News

25 Jan 2023

Trending Up: Miley Cyrus‘ Back Catalog Blossoms Post-’Flowers,‘ Sabrina Carpenter Scores a No-’Nonsense’ Pop Breakthrough & More


Welcome to Billboard Pro’s Trending Up column, where we take a closer look at the songs, artists, curiosities and trends that have caught the music industry’s attention. Some have come out of nowhere, others have taken months to catch on, and all of them could become ubiquitous in the blink of a TikTok clip. 
 
This week: Miley Cyrus’ runaway 2023 hit leads to gains not only for her whole discography but for a fellow ’10s superstar’s own 2013 smash, Sabrina Carpenter takes the next step towards crossover pop success, and Baby Tate has a TikTok breakout with an old song that interpolates a much older song.

“Flowers” Success Pollenates Miley Cyrus‘ Whole Back Catalog (And One Bruno Mars Hit)

Miley Cyrus‘ “Flowers” is in bloom on the Billboard Hot 100 this week, becoming just the second single in her storied pop career to top the chart, and her first to debut on top. It does so with some of the most spectacular first-full-week numbers of the decade so far: 52.6 million streams, 70,000 digital song sales and 33.5 million radio airplay audience impressions, according to Luminate.

But it’s not just the Columbia-released “Flowers” that’s blossoming this week — Cyrus’ entire back catalog is growing in the sunlight of her new release. Even without accounting for “Flowers,” Cyrus’ discography is up from 20.7 weekly million official on-demand U.S. streams in the tracking week ending Jan. 12 to 34.2 million the following week (ending Jan. 19), a 65% gain.

Read more in our full article on Miley’s streaming boom (and its Bruno Mars spillover) here.

Sabrina Carpenter Nails Down a Breakout Hot 100 Hit

Six months after releasing her Island Records debut Emails I Can’t Send, Sabrina Carpenter has her biggest hit from the pop project. “Nonsense” debuts at No. 75 on this week’s Hot 100 after making a pronounced impact on streaming charts since the beginning of 2023, and its weekly streaming totals are quickly rising.

“Nonsense,” on which Carpenter sings about feeling so flustered around a significant other that she gets tongue-tied, started going viral on TikTok over the past month. Credit goes to a combination of a sped-up version of the rhythmic pop-rock track and a cheeky dance routine set to its second verse (“I’m talkin’ all around the clock / I’m talkin’ hope nobody knocks / I’m talkin’ opposite of soft / I’m talkin’ wild, wild thoughts,” Carpenter sings). The song’s momentum was also helped by a well-choreographed live performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! that was widely shared by pop fans around social media.

TikTok Cheers Along Baby Tate’s “Mickey” Reinvention

Choreographer-turned-accidental pop star Toni Basil topped the Hot 100 back in 1983 with “Mickey,” a gender-flipped cover of ’70s U.K. glam-rockers Racer’s “Kitty” turned into a cheerleading stomp-along (with help from an unforgettable music video, an early MTV staple). Atlanta rapper-singer Baby Tate introduced another step in the song’s evolution in 2016 with “Hey Mickey,” a bouncy trap banger keyed around a sultrier rendition of the classic “Mickey” hook.

“Hey Mickey” had limited commercial impact upon its release, but is making waves in 2023 thanks to — what else? — the song going viral on TikTok, with hundreds of thousands of videos of users miming along to its refrain, or posting it over various clip montages, with some videos receiving likes in the millions. It’s led to the song also detonating on streaming, with its weekly official on-demand U.S. streams growing from barely over 2,000 in mid-December to over 2.3 million for the week ending Jan. 19. And it’s still climbing — meaning Tate might be coming for Basil’s head “Mickey” cheerleader status soon enough. — ANDREW UNTERBERGER

PartyNextDoor Finds a PartyNineYearsAgo With Viral ‘Her Way’

Earlier this month, PartyNextDoor returned with “Her Old Friends,” a new single that followed the R&B star’s 2022 singles “No Fuss” and “Sex in the Porsche.” Yet none of those recent tracks are burning up streaming services quite like “Her Way,” the slinky cut from his 2014 project PartyNextDoor Two, which has gotten the sped-up TikTok treatment and soared back into the public consciousness.

Over the past month, “Her Way” has increased its weekly U.S. on-demand streaming total by nearly tenfold — 498,000 streams during the week ending Dec. 22, up to 4.93 million streams during the week ending Jan. 19, according to Luminate. PND himself is playing into the revival: days after releasing “Her Old Friends,” the singer-songwriter released an official “Her Way [Sped Up]” version of the track. With more music expected from PartyNextDoor this year, “Her Way” could serve as an unexpected lead-in to a potential new project. – JASON LIPSHUTZ

25 Jan 2023

Lizzo Shows Off New Short Haircut & Sips Latte Art of Herself: ‘It’s Giving Bobbiana’

Lizzo took to social media Tuesday (Jan. 24) to reveal that she’d gotten a chop and is now sporting a chic new bob.

