Pop

05 Sep 2023

9 Times Artists Defended Their Fans Against Concert Security: Adele, Taylor Swift & More

These stars have their fans’ backs.

Adele in Las Vegas

Adele performs onstage during the “Weekends with Adele” Residency Opening at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace on November 18, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for AD

Famous musicians would be nothing without their fans. And because of that, many artists feel extremely protective over their listeners, particularly when it comes to concert settings where large crowds and limited space can make some people feel extra vulnerable.

Sometimes, that defensive parental instinct even applies to scuffles between fans and concert security. In these scenarios, it doesn’t matter whether the guardsmen or women were hired for the artists’ benefit — these singers, rappers and instrumentalists will still choose their fans’ side over their crew’s in a heartbeat. Just ask Adele, who fully put one of her Las Vegas shows on pause just to tell off a couple of venue workers who were harassing one dancing concertgoer. Or, take it up with Taylor Swift, who sacrificed singing the lyrics to one of her biggest hits while performing at her Eras Tour to angrily shout at a security guard.

Everyone from Ariana Grande to Beyoncé, Billie Eilish to Elton John and more have also stuck their necks out for people in attendance at their shows, interactions that make for instantly viral moments on social media and prove just how much these stars love their fans.

There’s no doubt that most security personnel have the best intentions at heart, simply wanting to keep both artists and fans safe. But when one of them appears to cross a line, these musicians are the first to step up and make sure that their supporters are all good. 

Keep reading to see nine artists who, at some point in their careers, have called out security for messing with their fans:

05 Sep 2023

Halle Bailey Confirms Debut Solo EP Is ‘Definitely’ Coming ‘Before the End of the Year’

We just got one step closer to Halley Bailey’s debut solo project. In a new interview with Cosmopolitan, the younger half of Grammy-nominated R&B duo Chloe x Halle revealed that her debut solo EP will “definitely” be released “before the end of the year.”

Last month (Aug. 4), Bailey unleashed her debut solo single, a gospel and jazz-tinged empowerment anthem titled “Angel.” In her Cosmo interview, the multitalented artist touched on how her recent life experiences have influenced the creation of her upcoming project. “Ariel was my college experience. She was the one to say, ‘Look, look what you have in you. You can.’ Nettie was the same type of lesson, almost in a spiritual way. These characters are speaking to me and teaching me,” she said. “It’s cool to learn things about life through their eyes. And all musical inspiration really just comes from life experiences. Love has been a really big one for me too, because that’s something I’m experiencing for the first time.”

This winter Bailey will star as Young Nettie in the film adaptation of The Color Purple musical directed by Blitz Bazawule and produced by Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg, Scott Sanders and Quincy Jones. The Color Purple, which is currently slated for release on Christmas Day, will also star Fantasia Barrino, Taraji P. Henson, Ciara, H.E.R., Aunjanue Ellis, Colman Domingo, Danielle Brooks and Phylicia Pearl Mpasi.

The film will mark the second cinematic event that Bailey has lent her talents to this year. A few months ago, she starred as Princess Ariel in Disney’s live-action remake of The Little Mermaid, which grossed more than $118 million during its opening weekend, which happened over Memorial Day. Bailey also blessed the Rob Marshall-helmed film’s hit soundtrack with her inimitable voice, treating audiences to stunning renditions of Little Mermaid classics such as “Part of Your World” and impressive new songs including “For the First Time.”

“This has been a really beautiful transformative time for me. I have all this new material to write about,” she gushed. “I was very creatively inspired, and then from there, I fell in love. And so I really just played with those themes in my music. Sound-wise, it’s a little modern R&B-ish, with all the jazz elements and hints of pop that I love.”

Once her EP arrives later this year, both members of Chloe x Halle will have officially released solo projects. Older sister Chloe Bailey, known mononymously as Chlöe, released In Pieces, her debut solo studio album, earlier this year. Featuring singles such as “Pray It Away” and the Chris Brown-assisted “How Does It Feel,” In Pieces peaked at No. 119 on the Billboard 200.

As a duo, Chloe x Halle have earned two entries on the Billboard 200: 2018’s The Kids Are Alright (No. 139) and 2020’s Ungodly Hour (No. 16). They have also earned one entry on the Billboard Hot 100: “Do It” (No. 63), the lead single from Ungodly Hour.

05 Sep 2023

Ariana Grande & Miley Cyrus Look Back on Their Flirty ‘Don’t Dream It’s Over’ Duet: ‘Love You Always’

Ariana Grande and Miley Cyrus are still good friends, eight years after their iconic duet of Crowded House’s “Don’t Dream It’s Over.”

