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Back when she released the Spanish-language reggaeton Rauw Alejandro collaboration “Cambia El Paso” in 2021, Jennifer Lopez was coming out of a difficult time in her life. The song co-written by the two singers dropped just after Lopez split with longtime fiancé former MLB star Alex Rodriguez, and in a chat with Apple Music 1’s Zane Lowe at the time Lopez said the track was about moving on, pointing out that the title translates into: “change the step.”
“I’m super happy. I know people are always wondering. How are you? What’s going on? Are you OK? This is it. I’ve never been better,” she told Lowe. “And I want my people who care about me, because I care about them so much, to know that I’ve really gotten to a place in my life where I’m great on my own. And I think once you get to that place, then amazing things happen to you that you never imagine in your life happening again. And so that is where I’m at. And I love all the love that’s coming my way right now and all of the, the good wishes. And I just want everybody to know that it’s the best time. It’s the best time of my life.”
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The conversation came at a time when Lopez was spotted spending time with her former fiancé, actor Ben Affleck; after two decades apart, the two tied the knot in July 2022.
Now, the couple are reportedly going through a rough patch amid rumors of marital strife, though neither artist nor their reps have offered any public statements to date about the status of their marriage
Which is why fans were wondering about the timing of Lopez’s repost of a snippet of the “Cambia” video on Sunday. The singer titled the throwback “Happy Anniversary ‘Cambia El Paso,’” in celebration of the original July 5, 2021 release date. The brief clip features Lopez dancing and posing on the beach and city streets, rolling around in the sand in a silver bikini top and short jean shorts.
While the video only has Lopez, 54, singing the title in Spanish and lyrics about how “all she wanna do is dance, dance, dance dance,” other lines from the song have long been construed as having a not-so-subtle double-meaning. “Her life is better now without him/ He knows that his hips do not fail him/ You don’t need anyone to be well/ She doesn’t fail, she doesn’t fail,” Lopez sings on the track in Spanish in lyrics not included in the Instagram post. The homage initially featured a number of supportive comments from fans earlier in the day, but by noon on Monday (July 8) it appeared as if all comments had been removed.
Back on June 27, Lopez similarly paid tribute to another milestone in marking the 10th anniversary of her eighth studio album, A.K.A.
People noted that Sunday’s post came after Lopez appeared to spend the Fourth of July weekend in New York away from Affleck, 51, who was reportedly in Los Angeles. The last time Lopez appeared to feature Affleck in an Instagram post was on March 2 when she was promoting her documentary, The Greatest Love Story Never Told. The two were also spotted last month, reportedly arriving separately to celebrate the graduation ceremony for the actor’s 12-year-old son, Samuel.
In the Lowe interview from 2021, Lopez further explained that “Cambia” was about “change and it is about taking a step … when things don’t feel right… To me that represents joy, happiness, life… it just represents happiness to me, because I love dancing so much because it’s kind of my first love, it represents joy, happiness, a freedom… All she wants to do is be happy. All she wants to do is live.”
Check out Lopez’s post and watch the “Cambia El Paso” video below.
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Kesha is loving all the new music female artists are releasing this year, but especially Sabrina Carpenter‘s.
In a TikTok posted Sunday (July 7), the “Tik Tok” singer cited the 24-year-old rising star as an example of why she’s pumped to be part of the music industry as of late. “the ladies are holding it down with new music this summer,” she wrote over a clip of her vibing to Carpenter’s Billboard Hot 100-topping “Please Please Please,” modeling a spangly gold top.
“proud to be a woman in music,” Kesha added in her caption.
Indeed, this summer has already proven to be dominated by women musicians. Along with “Espresso,” Carpenter occupied two of the top five spots in the Hot 100 chart dated July 6, while six female artists charted in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 the same week for the first time this decade, thanks to projects from Taylor Swift, Gracie Abrams, Billie Eilish, Chappell Roan, Ariana Grande and Charli XCX.
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Plus, Kesha recently entered the ring with her new single “Joyride,” which dropped on the Fourth of July in honor of the 37-year-old superstar’s newfound independence. The track marks her first release since fulfilling her contract with Kemosabe Records and settling her nearly decade-long defamation lawsuit with the label’s founder, Dr. Luke; in 2014, she alleged that he had drugged and raped her after a 2005 party. In announcing their settlement, the producer denied Kesha’s claims, saying in a joint press release, “I never drugged or assaulted her and would never do that to anyone. For the sake of my family, I have vigorously fought to clear my name for nearly 10 years.”
