Pop

16 Jul 2024

Why Radio Is Still Valuable in the Streaming Age & More Burning Questions: Ask the Pop Shop

On the new Billboard Pop Shop Podcast, Katie & Keith are opening up the mailbag to answer your burning questions – starting with a question about why radio is still important (and valuable) in the streaming age.

Listener “yaelkaa” asks: “I’m still unclear about the point of (a) radio-released single in the time of streaming.”

We can start by looking at Billboard’s own charts to show how big of an imprint radio still has on American music fans. A few weeks ago, on the July 6-dated Radio Songs chart, the No. 1 song was Post Malone’s “I Had Some Help,” featuring Morgan Wallen, with 76.5 million audience impressions in the U.S., according to data tracking firm Luminate — meaning, it was estimated that song was heard 76.5 million times by people that week. Compare that to the same week’s No. 1 on the Streaming Songs chart, which was Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us,” with 45.4 million official streams in the U.S. And of course, that number includes repeated plays by the same person through the week. The numbers, at least that week, speak for themself: Radio is still very powerful when it comes to the sheer number of people that will hear a song.

Also, we can look at the financials of radio plays versus on-demand audio streaming plays. We dug into the numbers to estimate how much money was generated for the publishers and the songwriter for one major hit song, Noah Kahan’s top 10-charting Billboard Hot 100 hit “Stick Season.” How much would that have generated from radio plays and on-demand audio streams? Which of the two, radio or streaming, likely generated the bigger financial win? Listen to our special Ask the Pop Shop episode below to learn more about that and other questions.

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The Billboard Pop Shop Podcast is your one-stop shop for all things pop on Billboard‘s weekly charts. You can always count on a lively discussion about the latest pop news, fun chart stats and stories, new music, and guest interviews with music stars and folks from the world of pop. Casual pop fans and chart junkies can hear Billboard‘s executive digital director, West Coast, Katie Atkinson and Billboard’s managing director, charts and data operations, Keith Caulfield every week on the podcast, which can be streamed on Billboard.com or downloaded in Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast provider. (Click here to listen to the previous edition of the show on Billboard.com.)

16 Jul 2024

Taylor Swift Reveals Which Song Is the Next Single From ‘The Tortured Poets Department’

Try and come for her job. In the midst of the European leg of her global Eras Tour, Taylor Swift has announced which song from The Tortured Poets Department will serve as the album’s next single: the deceptively cheerful “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart.”

The news arrives via a message on Taylor Nation’s official account Tuesday (July 16). “We’re so depressed we act like it’s #ICanDoItWithABrokenHeart’s birthday every day! But today is special because Taylor’s declaring it the next single from #TSTTPD!” the pop star’s team wrote, referencing some of the track’s lyrics and sharing its new solo artwork. “Lights, camera, b—h, listen to see the cute new cover on all streaming platforms.”

The cover aptly features a photo of Swift beaming while performing the song at one of her Eras shows, decked out in a glittery top and blazer as showgirl feathers surround her. Written and released after the 14-time Grammy winner embarked on the trek back in 2022, “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart” finds her hyping herself up to perform in front of tens of thousands of people every night even though she’s suffering after a painful breakup.

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“I’m a real tough kid, I can handle my s–t/ They said, ‘Babe, you gotta fake it ’til you make it’ and I did,” she sings. “Breaking down, I hit the floor/ All the pieces of me shattered as the crowd was chanting, ‘More!’”

The cloying sad-girl anthem marks the second song on TTPD to get the single treatment, following the Billboard Hot 100-topping “Fortnight” featuring Post Malone. Shortly after the album’s release on April 19, “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart” debuted at No. 3 on the chart.

Swift’s first order of business in the track’s single cycle was sharing it as a standalone release, as well as dropping an instrumental version on streaming services for fans to take part in some cathartic karaoke. Both arrive as Tortured Poets enters its 12th week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

See Taylor Nation’s announcement below.

16 Jul 2024

Adele Planning to Step Back From Music: ‘I Want a Big Break’

Adele will wrap up her Weekends With Adele residency in Las Vegas on November 23. That means her superfans have exactly 10 chances left to catch the singer’s long-running stay-put show before, as she recently revealed in an interview, she goes away for a while.

