Pop

04 Oct 2023

Amy Winehouse’s ‘Back to Black’ Video Joins the YouTube Billion Views Club

Amy Winehouse has finally reached the YouTube billion views club. The Grammy-winning late soul/R&B star who tragically died at 27 of alcohol poisoning in 2011 is now part of that elite society thanks to her 2007 “Back to Black” visual crossing the nine zero mark.

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The elegant black and white Phil Griffin-directed video is Winehouse’s first to reach a billion. In keeping with the dramatic nature of the singer’s rapid rise to fame and equally precipitous fall into substance use and early death, it originally featured a funeral procession and the singer paying her respects over a headstone that read: “R.I.P. the Heart of Amy Winehouse” (that bit was excised after the singer’s death.)

For the most part, the visual shot at Abney Park Cemetery in northeast London focuses on Winehouse performing the heartbreak anthem in a black dress, her signature beehive hairdo and dramatic eyeliner as her band await the beginning of a grim funeral procession. “We only said goodbye with words/ I died a hundred times,” she sings as the camera hovers inches from her intense gaze.

The third single from the singer’s second, and final, studio album of the same name was written by Winehouse and frequent collaborator Mark Ronson — who also produced it — and inspired by her troublesome relationship with on-and-off boyfriend Black Fielder-Civil. Midway through the video, Winehouse is shown walking slowly through a cemetery and throwing a single white rose into the grave site as the girl group-inspired song shifts into a downtempo strings and tambourine section, with Winehouse repeating the phrase, “black… black… black… black.”

It ends with Winehouse lamenting that her lover has returned to his ex as she sprinkles a handful of dirt on the grave. The Back to Black album — which also included the singles “Rehab,” “You Know I’m No Good” and “Tears Dry On Their Own” — won best pop vocal album, record and song of the year (“Rehab”) and scored the singer that year’s best new artist award.

Watch the “Back to Black” video below.

04 Oct 2023

Here’s How Olivia Rodrigo Reacted to the Idea of Getting Back Together With Her Ex

Fans have been invested in Olivia Rodrigo‘s possible love interests since “Drivers License” came out in 2021. But whether it’s Joshua Bassett, Adam Faze or Zack Bia, it’s unlikely you’ll ever see the 20-year-old pop star with any of them ever again.

At least, that’s how it seems based off Rodrigo’s recent appearance on Pitchfork‘s “Over/Under” YouTube series, where she rated everything from American Girl dolls to bacon to guys with mustaches. When asked whether getting back together with an ex is overrated or underrated, the “Vampire” singer simply said: “You guys, the sequel’s never as good as the original. Never.”

There you have it. Rodrigo almost definitely won’t be getting back with any of her exes anytime soon, although anyone who’s listened to either of her albums probably could’ve guessed that on their own. Her debut, Sour, is filled with painful heartbreak ballads widely believed to be about Bassett, her former High School Musical: The Musical: The Series costar.

And Guts, the followup released last month, definitely doesn’t paint a positive picture of anyone she’s dated since her first album came out (Faze and Bia, if rumors are to be believed). Just look at “Vampire,” “Get Him Back,” “Bad Idea Right?” and “Logical,” to name a few of the most incriminating tracks.

But before she was writing chart-topping hits, Rodrigo actually used to write One Direction fan fiction — something she reflected on in “Over/Under.” “Writing fan fiction is underrated,” she said. “I definitely developed some of my narrative writing skills that way.”

“But, maybe posting them on online forums is maybe overrated,” she added wisely. “I don’t know if you’ll want that up there forever.”

Watch Olivia Rodrigo on “Over/Under” above.

04 Oct 2023

Victoria Beckham Reveals ‘Most Unhappy’ Moment in Her Marriage to David Beckham in ‘Beckham’ Doc

Ever since they began dating in 1997, former soccer great David Beckham and wife Victoria “Posh Spice” Beckham have been under the red-hot tabloid spotlight. And never was the scrutiny more intense, and more potentially damaging to their relationship, than during the footballer’s rocky four-year tenure with the Real Madrid football club that began in 2003.

