Pop
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Sabrina Carpenter notches her first No. 1 on Billboard’s Pop Airplay chart — and on any radio-based ranking — with “Feather.” The song tops the April 6-dated survey with a 7% gain in plays March 22-28, according to Luminate. The single, released on Island/Republic Records, previously became Carpenter’s second Pop Airplay top 10, after “Nonsense” […]
Beyoncé may be Queen B, but when a higher power speaks, she listens — and that’s exactly what she did when it came to her Renaissance. The superstar revealed that though the first act in her trilogy made its debut in 2022, it was Cowboy Carter — which dropped Friday (March 29) — that she had originally planned to arrive first.
“This album took over five years,” she said of Act II in a Parkwood Entertainment press release Friday. “It’s been really great to have the time and the grace to be able to take my time with it. I was initially going to put Cowboy Carter out first, but with the pandemic, there was too much heaviness in the world. We wanted to dance. We deserved to dance. But I had to trust God’s timing.”
The 32-time Grammy winner announced the follow-up to Renaissance during the 2024 Super Bowl in a Verizon ad that featured Tony Hale, and immediately dropped two songs: “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages,” offering the Beyhive a taste of her country-tinged album that features icons Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton.
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But as Bey previously teased, “This ain’t a country album. This is a ‘Beyoncé’ album.” Indeed, the set features collaborators from various musical genres — including Post Malone and Miley Cyrus — as well as instruments such as the accordion, washboards, harmonicas and even her own nails.
“The joy of creating music is that there are no rules,” Beyoncé noted in the press release. “The more I see the world evolving the more I felt a deeper connection to purity. With artificial intelligence and digital filters and programming, I wanted to go back to real instruments, and I used very old ones. I didn’t want some layers of instruments like strings, especially guitars, and organs perfectly in tune. I kept some songs raw and leaned into folk. All the sounds were so organic and human, everyday things like the wind, snaps and even the sound of birds and chickens, the sounds of nature.”
Bey also opened up about her process, and revealed that she recorded many, many songs for the album.
“My process is that I typically have to experiment,” she shared. “I enjoy being open to have the freedom to get all aspects of things I love out and so I worked on many songs. I recorded probably 100 songs. Once that is done, I am able to put the puzzle together and realize the consistencies and the common themes, and then create a solid body of work.”
She concluded in the release: “I think people are going to be surprised because I don’t think this music is what everyone expects, but it’s the best music I’ve ever made.”
Blusher puts the pedal to the metal with “Accelerator,” the Australian pop-trio’s latest single.
Produced by Donny Bravo (Disclosure), the club-ready electro-pop track is the product of an inspired and highly-caffeinated morning, the singers still buzzing from a late, late night watching a Tove Lo and Associanu DJ set.
Bravo captures the “chaotic vibes” and energy that spilled out during the sessions, recounts the Melbourne trio. “’Accelerator’ feels like a late night highway chase – when you embrace the chaos of not knowing where you’re going and jump head first into a feeling,” the Aussie artists tell Billboard via email. “We have never been more excited about a song.”
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Blusher (Miranda Ward, Lauren Coutts and Jade Ingvarson-Favretto) formed in 2021, and got tongues wagging the following year with the independently-released “Softly Spoken,” which enjoyed support from national youth network triple j and its Unearthed sister station (triple j premiered “Accelerator” this week).
They produce and write together, share vocals on many of their songs and swap instruments during their choreographed live performances, which have included showcases at the Bigsound conference in Brisbane and the inaugural SXSW Sydney. In 2023, Atlantic Records signed the pop group to its roster.
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Currently, Blusher is on the road with Dadi Freyr playing their first U.S. shows. “It’s been the perfect opportunity to test out ‘Accelerator’ on a live audience, and we have been blown away by the crowds’ reaction,” Blusher tells Billboard. “When we pull out sci-fi sunglasses and synchronized dance moves they are always down to match our chaotic energy on stage.”
They’re getting around in a small band van, which has the cute nickname Vangelina Jolie. “Now we have met so many lovely new fans at the shows who really feel like they will be fans for life. It means the world to us that America has embraced us with open arms on our first tour here,” Blusher gush. “It’s just the beginning and we can’t wait to play a lot more U.S. shows in the future.”
Blusher was nominated for best new artist at the 2024 Rolling Stone Australia Awards, presented this week at Sydney’s The Ivy.
Stream “Accelerator” below.
