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: A new hit rom-com revives an ’00s pop-rock classic, a musical Apple commercial pulls on the heartstrings, Zeddy Will “Cha Cha”s back to virality and more.

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Natasha Bedingfield’s “Unwritten” Soars on Streaming Thanks to Anyone But You 

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During the holidays (Dec. 22), Anyone But You – which stars Emmy nominee Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell – delighted rom-com fans across movie theatres. In the Shakespeare-inspired story, Natasha Bedingfield’s pop classic “Unwritten” plays a pivotal role in the narrative of Powell’s character. The song plays and is sung by multiple characters throughout the film, easily making it the defining musical characteristic of the Will Gluck-helmed movie. 

According to Luminate, “Unwritten” earned over 1.3 million official on-demand streams during the period of Dec. 29-Jan. 1, marking an eye-popping 156.3% increase from just over 511,000 streams the weekend prior (Dec. 22-25). Since the film hit theatres, TikTok has seen a wave of videos using the official “Unwritten” sound to soundtrack viewers leaving Anyone But You screenings in high spirits. That sound boasts over 39,400 posts on TikTok. Bedingfield has since posted a pair of TikToks celebrating the song’s resurgence. “A rom com has got girls falling out of cinemas singing my song — and now it’s trending!!!” she wrote in an intro to a compilation of post-Anyone But You “Unwritten” TikToks. — KYLE DENIS

A Singing Outlet Electrifies Doe Boy’s “Way Too Long” 

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It was certainly one of the more attention-capturing new commercials you might’ve seen in a week of sports and holiday TV coverage at the end of 2023: an Apple ad for the iPhone 15 Plus starring a heartbroken electrical outlet. In the spot, the outlet painedly croons to the new iPhone about why it’s being so distant: ““We had pure energy/ We had that chemistry/ We were inseparable… I feel like it’s been way too long and I’m missing you.” Though it’s mostly just meant to trumpet the long battery life of the 15 Plus, the commercial tugged enough heartstrings this emotional holiday season to lead listeners to the real song behind it. 

“Way Too Long,” released earlier in December by Cleveland rapper Doe Boy, is the song featured in the commercial, and the track has seen a boom in streams following the commercial’s Christmas Eve debut. For the first four days of this current tracking week (Dec. 29 – Jan. 1), the track pulled in over 98,000 official on-demand U.S. streams – up 115% from the under 46,000 it posted over an equivalent period (Dec. 22 – 25) the week before, according to Luminate – while also landing in the top 10 of Shazam’s U.S. top 200, as folks were gratified too learn “Way Too Long” was a real song, not just an inspired invention of Apple’s marketing team. (“Dem damn Electrical Sockets cooked!” reads one characteristic comment on the song’s official YouTube.)  – ANDREW UNTERBERGER

4Batz Rides Ironic Music Video to Massive Streaming Gains 

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With SZA, Victoria Monét and Coco Jones leading the charge, R&B had a banner year in 2023. This year seeks to be a continuation of that momentum, but this time with a rising star named 4batz at the forefront. His “Act II: Date @ 8,” has exploded at streaming, pulling in over 2.4 million official on-demand streams during the period of Dec. 22-28, according to Luminate. That’s a whopping 385% increase in streaming activity from just under 500,000 streams the week prior (Dec. 15-21). 

The massive streaming growth of “Act II” is mostly due to its viral From The Block live performance music video. In the clip, which finds him surrounded by a crew decked out in ski masks and hoodies, 4 Batz plays on the TikTok generation’s penchant for visual and sonic irony. While he’s singing a Brent Faiyaz-adjacent R&B track, the video’s aesthetic lends itself more towards drill rappers than R&B crooners. That juxtaposition helped make the video a viral sensation on social media, even drawing a reaction from record-breaking Twitch streamer Kai Cenat. Several excerpts from his reaction have earned over 50,000 likes on TikTok alone, and the excerpt he posted to his own YouTube Shorts page received 49,000 views in just 22 hours. The song’s official visualizer has garnered 700,000 views in two weeks, while the official TikTok sound boasts over 13,500 posts. 