The former Spice Girls member reveals just how taxing that time was in the final episode of the new four-part Netflix documentary series Beckham, which both charts the English legend’s rise to fame during a legendary two-decade career, as well as the rocky times in his high-profile marriage to the former pop star/model.

“This was a time when anything he touched turned to gold. I remember saying, ‘You would love to get in the bath, but you can’t because every time you go to get in the bath the bloody water parts and you just walk on straight through,’” Victoria says at one point of the Messiah-like status her model-handsome husband enjoyed in the early 2000s in the series that dropped on Wednesday (Oct. 4).

Cut to a Spanish reporter asking David, “‘Do you think you’re losing out a lot because you’re married? All these women who love you, throw their [underwear] at you?,’” while an English chat show hosts asks the equally pulchritudinous singer — and then mother of their two eldest children — if she was concerned about all the women “throwing” themselves at her husband.

Dogged by allegations of David’s infidelity in the British tabloids, David says, “there was some horrible stories that were difficult to deal with” after his transfer, adding that it was the first time the couple had been put under that kind of pressure in their marriage. When the interviewer asks Victoria if that was the hardest time in their marriage, she swiftly responds, “100%. It was the hardest period for us because it felt like the world was against us.”

Worse still, she adds, it felt like “we were against each other if I’m being completely honest.” Until the Madrid transfer, she says it was like “us against everybody else. But we were together, we were connected.” But in Spain, that connection felt broken. “When we were in Spain, it didn’t really feel like we had each other either. And that’s sad,” she says. “I can’t even begin to tell you how hard it was and how it affected me.”

Alone in a new city where he didn’t speak the language, David says the move to Madrid was disorienting, with Victoria struggling to even describe how hard it was on their family as they confronted a fresh hell every day. “It felt like we were not losing each other, but drowning,” he explains.

“It was a nightmare. From the minute we opened the door in the morning, the press were there in cars and everywhere we went, we would get followed,” Victoria says of the time that her husband still can’t quite figure out how they survived. The scrutiny expanded outward to the pair’s children, whose morning commutes to their primary schools were blown up into mad tabloid scrambles that included rude comments shouted at son Brooklyn about his parents. “It was an absolute circus — it’s really entertaining when the circus comes to town, right? Unless you’re in it,” Victoria laments.

Saying his wife is “everything” to him, David recalls that seeing Victoria upset at the attention was incredibly difficult. “But… we’re fighters and at that time we needed to fight for each other. We needed to fight for our family,” he says on the verge of tears, noting that sometimes he didn’t know how he would even walk onto the pitch and pretend that everything was okay whilst feeling “physically sick” every day at work.

“Did I resent David? If I’m being totally honest, yes I did,” Victoria says. “It was probably, if I’m being honest, the most unhappy I’ve ever been in my entire life.” How bad was it? When Victoria was scheduled to give birth to their third son Cruz in February 2005, David said he didn’t think he could be at the hospital because he had a photo shoot… with Jennifer Lopez and Beyoncé. “‘Are you kidding me?’” Victoria, who was on bedrest and “about to burst” remembers saying to her husband.

Not feeling her most beautiful after the scheduled c-section, Victoria says she woke up the day after to a tabloid headline that read “What Will Posh Say?” alongside a “gorgeous” picture of Becks with the two superstar singers. “Let me tell you what Posh would say! Posh was pissed off!” she says.

The couple who married in 1999, have four children, daughter Harper (12), Cruz (18), Romeo (21) and Brooklyn (24).

The episode also gives viewers a glimpse at the the soccer player’s immense color-coordinated closet and his week’s worth of pre-selected clothes on a rack, as well as the jubilation that erupted after he won the La Liga championship with Madrid in his final season in 2007. The second half of the episode focuses on Beckham’s game-changing transfer to the Los Angeles Galaxy team that somehow made him an even bigger star and helped boost soccer to true major league status in the United States.

