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Sometimes celebrities really are just like us. Take, for example, the unmitigated joy Adele took over the weekend in watching the debut of the Summer Olympic’s latest sport: breaking. The anticipation for the first-ever breakdancing competition was feverish leading up to Friday’s debut of the women’s qualifying rounds.
And the athletes did not disappoint, with b-girls from around the globe proving that the American-born sport that judges scored on the dancer’s skills at elements such as toprocking, power moves, footwork and freezes was indeed worthy of inclusion. While dancers such as the Netherlands’ nimble India, fleet-footed bronze medal winner 671 and mind-blowing gold medalist Ami of Japan earned love from the judges, there was one b-girl who stood out among all the athletes.
“I’m not saying anything, I think it’s the best thing that’s happened in the Olympics the entire time,” Adele said during a break at one of her massive shows in Munich on Saturday about the thing she and her friends had been talking about non-stop since the night before. “Did anyone see the breakdancing lady?” she asked her audience to the sound of loud laughing.
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Adele explained that she wasn’t aware that breaking had been added for the first time at the Paris games — a situation she deemed “f–king fantastic.” She thensurveyed her band to see if any of them had watched, with the singer proclaiming that one of her musicians was “p—ing himself laughing” while thinking about 36-year-old Australian teacher Rachael Gunn, who won hearts and launched a million memes with her unique stylings under nom-de-break Raygun.
“I can’t work out if it was a joke, but either way, it has made me very, very happy and me and my friends have been s–ting ourself laughing for 24 hours,” Adele said of the dancer who scored zero points but who grabbed lots of attention for her floppy, unorthodox moves. “I just wanted to know if you’ve seen it. If you haven’t seen it, please leave the show and Google it because it is LOLZ!!! It is so f–king funny. Anyway, it’s my favorite thing that’s happened in Olympics this whole, whole time,” Adele said.
It wasn’t the first time Adele had stopped one of the shows at her bespoke German stadium to pay attention to the Paris games. Last week, she took a break to watch the anticipated Women’s 100M sprint final, broadcasting the 11-second race on the big screen for her 75,000 fans in the midst of her 10-night residency at custom-built Adele Arena.
While some mocked Raygun’s kangaroo hop moves and PE teacher-worthy outfit, the proud dancer who took up the sport at 20 and won the Oceania Breaking Championship crown last year told reporters after her wash-out that it was no joke.
“I was never going to beat these girls on what they do best, the dynamic and the power moves,” Gunn, who has a Ph.D. in cultural studies and studies breaking and hip-hop culture, told reporters afterwards according to NBC. “So I wanted to move differently, be artistic and creative because how many chances do you get that in a lifetime to do that on an international stage.”
Watch footage of Adele talking Raygun and check out some of the funniest Raygun memes below.
At this point Lorde fans are looking for any crumb of a clue that the singer is gearing up to release a new album. And they appear to have gotten that sliver of daylight over the weekend when Lorde wiped her social media accounts clean.
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That’s right, if you one of the nearly 11 million people who follow Lorde and you dipped into her Instagram over the weekend you would have seen a “no posts yet” message in place of the series of teasers the “Green Light” vocalist had amassed over the past year. In their place was just the phrase that appears to be the prompt for the New Zealand star’s upcoming era: “THE THEMES ARE ALWAYS THE SAME— A RETURN TO INNOCENCE— THE MYSTERIES OF THE BLOOD— AN ITCH FOR THE TRANSCENDENTAL.”
One fan wrote, “Lorde deleting all her insta… oh LORDETEMBER is coming,” while another responded to the wipe with a tinge of frustrated anticipation: “Lorde I love you but how long are you gonna TEASE this project.”
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Lorde, 27, has been slow-rolling the details on her follow-up to 2021’s Solar Power for almost a year now, and recently she posted exactly a few seconds of what sounded like new music. The two-second clip came along with a pic of Lorde in the studio, smiling as she rocked her head side-to-side as the instrumental beat with a techno-like vibe rocking in the background. The caption to the post read, “will be back in touch.”
In June, Lorde posted a number of cryptic pictures, writing “use the existing tools wherever possible” alongside a variety of images including a copyright symbol, three variations of the letter L, the number four in parentheses and a recycling logo. “If the tools do not exist you are spiritually obligated to create them,” she added along a another string of unexplained images, with more Ls, another 4, a run of stars, the number 27, what looked like a Tarot card, the infinity symbol, a shark, a rabbit and an Egyptian figure.
That post, along with a video in which she spit off a balcony and held a pill in her hand that read “spit” were among the Instagram posts that went missing when the feeds got wiped. To date Lorde has not provided any additional details on when her fourth album will be released.
She has popped up in a few other musician’s feeds lately though. Including in pics over the weekend with Marina (or Marina and the Diamonds) in which the pals are playing pool, as well as at Charli XCX’s 32nd birthday party in Los Angeles on August 3, where the pair danced on couches and sang along to their remix of Charli’s Brat single “Girl, so confusing.”
Madonna is wishing her oldest son a happy birthday. On Sunday (Aug. 11), the Queen of Pop shared a sweet tribute on social media in honor of her son Rocco Ritchie’s 24th birthday. To commemorate the special occasion, she shared 20 age-spanning photos and videos of Rocco, whom she shares with ex-husband Guy Ritchie. “HAPPY […]
Shawn Mendes‘ “Why Why Why” has topped this week’s new music poll that features artists in various genres of music. Music fans voted in a poll published Friday (Aug. 9) on Billboard, choosing the 26-year-old pop star’s comeback single as their favorite new music release of the past week. “Why Why Why” brought in 50% […]
Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department clocks a 14th week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart (dated Aug. 17), with 142,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending Aug. 8 (up 98%) according to Luminate.
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The last album to spend at least 14 weeks at No. 1 was Morgan Wallen’s One Thing at a Time, which logged 19 total nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 between March 2023 and this March. The last album by a woman to spend at least 14 total weeks at No. 1 was Adele’s 21, which earned 24 nonconsecutive weeks on top in 2011-12.
Also in the top 10 of the new Billboard 200, Ye (formerly Kanye West) and Ty Dolla $ign’s Vultures 2 debuts at No. 2 with 107,000 equivalent album units, marking the 13th Ye album to reach the top two (his entirety of charting releases), while Ty Dolla $ign ups his tally of top 10s to three.
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The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week 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. The new Aug. 18, 2024-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on Aug. 13. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.
Of The Tortured Poets Department’s 142,000 units earned in the week ending Aug. 8, album sales comprise 84,000 (up 606%), SEA units comprise 57,500 (equaling 75.43 million on-demand official streams of the set’s widely available deluxe edition’s 31 songs) and TEA units comprise 500. Poets is No. 2 on the Top Streaming Albums chart (behind Wallen’s One Thing at a Time) and No. 1 on the Top Album Sales chart.
Poets’ album sales in the latest tracking week were bolstered by a number of drivers. The set was released in five new digital album variants via Swift’s official webstore for a limited time, each containing the standard album’s 16 songs, along with one exclusive bonus track for $4.99 each (one album contained a “first draft phone memo” version of “My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys,” while the other four contained one live track each from recent stops during her The Eras Tour). In addition, for a limited time, the store restocked three previously available digital album variants with exclusive bonus cuts, and a signed CD edition. Her store also staged a brief sale pricing promotion, whereby 16 previously available physical variants of the album were all discounted by 13% (as 13 is Swift’s favorite number).
With Poets — Swift’s longest-leading album on the Billboard 200 — she adds her 83rd career week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, extending her record among soloists. (Elvis Presley has the second-most among soloists, with 67.) The total encompasses her 14 No. 1 albums. (She’s tied with Jay-Z for the most No. 1s among soloists.)
At No. 2 on the new Billboard 200, Ye and Ty Dolla $ign’s Vultures 2 swoops in with 107,000 equivalent album units earned. The album was released on Saturday (Aug. 3). It’s the long-awaited sequel to the chart-topping Vultures 1, which opened atop the Feb. 24-dated chart with 148,000 units. Of the new album’s first-week figure, album sales comprise 60,500 in album sales, SEA units comprise 46,000 (equaling 50.44 million on-demand official streams of the standard set’s songs) and TEA units comprise 500 units. Vultures 2 also bows at No. 6 on the Top Streaming Albums chart and No. 2 on the Top Album Sales chart.