“Act II: Date @ 8” has already hit No. 1 on Spotify’s Global Viral 50 and No. 2 on the platform’s Viral 50 – USA ranking. It’s only up from here as 4Batz’s career and profile continue to grow. — KD

Zeddy Will Scores Another TikTok-Feuled Streaming Smash With On the Radar “Cha Cha” Freestyle 

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Last year, Billboard covered Zeddy Will’s last TikTok-fueled streaming hit, “Freak You.” Now, just three days into the new year, the social media personality and rapper has another smash on his hands. According to Luminate, “Cha Cha” has collected over 1.24 million official on-demand streams during the period of Dec. 22-28. That’s a humongous 257.4% increase from just under 350,000 streams two weeks prior (Dec. 8-14). 

“Cha Cha” — a remix of the iconic “Cha Cha Slide” — is one-half of Zeddy’s On The Radar Freestyle, which hit YouTube on Dec. 1, 2023. The clip has since earned over one million views, with a standalone “Cha Cha” clip earning an additional 151,000 views. Beyond the initial live performance video, “Cha Cha” sources its virality from a viral TikTok dance courtesy of TikTok creator @jerseyyjoe; his initial dance clip has earned nearly 24 million TikTok views. The hip-rocking, slipper-smacking dance quickly gained steam on the app from major creators and everyday users alike, resulting in over 84,400 posts to On The Radar Radio’s “Cha Cha” sound. 

With Zeddy Will always being one step ahead of the social media curve – he’s already teamed up for collaborative TikToks with @jerseyyjoe – there’s no telling just how much “Cha Cha” will continue to rise. — KD

Season’s Gainings: New Year, Same Taylor

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For hundreds of thousands of music listeners, 2024 appears to be starting off about the same way all of 2023 went: listening to Taylor Swift. There seemed to be a Swift song for just about every occasion in ‘23, and for Jan. 1 of 2024, there was a particularly obvious pick: Reputation closer and fan favorite “New Year’s Day,” which saw a 333% gain (from the prior Dec. 30) to 361,000 official on-demand U.S. streams on the first day of last year as well. But following Swift’s historic 2023, the total bump was even bigger: “Day” skyrocketed 327% to 738,000 streams over the same two-day period this year, even cracking the top 40 of Spotify’s Daily Top Songs USA chart on Jan. 1. Within a few years, there might not be a day on the calendar you won’t be able to pencil in some automatic Swift megabump for. — AU

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: Nicki Minaj’s Pink Friday 2 release sends fans to some of its sampled hits — and to the sequel album’s predecessor — while Netflix’s Leave the World Behind takes over the Shazam charts, and we haven’t heard the last from HBO‘s The Idol yet.

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Nicki Minaj’s ‘Pink Friday 2′ Brings Billie Eilish & Junior Senior to Gag City with Big Streaming Gains

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Not even the holiday season can stop a queen. As Brenda Lee and Mariah Carey solidify their stronghold atop the Billboard Hot 100, Nicki Minaj looks primed for a few splashy debuts on next week’s ranking thanks to her brand new fifth studio album, Pink Friday 2.

Serving as the sequel to her Billboard 200-topping 2010 debut studio album, Pink Friday 2 features collaborations with Drake, J. Cole, Future, Skeng, Skillibeng, 50 Cent, Tasha Cobbs Leonard and more, as well as the Hot 100 hits “Super Freaky Girl” (No. 1), “Red Ruby Da Sleeze” (No. 13) and “Last Time I Saw You” (No. 23).

Upon release, the 22-track album, which Minaj is expected to expand each day this week, made a splashy streaming debut, with two new songs earning considerable early traction: “Everybody” (feat. Lil Uzi Vert) and album opener “Are You Gone Already.” Both tracks heavily incorporate samples, and those sampled tracks have already shown a spike in streams since Minaj dropped us off at Gag City.

“Everybody” heavily samples Junior Senior’s “Move Your Feet,” a 2002 dance track from the Danish pop duo’s debut album. According to Luminate, during the period Dec. 8-10, “Move Your Feet” collected a little over 130,000 official on-demand U.S. streams, a 40.9% increase from just over 92,000 steams the prior weekend (Dec. 1-3). As for “Are You Gone Already,” Minaj’s emotional album opener pulls from Billie Eilish’s “When the Party’s Over.” Eilish’s track has always been a consistent streamer, but it did see a 15% jump in streams this weekend (1.074 million on-demand U.S. streams during Dec. 8-10) versus last weekend (934,000 streams during Dec. 1-3).

Naturally, the release of Pink Friday 2 also spurred notable gains for the OG Pink Friday album. Minaj’s debut racked up 4.2 million official on-demand U.S. streams during its sequel’s release weekend. That’s a 16.9% jump in streams from the previous weekend (3.6 million) for the Grammy-nominated LP, which features hits such as “Super Bass,” “Your Love” and the Drake-featuring “Moment 4 Life.” As for Pink Friday 2, the long-awaited record clocked 90.8 million streams during Dec. 8-10. — KYLE DENIS

‘Leave the World Behind’ Needle Drops Spur Gains for Joey Bada$$, Blackstreet & More

Last Friday (Dec. 8), director Sam Esmail’s film adaptation of the acclaimed Rumaan Alam novel Leave the World Behind hit Netflix, with the story of a chance encounter during an ominous technological breakdown brought to life by a star-studded cast headlined by Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawke, Mahershala Ali and Myha’la. The psychological thriller finds some levity within its music synchs, as Esmail has peppered the film with hip-hop and rhythmic pop hits — all of which are enjoying significant streaming upticks since the film hit the streaming service, and landing near the top of Shazam’s U.S. Top 200 chart.

The Joey Bada$$ song “The Rev3nge,” which opens the film, has earned the biggest bump so far: from Dec. 8-11, the track earned 153,000 U.S. on-demand streams, a 267% gain from its streaming total from the previous Friday-to-Monday period (41,000 streams), according to Luminate. Meanwhile, Next’s Hot 100 No. 1 hit “Too Close,” which Roberts’ character dances to in the film, is up 12% to 474,000 streams from Dec. 8-11; Blackstreet’s “Never Gonna Let You Go” soars 214%, to 60,000 streams over that period; and Kool + The Gang’s ’80s smash “Misled” is up 263%, to 66,000 streams. One month after David Fincher’s The Killer sent Netflix viewers searching for The Smiths’ discography, Esmail’s Leave the World Behind has a more wide-ranging set of needle drops, and it’s proven equally effective at yielding streaming gains. — JASON LIPSHUTZ

The Idol Gives Us “One of” 2023’s Latest-Breaking Viral Hits

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We may be through with The Idol, but The Idol isn’t through with us. HBO may have pulled the plug on the Sam Levinson-directed controversial music-biz melodrama — starring and co-created by real-life pop superstar The Weeknd — but one of the songs released for the series continues to grow months later. “One of The Girls,” performed by The Weeknd along with BLACKPINK’s Jennie and Lily Rose-Depp (both of whom also star in the series), has long been one of the best-performing songs from the show’s extensive soundtrack, and has doubled in streams over the past six weeks.

According to Luminate, the track has grown from 1.9 million official on-demand U.S. streams for the week ending Nov. 2 to 4.1 million for the week ending Dec. 7. Much of the track’s growth is likely due to continued TikTok virality for the song, largely stemming from BLINK support for the Jennie-sung parts of the song, with fans praising her enchanting vocals. If “One of the Girls” continues growing at the rate it has, it could very well become her first Hot 100 hit in the months to come — it even debuts at No. 17 on the Bubbling Under chart this week. — 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: Late rock legends Tom Petty and Shane McGowan see huge gains for a pair of late-’80s favorites, a turn-of-the-century U.K. pop smash gets some U.S. love for a cheeky film synch and much more.

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‘GTA’ Trailer Leads to ‘Long’ Season for Tom Petty on Streaming

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1989’s Full Moon Fever album was a career apex for Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Tom Petty. His first LP recorded without usual backing band the Heartbreakers, the set was certified 5x platinum by the RIAA in the U.S., and spawned the massive radio and MTV hits “Free Fallin’,” “I Won’t Back Down” and “Runnin’ Down a Dream.” But it’s one of the album’s deeper cuts that’s lighting up streaming services this week: the hi-octane synth-rocker “Love Is a Long Road.” 

The song is taking off due to its use in the recently released trailer for the highly anticipated upcoming Grand Theft Auto VI, which set viewership records in its first 24 hours of release on YouTube. Though “Long Road” was only drawing between 4,000-5,000 daily official on-demand U.S. streams before over the weekend, that number was up to 78,000 on Monday (Dec. 4) – when the trailer first leaked on social media – and rocketed to 376,000 on Tuesday after the trailer’s proper release, according to preliminary numbers from Luminate: a gain of 8,421% from the prior Sunday. (The song also sold nearly 1,000 digital copies over those two days, after a negligible number the days before.) 

Those numbers may only continue to increase as the GTA trailer spreads around the internet, possibly making “Long Road” a contender on some of Billboard’s rock charts next week. It wouldn’t be the first time the song made a chart impact – back in 1989, it made it to No. 7 on Mainstream Rock Airplay, despite never being released as an A-side in the U.S. – ANDREW UNTERBERGER

Fans Mourn the Late Shane MacGowan by Reliving a “Fairytale of New York” 

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Last Thursday (Nov. 30), Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan died from pneumonia after a monthslong ICU stint earlier this year. In the days since his passing — which painfully coincided with the beginning of December, a.k.a. the height of Christmas music season – fans have rallied around the Pogues’ holiday-themed Kirsty MacColl duet “Fairytale of New York” to soundtrack their collective mourning. 

On TikTok, the four official “Fairytale” sounds have a combined total of just over 10,000 posts, but that only tells half of the story. In the wake of MacGowan’s passing, several celebrity covers of the song have garnered renewed traction on TikTok – including clips of Ed Sheeran, Saoirse Ronan, and, of course, Travis Kelce, who recently earned his first Billboard chart-topper with “Fairytale of Philadelphia,” a spoof on the Pogues’ original featuring his brother Jason Kelce. The general Christmas spirit has also bolstered the song’s circulation on the app, and a microtrend of British creators highlighting the different regional uses of the F-slur between the U.S. and U.K. did the same. 

According to Luminate, “Fairytale of New York” earned just under 400,000 on-demand U.S. streams the day MacGowan passed (Nov. 30), marking a 227.2% increase in streams from the day prior. During the first four days of this tracking week (Nov. 30-Dec. 3), “Fairytale” logged 1.19 million streams, a 146.1% increase from around 483,000 streams during the period of Nov. 26-29. 

“Fairytale of New York” served as a single from the Pogues’ 1988 If I Should Fall From Grace With God album, which became their highest-peaking entry on the Billboard 200 (No. 88). Although none of their songs have entered the Billboard Hot 100, “Fairytale” — which is a certified Christmas classic in the U.K. — recently reached a new peak of No. 16 on Holiday Digital Song Sales (chart dated Dec. 9, 2023). Should streams continue to remain up, “Fairytale” might get within striking distance of becoming the Celtic band’s very first Hot 100 hit. – KYLE DENIS

Barry Keoghan’s Cheeky NSFW Saltburn Scene Revives a Sophie Ellis-Bextor Classic on Streaming 

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Barry Keoghan’s lengthy full-frontal scene in Emerald Fennell’s much-discussed Saltburn has become an inescapable part of day-to-day social media discourse, but it’s not just the swoon-worthy actor people are fawning over. In the scene – which features the nude Oscar nominee dancing through a seemingly empty mansion – Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s “Murder on the Dancefloor” booms in the background, making it a prime selection for TikTok’s latest musical obsession. 

On TikTok, the most popular “Murder on the Dancefloor” sound – which originated from a June post by a Sophie Ellis-Bextor fan-page – has garnered over 99,600 posts, with the official sounds boasting a combined 2,109 posts. The vast majority of recent “Murder on the Dancefloor” posts are split between users lauding the song’s greatness outside of Saltburn and users expressing admiration and shock for Keoghan’s daring performance. “Just found out in this scene of [Saltburn], Barry Keoghan didn’t use a prosthetic,” reads one cheeky caption, while another proclaims, “Barry Keoghan twirling around a mansion naked lives rent free in my head.” 

According to Luminate, “Murder” earned over 670,000 on-demand U.S. streams during the period of Nov. 24-30. That marks an enormous 362.3% increase from just under 145,000 streams during the period of Nov. 17-23. From Dec. 1-4, “Murder” had already pulled 547,000 streams, signaling an even faster rate of growth than the week prior.

“Murder on the Dancefloor” may have never reached the Hot 100, but the track did top out at No. 9 on Dance Singles Sales back in 2002. The song fared much better in Ellis-Bextor’s home of the U.K., reaching No. 2 in late 2001. With Saltburn headed to on-demand streaming later this month, “Murder on the Dancefloor” has plenty of room to keep growing. – KD

‘Little Life,’ Big Streams: Cordelia Scores Celebratory TikTok Hit

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“I think I like this little life.” So goes a refrain that’s becoming increasingly popular on TikTok, with users soundtracking sentimental moments alongside friends, as well as glistening nature shots, with “Little Life” – the gentle and emotionally arresting song by independent singer-songwriter Cordelia. “Little Life” was released as the final song on Cordelia’s four-track Caramel EP in October, and since then, the song has steadily ballooned in weekly streams to become a potential breakthrough for the rising artist.

During the week ending Nov. 9, “Little Life” earned 2,500 U.S. on-demand streams, according to Luminate; that number grew by a factor of 100 (265,000 weekly streams) by the week ending Nov. 30, and looks to keep swelling in December, as the song earned 216,000 streams in the first three days of the month. For her part, Cordelia is reveling in the TikTok explosion: “People are using my song ‘Little Life’ to soundtrack their own wonderful little lives,” she wrote last month. “It’s TOO CUTE.” – Jason Lipshutz

Q&A: Alex Tear, VP music programming at SiriusXM + Pandora, on What’s Trending Up in His World

What’s the number one trend that you think we’ll remember when we look back at 2023 in popular music?

The art and controversy of the sped-up single peaking at a new high. Although sped-up versions have been present since the 2000s, 2023 feels to have been a breakthrough year with mass appeal acceptance, charting, radio airplay and totally normalized consumption.

What was the year’s most surprising trend to you?

Music’s reset to innovate and push boundaries again vs. being predictable and formulaic. The growing mass acceptance and appetite to blur genre lines and era boundaries has allowed artists to really shine with strong audience reaction. The resurgence of retro-inspired pop that embraces the sounds of previous decades has also been very welcomed.

The charts are currently being dominated by holiday music, but do you think there are any songs from late 2023 that will carry over as big hits in early 2024?

I feel there are several that will continue to melt the snow, from Tate McRae with her new album Think Later, to Jack Harlow to Dua Lipa, and let’s keep our eye on Noah Kahan. Noah’s creeping momentum is poised to roll into 2024 with a presence.   

Fill in the blank: the major artist I’m hoping has a big 2024 is ______.

Teddy Swims and Tyla. These are two artists first embraced by SiriusXM + Pandora to amazing audience reaction. We’re excited to be a part of their rise and will continue spreading the word across North America as they become major artists. – 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: 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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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