Pop

Miley Cyrus & Selena Gomez on the Charts: Ahead of ‘Used to Be Young’ & ‘Single Soon,’ How Do They Compare?

As the Disney Channel alumni’s parallel careers meet again, Billboard looks back on both stars’ biggest chart achievements.

From ruling Disney Channel with Hannah Montana and Wizards of Waverly Place to dominating the 2023 Billboard Hot 100 with “Flowers” and “Calm Down,” Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez have been mainstays in the pop culture zeitgeist for the better part of two decades.

On Friday, the Grammy-nominated multi-hyphenates will both unleash their newest singles.

Cyrus’ “Used to Be Young” serves as her first piece of new music since the release of Endless Summer Vacation back in March. The song finds Miley getting self-reflective on her wilder days of yesteryear while allowing “sadness and joy to be happening simultaneously,” as she said in a snippet of her Endless Summer Vacation: Continued (Backyard Sessions) ABC special. Of the song’s creation, Cyrus revealed, “Although my work is done, this song will continue to write itself everyday. The fact it remains unfinished is a part of its beauty. That is my life at this moment… unfinished yet complete.”

Gomez’s “Single Soon” is her first non-soundtrack English-language solo single since 2020’s “Boyfriend.” Following the release of that track, which introduced the deluxe edition of her 2020 album Rare, Gomez earned her first Grammy nomination for her Latin pop EP Revelación; guested on songs from Camilo, Coldplay and Rema; and released “My Mind & Me,” a standalone single for her 2022 documentary of the same name. “Single Soon” finds Gomez reveling in the joy of not being in a relationship. The Emmy-nominated Only Murders in the Building actress even promoted the song with a Kim Cattrall-approved Sex and the City homage.

Both Cyrus and Gomez have played into the joint release date for their new singles. On her Instagram Story (Aug. 18), Gomez shared a clip of her guest appearance on Hannah Montana with the caption “@mileycyrus and I both have a SINGLE SOON and we are releasing on the same day. We have been friends since we USED TO BE YOUNG. Excited for August 25th!” Cyrus quote-tweeted the same clip on X (formerly Twitter), writing, “@selenagomez and I are both dropping our new SINGLEs SOON… I say we USED TO BE YOUNG.”

As Barbenheimer gives way to another pop-culture double-header, read up on all of Miley Cyrus’ and Selena Gomez’s most impressive Billboard chart achievements thus far.

PETA Slams Britney Spears for Allegedly Buying New Puppy Instead of Rescuing

Just one day after Britney Spears took to Instagram to share an adorable video of her new fluffy white puppy, aptly named Snow, PETA is criticizing the star.

While Spears did not indicate whether she bought Snow or rescued the pup in her post, PETA told TMZ that supporting those businesses is dangerous. “When influential people buy puppies, puppy mills cheer and animal shelters watch the homeless-animal crisis get even worse,” the animal rights organization told the publication. “With this one cutesy post, Britney Spears has sentenced countless deserving dogs in shelters to more days without love, a comfy bed to curl up on, or a chance at a real life.”

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PETA continued, “She could have been a force for good and adopted, but instead she chose to be toxic, and animals will pay with their lives.”

Billboard has reached out to Spears’ reps for more information.

The pop superstar took to Instagram on Wednesday (Aug. 23) to share a video the puppy. In the clip, it’s unclear what breed the tiny pup is, but the white fluffy dog is seen wagging its tail as it runs around Spears’ feet. “Introducing Snow … the new [addition] to the family … it’s her world and we just live in it,” the “Circus” singer captioned the post.

The cute new family member arrives amid news that Spears’ husband Sam Asghari filed for divorce in Los Angeles Superior Court on Aug. 16, citing irreconcilable differences.

BTS’ V Doubles Up in Top 10 of Global Excl. U.S. Chart

Jung Kook holds atop the Aug. 26-dated Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts with “Seven,” featuring Latto. At No. 1 for the fifth consecutive week on both lists, it’s the longest running chart-topper on the Global 200 among K-pop acts, including his fellow BTS members and even BTS as a group (“Dynamite” led for four weeks in 2020-21).

But another BTS member makes noise with a pair of top 10 arrivals. V debuts on Global Excl. U.S. at No. 6 with “Love Me Again” and at No. 8 with “Rainy Days,” while starting at Nos. 12 and 16, respectively, on the Global 200.

“Love Me Again” leads the pair with 40.8 million official streams and 35,000 downloads sold worldwide in the week ending Aug. 17, according to Luminate. “Rainy Days” follows with 38.9 million clicks and 32,000 sold. Both tracks take 92% of those streaming figures from outside the U.S.

