Trending Up

Welcome to Billboard Pro’s Trending Up column, where we take a closer look at the songs, artists, curiosities and trends that have caught the music industry’s attention. Some have come out of nowhere, others have taken months to catch on, and all of them could become ubiquitous in the blink of a TikTok clip.  This week: Thanksgiving songs quickly peek their heads onto streaming before making way for the Christmas avalanche — including a quickly growing new song from a pop icon — and a side-splitting viral trend brings a late-’00s pop-rock classic back to the mainstream.

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Thanksgiving Songs Beat the Holiday Rush on Streaming

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Yes, Thanksgiving is most notable in the Billboard world as the benchmark holiday after which Christmas music really starts to take off; see next week’s Hot 100 for a glimpse of just how dramatic the takeover will be. But before listeners fully ensconce themselves in Yuletide classics, some of them make sure to give some time — one day, at least — to the handful of enduring Thanksgiving perennials, many of which saw major boosts on streaming last week (particularly, of course, on Nov. 23, the final day of the tracking period).

Two unrelated staples simply titled “The Thanksgiving Song” — by pop/rock singer-songwriter Ben Rector and comedian Adam Sandler — both saw stratospheric gains, with the official on-demand U.S. streams for Rector’s song rising 473% to 803,000, while Sandler’s leapt 680% to 275,000, according to Luminate. (Sandler’s total came despite the song being unavailable on Spotify). Meanwhile, CCM singer-songwriter Matthew West’s singalong “Gobble Gobble” was up 218% to 1.2 million streams, and jazz outfit (and Christmastime regular) Vince Guaraldi Trio’s “Thanksgiving Theme” rose 248% to 1.1 million.

Then, of course, there’s the daddy of them all: Arlo Guthrie’s “Alice’s Restaurant Massacree,” the sung-spoken 1967 story song set at Thanksgiving that remains an annual listen in countless households nationwide. Boosted by some TikTok virality this year — largely of younger users sharing their confusion over their families’ continued observance of the “Alice’s” tradition — the once-a-year classic jumped a stunning 796% to 369,000 official on-demand U.S. streams for the week ending Nov. 23. Not quite Mariah Carey numbers, but pretty impressive endurance for an 18-plus-minute talking-blues number from over 55 years ago. — ANDREW UNTERBERGER

Colbie Caillat’s Breakthrough Hit “Bubbly” Rides Hilarious TikTok Meme to Streaming Revival 

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16 years ago, a guitar-touting Malibu girl by the name of Colbie Caillat burst onto the scene with “Bubbly,” a heartwarming earworm that served as the lead single for debut studio album Coco and reached No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. 

Today, that song is seeing a second life with Gen Z thanks to a hilarious TikTok trend that is resulting in substantial streaming gains across DSPs. According to Luminate, “Bubbly” has earned over 1.62 million on-demand U.S. streams during the period of Nov. 17-23. That marks a major 98.3% increase in streaming activity from just three weeks ago, when the song was pulling just north of 800,000 on-demand U.S. streams. 

The song’s boost in streams is primarily due to a TikTok trend where users place “Bubbly” over raucous videos of other artists performing. Whether it’s Lil Uzi Vert rocking their hips or Tyler, the Creator banging his head, the goal is to play on humor sourced from the visual and sonic dissonance of Caillat’s tender hook and high-octane stage shows. Thanks to the trend, the official “Bubbly” sound has been used in over 50,700 videos. Caillat has played into the trend, duetting and stitching memes featuring KISS, Post Malone and Travis Scott. She also cheekily responded to a TikTok poking fun at her request to be counted in at the beginning of the track and released an acoustic “living room session” version of the song on her YouTube page. 

“Bubbly” remains Caillat’s sole Hot 100 top 10 hit, and its recent rise and streams proves the song is still connecting with audiences over a decade and a half removed from its original release. — KYLE DENIS

Cher, Play a Christmas Song: Thanksgiving Parade Performance Boosts New Holiday Single

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Although the 2023 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade boasted a slew of music stars performing and popping by — from Beyoncé delivering a video message to The Roots playing a song with Jimmy Fallon to Chicago playing “You’re the Inspiration” atop a Wonder Bread float (!) — the climactic performance was saved until the end of the festivities. Cher arrived on 34th Street in Manhattan with a showcase of “DJ Play a Christmas Song,” her danceable pop single from her recently released holiday album Christmas, complete with choreography performed by dancers in heart costumes and dressed as little drummer boys and girls.

After Christmas debuted at No. 32 on the Billboard 200 chart last month, “DJ Play a Christmas Song” has naturally started to heat up as the holidays creep closer — although early returns suggest that the Thanksgiving Day performance provided the single with even more upward momentum. While the song’s weekly U.S. on-demand streaming totals jumped from 101,000 streams for the week ending Nov. 2 to 521,000 for the week ending Nov. 23, according to Luminate, “DJ Play a Christmas Song” earned 647,000 streams from Friday to Monday (Nov. 24-27) — surpassing its previous week’s streaming total in just four days.

With the Hot 100 in the process of being flooded by holiday music, we’ll see over the few weeks if “DJ Play a Christmas Song,” which has reached No. 3 on the Holiday Digital Song Sales chart, can keep climbing and reach the all-genre tally before the end of the season. If it does, the single would be Cher’s first Hot 100 entry since “Song for the Lonely” in 2002. – JASON LIPSHUTZ

Welcome to Billboard Pro’s Trending Up column, where we take a closer look at the songs, artists, curiosities and trends that have caught the music industry’s attention. Some have come out of nowhere, others have taken months to catch on, and all of them could become ubiquitous in the blink of a TikTok clip.  This week: A new release in the Hunger Games franchise leads to gains for soundtrack hits old and new, while a new TikTok challenge gives a not-that-old JID hit a second crack at the charts, Drake fans celebrate a deep cut’s title day and more.

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See latest videos, charts and news

The Streams Are Ever in Their Favor: ‘Hunger Games’ Songs Surge Following Prequel Release

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Last weekend, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes topped the box office with a $100 million international gross following its Nov. 17 bow in multiplexes. The arrival of the prequel film, which is set 64 years before the events of the original Hunger Games, had fans turning back toward songs old and new that have been associated with the franchise, and volunteering as tribute as they pressed play on streaming platforms.

“Can’t Catch Me Now,” the Olivia Rodrigo soundtrack single released on Nov. 3, may have dropped 25 spots to No. 81 in its second week on the Billboard Hot 100 this week, but early streaming returns for this week suggest a rebound in conjunction with the film release. “Catch” earned 4.26 million official on-demand U.S. streams in the first four days of the Songbirds & Snakes theatrical run (Nov. 17-20) — a 43% increase from its streaming total from the previous Friday-to-Monday tracking period, according to Luminate.

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Meanwhile, “The Hanging Tree,” the James Newton Howard song that was performed by Jennifer Lawrence in 2014’s The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 — and is revived in Songbirds & Snakes as “Lucy Gray’s Version,” as performed by Rachel Zegler — also experienced a streaming resurgence. “The Hanging Tree” earned 344,000 streams over the first four days of the film’s run, up 58% from 217,000 streams from the prior Friday-to-Monday tracking period. – JASON LIPSHUTZ

JID’s “Surround Sound” Solidifies Sleeper Hit Status With Substantial Streaming Gains 

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Last year, JID’s third studio album, The Forever Story, brought him loads of acclaim and his highest Billboard 200 peak to date (No. 12). “Surround Sound,” the set’s Baby Tate- and 21 Savage-featuring lead single peaked at No. 90 during its initial run on the Hot 100 – the lowest-peaking of JID’s five career hits on the ranking. Nonetheless, that could change thanks to a viral TikTok trend that has resulted in material gains across streaming platforms. 

According to Luminate, “Surround Sound” has earned over 3.9 million U.S. on-demand streams during the period of November 10-16; that’s a whopping 48.3% increase from 2.68 million streams during Nov. 3-9. In turn, that Nov. 3-9 figure is a 27.2% increase from just over 2.1 million streams during the period of October 27 to Nov. 2. The boost in streams is mainly thanks to the viral Ceiling Challenge on TikTok, where users tape their phone to the ceiling, hit record, and then post a clip of that overhead shot. Normally, the video uses the portion of the track that lets the sample of Aretha Franklin’s “One Step Ahead” play to soundtrack the camera set-up process, and once the beat drops, they proceed to do their thing for the camera. With users opting for both wholesome and risqué versions of the challenge, the official “Surround Sound” TikTok sound has been used in over 175,800 posts and counting.  

No ‘Wondering’ Here: Red Clay Strays Score Chart Hit Thanks to TikTok

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While The Red Clay Strays have spent a long time supporting other major country acts on tour, from Brothers Osborne to Dierks Bentley to Eric Church, the Alabama group may finally be scoring a mainstream moment of its own. “Wondering Why,” the group’s soulful waltz from last year’s album Moment of Truth, has gone viral on TikTok, as users have been picked up on the line “She keeps on loving me/ Loves me the way I am” and deployed it in a variety of wistful clips.

“Wondering Why” has earned The Red Clay Strays their first Billboard chart appearance, as the song debuts at No. 33 on Hot Rock & Alternative Songs. And after scoring 2 million U.S. on-demand streams during the week ending Nov. 16, “Wondering Why” could be in for an even bigger total the following week, as the track earned 1.89 million streams from Nov. 17-20, according to Luminate. – JL

Ocean Alley Score Globe-Traversing Crossover Hit Five Years After Initial Release 

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Five years ago, Aussie rockers Ocean Alley scored a career-defining hit with “Confidence,” the third single from their sophomore studio album Chiarascuro (2018). The track climbed to No. 9 in Australia, earned a platinum certification in the territory, and reigned atop the 2018 Triple J Hottest 100. 

Clips of live performances of “Confidence” have gained ample traction on the band’s official TikTok page for years, but a slightly pitched-up and sped-up version of the song used in the band’s Nov. 2 TikTok commemorating two sold-out Brisbane shows has catapulted “Confidence” into the hearts and minds of millions of new listeners. According to Luminate, “Confidence” has collected over 1.9 million U.S. on-demand streams during the period of Nov. 10-16; that’s an eye-popping 182% increase from 700,000 streams during Nov. 3-9. In turn, that Nov. 3-9 figure is a 433.7% increase from just over 131,000 streams during the period of Oct. 27 to Nov. 2. 

Ocean Alley has smartly latched onto the song’s unexpected second wining, using their TikTok comment section to confirm to fans that they’re working on getting a sped-up version on DSPs. Furthermore, the band has been posting clips of old interviews and performances of the song – one of which went viral due to how similar lead singer Baden Donegal looks to both Jordan Peele and Bad Bunny. On TikTok, the official “Confidence” sound is featured in just under 2,000 posts, but the sound connected to the sped-up version boasts over 43,800 posts. The source of that sound is Jun. 15 TikTok by user @alyx ⭐️🎧, which features a fancam of One Direction alum Zayn. In posts using “Confidence,” the main attraction to the song is split between genuine interest and a “behind every boy/girl with impeccable music taste” trend. 

Thanks to its viral moment, “Confidence” has already topped the Viral 50 – USA Spotify chart, and there seems to be plenty of room for the song to continue to grow Stateside. – KD

Season’s Gainings: Drake Fans Flash Back to “November 18th” 

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Even with a total of 30 new Drake songs to feast on between new album For All the Dogs and its Scary Hours deluxe reissue, the Drizzy faithful can’t help but go a little retro around this time of year. “November 18th,” a DJ Screw-sampling fan favorite from the 6 God’s classic 2009 mixtape So Far Gone, sees the superstar rapper paying tribute to both Houston and the life-chanigng date he first flew to H-Town to meet eventual mentor Lil Wayne. With that date passing on the calendar on Saturday, streaming audiences were apparently interested in a little homage of their own: According to Luminate, the song racked up nearly 121,000 official on-demand U.S. streams that day – up 160% from the previous Saturday. – ANDREW UNTERBERGER

Welcome to Billboard Pro’s Trending Up column, where we take a closer look at the songs, artists, curiosities and trends that have caught the music industry’s attention. Some have come out of nowhere, others have taken months to catch on, and all of them could become ubiquitous in the blink of a TikTok clip.  This week: Taylor Swift’s latest Hot 100 No. 1 eyes new radio gains, Fuerza Regida & Marshmello’s “Harley Quinn” looks like a streaming standout, Mariah Carey’s “Christmas” gets a post-Halloween boost, and much more.

Taylor Swift’s Radio Reign is Far From “Over”

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The release of 1989 (Taylor’s Version), the fourth entry in Taylor Swift’s six-album re-recording endeavor, not only resulted in the biggest sales week of the superstar’s career as the album blasted in at the top of the Billboard 200, but in another No. 1 on the Hot 100 as well. “Is It Over Now? (Taylor’s Version),” one of five “From the Vault” songs from the 1989 sessions revisited for Taylor’s Version, debuted atop this week’s chart, giving Swift her 11th career Hot 100 No. 1 – while also knocking her 10th No. 1, the resurgent “Cruel Summer,” out of the top spot for the time being.

Part of the reason why “Cruel Summer,” from the 2019 album Lover, sustained its viral moment in 2023 – and reached No. 1 after months in the top 10 of the Hot 100 – is due to its performance at radio. The song has spent 10 nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Pop Airplay chart, and currently comes in at No. 2 on its 21st week on the tally. Meanwhile, “Is It Over Now?” – which debuted at No. 1 on the Streaming Songs chart, and No. 7 on Digital Song Sales – also starts at No. 38 on Pop Airplay, and scored 4.7 million in all-format audience impressions between Oct. 27 and Nov. 2, according to Luminate.

The long-term chart success of “Is It Over Now?” could depend upon the song’s performance at radio. Although the new “From the Vault” hit is still earning just a fraction of the daily plays of “Cruel Summer” across both U.S. terrestrial and satellite radio – from Nov. 3-6, “Is It Over Now?” averaged a little under 1,000 daily spins, while “Cruel Summer” averaged 5,027 daily spins over the same period, according to Luminate – as reported earlier this week, “Is It Over Now?” is actively being promoted as a single to radio. Perhaps as summer finally gives way to colder weather, the ecstatic “Cruel Summer” will start to give way to the more pensive “Is It Over Now?” as Swift’s dominant radio hit of the moment. – Jason Lipshutz

Fuerza Regida & Marshmello Score Super-Sized Streaming Gains With “Harley Quinn”

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Although we won’t see Lady Gaga’s take on Harley Quinn for another few months, the iconic DC Comics character is the namesake of one of the fastest-growing Latin songs in the U.S. “Harley Quinn,” a new collaboration between Billboard chart-topping regional Mexican band Fuerza Regida and Grammy-nominated DJ Marshmello, has garnered ample traction across streaming services since its Oct. 20 release on the band’s Pa las Baby’s Y Belikeada album.