The opening sales of Vultures 2 were aided by its availability across a widely available standard explicit edition, and a late-in-the-week-released clean edition (on Aug. 8). Ye’s official webstore also issued five additional explicit digital album variants on Wednesday (Aug. 7) and Thursday (Aug. 8), each containing the standard album’s 16 tracks, along with one exclusive studio bonus track per album. All digital albums on Ye’s webstore sold for $5 each. The Vultures 2 album, both clean and explicit, was also discounted to $4.99 in the iTunes Store in the tracking week.
Vultures 2 was originally slated for release on March 8.
Chappell Roan’s The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess climbs to a new high, as it rises from its prior No. 4 best to No. 3 with 64,000 equivalent album units earned (up 20%). The album’s ascent comes after Roan’s rousing reception at Lollapalooza on Aug. 1.
Wallen’s chart-topping One Thing at a Time dips 2-4 with 63,000 equivalent album units (down 2%), while Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft is steady at No. 5 with 57,000 units (up 8%).
Charli XCX’s Brat bolts 9-6 with 56,000 equivalent album units earned (up 39%), following the release of the album’s “Guess” remix with Eilish on Aug. 1.
Zach Bryan’s The Great American Bar Scene falls 3-7 (51,000 equivalent album units; down 16%), Wallen’s former leader Dangerous: The Double Album rises 11-8 (just over 37,000; down less than 1%), Noah Kahan’s Stick Season lifts 10-9 (a little more than 37,000; down 5%) and the Twisters: The Album soundtrack drops 8-10 (37,000; down 16%).
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.
Sabrina Carpenter brought out a special guest to perform a Nancy Sinatra classic at Outside Lands 2024. During her headlining set at the San Francisco festival on Saturday (Aug. 10), the 25-year-old pop star welcomed Kacey Musgraves for a surprise performance of Sinatra’s 1966 hit “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’.” “She won’t come out […]
Streaming platform Disney+ announced on social media that it partnered with Austria’s ORF to broadcast Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (Taylor’s Version) on television for free Saturday night (Aug. 10), one of three evenings that Swift was supposed to perform live in Vienna. The Vienna Eras Tour dates, scheduled for Aug. 9, 10 and 11, were canceled earlier this week due to the threat of a terror attack at the city’s 65,000-capacity Ernst Happel Stadium.
The streamer addressed a letter posted to Swift’s fans (“Dear Swifties”) on the Disney+ DE Instagram account on Aug. 10 that, translated from German to English, announced the free TV showing of The Eras Tour film.
ORF, a national broadcaster in Austria, showed Swift’s concert movie at 9:45 p.m. local time on the public channel ORF 1.
Disney+ also offered a free 7-day trial subscription for those who wish to stream Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour on the platform in Austria and Germany. The announcement, which states the promotion runs through Aug. 12, is pinned to Disney+ DE’s account.
Three people were detained by Austrian authorities in connection with a potential terror attack at Swift’s now-canceled Eras Tour concerts in the city of Vienna. An 18-year-old man was arrested on Thursday, following previously reported arrests of 19-year-old and 17-year-old suspects taken into custody on Tuesday. Officials described a plot to carry out what could have been a mass casualty event over the weekend among the crowd of fans outside Ernst Happel Stadium.
Swift has not publicly commented on what happened in Vienna, with news of the event cancelations first delivered on Wednesday via Barracuda Music, the concert promoter for the pop star’s Austrian tour dates: “With confirmation from government officials of a planned terrorist attack at Ernst Happel Stadium, we have no choice but to cancel the three scheduled shows for everyone’s safety. All tickets will be automatically refunded within the next 10 business days,” read the promoter’s statement, which was reposted by Taylor Nation, an account associated with Swift’s team.
Vienna, where Swift was set to play three nights in a row, was to be the second-to-last city on the map for the European leg of The Eras Tour.
The Tortured Poets Department hitmaker is currently scheduled for five nights at London’s Wembley Stadium (Aug. 15, 16, 17, 19 and 20), followed by a break before she resumes the tour in North America from October-December — with multiple dates in the cities of Miami, New Orleans, Indianapolis, Toronto and Vancouver.
With the newly released version of ATEEZ’s No. 1 single “Work” poised to make crossover impact for the K-pop group via the all-English remix featuring G-Eazy, the rapper’s verses have also sparked speculation among fans online that he used the track to take a jab at his ex-girlfriend, Halsey.
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Released Friday, Aug. 9, the “Part 4” remix of “Work,” which topped World Digital Song Sales in June for ATEEZ’s first chart-topper on the ranking, features G-Eazy delivering a verse that has fans talking: “Actin’ innocent, no, it’s not your first time/We’re far away if Libra is her sign/ Oof, danger, danger (Danger, danger)/Don’t be a stranger (Don’t be a stranger)/ She said no one can save her.”
This particular line has drawn attention due to Halsey’s Sept. 29 birthday, making her a Libra and leading to widespread speculation that the lyrics could be a thinly veiled reference to his experiences and their past relationship. The stars were in a highly publicized relationship from 2017 to 2018 before an abrupt breakup in July 2018. While neither has spoken up directly about what ended their time together, both artists have released music that fans believe alludes to their breakup. Halsey has also previously mentioned being in an “abusive relationship,” though she has never explicitly confirmed if G-Eazy was involved.
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After the collaboration’s release, one user on X (formerly known as Twitter) wrote that they “got weirded out when he sings that [because] I immediately remember Halsey…this is ATEEZ’s song why tf did u make it about u.” One X user added, “A collab of all things to make a little diss at your ex,” with another saying, “G-Eazy shading Halsey in a K-pop collab…this was not on my bingo list AT ALL.”
As some fans have noted, the particular lyrics in G-Eazy’s verse stand out against the backdrop of ATEEZ’s original message in “Work,” which is about focusing in on pushing toward your goals and achieving success. One fan on X wrote, “We’re talking about clocking in and he’s over here harassing his ex.”
Indeed, the K-pop group sings about the hustle in lines like, “I like to party when it’s a party/That’s payin’ me to pull up” and the addictive chorus of “Gotta work, gotta work / Gotta make that money, make purse.” G-Eazy later adds, “Work, flex, work, flex, always in the lab/ How I earn checks/ Hundred thousand dollars for a verse, yes/Wouldn’t lift a finger if it were less.”
The collaboration comes after ATEEZ’s established admiration for Halsey. The K-pop group’s fans, known as ANTINY, know the members frequently share music recommendations: Both Wooyoung and Jongho have shared their fondness for “Boy With Luv,” her hit collaboration with BTS, Yeosang has recommended Halsey’s chart-topping Billboard Hot 100 hit “Closer” with The Chainsmokers to fans. Mingi has also praised G-Eazy’s work, notably his Hot 100 hit “Me, Myself & I” featuring Bebe Rexha, and previously recommended Calvin Harris’ Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 2 album, where Halsey features on two tracks.
Representatives for G-Eazy nor ATEEZ did not return Billboard‘s request for comment at press time.
Even if the potential diss has dominated most of the conversation, it’s important to recognize the latest steps in ATEEZ’s barrier-breaking 2024 that includes multiple “Work” remixes, being named an “Up Next” star in Variety’s Young Hollywood Impact Report, and the ongoing [Towards the Light : Will to Power] in North America arena and stadium tour that just took over New York’s CitiField on Saturday, Aug. 2. This year has also been momentous for G-Eazy with the June 21 release of his seventh studio album, Freak Show, marking his first full-length project in nearly three years, which precedes a world tour hitting North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand through this and next year.
Listen to Part 4 of ATEEZ’s “Work” with G-Eazy below:
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Britney Spears is reportedly the latest star to document her life via biopic. According to Variety, Universal Pictures landed the rights to the pop princess’ best-selling memoir The Woman in Me. The book chronicles Spears’ rise to fame, her relationship with fellow child star Justin Timberlake — which included her getting pregnant and having an abortion during their time together — […]
When Chappell Roan released her debut album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, last September, it didn’t immediately crack the Billboard 200. In fact, it took more than six months for the album to debut at No. 127 on the chart dated April 6 — following a boost in exposure after Roan opened on tour for Olivia Rodrigo.
Now, nearly one year later, both Roan’s album and her stardom continue to hit new highs. On the Billboard 200, Midwest Princess has entered the tally’s top five, hitting a new peak of No. 4 after 19 weeks on the chart. Over on the Billboard Hot 100, the pop star currently has six songs scattered across the chart, with her latest single, Good Luck, Babe!” climbing the highest. The hit, which this week entered the top 10 at No. 8, has become Roan’s highest-charting entry to date.
Roan’s chart dominance has been a long time coming, and a moment her longtime manager Nick Bobetsky (State of the Art) has been patiently waiting for. Bobetsky met Roan in 2018, after her previous record label, Atlantic (from which she was dropped), shared some of her unreleased music. “Her immense talent was clear immediately,” he recalls. “She’s always been a true artist.”
