Pop
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The Weeknd is turning down the heat. Just days after releasing his new electro pop single, “Dancing in the Flames,” the singer (who now goes by his birth name, Abel Tesfaye), switched things up and stripped things down on an unplugged version of the song. The acoustic take on the first single from Tesfaye’s upcoming […]
Katy Perry and Doechii‘s “I’m His, He’s Mine” has topped this week’s new music poll that features artists in various genres of music. Music fans voted in a poll published Friday (Sept. 13) on Billboard, choosing the duet as their favorite new music release of the past week. “I’m His, He’s Mine” brought in 30% […]
Taylor Swift‘s endorsement of Kamala Harris is clearly rattling Donald Trump.
The former president lashed out at the pop superstar on his Truth Social account Sunday (Sept. 15) following her recent endorsement of the vice president in the 2024 U.S. presidential election. “I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!” Trump wrote in all caps.
The 78-year-old businessman-turned-politician’s post follows Swift’s message in support of the Harris-Walz campaign follow last week’s first televised debate between Trump and Harris on ABC News. The “Anti-Hero” singer’s lengthy note to her 238 million Instagram followers didn’t directly attack the ex-POTUS but focused rather on encouraging her fans to research the issues and register to vote.
“I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election,” Swift wrote alongside a photo with her cat Benjamin Button. “I’m voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them.”
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The pop star’s endorsement of Harris-Walz also called out Trump posting fake AI images that had falsely suggested she supported the MAGA leader.
“It really conjured up my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation,” she said about the doctored images Trump put up on his Truth Social feed. “It brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter. The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth.”
Swift signed her Instagram post as “Childless Cat Lady,” a zinger aimed at Trump’s VP candidate JD Vance, who once used that description to demean Democratic leaders without children.
Following Trump’s disdainful Truth Social post on Sunday, Swifties came out of the woodwork on social media to show support for the superstar, including one of her biggest fans, Flavor Flav (aka “King Swiftie”). “I LOVE TAYLOR SWIFT,!!” the Public Enemy story wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Other Swifties took the opportunity to share memes and GIFs teasing the Republican presidential nominee about his post, including a clip of Swift raising a wine glass on The Graham Norton Show in 2022. “Taylor Swift seeing Trump’s post like ‘my work here is done,’” the post’s caption on X reads. Another fan shared a scene from the Mean Girls remake, writing, “Trump posting ‘I hate Taylor swift’ after his internal polling numbers dropped.”
Indeed, Swift’s endorsement post of the Democratic candidates brought around 400,000 people to the Vote.gov registration website in the following days. The singer could also continue efforts to get out the vote to hundreds of thousands of fans during her upcoming U.S. leg of The Eras Tour, which launches again on Oct.18 with three back-to-back shows at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. From there she’ll visit New Orleans’ Caesars Superdome (Oct. 25-27) and Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium (Nov. 1-3). Swift’s worldwide Eras Tour in on track to becoming the highest-grossing global tour in history, with approximately 10 million tickets sold.
Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet scores a third consecutive week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart (dated Sept. 21), becoming the second album to spend its first three weeks atop the list in 2023. Only Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department also spent its first three frames atop the list in 2024, of its total 15 nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1.
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Short n’ Sweet earned 117,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in the week ending Sept. 12 (down 25%), according to Luminate — largely driven by streaming activity of the album’s 12 songs.
Also in the top 10 of the Billboard 200, David Gilmour achieves his third solo top 10 album, as his first studio effort in nine years, Luck and Strange, bows at No. 10.
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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 Sept. 21, 2024-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on Tuesday (Sept. 17). For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.
Of Short n’ Sweet’s 117,000 equivalent album units earned in its third week, SEA units comprise 101,000 (down 20%, equaling 134.79 million on-demand official streams of the album’s 12 songs; it holds at No. 1 on the Top Streaming Albums chart), album sales comprise 15,000 (down 45%) and TEA units comprise 1,000 (down 5%).
Nos. 2-6 on the Billboard 200 are all non-movers. Post Malone’s former leader F-1 Trillion ranks at No. 2 (72,000 equivalent album units earned; down 16%); Chappell Roan’s The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess is No. 3 (57,000; down 7%); Morgan Wallen’s chart-topping One Thing at a Time places at No. 4 (52,000; down 7%); Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department is No. 5 (51,000; down 3%); and Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft is No. 6 (47,000; down 3%).
Zach Bryan’s The Great American Bar Scene rises one spot to No. 7 with 38,000 equivalent album units earned (down 2%), Noah Kahan’s Stick Season climbs 9-8 with 38,000 (down 3%) and Wallen’s former leader Dangerous: The Double Album ascends 11-9 with 32,000 (down 5%).