In a recent TikTok, Cyrus looked back on the performance as part of her ongoing “Used To Be Young” video series, which she launched last month in celebration of her new single of the same name. She and the “Positions” pop star recorded their cover of “Don’t Dream It’s Over” in 2015 to benefit Cyrus’ Happy Hippie Foundation, dressed in adorable animal onesies and singing with a live band.

“I was flirting with her, and she was a little scared,” Cyrus said, watching footage from the performance on an iPad. “We were having fun!”

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In the video, the “Flowers” musician — still sporting her trademark Bangerz era pixie cut — tells a slightly flustered Grande that she looks cute in her onesie, causing the two to miss one of their entrances. “Sorry, I was flirting!” Cyrus, then 22 years old, tells the band.

Two years later, Cyrus and Grande would perform the same duet at the latter pop star’s One Love Manchester event, which raised funds for victims and families affected by the terrorist bombing attacks at Grande’s 2017 Manchester Arena concert.

“Ariana’s a real friend,” Cyrus added in her “Used To Be Young” video. “There’s never been a time where I’ve asked her to do something that was important to me that she didn’t come through. And same thing for me with her.”

Afterward, Grande reposted the video onto her own Instagram Story and called Cyrus “my sweet.” “Love you always @mileycyrus,” continued the R.E.M. Beauty founder. “we #usedtobeyoung !!!!”

The pair’s 2015 duet is one of many career highlights Cyrus has reflected on for “Used To Be Young,” with the Black Mirror alum also touching on her brutal Hannah Montana era work schedule, her surprisingly successful debut single “See You Again,” and that one photo of her with Taylor Swift and Demi Lovato that she hilariously says should’ve been fans’ first sign that she’s bisexual.

Watch Miley’s TikTok below:

05 Sep 2023

Olivia Rodrigo Feels She Has a ‘Responsibility’ to Warn Song Subjects After Joshua Bassett ‘Drivers License’ Fallout

Olivia Rodrigo is taking the lessons she learned from Sour with her as she gears up to release Guts, her sophomore album arriving Friday (Sept. 8). And yes, that includes how she handles her past and present relationships in scenarios where her songs spark public intrigue in her personal life, i.e., the response that erupted over her rumored ex-boyfriend Joshua Bassett a couple years ago.

Speaking to Phoebe Bridgers in a candid piece with Interview magazine published Tuesday (Sept. 5), the 20-year-old star revealed she now feels a “responsibility” to send her songs to their subjects before releasing them to the world, touching on the “overwhelming” public response to “Drivers License” in 2021. In that case, fans were quick back then to pin Bassett — Rodrigo’s High School Musical: The Musical: The Series costar — as the unfavorable ex-boyfriend she describes in her heartbroken lyrics.

“I feel like last time, there was so much weird media s–t and I had no idea how to deal with any of it,” she reflected. “Literally, it was the first song out of the gate and all of that s–t happened. I felt so ill-equipped.”

Bassett has since been open about feeling blindsided by the song as well as the hate he received from listeners, at one point revealing he was hospitalized due to a near-fatal case of septic shock caused by stress following the release of “Drivers License.” Sabrina Carpenter, whom fans also targeted after connecting her to the song, has also been vocal in her music about the backlash she received due to speculation that she “stole” Bassett from Rodrigo.

“That was an overwhelming experience, but now I definitely feel a responsibility [to give a heads up],” Rodrigo added to Bridgers. “I just try not to think about it during the writing process.”

The revelation follows the release of two singles from Guts — “Vampire” and “Bad Idea Right?” — both of which have already been examined by fans wondering which of Rodrigo’s rumored ex-boyfriends might’ve inspired the tracks. The trend is sure to follow come Friday, when the rest of Guts‘ 12 tracks are unveiled.

The “Deja Vu” singer also congratulated Bridgers on finishing her run as an opener on Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, calling Swift’s global trek “the tour of all tours.” The compliment comes amid fan speculation that Rodrigo has fallen out with Swift following some past crediting drama over the former’s single “Deja Vu,” something Rodrigo has seemed to avoid addressing in other recent interviews.

05 Sep 2023

Taylor Swift’s Music Inspires Inmate to Write Emotional Essay About How Her Music Has Impacted His Life in Prison

Taylor Swift tends to have a deep impact on her fans. You could see if in the sea of Eras-inspired outfits during the singer’s epic Eras Tour this summer, not to mention the river of joyful tears that would often accompany each night’s secret song segment.

But in an essay for The New Yorker, writer Joe Garcia muses on the surprisingly deep connection he developed to Swift’s music while serving a life sentence for murder in some of California’s most unforgiving prisons.