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J-Hope keeps on spreading the hope. The BTS superstar unveiled his long awaited album, Hope on the Street Vol. 1, on Friday (March 29). The six-track mini-album was described in a press release as spanning a “diverse array of sounds and moods that showcase j-hope’s musical prowess and depth.” It also features a number of […]
It’s Lady Gaga’s birthday, and she’s giving out the presents — in the form of a glowing update on her new music.
The 38-year-old pop star shared a warm post on her big day, March 28, one that’s been full of joy and messages of kindness.
“Today has been so special,” she writes on Instagram. “I can’t remember a time I was so happy on my bday. I am in love with my best friend, my family and friends are loving and kind and healthy. I feel like my heart is bursting with gratitude for my own health and MUSIC.”
Gaga reflects on her busy work schedule, which includes the sequel to Todd Phillips’ Joker, for which she suits up as Harley Quinn alongside lead Joaquin Phoenix, and new music.
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“I am writing some of my best music in as long as I can remember,” she enthuses.
Seeing messages from her Little Monsters from “all over the world,” plus artists and “publications that love my work it means so much to me,” she continues. “Thank you for loving me the way you do and for having such a real love for my songs.”It’s been almost four years since Lady Gaga dropped Chromatica, her sixth studio album, and a return to her dance-inspired roots on singles such as “Stupid Love,” the hit Ariana Grande collaboration “Rain on Me” and “Free Woman.” Chromatica debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in June 2020, for her sixth leader.
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Though little is known of the direction and style of her next musical era, Gaga has confirmed via social media that she’s “not making a rock album.”
In her latest post, Gaga, wearing a black leather jacket behind the wheel of a car, and sporting bleached-blonde long hair and eyebrows, hints at pop matters to come.
“I’ve been writing pop songs since I was a little girl I can’t believe I still get to do what I love,” she writes. “This year will be an important and meaningful year for us I know. Music changes people lives I’m so honored I get to be a part of that in this.”
Last year, Gaga appeared as a guest vocalist on the gospel-tinged Rolling Stones song “Sweet Sounds of Heaven,” from the legendary British rockers’ LP Hackney Diamonds.
Joker: Folie à Deux is due out in cinemas on Oct. 4. The first Joker, based on the D.C. Comics villain, became the first R-rated movie in history to accumulate $1 billion at the box office.
See Gaga’s post below.
Kelly Clarkson is showering her fellow powerhouse vocalist, Ariana Grande, with love. The “Since U Been Gone” singer took to X (previously Twitter) to gush over her fellow former The Voice coach’s recently released album, Eternal Sunshine. “Y’all don’t sleep on this album. It’s so good,” she wrote, before spotlighting three songs in particular in […]
Just a couple weeks before Tyla‘s hard work culminated in the release of her self-titled debut studio album, the 22-year-old artist announced that she’d hit a roadblock: an undisclosed, worsening injury that would force her to pull out of all of her upcoming live shows, including a career milestone set at this year’s Coachella.
In her Billboard cover story published Thursday (March 28), the “Water” singer opened up to Billboard about making the final call to cancel her performance at the April music festival. “It’s difficult because I want to go,” she said. “It’s the moment that I’ve been waiting for.”
“It’s not an easy decision, but it’s the right decision,” added the South African star.
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Tyla first announced that she was not only departing from the Coachella lineup, but also canceling her North American tour dates and rescheduling her shows in Europe, in an Instagram post earlier this month. The 30-plus-date trek had been slated to kick off March 21 in Oslo.
“As much as this is something I would rather have dealt with privately, it’s important that I share what I have to share with you today,” she wrote at the time. “For the past year I’ve been silently suffering with an injury that has tragically worsened. I’ve seen doctors and specialists with high hopes but the pain has only become more agonizing as has the severity of the situation.”
“I am absolutely heartbroken to have to say this but as of right now I won’t be able to proceed with the tour,” she continued. “In consulting with medical professionals it’s become increasingly clear that continuing any festival or tour dates would jeopardize my long-term health and safety.”
Just two weeks later, she dropped Tyla, featuring collaborations with Tems, Gunna, Becky G, Travis Scott and more. The set includes her viral hit “Water” — which reached the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 on Billboard’s U.S. Afrobeats Songs, Rhythmic Airplay and Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay charts — as well as 12 other tracks.
“I’m really confident in what I’ve created,” she told Billboard of her debut. “Now’s a time where I can showcase a performance style where I’m not really dancing as much. Maybe I strip back a little bit more and I’m just serving vocals. But there’s no way to stop me. I’m always going to find a way.”
Read Tyla’s Billboard cover story here.
Saddle up, y’all! Cowboy Carter season is finally in full effect. Beyoncé‘s eighth solo studio album hits digital streaming platforms midnight local time on March 29, and if the success of “Texas Hold ‘Em” is anything to go by, the new LP will add several new hits to Queen Bey’s collection of Billboard smashes.