David Gilmour rounds out the new top 10, as his first studio album in nine years, Luck and Strange, debuts at No. 10. It’s his third solo top 10-charting effort. He previously visited the top 10 with the solo sets Rattle That Lock (No. 5 in 2015) and On an Island (No. 6, 2006).
The new album earned 32,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in the week ending Sept. 12. Of that sum, album sales comprise 30,000 (it’s the top-selling album of the week and bows at No. 1 on Top Album Sales), SEA units comprise 2,000 units (equaling 2.17 million on-demand streams of the set’s songs) and TEA units comprise a negligible sum. The album’s first-week sales were bolstered by its availability across four vinyl variants (which combined to sell 8,500 copies), two CD variants and a Blu-ray Audio configuration.
Gilmour is also a member of Pink Floyd, and all 10 of iconic rock band’s top 10-charting albums (from 1973’s No. 1 The Dark Side of the Moon through 2014’s The Endless River) reached the region after Gilmour joined the band in 1967. (The Dark Side of the Moon holds the record for the most weeks on the Billboard 200 of any album in the chart’s history — 990 weeks — having most recently made the list in May.)
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.
Donald Trump isn’t holding back his feelings about Taylor Swift.
On Sunday (Sept. 15), the former president lashed out against the pop superstar on social media, just days after she officially endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 U.S. presidential election.
“I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!” Trump wrote in all caps on Truth Social.
Following last week’s first presidential debate between Trump and Harris on ABC News, Swift shared her endorsement for the VP with her 238 million Instagram followers (her account had reached 284 million as of Sept. 15).
“I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election,” Swift wrote alongside a photo with her cat Benjamin Button. “I’m voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them.”
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The “Anti-Hero” singer also expressed her admiration for Harris, calling the VP a “steady-handed, gifted leader” and a “warrior” for causes she holds dear, such as LGBTQ+ rights and women’s reproductive freedoms.
Swift’s endorsement of the Democratic candidates also called out Trump posting fake AI images that had falsely suggested she supported the MAGA leader.
“It really conjured up my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation,” Swift said about the doctored images Trump put up on his Truth Social feed. “It brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter. The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth.”
The pop star signed her Instagram post as “Childless Cat Lady,” a zinger aimed at Trump’s VP candidate JD Vance, who once used that description to demean Democratic leaders without children.
Swift’s endorsement brought around 400,000 people to the Vote.gov registration website in the following days.
This isn’t the first time the singer-songwriter has spoken up for Democratic candidates. In 2018, she famously broke her silence around politics to endorse Phil Bredesen in his race against Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn, saying Blackburn’s voting record “appals and terrifies me.” Swift also endorsed President Joe Biden in the 2020 election.
Following K-Pops making its world premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival last weekend (Sept. 7), fans across movies and music were buzzing about the all-star cameos joining stars like Anderson .Paak, actor-rapper Jonnie “Dumbfoundead” Park, former U-KISS member Kevin Woo, Community star Yvette Nicole Brown, and .Paak’s son Soul Rasheed.
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With rumors about an upcoming acting opportunity for Vernon of SEVENTEEN since the singer-rapper was spotted filming in Seoul in May, Billboard can confirm the 26-year-old’s participation in K-Pops and share a first look.
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Described by Anderson .Paak as “a fun, lighthearted film born from my love for music and inspired by my family while we were quarantined during the pandemic,” K-Pops is the comedy-musical telling the story of struggling musician BJ (.Paak), who attempts to revive his career by joining the house band of a K-pop competition program in South Korea, only to discovers that his long-lost son Tae Young (Rasheed) is a contestant vying for global superstardom. The nearly two-hour flick marks .Paak’s directorial debut for a tale of uniting people and cultures through entertainment while enlisting several major collaborators.
“Vernon brings an undeniable energy and talent to anything he does so I was thrilled to have him join our cast,” Anderson.Paak shares exclusively with Billboard. “He’s got a unique vibe that brings so much value to the dynamic world of K-pop that we explored in the film. On set, he was a natural. His ability to adapt and take direction while bringing his creativity and dedication really elevated the project. One of his jokes got a huge laugh from the audience during our world premiere, demonstrating just how effortless his talent is.”
The SEVENTEEN star isn’t the only big K-pop name joining the project. In his director’s statement shared with press at TIFF 2024, Anderson.Paak explains how he infused his style with several top artists representing the South Korean music industry.
“I also had the opportunity to work with iconic K-pop artists that I’ve been looking to collaborate with for years like Suga from BTS, Vernon from SEVENTEEN, Crush, The Rose, Jessi and G-Dragon,” he shared. “The fact that I get to do these collaborations in my directorial debut and bring these idols and artists into the world of K-Pops just brings a whole new level of excitement to the project.”
Billboard Hot 100 hit producer DemJointz also collaborated with .Paak to create original music for the film. The Silk Sonic star explained how the California beatmaker brought his experiences working with artists like Rihanna and Kanye West as well as K-pop chart-toppers like BTS and IVE — and even recently bringing both worlds together like on the “Dirty Dancing (Dem Jointz Remix)” where New Kids on the Block is joined by SEVENTEEN — as a perfect partner.
“I worked alongside the incredible DemJointz to create some original music based around the fictional competition show you see in the film,” .Paak added. “He was vital to the creation of these songs because he works heavily in the K-pop world and has churned out a lot of hits in that genre — he’s brilliant. We had a great time digging into my archive of music and building off of original ideas to utilize for the soundtrack.”
K-Pops is being sold by WME Independent, with Stampede Ventures, Live Nation Productions, Apeshit Films, EST Studios, and Big Dummie all working as production company partners. Get your first official look at Vernon in the film below:
Seventeen’s Vernon in the movie ‘K-POPS.’
Israel Ramos
‘K-POPS’
Israel Ramos
If you’re still wiping the steam off your screen from Katy Perry‘s NSFW debut performance of “I’m His, He’s Mine” with Doechii during her career-spanning medley at this week’s 2024 VMAs, buckle up because the official video is just as provocative.
The TORSO-directed clip for the third single from Perry’s upcoming 143 album (due out on Sept. 20) dropped on Friday morning (Sept. 13) and it combines some hair-raising green-screen stunts with a racy tabletop dance atop a speeding muscle car. The clip opens with Perry elegantly tumbling through the atmosphere in free fall as she makes out with a hunky dude who looks a bit like her daredevil skydiving fiancé actor Orlando Bloom.
“I’m his queen, I’m his freak/ I’m every woman he wants and needs,” Perry sings as she cradles the man’s head while they hurtle toward the ground, before the camera cuts to a bikini-wearing Doechii dancing in an elevator while delivering her her own alluring come on: “I’m his boss, I’m that b–ch/ I’m every woman he knows exists.”
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After Perry and her cloud ranger love interest’s clothes peel off during their mid-air make out sesh — with no parachutes in sight, we might add — the scene shifts to the singer splayed out on the hood of a gleaming chrome Corvette cruising down a suburban Barcelona street. Wearing a complex, skin-revealing metallic harness black monokini, Perry does the splits and slithers on the windshield as she sings about “creepin’ in his DMs” and “sleepin’ in his sweatpants.”
Perry then gets tossed from her moving automotive dance platform, falling into the arms of her hunky love interest, clad in nothing but skimpy white underwear. The two women finally team up on a soundstage where they crawl around each other on the floor before Doechii takes to the air for a drone-assisted sky dance.
“I’m His” prominently samples Crystal Waters’ beloved 1991 house single “Gypsy Woman (She’s Homeless),” which features the hypnotic refrain “la da dee, la dee da.” It follows on the heels of Perry’s first 143 single, “Woman’s World” — which sparked criticism over Dr. Luke’s involvement — and second focus track, “Lifetimes.”
As provocative as the visual is, it’s PG-13 compared to the the performance at the VMAs, during which the two singers twisted themselves into sapphic pretzels and kissed in a moment that made Taylor Swift’s jaw drop.
Watch the “I’m His, He’s Mine” video below.
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Hurry up, it’s time for supper — order up, because Lizzo is hot to go! In a new post to her Instagram on Thursday night (Sept. 12), the “Good as Hell” singer shared her own rendition of Chappell Roan‘s runaway hit “Hot to Go!” Dressed in an oversized T-shirt stating that she’s “100% that b—h,” […]
Billboard’s Friday Music Guide serves as a handy guide to this Friday’s most essential releases — the key music that everyone will be talking about today, and that will be dominating playlists this weekend and beyond.
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This week, The Weeknd brings us back to the dance floor, Playboi Carti is still seeing red, and Charli xcx extends Brat Summer. Check out all of this week’s picks below:
The Weeknd, “Dancing in the Flames”
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The Weeknd triumphantly returns with “Dancing in the Flames,” the first single from forthcoming album Hurry Up Tomorrow, that continues the synth-pop fantasia of Dawn FM but offers an even meatier chorus and more vocal fragility; it’s a big swing that would work well in an ‘80s radio block or any collection of modern streaming hits.
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Playboi Carti, “All Red”
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The hip-hop world has been eagerly awaiting Playboi Carti’s next album, and the release of “All Red” not only suggests that the follow-up to Whole Lotta Red is right around the corner (and a thematic continuation, natch), but that the MC is as locked-in as ever, as he tosses out catchphrases and ad-libs over a combustible beat.
Charli xcx feat. Troye Sivan, “Talk Talk” remix
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We may be past Labor Day and beyond the glories of Brat Summer, but Charli xcx is not done gifting us compelling remixes to her lauded full-length — this time, her pal and tour partner Troye Sivan offers perfect balance on a new version of “Talk Talk,” with his soulful tone complementing Charli’s elastic bounce amidst the song’s constant motion.
Tate McRae, “It’s ok I’m ok”
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Continuing a breakthrough year in which she’s been able to show off pinpoint choreography and smashing hooks, Tate McRae positions new single “It’s ok I’m ok” as a collection of breathless melodies that work well for dance routines; we’re hearing a pop singer find her sound and style in real time.
Miranda Lambert, Postcards From Texas
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For her first album with new label partners Republic and Big Loud — and since entering her forties — Miranda Lambert returns to her roots on Postcards From Texas, with one of country music’s smartest storytellers utilizing her home state as inspiration for stories of singular characters, post-betrayal revenge and women who are underestimated while being experts in their craft.
Katy Perry feat. Doechii, “I’m His, He’s Mine”
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One week before unveiling new album 143 and a few days after her Video Vanguard showcase at the MTV VMAs, Katy Perry is lending some of her pop prowess to rising star Doechii on “I’m His, He’s Mine,” who in turn injects the track with ample amounts of confidence, as they play a pair of queens who can beguile any stray man.
Shawn Mendes, “Nobody Knows”
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In his rustic return, Shawn Mendes has shrugged off pop bombast in favor of guitar strums and unguarded vocals — and “Nobody Knows,” a swaying new anthem that allows Mendes’ upper register to hoot, holler and fully bloom, sounds like the most naturally rendered track released so far from his upcoming album.
Editor’s Pick: FKA Twigs, “Eusexua”
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Like most of FKA Twigs’ hypnotic tunes, “Eusexua,” the title track from her next album, juxtaposes the gentle contours of Twigs’ voice with jarring production elements — this time, skittering beats that grow and threaten to burst before congealing into a dance-floor throb, then unexpectedly evaporating. Breathtaking and accessible, “Eusexua” is a dazzling return from a one-of-a-kind creator.
Janet Jackson is opening up about another wardrobe malfunction. In an interview with British Vogue in which the 58-year-old pop icon flipped through a look book of some of her most iconic costumes, Jackson stopped on one of the military-inspired looks from her 1989 Rhythm Nation album.
“Funny story. I was performing for the Queen of England, and we were doing Rhythm Nation,” Jackson said of the late British monarch who died at age 96 in Sept. 2022. “Sure enough, as soon as I squatted, my pants split right up my booty crack.” Jackson said she “couldn’t believe” her terrible luck before realizing it was worse than she imagined.
“Then I started feeling air back there, so I knew it had really happened,” she said, revealing her quick-thinking fix for the sartorial nightmare. “I never turned my back to her, which, some of the choreography, I was supposed to. I just faced forward.”
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The story from the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer is extra poignant given the other wardrobe malfunction she is most commonly associated with. As you may recall, back in 2004 Jackson performed with Justin Timberlake at that year’s Super Bowl halftime show in Houston, during which JT famously ripped off a piece of Jackson’s costume, exposing her nipple for 9/16th of a second.
The moment that was probed in a 2021 New York Times Presents documentary led to a raft of complaints from viewers, as well as fines and significant professional implications for Jackson. For years, many fans and pundits noted that Timberlake appeared to emerge from the pre-social media viral moment with little or no backlash, while Jackson’s career was dealt a blow from the incident after her videos were pulled from Viacom properties including MTV, VH1 and CBS and she was uninvited to that year’s Grammy Awards.
The Super Bowl slip dubbed “Nipple-gate” also introduced the phrase “wardrobe malfunction” into common parlance and, in the wake of the #FreeBritney movement that blew up in 2019, led to Timberlake issuing public apologies to both Jackson and his ex Spears for the way he’d treated them.
“I’ve seen the messages, tags, comments, and concerns and I want to respond,” Timberlake said at the time after the 2021 Framing Britney Spears documentary portrayed the “Cry Me a River” singer as acting callously following his split with Britney in 2002. “I am deeply sorry for the times in my life where my actions contributed to the problem, where I spoke out of turn, or did not speak up for what was right. I understand that I fell short in these moments and in many others and benefited from a system that condones misogyny and racism. I specifically want to apologize to Britney Spears and Janet Jackson both individually because I care for and respect these women and I know I failed.”
Jackson is gearing up to launch her Las Vegas residency with back-to-back performances on Dec. 30 and New Year’s Eve at Resorts World Las Vegas.
Watch Jackson describe her royal de-pantsing below.