That move also included an Oscar-worthy “Welcome to America” party at the LA. Museum of Contemporary Art in 2007 that was thrown by pal Tom Cruise and Will Smith and which was attended by Jada Pinkett Smith, Katie Holmes, Tyrese, Ron Howard, Brooke Shields, Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore, Eva Longoria, Bruce Willis, Jim Carrey and Jenny McCarthy and Friends‘ Matthew Perry, among many others. The night famously included Cruise re-creating his Risky Business dance and Stevie Wonder singing “Happy Birthday” to the guest of honor.

04 Oct 2023

Selena Gomez Reflects on Leaving Social Media After Justin Bieber Split & Bipolar Diagnosis

As the most followed woman on Instagram, Selena Gomez knows better than anyone how draining social media can be on a person’s mental health. That goes especially for times of heartbreak, something she experienced firsthand in 2018 following her split from Justin Bieber (who got engaged to his now-wife, Hailey Bieber, that same year).

After the two stars parted ways following a decade of on again, off again dating, Gomez took a break from social media that would last four years. Now back online, the “Calm Down” singer has opened up about that time in a new interview with Fast Company that chronicles the success of her Rare Beauty empire.

“I had just gotten my heart broken,” Gomez recalled. “I didn’t need to see what everyone was doing.”

“Then there were those moments of not feeling positive about how I looked because of what I’d see on Instagram,” she added, remembering how she used to think, “Wow, I wish my body looked like that.”

Gomez was also diagnosed with bipolar disorder around this time, although she didn’t share this publicly until 2020 via an Instagram Live conversation with fellow former Disney Channel star Miley Cyrus out of fear that her public image might suffer. “I grew up being a people pleaser,” she told the publication. “I had a responsibility at a very young age — young people were looking up to me. I didn’t know who I was. Having that responsibility would make me walk on eggshells a lot.”

“I thought maybe it would be damaging to tell people who I am,” she added. “It started to become a threat that freaked me out. Well, if you’re not right, then you can’t work.”

Now, at the age of 30 and the head of a mental health-oriented beauty company expected to clear $300 million in sales this year, Gomez is feeling much more confident about herself, as well as her relationship to her fans. “I’m not unattainable,” she said. “I look at someone like a Beyoncé, and I am amazed. My jaw drops. Every part of her is just impeccable, and it’s just so beautiful. I went to her show and was blown away. But I’m just not that, and that’s okay.”

“I’m me, and I’m a little silly, but I also like being sexy and fun, and I also want to do good with the time I have here,” Gomez continued. “We need goddesses like Beyoncé and Adele. But I’m just happy to be your best friend.”

04 Oct 2023

Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo and SZA Lead 2023 MTV EMAs Nominations: See List

Taylor Swift leads all nominees for the 2023 MTV EMAs with seven nods, including best artist, best song and best video, the latter for her single “Anti-Hero.” This year’s nominations were announced Wednesday morning (Oct. 4) and they find Olivia Rodrigo and SZA just behind Taylor with six noms each — including for best artist, best song and best video — with Doja Cat, Måneskin, Miley Cyrus and Nicki Minaj each garnering four.

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This year’s event will be broadcast live to more than 150 countries on Nov. 5 from the Paris Nord, marking the first time the ceremony has returned to the City of Light since 1995; the show will also be available in a number of international territories on Pluto TV and on-demand on Paramount+.

This year’s list of honorees also includes 26 first-time nominees, including BTS’ Jung Kook — his first EMA noms as a solo artist — as well as Central Cee, FLO, Ice Spice, PinkPanthress with three each and Asake, Coi Leray, Metro Boomin’, The Weeknd (who now goes by his birth name, Abel Tesfaye), NewJeans, Peso Pluma and Reneé Rapp with two each.

The 2023 EMAs will also add a new best Afrobeats category this year, with Asake, Aya Nakamura, Arya Starr, Burna Boy, Davido and Rema in the running. Fans can start voting for their favorite categories starting today here; voting will be open through 11:59 p.m. CET on Oct. 31. Fans in 24 regions around the world will be able to vote for their favorite performers in the best local act category.