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Speaking to Germany’s ZDF, Adele, 36, dropped the bombshell, “I don’t have any plans for new music at all.” In fact, the star who said she “doesn’t like being famous,” added, “I want a big break after this and I think I want to do other creative things, just for a little while.”

Adele kicked off her Weekends run in November 2022 and plans to call the show at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace quits with her final scheduled performance on Nov. 23. Before then, she will play a series of gigs in Munich at a specially built 80,000-capacity venue on August 2, 3, 9, 10, 14, 16, 23, 24, 30 and 31.

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She said that the run of 100 live shows over the past two years have left her feeling as if her “tank is quite empty.”

After announcing the initial run of Munich shows, Adele wrote on Instagram, “So a few months ago I got a call about a summer run of shows. I’ve been content as anything with my shows in London’s Hyde Park and my residency in Vegas, so I hadn’t had any other plans. However, I was too curious to not follow up and indulge in this idea – a one off, bespoke pop-up stadium designed around whatever show I want to put on.”

The singer — who has not gone on a world tour since her 2016-2017 run in support of her 25 album — has made a habit of taking time for herself between albums and tours. Those stretches out of the public eye have increased over time, from three years between her 2008 debut, 19, and 2011’s 21, to four years until her 2015 LP 25 and six between that album and 2021’s 30.

Back in December, the mother of 11-year-old song Angelo told The Hollywood Reporter, ” I have nothing to say yet. I haven’t even thought about it… I have to wait for a feeling. If I get antsy, that’s when I know I have to go to the studio, and I am the opposite of antsy right now.” Speaking of new endeavors, in that same interview, Adele said that there was one unnamed movie she wants to do, but, “the guy whose movie it would be, he’s not mentally ready to write the script for it… I bug him every now and then about it, but he’s just not there yet. But that’s the only role I ever want. Because I think I’d nail it. I think I’d do really, really, really good at it.”

Then, in January during one of her Weekends shows, Adele told the audience “I just don’t think I’m gonna write an album for quite some time,” teasing that when she does she may be ready to hit the road properly again. At press time a spokesperson for Adele had not returned Billboard‘s request for additional comment on her future plans.

16 Jul 2024

Katy Perry Joked About the NSFW Reason She and Orlando Bloom Have Been Together So Long

Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom have been singing each other’s praises since first getting together more than eight years ago. But in a recent Instagram Live chat with fans to celebrate her new single, “Woman’s World,” Perry got super candid about one of the reasons the couple have managed to stay together for so long.

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“Tell us about Orlando’s ‘magic stick,’” Perry read with a smile on her face while scrolling through fan questions during the session. Perry let out a hearty raspberry and smiled at someone off camera, appearing to be thrown by the intimate nature of the query. “Well, we’ve been together for a while,” she said while chewing gum and signing promotional items.

“So I guess he’s got the magic in him,” she finally replied, singing the last bit to the tune of B.o.B.’s 2010 hit “Magic.” Cracking herself up with the NSFW-adjacent response, Perry then got serious about Bloom, with whom she shares four-year-old daughter Daisy Dove.

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“No, it’s really his heart,” she said. “And he gave me my greatest gift ever… Daisy Dove,” she whispered.

Over the weekend, Perry appeared to respond to a wave of criticism for the “Woman’s World” video, sharing behind-the-scenes clips to explain her intentions for the visual that mixes feminist tropes and lyrics with lots of cheeky visuals. “YOU CAN DO ANYTHING! EVEN SATIRE!” Perry captioned her Instagram post.

Between criticism that Perry’s song misfired in its attempt to be a feminist anthem and her team-up with track co-producer Dr. Luke — who was accused of sexual misconduct by Kesha before the singer and producer settled a bitter, nine-year legal battle in 2023 before it went to to trial — “Woman’s World” did not appear to land the way the singer intended.

