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First J-Hope, now BTS’s Jimin has a U.K. top 40 hit as “Set Me Free Pt 2” (via BigHit Entertainment) blasts to No. 30 on the national chart.
The South Korean singer is now the standard-bearer of BTS’s solo members – on the U.K. chart, at least.
As the K-pop superstars’ seven members explore their respective solo careers, he’s the fifth to snag a U.K. top 100 solo hit. Previously, Jungkook’s “Stay Alive” (No. 89), Jin’s “The Astronaut” (No. 61), and RM’s “Indigo” (No. 45) impacted the Official U.K. Singles Chart, while J-Hope’s “On The Street,” a collaboration with J. Cole, recently hit No. 37, until now the high point for a solo single from a BTS band member.
“Set Me Free Pt 2” is lifted from Jimin solo album FACE, which dropped last Friday (March 24).
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As a group, BTS has scored nine top 40s, including four U.K. top 10 singles: “Dynamite,” “Butter” and Coldplay collaboration “My Universe” all going to No. 3, and “Life Goes On” hitting No. 10.
On the U.K. albums chart, J-Hope, Jin, Suga, RM, Jimin, V and Jungkook have together landed eight top 40s, including two Official U.K. Albums Chart leaders, with 2019’s Map of the Soul – Persona and 2020’s Map of the Soul – 7.
“Set Me Free Pt 2” is the among the highest debuts on the current chart, published last Friday (March 24). Honors go to Taylor Swift, whose Lover era song “All of the Girls You Loved Before” bows at No. 11. At the top of the survey, Miley Cyrus rides a 10-week streak with “Flowers”.
ARMY will no doubt keenly watch for the debut chart position of Jimin’s FACE. All will be revealed when the national singles and albums charts are published this Friday, March 31.
Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” (via Columbia) is the song that won’t wither in the U.K., where it logs a 10th consecutive week at No. 1.
By extending its streak, “Flowers” becomes the longest-running No. 1 single by a female solo artist this decade, the Official Charts Company reports, overtaking Olivia Rodrigo’s nine-week haul with 2021’s “drivers license.”
“Flowers” joins Harry Styles’ “As It Was” as the second-longest-reigning single of the 2020s, also at 10 weeks. Ed Sheeran’s “Bad Habits” is the boss, with 11 weeks.
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Cyrus now has another major record in her sights. If “Flowers” can add another week at the summit, it’ll equal Tones And I’s 2019 hit “Dance Monkey,” which racked up 11 non-consecutive weeks at No. 1 to stand tall as the longest-running No. 1 in the U.K. by a solo female artist.
As “Flowers” holds its top spot, and, once again, finishes the chart week as the U.K.’s most-streamed single, its parent Endless Summer Vacation dips 1-3 on the national albums survey.
Meanwhile, Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding make a move with their latest collaboration, “Miracle” (Columbia). The rave tune rises 3-2 on the latest chart, published March 24, and is the most-downloaded single of the week, the OCC reports.
Afrobeats acts Rema (“Calm Down” up 5-4 via Mavin) and Libianca (“People” up 7-5 via 5K) enjoy career-best peaks on the latest singles chart, while London rapper Strandz’s “Us Against The World” (Relentless) lifts 10-9, and Metro Boomin’s “Creepin” (Relentless) with 21 Savage and The Weeknd fires back into the top 10 following the release of a remix with Diddy. It’s up 33-10, just three places behind its peak position.
The highest new entry on the latest tally belongs to Taylor Swift, whose “All Of The Girls You Loved Before” (EMI) bows at No. 11. The song, part of a four-pack of previously-unreleased works, released to celebrate the start of her The Eras Tour, was a late cut from her Lover album. “All Of The Girls You Loved Before” is Swift’s 44th U.K. top 40.
From across the pond, Renée Downer of FLO, the buzzy, new U.K. R&B trio, says, “We’re still little fish in the big fish industry,” causing her groupmate Jorja Douglas to giggle at the metaphor. But for three “little fish,” Downer, Douglas and Stella Quaresma have made quite a massive splash over the last year they’ve started releasing music together as a group — which was years in the making.
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Quaresma was born in Kingston upon Thames in southwest London and moved to Mozambique as an infant before returning to London at age five. She and Downer, who was born and raised in North London, both attended the Sylvia Young Theatre School, a performing arts school that boasts all-star alumni including Amy Winehouse, Dua Lipa and Jesy Nelson and Leigh-Anne Pinnock of Little Mix, the British girl group that rose from X Factor favorites to one of the best-selling girl groups of all time – before Nelson announced her departure in 2020, and the remaining members announced Little Mix’s hiatus two years later.
Fans mourned the loss of yet another beloved U.K. girl group that came and left their mark — while behind the scenes, three girls in their late teens were just starting to find their flow… literally. Rob Harrison, the Island Records A&R and founder of independent record label Listen Generously who currently manages FLO, was on a mission to discover the next big girl group. When Downer arrived at UMG’s office to meet with Harrison, she ran into Douglas, whom she had discovered on social media after the then-14-year-old Douglas won the British singing competition series, Got What It Takes?, with a cover of Adele’s “When We Were Young.”
“The next step was to try different combinations of girls. So Jorja and Stella were together with two other girls for a day, and I was with two girls for a day,” Downer recalled. “We were just getting to know each other, singing together, seeing how we connected and it was not a vibe at all. But Jorja and Stella gravitated towards each other, and then the next combination was us three …. And the rest is history.”
Over the next three years, Douglas, Quaresma and Downer worked with British super-producer MNEK on harnessing the nostalgia of the noughties and the decade prior while still sounding fresh. On March 24, 2022, FLO released its debut single, “Cardboard Box,” a delectable kiss-off anthem that dusts off the “to the left, to the left” sentiments of Beyoncé’s 2006 smash “Irreplaceable” and repackages ’00’s R&B for today’s consumption. While FLO’s songs have since generated 162.1 million on-demand official streams globally, according to Luminate, “Cardboard Box” accounts for 61.5 million of those streams (through March 2).
“Cardboard Box” arrived ahead of their debut EP The Lead, which further cemented their position as the new classic R&B girls, because of how closely they’ve studied the game. FLO’s second single, “Immature,” implements a wailing baby sample that sounds straight out of Timbaland’s playbook (not to mention, the “Say you want my body, body” chorus line hints at yet another Bey track, her 2006 B’Day cut “Kitty Kat”). Meanwhile, the slinky, yet soulful promotional single “Not My Job” shuts down dudes with little-to-no game à la TLC’s “No Scrubs.”
But when it comes to FLO’s job, says Downer, “We wouldn’t [want] to have any other career.”
Billboard spoke with March’s R&B/Hip-Hop Rookie of the Month about how FLO knew they were the right fit, what it means to carry the legacy of girl groups they grew up, and whether they’ll be opening for Queen Bey’s Renaissance Tour.
Who did you grow up listening to?
Douglas: I grew up listening to a lot of late-‘90s R&B, early-2000s R&B — just loads of old-school R&B like Usher, Mariah Carey, Beyoncé, Whitney [Houston] … all of the greats. Those are my biggest influences.
Quaresma: Similar vibes.
Downer: Similar vibes – people like Ciara, Rihanna, those type of ladies.
Stella and Renée, you attended Sylvia Young Theatre School together. What is it about that school that allowed you two, but also your famous predecessors, to succeed in the music industry?
Quaresma: I feel like it was the worth ethic you had to have. They just kind of drilled that into you – being professional, being places on time.
Downer: Yeah, they definitely did. They taught you about the industry, so that was nailed into us for years on how to conduct yourself and how to work with different people.
Jorja, you won the British singing competition show, Got What It Takes?, when you were just 14. Looking back at that moment, where did you believe your career was going to go?
Douglas: I don’t know. It was just a bit of fun for me. And then I won, which was just extra fun. That kind of helped me put myself out there a bit more. Following that, I knew being in a girl group was, like, the best thing to do. There was no girl group. So I saw an opportunity, and I took it. [Laughs.]
What is everyone’s special ingredient that they bring to the table? Outside of the music, what’s your favorite personality trait about one another?
Douglas, Downer and Quaresma [in unison]: Hmmmm.
Douglas: In terms of music, we just bounce off of each other. And because we all have those same influences, we all enjoy the same R&B melody, so we’re just pretty in sync with each other. And then personality-wise, we’re like the same, but in different fonts.
Downer and Quaresma: Yeah. Yeah.
How did you work with MNEK on crafting your signature sound?
Downer: The great thing about MNEK is he grew up around our influences, and when that type of music was a thing. He learned about it so early on, and he really crafted that and worked on it. We’re young girls who can learn so much from him. He honestly knows like everything. He’s one of those crazy-talented people. He took time to get to know us and know our influences, and we just connected on that vibe.
I saw you met Kelly Rowland while you were recording in an LA studio with MNEK. How memorable was that for all of you?
Douglas: With Kelly Rowland, I mean…
Quaresma: … I mean, it’s just like …
Douglas: … Surreal.
Downer: Too stunned to speak.
Quaresma: It’s just crazy that they’re actually real people. And also, it’s nice because she’s lived a similar situation that we’re going through, and she’s still alive! She’s still here! [Laughs.]
Is there anyone else you’re dying to meet or collaborate with?
Downer: Victoria Monét. I’m really excited for when we get in the studio with her. We can learn a lot [about] songwriting as well.
What surprised you most about the success of “Cardboard Box?”
Quaresma: I feel like we knew it would do quite well. We pushed for that song to come out first. We knew to put our best foot forward. But it was a really amazing shock how well it did. It just worked!
I’ve read in some of your interviews that you convinced your label to make “Cardboard Box” your debut single, and you made a presentation about how involved you wanted to be in the rollout for your debut EP The Lead. What advice do you have for other artists, especially young Black female artists, who also want to advocate for themselves to their teams?
Quaresma: No one knows your music and your craft better than you. Just remember that. Nobody can try and shape it to be something that’s not genuine. It’s just not going to be as good, so just trust that what you’re about is good enough.
You made history by becoming the first group to win the BRIT Awards’ Rising Star award, and you also won Radio 1’s BBC Sound of 2023. Both honors are decided by separate panels made up of music industry leaders. How does it feel that the U.K. music business is rooting for you so early in your career?
Douglas: We’re very, very grateful, because we just feel like we’re being put in a really good position. It makes us feel really empowered — like, the stage we’re in, we feel really in control of what we want to do and the direction we want to go in. And we feel like, because we’re being given these awards, they’re making us more … what’s the word, like when [what] we’re saying has actual weight to it now?
Quaresma: Credibility.
Douglas: Yeah, exactly!
How has the legacy of British girl groups impacted you three as the U.K.’s newest edition, and what does it mean for you three to be carrying the torch?
Downer: It means a lot to be carrying the torch, because girl groups are so powerful — and to have the people that we grew up watching recognize us and be like, ”You guys have got this. You can go where we’ve gone and further,” is the biggest accomplishment ever. It’s just so deep to us.
Stormzy tapped you for one of the “Hide & Seek” remixes from his latest album, This Is What I Mean. What did recording with a U.K. superstar like him mean for you three?
Downer: He just asked us if we wanted to do it. And we were like, “Yeah, let’s do it.” But we didn’t get in the studio with him. It was a bit different, because we’ve never been featured on somebody else’s track — so we really had to get into a different vibe and think how we can add to that song. It was a nice vibe to experiment with.
Describe the process of prepping for your first North American tour, which starts this April. How did you know was the right time for you to embark on your first tour in the States?
Quaresma: Well, we got told this is what we’re doing. [Laughs.]
Douglas: Most of all, it made sense, because most of our fans are in America. And obviously, R&B is just so much more appreciated in America as well. So it’s like: Go where you’re wanted, don’t try and force it. Obviously, there’s still a love for R&B here, but it’s just something completely different in America. Majority of our fans on Twitter, they’re American. We would have been abused if we didn’t go. They would’ve cussed us out!
Speaking of tour, there have been some reports going around that you could be opening for Beyoncé’s Renaissance Tour. Can you confirm or deny at this time?
Quaresma: Honestly, I wish we knew.
Douglas: I think it might be Doechii.
Downer: Oh! Imagine if it’s Doechii! That would be amazing.
Douglas: [Beyoncé] knows who we are. But that was just a rumor.
What can you tell me your upcoming debut album, and when can fans expect it to come out?
Downer: I don’t think we can say yet…
Douglas: …because we don’t have the answer.
Downer: We’re still figuring it out.
Quaresma: Just more elevated, different. We’re just growing up, basically, so our music’s just growing with us.
U2 is on the brink of ending a decade-long drought in the U.K., where the Irish rockers’ Songs of Surrender (via Island) is cantering to No. 1.
The collection will be tough to overcome in the chart race. Based on midweek sales and streaming data, Songs of Surrender is outselling the rest of the top 5 combined, according to the Official Charts Company, and should become the band’s 11th leader when the chart proper is published late Friday (March 24).
The last time U2 was crowned on the U.K. chart was 2009 with No Line on the Horizon, while subsequent releases Songs of Innocence (from 2014, peaking at No. 6) and Songs of Experience (from 2017, peaking at No. 5) both cracked the top 10.
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On Songs of Surrender, Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. revisit — and rework — 40 songs from across their 40-plus year career, including “One,” “Bad,” “Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses,” “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For,” “Desire,” “With Or Without You,” “I Will Follow,” and more.
The compilation, a companion to singer Bono’s recent memoir, Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story, leads the Official Chart Update, ahead of Miley Cyrus‘ Endless Summer Vacation (RCA), set to dip 1-2.
The Rock And Roll Hall of Famers could see another hits collection surge into the top 40. The November 2006 compilation U218 Singles (Mercury) reenters the midweek chart at No. 33, having peaked at No. 6 following its initial release.
Meanwhile, Brighton, England indie-rock foursome Black Honey could stick a second top 10 record with A Fistful of Peaches (FoxFive). It’s new at No. 3 on the Official Chart Update, and could become the band’s highest-charting album (2021’s Written & Directed reached No. 7).
Also, U.S. pop-punk veterans All Time Low are heading for a fifth U.K. top 10 with Tell Me I’m Alive (Parlophone), new at No. 6 on the chart blast.
Finally, with Taylor Swift’s The Era Tour getting away to a buzzy start in North America, Swifties on the other side of the Atlantic are gobbling up her music, in anticipation of their turn.
Four of the U.S. pop superstar’s LPs rise on the Official Albums Chart Update: Midnights (up 12-7), 2014 (32-25), Lover (51-29) and folklore (58-37), all via EMI. Swift’s U.K. tour dates have yet to be announced.
Taylor Swift’s surprise four-pack should have an immediate impact on the U.K. singles chart.
The U.S. pop superstar last Friday (March 17) dropped a batch of recordings, including “All The Girls You Loved Before” a previously-unreleased song that didn’t make the final pressing of 2019’s Lover LP.
Perhaps it should have made the cut. “All The Girls” is on track for the week’s highest debut, at No. 7, for what would be Swift’s 22nd top 10 appearance, according to the Official Charts Company’ first chart blast of the week.
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Swift’s fresh four songs included re-recordings of Swift’s The Hunger Games tracks, plus “If This Was a Movie (Taylor’s Version),” all dropping on the eve of her The Eras Tour opener.
At the top end of the First Look chart, which captures sales and streaming data from the first 48 hours in the cycle, Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” is on target for a 10th consecutive week at No. 1.
Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding could have a say in that. The pair’s latest collaboration, the ‘90s rave-channeling “Miracle” is set to lift 3-2 in its second week. Meanwhile, Pinkpantheress appears to have missed the chance for a maiden No. 1 with “Boy’s a liar,” which, after several weeks at No. 2, slips to No. 8 on the chart blast.
Further down the list, BTS’ Jimin could snag his debut solo top 20 with “Set Me Free Pt. 2.” It’s new at No. 14 on the chart blast, coming soon after bandmate J-Hope cracked the top 40 (and made chart history) with his J. Cole collaboration, “On The Street.”
Finally, Lewis Capaldi could crack the top 20 with his new tear-jerker, “How I’m Feeling Now,” set to arrive at No. 19, while Irish singer-songwriter Hozier is hovering just outside the top 20 with his comeback single “Eat Your Young.” It’s new at No. 21 on the chart blast, the OCC reports, and is expected to become the “Take Me To The Church” singer’s third first top 40 single and first in eight years — since “Someone New” hit No. 19 in 2015.
All will be revealed when the Official U.K. Singles Chart is published late Friday.
Miley Cyrus nabs a rare U.K. chart double as Endless Summer Vacation (via Columbia) debuts at No. 1 on the national albums survey and “Flowers” extends its streak atop the singles tally.
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Endless Summer Vacation, Cyrus’ eighth studio album, had led the midweek chart by a wide margin and finishes the chart week in first place.
It’s the U.S. pop star’s second U.K. albums chart leader, following 2013’s Bangerz, and sixth career top 10 appearance. Also, it’s the second time Cyrus has simultaneously led both main charts, which did she with Bangerz and “Wrecking Ball.” Cyrus is the first artist to complete the double in 2023, and the first since Taylor Swift did it in October 2022 with “Anti-Hero” and Midnights.
As previously reported, “Flowers” enters a ninth consecutive week at No. 1 on the Official U.K. Singles Chart, published March 17.
Meanwhile, The Weeknd’s hits collection The Highlights (Republic Records/XO) lifts 3-2 for an equal high position in its 110th week on the chart.
Coming in at No. 3 on latest albums tally is Sleaford Mods’ UK GRIM (Rough Trade), the indie electronic duo’s 13th studio album. UK GRIM becomes the pair’s fourth top 10 LP, and a career-best position, going one better than 2021’s Spare Ribs, which peaked at No. 4.
Further down the list, legendary Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison lands his 43rd U.K. top 40 album with Moving on Skiffle (Exile), new at No. 16. It’s the followup to 2021’s Latest Record Project, Volume 1, which peaked at No. 5.
And finally, Ward Thomas earns a fourth top 40 with Music in the Madness (WTW Music), the country-pop duo’s fifth studio album. It’s new at No. 31.
Miley Cyrus takes the plaudits once again on the U.K. singles survey with “Flowers” (via Columbia), while a throwback rave tune roars to a fast start.
Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding grab the highest new entry on the Official U.K. Singles Chart with “Miracle” (Columbia), their latest collaboration.
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The trance track bows at No. 3, for Harris’ 29th and Goulding’s 12th top 10 hit. Also, it’s their third — and peak position — as a duo following 2012’s “I Need Your Love” (No. 4) and 2014’s “Outside” (No. 6).
Meanwhile, a string of singles score top 10 peaks this week — Rema’s “Calm Down” (up 6-5 via Mavin), Lizzy McAlpine’s “Ceilings” (7-6 via Harbour Artists & Music), Libianca’s “People” (8-7 via 5K), and Strandz’s “Us Against The World” (Relentless), which gives the London rapper his first-ever U.K. top 10 entry.
Further down the list, British hip-hop artist Digga D lands his 13th top 40 with “Energy” (Black Money), new at No. 19.
Mae Muller, the U.K. entry for the Eurovision Song Contest, is enjoying positive early feedback from her homeland. Muller’s “I Wrote A Song” (Capitol) debuts at No. 30, for her highest chart position as a solo artist. According to the Official Charts Company, it’s the first U.K. Eurovision entry to debut inside the top 40 since Blue’s “I Can,” which peaked at No. 16 back in 2011.
At the top of the tally, published March 17, “Flowers” secures a ninth week at No. 1. Its parent album Endless Summer Vacation starts at the summit of the Official U.K. Albums Chart, giving the U.S. pop star a rare chart double. Album tracks “River” (No. 16) and “Jades” (No. 27) mark their entries on the national singles survey.
In a tight U.K. race, it’s the Lathums who take the silverware as the Nothing to a Little Bit More (via Island) debuts at No. 1.
The Wigan, England indie rock group is now two-from-two on the U.K. tally, after their 2021 debut How Beautiful Life Can Be also climbed the U.K.’s chart mountain.
“18,000 Lathums strong and we can’t thank you all enough,” reads a post on the band’s Instagram. “With the outright dedication and power of the community that we have amassed, we have managed to clinch a consecutive No. 1 album with our second body of work. This is a statement for all to hear, that the power we hold together through love and compassion can take us anywhere, and that you can never underestimate the power of the common people.”
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After taking the lead at the midweek point, the Lathums’ latest album squeezed home by just 700 chart sales, as slowthai Ugly (Method) finishes in second place.
The British rapper (real name: Tyron Frampton) now has three consecutive U.K. top 10s, including his Mercury Prize-nominated 2019 debut Nothing Great About Britain (No. 9) and his 2021 chart leader Tyron. Ugly was the week’s best-seller on wax, the Official Charts Company reports.
Further down the list, published March 10, Mimi Webb bows at No. 4 with her debut studio album, Amelia (RCA). It’s the Canterbury, England-born singer and songwriter’s second top 10 appearance, following 2021’s Seven Shades of Heartbreak, which reached No. 9.
The late Eva Cassidy earns a posthumous top 10 with I Can Only Be Me (Blix Street), a collaboration with the London Symphony Orchestra and Australian-British composer Christopher Willis.
I Can Only Be Me becomes the American singer and songwriter’s sixth top 10 title in the U.K., including No. 1s for the 1998 collection Songbird and 2003’s American Tune, both scaling the chart well after her passing in November 1996, following a battle with cancer.
Finally, De La Soul’s 1989 debut 3 Feet High (Chrysalis) rises to No. 12, a new chart high. The album is reissued following the death last month of founding member Trugoy the Dove, and follows the long-overdue release of the hip-hop pioneers’ catalog on streaming services. 3 Feet High originally peaked at No. 13 back in 1990.
J-Hope has gone where no other BTS member has tread — into the U.K. top 40 as a solo artist.
The K-pop star (real name Jung Ho-seok) makes an impact on the Official U.K. Singles Chart, published March 10, with “On The Street,” his collaboration with U.S. rapper J. Cole.
“On The Street” sneaks into the top 40, at No. 37, for the South Korean artist’s first solo appearance in the top tier, and the first for any single member of BTS.
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He’s not the first to try. Among the K-pop superstars’ solo efforts, Jungkook’s “Stay Alive” (No. 89), Jin’s “The Astronaut” (No. 61) and RM’s “Indigo” (No. 45) all charted, though none entered the top frame, the Official Charts Company reports.
The seven-piece, which has been on hiatus since 2022, has collectively scored nine top 40s on the U.K. singles chart, including four top 10s. And on the albums chart, J-Hope, Jin, Suga, RM, Jimin, V and Jungkook have together landed eight top 40s, including U.K. No. 1s for 2019’s Map of the Soul – Persona and 2020’s Map of the Soul – 7.
“On the Street” is J-Hope’s first new solo song since hopping on “Rush Hour” with Korean R&B singer Crush. He has a string of previously-released standalone efforts, “More” and “Arson,” from his 2022 solo album Jack in the Box; the 2019 standalone collaboration with Becky G, “Chicken Noodle Soup”; and a solo mixtape from 2018, Hope World.
J-Hope has had a busy year outside of his regular duties with the all-conquering BTS. His Disney+ documentary, J-Hope in the Box, is now streaming, he was recent named as ambassador for the luxury brand Louis Vuitton; and last month became the second BTS member, following Jin, to enlist for South Korea’s military military service.
All able-bodied male South Korean citizens must serve in the armed forces for at least 18 months — including the members of BTS — though the length of service may vary. Draft begins in the year they turn 18 but the men may postpone it until age 28. In December 2020, the South Korean National Assembly passed the so-called “BTS law” to allow K-pop entertainers to postpone the service until the age of 30, with a recommendation from the culture minister. In another bonus for ARMY, the lads will be free to participate in “national” events for the “public good,” according to the Korea Times.
Miley Cyrus makes it eight straight weeks atop the U.K. singles chart with “Flowers” (Columbia), an effort that places the U.S. pop star in some esteemed company.
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That two-month reign is the longest since LF SYSTEM’s disco number “Afraid to Feel” managed eight weeks at the chart peak from last summer, and the longest-running No. 1 by a female solo artist since Olivia Rodrigo’s breakthrough hit “drivers license” from 2021, which logged nine weeks at the top. The all-time longest streak by a female solo artist in the U.K. belongs to Tones And I, and her song “Dance Monkey” which led for 11 weeks in 2019.
Cyrus will expect to stick around the U.K. charts for some time yet. Her eighth and latest studio album, Endless Summer Vacation, dropped last Friday, March 10.
With Cyrus locking-up the U.K. singles crown for another week, PinkPantheress enters another cycle in the runner-up spot with “Boy’s a liar” (Warner Records).
The gap between the top two tracks appears to be closing, notes the Official Charts Company, as “Boy’s a liar” lifts its game to lead the U.K. in streams. Just 1,000 chart units separate “Flowers” and “Boy’s a liar.”
Completing the podium on the latest Official U.K. Singles Chart is the Weeknd’s 2016 release “Die For You” (Republic Records/XO) up 4-3 following the release of a new cut featuring Ariana Grande.
Meanwhile, Cameroonian-American Afrobeats star Libianca lands her first U.K. Top 10 single with “People” (5K), up 11-8.
This highest debut on the latest chart, published March 10, belongs to Nicki Minaj with “Red Ruby Da Sleeze” (Republic Records). It’s new at No. 30 for the Trinidadian rap star’s 41st U.K. top 40 appearance.
And there’s a new entry from BTS’ J-Hope with “On The Street” (BigHit Entertainment), featuring J Cole. It’s new at No. 37, marking the first top 40 appearance by a solo member of BTS.
Finally, honors for the biggest climb goes to rapper Jayo, whose “22” (The Flight Club) explodes 67-32 on the U.K. tally, for the north Londoner’s first top 40 entry.