Check out the complete list of 2023 MTV EMA nominees below.

Best Song

Doja Cat – “Paint The Town Red”

Jung Kook feat. Latto – “Seven”

Miley Cyrus – “Flowers”

Olivia Rodrigo – “vampire”

SZA – “Kill Bill”

Taylor Swift – “Anti-Hero”

Rema, Selena Gomez – “Calm Down”

Best Video

Cardi B feat. Megan Thee Stallion – “Bongos”

Doja Cat – “Paint The Town Red”

Little Simz – “Gorilla”

Miley Cyrus – “Flowers”

Olivia Rodrigo – “vampire”

SZA – “Kill Bill”

Taylor Swift – “Anti-Hero”

Best Artist

Doja Cat

Miley Cyrus

Nicki Minaj

Olivia Rodrigo

SZA

Taylor Swift 

Best Collaboration

Central Cee x Dave – “Sprinter”

David Guetta, Anne-Marie, Coi Leray – “Baby Don’t Hurt Me”

KAROL G, Shakira – “TQG”

Metro Boomin, The Weeknd, 21 Savage – “Creepin’”

PinkPantheress, Ice Spice – “Boy’s a Liar Pt. 2”

Rema, Selena Gomez – “Calm Down”

Best New

Coi Leray

FLO

Ice Spice 

Peso Pluma

PinkPantheress

Reneé Rapp

Best Pop

Billie Eilish 

Dua Lipa

Ed Sheeran

Miley Cyrus

Olivia Rodrigo

Taylor Swift

Best Afrobeats

Asake

Aya Nakamura

Ayra Starr

Burna Boy

Davido 

Rema

Best Rock

Arctic Monkeys

Foo Fighters

Måneskin

Metallica

Red Hot Chili Peppers

The Killers

Best Latin 

Anitta

Bad Bunny

KAROL G

Peso Pluma

ROSALÍA 

Shakira

Best K-pop

FIFTY FIFTY

Jung Kook

NewJeans

SEVENTEEN

Stray Kids

TOMORROW X TOGETHER

Best Alternative

Blur

Fall Out Boy

Lana Del Rey

Paramore

Thirty Seconds To Mars

YUNGBLUD

Best Electronic

Alesso 

Calvin Harris

David Guetta 

Swedish House Mafia 

Peggy Gou

Tiësto

Best Hip-Hop

Cardi B

Central Cee

Lil Wayne

Lil Uzi Vert

Metro Boomin

Nicki Minaj

Travis Scott

Best R&B

Chlöe

Chris Brown

Steve Lacy

Summer Walker

SZA 

Usher

Best Live

Beyoncé

Burna Boy

Ed Sheeran

Måneskin

SZA

Taylor Swift

The Weeknd

Best Push

November 2022: Flo Milli 

December 2022: Reneé Rapp 

January 2023: Sam Ryder 

February 2023: Armani White

March 2023: FLETCHER

April 2023: TOMORROW X TOGETHER

May 2023: Ice Spice

June 2023: FLO

July 2023: Lauren Spencer Smith 

August 2023: Kaliii

September 2023: GloRilla

October 2023: Benson Boone

Biggest Fans

Anitta

Billie Eilish 

BLACKPINK

Jung Kook

Nicki Minaj 

Olivia Rodrigo 

Sabrina Carpenter

Selena Gomez 

Taylor Swift

Best Group

aespa

FLO

Jonas Brothers

Måneskin

NewJeans

OneRepublic

SEVENTEEN

TOMORROW X TOGETHER

2023 MTV EMA Best Local Act Nominees:

Best African Act 

Asake

Burna Boy

Libianca

Tyler ICU

Diamond Platnumz

Best Asia Act

BE:FIRST

BRIGHT

Moria

Tiara Andini

TREASURE

Best Australian Act

Budjerah

G Flip

Kylie Minogue

The Kid LAROI

Troye Sivan

Best Brasilian Act

Anavitoria

Kevin O Chris

Luisa Sonza

Manu Gavassi

Matue

Best Canadian Act

Charlotte Cardin

Drake

Jamie Fine

Shania Twain

The Beaches

Best Caribbean Act

Eladio Carrion

Mora

Myke Towers

Rauw Alejandro

Young Miko

Best Dutch Act

FLEMMING

Idaly

Kriss Kross Amsterdam

S10

Zoë Tauran

Best French Act

Aime Simone

Aya Nakamura

Bigflo & Oli

Louane

Ninho

Slimane

Best German Act

Apache 207

AYLIVA

Kontra K

Luciano

Nina Chuba

Ski Aggu

Best Hungarian Act

ajsa luna

Analog Balaton

Beton.Hofi