“We’re kind of just having fun being a bit sarcastic with it, it’s very slapstick, and very on the nose,” Perry says says in the first half of the video that seemed to anticipate some potential backlash. “With this set, it’s like, ‘We’re not about the male gaze but we really are about the male gaze,’ and we’re really overplaying it and on the nose because I’m about to get smashed, which is like a reset, a reset for me, and a reset for my idea of feminine divine, and it’s a whole different world we go to after this.”

“Woman’s World” is the first single from Perry’s upcoming follow-up to her Smile album from 2020, 143, which is due out on Sept. 20.

15 Jul 2024

Selena Gomez & Benny Blanco Reveal Who Said ‘I Love You’ First

Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco are continuing to prove that they’re Hollywood’s cutest couple.

The “Single Soon” star took to TikTok to partake in a couples-themed trend with the producer, in which they answer a series of “Who’s Most Likely To?” questions about their relationship. The duo revealed who eats the most (Blanco), who takes longer to get ready in the morning (Blanco), who is more romantic (both) and more.

Most notably, they revealed who said “I Love You First,” with Gomez smiling wide as she sweetly pointed to herself.

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Gomez first confirmed that she and Blanco were dating on Dec. 7, about six months into their romance. In a reply to fans on Instagram, she wrote that he “is my absolute everything in my heart” and that she is at her “happiest” in the relationship.

The singer and actress soon made their relationship fully Instagram official by giving a spot on her main feed to photos with Blanco, including one in which he hugs her among friends, and one in which she leans back to kiss him. The couple went on the spend New Year’s Eve together, with the Only Murders in the Building actress sharing a photo to her Instagram Stories, in which Blanco has his arms wrapped around Gomez and seems to be giving her a kiss.

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The producer revealed in a recent interview with Howard Stern that having kids with Gomez is “a topic of conversation to me every day.” 

“That’s my next goal, to check the box,” he added on the topic of becoming a father. “I take everything a day at a time and I just know that when I look at her, I just say, ‘I don’t know a world where it could be better than this.’ That’s what I always say to her.”

15 Jul 2024

Glen Powell & Daisy Edgar-Jones Try Out Viral ‘Apple’ Dance: See How Charli XCX Reacted

Brat summer is here to stay — and not even the strongest of national disasters could wipe it out. Twisters castmates Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones and Anthony Ramos have become some of the latest stars to try out TikTok’s viral dance to Charli XCX‘s “Apple,” posting a video of the choreography that earned a seal of approval from the alt-pop star herself. 

In a clip shared by the Normal People actress on Instagram Sunday (July 14), she stands in between her two costars as they each do the same purposefully rigid, staccato movements to Charli’s Brat fan-favorite song. The dance has blown up on TikTok in the weeks since the English singer-songwriter released her sixth studio album — which debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 in June — and Charli has also previously joined in on the trend. 

“I think the apple’s rotten right to the core/ From all the things passed down from all the apples coming before,” her voice can be heard singing in Edgar-Jones’ video. “I split the apple down symmetrical lines/ And what I find is kinda scary, makes me just wanna drive.” 

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“Caught the lads up on Brat summer ?,” the Where the Crawdads Sing star captioned her post, under which Powell commented, “Hard to remember my life before this dance. Thank you, Daisy.” 

Charli also made an appearance in the replies, leaving an ecstatic, “ABSOLUTELY !!” 

The video comes just a few days ahead of Twisters‘ July 17 theatrical release. The film — which also stars Kiernan Shipka, David Corenswet, Katy M. O’Brian and more — serves as a standalone sequel to 1996’s tornado-chasing epic Twister. 

Watch Powell, Edgar-Jones and Ramos dance to Charli’s “Apple” below. 

15 Jul 2024

Glass Animals Are Proud Of ‘Heat Waves,’ But Would Have ‘Loved It’ If Rihanna Had Given It a Shot

Glass Animals would never look a gift hit in the mouth. After all, the group landed one of the biggest chart singles by a British group since the Spice Girls in 2021 when their slinky track “Heat Waves” went viral thanks to TikTok.

