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Camila Cabello‘s fourth studio album C,XOXO, a love letter to her home city of Miami marked by experimental hyper-pop influences, has finally arrived. Dropping Friday (June 28), the LP features 14 tracks — two of which are Drake collaborations. It was led by the singles “I Luv It” with Playboi Carti — which peaked at […]
Kevin Hart’s club days are behind him. The comedian went viral recently when he was caught on video looking bored at the club next to Latto and Usher. However, he recently revealed that it was nothing personal. Hart told Complex’s Jaelani Turner-Williams that the video “captured a real moment and a real face.” The 44-year-old added that […]
Camila Cabello is dropping her fourth studio album, C,XOXO, on Friday (June 28), and the project features a number of star-studded collaborations, including “Hot Uptown” featuring Drake and a track with the rapper on his own called “Uuugly.” Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Cabello opened up about […]
Anyone paying the least bit of attention to modern pop understands that Chappell Roan has spent the past few months becoming a singular, undeniable star.
The Missouri singer-songwriter’s debut album, 2023’s The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, has gradually grown its audience through a mix of word-of-mouth and major-platform support; meanwhile, new single “Good Luck, Babe!” has built upon the album’s momentum and become a legitimate crossover hit. In the middle of those success stories is an uncompromising new voice in mainstream pop, whose sonic diversity, thematic focus on queer identities, penchant for viral trends and spectacular vocal power have coalesced into true stardom.
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Finding anecdotal evidence of Chappell’s rise is easy enough, but digging into her recent metrics makes for a staggering case study in new-school success. Here are five numbers that demonstrate just how huge Chappell Roan has become in 2024.
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68.36 million
At the beginning of 2024, Chappell’s full catalog was hovering under 3 million weekly streams, three months after the September 2023 release of Midwest Princess: in the chart week ending Jan. 4, 2024, for instance, she earned 2.51 million U.S. on-demand streams, according to Luminate. As her profile expanded — thanks in part to opportunities like opening for Olivia Rodrigo’s Guts World Tour from late February to early April, and performing at major festivals like Governors Ball and Bonnaroo earlier this month — that weekly streaming total exploded.
Chappell Roan
Billboard
Now, Chappell’s weekly streams are more than 20 times greater than they were at the start of the year, as her catalog earned 68.36 million streams in the week ending June 20. Helping to boost that weekly streaming total is “Good Luck, Babe!,” which was released in early April; now her highest-charting Billboard Hot 100 hit, the single has been a driving force within Chappell’s total catalog numbers, as well as a gateway for unfamiliar listeners to explore more of her music.
423,000
Following its release on Sept. 22, 2023, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess did not chart on the Billboard 200: Chappell’s debut album earned 7,000 equivalent album units in its opening frame, according to Luminate, and debuted at No. 3 on the Heatseekers Albums chart. Rather amazingly, Midwest Princess did not crack the Billboard 200 until more than six months later, debuting at No. 127 on the chart dated Apr. 6 — right at the end of Chappell’s run on Rodrigo’s tour — with a little over 9,000 equivalent album units.
Chappell Roan
Billboard
That was just the beginning, though: Midwest Princess cracked five-digit equivalent album units in the following chart week and never looked back over the next three months. In the week ending June 20, the album earned 46,000 equivalent album units — more than five times what it was earning each week at the beginning of April. And after debuting outside of the Billboard 200 altogether, Midwest Princess has earned 423,000 equivalent album units through June 20 — beyond the loftiest expectations when it debuted, and with a lot more room to grow.
55,000
Although the equivalent album units total for Chappell’s debut album factors in track and streaming units, the full-length is also being purchased by fans who want to own the full experience. Earlier this month, Midwest Princess reached the top 10 of the Top Album Sales chart for the first time, thanks in part to CD and vinyl copies being replenished across retail stores (the album comes in at No. 14 on the current tally).
After debuting with 3,000 in sales upon its release last September, Midwest Princess has multiplied its opening sales by 18, for a current total of 55,000 copies sold, according to Luminate.
19
While Chappell’s music is scoring tens of millions of plays across streaming platforms each week, “Good Luck, Babe!” is concurrently making inroads at multiple radio formats. The single reaches a new peak of No. 19 on this week’s Pop Airplay chart (dated June 29) in its seventh week on the tally, as well as a new peak of No. 30 on Adult Pop Airplay.