The bigger global totals for “Love Me Again” are reflected in the song’s international chart ranks. Not only does the song outpace “Rainy Days” in the U.S. (3.4 million streams vs. 2.9 million), but it’s also higher on all five of Billboard’s Hits of the World charts on which they both appear. They’re side-by-side at Nos. 16 and 17, respectively, on Indonesia Songs, but most dramatically separated (if not wildly so) on V’s native South Korea Songs, at Nos. 7 and 21.

Both songs boast official music videos, signaling a big win, especially, for “Rainy Days.” Across video platforms worldwide, the clip received 13.5 million streams (35% of the song’s overall streaming total), compared to 10.5 million (26%) for “Love Me Again.”

Any which way these songs’ success is split, both tracks mark new highs for V. Previously, he hit No. 43 on Global Excl. U.S. and No. 51 on the Global 200 with “Christmas Tree.” With “Love Me Again” and “Rainy Days,” he becomes the fifth BTS member to crack the top 10, following, in chronological order, Jung Kook, Jin, Jimin and Suga (under the alias Agust D).

In total, the men of BTS have accumulated 11 top 10s on Global Excl. U.S. as soloists – equaling the group’s tally.

Olivia Rodrigo Reveals New Album ‘Guts’ Will Be Heavily Inspired By Rock, But In a ‘Feminine’ Way

Olivia Rodrigo may just be a rockstar disguised as a pop princess. Ahead of the Sept. 8 release of her highly anticipated sophomore effort Guts, the 20-year-old singer-songwriter revealed details of the edgier direction her music will take on her new album (hint: it’s a lot closer to “Good 4 U” and “Brutal” than the other songs on Sour) in an in-depth interview with the New York Times, published Thursday (Aug. 24).

For instance, the publication reports that the new record’s first track “All-American Bitch” features fuzzy power chords and several f-bombs, while “Ballad of a Homeschooled Girl” finds the young star chanting a “litany of embarrassing party fouls over a springy bass line” while letting out cathartic screams. A few of the 12 tracks on Guts were recorded the old-school way: live, and with a full band.

As NYT puts it: With Guts, Rodrigo is “Trojan-horsing in rock’s musical brashness and emotional spikiness under the cover of pop stardom.”

“For me, that’s what music is, it’s expressing those feelings that are really hard to externalize, or that you feel aren’t societally acceptable to externalize,” Rodrigo told the publication. “Especially as a girl.”

But while her musical heroes include Jack White and Rage Against the Machine, the three-time Grammy winner said her rock tendencies reflect a more feminine side. Think: Gwen Stefani and Alanis Morissette, or newer tastemakers like Soccer Mommy and Boygenius.

“[I] always loved rock music, and always wanted to find a way that I could make it feel like me, and make it feel feminine and still telling a story and having something to say that’s vulnerable and intimate,” Rodrigo said, noting she looks up to women who make rock music without “trying to recreate a version of rock music that guys make.”

So far, Guts is preceded by two singles: “Vampire,” which debuted atop the Billboard Hot 100, and “Bad Idea Right?,” which dropped earlier this month and crowned the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart. The tracks mark Rodrigo’s first releases since the album that made her a household name, Sour.

In the new interview, Rodrigo touched very lightly on one of Sour‘s biggest musical inspirations, Taylor Swift. The former Disney star was once very vocal about her adoration of the “Anti-Hero” singer and even gave Swift writing credits on both “1 Step Forward, 3 Steps Back” and “Deja Vu” off her 2021 debut.

Asked if she had attended one of Swift’s Eras Tour shows, Rodrigo simply said: “I haven’t yet,” quickly adding that she’d been busy. “I’m going to Europe this week.”

Ed Sheeran to Welcome Fall With New Album ‘Autumn Variations’

It’s been just four months since Ed Sheeran unveiled his sixth studio album Subtract in May, but he’s not done yet.

On Thursday (Aug. 24), the superstar revealed that he will be releasing another album, the Aaron Dessner-produced Autumn Variations, via his own Gingerbread Man Records on September 29. The album will come one week after the North American leg of his Mathematics World Tour wraps at Sofi Stadium in Los Angeles on September 23.

“Last autumn, I found that my friends and I were going through so many life changes. After the heat of the summer, everything either calmed, settled, fell apart, came to a head or imploded,” Sheeran explained. “When I went through a difficult time at the start of last year, writing songs helped me understand my feelings and come to terms with what was going on, and when I learned about my friend’s different situations, I wrote songs, some from their perspectives, some from mine, to capture how they and I viewed the world at that time. There were highs of falling in love and new friendships among lows of heartbreak, depression, loneliness and confusion.”

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Sheeran went on to note that his father and brother introduced him to a composer named Elgar and his Enigma Variations album, which featured 14 compositions inspired by a different friend. “This is what inspired me to make this album,” he shared. “When I recorded Subtract with Aaron Dessner, we clicked immediately. We wrote and recorded non-stop and this album was born out of that partnership. I feel he has captured the feeling of autumn so wonderfully in his sonics and I hope everyone loves it as much as I do.”

Autumn Variations follows Sheeran’s Subtract, which debuted and peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 albums chart upon its release earlier this year. The album also launches at No. 1 on the Top Album Sales chart, with Sheeran’s largest sales week since 2017.

 

Billie Eilish Says Lana Del Rey’s ‘Born to Die’ Album ‘Changed Music for Girls’

Without Lana Del Rey, there would be no Billie Eilish. While speaking with Dua Lipa for a recent episode of the At Your Service podcast, the 21-year-old “Bad Guy” singer shared that the 38-year-old Americana alt-pop crooner completely changed her outlook on music when she was growing up — particularly with 2012’s Born to Die.

“I feel that that album changed music,” Eilish told Dua of the sophomore album from Del Rey, who was the Visionary honoree for Billboard‘s Women in Music 2023. “And especially changed music for girls and the potential of what is possible.”

The seven-time Grammy winner also noted that Believe (2012) and Journals (2013) by Justin Bieber — “That’s my s–t” — Because The Internet (2013) by Childish Gambino and Wiped Out! (2015) by her ex-boyfriend Jesse Rutherford’s band The Neighbourhood as major influences on her life.

Eilish and Lipa both appeared on the soundtrack for Greta Gerwig’s blockbuster Barbie film; in fact, both of their songs from the project, “What Was I Made For?” and “Dance The Night,” respectively, were jousting for a U.K. No. 1 earlier this week. The two also chatted about growing up in the public eye and evolving as artists on Lipa’s BBC podcast, with Eilish noting that “it’s hard to accept” the ways making new music has changed or gotten more challenging as she’s gotten older.

“Everything is different about it,” the “Happier Than Ever” artist shared. “I’ve been trying to compare recently, just because I’m getting used to doing it in a different way. And trying to be like, ‘It’s OK to do that. I’m OK. I’m still able to do that, I’m capable still.’”

“The jump between 18 and 21 is a big jump,” she added. “Just mentally and physically, and realistically. It’s just been completely different.”

Then, giving an update on the status of her upcoming third album, she shared that “Finneas and I are just — hate to say it — but only starting to hit our stride for this next album. But I’m feeling good about it. I’m not worried, really. I’m feeling pretty comfortable and confident and excited.”

Listen to Eilish’s full interview with Dua Lipa below:

Justin Timberlake, Timbaland & Nelly Furtado Reunite for New Single: Here’s When It Arrives

Sixteen years after notching a Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit with “Give It to Me,” the trio behind that track is reuniting for a brand new single. On Wednesday (Aug. 23), Timbaland shared a teaser video announcing a new collaboration with Justin Timberlake and Nelly Furtado.

“WE BACK,” Timbaland captioned the Instagram post, alongside a barrage of emojis of peeking eyes and exploding heads. “Da king has returned!”

The teaser begins with the phrase “The time has come” emblazoned across the screen before cutting to a clip of an old Timbaland-Furtado performance on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno. Brief video snippets and headline clippings showcasing the evolution of Timbaland’s career and relationships with both Furtado and Timberlake flash across the screen, eventually giving way to the song’s official release date. The new single from Timbaland, Furtado and Timberlake is slated for a Sept. 1 release. The title is still yet to be revealed.

Timbaland also shared the teaser to his Instagram Story, writing, “Watch me work, da king is back. Album [in] Nov.” The as-yet-untitled album will be Timbaland’s first since 2009’s Shock Value II, which peaked at No. 36 on the Billboard 200. Both Timberlake and Furtado also shared the teaser to their respective Instagram Stories with more eye emojis; the “Say It Right” singer added a raising hand emoji as well.

Timbaland’s announcement comes nearly exactly one month after he shared Instagram posts showing him and Timberlake on a FaceTime call with Furtado while the two worked on Timberlake’s forthcoming sixth studio album. “Da dream team,” he captioned the post.

All three artists have released singles this year. In March, Timbaland teamed up with “Whole Lotta Money” rapper BIA for a collaboration titled “I’m That Bitch.” In June, Furtado unleashed her first single as a lead artist in five years with the Dom Dolla-assisted “Eat Your Man,” which peaked at No. 15 on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs. The following month (July 12), Timberlake guested on the remix to Coco Jones’ “ICU,” which climbed to No. 62 on the Hot 100, albeit without a credit for the “Mirrors” singer.

Check out Timbaland’s announcement:

Dua Lipa Breaks Down the Similarities Between Homophobia, Transphobia & Misogyny

Along with being a hit-making singer, Dua Lipa has made it clear throughout her career that she is an ally to the LGBTQ community. And in a recent interview, she explained why she feels such a strong connection to her queer and trans fans.