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Surely you remember it? The one with the hypnotizing chorus, “Sometimes, all I think about is you/ Late nights in the middle of June/ Heat waves been fakin’ me out/ Can’t make you happier now.” Though the single from the Oxford-bred band was released in June 2020 in the heat of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, it took an epic 59 weeks to make its way to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in March 2022, where it stayed for five weeks; the song also set a record by hanging around on the Hot 100 for a total of 91 weeks, making it the longest-charting hit in the Hot 100’s then-64-year history.

Now, four years later, the group is prepping their return with their fourth studio album, I Love You So F***ing Much (July 19), and in an interview with The Independent singer Dave Bayley revealed that the band’s signature smash almost went to another artist with much more chart-topping experience.

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“I had hoped it would be someone else’s song,” Bayley told the paper about an attempt to get Rihanna to record it. “It got so far that I was sitting in the Roc Nation offices, playing the song for her manager,” he explained. “I ended up sending them parts of the song, but I’m grateful it didn’t go further.”

Don’t get him wrong, either way would have been just fine with him. “But at the same time, obviously, I’m a huge fan – I would’ve loved it,” Bayley said of the possibility of RihRih taking a swing at “Heat Waves.”

After “Heat Waves” passed the 90-week Hot 100 run of The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights,” Bayley told Billboard he was blown away. “Wow, all I can say is wow,” he said at the time. “Many of you know when I wrote this song I was writing about missing someone I loved very dearly. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that it would lead to so much love and connection across the globe.”

Though she obviously didn’t take them up on the offer, the possibility that the song could have ended up in Rihanna’s hands would surely have thrilled her Navy. The mother of two toddlers and founder of the billion-dollar Fenty Beauty brand has not released a new album since 2016’s multi-platinum Anti and with the exception of a handful of features — as well as her 2022 Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Oscar-nominated hit “Lift Me Up” — has kept a low musical profile for much of the past seven-plus years.

Watch the “Heat Waves” video below.

15 Jul 2024

Harry Styles & Stevie Nicks Perform ‘Landslide’ in Honor of Christine McVie’s Birthday

Harry Styles, Stevie Nicks and thousands of people at London’s BST Hyde Park gave the most touching birthday salute to the late Christine McVie Friday (July 12). 

In honor of her friend — who would’ve turned 81 that day — the Fleetwood Mac frontwoman invited the “As It Was” pop star to join her on stage for an emotional duet of her 1975 masterpiece “Landslide.” “I asked Harry to do this,” she told the crowd at the festival. “It’s always heavy to ask someone to come and sing the song with you when you’re singing about your best friend that died so suddenly and so sadly.” 

“What I want you to know is that Christine was Harry’s girl, she was my girl, she was your girl,” Nicks continued as Styles, wearing a songbird pin on his lapel, nodded solemnly. “She was from here. And she loved all of us. And today was her birthday.” 

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The pair performed the ballad while making sustained eye contact, the “Edge of Seventeen” musician taking the lead as the One Direction alum sang harmony. “And if you see my reflection in the snow-covered hills,” their intertwining voices belted. “Well, the landslide will bring it down.” 

The tribute comes over a year and a half after McVie died at the age of 71 in November 2022, having suffered a stroke with her secondary cause of death being listed as cancer. “She was truly one-of-a-kind, special and talented beyond measure,” wrote Fleetwood Mac in a joint statement at the time. “She was the best musician anyone could have in their band and the best friend anyone could have in their life. We were so lucky to have a life with her.” 

Nicks has been open about her grief since losing her bandmate, telling Vulture last fall that she doesn’t anticipate full-band activities continuing in McVie’s absence. “She was like my soul mate, my musical soul mate, and my best friend that I spent more time with than any of my other best friends outside of Fleetwood Mac,” she told the publication. “Christine was my best friend… Who am I going to look over to on the right and have them not be there behind that Hammond organ? When she died, I figured we really can’t go any further with this. There’s no reason to.” 

Styles also previously honored McVie on his own by singing “Songbird” at his December 2022 concert in Chile. He and Nicks have performed together several times in the past, including at his 2019 One Night Only show at Los Angeles’ The Forum.  

Watch Styles and Nicks perform “Landslide” in McVie’s honor below. 