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Meanwhile, “Babe!” makes its debut on the all-genre Radio Songs chart this week, at No. 49. If radio PDs continue to adopt “Babe!” in the coming weeks, Chappell will start reaching a different, robust audience — and potentially set herself up for even more radio hits in the future.
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Speaking of which, the performance of “Babe!” on multiple radio tallies scratches the surface of Chappell’s ever-growing presence on the Billboard charts. Midwest Princess spends its first frame in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 this week, rising three spots to No. 8 in its 13th total week on the chart — a breathtaking feat, considering that the album didn’t even crack the chart when it was first released. Meanwhile, “Babe!” has spent 11 weeks on the Hot 100, and continues to push upward: this week, the single becomes Chappell’s first top 20 hit, rising five spots to No. 16.
Perhaps the most impressive chart stat for Chappell right now, though, is that she has four concurrent Hot 100 hits, with “Red Wine Supernova” (No. 54), “Hot To Go!” (No. 55) and “Pink Pony Club” (No. 90) all joining “Babe!” on the chart. The multi-song chart takeover confirms that Chappell’s rise cannot be ascribed to one hit single, and that, as her profile continues to grow, listeners are going to keep seeking out her full catalog.
Camila Cabello is dropping her fourth solo album, C,XOXO, on Friday (June 28), and to celebrate, we’re looking back on the pop star’s journey on the charts in the latest Billboard Explains video.
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We were first introduced to Cabello as a member of Fifth Harmony following their success on The X Factor in 2012. They made their chart debut with single “Miss Movin’ On,” which peaked at No. 76 on the Hot 100. The group had four top 40 hits on the tally including “Sledgehammer” at No. 40, “Worth It” at No. 12, “All in My Head (Flex)” at No. 24 and “Work From Home” at No. 4.
As a solo artist, Cabello earned her first solo Hot 100 hit in 2015 with her Shawn Mendes collaboration, “I Know What You Did Last Summer,” which peaked at No. 20. She went on to have four top 10 hits — “Bad Things” with Machine Gun Kelly at No. 4 and “Never Be the Same” at No. 6 — including two Hot 100 chart toppers with “Havana” and her second Mendes collaboration, “Señorita.”
Check out Billboard‘s full breakdown of Cabello’s chart journey in the video above.
After the video, catch up on more Billboard Explains videos and learn about Chappell Roan’s rise to pop stardom, RM’s chart success, Stray Kids’ chart success, Peso Pluma and the Mexican music boom, the role record labels play, origins of hip-hop, how Beyoncé arrived at Renaissance, the evolution of girl groups, BBMAs, NFTs, SXSW, the magic of boy bands, American Music Awards, the Billboard Latin Music Awards, the Hot 100 chart, how R&B/hip-hop became the biggest genre in the U.S., how festivals book their lineups, Billie Eilish’s formula for success, the history of rap battles, nonbinary awareness in music, the Billboard Music Awards, the Free Britney movement, rise of K-pop in the U.S., why Taylor Swift is re-recording her first six albums, the boom of hit all-female collaborations, how Grammy nominees and winners are chosen, why songwriters are selling their publishing catalogs and more.
Unrepeatable. This is the first adjective that could be associated with Rick Rubin’s Festival of the Sun which took place in Tuscany for the summer solstice on June 21-22. The famous producer had an idea: turn an old village – with its narrow alleys, churches and amphitheatre – into a location for live shows, film previews and talks on the future of economics and technology.
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This was the secret festival in Casole d’Elsa, announced by surprise just a couple of days before. A huge part of it was the Italian pop star Jovanotti, who worked with Rubin in the past and also performed live on a small stage set up in the main square of Casole d’Elsa.
The festival was based on the concept of surprise. When will it ever happen again that you are waiting to watch a free secret show where you don’t know who will be there but then you discover that the names include James Blake, Arcade Fire, Gossip and Rhye?
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The name of the creator of the festival could have made it clear, anyway. Hundreds of people gathered in Casole d’Elsa on Friday (June 21) and knew nothing except that there would be some kind of concert. (It’s hard to imagine that a much larger crowd won’t arrive next year.)
