre Streaming Songs chart and a No. 4 on Latin Streaming Songs.

“Beso” also sold 2,000 downloads during the same period, making it the top-selling Latin song of the week with a No. 1 debut on Latin Digital Song Sales and a No. 36 on Digital Song Sales. On the former, it becomes Rosalía’s sixth No. 1 and Rauw’s fourth.

Radio, the third metric that contributes to Hot Latin Songs, also adds to “Beso’s” high start. The song registered 3 million in audience impressions in its third week. As such, it starts at No. 44 on the all-genre Latin Airplay chart.

“Beso” concurrently captures multiple top 10 entries across Billboard charts: No. 6 on Latin Pop Airplay, No. 10 on the Billboard Global 200, No. 7 on the Global Excl. U.S. chart. Plus, it makes its first chart appearance on Latin Rhythm Airplay at No. 17 and on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 tally, at No. 52.

04 Apr 2023

Hot 100 First-Timers: Lola Brooke & Billy B’s ‘Don’t Play With It’ Arrives, Sparked by Latto & Yung Miami Remix

Brooklyn rappers Lola Brooke and Billy B each score their first career entry on the Billboard Hot 100 chart (dated April 8), as “Don’t Play With It” debuts at No. 69.

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The song, originally released in May 2021 via Team Eighty/Arista Records (and billed as by Lola Brooke featuring Billy B), opens with 17.1 million radio airplay audience impressions (up 19%), 5.7 million U.S. streams (up 124%) and 600 downloads sold (up 194%) March 24-30, according to Luminate.

Spurring the song’s latest gains is its new remix, released March 24, with Latto and Yung Miami (both credited as lead artists on the Hot 100; Billy B is billed as featured).

The track concurrently jumps 22-11 on Hot Rap Songs and 33-21 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.

Radio wise, the song rises 8-5 on Rap Airplay, 10-6 on Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay and 13-9 on R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay and holds at its No. 20 high on Rhythmic Airplay. On the all-genre-format Radio Songs chart, the song rises 48-44.

TikTok has been a factor in the song’s growing profile, as a portion of the track has been used in nearly 450,000 videos on the platform. Another version, a mash-up with 50 Cent’s “Candy Shop,” has been used in nearly 600,000 clips. (TikTok does not contribute directly to Billboard‘s charts.)

Brooke and Billy B are both newcomers to Billboard’s charts, as “Play” became both acts’ first entries.

Brooke has been releasing music since 2018, starting with her breakout single “Bipolar.” She also appears on a new remix, released March 17, of Hitkidd, Gloss Up, K Carbon, Slimeroni and Aleza’s “Shabooya,” which ranks at No. 15 on Rap Airplay, No. 17 on Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, No. 19 on R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay and No. 24 on Rhythmic Airplay.

In December, Future brought out Brooke during his New Year’s Eve show at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, generating a viral clip during her hometown performance and earning a co-sign from Missy Elliott on Twitter. Brooke signed to Arista, in collaboration with Team Eighty Productions, the following week.

“Lola is the rare talent whose presence matches her message,” Arista CEO David Massey said at the time. “Her music is larger than life, but her vision is just as powerful.”

Billboard named Brooke its R&B/Hip-Hop Rookie of the Month in February.

04 Apr 2023

Eurythmics Member Dave Stewart’s Daughter Kaya Quits ‘American Idol’ Before Duet

American Idol is just weeks into the competition, and has already seen its second resignation of the season. The Monday (April 3) episode of the show took a sudden turn when Kaya Stewart, daughter of Eurythmics‘ Dave Stewart, quit the competition during Hollywood Week after struggling with feeling sick.

Originally set to perform Adam Lambert’s “Whataya Want From Me” in a duet alongside fellow hopeful Fire, Kaya revealed that she was not feeling her best. “It’s duet day right now. I’m really sick, so it was a long night,” she told the camera crew.

In an aside, Fire added, “Everything was originally amazing when Kaya and I were rehearsing this morning and going through things and figuring out our plan, then throughout the day she started getting sicker and sicker and started getting a fever and she couldn’t remember the words. It was less and less progress. We were going in the opposite direction.”