“Good news: I’m a free motherf–king woman,” Kesha said at New York City’s Planet Pride in June, where she debuted “Joyride” for her audience days ahead of its release. “And do you know what I want to do? I kinda wanna play my first song in almost 20 f–king years … as a free motherf–king woman.”
Kesha isn’t the only star who’s lauded Carpenter for her wildly successful summer recently. Last week, Taylor Swift commented on one of the “Feather” singer’s posts — in which Carpenter celebrated selling out her first-ever arena tour — and wrote, “SUMMER OF SABRINA AND MAY IT CONTINUE FOREVER 😇.”
See Kesha’s post praising Sabrina Carpenter below.
Ice Spice keeps her side of the street clean, especially when Taylor Swift is involved. When fans at the rapper’s Rolling Loud Europe set started booing her “Karma” collaborator’s song Sunday (July 7), the former had the best reaction: blowing kisses to the haters and keeping things moving.
The moment came when Swift’s part of the duo’s “Karma” remix — which reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 after Ice hopped on the track last year — started playing over the speakers during the 24-year-old Bronx native’s festival set in Austria. “Swifties, make some noise!” Ice cheered, to which a group of fans started booing loudly, waving thumbs-down symbols.
Ice, however, was unbothered. Instead of directly acknowledging the negativity, she simply blew a kiss and gave a stony expression, seemingly in the haters’ direction, before moving right along.
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The “In Ha Mood” artist was one of several musicians to take the stage at this year’s European edition of Rolling Loud, where she also performed tracks such as “Gimmie a Light” and new single “Phat Butt.” Nicki Minaj, Playboi Carti and Travis Scott served as headliners, while Gunna, Sexyy Red, Don Toliver, Offset and more were billed on the 2024 program as well.
And if some festivalgoers were expecting Ice not stand by Swift, they were sorely mistaken. Both artists have been vocal in their support for one another since coming together on “Karma,” with the pop star asserting on more than one occasion that the rapper is the “one to watch.”
Ice has also said that Swift often acts as a guiding light for her when it comes to her career. “When I was in the studio with Taylor, like, I’ll never forget that,” the rapper shared with Billboard in the March 2024 issue. “She told me, ‘No matter what, just keep making music and everything’s going to be fine.’”
The younger musician is currently gearing up to release her debut album, Y2K!, on July 26. After teasing that the project features more than one A-list collaboration, many fans have speculated that Swift may make an appearance for a “Karma” sequel — but Ice isn’t giving anything away just yet.
“I don’t know,” she said at the BET Awards in June when asked about the rumors, giving a coy smile. “Let’s see, let’s see, let’s see.”
See the moment Ice Spice blew kisses at her crowd while “Karma” played at her Rolling Loud Europe set.
From NCT DREAM and TWICE mini-albums to the latest full-length from BTS’ RM, this year’s Korean pop scene is delivering a range of excellence.
Taylor Swift had more than a few tricks up her sleeve during her The Eras Tour stop at the Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam, the Netherlands on Saturday (July 6).
The pop superstar treated the sold-out crowd to the first live performance of “Mary’s Song” in 16 years, seamlessly blending the 2006 deep cut into a mashup with “So High School” and “Everything Has Changed.”
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Eagle-eyed Swifties were quick to pick up on the updated meaning behind the song’s closing lyrics: “I’ll be 87, you’ll be 89 / I’ll still look at you like the stars that shine / In the sky, oh my my my.”
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The lyrical Easter egg was a sweet nod to Swift’s boyfriend, NFL star Travis Kelce, who dons the number 87 jersey for the Kansas City Chiefs. Kelce was spotted in the audience grinning from ear to ear during the performance.
Kelce has been making many appearances at Swift’s shows as she makes her way through Europe.
Last weekend, he was in Dublin for some performances and the weekend before he attended all three of her shows in London’s Wembley Stadium. On the third night in London, Kelce arrived with Swift’s parents, Scott and Andrea.
He then made a surprise appearance on stage during the concert, dressed in a full tuxedo and top hat as part of her transition skit for “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart.”
On a new episode of the New Heights podcast, Kelce talked about his big debut and having to carry his girlfriend off stage.