Not even the invited press really knew what would happen. And that was the beauty of it. On Friday, in front of the church of Santa Maria Assunta in Casole d’Elsa, a crowd waited to enter. The name of James Blake began to circulate, which until then most of the spectators had never heard. But for those who had, the idea of listening to him in a church seemed like a dream.
The first performance was that of Krishna Das, an American artist who presents his kirtans, or Hindu devotional prayers, in musical form. The objective was to immediately involve the audience, making them repeat the mantras and allowing them to enter another dimension far from everyday reality. Among the church pews there was Rubin, looking satisfied with this first taste of the event. There were Italian artists such as Jovanotti and Dario Mangiaracina of La Rappresentante di Lista, the actors Riccardo Scamarcio with Benedetta Porcaroli and the artist manager Paola Zukar. Régine Chassagne and Win Butler from Arcade Fire were also there — calm, listening, ready to be carried away by the flow.
Next to the festival locations, the event program only said “live,” “show” and “film” without specifying anything else. We returned to the church and this time James Blake was there for real. In front of him were his piano and a loop station. After a while, “Limit to Your Love” started. Sunlight filtered through the painted gothic windows and blended with “Mulholland” and “Retrograde.” Blake couldn’t hear himself or his instrument well, so he started over, then stopped again. Everything seemed so real, but above all profound.
Meanwhile, Paolo Nutini was wandering around in the cloister. Maybe he too would like to play in such a particular context, but he couldn’t because he had to perform officially at the La Prima Estate festival, also in Tuscany. After a break, Jovanotti came on stage, telling people about the responsibility of having made Rubin fall in love with his homeland, Tuscany.
“A few years ago, Rick, my absolute legend, who later also became a friend, and I rented a villa near Florence to transform it into a studio and to work on my album. We were there for about a month. Every morning, he and I went around the villages and hills, so Rick fell madly in love with the region. He even bought a house right in the municipality of Casole d’Elsa: he’s one of us now!”
Jovanotti talked about how many houses they saw together to find one that was right to be renovated without distorting its old spirit — a bit like in his albums, where Rubin reduces the sound to the bare bones to maintain the essence of the artists.
“In the United States there is practically no concept of ancient,” says Rubin. “A 40-year-old house is considered as such. This is why I am so fascinated by your country.” Then there was another important source of inspiration: director Terry Gilliam’s film festival in Umbria. “When we were there together, we saw an incredible gem and thought we should do everything we could to do something like that.”
After Jovanotti, Beth Ditto’s Gossip arrived on stage, and the force of nature we all knew seemed to have returned. She apologized for her cough and her voice, but she seemed anything but unmotivated. Rubin himself invited the audience not to miss the “Heavy Cross” band for anything in the world.
Meanwhile, other Italian artists arrived backstage such as Levante, Madame, gIANMARIA, Birthh, Veronica Lucchesi of La Rappresentante di Lista. Everyone was relaxed and happy with the shows they got to see. The next day, Ghali, Frah Quintale and Måneskin’s Thomas Raggi and Ethan Torchio arrived. Everyone met up in the cloister transformed into a backstage, with tech gurus such as Jack Dorsey, co-founder of Twitter, who held a panel titled ‘Tech and Freedom’ on Saturday (on June 22).
On Saturday there were other surprises. DJ Cosmo Gonik arrives in Piazza della Libertà for his ecstatic dance, then another church hosted the cellist Lucinda Chua, Rhye and the Armenian pianist Marie Awadis. But it was with Win and Regine of Arcade Fire that the climax was reached. The two Canadians performed first in the church of Santa Maria Assunta for a concert and then on the stage in Piazza della Libertà with a DJ set.
The places convey a timeless charm. Not to mention the superlative location of the amphitheatre for the film about Nick Cave, This Much I Know to Be True, presented by the director Andrew Domini, with contrasting purple lights, clear sound and Arcade Fire and Blake in the audience. How can the same magic be repeated next year?
Festival of The Sun
Kimberley Ross/Stefano Mattea/Billboard Italia
Kylie Kelce is serving up two things: beer and Taylor Swift karaoke. At Jason Kelce and Travis Kelce‘s second annual New Heights Beer Bowl Wednesday (June 26), the former field hockey player — who is married to the retired Eagles center — cheerfully belted along to the “Anti-Hero” singer’s iconic 2008 smash, as captured in a sweet video from the charity event.
