Pop
Lil Nas X’s ‘Montero (Call Me by Your Name)’ Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100
“Montero,” released March 26 on Columbia Records, is the 1,120th No. 1 in the Hot 100’s 62-year history. It’s the 51st single to debut at No. 1, and Lil Nas X’s first. “Montero” drew 46.9 million U.S. streams and sold 21,000 downloads in the week ending April 1, according to MRC Data. It also attracted 1.1 million radio airplay audience impressions in the week ending April 4. The track opens at No. 1 on the Streaming Songs chart, where it’s Lil Nas X’s second leader, after “Old Town Road” ruled for a record 20 weeks, and No. 2 on Digital Song Sales. It was available in three versions in its first week: its original version; its “Satan’s Extended Version”; and its “But Lil Nas X Is Silent the Entire Ti...
The Isley Brothers vs. Earth, Wind & Fire in Funk Legends ‘Verzuz’ Battle: See Billboard’s Scorecard For the Event
Hosted (with a somewhat heavy touch) by star comedian Steve Harvey, and with music courtesy of veteran DJ and quarantine-era sensation D-Nice, the event was clearly going to be a special one even before the two groups began spinning. D Nice span ’80s classics from Stevie Wonder and Chaka Khan, before Harvey introduced himself, offered a prayer for “down bad” Verzuz veteran DMX, and raved about the formative importance of the two groups in his own life: “These groups made me. This music shaped me.” See Billboard‘s round-by-round scorecard for the epic showdown below — a supersized 25-round match, in accordance with the bands’ stunningly expansive catalogues — with our final winner tallied up and declared at the bottom. Round 1: The ...
Justin Bieber Surprise Releases ‘Freedom’ EP
Freedom‘s track list includes six songs: title track “Freedom” with Beam, “All She Wrote” (feat. Brandon Love and Chandler Moore), “We’re in This Together,” “Where You Go I Follow” (feat. Pink Sweats, Chandler Moore and Judah Smith), “Where Do I Fit In” (feat. Tori Kelly, Chandler Moore and Judah Smith) and “Afraid to Say” (feat. Lauren Walters). The Freedom EP follows the release of Bieber’s sixth album, Justice, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. The 16-track set, released through Raymond Braun/Def Jam on March 18, follows his 2020 album, Changes. Justice was previewed by a quartet of top 40-charting hits on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart: “Holy” featuring Chance the Rapper...
Mariah Carey’s COVID-19 Vaccine Has Her Hitting a High Note
Mariah Carey brought her fans with her to get the COVID-19 vaccine — virtually, of course. The singer filmed herself getting her first dose of the vaccine, and her reaction to the shot turned out to be quite the musical moment. “Vaccine side effect: G6,” she quipped in a caption for Saturday night’s (April 3) social media clip, which shows her talking to the camera as she waits, “excited and nervous a little,” for the COVID-19 vaccine to be administered. As the needle goes in, a Mariah high note comes out. 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 make money in the process. Earn rewards by chatting, sharing ph...
Taylor Swift Reveals ‘Fearless (Taylor’s Version)’ Collabs With Keith Urban: See the Full Track List
She added, “I’m counting down the minutes til we can all jump into this brave world together, filled with equal parts nostalgia and brand newness. Head first, Fearless.” Urban might be one of the biggest Swifties out there, calling the “Lover” title track from her 2019 album “so exquisitely written” and “so gorgeously crafted.” He later told Billboard at the 2020 Grammy Awards that he considers Swift to be “one of the greatest songwriters period.” Swift’s forthcoming album includes re-recordings of the original Fearless songs, along with six never-before-released “From the Vault” songs, including “Mr. Perfectly Fine,” “Don’t You” and “Bye Bye Baby.” In late Marc...
Song of the Week: Indianapolis Hip-Hop Trio 81355 Bury the Past in Hope of a Better Future on “Capstone”
Song of the Week breaks down and talks about the song we just can’t get out of our head each week. Find these songs and more on our Spotify Top Songs playlist. For our favorite new songs from emerging artists, check out our Spotify New Sounds playlist. This week, hip-hop trio 81355 return with the second single off their upcoming, full-length debut. If there’s any initial impression to be gathered from hip-hop trio 81355, comprised of three staples of the Indianapolis music scene (Sirius Blvck, Oreo Jones, and Sedcairn Archives), it’s that great music can come from anywhere. It’s commonplace to see artists emerging from the expected staples — Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Atlanta, and Nashville — and, so often, it’s harder to find gems like 81355. This collaborative effort has alre...
Demi Lovato Rises Again on Dancing with the Devil…The Art of Starting Over: Review
The Lowdown: With a voice as big as the sky, it’s hard to figure out where to go first — but that’s not going to stop Demi Lovato from trying. It never has. Dancing with the Devil…The Art of Starting Over is the seventh full-length album from the child actress turned teen phenomenon turned pop star and arrives almost four years after 2017’s often sultry, R&B-infused Tell Me You Love Me. Her discography has effectively captured many parts of the rollercoaster she has endured: even in her earliest efforts, Don’t Forget and Here We Go Again, her vocal prowess is undeniable. (Demi Lovato could still put out a great pop-punk album if she were to so choose.) She is a remarkably gifted natural vocalist. Lovato has also had a lion’s share of trials and tribulations, almost all of which have un...
From Demi Lovato to Adam Lambert, Here Are 7 of the Best ‘Mad World’ Covers
Even though Tears for Fears’ original version never charted, “Mad World” has lived on for nearly 40 years thanks to various covers. Below, Billboard rounds up some of the best interpretations of “Mad World,” starting with the most recent. Demi Lovato (2021) Lovato included her cover of “Mad World” in her seventh studio album Dancing With the Devil… The Art of Starting Over after rediscovering it during a Big Bear, Calif. trip. “I saw this song in Donnie Darko when I was 14 and have listened to it over and over,” she said in the album’s editor notes on Apple Music. Her subdued cover feels like the perfect B-side to her 2008 song “La La Land,” which speaks to working in the Hollywood “...
Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande & J Balvin to Reap Millions in HYBE Deal to Buy Ithaca Holdings
This isn’t the first time artists have received shares from HYBE. When the company went public last October on the Korean stock exchange, the seven members of BTS each got shares valued at $8 million. But sources say the equity being awarded to Ithaca’s artists is coming out of Braun’s stake. HYBE, the company behind powerhouse K-pop group BTS, said Friday (April 2) that it would pay $1.05 billion in cash and shares to acquire Ithaca Holdings, in a move designed to help the Korean company establish a strong U.S. presence in music and entertainment while also heightening its profile for American financial investors. According to terms of the deal, which is expected to close in about a month, ...
Daya on Her Love of All Things David Lynch
Kyle Meredith With… Daya Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Play | Stitcher | Radio Public | RSS Daya talks with Kyle Meredith about her new singles, including “Bad Girl”, which showcase a personal and artistic rebirth. The 22-year-old pop artist talks about finding her own sound, singing about her own sexuality, injecting her love of all things David Lynch, crossing genres and eras, and exploring the darker side of pop music. Kyle Meredith With… is an interview series in which WFPK’s Kyle Meredith speaks to a wide breadth of musicians. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, Meredith digs deep into the artist’s work to find out how the music is made and where their journey is going, from legendary artists like Robert...
Sexy Zone Debuts at No. 1, Yoasobi Rises to No. 2 on Japan Hot 100
Meanwhile, Yoasobi released the “Kaibutsu” CD this week, which sold 27,275 copies to lift the track from No. 7 to No. 2 on the Japan Hot 100. The song came in at No. 2 for sales and look-ups, adding points from these physical metrics to the already-steady digital ones: downloads (No. 3, from 7,969 to 12,354 units), streaming (No. 5, from 8,073,014 to 8,356,769 streams), and video views (No. 3, from 2,330,981 to 2,525,688 views), which have all increased this week. The Billboard Japan Hot 100 combines physical and digital sales, audio streams, radio airplay, Twitter mentions, YouTube and GYAO! video views, Gracenote look- ups and karaoke data. Check out the full Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart, dated March 22 to 28, here. You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. S...
Demi Lovato’s ‘Dancing With the Devil… The Art of Starting Over’ is Here: Stream It Now
Demi Lovato‘s new chapter begins with Dancing With the Devil… The Art of Starting Over. Her cathartic new body of work dropped on Friday (April 2). The 19-track album is separated into two parts, with the “Prelude” including the first three tracks — “Anyone,” which she debuted at the 2020 Grammys, the title track “Dancing With the Devil” and “ICU (Madison’s Lullabye)” — detailing her struggles with addiction and near-fatal heroin overdose in 2018. The Art of Starting Over turns the page and starts a new chapter in Lovato’s recovery journey with the remaining 16 songs. Following her previously released “What Other People Say” single with Sam Fischer, the album includes highly ...