“ITS GIVING BOBBIANA,” the pop star captioned the carousel of selfies on Instagram, which show that, in addition to the cut, she’d lightened her famous tresses with blond highlights. In the first two photos, she smizes down the camera, looking over the top of her sunglasses from the front seat of a car while wearing a black trench coat. The next video gives fans a peek at the hairstyle in motion as she touches up her locks with her fingers.

Following her stop at the salon, it appears Lizzo also dropped into a coffee shop to enjoy a latte featuring a rather meticulously detailed re-creation of her portrait in its foam. “I want Lizzo latte or cappuccino art only & forever,” Jonathan Van Ness of Queer Eye commented after seeing the artsy espresso, while SZA performed her requisite hypeman duties for her close pal by writing, “Ur so pretty and cool Marsha” in the comments section with a heart-eyes emoji.

Next month, Lizzo is set to take the stage at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles for the 2023 Grammy Awards. Other musicians performing during the telecast include Sam Smith and Kim Petras, Mary J. Blige, Bad Bunny, Brandi Carlile, Luke Combs and Steve Lacy. At the ceremony, the Yitty shapewear designer is nominated for a total of five awards including record of the year, album of the year, song of the year and best pop vocal album.

Get a look at Lizzo’s shorter, blonder locks below.

25 Jan 2023

Chloe Bailey Teases New Single ‘Pray It Away’ With Stunning Candlelight Photos: Here’s When It Arrives

Chloe Bailey‘s highly anticipated debut solo album, In Pieces, is finally on the way. The singer, one-half of sister duo Chloe x Halle, revealed her album plans this week, and she followed up the announcement with news about the LP’s lead single on Wednesday (Jan. 25).

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

The “Treat Me” singer shared a stunning image of herself draped in white and sheer fabric, holding her hands up in prayer. Bailey is seen at the center of a religious space and kneels in the middle of a floor surrounded by glowing white candles. “1ST PIECE. #PRAYITAWAY. JAN 27TH,” the 24-year-old wrote, indicating that her album’s first single is arriving this Friday.

Fans in the comments section were more than excited for the upcoming release. SZA hopped in the conversation and wrote, “I cannot WAIT !!!” while another user gushed over the visuals and said, “brooo this is sickening!!!”

Though there are currently no other details about In Pieces, Bailey’s Tuesday announcement revealed that the record will be released in March; an exact release date has yet to be shared.

In an interview with Essence, Chloe explained that the album is “everything that I’ve been going through, all the tearing down, people underestimating, telling me I can’t do it — all of those things have gone into the music.” She added, “The album is me picking myself up and talking myself out of any little place or space that the world has tried to put me in, that people and personal relationships have tried to put me in, and even [doing that to] myself. It’s me breaking free.”

See Bailey’s announcement for “Pray It Away” below.

25 Jan 2023

Official HIGE DANdism’s ‘Subtitle’ Breaks Record for Most Weeks at No. 1 on Japan Hot 100

Official HIGE DANdism’s “Subtitle” makes history on the latest Billboard Japan Hot 100, released Jan. 25, extending its record to 12 weeks at No. 1 (8 of those weeks consecutively) to break the all-time record for longest-leading single on the chart.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

The records for both consecutive and non-consecutive weeks at No. 1 were previously held by Gen Hoshino’s “Koi,” which hit No. 1 seven times consecutively and 11 times in all.

“Subtitle” racked up 12,610,115 streams this week, down from 13,481,602 last week, to rule the metric for the 14th consecutive week. The grand total for the track is currently at 259,611,559 streams. The song is at No. 4 for downloads (7,654 units, down from 8,709) after topping the metric 8 times and totaling 273,438 units to date. It racked up 1,839,544 views (down from 2,044,575) to come in at No. 3 for video views, and while it never hit No. 1 for this metric, it stayed at No. 2 for 9 weeks and currently totals 36,927,130 views.

While “Subtitle” continues to gradually slow down (7.2 percent down in total points from the previous week), it’s still around 2,000 points ahead of the song at No. 2 — “KICK BACK” by Kenshi Yonezu — and it’ll be interesting to see if it can extend its record next week and beyond.