“I was up there with three professionals. You can do no wrong with Taylor on stage. [I kept telling myself], ‘Do not drop the baby. Hold onto the baby,’” he said. “She found the perfect part of the show to put me in. It was, like, the safest option.”
The Amsterdam shows marked a long-awaited return for Swift, who hadn’t performed in the Netherlands since her 1989 World Tour in 2015. The “Karma” singer made the most of her three-night run at the Johan Cruyff Arena, delivering a career-spanning jam-packed set.
On Friday (July 5), Swift surprised fans with the live debut of “imgonnagetyouback,” intertwining the track with Reputation highlight “Dress.” Fans were also treated to an emotional medley of “You Are In Love” and “Cowboy Like Me.”
Next up, Swift will take her show to Zürich, Switzerland for two nights before concluding the European leg with five highly anticipated dates in London.
Sabrina Carpenter is brewing up a storm in the U.K. music scene, becoming the first female artist in Official U.K. Chart history to simultaneously hold the top two spots for three consecutive weeks.
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Her latest hit, “Please Please Please,” has maintained its position at No. 1, while her previous chart-topper “Espresso” continues to percolate at No. 2 for the third week running.
This week, “Espresso” is also the most-streamed track, logging 7.1 million combined streams, while “Please Please Please” follows closely with 7 million streams.
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The major achievement places Carpenter in elite company, matching The Beatles, who managed this feat twice—in 1963 with “I Want To Hold Your Hand” and “She Loves You,” and again in 1967 with “Hello Goodbye” and “Magical Mystery Tour EP.”
Only Justin Bieber and Ed Sheeran have surpassed this record, with Bieber achieving four weeks at the top two spots in 2015, and Sheeran holding the positions for five weeks on two separate occasions in 2017.
Beyond the U.K. charts, Carpenter recently also became the first artist this year to have two No. 1 hits on the Pop Airplay chart, thanks to “Espresso.” Additionally, both “Please Please Please” and “Espresso” have topped several Billboard Global charts.
In other chart news, Chappell Roan celebrates her first-ever Official Top 5 single this week with “Good Luck, Babe!” rising three spots to No. 4. The track also tops the Official Vinyl Singles Chart, proving the most popular song on that format. Roan’s success continues with “HOT TO GO!” jumping seven spots to No. 26 and “Red Wine Supernova” holding steady at No. 40.
Central Cee and Lil Baby’s “BAND4BAND” rebounds to No. 10, while Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” climbs three spots to No. 11 following the release of its headline-grabbing music video. Mark Ambor’s “Belong Together” moves up two places to No. 14, and Benson Boone’s “Slow It Down” returns to its previous peak at No. 15, with “Beautiful Things” rising one spot to No. 18.
Coldplay’s “feelslikeimfallinginlove” jumps nine places to a new peak at No. 16 after their Glastonbury performance.
Jordan Adetunji’s “KEHLANI” reaches a career-best at No. 24, climbing five places. Dua Lipa’s “Illusion” rebounds nine spots to No. 25, and “Houdini” returns to the Top 40 at No. 38.
The Kid LAROI’s “NIGHTS LIKE THIS” surges 17 places to No. 30, fueled by viral social media success. Finally, BL3SS, CamrinWatsin, bbyclose, and Evan McGee enter the U.K. Top 40 for the first time with “Kisses,” climbing nine spots to No. 35.
Lady Gaga bid a tearful farewell to her landmark Jazz & Piano concerts at Las Vegas’ Dolby Live Theater inside Park MGM on Saturday, July 6. Throughout the two-hour performance, Gaga hinted at an eventual return to the Strip, gave a shout-out to her dad and boyfriend in attendance, and praised her jazz mentor, Tony Bennett.
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During the finale, she poked the audience with a cheeky, “I can’t believe this is the last time we are going to do this. No, it’s not, we’ll do it again …” Throughout this run of Jazz & Piano, which began on June 19, Gaga teased a potential new residency, telling audiences, “… when we come back, we hope you’ll come back, we’ll have a brand-new show for you.” At another time, she confirmed it would be “pop.”This first Las Vegas residency turn from Gaga began as two shows: the progressive pop Enigma, which opened on Dec. 28, 2018, followed by Jazz & Piano on Jan. 20, 2019. Dual residencies with entirely different types of music was a groundbreaking notion; no artist had previously attempted it in Las Vegas.Lady Gaga Jazz & Piano drew inspiration from the Great American Songbook. Also, it featured jazz rearrangements of Gaga’s most popular work, including “Paparazzi,” “Born This Way,” and “Bad Romance,” which accentuate the lyrics in ways that the pop versions don’t. These additions allowed an audience that might be best familiar with her from her work with Tony Bennett on their collaborative albums Cheek to Cheek (2014) and Love for Sale (2021) to get to know her as a lyricist.