Writing about anxiously awaiting the release of 2012’s Red album, Garcia said that he was immediately obsessed with “All Too Well” — dubbing her recent 10-minute Taylor’s Version “even better” — putting the song on repeat when he played his CD copy. “As Swift sang about love’s magical moments, how they are found and lost again, I thought about a time before my incarceration, when I briefly broke up with the woman I loved,” he recalled in a story straight out of a Swiftian saga. “She came to my house to return one of my T-shirts. When she hung it on the doorknob and walked away, I was on the other side. I sensed that someone was there, but, by the time I opened the door, she was gone.”

Garcia, an avowed Prince fan, wrote that the first time he became aware of Swift’s music was when he was in the Los Angeles County jail awaiting a transfer to prison on a murder charge. He recalled copies of the Los Angeles Times getting passed around from prisoner-to-prisoner in lock-up and gazing at the singer’s “wide-eyed face” in the Calendar section as he took in the gang fights and race riots around him, thinking her rocket ride to teenage stardom was an “injustice.”

Surrounded by young men of color who were writing and performing their own hip-hop songs about chasing paper and fame, Garcia focused in on Swift, “actually getting rich and famous. How fearless could any little blonde fluff like that really be?” he wondered. Once he was transferred to the unforgiving Calipatria State Prison in 2009 to serve a life sentence after six years in county jail, he was afforded the “small luxury” of a TV, where he would catch glimpses of Swift’s performances on The Tonight Show and Ellen. He said he was surprised by “how intently she discussed her songwriting,” never daring to tell any of his fellow inmates that he was impressed by Tay’s talent.

Garcia charts his fandom throughout his various transfers to other prisons, recalling how he got a security level bump-down for good behavior in 2013, which led to a move to Solano state prison, where he was forced to rely on a borrowed pocket radio to catch Taylor’s songs after his CD player and TV were lost in transit. “At night, we’d crank up the volume and lay the earbuds on the desk in our cell. Those tiny speakers radiated crickety renditions of Top Forty hits,” he wrote.

He would hear Swift songs almost every hour, at which point he realized he was kind of digging them, including “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” which reminded him of the woman he’d lived with for seven years before prison and how they never used the word “never” when they dreamed about getting back together.

“When I heard ‘Everything Has Changed,’ I had to fight back tears of exaltation and grief,” he wrote about thinking back on their first date while listening to the lyrics: “All I knew this morning when I woke/ Is I know something now/ Know something now I didn’t before.”

Alas, he had to leave his copy of Red behind after yet another transfer, which forced him to listen to a country radio station that played a wide variety of Swift’s music, from the twangy “Tim McGraw” to the full pop explosion of “I Knew You Were Trouble.”

“There was, in her voice, something intuitively pleasant and genuine and good, something that implies happiness or at least the possibility of happiness,” he wrote of Swift. “When I listened to her music, I felt that I was still part of the world I had left behind.”

The essay takes Garcia through several other transfers, chronicling the ups-and-downs of coming out as a Swiftie in the prison yard and learning that he wasn’t the only one bumping her tunes behind bars. By the time he was sent to San Quentin prison — around when Swift dropped Lover in 2019 — Garcia says he had accumulated nearly every Taylor song there was.

Whether on radios, boomboxes, TVs, MP3s or CDs, Garcia’s time in prison has been marked by the quest to acquire the latest Swift album. That includes during a harrowing COVID-19 lockdown in June 2020 when he was sent to an isolation cell where, between shivering and sweating through a brain fog for two weeks, he passed the time by making a playlist of the singer’s most uplifting songs. “Listening for the happiness in her voice,” he wrote.

In 2020, the then-53-year-old Garcia learned that he would be eligible for parole in 2024 due to a new California law, an unimaginable ray of light that once again made him think of the lyrics to “Daylight” from Lover: “I’ve been sleeping so long in a twenty-year dark night,” Swift sings. “And now I see daylight.”

He was, of course, psyched to hear about the Midnights album in Oct. 2022, and overjoyed when a volunteer slipped him a copy of it for his birthday a short time later, a kind gesture that nearly brought him to tears. Swift is now 33, the same age Garcia was when he was arrested and he wrote that he wonders if her music would have resonated with him at that age.

“I wonder whether I would have reacted to the words ‘I’m the problem, it’s me,’” from “Anti-Hero,” he wrote of the Midnights single. “Hers must be champagne problems compared with mine, but I still see myself in them. ‘I’ll stare directly at the sun, but never in the mirror,’” she sings on the single. “I think of the three-by-five-inch plastic mirrors that are available inside. For years out there, I viewed myself as the antihero in my own warped self-narrative. Do I want to see myself clearly?”

In a few months, the California Parole Board will ask him questions about his time behind bars, which made Garcia think of the “Karma” lyrics: “Ask me what I learned from all those years/ Ask me what I earned from all those tears.” So, with Taylor’s help, he thinks about what he’s learned and as those questions dog him at night when he’s not sleeping, he said he’ll keep listening to Midnights on repeat.