Unsure of how to proceed, Kaya explained that she didn’t want to jeopardize Fire’s chances — as well as her own — with a less than stellar performance. “I always want to give my best, and I’m not giving my best here,” she said. “I don’t think it’s a fair representation of myself to do that or for Fire either. I don’t think it’s fair on her for me to not give 100 percent when she was giving 100 percent.”

Once it was time to perform in front of the judges Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Luke Bryan, Kaya announced her decision. “I got sick at the beginning of Hollywood Week and I have been trying to push myself and keep going and during this performance. I got to work with Fire and it was such a great experience,” she said. “She’s so talented and so incredible and we bonded so much, but I realized I wasn’t able to give 100 percent, so I have decided to not perform, but Fire is going to perform and I’m really grateful that I got to be here.”

Perry asked for further clarification about what her lack of duet means for her status on the show. “Me not performing means I’m not longer going to be in the competition,” Kaya stated before tearfully running off stage.

Kaya is the second contestant on this season of Idol so far to quit. Her resignation comes after the exit of Sara Beth Liebe, who left the show to return home to her three kids; Liebe’s decision came after Perry’s “mom shaming” joke.

Fire also got emotional over Kaya’s exit, remarking that it had been a “stressful” series of events leading up to their performance. The singer, however, got a second chance when fellow contestant Jayna Elise offered to perform the song with her. Following a tearful finish and a standing ovation, Perry offered Fire a few words of encouragement.

“I’m proud of you. You’re growing, little by little. You can’t control a lot, but you can control yourself and you can control your future,” Perry told the contestant. “Thank you for standing up here and continuing to try. Thank you for swinging. Thank you for not forfeiting. Thank you for fighting. And in this moment, we get to control a little bit of your future. You’re going forward, Fire.”

Watch Kaya’s resignation and Fire’s performance of “Whataya Want From Me” in the video above.

04 Apr 2023

Record Label Market Share Q1 2023: Republic Jumps to Big Lead in Current as RCA Leads Sony Surge

Through the first three months of 2023, two albums have largely defined the year and had a profound effect on the record label market share rankings for the first quarter: Morgan Wallen’s One Thing At a Time, on Republic; and SZA’s S.O.S., on RCA. Combined, the albums have spent all but two weeks atop the Billboard 200 albums chart this year and have contributed significantly to major gains for their respective labels.

In terms of current market share — albums released in the past 18 months — Republic Records has had a white-hot start, posting a 12.45% mark and besting the second-highest label, Interscope Geffen A&M (7.75%), by nearly five full percentage points. While Republic has continued to benefit from an exceptionally strong fourth quarter of 2022 — Q4 releases like Taylor Swift’s Midnights, Metro Boomin’s Heroes & Villains and Drake & 21 Savage’s Her Loss are all in the top 10 most-consumed albums of 2023 so far — much of that increase can be attributed to Wallen’s album. One Thing At a Time is so big that Wallen’s Republic label partner, Big Loud Records, would have ranked as the No. 8 label in current share in Q1 if it were broken out on its own, having posted a 2.84% share so far in the year. (Republic’s market share encompasses Big Loud, Island, Cash Money, Mercury and indie distributor Imperial.) In fact, the first-week impact of Wallen’s album was so large that it boosted Republic’s single-week current market share from 9.76% the week before it came out to 18.14% the week it debuted, meaning that nearly one in every five album consumption units that week was a Republic Records release.

Meanwhile, the SZA album, which has topped the Billboard 200 for eight non-consecutive weeks in 2023 so far, helped catapult RCA to a 5.76% current market share in Q1 this year. That’s up from 4.34% this time last year and lands it in fifth place, only slightly behind its Sony sister label Columbia at 5.85%. That’s significant enough for RCA on its own — rarely, if ever, has it placed above Columbia in current share in any quarter in recent years — but alongside strong new releases like the Miley Cyrus album Endless Summer Vacation on Columbia, as well as the continuing success of releases from 2022 from Bad Bunny (Un Verano Sin Ti, The Orchard), Harry Styles (Harry’s House, Columbia), Beyoncé (Renaissance, Columbia) and Future (I Never Liked You, Epic), it’s helped push Sony Music Entertainment to a 28.46% current share in Q1. That’s up from 24.0% at this point last year and places Sony at its highest mark since the end of 2016, according to Luminate.