Co Lee

Hundred Sins

Best India Act

Dee MC

DIVINE

Mali

Tsymyoki

When Chai Met Toast

Best Italian Act

Annalisa

Elodie

Lazza

Måneskin

The Kolors

Best Israeli Act

Anna Zak

Liad Meir

Noa Kirel

Nunu

Shira Margalit

Best Lat Am Central Act 

Blessd

Feid

Manuel Turizo

Ryan Castro

Sebastian Yatra

Best Lat Am North Act

Danna Paola

Kenia Os

Kevin Kaarl

Siddhartha

Natanael Cano

Best Lat Am South Act

Bizarrap

Duki

Fito Paez

Lali

Nicki Nicole

Best New Zealand Act

BENEE

JessB

Jolyon Petch

L.A.B.

SIX60

Best Nordic Act

Alessandra

Käärijä

Loreen

Swedish House Mafia

Zara Larsson

Best Polish Act

Doda

Kasia Nosowska

Mrozu

Sanah

Vito Bambino

Best Portuguese Act

Bárbara Bandeira

Bispo

Carolina Deslandes

Marisa Liz

PIRUKA

Best Spanish Act

Abraham Mateo

Álvaro de Luna

Lola Índigo

Quevedo

Samantha Hudson

Best Swiss Act

Danitsa

Gjon’s Tears

KT Gorique

Monet192

Stress

Best UK & Ireland Act 

Calvin Harris

Central Cee

PinkPantheress

Raye

Sam Smith

Tom Grennan

Best US Act

Doja Cat

Nicki Minaj

Olivia Rodrigo

SZA

Taylor Swift

04 Oct 2023

Blackpink’s Jennie Announces Release Date for Solo Single ‘You & Me’

Blackpink‘s Jennie is prepping a solo track for release this week. The singer announced that the “special single” titled “You & Me” will drop on Friday (Oct. 6). The reveal came on the K-pop group’s official Instagram, accompanied by a shot of Jennie in a red ruffled shirt and matching top standing in the ocean in front of a full moon.

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According to NME, the song debuted during the opening date of Blackpink’s Born Pink world tour at the KSPO Dome in Seoul last October, with a remixed version spotlighted during the band’s set at Coachella earlier this year.

The song will be Jennie’s first solo venture since the release of her 2018 debut solo single, “Solo,” which hit No. 1 on Bilboard’s World Digital Song Sales chart in Nov. 2018. Though critics savaged the one-season show, Jennie’s role on The Weeknd’s ill-fated HBO drama The Idol was one of the few highlights of the music industry soap opera.

Among the handful of memorable take-aways from the show was the down-tempo single “One of the Girls,” an emotionally turgid song about fame, control, desire and choking during sex featuring Jennie, show star Lily-Rose Depp and the Weeknd (who now goes by his birth name, Abel Tesfaye).

Blackpink wound down their Born Pink Encore Tour at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles with a final show on Aug. 26, following stadium gigs in San Francisco, Las Vegas, Rutherford, New Jersey and two shows at Foro Sol in Mexico City.

Check out the Jennie “You & Me” single announcement below.

04 Oct 2023

Ed Sheeran First British Artist to Receive Gold BRIT Billion Award for 10 Billion UK Streams

Ed Sheeran had a lot to celebrate this week. In fact he had 10 billion reasons to pop champagne. The singer became the first British artist to receive the Gold BRIT Billion Award for logging 10 billion UK streams. Sheeran celebrated the milestone by reposting the BRIT’s honor with the one-word reaction “Incredible!”

In an accompanying Instagram video, Sheeran held up the special edition award and told fans, “Thank you so much for all the streams. It’s a pleasure, I love being British.” According to a release announcing the award from the BPI — which represents the UK’s leading record labels and music companies — of the 10 billion streams, over one billion of them came in the last 12 months alone.

“It’s wonderful to receive the first-ever BRIT Billion Award in the UK for 10 billion streams. I want to say a big thank you to my fans. None of this is possible without you guys,” Sheeran said in a statement.

The award was handed to Sheeran by musician/actor/presenter Jordan Stephens, one half of the U.K. hip-hop duo Rizzle Kicks. It is not the first record Sheeran has put up on the UK’s Official Charts, following on the heels of him becoming the first artist to have four albums in the official albums chart top 10 for a year, as well as being the first British solo act to score a full year at No. 1 across his catalog on the official singles chart.

“We congratulate Ed Sheeran and his team on this landmark achievement,” BPI chief executive Dr. Jo Twist said in a statement. “Ed may represent the pinnacle of streaming success, but he is also among the thousands of artists who are being streamed in the tens and hundreds of millions in the UK each year and who are thriving thanks to streaming and label support. We look forward to honouring many more artists, including future talent, with a BRIT Billion award.”

Billie Eilish recently had her own BRIT Billion Award ceremony after she became the 20th artist to snag the honor from the BPI thanks to her one billion U.K. streams.

Check out Ed celebrating his Gold BRIT Billion Award below.

03 Oct 2023

Kylie Minogue’s ‘Tension’ Tops Billboard’s Dance/Electronic Albums Chart

Kylie Minogue collects her second No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart as her new studio release Tension opens atop the tally (dated Oct. 7). She previously led the 22-year-old list with 2020’s Disco.

The new album’s chart-topping debut comes after its lead single, “Padam Padam,” became a viral hit over the summer, and went on to become her first top 10 hit on the 10-year-old Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart in June.

Tension, released Sept. 22 via Darenote/BMG, earned 24,500 equivalent album units in the U.S. in the week ending Sept. 28, according to Luminate. That marks Minogue’s best week, by units, since the industry began measuring by that metric in December 2014. On the all-genre Billboard 200 chart, Tension debuts at No. 21, her highest-charting album in over a decade, since Aphrodite hit No. 19 (July 24, 2010-dated chart).

Further, of Tension’s first-week units, album sales comprise 19,500 – the pop star’s biggest sales week for an album in nearly 20 years. She last sold more in a single week with an album when Body Language debuted with 43,500 (Feb. 28, 2004-dated chart). Of Tension’s 19,500 sold, physical sales comprise nearly 14,000 (7,000 on vinyl – her biggest week on vinyl since Luminate began tracking music sales in 1991; 6,000 on CD and 1,000 on cassette) and digital album sales comprise about 5,500.

Tension was issued as a standard 11-song album, a 14-track deluxe edition (on CD, digital download and streamers) and in a 16-song edition (sold as a digital download exclusively through Minogue’s webstore). Sales of the album were bolstered by more than 15 physical formats, including seven vinyl variants (all with the same standard 11-song tracklist, with many in different colors with alternative covers – including some retailer-exclusive offerings), five cassettes (four with the album’s standard tracklist, and one with the 14-song tracklist – all in different colors) and five CDs (including a signed edition sold through Newbury Comics, and versions in alternative collectible packaging).

Tension was ushered in by the No. 7-peaking “Padam Padam” on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs in June. (The chart ranks the week’s most popular songs of the genre in the U.S., by blending streams, sales and airplay.) The track also became her first entry on the Dance/Electronic Streaming Songs chart (peaking at No. 14) and spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales chart and two weeks atop the Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart.