15 Jul 2024

SEVENTEEN’S Woozi Denies Claims Group Used AI to Write Songs: ‘Written and Composed By Human Creators’

SEVENTEEN singer/producer WOOZI has responded to a British news feature claiming that the K-pop group is using artificial intelligence when recording its music. WOOZI, who also co-writes the group’s songs, reportedly had thoughts after a BBC News story posted last week claimed that SEVENTEEN’s most recent single, “Maestro,” was an example of the group’s dive into using artificial intelligence in the creative process.

The piece entitled “Will K-pop‘s AI Experiment Pay Off?” noted that the song’s video has AI-generated scenes, with the outlet quoting WOOZI reportedly saying that he was “experimenting” with AI when making new music and that the group “practiced making songs with AI, as we want to develop along with technology rather than complain about it.”

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According to NME, WOOZI posted a response on his Instagram Story on Sunday in which he said, “All of SEVENTEEN’s music is written and composed by human creators.” Korean outlet Newsis claimed that WOOZI’s original comments were taken out of context and what he said was: “I’ve tried writing and composing lyrics with AI, of course. Rather than complaining, I’ll practice in step with it. I’m looking for shortcomings and thinking about what strengths there are. Technology is advancing rapidly. I’m thinking about how to maintain our unique identity in that context. I thought that we had good chemistry because we were able to form a good sense of empathy while filming the music video with the directors.”

Newsis also quoted SEVENTEEN’s Pledis Entertainment label supporting WOOZI, saying, “It is not true that AI was used in Seventeen’s song lyrics, and we have conveyed our position to the foreign media outlets that reported on this to correct the content.”

In April, Soompi reported that while promoting the band’s new greatest hits album, 17 Is Right Here, WOOZI talked about practicing songwriting using AI to understand its pros and cons, but stressed that he was not using it at this time.

At press time a spokesperson for SEVENTEEN had not responded to Billboard‘s request for comment.

The BBC later added an editor’s note to its story that refuted the claim about SEVENTEEN which reads: “This article was amended to confirm that while AI is being experimented with in K-pop, it was not used to write songs for the latest Seventeen album.”

15 Jul 2024

BTS’ Jin Thanks ARMY For Support On 2024 Summer Olympics Torch Run Through Paris: ‘I Am Truly Grateful’

BTS‘ Jin has seen and done some amazing things during his band’s rocket ride to global fame over the past decade. But when he was tapped to be South Korea’s official representative in the Paris 2024 Olympic torch relay the 31-year-old K-pop star was beside himself with excitement.

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“It was an honor to be part of such a meaningful moment. I was able to take on the honorable role of a torchbearer thanks to the support of ARMY (BTS’ official fandom),” Jin said in a statement after participating in the relay on Sunday (July 14), which also happened to be Bastille Day. “I am truly grateful. I was so nervous to the point of not knowing how the time passed, but I was able to do my best thanks to the many people on site who loudly cheered me on,” he continued of the thrill of taking part in the relay whose themes are “harmony” and “peace.”

Fans lined the streets to get a glimpse of Jin — dressed all in white — as he grabbed the torch on the Rue de Rivoli from a torchbearer on a bicycle and led the portion of the run that went by the Louvre Museum. Surrounded by a police escort, Jin carried the flame around 200 meters (and approximately 10 minutes) before handing it back over to Sandra Laoura, a former French national freestyle skier in front of the iconic Louvre Pyramid.

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“I hope that all the South Korean national teams participating in the Paris Olympics accomplish outstanding results from their tremendous hard work,” Jin added. “I will be rooting for them wholeheartedly. I also hope that there will be continued interest in the 17th Paris 2024 Paralympics in August. I, too, will continue to work hard and always strive to put my best foot forward.”

The Torch Relay began, as always in Olympia, Greece and it is currently traveling through 65 territories across France and more than 400 cities in the run-up to the 2024 Summer Games opening ceremony in Paris on July 26. Jin was able to take on the honor this year after completing his mandatory South Korean military service on June 12, which made him the first member of the group to wrap his hitch as the boy band awaits its planned post-military reunion next year.

Check out some footage of Jin’s torch run below.


https://youtube.com/watch?v=6mOWeaQQZAs&version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent