Chart Beat
Dylan Scott Shares the Story Behind Hit Love Song ‘Nobody’
Scott is gearing up to accompany Luke Bryan on his Proud To Be Right Here tour this summer, along with Caylee Hammack, Runaway June and DJ Rock. Below, Scott tells Billboard the origin story behind “Nobody,” what he is most excited for upon his return to live shows and more. How did “Nobody” come together and what was your headspace when making the song? We were on the road playing shows and I had a couple of writers, Matt Alderman and Dallas Wilson. My wife and I, we’ve been together a long time — since we were 15 years old — so the love songs are kind of easy to write. I just remember us being on the back of the bus late one night like, “Let’s just write a simple love song.” So my budd...
Johnny’s WEST Debuts at No. 1, Kaze Fujii Reaches New Heights at No. 2 on Japan Hot 100
The septet’s previous single sold slightly more than the current one (227,615 first-week copies), but many brick-and-mortar music stores in Japan have been closed due to the third COVID-19 state of emergency, so “Something New” can be said to have fared relatively well in spite of this setback. Debuting at No. 2 is Kaze Fujii’s “Kirari,” currently being featured in Honda commercials. The rising young singer-songwriter scored his first top 10 with his previous single called “Tabiji,” which debuted at No. 10 in March. “Kirari” is off to a better start, faring better in downloads (38,418 first-week units, “Tabiji” started off with 24,337) and streaming (5,071,563 streams, about double that of 2,494,342 for “Tabiji”), indicating his steadily growing reach. Meanwhile, Official HIGE DANdism retu...
Rag’n’Bone Man Blasts to No. 1 In U.K. With ‘Life By Misadventure’
It’s the second leader in a row for the multiple Brit Award-winning artists, following his debut 2017 effort Human, which has shifted more than over 1 million chart sales in this U.K. and returns the Top 40 at No. 35. Life By Misadventure enjoyed a lift following Rag’n’Bone Man’s appearance at the BRITs last Tuesday, to perform “Anywhere Away From Here” with Pink and the Lewisham & Greenwich NHS Choir. Life leads an all-new Top 5 on the current albums chart, ahead of Michael Ball’s We Are More Than One, Dodie’s Build A Problem, Squid’s Bright Green Field and Van Morrison’s Latest Record Project Volume 1, respectively. Also new to this week’s survey is Weezer’s rock-riff album Van Weezer at 30. It’s the U.S. rockers’ first Top 40 album in 13 years. Meanwhile New Order’s live album...
J. Cole Eyes Three Strong Starts on U.K. Singles Chart
J. Cole could make a big dent this week on the U.K. singles chart, with three tracks set for high entries. On the Official Chart Company’s First Look survey, which ranks the popularity of singles after the first weekend’s sales and streaming activity, Cole has the highest new entries with “9 5 . S O U T H” at No. 9, “M Y . L I F E” featuring 21 Savage & Morray at No. 10, and “A M A R I” at No. 11. The trio of tunes are all lifted from the North Carolinian hip-hop star’s latest album The Off-Season, which includes “I N T E R L U D E, the lead single which hit No. 25 on last week’s U.K. chart. You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a dating should be. It begins with giving you back power. Get to meet Beautiful people, chat and ma...
Moneybagg Yo’s ‘A Gangsta’s Pain’ Returns to No. 1 on Billboard 200 Albums Chart
A Gangsta’s Pain’s 61,000 units earned are nearly all from streaming activity, as SEA units comprise 60,000 of its total for the week. Further, the album’s 61,000 units is the second-lowest total for a weekly No. 1 album in 2021. Only Taylor Swift’s Evermore has posted a smaller week at No. 1 this year, when it returned to the top for a third nonconsecutive week on the chart dated Jan. 16 with 56,000 units (earned in the week ending Jan. 7). Zero albums debut in the top 10 on the new Billboard 200 — the first time that’s happened since the March 13-dated chart. Morgan Wallen’s former No. 1 Dangerous: The Double Album rises 3-2 with 52,000 equivalent album units earned (down 3%), DJ Khaled’s Khaled Khaled dips 1-3 in its second week with 46,000 units (down 51%), and Justin Bieber’s fo...
Russ Millions and Tion Wayne Bag Historic Chart Title In Australia With ‘Body’
Meanwhile, U.S. rapper J. Cole earns a Top 20 debut with “i n t e r l u d e” (Interscope/Universal), lifted from his sixth album, The Off-Season. It’s new at No. 20 on the ARIA Singles Chart, and is Cole’s first appearance on the survey since “Middle Child” peaked at No. 15 in February 2019. Also new to the chart this week is Pink’s “All I Know So Far” (RCA/Sony), which drops in at No. 25 for the U.S. pop star’s second chart entry for 2021, following “Cover Me In Sunshine” (No. 6 in March). “All I Know So Far” is the title track from her upcoming live documentary, due out May 21 on Amazon Prime. U.S. rapper Trippie Redd bags his first entry on the ARIA Chart with “Miss The Rage” (Universal), new at No. 31; while returning British rock outfit Coldplay make their first appearance...
Morray Tops Emerging Artists Chart, girl in red & iTZY Hit Top Five
The track also holds at its No. 7 high on Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay. Among other Emerging Artists chart moves, girl in red re-enters at No. 4, a new peak, as her debut LP If I Could Make It Go Quiet debuts at No. 8 on Alternative Albums (12,000 units). Plus, South Korea’s iTZY returns to Emerging Artists at No. 5, also a new best, as the group’s new release Guess Who enters Heatseekers Albums at No. 1 (8,000 units). It also starts at No. 2 on World Albums, the highest-charting of the act’s three top 10s to date. The week’s top Emerging Artists debut belongs to Crumb, at No. 29, as the group’s sophomore LP Ice Melt opens at No. 16 on Heatseekers Albums (3,000 units). The Emerging Artists chart measures artist activity across key metrics of music consum...
DJ Khaled’s ‘Every Chance I Get’ Debuts in Top 10 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
For Lil Baby, “Chance” secures his 13th top 10 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, and second of 2021, after a featured turn on Drake’s “Wants and Needs” peaked at No. 2. Lil Durk, meanwhile, adds a third top 10 to his ledger. It’s also his second this year, following a guest spot on Pooh Shiesty’s No. 6 hit “Back in Blood.” “Chance” leads eight new Khaled Khaled tunes on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Here’s a full rundown of the new additions: No. 10, “Every Chance I Get,” featuring Lil Baby & Lil DurkNo. 13, “Sorry Not Sorry,” featuring Nas, Jay-Z & James FauntleroyNo. 17, “I Did It,” featuring Post Malone, Megan Thee Stallion, Lil Baby & DaBabyNo. 25, “Let It Go,” featuring Justin Bieber & 21 SavageNo. 33, “Body in Motion,” featuring Bryson Tiller, Lil Baby & R...
Thomas Rhett Spins ‘Country Again (Side A)’ Onto Top Country Albums Chart
Rhett, 31, from Valdosta, Ga., follows his last album Center Point Road, which launched atop both Top Country Albums and the Billboard 200 in June 2019 (76,00 units; 45,000 sold), becoming his second leader on both lists. Life Changes debuted atop the tallies in September 2017 with 123,000 units and 94,000 sold, his biggest week to date. Tangled Up arrived at No. 3 on Top Country Albums in October 2015 (76,000 units; 62,000 sold) and peaked at No. 2 that November and It Goes Like This, Rhett’s first full-length, debuted and peaked at No. 2 in November 2013 (36,000 sold). Rhett made his first of five appearances on the chart with his No. 24-peaking 2012 self-titled EP. Rhett, who won the male vocalist of the year trophy at the Academy of Country Music Awards April 18, had a hand in wr...
Here’s How ‘Fearless (Taylor’s Version)’ Performed in Its Fourth Week Compared to Taylor Swift’s Original ‘Fearless’
Taylor Swift released Fearless (Taylor’s Version), her re-recording of her best-selling 2008 sophomore album, a little over a month ago, and scored a No. 1 debut on the Billboard 200 chart. In the month since its release, we’ve been keeping track of how the unprecedented chart-topper — the first re-recorded version of another album to reach the peak of the Billboard 200 — has performed as compared to the original Fearless, in terms of weekly listenership. In its fourth week on the Billboard 200, Fearless (Taylor’s Version) slips out of the top 10, coming in at No. 15 after posting at No. 9 on last week’s tally. The re-recorded Fearless earned 24,000 equivalent album units for the chart week dated May 15, according to MRC Data, down from 33,000 equivalent album units in the prev...
The Weeknd & Ariana Grande Hold Atop Hot 100; Billie Eilish, The Kid LAROI & Miley Cyrus Hit Top 10
“Save Your Tears,” released on XO/Republic Records, holds atop the Hot 100 with 22.4 million streams (down 26%) and 8,500 downloads sold (down 53%) in the week ending May 6, according to MRC Data. It also attracted 68.5 million radio airplay audience impressions (up 1%) in the week ending May 9. A week earlier, following the April 23 release of its remix with Grande, “Tears” surged by 111% to 30.4 million streams and 265% to 18,000 sold. The track dips 2-3 on Radio Songs and 2-5 on Streaming Songs and falls from No. 1 to No. 4 on the Digital Song Sales chart. “Leave the Door Open” by Silk Sonic, the duo of Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak, holds at No. 2 on the Hot 100, four weeks after reaching No. 1. It logs a fourth week at No. 1 on Radio Songs (80.9 mil...
Coldplay Blasting to U.K. Top 10 With ‘Higher Power’
Expect “Higher Power” to enjoy a bump following Chris Martin and Co.’s performance of the song Sunday (May 9) on American Idol, and again at the top of the 2021 Brit Awards this Tuesday (May 11). At the summit of the chart blast is current No. 1 “Body,” by Tion Wayne & Russ Millions. Last Friday, the single lifted 4-1 to become the first drill track to lead the Official U.K. Singles Chart. It’s the most-streamed song of the weekend, the OCC reports. Following the release of his sophomore album Life By Misadventure, Rag’n’Bone Man is eyeing a new peak with “Anywhere Away From Here,” his collaboration with Pink. It’s up 31-11 on the First Look survey. The pair will perform the duet live at the BRITs, to be held at London’s O2 Arena. Finally, The Kid Laroi’s “Without You” ...