Beyoncé’s chart history doesn’t begin with “16 Carriages,” or even “Break My Soul.” From girl group anthems by way of Destiny’s Child to era-defining releases such as 2003’s “Crazy In Love” or 2016’s Lemonade, her storied career has impacted practically every Billboard ranking.
She first topped the Billboard Hot 100 with her Grammy-winning group Destiny’s Child. The group — which featured an ever-evolving lineup including Kelly Rowland, Michelle Williams, LeToya Luckett and LaTavia Roberson — reached the chart’s apex with four different songs: 1999’s “Bills, Bills, Bills” (one week), 1999’s “Say My Name” (three weeks), 2000’s “Independent Women, Part I” (11 weeks) and 2001’s “Bootylicious” (two weeks).
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With Dangerously In Love, her Billboard 200-topping debut solo studio album, Beyoncé collected her first few solo Hot 100 chart-toppers, including her Jay-Z-assisted “Crazy in Love,” which spent eight weeks at No. 1. That album, which also featured the Hot 100 No. 1 hit “Baby Boy” (with Sean Paul), became the first of Beyoncé’s seven solo studio albums to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Should Cowboy Carter also debut atop Billboard’s marquee albums chart, Beyoncé will have launched all of her solo studio albums at No. 1.
Throughout her career, Queen Bey has collected nine solo Hot 100 No. 1 hits, including 2008’s “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” (four weeks), 2006’s “Irreplaceable” (10 weeks) and 2024’s “Texas Hold ‘Em” (two weeks). Upon release, “Texas” made history as the first song by a Black woman to top Hot Country Songs. Beyoncé has spent 46 cumulative weeks atop the Hot 100, the third-most amongst women behind Mariah Carey (93 weeks) and Rihanna (60 weeks).
Needless to say, Beyoncé’s Billboard chart history is one fit for a queen.
After the video, catch up on more Billboard Explains videos and learn about 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, how the Super Bowl halftime show is booked and more.
03/28/2024
From ‘Dangerously in Love’ to ‘Cowboy Carter.’
03/28/2024
For fans having a hard time coming to terms with the fact that Rihanna has retired from making music, it’s time to rip that band-aid off.
RiRi has kept music on the back burner for several years now, and she’s only returned to the stage when presented with prime (and, at times, high-paying) opportunities that no major artist would want to refuse. She headlined the Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show last year, where she also revealed she was pregnant with her and A$AP Rocky’s second child. And earlier this month, the internet devoured guerrilla footage of her first full concert in eight years — during the pre-wedding celebration for Anant Ambani, the son of Asia’s richest man Mukesh Ambani, and Radhika Merchant in Jamnagar, India. Rihanna was reportedly paid anywhere from $6 to $9 million for her set, which included performances of her Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hits “Work,” “Umbrella,” “We Found Love,” “Diamonds” and more.
Shortly before her Indian pre-wedding concert, she had hinted at a collaboration with Rocky – but it was about a lip balm. And earlier this week, she starred on the cover of Vogue China to celebrate the expansion of Fenty Beauty, one of Rihanna’s many business ventures that’s transformed the superstar with nine Grammys into a mogul with nine zeroes in her net worth. But fans are still holding out for her ninth studio album.
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Rather than continuing to hope for R9’s uncertain arrival, it would be easier to accept that the album might never materialize. And although she’s never officially announced her retirement, her career moves over the last few years have strongly suggested that no new music is on the horizon.
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Rihanna hasn’t dropped a full-length project since 2016’s ANTI, and it’s arguably her best album – even Rihanna agrees. “In hindsight, it really is my most brilliant album,” she said in her 2023 British Vogue cover story. “It always felt like the most cohesive album I’ve ever made.” It produced the nine-week Hot 100 No. 1 “Work,” featuring Drake, and two additional top 10 hits with “Needed Me” and “Love on the Brain.” “Work,” “Needed Me” and fellow single “Kiss It Better” all earned Grammy nominations, while ANTI was up for best urban contemporary album and best recording package in 2017.
The LP debuted at No. 27 on the Billboard 200 following its surprise release on Tidal (with a little more than a day left in the chart’s tracking week); after it became widely available to digital retailers and streaming services, ANTI reached No. 1 in its second-charting week, marking her second chart-topping album after 2012’s Unapologetic. And at 412 weeks (and counting), ANTI is the fourth-longest-charting album on the Billboard 200 by a woman artist, after Adele’s 21, Lana Del Rey’s Born to Die and Taylor Swift’s 1989. The songs from ANTI collectively have 7.2 billion official on-demand U.S. streams, according to Luminate. Rihanna really doesn’t need to drop another body of work, because she’s already delivered a classic.