The viral hit went on to earn 34.19 million on-demand official audio and video streams in the U.S. – making it Minogue’s third-biggest streaming song ever in America. “Can’t Get You Out of My Head,” released in 2001, is her most-streamed hit in the U.S. (176.66 million) and her seasonal cover of “Santa Baby,” released in 2000, is in second place (44.62 million). (Minogue made her Billboard chart debut in May of 1988, bowing on the Billboard Hot 100 with “I Should Be So Lucky.”)

Following “Padam,” the new album has spun off a second dance hit with the title track, which hit No. 18 on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs in September, No. 1 on Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales and debuts at No. 7 on Dance/Mix Show Airplay on the Oct. 7-dated chart. Plus, concurrent with the album’s debut on the charts, the set’s “Hold On to Now” bows at No. 32 on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs and No. 10 on Dance/Electronic Song Sales.

Outside of the dance world, “Padam Padam” gave Minogue her first entry on the Pop Airplay chart since 2004’s “Slow,” and her first hit on the Adult Pop Airplay chart since 2002’s “Can’t Get You Out of My Head.”

The Billboard 200 and Top Dance/Electronic Albums charts rank, respectively, the week’s most popular overall albums, and dance/electronic albums, 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. Top Album Sales ranks the week’s top-selling albums by traditional album sales (CD, vinyl, cassette, digital download album, etc.).

03 Oct 2023

After U2’s Epic Debut, Who Should Play Las Vegas Sphere Next?

“Striking.” “Mind-blowing.” “Ambitious.” “Massive.” “Dazzling.”

That’s just a sampling of adjectives used to describe U2’s opening night at the brand-new Sphere in Las Vegas on Friday night, with the legendary band sharing the bill with the $2.3 billion venue as the eye-catching orb sets out to revolutionize live music in Sin City.

But once Bono & Co. wrap up their 25-concert stint in December, who should inherit the keys to the game-changing arena? On the new Billboard Pop Shop Podcast, Katie tells Keith all about her experience inside opening night (read our best moments from night 1 here) and we discuss who should headline Sphere next, with everyone from Phish to Harry Styles in the mix.

Also on the show, we’ve got chart news on how Rod Wave spends a second week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart while Doja Cat and Zach Bryan debut in the top 10; how Doja is back at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart with “Paint the Town Red” and SZA’s “Snooze” hits a new high, rising to No. 2; how Taylor Swift dominates the airwaves yet again, as “Cruel Summer” tops the Radio Songs chart; and how Timbaland, Nelly Furtado and Justin Timberlake are all back together on a hit single for the first time since 2007. Speaking of Timberlake, we’re also chatting about the just-released first *NSYNC song in more than 20 years, “Better Place” from the Trolls Band Together soundtrack.

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.)

03 Oct 2023

Watch Troye Sivan Cover Billie Eilish’s ‘What Was I Made For’ at BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge

Troye Sivan is the latest star to drop by the BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge, and while he brought the “Rush” with his recent hit single, the 28-year-old star also heightened emotions with a cover of Billie Eilish’s introspective song from the Barbie soundtrack, “What Was I Made For.”

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Backed by a keyboardist and guitar, Sivan mused the thought-provoking lyrics, “I used to float, now I just fall down / I used to know but I’m not sure now / What I was made for / What was I made for?”

The singer is currently gearing up to release his third studio album, Something to Give Each Other. The collection described as a “celebration of sex, dance, sweat, community, queerness, love and friendship” will drop on Oct. 13 via Capitol Records.

The album, which follows 2018’s Bloom and Sivan’s 2020 EP In a Dream, features previously released singles “Rush” and “Got Me Started.” Sivan wrote the album with Oscar Görres (Taylor Swift, Sam Smith), Ian Kirkpatrick (Dua Lipa, Britney Spears), Leland (Selena Gomez, Ava Max) and Styalz Fuego (Khalid, Imagine Dragons). “It’s not lost on me that some of you guys have been following along since i was the kid w the stye in my eye in that first video,” he captioned a series of videos posted to Instagram in June. “Btw — I didn’t mean to take 5 years to make this album.”

Watch Sivan’s cover of Eilish’s “What Was I Made For” below.