KinKi Kids’ “The Story of Us,” the third single marking the 25th anniversary of the Johnny’s duo’s CD debut, bows at No. 3 on the Japan Hot 100 this week. The track written by the two members launched at No. 1 for physical sales with 178,502 copies sold in its first week, but couldn’t supplement that advantage with other metrics of the chart’s methodology.

back number‘s seventh album Humor, the three-man band’s first studio set in four years, blasted in at No. 1 on Billboard Japan’s Hot Albums chart this week. The song “I Love You” off the set rises 15-7 this week on the Japan Hot 100 after collecting points in streaming and radio airplay. Other songs by the popular band, including past hits such as “Takane no Hanako-san,” also surged in points and a total of eight tracks by the band is charting on the Japan Hot 100 this week.

The Billboard Japan Hot 100 combines physical and digital sales, audio streams, radio airplay, YouTube and GYAO! video views and karaoke data.

See the full Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart, tallying the week from Jan. 16 to Jan. 22, here. For more on Japanese music and charts, visit Billboard Japan’s English Twitter account. 

25 Jan 2023

Sabrina Carpenter’s ‘Nonsense’ Scores Hot 100 Debut, Soars in Streams

Six months after releasing her Island Records debut Emails I Can’t Send, Sabrina Carpenter has her biggest hit from the pop project. “Nonsense” debuts at No. 75 on this week’s Hot 100 after making a pronounced impact on streaming charts since the beginning of 2023, and its weekly streaming totals are quickly rising.

“Nonsense,” on which Carpenter sings about feeling so flustered around a significant other that she gets tongue-tied, started going viral on TikTok over the past month. Credit goes to a combination of a sped-up version of the rhythmic pop-rock track and a cheeky dance routine set to its second verse (“I’m talkin’ all around the clock / I’m talkin’ hope nobody knocks / I’m talkin’ opposite of soft / I’m talkin’ wild, wild thoughts,” Carpenter sings). The song’s momentum was also helped by a well-choreographed live performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! that was widely shared by pop fans around social media.

“Nonsense” earned 5.82 million U.S. on-demand streams during the week ending Jan. 19, according to Luminate — a 66% spike from the previous week’s streaming total. As a result, the track has become the first Hot 100 hit off of Emails I Can’t Send, and Carpenter’s second career entry on the chart, following the 2021 single “Skin” (No. 48 peak).

“The success of ‘Nonsense,’ and the album Emails I Can’t Send as a whole, exemplifies Sabrina’s innate ability to write and perform bold pop songs, capturing large audiences alongside viral growth,” says Jackie Winkler, VP of A&R at Island, in a statement to Billboard. “It’s been hugely rewarding to witness this song come to life from the earliest demo form, to the live show, to the mainstream charts, all while solidifying her mark in pop musical culture.”

Emails I Can’t Send became Carpenter’s highest-charting entry on the Billboard 200 album chart in July, as the former Disney Channel star’s first LP in three years debuted at No. 23 on the tally. A North American headline tour in support of the album kicks off on Mar. 16.

Click here to read why Emails I Can’t Send was one of the Billboard staff’s favorite albums of 2022.

25 Jan 2023

Miley Cyrus Earns First Streaming Songs No. 1 Since 2014 With ‘Flowers’

For the first time since 2014, Miley Cyrus is No. 1 on Billboard’s Streaming Songs chart.

“Flowers,” the lead single from Cyrus’ upcoming album Endless Summer Vacation, starts atop the Streaming Songs list dated Jan. 28.

In the Jan. 13-19 tracking week, “Flowers” earned 52.6 million official U.S. streams, according to Luminate.

The song is Cyrus’ fourth No. 1 since the chart began in 2013 and her first ruler since “Adore You” led for a week in 2014.

Previously, she led for 11 and 13 weeks, respectively, in 2013 with “We Can’t Stop” and “Wrecking Ball.”

With four rulers, she moves into a four-way tie for the fourth-most No. 1s in chart history, alongside Cardi B, Lil Baby and Travis Scott. Drake leads all acts with 15 No. 1s.

Most No. 1s, Streaming Songs Chart
15, Drake
6, Justin Bieber
6, Taylor Swift
4, Cardi B
4, Lil Baby
4, Miley Cyrus
4, Travis Scott

Her latest No. 1 comes virtually nine years to her previous week atop the chart, as “Ball” spent its last week at No. 1 on the Jan. 25, 2014, list. Her nine-year wait is the longest break between No. 1s in chart history, exceeding Nicki Minaj’s nearly eight-year respite between “Anaconda” (2014) and “Super Freaky Girl” (2022) achieved last year.

Not only is “Flowers” Cyrus’ first No. 1 since 2014, it’s also her first top 10 since “Adore.”

Between “Adore” and “Flowers,” she rose as high as No. 11 twice with “Malibu” in 2017 and as part of “Don’t Call Me Angel (Charlie’s Angels),” with Ariana Grande and Lana Del Rey, in 2019.

She isn’t the only act to return to the top 10 after a long break on the Jan. 28 survey. Shakira, as part of Bizarrap’s “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53,” is back at No. 3 (20.2 million streams), her first appearance in the top 10 since “Can’t Remember to Forget You,” featuring Rihanna, reached No. 2 in 2014.

Concurrently, as previously reported, “Flowers” debuts at No. 1 on the multi-metric Billboard Hot 100, Cyrus’ second ruler. Endless Summer Vacation, her eighth studio album, is due March 10.

25 Jan 2023

T.I.’s Lawsuit Against Toymaker Ends in Mistrial Following Testimony Alleging Racism

A federal judge on Wednesday (Jan. 25) declared a mistrial in the high-profile courtroom battle pitting T.I. and wife Tameka “Tiny” Harris against toymaker MGA over a line of dolls, ending the proceedings after jurors heard inadmissible testimony claiming the company “steals from African Americans.”

A day after attorneys for MGA argued that the “inflammatory” testimony about cultural appropriation had ruined their chances of a fair trial, Judge James V. Selna agreed, granting a mistrial. That means the case will need to be re-tried in front of a new jury at some point in the future.

Following the mistrial, MGA told Billboard that “diversity has always been a key value” at the company: “We are disappointed that the trial was cut short, but look forward to vindicating our rights in the next trial.” An attorney for T.I. and Tiny did not immediately return a request for comment.

The ruling marks an abrupt end for the closely-watched intellectual property trial, in which T.I. and Tiny were trying to persuade a jury that MGA’s line of “OMG” dolls stole their look and name from the OMG Girlz, a defunct teen pop trio created by Tiny and starring her daughter Zonnique Pullins.

In their 2021 complaint, T.I. and Tiny alleged that MGA had committed both “cultural appropriation and outright theft of the intellectual property,” stealing the look of a group of “young multicultural women.” The lawsuit included side-by-side images, aiming to show how each doll was directly based on a particular member of the OMG Girlz, who disbanded in 2015.

On the fifth day of the trial, jurors heard videotaped deposition testimony from a woman named Moneice Campbell, a former MGA customer. According to court documents, Campbell testified that she would no longer purchase the company’s products because MGA “steals from African Americans and their ideas and profit off of it.” She also said that “hundreds” of social media users had agreed with the accusations, citing the fact that “people often steal from the black community and make money off of it.”

Earlier in the case, Judge Selna had already expressly prohibited such testimony from the trial. In one such order, he ruled that statements about “cultural appropriation” were “immaterial and impertinent” to the actual legal issues at play in the case and could not be made in front of jurors.

In a written motion filed after Tuesday’s courtroom proceedings had concluded, MGA’s lawyers demanded an immediate mistrial, arguing that the impact of the inadmissible testimony on the fairness of the case “cannot be understated.”

“There is no way to unring the bell of the jury’s hearing Ms. Campbell’s emotionally charged accusations that MGA has been ‘stealing’ from the African-American community,” the MGA attorneys wrote. “Her improper testimony cannot be challenged, rebutted or cured without drawing further attention to it.”

25 Jan 2023

Musicians at Paris Fashion Week 2023

Merci, Paris! Celebrities and musicians descended on the City of Light in January 2023 to attend the shows of Paris Fashion Week. As the major fashion houses and luxury brands sent their latest haute couture and ready-to-wear collections down the runways, famous faces sat in the front row to experience the highest fashion Paris has to offer.

One of the most attention-grabbing shows of the season was by Schiaparelli, where Doja Cat mingled with Kylie Jenner’s giant (faux) lion’s head and other attendees while wearing a crimson ensemble made up of 30,000 hand-applied Swarovski crystals. The rapper completed her otherworldly look with a bustier of red silk faille, a hand-knit skirt of lacquered wooden beads and “Trompe l’œil” toe boots.

Meanwhile, Dove Cameron and Sabrina Carpenter were both pretty in pink as they sat side by side for the Giambattista Valli Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2023 presentation. Both rising stars opted for feminine, off-the shoulder looks, with the “Boyfriend” singer accenting her billowy sleeves with gold, and the “Emails I Can’t Send” artist going for a color-blocked outfit in two shades of pink.

The French fashion capital also drew out K-pop stars in full force, from BTS’ Jimin and J-Hope sitting front row for the Dior Homme menswear show (J Balvin was there too!), BLACKPINK’s Jisoo supporting Dior in her role as the brand’s global ambassador, to Hoshi, Jeonghan, Rowoon Kim, Jackson Wang and more attending presentations by the likes of AMI – Alexandre Mattiussi, Yves Saint Laurent, Loewe and Louis Vuitton. Plus, Taeyang took a break from promoting his new Jimin-assisted hit “VIBE” by taking in the Givenchy show.

Scroll through Billboard‘s gallery for a look at all the musicians at Paris Fashion Week 2023.