And while ANTI set the bar very high, that doesn’t mean Rihanna couldn’t outdo herself. Artists like SZA and Frank Ocean have proven they can follow up their universally acclaimed sets with equally excellent or even better albums. But Rihanna has opened up about the pressure that comes with the prospect of dropping the highly anticipated follow-up to ANTI.
“There’s this pressure that I put on myself. That if it’s not better than that then it is not even worth it,” she told British Vogue last year, explaining how her perfectionism has gotten in the way of her creative process. “I realized that if I keep waiting until this feels right and perfect and better, maybe it’s going to keep taking forever and maybe it’ll never come out and no, I’m not down for that.” RiRi also told the publication that it would be “ridiculous” if she didn’t drop the album in 2023. Now that we’re quickly approaching Q2 of 2024, it’s hard to determine how Rihanna has since readjusted her timetable for R9.
She’s made comments about R9 in previous interviews that have indicated it isn’t completely a myth. In her 2018 Vogue cover story, she said she wanted to make it a reggae album. When she covered the magazine the following year, she doubled down on her statement. “I like to look at it as a reggae-inspired or reggae-infused album,” she told Vogue in 2019. But otherwise, Rihanna has not publicly disclosed any concrete details about or plan to release the album we’ve all been waiting for.
She told Entertainment Tonight in February 2022 that her fans “would kill me if they waited this long for a lullaby.” And what did she do? She released a lullaby seven months later with “Lift Me Up,” her first solo single in six years and the lead single from the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack. While the tribute to late actor Chadwick Boseman wasn’t the kind of song fans were expecting (and the kind of song Rihanna joked she wouldn’t deliver), it proved she still had the juice, commercially and artistically: “Lift Me Up” debuted at No. 2 on the Hot 100 and became the best-starting radio single of Rihanna’s career, debuting at No. 6 on Radio Songs. It also earned best original song nominations at the 80th annual Golden Globe Awards and 95th annual Academy Awards and a best song written for visual media nod at the 66th annual Grammy Awards.
But one hit soundtrack single – that stayed two weeks in the Hot 100 top 10, which isn’t a remarkable feat for a Rihanna single – is no indication of her hypothetical new album era. Most people seemed to forget that she recorded two songs for the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack, with “Born Again” closing out the project. The song didn’t earn the same impressive chart stats or rave reviews as “Lift Me Up,” which spurred multiple “Rihanna Returns to Music” headlines. Yet her momentary reappearance, which has been followed by other mini-resurfacings like her Super Bowl and pre-wedding performances, hasn’t officially signaled the end of her eight-year musical hiatus.
And a large reason why the “Don’t Stop the Music” hitmaker stopped putting out music is because Rihanna has been preoccupied checking off everything else from her bucket list. A few years back, a snippet of her 2008 InStyle cover interview resurfaced on X (formerly known as Twitter) where then-20-year-old singer listed what she wanted to accomplish in the next 10 years: “I want to have already started my family and have some businesses of my own. A fashion line, a makeup line, and I still want to be doing what I’m doing at a much bigger capacity – by the grace of God!” Rihanna, now 36, has accomplished everything she’s set out to do: In the eight years following ANTI, Rihanna welcomed two sons with Rocky; launched her $1 billion-worth Savage x Fenty lingerie brand and historic Fenty fashion line with LVHM Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton (which was put on hold in 2021); and opened her Fenty Beauty and Fenty Skin lines, with the success of the former helping her reach billionaire status in 2022.
While fans’ original entry point to Rihanna was her music, she has wielded her musical career as an entry point to starting other successful businesses. And fans can get frustrated if it seems like artists are neglecting the thing that made them popular in the first place, but what they might not realize or even respect is that artists have other big dreams they want to pursue – and music might’ve provided an avenue for them to achieve them. Saweetie, another business-savvy artist who has noticeably taken her sweet time to release an album and recently explained the pressure surrounding it, has also opened up about wanting to create a legacy for herself beyond music. Whether artists completely stop making music to pursue their other passions or drop singles here and there before disappearing again, fans’ hopes for their musical careers don’t always align with the direction artists take them in.
Maybe RiRi will pull a Kendrick and deliver the news we’ve all been waiting for when she sees discussions about her retirement. Or maybe ANTI really is her swan song. Either way, Rihanna’s career trajectory has been nothing short of exceptional – and for better or for worse, another album isn’t going to dramatically affect it.