Over its 48 performances, Jazz & Piano experienced a rollercoaster of highs and lows, including a 21-month pause, Bennett’s passing and an Oscar win for best song for A Star is Born.Opening night saw Gaga and Bennett take the stage together. “You know this guy right here: When everyone was calling me a tramp, he was calling me a lady. We love you, Tony,” Gaga said when introducing her then 92-year-old duet partner. They lovingly belted through “Lady is a Tramp” and “Cheek to Cheek.”The final run, the eighth iteration of Jazz & Piano, carried on many of the residency’s traditions while adding new surprises that her little monsters love.The show started with a black and white video of Gaga and her bandmates backstage warming up to Nat King Cole’s “Orange Colored Sky” broadcast on the side-stage screens. The band, with conductor Michael Bearden, trumpeter and bandleader Brian Newman, pianist and organist Alex Smith, saxophonist Steve Kortyka, drummer Donald Barrett, and bassist Daniel Foose backed by a full orchestra, took the stage and kicked off the evening with the classic Vegas anthem “Luck Be A Lady,” as they have 47 other times.As he did on opening night back in 2019 when he appeared in person, Bennett, who passed away last July, at age 96, introduced the star via voiceover: “Ladies and gentlemen, the incredible Lady Gaga.” Even after his death, Bennett remained an omnipresent part of the show.Every note sang and played on closing night felt like a long, raspy, soulful goodbye love letter delivered in the “wisegal” showroom banter for which her jazz persona “the “Lady” has become known.“Las Vegas, you are in for a treat … it is Saturday, and you are going to feel like shit on Monday and in the morning, too,” Gaga promised. “This is the last show of this residency in Las Vegas, which means tonight we will make you sick. You will be so sick, but the best is yet to come.”This statement introduced Sinatra’s tune of the same name. Modifying the lyrics of “The Best is Yet to Come” to “Las Vegas, I’m gonna teach you to fly.”A visibly emotional Gaga gave every song its send-off, her band matching the energy with blow-out instrumentation and the sell-out crowd gushing with adoration through multiple standing ovations.There were special guests in the audience. Four songs in, Gaga shouted out her father, Joe Germanotta. After downing a glass of whiskey in one gulp, she said, “My daddy taught me how to do that—my daddy is in the audience tonight, thanks, dad—call me irresponsible …”In the lead-up to “Do I Love You,” Gaga called out boyfriend Michael Polansky. “I don’t know if you brought anybody you love tonight, but I brought somebody with me that I love, Mr. Michael Polansky. I can’t bring you up on stage, but you are always in my heart, honey,” she said.The costumes have changed throughout the years with sparkling new additions, and for this stretch of dates, the wardrobe received a complete revamp. Gaga’s second look of the evening, with its ornate bejeweled necklace and headpiece, felt as if it came from Elizabeth Taylor’s 1963 turn as Cleopatra. Gaga sat at her piano in the gown and said, “‘Born This Way’ is everything I stand for.”
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Each run introduced setlist modifications. In 2021, in promotion of a second album with Bennett, Love for Sale, Gaga added “Love for Sale,” “Let’s Do It,” “Do I Love You,” and “You’re the Top,” in addition to “Rags to Riches” and “Mambo Italiano.” In 2023, the revised setlist included “The Best Is Yet to Come,” “Sway,” “Steppin’ Out with My Baby,” “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing),” and her own “Stupid Love.” “Americano” came on board in 2024.Closing night put a spotlight on extended solos from the band. Newman unforgettably glided through “The Best is Yet to Come” and “Paparazzi,” demonstrating the extent of what a true master can do with a trumpet. Barrett pounded through drum solos and Smith’s work on the keys completely reinvented the sounds a piano can produce.The final set before the encore commenced with “La Vie En Rose.” Gaga’s version stands up to the original, unlike any other attempt. She performed the Edith Piaf classic in shadow, a lead into the whispering haunt of “Bad Romance,” with the articulation of every word a dalliance between vice grip and petal soft.As Jazz & Piano ended with its last two tunes, Gaga promised the crowd, “I’m not going to stop singing jazz … this one’s for you, Tone.”The second-to-last song, Bennett’s “Fly Me to the Moon,” began with Gaga dropping her mic and belting unamplified to the 5,200-seat theater.Ending with “I’m super emotional, but there’s no crying in baseball and thanking the audience for helping us preserve the legacy of jazz. … I am going to die an old lady singing this music on this stage.” Gaga then made her way around and shook the hands of each orchestra member.Throughout the five-and-a-half-year residency, various pop-up experiences helped to create an entire Gaga universe in Las Vegas.In May 2019, the Haus of Gaga mini museum opened alongside the theater. It showcased clothing and accessories from the singer’s archive, including the infamous “meat dress.” Donations benefitted the Born This Way Foundation, a nonprofit that Gaga and her mother, Cynthia Germanotta, co-founded.Brian Newman’s “After Dark” late-night lounge gig debuted at NoMad’s The Library in June 2019. Gaga frequently popped in to join her bandleader on stage in the intimate setting. Newman produced the soundtrack version of “La Vie En Rose” for A Star Is Born and was her bandleader and trumpeter for “Cheek to Cheek.” Both Gaga and Newman have the same Miles Davis trumpet tattoo on their right arms, based on a sketch by Bennett.While final numbers won’t be available for a few months, Jazz & Piano is estimated to have earned more than $100 million, placing it in the top 10 Las Vegas residencies. This fall, Lady Gaga will star as Harley Quinn in Joker: Folie à Deux and has teased a forthcoming seventh studio album.
Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department hits an 11th consecutive and total week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 (dated July 13) — tying 1989 and Fearless as her longest-leading No. 1 albums. The last album by a woman to spend 11 weeks at No. 1 was 1989, which notched 11 nonconsecutive weeks atop the list in 2014-15. If Poets reaches a 12th week at No. 1, it will be the first album by a woman with at least 12 weeks at No. 1 since Adele’s 21 rang up 24 nonconsecutive weeks on top in 2011-12.
The Tortured Poets Department earned 114,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in the week ending July 4 (down 1%), according to Luminate. The album debuted atop the chart dated May 4 and has yet to yield the No. 1 slot.
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The Tortured Poets Department is the first album by a woman to spend 11 weeks in a row at No. 1 since the Whitney Houston-led soundtrack to The Bodyguard strung together 13 straight weeks at No. 1 (of its total 20 nonconsecutive weeks atop the list) from December 1992 to March 1993.
Also in the top 10 of the latest Billboard 200 chart, Megan Thee Stallion collects her sixth top 10 as Megan bows at No. 3, while Beyoncé’s chart-topping Cowboy Carter gallops 50-10 following the release of a deluxe vinyl edition.
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 July 13, 2024-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on July 9. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.
Of The Tortured Poets Department’s 114,000 equivalent album units earned, SEA units comprise 78,000 (down 10% — it’s No. 1 on Top Streaming Albums for an 11th week; its SEA units equal 102.09 million on-demand official streams of the deluxe edition’s 31 songs), album sales comprise 35,000 (up 27%; it’s No. 1 on Top Album Sales for a fifth nonconsecutive week) and TEA units comprise less than 1,000 (down 22%). The album’s sales grew 27% in the tracking week thanks largely to two new CD variants of the set that shipped to customers. The two CDs, which were sold exclusively in Swift’s webstore, were briefly available to pre-order in early June for $7.99 each. Both CDs contain the standard album’s 16 songs and an acoustic bonus track (one includes “Fortnight,” featuring Post Malone, and one includes “Fresh Out the Slammer”).
The Tortured Poets Department matches Whitney Houston’s 1987 album Whitney as the only two albums by women to spend their first 11 weeks at No. 1. All 11 of the latter’s total weeks at No. 1 were from its debut atop the chart.
Just two other albums have spent at least their first 11 weeks at No. 1: Morgan Wallen’s One Thing at a Time (first 12 weeks at No. 1, of its total 19 weeks at No. 1 in 2023-24) and Stevie Wonder’s Songs in the Key of Life (first 13 weeks at No. 1, of its total 14 weeks at No. 1 in 1976). (For context, today it’s common for albums to debut at No. 1. However, before 1991, when the Billboard 200 began utilizing Luminate’s electronically monitored tracking information, only six albums debuted at No. 1, including Whitney and Songs in the Key of Life.)
Swift is only the third act with three or more albums to spend 11 or more weeks at No. 1, following Whitney Houston (her self-titled album with 14 weeks in 1986, Whitney with 11 in 1987 and The Bodyguard soundtrack with 20 in 1992-93) and The Beatles (Meet the Beatles! with 11 in 1964, A Hard Day’s Night soundtrack with 14 in 1964, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band with 15 in 1967 and Abbey Road with 11 in 1969-70).
Swift adds her 80th career week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, extending her record among soloists. (Elvis Presley has the second-most among soloists, with 67.) The total encompasses her 14 No. 1 albums. (She’s tied with Jay-Z for the most No. 1s among soloists.)
At No. 2 on the latest Billboard 200, Morgan Wallen’s chart-topping One Thing at a Time rises 3-2 with 74,000 equivalent album units (up 1%). It’s also the last album to spend at least 11 weeks at No. 1, prior to Poets. Wallen’s album logged 19 total weeks at No. 1 in 2023-24 (spending its first 12 in the top slot).
Megan Thee Stallion scores her sixth top 10-charting effort on the Billboard 200 as Megan enters at No. 3 with 64,000 equivalent album units earned. That marks the biggest debut, by units, for any rap album released by a woman in 2024. It’s also the first top 10-charting rap set by a woman released this year.
Of the album’s 64,000 units earned in its first week, SEA units comprise 47,000 (equaling 62.67 million on-demand official streams of the set’s 18 songs), album sales comprise 16,000 and TEA units comprise 1,000. The album was announced on June 2 and was preceded by a trio of charting songs on the Billboard Hot 100: “Cobra” (peaking at No. 32 last November), “Hiss” (No. 1, February) and “Boa” (No. 39, May). The set’s sales were aided by its availability across three CD variants (all with the same audio content, just different covers; all exclusively sold in the artist’s webstore) and five digital download album variants (a standard widely available edition; one exclusive to Amazon, with a bonus track; two with alternate covers; and one with a printed digital signature on its cover from Megan Thee Stallion. The latter three were exclusive to the artist’s webstore.)
Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft is a non-mover at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 (63,000 equivalent album units earned; down 10%) and Chappell Roan’s The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess reaches the top five for the first time, rising 6-5 (60,000; down 2%). With Swift, Megan Thee Stallion, Eilish and Chappell Roan at Nos. 1, 3, 4 and 5, there are four albums by women, or women-led acts, in the top five for the first time in over a year. It last happened on the March 25, 2023-dated list, when the all-women group TWICE was No. 2 with Ready to Be, followed by Miley Cyrus’ Endless Summer Vacation (No. 3), SZA’s SOS (No. 4) and Karol G’s Mañana Será Bonito at No. 5. (Wallen’s One Thing at a Time was No. 1 that week.)
Wallen’s former leader Dangerous: The Double Album rises 7-6 on the new Billboard 200 (44,000 equivalent album units; up 1%), Peso Pluma’s Éxodo falls 5-7 (just over 40,000; down 37%), Shaboozey’s Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going climbs 10-8 (40,000; down 1%) and Noah Kahan’s Stick Season rises 11-9 (39,000; up less than 1%).
Beyoncé’s former No. 1 Cowboy Carter charges back into the top 10 (50-10) after a deluxe edition of the album was released on vinyl. The set surges with 39,000 equivalent album units earned (up 133%), with 24,000 of that sum in traditional album sales (up 1,673%). Vinyl sales comprise a little over 23,000 of that figure (up 3,551%).
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.
Lana Del Rey and Quavo‘s “Tough” tops this week’s new music poll.
Music fans voted in a poll published Friday (July 5) on Billboard, choosing the duo’s just-dropped, Western-trap track as their favorite new music release of the past week.
Lana and Quavo’s fresh new collab brought in more than 66% of the vote. Voters this week chose “Tough” over new music releases from Kesha, Childish Gambino, Eminem feat. Big Sean and BabyTron, Morgan Wallen and Zach Bryan.