05 Sep 2023

TOMORROW X TOGETHER & Anitta Are Teaming Up on New Song ‘Back for More’

TOMORROW X TOGETHER and Anitta are combining K-pop and Latin pop in their new collaborative single “Back for More,” the artists announced on Tuesday (Sept. 5). What’s more, they will debut the track with a performance at the MTV Video Music Awards on Sept. 12, days ahead of its Sept. 15 release.

“Back for More” is slated to be TXT’s pre-release track, and will arrive ahead of the group’s third studio album, The Name Chapter: FREEFALL. The album — which follows previous release in the Name series, The Name Chapter: TEMPTATION — will drop on Oct. 13.

The track will have several versions released throughout the month. A performance version of the song arrives the same day as its official drop, while “Back for More (TXT Ver.),” a house remix and Afrobeats remix will be released on Sept. 18.

The press release describes “Back for More” as “a disco track with a groovy baseline and playful whistling sounds, adorned with the colorful hues of trendy Latin pop.” Thematically, the lyrics explore how “enchanting miracles can be woven into the ordinary moments of our lives.”

TXT is nominated for VMAs in four different categories: song of summer, group of the year, push performance of the year and best K-pop (both for “Sugar Rush Ride”). Anitta scored one nomination for best Latin (“Funk Rave”).

The 2023 VMAs will take place at the Prudential Center in New Jersey, and will air on MTV at 8 p.m. ET on Sept. 12.

05 Sep 2023

Beyoncé & Kendrick Lamar Perform ‘America Has a Problem’ Live for First Time on Renaissance Tour

Ring the alarm, America has a problem. For the final show of her three-night Renaissance World Tour run at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., Beyoncé brought out surprise guest Kendrick Lamar for an electric performance of their remix of “America Has a Problem,” a fan-favorite track from her Billboard 200-topping Renaissance album.

Typically, Beyoncé performs “America Has a Problem” in a recreation of a news station desk; she relays the news of America’s problem (hint: it’s her) on Channel 4’s KNTY News. At Monday night’s show (Sep. 4), Lamar climbed up from behind the desk and delivered his fiery remix verse as the sold-out stadium went absolutely berserk. The performance marked the very first live rendition of the “America Has a Problem” remix.

But it appeared that audio issues plagued the first half of Kendrick’s verse, according to fan videos. In a coincidental turn of events that doubled as an unintentional tribute to Beyoncé on her birthday, K. Dot’s mic did not start working until he rapped the lyric, “I’m an honorary Beyhive, let’s see why.” Even while Lamar’s mic malfunctioned, the two consummate professionals never let the crowd see them sweat. He rapped through the audio issues and Beyoncé teased the crowd with a bit of vogueing as she prepared to come in on the chorus. To complement Beyoncé’s beloved custom Mugler bee bodysuit, Lamar wore a ‘fit that evoked the neon yellow fashions of construction workers.

Beyoncé and Kendrick Lamar released the “America Has a Problem” remix back in May. Upon release, the remix helped the song re-enter the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 38, surpassing the No. 69 peak of the original solo version.

The “America Has a Problem” remix is the third collaboration between Beyoncé and Lamar. They first joined forces in 2016 for the Grammy-nominated Lemonade deep cut “Freedom,” which peaked at No. 35 on the Hot 100. The two superstars then reunited for “Nile,” a track from Beyoncé’s 2019 The Lion King: The Gift compilation soundtrack.

Check out some fan videos of Beyoncé and Kendrick lighting up the Renaissance World Tour stage with the first live performance of the “America Has a Problem” remix:

05 Sep 2023

Diana Ross Sings ‘Happy Birthday’ to Beyoncé at Star-Studded Renaissance Show

An entire galaxy of stars was in attendance at the Sunday (Sept. 4) Renaissance World Tour show in Los Angeles to help Beyoncé celebrate her 42nd birthday — including none other than Diana Ross, who led the crowd in a dazzling performance of “Happy Birthday.”

The 79-year-old legend first appeared onstage in front of 60,000 screaming fans during one of the Renaissance World Tour’s regularly scheduled intermissions, which features Ross’ 1976 smash “Love Hangover” as an interlude between songs. Usually, it’s Bey’s backup singers who perform the transition — but this time, Ross herself was on hand to do the honors.

Afterward, Bey ran onstage to give the “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” vocalist a tearful hug. Then, encouraging fans to hold up their phone flashlights, Ross led the crowd at SoFi Stadium in singing “Happy Birthday” to the pop star.

Among the 60,000 “Happy Birthday” singers were stars such as Adele, Lizzo, Katy Perry, Normani, Brandy, Chris Rock and Kim Kardashian. Famous couples including Justin and Hailey Bieber were also in attendance, as were Zendaya and Tom Holland; plus, fans spotted Timothée Chalamet and Kylie Jenner kissing in the audience.