Posted to the podcast’s official X account, the video finds Kylie holding three full pitchers of beer like a pro while grooving along to Swift’s hit playing through speakers. As the song progresses, the Philadelphia native gets more and more into her performance, nailing every lyric.
“You were Romeo, you were throwing pebbles/ And my daddy said, ‘Stay away from Juliet,’” she sings in the video. “And I was crying on the staircase/ Begging you, ‘Please don’t go.’”
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The Beer Bowl is part of a two-day event in Sea Isle City, N.J., benefiting the Eagles Autism Foundation. Though Travis wasn’t in attendance, Jason held down the fort on the first day by passing out Jello shots and playing games with guests. The brothers’ mom and dad, Donna and Ed Kelce, were also there to support the cause.
The Beer Bowl comes just a few days after Jason and Kylie got to sing along to “Love Story” and 44 other songs live at Swift’s London Eras Tour shows last weekend. Fan cameras captured the couple — who share three young daughters — trading friendship bracelets and enjoying the show alongside Travis in a VIP tent.
“I’ve never cried at a f–king concert, and I was literally tearing up,” Jason later raved about the show on New Heights, revealing Swift’s “22” hat exchange with a young fan made him emotional. “It was f—ing so special.”
“That was my favorite part,” he added of the pop star’s surprise song section. “It’s just her, a guitar and 90,000 people. To be good in front of 90,000 people with just that, I think you have to be amazing … It feels like you’re in a bar just listening to somebody play on a piano.”
Watch Kylie Kelce sing T-Swift’s “Love Story” below.
Justin Timberlake and John Legend had a sweet reunion at the former’s concert in New York City Wednesday night (June 26). In a clip posted to Chrissy Teigen’s Instagram Story the night of the Madison Square Garden show, the “SexyBack” singer greets fans on the floor of the venue before spotting his friend in the […]
Cyndi Lauper loves Taylor Swift‘s true colors. In a recent interview with the BBC’s The One Show, the 71-year-old pop star had nothing but praise for the “Anti-Hero” singer, revealing exactly which of the latter’s albums made her a fan.
“Look, I like her,” Lauper began when the topic of Swift came up. “I think she’s terrific. As an artist, she writes some wonderful songs.”
“I first started listening during the pandemic … when she went and hibernated and did that wonderful folk record,” she continued, referring to the 14-time Grammy winner’s Billboard 200-topping Folklore. “It was wonderful. I’m proud of her.”
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Lauper also gave a shout-out to the 34-year-old superstar’s boyfriend, making a joke about Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce’s large stature. “Don’t mess with her, ’cause …,” the “Time After Time” singer quipped, miming how the football player might throw a punch to defend his girlfriend from any threats.
The ’80s icon’s comments come shortly after the May release of her new compilation album Let the Canary Sing. Shortly after the interview clip was posted, she announced a string of Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Farewell Tour shows in Europe.
Meanwhile, Swift is currently midway through the European leg of her global Eras Tour, most recently performing three back-to-back shows at Wembley Stadium in London. She’ll spend the rest of the summer traveling throughout the continent before returning to North America for a final lap this fall.
And while Lauper is just one of numerous legendary stars to praise Swift over the course of her career, the “Fortnight” musician recently caught joking criticism from Dave Grohl. At a Foo Fighters concert last weekend, the Nirvana alum appeared to jest that the pop star doesn’t perform live at her own shows. “I tell you, man, you don’t want to suffer the wrath of Taylor Swift,” he cracked. “We like to call our tour the Errors Tour. We’ve had more than a few eras, and more than a few f—ing errors as well. That’s because we actually play live. What?! Just saying. You guys like raw, live rock n’ roll music, right? You came to the right f—ing place.”
Watch Lauper praise Swift below.
Paris Hilton will forever be synonymous with 2000s pop culture. Long before the days of Instagram models and TikTok influencers, Hilton was a pioneering influencer — when society didn’t even have a word for it yet.
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Tuesday night (June 25) represented a full-circle moment for the “Stars Are Blind” singer. 20 years after first introducing the world to the Razr, Hilton partnered with Motorola once again to help unveil the new family of Razr phones.
A flashback to paparazzi photos from the mid-2000s would often find Paris showing off her pink Razr — typically bedazzled in Swarovski crystals — which she’d use as a fashion accessory to go with her trendy outfit.