According to Luminate, “Harley Quinn” logged over 2.34 million on-demand U.S. streams during the period of Oct. 20-26. The following week (Oct. 27-Nov. 2), the EDM-meets-regional Mexican track earned 5.75 million streams, a whopping 145.3% increase. Although the song is just two weeks old, it has already emerged as a creator favorite on TikTok, with its official sound currently boasting over 458,000 posts on the app. There has yet to be a discernible trend soundtracked by the song; fans appear to simply be enjoying the music, particularly the beginning of the second verse where Jesús Ortíz Paz sings, “Fancy, ella es una fresa / Mueve su cadera, todos la desean.”

“Harley Quinn” also appears on Marshmello’s new Sugar Papi album, which was released in full last week. It is the first collaboration between the two acts, and it arrives several months after they performed alongside Peso Pluma at the 2023 EDC Mexico music festival on Feb. 25. With an official music video still on the horizon, “Harley Quinn” has barely scratched the surface of its true power. – Kyle Denis

Jay Hound Finds Surprise Streaming Hit in New “Ukraine” Single 

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No, Jay Hound doesn’t say anything overtly political in support of Ukraine on his new single – unless you count “Flock sum, might fly to Ukraine” – but “Ukraine” just might be the biggest Ukraine-minded song of the current moment. The rising drill New York drill rapper’s new track is pulling impressive numbers at streaming, particularly – and unsurprisingly – in his hometown. The brooding drill snares and Jay’s husky tone and languid flow differentiate “Ukraine” from the more pop-minded drill that has found crossover success this year. 

According to Luminate, “Ukraine” collected just over 90,000 on-demand U.S. streams during the period of Oct. 20-26. That number exploded by 621% for a total of 657,000 streams the following week (Oct. 27-Nov. 2). Buoyed by a pre-release TikTok trend in which users built various scenarios and concepts out of Jay’s “Bro, hold on, let me talk” intro, the most popular “Ukraine” sound currently boasts over 13,300 posts on the app. On YouTube, the track’s official music video has clocked over 657,000 views. While much of the success of “Ukraine” is still relatively local to New York, the potency of the numbers could very well give way to even greater crossover commercial success. – K.D.

Darius Rucker Helps Dax “Man” Up With New Country Hit

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“It’s amazing to see music for the PEOPLE, spread BY THE PEOPLE resonate like this,” Dax, the Nigerian-Canadian artist who toes several genre lines, wrote on social media earlier this week, following the viral explosion of the remix to his song “To Be a Man.” Dax originally issued a solo version of the piano-led country-rap track, which focuses on the complexities and expectations of the modern man, back in April. However, a remix with Darius Rucker released on Oct. 27 has given “To Be a Man” a much wider audience, with the lyrics resonating with country listeners as well as with social accounts like ‘Motivation is the Fuel.’

The remix release helped “To Be a Man” earn 3.79 million U.S. on-demand streams during the week of Oct. 27-Nov. 2 – a 350% increase from the previous week, according to Luminate. Those streams helped “To Be a Man” debut at No. 32 on this week’s Hot Country Songs chart, and we’ll see how high it can climb in the coming weeks as its messages spreads further. – J.L.

Season’s Gainings: Mariah Carey’s “Christmas” Starts Right After Halloween

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If you keep an eye on daily streaming charts as the calendar flips from October to November, no doubt you’ll notice the Halloween-affiliated classics sliding away, and the first wave of Christmas tunes creeping back into our lives. Sure enough, Mariah Carey’s annual chart-topper “All I Want for Christmas Is You” – which is once again a regular presence on those aforementioned streaming charts, and debuts at No. 11 on this week’s TikTok Billboard Top 50 – also scored gangbuster streams on the first day of November, too. After “Christmas” earned 546,000 U.S. on-demand streams on Oct. 31, that number more than tripled the following day, to 1.75 million streams on Nov. 1, according to Luminate. Something tells us that, with two weeks to go before Thanksgiving and an even bigger explosion of holiday music coming soon, “Christmas” is just getting started. – J.L.

Welcome to Billboard Pro’s Trending Up column, where we take a closer look at the songs, artists, curiosities and trends that have caught the music industry’s attention. Some have come out of nowhere, others have taken months to catch on, and all of them could become ubiquitous in the blink of a TikTok clip. 
This week: A shocked fanbase pays homage to the late Matthew Perry by streaming the song most associated with him, the hit Five Nights at Freddy‘s film adaptation scores huge gains for a near-decade-old fan song and viral teen rapper Lil Mabu returns.

Listeners “There For” Late ‘Friends’ Star With Streams of Beloved ’90s Theme Song

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The entire world was stunned by the news on Saturday night (Oct. 29) that comedic actor Matthew Perry had died at the age of 54. The TV and film star had become a pop culture icon in the ’90s and ’00s, with lead turns in hit movies like The Whole Nine Yards and 17 Again and TV comedies like Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. But of course, Perry will forever be best remembered for his role as Chandler Bing on the epochal sitcom Friends, which he appeared on for a full decade as one of the show’s six central characters, earning an Emmy nomination and global stardom.

So eternal is the connection between Perry and Friends that, following his death, fans flocked to streaming services to play the song they still most associated with him: The Rembrandts‘ “I’ll Be There for You,” which served as the credits song for all 10 years of Friends‘ NBC run and also became a crossover radio hit, topping Billboard‘s Pop Airplay chart for eight weeks in 1995. According to Luminate, the song garnered a combined 117,000 official on-demand U.S. streams over Oct. 29 and Oct. 30 — the two days following Perry’s death — up 184% from the previous Sunday and Monday. (It also sold nearly 500 copies over those two days, up from a negligible amount the week before.)

It’s one of many beautiful tributes that fans have played to the actor in the days following his passing — which should continue to reverberate for as long as viewers across generations need either comfort-streaming TV and/or mid-’90s pop-rock perfection. – ANDREW UNTERBERGER

Near-Decade-Old ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’ Theme Song Scares Up Millions of Streams

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Last weekend, Five Nights at Freddy’s — the horror film based on the popular video game franchise, featuring family-restaurant animatronic mascots coming alive and wreaking havoc on an unsuspecting security guard — became a surprise box office behemoth, grossing nearly $90 million in North America over the pre-Halloween weekend. And along with the film’s success at the multiplex, its vocoder-heavy, go-for-broke electro-rock theme, also titled “Five Nights at Freddy’s,” is soaring on streaming services.

Actually, the “Five Nights at Freddy’s” song is nearly a decade old: The Living Tombstone, an Internet-beloved gaming band made up of Sam Haft and Yoav Landau, released the track in 2014, a few weeks after the first Five Nights at Freddy’s video game was released. As a nod toward longtime fans of the Freddy’s franchise, The Living Tombstone’s anthem was placed at the start of the end credits of the film adaptation, where it was revisited by video game enthusiasts and discovered by unfamiliar moviegoers.

As a result, The Living Tombstone’s track experienced a significant streaming uptick upon the film’s release: in the first five days (or five nights, if you will) of Five Nights at Freddy’s being in movie theaters (Oct. 27-31), the song scored 3.05 million U.S. on-demand streams, a 618% increase compared to the previous Friday-through-Tuesday tracking period (424,000 streams), according to Luminate. Will there be more nights at Freddy’s, considering how well the film has performed? With sequel possibilities, The Living Tombstone better get moving on some follow-up themes. – JASON LIPSHUTZ

Lil Mabu & Chriseanrock Spin Blueface Beef Into Streaming Gold With “Mr. Take Ya Bitch” 

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Following in the footsteps of Lil Uzi Vert & Nicki Minaj’s Natalie Nunn-referencing “Endless Fashion” and JaidynAlexis’ viral hit “Barbie,” the Zeus Network industrial complex has spawned yet another streaming smash. “Mr. Take Ya Bitch,” a fiery duet between “Mathematical Disrespect” rapper Lil Mabu and Chriseanrock, a former partner of “Thotiana” rapper Blueface, is making eye-popping streaming gains with each passing week. 

According to Luminate, “Mr. Take Ya Bitch,” has earned just over 7.1 million official on-demand U.S. streams during the period of Oct. 20-26, a staggering 165.5% increase from 2.69 million streams during the period of Oct. 13-19. The new track is the result of a weeks-long marketing campaign that found Mabu inserting himself into the seemingly endless drama between Blueface and Chrisean. In short, Blueface and Chrisean – a former track star turned Internet personality — dated from 2020-2023, welcomed their first child together two months ago, and co-starred in a two-season reality TV series chronicling their turbulent relationship. The pair’s toxic behavior, in tandem with their commitment to livestreaming virtually every second of their lives, has captivated viewers across social media, and now, “Mr. Take Ya Bitch” has enraptured that same audience. 

Lil Mabu first teased his link-up with Chriseanrock in an Oct. 12 TikTok, set to the chorus of Pop Smoke and Lil Tjay’s “Mood Swings.” A TikTok announcing the track’s full release and showcasing the most viral parts of both rapper’s verses arrived on Oct. 16. “I’m Mr. Take Yo B—ch, take her on trip/ Fly her to New York, sign my name all on her t–s/ Yes, I took his lady/ I like blue faces, so I took his baby,” Mabu raps, throwing direct shots at Blueface. Chrisean then spits, “F—k Blueface, I had to find a new bae/ Yeah, aight, with Mabu, f—k what you say/ I might put it in his face cause he want a taste/ This that newborn p—y, make my water break.” 

Thanks to the social pull of both artists – as well as a burgeoning dance challenge set to Mabu’s chorus – the official TikTok sound for the initial snippet has garnered over 24,000 posts, while the official sound for the full song has collected over 608,300 posts. The song’s official music video has also amassed over 14 million views on YouTube in just two weeks, already surpassing the view count for the “Mathematical Disrespect” video – and that track hit No. 90 on the Billboard Hot 100. 

With “Mr. Take Ya Bitch” having reached the top of both the Bubbling Under Hot 100 and the TikTok Billboard Top 50, it looks like Lil Mabu’s second Hot 100 hit could be right around the corner. – KYLE DENIS

Welcome to Billboard Pro’s Trending Up column, where we take a closer look at the songs, artists, curiosities and trends that have caught the music industry’s attention. Some have come out of nowhere, others have taken months to catch on, and all of them could become ubiquitous in the blink of a TikTok clip.  This week: Buzz for Britney Spears’ The Woman in Me leads to gains across her catalog, Troye Sivan’s new single is boosted by a head-turning music video, an old Future mixtape favorite goes newly viral and more.

From Page-Turner to Play-Earner: Britney Spears’ Memoir Sends Her Streams Soaring

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Britney Spears’ memoir, The Woman in Me, arrived on Tuesday (Oct. 24) amidst a bevy of headline-grabbing hype: from the details of her breakup with Justin Timberlake to her intense family drama to her Hollywood near-misses, the juiciest tidbits from the book have been making the Internet rounds over the past week. Ahead of the book release, the cavalcade of revelations — including plenty about the pop superstar’s recording career, too — motivated Spears fans to revisit her catalog, resulting in a healthy uptick in her sales and streams.

In the four days prior to the release of The Woman in Me (Oct. 20-23), Spears’ catalog earned 8.89 million official on-demand U.S. streams — a 21% increase from the previous Friday-to-Monday tracking period (Oct. 13-16), which earned 7.34 million streams, according to Luminate. Meanwhile, Spears’ digital sales in the U.S. more than doubled during those four-day periods, from under 1,000 from Oct. 13-16 to 2,300 a week later. Now that The Woman in Me is out and available for the public to pore over, we’ll keep an eye on Spears’ catalog in the coming weeks — perhaps even bigger bumps are in store for later this fall. – JASON LIPSHUTZ

Troye Sivan Has ‘One’ Fast-Rising Hit From New Album

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Following its Oct. 13 release, Troye Sivan’s third studio album Something to Give Each Other became his first No. 1 album in the Australian pop star’s native country, while also scoring a No. 20 debut on the Billboard 200. The album was preceded by the propulsive lead single “Rush,” which notched a No. 75 peak on the Hot 100 — and while none of the other tracks from the album have yet to hit the chart, Sivan’s latest single is rising with enough velocity that a debut could soon be in the cards.

That single is “One of Your Girls,” the bass-heavy, disco-tinged electro-pop groover, which received a buzzed-about music video on the day of Sivan’s album release. The video features the pop star performing in drag for the first time, giving former Disney star Ross Lynch a lapdance in one sequence. The combination of the music video, a good amount of TikTok usage and the song connecting on streaming platforms has positioned “Girls” as potentially the biggest hit from Sivan’s latest full-length.

On the day of the album release, “Girls” scored 1.12 million official on-demand U.S. streams, according to Luminate — and while that daily streaming total dipped to 746,000 streams by that Sunday (Oct. 15), the song was back up to 938,000 streams on Thursday (Oct. 19). That consistency helped “Girls” debut at No. 60 on the Global 200, as well as No. 1 on the Bubbling Under chart — where it will try to leap off of, and onto the Hot 100 next week. – J.L.

310babii “Soak”s Up Breakout Streaming Hit Thanks to Rising Dance Craze 

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Hip-Hop and dance have gone hand in hand since the culture’s birth, and it’s only right that the tradition continues as the genre celebrates its 50th anniversary. 2023 has been a year ruled by hip-rocking Jersey club beats, but L.A. rapper 310babii is holding it down for the West Coast. His “Soak Baby (Do It)” single has become one of TikTok’s hottest songs thanks to a pair of simple dance trends – one that bears more similarity to tightly choreographed TikTok routines and another that mostly relies on a simple arm-rotating two-step move called the Squabble. 

According to Luminate, “Soak City (Do It)” has earned 2.78 million official on-demand U.S. streams during the period of October 13-19. That’s a 136% increase from the 1.18 million streams the song pulled during the period of September 15-21. On TikTok, the official “Soak City” sound has garnered over 215,000 posts, a vast majority of which feature users participating in the various dance trends. The song’s official music video has also collected 1.48 million views on YouTube since it was uploaded on August 8, 2023. “Soak City” has been a slow-burning success – the song hit streaming in June and received a remix in September – but that patience is finally starting to pay off. 

Future Stays “Wicked” for Life as TikTok Trend Revives 2016 Mixtape Cut

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Few artists have been as omnipresent in music and culture as Future over the past decade, and his dominance continues with the recent revival of a 2016 mixtape hit. “Wicked” — which did not receive a commercial release until several months after its parent Purple Reign project hit mixtape hosting sites – has found a new life on TikTok. On the app, users have created a runaway dance trend to the song’s trademark mumbled chorus. In fact, the trend has also spawned reflections on another “Wicked” dance trend from 2016. This week (Oct. 21), “Wicked” debuted at No. 2 on the most recent TikTok Billboard Top 50 ranking. 

According to Luminate, “Wicked” earned just over 558,000 official on-demand U.S. streams during the period of Oct. 13-19. That’s a 46.4% increase from the 381,000 streams the song pulled three weeks ago during Sept. 22-28. On TikTok, the sound in the background of most of these videos includes music from “Wicked” without being attached to the song’s official sound. Over 2.4 million posts use this sound. As for the actual “Wicked” sound, over 16,800 posts have been made with the proper track. Even though the clumsy TikTok sound compartmentalization may have made it difficult for some users to find their way to Future’s song, “Wicked” is still posting impressive numbers and increases over seven years after its release. 

Q&A: Alaysia Sierra, Spotify’s Head of R&B, on What’s Trending Up in Their World

What caused the decision for Spotify to rebrand its flagship R&B playlist?

As R&B evolves and takes up more space than it has in recent years, the genre is claiming some of the biggest moments in 2023, from albums to tours (and up on platform with nearly a 25% increase in streams, making it one of the fastest-growing genres on Spotify) – it made sense for us to reflect the shift through a rebrand that captures just how infinite R&B is. With RNB X, we wanted to create a visual and name that brings R&B to life.

How does RNB X better reflect the current state of R&B as compared to previous iterations of the playlist?

RNB X is meant to be global, representing where we are now but also seeking to represent the future. It’s key to highlight that for us, ‘X’ can mean multiple things. For example: ‘X’ marks the spot. If R&B lives anywhere, it lives here. ‘X’, can also mean sign here, and signatures are a big part of the brand visual as artist signatures have long been a part of their brand identity. Most importantly, ‘X’ is infinite, just like R&B.

SZA has dominated the year, but there’s a variety of fascinating songs and artists in the R&B space currently. Which current R&B trend are you most interested in?

I’m really loving the globalization of R&B, where other markets are incorporating their own sounds into the genre. From the richness of the U.K. R&B scene to all the textures of R&B coming out of Africa across the continent, we’re also seeing Australian R&B on the come up and Korean R&B thriving.

Fill in the blank: the R&B song that more people will be talking about before the end of the year is ______.

Honestly, I don’t think it’s been released yet, BUT this is hard because I hope we all know “On My Mama” by Victoria Monet and “Water” by Tyla by now. If anything, I just want everyone to listen to Cleo Sol and Leon Thomas before the end of the year, because we don’t talk about those albums enough. – JL

Season’s Gainings: Phillies Still “Dancing” Through NLCS Loss

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It might not be much consolation to the Philadelphia Phillies following their NLCS Game Seven home loss last night to the Arizona Diamondbacks – eliminating them from the MLB playoffs and preventing a second straight World Series appearance – but they can once again claim to have swept the nation with their theme song. Calum Scott’s cover of Robyn’s “Dancing on My Own,” which became the team’s postgame singalong during the 2022 postseason, was up 41% to 2.7 official on-demand U.S. streams (and up 145% over 2,900 in sales) for the chart week ending Oct. 19, according to Luminate, following the Phillies’ finishing off of the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS and through their first two home victories against the Diamondbacks. Not enough for Scott’s cover to threaten a return to the Hot 100 – though he did celebrate it passing a billion plays on Spotify – but as the Phillies are likely saying to themselves today. – ANDREW UNTERBERGER

Welcome to Billboard Pro’s Trending Up newsletter, where we take a closer look at the songs, artists, curiosities and trends that have caught the music industry’s attention. Some have come out of nowhere, others have taken months to catch on, and all of them could become ubiquitous in the blink of a TikTok clip.
This week: Noah Kahan sees two of his Stick Season songs take off — one thanks to a new duet, one thanks to a recent cover — while Drake’s For All the Dogs starts barking, his old collaborators Migos have a revived hit, and more.

‘Stick’ The Landing: Noah Kahan Receives New Boosts From Kacey Musgraves & Olivia Rodrigo

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Noah Kahan has become one of the breakout artists of 2023, thanks to quickly increasing interest in a project he released last year: Stick Season, his third studio album which was released one year ago this week, is now a mainstay of the top 20 of the Billboard 200, rising four spots to No. 13 this week. The folk-rock project received a boost last July from a deluxe edition that included the viral hit “Dial Drunk” (which then received a new version featuring Post Malone), and last week, Kacey Musgraves hopped on a new version of “She Calls Me Back,” a standout from the original album track list.

Musgraves — who recently scored her first career Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 with the Zach Bryan duet, “I Remember Everything” — has injected new life into “She Calls Me Back.” Following its release last Friday (Oct. 6), the collaboration earned 3.87 million U.S. on-demand streams in the first four days of its release, according to Luminate; that’s a 341% increase in streams for “She Calls Me Back” from the previous Friday-to-Monday period.

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Meanwhile, another crossover star has given a Kahan song a streaming boost — not with a collaboration, but with a cover version. Last week, Olivia Rodrigo stopped by BBC Radio 1’s Live Lounge and performed a soulful take on the Stick Season title track, a major Kahan co-sign that also caused his still-rising “Stick Season” – which was already up enough to debut at No. 80 on the Hot 100 this week – to enjoy another streaming uptick. The song earned 3.89 million streams from Oct. 6-9, a 39% jump from the same tracking period during the previous week. – JASON LIPSHUTZ

Drake’s Streaming Dominance Extends to Samples & Interpolations, Too

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It’s not a shock that Drake‘s new album For All the Dogs is off to a smashing start on streaming platforms: in the first four days of its release (Oct. 6-9), the album earned a whopping 356 million U.S. official on-demand streams, according to Luminate. Some highlights within that enormous number include strong beginnings for the J. Cole team-up “First Person Shooter” (28.26 million streams in its first four days of release), as well as for the Yeat collaboration “IDGAF” (25.31 million streams).

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For All the Dogs has garnered so much streaming attention, in fact, that even some of the songs sampled and interpolated for the new full-length have scored new listeners this week as well. “The Tunnel,” a track from the British jazz trio Azimuth that is sampled on “IDGAF,” rose from a negligible streaming number last week to nearly 10,000 streams between Oct. 6-9. And “West End Girls,” the synth-pop classic from the Pet Shop Boys that Drake sings a bit of at the end of “All the Parties” — and which the British group alleged was an interpolation that never received approval — also experienced a slight uptick in streams, with some Drake listeners undoubtedly curious to hear what he was reviving. “West End Girls” earned 416,000 streams from Oct. 6-9, a 12% increase from the previous Friday-to-Monday period. – JL

Revival of 10-Year-Old Dance Trend Spurs Streaming Resurgence for Migos’ “Handsome & Wealthy”

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Although Offset is currently prepping the release of his forthcoming sophomore solo studio album – Set It Off is due Oct. 13 – music listeners seem to be gravitating towards a seminal decade-old single from Migos, the rap trio comprised of him, Quavo and the late Takeoff. 

10 years ago, an Instagram user named Mr. WoopWoop helped popularize a simple dance trend that quickly took over Instagram and Vine alike. Now, the simple arm-flailing body-rocking dance has taken on a new life on TikTok – a social media app that notably did not exist at the time of the dance move’s creation. On TikTok, users have chosen Migos’ “Handsome & Wealthy” to soundtrack their take on the infectious dance. The song selection is a nod to the most widely circulated video of Mr. WoopWoop and his friends hitting the dance. 

According to Luminate, Migos’ “Handsome & Wealthy” — a single from their 2014 No Label 2 mixtape , whichpeaked at No. 79 on the Hot 100 – earned just over one million official on-demand U.S. streams during the period of September 29 to October 5. That’s an 85.4% increase in streams compared to the week prior (Sept. 22-28). Several different TikTok sounds have emerged as popular choices for users jumping on this trend; the official “Handsome And Wealthy” sound has nearly 7,400 posts, another untitled sound using audio from the song boasts 21,400 posts, and yet another untitled sound plays in the background of a further 14,700 posts. 

We may not get any new Migos music in the foreseeable future, but their catalog of indelible hits and cultural impact will continue to inspire and entertain generations to come. – KYLE DENIS

Suicidal-Idol Earns Big Streaming Gains, Thanks to TikTok’s “Slowed Down” Music Trend 

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As more and more mainstream major-label artists continue to release “sped up” and “slowed down” versions of their songs, it’s clear that TikTok’s affinity for altered versions of tracks is having a material impact on the music industry. In the latest major example of such, the mysterious emo-informed musical artist Suicidal-Idol is earning sizable streaming returns for his TikTok smash “Ecstacy.” 

After initially going viral in July with a collection of different trending videos, “Ecstacy” has since grown into a TikTok hit that has transcended its original wave of virality. No longer connected to a specific trend or challenge, slowed down versions of “Ecstacy” have been used in hundreds of thousands of TikTok posts to add to the overarching emo aesthetic of the accompanying videos. 

According to Luminate, “Ecstacy” posted just under five million official on-demand U.S. streams during Sept. 29-Oct. 5, a 35.6% increase from 3.64 million streams during Sept. 22-28, and a whopping 374.3% increase from five weeks ago during Sept. 1-7. On TikTok, the slowed down version of “Ecstacy” soundtracks over 267,000 posts, while the original boasts over 40,700 videos. An additional sound has over 92,300 posts, and a sped-up version of the song plays in the background of 16,800 videos. 

After floating around on the internet for a few months, “Ecstacy” officially hit streaming platforms in February of last year – a testament to the slow-burn route that so many hit songs take in 2023. – KD

Q&A: Andre Stapleton, Global Head of Artist and Label Relations at Amazon Music, on What’s Trending Up in His World

What music trends have stood out to you most clearly over the first three quarters of 2023?

There have been a multitude of really amazing cultural celebrations for the 50th anniversary of hip-hop all across the country. That was especially the case in NYC, where – for obvious reasons – there have been almost constant events honoring hip-hop’s global importance. We are super proud of the celebratory performance series that Amazon Music held to pay homage to the various eras, which included outstanding artists such as Wale, Rick Ross, T.I., Clipse, The Lox, Method Man and Redman, to name just a few. 

At the same time, we went an unprecedented half year in which there weren’t any new hip-hop releases atop the charts, until Travis Scott, during which period we saw other genres continue to evolve like Afrobeat (Rema, Davido) and R&B (especially with SZA’s unbelievably great return). One of the biggest upward trends, however, has been in the country/Americana spaces with incredible music and storytelling from the likes of Zach Bryan, Morgan Wallen, Bailey Zimmerman, Jelly Roll, Tyler Childers and Lainey Wilson, who are reaching new (and younger) audiences as they push boundaries genre-wise. 

The industry’s country music streams YTD are up by a third on last year, which is more than double that seen across all genres, and we see our label partners paying very close attention to these trends, and prioritizing accordingly – even outside of Nashville. Equally, in the dance and electronic space, we’ve seen outstanding new records from a mix of newer talent like SG Lewis, LP Giobbi, and Yaeji alongside returning legends like Chemical Brothers, Disclosure, Laurent Garnier, Jungle and Sault. One thing is for sure – it’s been a banner year for great music. 

What trend do you foresee making noise before the end of this year?

One trend is simply that a bunch of amazing new music is dropping! I’m personally super excited for new records from artists like Sufjan Stevens, Sampha, DJ Shadow, the Stones, Chris Stapleton and Jorja Smith, and that’s only looking at releases filed under ‘S’! And on another ‘S’-themed topic, I think soundtracks are going to trend up, continuing the momentum established by Barbie, given some very compelling titles that will likely be announced soon.

I think we are going to see even more focus on developing connections between artists and fans and on helping artists cut through the digital clutter. At Amazon Music, we’ve developed a lot of tools to help artists engage their audiences, for example, by using their voice to reach fans, or by livestreaming their performances and content. On that note, Amazon Music has been bringing livestream concerts exclusively to fans via the Amazon Music app, Twitch and Prime Video — from Primavera Sound to Stagecoach, and intimate performances with our “City Sessions” and “Breakthrough Live” series. Not to mention our Amazon Music Live program. Millions of fans watched the first season, which is back for a second season, featuring performances from Ed Sheeran, Feid, Lil Durk and more to be announced. 

What Amazon Music campaign or partnership do you think exemplifies how listeners are experiencing popular music in 2023?

In particular, I’d really like to shine a light on Amazon Music’s Breakthrough campaigns. Breakthrough is our global developing artists series and is one of the programs I am most proud of. We put an enormous amount of energy and creativity into bringing all our resources to bear, so that we may play a part, in helping to break a number of rising artists each year. So far in 2023 we’ve partnered with Bailey Zimmerman, Chappell Roan, Stephen Sanchez and Lola Brooke, with two more to be announced by the end of the year. 

Every artist campaign we develop is bespoke to the artist in which we are ultimately aiming to develop interest. We do that through a combination of powerful music experience levers, such as the creation of stunning branded street art, compelling original video content, interview/non-music audio content, exclusive music projects (such as Amazon Music Originals), livestreams, merch opportunities, experiential activations and so on. It’s incredibly exciting and exemplifies the very best of what we can do, in aid of who we believe could be the megastars of tomorrow. We see this program as a vital tool to help command the attention of music fans to some truly deserving artists, and hopefully play a very meaningful role in breaking these acts.

Fill in the blank: the most exciting development in music that not enough people are discussing is ______.

Stephen Sanchez! This is an incredible debut album and I’m absolutely hooked! If it’s good enough for Elton, it’s good enough for me!

I also remain excited by the constant level of innovation happening at Amazon Music because I truly believe we are doing amazing and industry-leading work, and I want everyone to know about it. Prime members now have access to stream a full catalog of 100 million songs ad-free in shuffle mode, as well as incredible programming and some of the biggest albums on demand – that’s incredible, if you think about it for a moment, relative to the marketplace. We’ve also taken our livestreaming business to new heights from both a creative and audience reach perspective, and are continuing to innovate in the merch category. We continue to evolve both our app and Alexa as a key tool for artists to engage fans, and have built a library of spatial and ultra-high-definition audio spanning genres. We are also introducing industry leading and artist-forward content spaces around the world where artists love to visit and create with us – and we are having a blast! – JL

Season’s Gainings: Listeners Keep Falling in Love With Girl in Red’s “October”

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“That’s why I love fall,” Marie Ulven Ringheim – better known as indie-pop singer-songwriter Girl in Red – declares in “We Fell in Love in October.” She’s had another reason for the last few years: Since 2020, when Billboard first reported on it, her “October” has seen major streaming gains annually around the start of Spooky Season. While in 2020, “October” spiked to 2.5 million official on-demand U.S. streams, this year it’s up from just under three million for the week ending Sept. 28 to over 4.6 million for the first not-quite-full week of the new month. If the song keeps rising every year like this, Ray Parker Jr. and Bobby “Boris” Pickett might soon have some less-Halloween-y competition as far as older songs looking to impact the October Hot 100. — ANDREW UNTERBERGER

Welcome to Billboard Pro’s Trending Up column, where we take a closer look at the songs, artists, curiosities and trends that have caught the music industry’s attention. Some have come out of nowhere, others have taken months to catch on, and all of them could become ubiquitous in the blink of a TikTok clip.  This week: A newly viral and unusually located Katy Perry live performance helps her 2019 single see big gains, 30 Seconds to Mars’ first big single gets boosted by a Chad Smith drum-along and Lay Bankz is on the verge of a TikTok-accelerated breakout hit.

Katy Perry Flushes Out New Streams With Viral Bathroom Performance

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Back when she was promoting her most recent album, 2020’s Smile, Katy Perry launched a series that she dubbed Potty Jams, in which the hit-maker belted out her pop songs in a bathroom (stars – they’re just like us!). “Never Really Over” and “Small Talk” also both received Potty Jams versions, but over the last few weeks, the powder-room performance of “Harleys in Hawaii” has gone viral, leading to renewed interest in the island-vibed fan favorite.

Part of the “Harleys” return comes from the Tiny Desk-esque effect of the bathroom performance, with Perry crooning the mid-tempo track while flanked by musicians and backup singers popping out of bathroom stalls and the acoustics affecting the sound of the song. And then there’s the way that Perry attacks the lyrical phrase “you and I” as “you and ayyyyyyeeeeeyeahhyeahhhhh!” in the clip — a go-for-broke melisma that’s belatedly turned into a meme, and earned millions of TikTok streams.

The revival began in earnest at the end of September, and as a result, weekly streams of “Harleys” nearly doubled: the track earned 1.11 million U.S. on-demand streams during the week ending Sept. 28, according to Luminate, up 93% from the previous frame. Perry kicks off the final month on her Play Las Vegas residency on Wednesday night (Oct. 4); “Harleys” hadn’t been a regular part of the set list, but maybe the Potty Jams renaissance will make it a late addition. – JASON LIPSHUTZ

Drum With Me, Drum With Me: 30 Seconds to Mars’ ‘The Kill” Lifts Off After Chad Smith Plays Along

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Though longtime Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith might not have been previously familiar with 30 Seconds to Mars’ 2006 breakout hit “The Kill,” by the time he finished his first listen, he’d helped the song have one of its best weeks on streaming. The guys behind the YouTube presence for drumming online education program Drumeo correctly predicted Smith’s lack of prior 30STM knowledge, and tested him (on video) by having him listen to the song for the first time — without drums — and do his best trying to play along with it.

Smith’s instinctive reading of the song’s drum part turned out to be pretty close to the real thing, resulting in a very cool look into the ways veteran musicians can feel a song from the inside out, adjusting to changes in dynamics and structure on the fly and even anticipating them before they happen. The video was widely shared, resulting in 4.5 million views since its Sept. 22 posting — many of whom apparently when on to go back and stream “The Kill,” which jumped 62% from under 1.4 million official on-demand U.S. streams for the week ending Sept. 21 to over 2.2 million the following week, according to Luminate.

Soon, other bands may be petitioning Smith to have not their own song be the next one he’s never heard before. – ANDREW UNTERBERGER

Lay Bankz Channels Her ‘Ick’ Into A Streaming Smash 

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In a year largely defined by the dominance of female rappers and Jersey club’s hip-rocking dance trends, Lay Bankz emerges this month with “Ick,” a simultaneously cutting and danceable ode to all the things about guys that turn her off. From bad credit and foot fetishes to a part-time job at 7-Eleven and a “sassy man apocalypse,” Bankz spends the whole song – which she first teased back in June — lambasting men who are simply not up to her standards. 

According to Luminate, “Ick” earned 2.19 million official on-demand U.S. streams during the period of Sept. 22-28. That’s a 56.8% jump from the period of Sept. 15-21, during which the song earned 1.39 million streams. Compared to two weeks ago, stream for “Ick” jumped a staggering 418.8% from just over 422,000 streams during the period of Sept. 8-14. The official TikTok sound for “Ick” boasts over 217,000 posts, most of which are people jamming along to the beginning of the second verse.

Meanwhile, the song’s official YouTube audio upload has garnered a little over half a million views in one month, and a six-day-old music video-lyric video has earned around 135,000 views. With various clips using the song still going viral across platforms, it seems that consumers aren’t getting the ick from “Ick.” – KYLE DENIS

Welcome to Billboard Pro’s Trending Up newsletter, where we take a closer look at the songs, artists, curiosities and trends that have caught the music industry’s attention. Some have come out of nowhere, others have taken months to catch on, and all of them could become ubiquitous in the blink of a TikTok clip.  This week: Fans rush to Usher’s back catalog following his Super Bowl announcement, Swifties find clues seemingly foreshadowing her high-profile new relationship, a late Afrobeats artist has a surge of posthumous streams and more.

Usher’s “Good Good” Showing in Streams and Sales Post-Super Bowl Announcement

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To the surprise and/or delight of many, pop and R&B superstar Usher was announced on Sunday (Sept. 24) as the headline performer for the halftime show of Super Bowl LVIII in February. Though he might not have been the most obvious choice for a 2023 halftime headliner, the veteran hitmaker’s catalog speaks for itself – and fans were quick to remind each other and themselves of that fact following the announcement, heading to streaming services to refamiliarize themselves with Usher jams old and new.

For the days of Sunday and Monday (Sept. 24-25), Usher’s catalog was up to over 7.8 million in total official on-demand U.S. streams, from under 6.8 million the previous Sunday-Monday (Sept. 17-18), according to Luminate – a gain of 16%. The most-streamed song was his current Billboard Hot 100 hit alongside Summer Walker and 21 Savage, “Good Good” (1.1 million streams, up 5%), while classics like “Yeah!” (962,000 streams, up 13%), “My Boo” (527,000 streams, up 18%) and “DJ Got Us Fallin in Love” (525,000 streams, up 18%) were also up significantly. Usher’s digital song sales also more than doubled in the period, up 128% to over 1,500. 

Does an even bigger bump await Usher following the February 11th gig? You’d have to think so – and a new album, Coming Home, scheduled for release the same day will certainly help with that. – ANDREW UNTERBERGER

87 + 89 = 2 Older Taylor Swift Songs Benefiting From Travis Kelce Relationship 

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When Taylor Swift showed up in Kansas City on Sunday afternoon to cheer on her apparent new romantic partner, Chiefs star Travis Kelce, fans responded by gobbling up Kelce’s merch, with a nearly 400% spike in jersey sales the following day. As for Swift, two songs in particular have enjoyed streaming increases in the wake of the new relationship, thanks to perceived lyrical links between Swift and her new beau. 

On “Mary’s Song (Oh My My My),” a track from Swift’s 2006 self-titled debut, she sings, “I’ll be 87, you’ll be 89 / I’ll still look at you like the stars that shine / In the sky, oh my my my.” While Swift was born in 1989 – and is about to release the Taylor’s Version re-record of her blockbuster album 1989 next month – Kelce’s jersey number is, of course, 87. Thirteen (!) years later, Swift released the song “Cornelia Street” on Lover, with the line, “Filling in the blanks as we go / As if the streetlights pointed in an arrowhead / Leading us home.” Where do the Chiefs play? Arrowhead Stadium, of course.

As a result, “Mary’s Song” earned an 88% increase in daily U.S. on-demand streams to 53,000 streams from Saturday to Sunday, according to Luminate, while “Cornelia Street” bumped up 12.7% to 211,000 daily streams. Of course, both songs were written years (if not decades) before Swift and Kelce became an apparent item – but what if she told you that none of it was accidental? – JASON LIPSHUTZ

Doja Cat Eyes Next ‘Scarlet’ Hit With ‘Agora Hills’

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Last week (Sept. 22), Doja Cat unleashed her Scarlet album — and while she’s already topped the Billboard Hot 100 with “Paint the Town Red,” she could be gearing up for her next smash from the somewhat divisive new record.

“Agora Hills,” a sensual R&B-rap hybrid that features a verse rapped entirely in Valley Girl vocal fry, has emerged as one of Scarlet’s most promising future singles. According to Luminate, “Agora Hills” has collected over 8.4 million official on-demand U.S. streams since its Sept. 22 release. The song scored its biggest daily streams total (2.43 million) on release day, and it never dipped below 1.91 million daily streams during the period of Sept. 22-25.

The official Hannah Lux Davis-directed music video, which arrived alongside the LP’s full release, has already garnered over 5.7 million views on YouTube, and over on TikTok, the official “Agora Hills” sound has earned over 14,400 posts. Outside of “Paint the Town Red,” “Agora Hills” has consistently been the most streamed Scarlet track on both US Apple Music and US Spotify since the album’s release.

Although “Paint the Town Red” is still going strong, “Agora Hills” is already making a strong case to become the next hit from Scarlet. With endless meme potential, a true earworm of a hook and a sound that recalls her Grammy-nominated Hot 100 top 10 hit “Need to Know,” “Agora Hills” could very well become one of the main anthems for cuffing season ’23. – KYLE DENIS

MohBad’s Tragic Passing Spurs Massive Streaming Gains

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MohBad’s Tragic Passing Spurs Massive Streaming Gains

Earlier this month (Sept. 12), the Afrobeats world lost of one of its brightest rising stars; MohBad, the rapper behind hits such as “Peace” and “Feel Good,” tragically passed at the age of 27. The investigation into his death remains ongoing, led by Lagos Police Command. MohBad and his wife welcomed a son just a few months before his untimely death. In the wake of his passing, MohBad’s catalog has seen a massive boom in streaming.

According to Luminate, streams for MohBad’s catalog exploded by over 1,755% over the past two weeks. From Sept. 15-21, the Headies Award nominee’s discography collected a whopping 6.89 million official on-demand U.S. streams, a 208% increase from the period prior (Sept. 8-14), during which his catalog earned over 2.2 million streams.

Less than three months before his death, Mohbad released Blessed, his sophomore EP. Two songs in particular from that project have posted sizable gains in recent weeks: “Sabi” and “Beast & Peace.” The former pulled over 680,000 official on-demand U.S. streams during the period of Sept. 15-21, a 2,164% increase from the 30,200 streams it earned during Sept. 1-7. Similarly, the latter garnered over 888,000 official on-demand U.S. streams during the tracking week ending Sept. 21, a 1,755% increase from the 48,000 streams it earned during two weeks earlier.

As the investigation continues to unfold,  #Justice4MohBad keeps gaining steam across Africa and the rest of the world. A social movement that has already sparked critical conversations regarding the regulation of the Nigerian music industry, #Justice4MohBad is far from over – and MohBad’s music should continue to soundtrack its evolution. – KD

Q&A: Lizzy Szabo, Senior Editor of Indie & Developing at Spotify, on What’s Trending Up in Her World

How has Lorem, Spotify’s flagship alt-pop playlist, evolved as a platform since its launch four years ago?

Oof. Where do I even begin? The list is never personalized with algorithms. Each track is intentionally chosen by a human, through a mix of data and instinct. We consider not only what we feel the audience would respond to, but also consider how the artist would like to be represented. In many ways, Lorem has evolved as the community around it has grown, but I think the overarching beauty of Lorem is that it has stayed the same in concept.

The sounds, artists, and culture around “indie music” are constantly evolving. Bedroom pop went from a bubbling subgenre to influencing the top charts, and this year we’ve seen a similar trend with “indie twang” (shoegaze, as a broader term). That’s a listening trend we love to see from the indie audience – they push new sounds and movements to the forefront where Spotify can step in and support momentum and context, like we aim to do with Lorem. The visual identity is meant to feel like a magazine – at this point, our design team has crafted 75 distinct L’O’rem ‘O’s, which makes every cover feel uniquely personal to the artist or project. 

Considering that Lorem is primarily focused on emerging artists, why do you think the playlist has become so effective as an artist discovery tool compared to other platforms (within and/or outside of Spotify)?

Since 2019, we’ve featured over 2000 artists, 900 of which in 2023 alone. Upon realizing that Lorem had evolved into a prominent hub for artist discovery, particularly among young audiences seeking more opportunities for exploration, we made the strategic decision to refresh the playlist with more new artists on a more regular basis. In that sense, Lorem is consistent. We listen to artists, to fans, and just want to shine a light on good music – no matter who is making it or how it’s made. There’s a point of view, but we love to take risks.

I think four years ago I wouldn’t have believed you if you told me there would be country music in Lorem. But last summer, as Zach Bryan grew in popularity, I remember Max Motley and Dev Lemons talking on Lorem Life about how their friends couldn’t stop talking about this song. So not surprisingly, “Something in the Orange” crushed in the list. A year later, from day one, “I Remember Everything” shared a similar trajectory. Zach is also a huge indie fan (just look at what he posts on IG) so that creates a natural synergy that particularly resonates with an audience that reads into all those contextual cues. Helping the community and the industry piece together the puzzle – what works well together, who works together, a nice reminder of an iconic track, uncovering a new sound to a wider audience – makes the list more of a dialogue. An artist of any size could be added to the list – it’s attainable. In the past year, nearly 100 artists were added to the list with less than 10k monthly listeners. You’re always going to find something new, and because it’s hyper-curated, you’re probably going to find something you love. 

What are some of the recent stylistic trends that you’ve noticed, as alt-pop and its subgenres continue to change?

We’ve loved seeing the ‘folkification’ and country twang influence this year. Everyone is making folk albums or adding a folk song to their project. I can’t tell you why, perhaps the artists and producers can demystify it, but I like to think it’s the return to a classic, stripped-back, heartfelt sound in a wild time of political/technological/environmental crisis.

We’ve also seen a huge rise in shoegaze – both in younger audiences discovering icons of the space (especially as bands like Slowdive have released new projects), and new artists like Wisp or flyingfish have emerged as artists to watch in the space. According to Google Trends, the term has never been searched more in history than it has this year!

Fill in the blank: my favorite artist that started on Lorem, and has since become a household name, is _______.

Remi Wolf. She’s on the cover this week and co-hosting our very first Lorem & Friends event with us tomorrow – couldn’t be more thrilled to do it together. – JL

Season’s Gainings: Listeners Still Remember the 21st Night of September

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It’s been two years now since Demi Adejuyigbe – the comedian whose elaborately staged and filmed yearly videos, set to Earth, Wind & Fire’s “September,” helped turn Sept. 21 into something of a pop national holiday – announced his retirement from the annual celebration. But it appears folks no longer need his viral reminders to commemorate the occasion: “September” racked up nearly 1.8 million official on-demand U.S. streams on its signature date last Thursday, up 280% from the day before (462,000). That’s also up from 1.4 million such streams two “September” Days earlier, meaning the ‘70s classic continues to inch ever closer to becoming the “All I Want for Christmas Is You” of the autumn equinox season. – ANDREW UNTERBERGER