Ross wasn’t Bey’s only special guest Sunday night, however. Kendrick Lamar also swung by to assist in performing “America Has a Problem,” surprising fans with a rare live performance of his verse on the song’s May-released remix.

Bey also gave an emotional birthday speech during the show, thanking her fans, family and former Destiny’s Child bandmates for their impact on her life. “I’m thankful to be alive,” she told the crowd, fighting back tears. “I’m thankful to be on stage. I’m thankful to look out and see your faces. I’m thankful to be able to provide a safe space for all of y’all. I’m thankful for music, for the ability to heal myself through music which then heals all of you.”

Watch clips of Diana Ross and Kendrick Lamar making surprise appearances at Beyoncé’s birthday show below:

05 Sep 2023

Gary Wright, ‘Dream Weaver’ Singer Dies at 80

Singer Gary Wright, best known for his 1975 soft rock hits “Dream Weaver” and “Love is Alive,” has died at age 80. Wright’s son, Justin, confirmed to Rolling Stone that his father died on Monday at his Palos Verdes Estates home after battling Parkinson’s disease and Lewy body dementia for the past six years.

Justin Wright said he dad was diagnosed with Parkinson’s six or seven years ago before also receiving a dementia diagnosis. “He managed it fairly well for a while. But a few years ago, he needed professional help and home-care nurses and eventually 24-hour care,” Justin told RS.

Wright was born on April 26, 1943 in Cresskill, N.J. and began his career as a child actor in shows included Captain Video and His Video Rangers before joining the Broadway cast of Fanny in 1954. After briefly considering medical school, Wright moved to England in the late 1960s, where he co-founded the blues-rock band Spooky Tooth with four English musicians. After three albums with the band, Wright struck out on his own and releasing two solo albums on A&M Records, Extraction (1970) and Footprint (1971) before signing to Warner Bros. Records for what would be his breakthrough third solo effort.

The Dream Weaver, released in the summer of 1975, peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard 200 album charts in April 1976, with the yacht rock classic title track peaking at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. At the time, Wright, who played the Hammond Organ, clavinet, Moog synthesizers, Fender Rhodes and several other keyboards on the album — in addition to arranging and producing the collection — boasted that it was one of the first all-keyboard albums; it also featured drums from session veterans Jim Keltner and Sly and the Family Stone’s Andy Newmark as well as guitar on “Power of Love” from Montrose’s Ronnie Montrose.

The ethereal “Dream Weaver” became one of Wright’s most beloved songs and a frequent go-to Hollywood soundtrack cut in films including Wayne’s World (for which Wright re-recorded the song), Toy Story 3, Ice Age: Collision Course and The People vs. Larry Flynt, as well as the TV series Glee and Superstore. Wright also dipped his toe into film soundtrack composition for the movies Endangered Species (1982) and Fire and Ice (1986).

Following the chart success of The Dream Weaver Wright released a string of solo albums throughout the 1970s and early 1980s to diminishing sales, including 1977’s The Light of Smiles (No. 172 on BB 200) and Touch and Gone (No. 117), 1979’s Headin’ Home (No. 147) and 1981’s The Right Place (No. 79). In addition to “Dream Weaver” and that album’s other silky pop hit, “Love Is Alive” (No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100), Wright’s other singles chart successes included 1976’s “Made to Love You” (No. 79), “Phantom Writer” (1977, No. 43), “Touch and Gone” (1978, No. 73) and 1981’s “Really Wanna Know You” (No. 16).

Wright also played keyboards on late Beatle George Harrison’s 1970 solo triple-disc album All Things Must Pass — cementing a friendship that lasted until Harrison’s death in 2001 — and sat in on sessions for album by everyone from B.B. King to Ringo Starr, Harry Nilsson and Jerry Lee Lewis. He also performed with a reunited Spooky Tooth in the early 2000s, as well as with Starr’s All-Starr Band and continued to release new music as recently as his final solo album, 2010’s Connected.

Over the years, Wright’s compositions also found their way into a number of hip-hop songs, including samples of “Love Is Alive” on songs by Raekwon and 3rd Bass, Spooky Tooth’s “The Mirror” on songs by Fivio Foreign and Atmosphere, “More Than a Heartache” (Nas) and “Heartbeat” (Jay-Z).

Listen to “Dreamweaver” and “Love Is Alive” below.



05 Sep 2023

Zach Bryan & Kacey Musgraves’ ‘I Remember Everything’ Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100

Continuing his chart breakthrough that began in 2022, singer-songwriter Zach Bryan’s “I Remember Everything” featuring Kacey Musgraves launches at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song – each singer-songwriter’s first Hot 100 leader – is from Bryan’s self-titled LP, which concurrently premieres at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart.

Luke Combs’ “Fast Car” keeps at its No. 2 Hot 100 high and takes over as the most-heard song on radio, a rare feat for a country hit.

Plus, Miley Cyrus’ “Used to Be Young” debuts at No. 8 on the Hot 100, marking her 12th career top 10.

The Hot 100 blends all-genre U.S. streaming (official audio and official video), radio airplay and sales data, the lattermost metric reflecting purchases of physical singles and digital tracks from full-service digital music retailers; digital singles sales from direct-to-consumer (D2C) sites are excluded from chart calculations. All charts (dated Sept. 9, 2023) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (Sept. 6, a day later than usual due to the Labor Day holiday in the U.S. yesterday, Sept. 4). For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.

Here’s a look at the coronation of “I Remember Everything,” the 1,154th song to top the Hot 100 over the chart’s 65-year history, and the 70th to debut at No. 1.

Streams, sales & airplay: Released Aug. 25 on Belting Bronco/Warner Records, “I Remember Everything” drew 33.7 million streams and sold 10,000 downloads in the tracking week ending Aug. 31, according to Luminate. Not being formally promoted to radio, it also tallied 263,000 radio airplay audience impressions, with two-thirds (175,000) from reporters to Billboard’s Country Airplay chart.

The single also debuts at No. 1 on the Streaming Songs chart (notably, it snagged the top spot on Spotify’s New Music Friday playlist upon its release) and No. 4 on Digital Song Sales.

Bryan, Musgraves’ first No. 1: Bryan and Musgraves each achieve their first Hot 100 No. 1 with “I Remember Everything.” Bryan charted four entries prior to this week, with one hitting the top 10: His first charted song, “Something in the Orange,” reached No. 10 in January; with 66 total weeks on the tally (May 7, 2022-Aug. 5, 2023), it became the longest charting country hit by a solo male in the survey’s history. Plus, the U.S. Navy veteran, born in Okinawa, Japan, and raised in Oologah, Okla., won for new male artist of the year at the Academy of Country Music Awards in May.

Musgraves completes over a decade’s journey to No. 1 on the Hot 100, having first reached the chart with “Merry Go ‘Round” (No. 63 peak, 2013; it’s also her lone Country Airplay top 10 to date). She previously charted highest on the Hot 100 with “Follow Your Arrow” (No. 60, 2014) and added her other entry before this week, “Rainbow” (No. 98, 2019). The Golden, Texas, native has won six Grammy Awards, with her most recent LP, 2018’s Golden Hour, claiming album of the year honors at the 61st Grammy Awards.

A Hot 100, country and rock first: “I Remember Everything” concurrently opens at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs and Hot Rock & Alternative Songs charts (as well as Hot Rock Songs), which use the same methodology as the Hot 100. It’s the first song to top the Hot 100, Hot Country Songs and Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (dating to 2009, when the lattermost list began).

Bryan tops all three genre charts for a second time, after “Something in the Orange” led Hot Country Songs, Hot Rock & Alternative Songs and Hot Rock Songs for six, 20 and 20 weeks, respectively. Musgraves leads each ranking for the first time.

“I Remember Everything” is the 24th song to have topped both the Hot 100 and Hot Country Songs (dating to 1958, when the Hot 100 originated and Hot Country Songs became the country genre’s singular Billboard chart). Four such songs have led the Hot 100 in 2023, the most in a year since 1975.

Songs to Have Hit No. 1 on Both the Hot 100 & Hot Country Songs Charts:

  • “I Remember Everything,” Zach Bryan feat. Kacey Musgraves, 2023
  • “Rich Men North of Richmond,” Anthony Oliver Music, 2023
  • “Try That in a Small Town,” Jason Aldean, 2023
  • “Last Night,” Morgan Wallen, 2023
  • “All Too Well (Taylor’s Version),” Taylor Swift, 2021
  • “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” Taylor Swift, 2012
  • “Amazed,” Lonestar, 1999-2000
  • “Islands in the Stream,” Kenny Rogers, duet with Dolly Parton, 1983
  • “I Love a Rainy Night,” Eddie Rabbitt, 1981
  • “9 to 5,” Dolly Parton, 1981
  • “Lady,” Kenny Rogers, 1980
  • “Southern Nights,” Glen Campbell, 1977
  • “Convoy,” C.W. McCall, 1975-76
  • “I’m Sorry,” John Denver, 1975
  • “Rhinestone Cowboy,” Glen Campbell, 1975
  • “Thank God I’m a Country Boy,” John Denver, 1975
  • “Before the Next Teardrop Falls,” Freddy Fender, 1975
  • “(Hey Won’t You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song,” B.J. Thomas, 1975
  • “The Most Beautiful Girl,” Charlie Rich, 1973
  • “Honey,” Bobby Goldsboro, 1968
  • “Harper Valley P.T.A.,” Jeannie C. Riley, 1968
  • “Big Bad John,” Jimmy Dean, 1961
  • “El Paso,” Marty Robbins, 1959-60
  • “The Battle of New Orleans,” Johnny Horton, 1959

As Billboard reported in July, country music has surged this year: consumption for the genre in the United States was up 20.3% year-over-year in the first 26 weeks of 2023, according to Luminate. (Comparatively, country grew by 2.5% over the same period in 2022.)