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Since then, Bobetsky and the team have “focused solely on building the Chappell Roan universe and trusting that the greatness of her and her music would thrive” — just as they are now. And on the heels of a record-breaking Lollapalooza Chicago set, which saw the festival score its biggest-ever daytime crowd, Bobetsky has earned the title of Billboard’s Executive of the Week.
Here, Bobetsky talks about the success of “Babe!”, Roan’s festival takeover this summer and more. As he says, “I take great pride in helping shape [an artist’s] runway to success, however long it needs to be.”
“Good Luck, Babe” has become the highest-charting song of Chappell’s career, entering the Hot 100’s top 10. What key decisions did you make to help make that happen?
When Chappell finishes a song she’s excited about, we’ve learned to follow her instincts and hit go; in this case, putting a strategy together with Island to get the song out quickly. Chappell has always been about building, which in turn brings momentum. People became fans on their own schedule over the course of months, having their own moments of discovery. “Good Luck, Babe!” was the first time since her sold-out tours, her album release, the snowball effect she was experiencing, where the broader fanbase could share a fresh moment together. That shared and focused excitement, paired with the incredible song, gave us a strong launch. We’ve been able to not only grow the song since then but the entire album because we’ve continued to stay focused on the same core things — building, and consistent momentum.
Chappell has a total of six songs on the Hot 100 right now. How are you supporting so many songs at once and determining which one to push next?
Chappell’s songs speak for themselves, her performances are second to none, and her universe has never been about one song, one moment, or one driver — and the fact that we have so many songs in the Hot 100 is a testament to that. We aren’t cramming anything down anyone’s throat, and fans are listening to multiple songs at once. In terms of pushing the next song, we are in the incredible position to have a lot to choose from. That said, I don’t actually think it’s about choosing to push one in particular, it’s about paying attention to which one is thriving the most. We have live audience reactions, fans online, streaming numbers to lead us. What excites me the most is the nonlinear nature of it all — that her next song to push is likely to have been out for nearly a year.
Dan Nigro signed Chappell to his Amusement label before she signed with Island. How did you help guide her transition to the major label?
Dan started making music with Chappell during her previous record deal, and he remained committed when she and the label parted ways. We released a series of singles independently and built a very loyal and loud fanbase. We focused solely on building the Chappell Roan universe and trusting that the greatness of her and her music would thrive. It started to get loud, labels started circling, and Dan’s Amusement label was a continuation of their creative collaboration, now in partnership with Island Records where she landed in the end.
Her debut album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, was released in Sept. 2023 and just this week — almost a year later — hit a No. 4 peak on the Billboard 200. What are you and the team doing to help sustain its renewed momentum — or planning to do still?
Everything in the world of Chappell Roan is about building, staying true to her vision, and embracing the 100% rule — that if the answer is not a true 100% yes, it’s a no. Chappell’s growth is a very special pairing of consistent commitment to momentum, paired with ensuring that every moment is executed to the fullest degree. We’re in an era of tons of noise, the fear of fleeting moments, pressure to say yes at every turn, and our approach is different. She says yes when it’s right for her universe, and people want to keep joining in. The momentum is sustaining itself because it’s real and reflective of incredible music and artistry having real cultural impact.
Chappell’s Lollapalooza Chicago set saw the largest day crowd in the festival’s history across its global franchise. What were you anticipating and how did you help her mentally prepare?
Every festival this summer Chappell has played has been bigger than the previous. We knew this was going to be big, no one knew we’d break records. We work really hard to surround her with visionary creatives, a rock solid touring team and ensuring every element is top-notch. I’m not sure how you can mentally prepare for a moment that big, but she’s born for moments like this.
What kind of boost has she gained from that news-making set?
We’ve seen new daily peaks in consumption and online conversations, but I feel the biggest boost because it feels like mainstream media, fans and the industry alike all saw it coming and were ready to celebrate. It really feels like a, “See, I told you so,” moment — not from us saying it, but from the masses screaming it.
What’s the key to managing a pop star today?
Respect, partnership and belief in the artist. Sure, the strategy, relationships, business decisions and all of that are important, but that’s actually the easier part. When you have a generational pop star, the real key is the shared vision and commitment to their greatness long-term. I take great pride in helping shape their runway to success, however long it needs to be.