Those are the biggest takeaways from a first quarter that has thrown up plenty of surprises so far, as labels have settled into another year of a changing marketplace. Sony’s surge has seen the second-largest major close the gap in current share on market leader Universal Music Group, which essentially held steady at 33.59% in Q1 2023 from 33.58% at the same point last year. The indie sector also had a strong quarter of releases, accounting for 21.15% of the market, while Warner Music Group came in at 16.81% in current share. (Warner and the indies do not have a direct year-over-year comparison due to WMG-owned distributor ADA being shifted under Warner’s umbrella midway through 2022.)

In current share, Interscope and Atlantic both receded from the first quarter of 2022 to 7.75% (from 8.91% last year) and 7.22% (from 10.57% last year), respectively, coming in second and third. (Interscope’s market share encompasses Verve Label Group, while Atlantic’s includes the combined 300 Elektra Entertainment Group). Surrounding RCA on the list is a trio of labels who all also boosted their current market share year over year, with Columbia coming in fourth (5.85%, up from 5.78%), Capitol Music Group coming in sixth (5.56%, up from 4.13%) and Warner Records finishing in seventh (5.23%, up from 4.22%), marking encouraging starts for those labels over the first quarter of 2022. (Columbia’s share includes some labels from indie distributor RED; Capitol includes Motown/Quality Control, Astralwerks, Blue Note and indie distributor Virgin; and Warner Records includes catalog label Rhino, Warner Latin and the bulk of Warner Nashville.)

Coming in eighth in current share is Sony Nashville at 2.30%, bolstered by the continued success of Luke Combs and his brand new album, Growin’ Old. That’s up big from the 1.51% it had in Q1 last year before Growin’ Up was released last April. In ninth place is Epic Records, which at 2.06% saw a boost from 1.83% at this point in 2022. Sony Music Latin rounded out the top 10 among current share with 1.92%.

In overall market share, which factors in current as well as a label’s catalog, Universal Music Group’s dominance extends to more than 10 percentage points, at 37.65% over Sony’s 27.62%. That gap has narrowed, however, as Sony picked up nearly two full percentage points year over year, posting its best number since the end of 2016. Warner, in overall share, flipped back above the indies, at 18.55%, with the latter posting 16.81% for the first quarter.

Among the individual labels, Interscope was No. 1 in overall share, at 9.44%, coming in just ahead of Republic’s 9.16%. That represents a slight dip for IGA (9.76% in Q1 last year), while Republic’s strong current share boosted it significantly from the 7.91% it posted in the first quarter of 2022, when it came in third. Dropping from second to third in overall share this year is Atlantic, at 8.31%, down from 9.49% this time last year.

Also making a jump in overall share is Capitol, which rebounded from sixth at this point last year to reach fourth in overall share in Q1 this year with 6.68%, up from 5.91% in 2022. Following in fifth and sixth are Columbia (6.55%) and Warner (6.38%), respectively, each up slightly year over year. RCA’s strong current figure this year allows it to stay in seventh, albeit with a larger 5.50% versus 4.92% in Q1 2022. Epic (2.63%) and Sony Nashville (2.03%) follow in eighth and ninth, while Def Jam’s stronger catalog figure lands it in 10th at 1.96% overall.

Additional Notes

— Because 300 Elektra Entertainment’s market share is included under Atlantic, they were excluded from breaking out in the rankings so as to not double count the figures. But its combined overall share comes out to 2.24%, which would have been good enough for ninth overall on its own. And that’s without digging into the success of Bailey Zimmerman, who has a top 10 record on the Hot 100 right now with “Rock And a Hard Place.” Zimmerman is signed to Elektra, which has its market share run through Atlantic, but is worked at radio through Warner Nashville, which has its market share split between Warner Records and Atlantic.

— Island, which runs through Republic, had a 1.51% overall share on its own, which would have been good enough for 15th had it been broken out thanks to a current share that has grown from 0.51% to 0.70% year over year. Similarly, Motown, which runs through Capitol, came in at 1.04% overall, driven by a big leap in current share from 0.71% in Q1 last year to 1.48% in Q1 this year thanks to releases from Lil Yachty and Lil Baby, among others.

— Elsewhere, Alamo continued punching high. Despite the fact that it’s the youngest label with probably the smallest roster of any label that made the rankings, it ranked 15th in current market share, at 0.88%, higher than several much larger and older labels.

04 Apr 2023

Taylor Swift’s Stealthy Way of Secretly Traveling to Stage on Eras Tour Confirmed by a Fan Video

Taylor Swift has a lot of tricks up her sleeve, but fans just figured out one of them. Since the Eras Tour kicked off a few weeks ago, Swifties have been wondering how the pop star travels from backstage to the spotlight without being seen before each show — and now, a fan video has seems to have cracked the case.

One concertgoer in attendance at the trio of Eras Tour shows in Arlington, Texas, over the weekend captured the “Anti-Hero” singer’s undercover entrance in a Monday (April 3) TikTok that shows Swift apparently hiding in a fake cleaning cart filled with mops as two crew members roll her inconspicuously to her starting spot underneath the stage. At the end of the video, a door on the side of the cart opens and Swift — unmistakable in her sparkly outfit and long blonde hair — appears to stride out.

“Not Taylor Swift popping out of the janitor cart,” the fan captioned the video.

Billboard has reached out to Swift’s rep for comment.

Fans have long suspected that the cart was actually carrying the night’s headliner instead of cleaning supplies, but now, they actually have proof. The fake-out is similar to a tactic believed to be used by Harry Styles for his Love On Tour shows, in which he appears to hide in a large equipment box rolled out right before his performance begins, with him magically appearing from underneath the stage.

The “Lavender Haze” musician just finished up her third weekend of Eras Tour shows, which kicked off in March in Glendale, Ariz., and was followed by sets in Las Vegas and Arlington. She’ll take this weekend off before returning with a trio of shows in Tampa on April 13, 14 and 15 at Raymond James Stadium.

See the video of Taylor Swift popping out of her faux janitor cart below:

04 Apr 2023

Man! Shania Twain Is Totally Down For a Possible Megan Thee Stallion Collab: ‘I Love Her Whole Mind’

After getting to know each other this weekend at the 2023 CMT Music Awards, country music legend Shania Twain said she’s totally down for a possible collaboration with rapper Megan Thee Stallion. The two got acquainted when Meg presented the Equal Play Honor to Twain at the show and Twain told ET Online that it got her thinking about how they might sound together.

“I love her… what a sweetheart!,” Twain said of the “Body” MC, who was seated near the country queen in the audience during the broadcast. She added that they got along “very well… I love her as a person.”

There is one question, however, Twain is very glad Megan didn’t ask her. “She is a great talent, I was just glad she didn’t ask me to twerk out there. I would had to have said no,” Twain said. “She was amazing and said so many sweet things and I was really flattered she was there for me.”

The bond was so immediate, Twain added, that she revealed she “was thinking” they might vibe in the studio as well. “I think that that would really work… I love her whole mind,” the singer said.

If it happens, it would mark a hip-hop crossover first for Twain, who has typically leaned into the country/pop vein in the past when it comes to sharing the mic, including songs with Orville Peck (“Legends Never Die”), Alison Krauss & Union Station (“I’m Gonna Get You Good”), Sugar Ray’s Mark McGrath (“Party For Two), her musical hero Anne Murray (“You Needed Me”), and, at this year’s Coachella, Harry Styles for a live run through her “Man! I Feel Like a Woman!”

It would also be a first for San Antonio-bred Megan, who has also mostly stayed in her lane, teaming up with Beyoncé for the “Savage” remix, Key Glock on “Ungrateful,” Juicy J for “Simon Says,” Dua Lipa for “Sweetest Pie” and, of course, Cardi B on their Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 smash “WAP.”

04 Apr 2023

Chartbreaker: Libianca Turned Tears Into Triumph on the Soul-Baring ‘People’

Libianca will always remember last year’s Friendsgiving — after all, she ran to the bathroom sobbing in the middle of it.

The former contestant on The Voice had recently quit her job as an independent living skills worker, and had been questioning her future as a professional singer. She was no longer interested in covering already established hits; she wanted to create a life-changing one of her own.

“I was talking to God, [thinking], ‘This life is so hard.’ I don’t know what the next step is, but I was working, working, and working, and not seeing anything in return,” she recalls over Zoom.

But the Friendsgiving breakdown left her inspired, and later in November, the embattled singer — who has been diagnosed with cyclothymia, a rare mood disorder that can cause extreme emotional highs and lows — chose to detail her pain through songwriting. She went on YouTube and found a beat that captured her discomfort, then recorded on Apple’s Logic Pro. Within a day, what began as a therapy session formed the foundation for “People,” the 22-year-old R&B-Afrobeats artist’s breakout hit and long-awaited ticket to stardom.

Born in Minnesota, Libianca Kenzonkinboum Fonji moved to Cameroon with her family when she was 4. There, she drew inspiration from her first babysitter, who enjoyed singing while cleaning around the house. Their relationship sparked Libianca’s initial love for singing, and by the age of 10, she began writing her own songs.

At 13, she moved back to Minnesota and joined a local choir, learning how to engineer, record and mix her vocals soon after. By her late teens, she was covering songs like SZA’s “Good Days” and Billie Eilish’s “Everything I Wanted,” the latter of which she also performed on The Voice in 2021.

Though she was ultimately eliminated after making the show’s top 20, her departure was soon followed by a string of independent one-off releases, including her cover of “Everything I Wanted” at the end of 2021 and a spin on Doja Cat’s “Woman” the following spring.

Libianca photographed on March 17, 2023 in Los Angeles.

Libianca photographed on March 17, 2023 in Los Angeles.

Liam Woods

Yet the original single “People” is the one that cut through — and is a shining example of how sourcing your pain can have impactful results. While the track bursts with Afrobeats flavor, poignant lyrics like the opening line “I’ve been drinking more alcohol for the past five days/Did you check on me? Now, did you look for me?” ground the song while addressing the impact of substance abuse on mental health.

Libianca played the song for her manager M3tro, whom she met five years ago during her time as a student at the University of Minnesota (the two creatives became fast friends, and eventually roommates). And while he raved about the record, he instantly became concerned while listening to the lyrics. “Once she played the song, I asked her, ‘I know something’s going on, but what’s up?’ ” M3tro remembers. “That’s when I was like, ‘I really have to pay more attention.’ ”

Several days after writing and recording the breakthrough hit, Libianca posted a teaser clip on TikTok in which she was holding a bottle of wine as a snippet of the song played in the background. According to M3tro, within 30 minutes of uploading the clip, likes and comments started flooding her notifications. “Waking up the next morning to so many people feeling so connected to the song [was special],” Libianca says. “I saw families sending me videos of their babies singing the song, and [had] women messaging me about the sh-t that they go through in their homes and how this song needs to drop ASAP because it’s calling to their hearts.”

To date, the viral clip has compiled more than 4.8 million views on TikTok. Less than a week after the initial post, she upped the ante with a live rendition of the track in front of a simple color backdrop. The DIY clip has since earned 1.3 million views on Instagram and 2.5 million on TikTok.

The buzz surrounding the unreleased track soon caught the attention of acclaimed U.K. producer Jae5, who quickly reached out in hopes of signing Libianca to his 5K Records label, and did so last December — just one month after her memorable Friendsgiving. Once the deal was done, Jae quickly mixed the record and helped with the song’s final arrangement before its official release on Dec. 6.

“When it comes to music, that man is my big brother for life,” says M3tro of Jae5. “Not only is he that, but he’s also humble and genuine. He comes in like, ‘How can the music be the best way it needs to be?’ And we applaud him for that.”

Libianca and M3tro photographed on March 17, 2023 in Los Angeles.

Libianca (left) and M3tro photographed on March 17, 2023 in Los Angeles.

Liam Woods

“People” debuted on the Billboard U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart in mid-December — where it has held at a No. 2 high since January — and has 288.7 million official on-demand global streams through March 30, according to Luminate. The song also became Libianca’s first entry on the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl U.S. charts. And in March, she dropped multiple remixes to maximize the crossover momentum, including one with fellow Afrobeats stars Omah Lay and Ayra Starr and another with Irish singer-songwriter Cian Ducrot.

“We were very particular about who else was gonna hop on this song, because the message is very crystal-clear,” says Libianca. “[‘People’] is very vulnerable, and anyone that comes on there has to be vulnerable as well in their own way.”

Libianca says that her next single, due later this month, will be about “a bunch of real sh-t we don’t like to talk about.” An EP will soon follow. “It doesn’t have to be sad, per se, but if it’s not something I can feel, I’m not gon’ release it,” she explains. “I want every single one of my songs to be an experience rather than just doing what I need to do to get the next check.”

A version of this story originally appeared in the April 1, 2023, issue of Billboard.

04 Apr 2023

Pipe Bueno Inks Management Deal With Business Manager JB & OCESA Seitrack

Pipe Bueno has signed a management deal with Business Manager JB (helmed by artist manager Juan Ballesteros) and OCESA Seitrack, Billboard can exclusively reveal today (April 4). 

With the new signing, JB & OCESA will develop Pipe’s career at a musical and commercial level in Mexico with the mission of taking his 15-year-long trajectory to an international level.  

“We are sure that we signed the best representative of the genre in Colombia, and as an artist, he can transcend,” Ballesteros, who also manages Mike Bahía, Greeicy and Annasofia, tells Billboard. “I think we have a new ballad, mariachi, and pop star that comes with a lot of music and collaborations. We are happy to have this new challenge with Pipe Bueno and I hope that everyone receives it with the same joy and enthusiasm that we do.”

The artist born Andrés Felipe Giraldo Bueno launched his self-titled debut album in 2008, and has since risen to pioneer “la música popular Colombiana,” a musical genre that fuses traditional folk music from the Paisa Region with Regional Mexican elements, such as mariachi and ranchera. The genre is also locally known as “música de cantina” and is played at every parranda, parties that feature local music and food. 

The innovative 31-year-old singer-songwriter has laced the genre with urban and pop rhythms by teaming up with artists such as Wisin, Zion, and Darrel, to name a few. Pipe has collaborated twice with his good friend and colleague Maluma on the tracks “La Invitación” (2014) and “Tequila” (2020). The former entered the Billboard Latin Rhythm Airplay chart in 2016.

Pipe Bueno

Agencia Jaque

04 Apr 2023

Omar Apollo Tops Emerging Artists Chart Thanks to Vinyl Release of ‘Ivory’

Singer-songwriter Omar Apollo hits No. 1 on Billboard’s Emerging Artists chart (dated April 8), leading for the first time thanks to his debut studio album, Ivory.

Originally released in April 2022 via Warner Records, the set re-enters the Billboard 200 chart at No. 74 with 13,000 equivalent album units earned (up 265%) March 24-30, according to Luminate, exceeding its original No. 128 peak. The album’s vinyl edition arrived March 24, sparking 9,000 sold on vinyl in the tracking week.

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Ivory concurrently debuts at No. 3 on the Vinyl Albums chart, and re-enters Top Album Sales at No. 12, a new best.

The set contains Apollo’s breakout single “Evergreen,” which reached No. 51 on the Billboard Hot 100 in October (becoming his first career entry), as well as No. 6 on Adult Alternative Airplay and No. 33 on Pop Airplay.

Elsewhere on Emerging Artists, South Korean group NMIXX debuts at No. 2 thanks to its debut EP Expergo. The set debuts at No. 122 on the Billboard 200 (10,000 units), plus No. 5 on World Albums and No. 13 on Top Album Sales.

The Emerging Artists chart ranks the most popular developing artists of the week, using the same formula as the all-encompassing Billboard Artist 100, which measures artist activity across multiple Billboard charts, including the Hot 100, Billboard 200 and the Social 50. (The Artist 100 lists the most popular acts, overall, each week.) However, the Emerging Artists chart excludes acts that have notched a top 25 entry on either the Hot 100 or Billboard 200, as well as artists that have achieved two or more top 10s on Billboard’s “Hot” song genre charts and/or consumption-based “Top” album genre rankings.

For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

04 Apr 2023

Jimin Becomes First BTS Member to Rule Artist 100 Chart Solo, Thanks to ‘FACE’ & ‘Like Crazy’

Jimin jumps from No. 10 to No. 1 on the Billboard Artist 100 chart (dated April 8), becoming the top musical act in the United States for the first time, thanks to his new solo album, FACE, and its breakout track, “Like Crazy.”

The set, released via BigHit Music/Geffen/Interscope Records, debuts at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 with 164,000 equivalent album units, according to Luminate. The last artist to debut as high with a first charting effort was Olivia Rodrigo, whose LP Sour debuted at No. 1 in June 2021.

The new album’s “Like Crazy” concurrently blasts in at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming Jimin’s first solo No. 1 outside BTS, which has scored six leaders.

Jimin also becomes the first South Korean soloist top the Hot 100.

All seven members of BTS have scored solo Hot 100-charting songs, with Jimin the first to reach No. 1. Here’s a look at every entry on the chart by a BTS member so far, listed chronologically:

Artist Billing, Title (Peak Position, Date):

  • J-Hope feat. Becky G, “Chicken Noodle Soup” (No. 81; Oct. 12, 2019)
  • Agust D (Suga’s alternate billing), “Daechwita” (No. 76; June 6, 2020)
  • Juice WRLD & Suga, “Girl of My Dreams” (No. 29; Dec. 25, 2021)
  • V, “Christmas Tree” (No. 79; Jan. 8, 2022)
  • Jung Kook, “Stay Alive” (No. 95; Feb. 26, 2022)
  • PSY feat. Suga, “That That” (No. 80; May 14, 2022)
  • Charlie Puth feat. Jung Kook, “Left and Right” (No. 22; July 9, 2022)
  • J-Hope, “More” (No. 82; July 16, 2022)
  • J-Hope, “Arson” (No. 96; July 30, 2022)
  • JIN, “The Astronaut” (No. 51; Nov. 12, 2022)
  • RM with Youjeen, “Wild Flower” (No. 83; Dec. 17, 2022)
  • TAEYANG feat. Jimin, “Vibe” (No. 76; Jan. 28, 2023)
  • J-Hope with J. Cole, “On the Street” (No. 60; March 18, 2023)
  • Jimin, “Set Me Free, Pt. 2” (No. 30; April 1, 2023)
  • Jimin, “Like Crazy,” (No, 1; April 8, 2023)

Jimin is the first solo member of BTS to hit No. 1 on the Artist 100, and is the only member of the group to have reached the chart.

A week ago, he became the seventh member of the septet to rule the Emerging Artists chart. (He graduates from the survey this week, due to his new Billboard 200 and Hot 100 success, per chart rules).

Jimin is also the first South Korean soloist to crown the Artist 100. The South Korean groups to lead the list: BTS (21 weeks), BLACKPINK, Stray Kids (two each), SuperM, TOMORROW X TOGETHER and TWICE (one each).

Among other Artist 100 chart moves, Lana Del Rey vaults 29-5 thanks to her new album, Did You Know There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd, which opens at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 (115,000 units), marking her ninth top 10. Fall Out Boy re-enters at No. 8 thanks to its new LP So Much (For) Stardust, which starts at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 (64,000 units), becoming the act’s seventh top 10.

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.