Four country No. 1s in a row for the first time: On the newest, Sept. 9-dated Hot 100, “I Remember Everything” supplants Anthony Oliver Music’s “Rich Men North of Richmond” at No. 1, after the latter led the last two weeks (Aug. 26 and Sept. 2). Before that, Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” rebounded for the last two of its 16 weeks on top (Aug. 12 and 19), directly following Jason Aldean’s one-week reign with “Try That in a Small Town” (Aug. 5).

Four country songs have topped the Hot 100 consecutively for the first time in the chart’s history, extending a record run for the genre. Previously, country hits reigned back-to-back twice: in 1981 (Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5” and Eddie Rabbitt’s “I Love a Rainy Night”) and 1975 (Freddy Fender’s “Before the Next Teardrop Falls” and John Denver’s “Thank God I’m a Country Boy”).

Zach, Kacey, Kenny and Dolly: “I Remember Everything” is just the second shared Hot 100 and Hot Country Songs No. 1 by a male and female artist together. It joins Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton’s 1983 classic “Islands in the Stream” (written by the Bee Gees).

Zach, Kacey, Ed and Bey: Bryan and Musgraves also co-wrote “I Remember Everything,” which Bryan solely produced. It’s the first Hot 100 No. 1 by a male and female artist also boasting co-writing credit with no other billed writers since Ed Sheeran and Beyoncé’s “Perfect,” which reached the top of the chart dated Dec. 23, 2017. (Sheeran wrote and originally recorded the love song solo; Beyoncé joined for its remix and gained co-writing credit.)

Bryan begins atop Billboard 200 and Hot 100: Zach Bryan logs just the ninth instance of an act debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and Hot 100 simultaneously. As “I Remember Everything” opens atop the Hot 100, parent LP Zach Bryan soars onto the Billboard 200, likewise as his first No. 1, with 200,000 equivalent album units.

Bryan joins only Taylor Swift, BTS, Drake and Future and having scored such a double debut. Swift initiated the club and has earned the honor four times, while Drake has done so twice.

Artists to Have Debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 & Hot 100 Simultaneously:

  • Zach Bryan: Zach Bryan, Billboard 200 & “I Remember Everything” (feat. Kacey Musgraves), Hot 100, Sept. 9, 2023
  • Taylor Swift: Midnights & “Anti-Hero,” Nov. 5, 2022
  • Drake: Honestly, Nevermind & “Jimmy Cooks” (feat. 21 Savage), July 2, 2022
  • Future: I Never Liked You & “Wait for U” (feat. Drake & Tems), May 14, 2022
  • Taylor Swift: Red (Taylor’s Version) & “All Too Well (Taylor’s Version),” Nov. 27, 2021
  • Drake: Certified Lover Boy & “Way 2 Sexy” (feat. Future & Young Thug), Sept. 18, 2021
  • Taylor Swift: Evermore & “Willow,” Dec. 26, 2020
  • BTS: BE & “Life Goes On,” Dec. 5, 2020
  • Taylor Swift: Folklore & “Cardigan,” Aug. 8, 2020

Zach Bryan also bows at No. 1 on the Top Country Albums, Top Rock & Alternative Albums, Top Rock Albums and Americana/Folk Albums charts.

Warner back at No. 1: With “I Remember Everything,” Warner Records rules the Hot 100 for the first time since the label notched three No. 1s in 2013, when Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’ “Thrift Shop” (featuring Wanz) and “Can’t Hold Us” (featuring Ray Dalton) led for six and five weeks starting that February and May, respectively (with the songs on ADA/Warner); in between, Baauer’s “Harlem Shake” (Jeffree’s/Mad Decent/Warner) reigned for five frames beginning that March.

The label formed in 1958 and first reached No. 1 with The Everly Brothers’ “Cathy’s Clown” in May 1960. It rebranded from Warner Bros. to Warner Records in 2019, making “I Remember Everything” its first leader under its newer name.

Bryan’s Belting Bronco imprint scores its first placement atop the Hot 100.