Lana Del Rey brought the Migos rapper to the stage to surprise-debut “Tough” at her sold-out (and delayed, due to inclement weather) stadium show at Fenway Park on June 20, right after he’d hyped the song in a clip on Instagram that week.
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A little bit country, a little bit trap and alt-pop, the Andrew Watt- and Cirkut-produced track has a dreamy hook that’s tough to quit humming when the song’s over, with a chorus the two share: “Tough like the scarf on a pair of old leather boots/ Like the blue-collar, red-dirt attitude/ Like a .38 made out of brass/ Tough like the stuff in your grandpa’s glass/ Life’s gonna do what it does/ Sure as the good lord’s up above/ I’m cut like a diamond shining in the rough, tough.”
“I’ll show you around … Come take a ride with me. Whenever. Whenever you ready, call on me,” Quavo tells Lana as the song comes to a close.
“Our new song is out with the toughest rapper I know @quavohuncho,” Del Rey wrote in an Instagram post on release day, while Quavo predicted the track will be “Song Of The Summer” on his own post.
A music video for “Tough” with home-video vibes was also unveiled alongside the single’s release this week, putting the pair’s chemistry on display as they spend a sweet, intimate day together out in the countryside.
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Among the new music trailing behind “Tough” on this week’s poll is Kesha’s brand-new song “Joyride,” with 21% of the vote, and Childish Gambino’s “Lithonia,” with 5% of the vote.
See the final results of this week’s new music poll below.
Taylor Swift fans know they’re in for a good time when the Eras Tour mastermind says from the stage, “I’m gonna do one that I’ve never played live before.” Those were the words from Swift’s red lips Friday night (July 5) in Amsterdam, where she debuted “imgonnagetyouback” live during her acoustic set at Johan Cruyff Arena.
“imgonnagetyouback,” the sexy Anthology track about luring in an old flame (found on the 31-song edition of The Tortured Poets Department) starts off with Swift setting the scene: “Lilac short skirt, the one that fits me like skin.” She soon asserts, “I’ll tell you one thing, honey/ I can tell when somebody still wants me, come clean.”
“Whether I’m gonna be your wife, or/ Gonna smash up your bike, I haven’t decided yet/ But I’m gonna get you back,” goes the “imgonnagetyouback” chorus. “Whether I’m gonna curse you out or/ Take you back to my house, I haven’t decidеd yet/ But I’m gonna get you back.”
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“I hear thе whispers in your eyes/ I’ll make you wanna think twice/ You’ll find that you were never not mine/ You’re mine,” sang Swift on the Amsterdam stage, acoustic guitar in hand.
In the surprise song section of Swift’s Friday night show, when the hitmaker played “Imgonnagetyouback” live for the first time ever, she made the song even spicier by connecting it to Reputation slow jam “Dress.”“Say my name and everything just stops/ I don’t want you like a best friend/ Only bought this dress so you could take it off/ Take it off, ah, ah, ah,” she sang in the flirty mashup, making her way from “Dress” back to the “imgonnagetyouback” bridge: “I can feel it coming, humming in the way you move/ Push the reset button, we’re becomin’ something new/ Say you got somebody, I’ll say I got someone too/ Even if it’s handcuffed, I’m leavin’ here with you.”
Post-guitar performance, Swift followed with a love story on piano.
She sang the delicate “You Are in Love,” a deluxe track from the 1989 era, weaved into the dreamy “Cowboy Like Me,” from Evermore.
“You can hear it in the silence/ You can feel it on the way home/ You can see it with the lights out/ You are in love, true love,” Swift reflected from “You are in Love,” before singing about falling for “a cowboy like me.”
“Now you hang from my lips, like the Gardens of Babylon/ With your boots beneath my bed, forever is the sweetest con,” she mused. “You had some tricks up your sleeve/ Takes one to know one.”Tying the two moments together, she sang, “But you can hear it in the silence/ You can feel it on the way home/ You can see it with the lights out/ You’re a cowboy like me, and you were in love.”
The pop icon, whose The Tortured Poets Department album holds steady at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, has now debuted most of her latest collection’s tracks live on tour. Which songs from the set have yet to get stage time? “So Long, London,” “Florida!!!” feat. Florence + The Machine, “Cassandra” and “Robin.”
Watch Swift’s July 5 surprise song clips, captured by fans at Friday night’s Amsterdam show, below.