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“When you think [of] Y2K and fashion, the Motorola Razr was an accessory, and I made it that way. I would literally have low-waist jeans and have it just clipped in there,” Hilton tells Billboard in her greenroom. “Anytime I was walking through a crowd and I’d pretend to be on the phone, I’d have my cute pink Razr — and it brings back so many nostalgic memories.”
Rocking a glittery pink and silver plaid dress with matching bedazzled gloves, Paris Hilton looked like royalty while taking the stage to close the House of Razr event in Brooklyn out with a DJ set. The partying didn’t last long for Hilton, though — who jetted to Washington, D.C. Wednesday morning (June 26), where she delivered a candid testimony in front of congress about child welfare.
The Simple Life alum revealed to Billboard that her years-in-the-making Infinite Icon album is finished, and will be released on Sept. 6, coinciding with New York Fashion Week’s kick-off.
Hilton continued the project’s rollout last week with the release of her “I’m Free” single featuring Rina Sawayama. Sia is onboard as the LP’s executive producer, and fans can expect a collaboration with Meghan Trainor as well.
Check out the rest of our conversation with the multi-hyphenate heiress, who dishes on being the original influencer, working with Meghan Trainor and Sia and her “Stars Are Blind” anthem turning 18.
How did the partnership with Motorola and the Razr come together?
Paris Hilton: I first launched their pink Razr 20 years ago, so this is a full-circle moment, being back introducing the new pink Razr. It’s iconic and I love Motorola. They always have had the best parties for 20 years.
When I Googled back then I saw you with pink, black and other colors. Were you just running through [Razr] phones?
Yeah, lots of phones — and constantly thinking of ones for different-colored outfits. Then I would bedazzle them all. All my Razrs were covered in Swarovski crystals. I can’t wait to do that to my new one.
What was life like for you back then using it as a fashion accessory?
I’ve always been an undercover nerd, and obsessed with technology — so even before a phone would come out, they would send it to me, because I was the original influencer. When I got the phone, everyone got the phone. It was cool to see the impact that I could make on pop culture, and showing off my love of gadgets. The phones [are] even better now.
What other memories come back there? For me, I think Paris running around with Kim [Kardashian] and The Simple Life.
It was just so much fun. The 2000s, there was nothing like it. The energy, vibes, fashion — it’ll never be like that again. It was about everything I wore. I invented Y2K fashion.
What can you tell us about your new single “I’m Free?” How was working with Rina [Sawayama]?
I love Rina. She’s just so brilliant and talented. Her voice is so beautiful, and just recording this whole album with Sia this whole year — she’s an executive producer of the album. She’s the greatest songwriter of her time. One of my best friends. She took my voice to another level, which I didn’t even know I had in me. She brought out so much in me, and she made me feel so comfortable in the studio.
“I’m Free” was the perfect song [to introduce] my new album Infinite Icon, because it’s Pride Month and “I’m Free” is all about expressing who you are and being who you want to be and living how you want to live. I think that’s something important to celebrate.
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When does the album come out?
The album is out Sept. 6. During Fashion Week. I’m gonna be recording some music videos this summer. First one will be “Bad B—h Academy,” which is sick. I have some amazing surprise features on that one as well. Just getting ready for a tour.
Who else do you wanna get on the album? Is it done?
It’s done. One of my favorite features is with Meghan Trainor. She’s just so sweet and amazing. We met years ago during New York Fashion Week. She just came up to me, like, “I’m the third Hilton sister.” Then I immediately just loved her so much and we became best friends.
On the new single you say, “Infinite Icon, I am the blueprint.” I feel like you are the OG celebrity influencer. If you could speak to that and how [celebrity] has transformed with everyone else following in your path.
It makes me really proud. I was an influencer before there was a name for it. Everyone was like, famous for being famous. Now, 20 years later, I was ahead of my time … as [essentially] the first person to get into reality television, the first person to get into social. And it just really makes me proud to see how many people were inspired by that. This whole generation. It’s pretty sick.
“Stars Are Blind” turned 18 earlier this month. What a time.
“Stars Are Blind” is the anthem of my life. I’m just so proud of how timeless and iconic it is. People just love it. It’s the ultimate summer bop. I loved re-recording it with Kim Petras. She’s so talented and so amazing. The perfect person to do that [with]. It’s just amazing to see so many people love it and [are still] raging with it almost 20 years later.
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