We ‘remember’ ‘everything’: Here’s something to remember. Thanks to “I Remember Everything,” the word “remember” is in the title of a Hot 100 No. 1 for the first time. Previously, Madonna notched the highest charting such song, as “I’ll Remember” reached No. 2 in 1994.

Meanwhile, the word “everything” appears atop the Hot 100 for a ninth time (and for a second time by an artist with Bryan in his name):

  • “I Remember Everything,” Zach Bryan feat. Kacey Musgraves, 2023
  • “Give Me Everything,” Pitbull feat. Ne-Yo, Afrojack & Nayer, 2011
  • “Everything You Want,” Vertical Horizon, 2000
  • “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You,” Bryan Adams, 1991
  • “I’ll Be Your Everything,” Tommy Page, 1990
  • “Everything She Wants,” Wham!, 1985
  • “I Just Want to Be Your Everything,” Andy Gibb, 1977
  • “Everything Is Beautiful,” Ray Stevens, 1970
  • “Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season),” The Byrds, 1965

Luke Combs’ cover of Tracy Chapman’s self-written 1988 Hot 100 top 10 “Fast Car” adds an eighth week at its No. 2 high, steady in rank. It concurrently crowns the Radio Songs chart, rising 2-1 with 78.8 million in audience.

As it led Country Airplay for five weeks, the song is just the fifth – and the first by a solo male with no accompanying acts – to have topped the Country Airplay and all-format Radio Songs charts, dating to the surveys’ 1990 inceptions (and the latter list’s 1998 expansion to include country panelists, among other format reporters). Here’s a recap, with all five songs having achieved both country and pop radio success.

Radio Songs No. 1s That Also Topped Country Airplay:

  • “Fast Car,” Luke Combs, one week to date atop Radio Songs, 2023
  • “I Hope,” Gabby Barrett feat. Charlie Puth, one, 2020 (Barrett was solely credited on Country Airplay; Puth joined for its pop remix)
  • “Meant to Be,” Bebe Rexha & Florida Georgia Line, five weeks, 2018
  • “Need You Now,” Lady A, two, 2010
  • “You Belong With Me,” Taylor Swift, two, 2009

(As a writer, Chapman previously peaked as high as No. 2 on Radio Songs with her own single “Give Me One Reason,” in 1996.)

Doja Cat’s “Paint the Town Red” pushes from No. 5 to a new No. 3 Hot 100 high, as it wins top Airplay Gainer honors (up 25% to 28.2 million in airplay audience). It leads the multimetric Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Songs charts for a second week each.

Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” descends 3-4 on the Hot 100, following 16 weeks at No. 1 – the most ever for a non-collaboration; Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer” slips 4-5, after reaching No. 3; and Oliver Anthony Music’s “Rich Men North of Richmond” falls to No. 6 after spending its first two weeks on the chart at No. 1 (down 8% to 21.2 million streams and 71% to 34,000 sold, although it leads Digital Song Sales for a third week; it’s up 7% to 2.4 million in radio audience).

SZA’s “Snooze” returns to the Hot 100’s top 10, at a new No. 7 best, from No. 11, up 64% to 17.3 million streams following the Aug. 25 premiere of its official video, good for the chart’s top Streaming Gainer award. It leads the multi-metric Hot R&B Songs chart for a seventh week.

Miley Cyrus’ “Used to Be Young” bounds onto the Hot 100 at No. 8, with 25.9 million in airplay audience, 17.8 million streams and 19,000 sold from its release Aug. 25 through Aug. 31. It opens at No. 2 on Digital Song Sales, No. 9 on Streaming Songs and No. 19 on Radio Songs – it’s the second song to start in the Radio Songs top 20 this year, after Cyrus’ “Flowers” began at No. 18 in January (on its way to an 18-week command, the longest ever for a song by a woman).

Cyrus collects her 12th Hot 100 top 10. Her previous top 10s, including one under her former Hannah Montana alter ego: “Flowers” (No. 1, eight weeks, 2023); “Without You,” with The Kid LAROI (No. 8, 2021); “Malibu” (No. 10, 2017); “Wrecking Ball” (No. 1, three weeks, 2013); “We Can’t Stop” (No. 2, 2013); “Can’t Be Tamed” (No. 8, 2010); “Party in the U.S.A.” (No. 2, 2009); “He Could Be the One” (Hannah Montana; No. 10, 2009); “The Climb” (No. 4, 2009); “7 Things” (No. 9, 2008); and “See You Again” (No. 10, 2008).

Rounding out the Hot 100’s top 10, Dua Lipa’s “Dance the Night” holds at No. 9, after reaching No. 7, and Gunna’s “Fukumean” drops 7-10, after hitting No. 4.

Again, for all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram and all charts (dated Sept. 9), including the Hot 100 in its entirety, will refresh on Billboard.com tomorrow (Sept. 6).

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.