Speaking to Vogue France, Lipa shared her intersectional view of the troubles faced by women and the LGBTQ community. “Homophobia and transphobia are close to misogyny,” she said. “A lot of people, deep down, are just afraid of themselves. The freedom of others confronts them with what they do not have the courage to express. The beauty of a free, true and proud being paralyzes them.”

Her proclamation came amid a conversation about modern-day misogyny amid the #MeToo movement, which she points out has shifted the conversation surrounding sexism into a better area. “The guys are more attentive. Maybe they’re just afraid of being accused one day, but I still feel like a lot of people realize that structures of domination have been in place for ages,” she said. “And this observation can change things. So we’re going in the right direction, even if there’s still a lot of work to do.”

The conversation then steered toward backlash Lipa received after she attended a strip-club party with Lizzo following the 2020 Grammys — long before accusations came out about alleged inappropriate behavior on Lizzo’s part during a live sex show. Some claimed that Lipa and Lizzo were defending the “exploitation of women” by going to a strip club.

“Obviously I am against any exploitation. But I also see that we constantly criticize the choices that women make,” Lipa explained. “We get slut-shamed for everything and anything. And before attacking people, who cares about their history? So, for me, it’s super important to respect women’s choices, whatever they are.”

The new interview comes amid a time of highs and lows for the singer. While Lipa’s hit song off the Barbie soundtrack “Dance the Night” is currently enjoying its 12th week on the Billboard Hot 100 with a No. 8 position, the star is also embroiled in yet another lawsuit surrounding her hit single “Levitating.” Music producer Bosco Kante claims that he gave Lipa permission to use a talk box track he created for her in the song’s original version, but not in any subsequent remixes.

Britney Spears Introduces Fans to Her Adorable New Puppy

Britney Spears is living her best life with a furry friend by her side.

The pop superstar took to Instagram on Wednesday (Aug. 23) to share a video of her adorable new puppy. In the clip, it’s unclear what breed the tiny pup is, but the white fluffy dog is seen wagging its tail as it runs around Spears’ feet. “Introducing Snow … the new [addition] to the family … it’s her world and we just live in it,” the “Circus” singer captioned the post.

The cute new family member arrives amid news that Spears’ husband Sam Asghari filed for divorce in Los Angeles Superior Court on Aug. 16, citing irreconcilable differences. The next day, he posted a statement confirming the breakup. “After six years of love and commitment to each other, my wife and I have decided to end our journey together,” he wrote on Instagram. “We will hold onto the love and respect we have for each other and I wish her the best always. S–t happens. Asking for privacy seems ridiculous so I will just ask for everyone including media to be kind and thoughtful.”

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Spears broke her silence on the matter on Aug. 18. “As everyone knows, Hesam and I are no longer together … 6 years is a long time to be with someone so, I’m a little shocked but … I’m not here to explain why because its honestly nobody’s business !!!” she wrote on Instagram. “I couldn’t take the pain anymore honestly !!!”

The two first met in 2016 on the set of Spears’ “Slumber Party” music video, and tied the knot. inJune 2022.

Watch La La Anthony Quiz Ciara, Kelly Rowland & Kim Kardashian on Beenie Man Lyrics

“Sim-simma, who got the keys to my Bimmer?” opens the chorus to Beenie Man’s 1997 hit “Who Am I.” Could you finish the lyrics based solely on “sim-simma”? On Tuesday, La La Anthony tested her famous friends’ lyrical knowledge via a video posted to Instagram.

Featuring celebrity pals like Kim Kardashian and Ciara, La La roped a slew of Hollywood stars into the aptly named “#SimSimmaChallenge.” The premise is simple: A person calls an unsuspecting friend, states the phrase “sim-simma,” and waits for the friend to correctly finish the rest of the phrase. Grammy winners Ciara and Kelly Rowland both aced the challenge, as did Yung Miami of City Girls and Vanessa Bryant.

On the other hand, Kardashian mumbled her way through the lyrics (which was good enough for La La), and La La’s own son, 16-year-old Kiyan, responded with a hilariously incredulous “Who’s that?!” Other notable appearances in the clip include Angie Beyincé, a songwriter and cousin to Beyoncé and Solange who mistakenly sang “Girls Dem Sugar” instead of “Who Am I,” and Christian Vazquez, La La’s brother who responded with a strong middle finger.

Beenie Man himself reposted Anthony’s video, commenting, “Keep the challenge going my peeps,” with a bunch of laughing emojis. The #SimSimmaChallenge has been gaining steam across social media for months, from “vibe checks” among public school teachers to celebrity FaceTime calls. The challenge owes its existence to Beenie Man’s “Who Am I,” which peaked at No. 40 on the Billboard Hot 100. “Who Am I” was originally released in 1997 on producer Jeremy Harding’s Playground riddim, before it appeared on Beenie’s Billboard 200-charting Many Moods of Moses (No. 151) the following year.

Watch La La Anthony’s #SimSimmaChallenge here: