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Post by Baby Yoda Hot100Fan on Mar 30, 2021 19:13:53 GMT -5
By Billboard Staff 3/30/2021
The charts are ripe for Justin Bieber's picking this week. As his new LP Justice debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart with 154,000 equivalent album units moved, the set's single "Peaches" also bows at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
It's the eighth No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 for the Canadian pop superstar, and his seventh Hot 100 No. 1 song -- though it marks the first for the single's two featured artists, R&B singer-songwriters Giveon and Daniel Caesar. Together, the simultaneous No. 1 entrances make Bieber just the third artist to bow atop the two charts in the same week, after Taylor Swift and BTS became the first two in 2020.
What does Bieber's big week mean for his career? And what could be next to come from Justice? Billboard staffers discuss these questions and more below. Justin Bieber Debuts at No. 1 on Hot 100 With 'Peaches,' Becomes 1st Solo Male to Open Atop Hot 100 & Billboard 200 in Same Week
1. While Justin Bieber has had a long string of hits since returning with "Yummy" at the top of 2020, "Peaches" is his first No. 1 since then as the lone lead artist. Why was it this song that was able to put him back over the top?
Lyndsey Havens: While Bieber's team has said his label didn't really know what to do with the R&B-leaning Changes album that arrived in 2020, here he is with a certified R&B jam that shot him (as well as Daniel Caesar and Giveon) to No. 1. I believe it's all about power in numbers, especially when those numbers include two of R&B's leading men. Plus, on "Peaches," Bieber finds lyrical middle ground. Sure, he's singing about a fruit, but refrains from calling it that "yummy yum." And yes, he's singing about love, but without shoving marital bliss in fans' faces. When paired with a vocal delivery from all three as smooth as the track's beat, there was little in the way of this song enjoying a sweet debut atop the Hot 100.
Jason Lipshutz: I’m a big fan of both “Intentions,” the biggest radio hit from Changes, as well as the ‘80s-inspired synth-pop that composes the backbone of Justice, particularly the recent single “Hold On” and album cuts like “Somebody” and “Die For You.” With that in mind, “Peaches” is simply more immediately appealing, a rhythmic pop foray as casual as a warm spring breeze after too many months of frigid weather. On the Justice track list, “Peaches” lands like a blast of sunlight -- and based on its first-week numbers, a lot of listeners have been returning to that feeling.
Mia Nazareno: I think the assists from Giveon and Daniel Caesar propelled him to the top, tbh. If you combine Giveon and Daniel Caesar’s loyal fanbase in the R&B world with Justin’s pop following, enough people will be listening to it. The track also has a fun, seductive quality that’s easy to listen and sing along to if you don’t think about the lyrics too much. Like, what do “peaches” mean in this context? I want to know!
Neena Rouhani: Hip-hop and R&B are dominating the charts and streaming platforms right now, and Bieber really leaned into that. Calling on two coveted R&B artists who value quality over quantity is what really catapulted this track to the top. The features gave the song an extra boost and created added buzz, making it the triumphant song on the album. I also think the track is one of the first this season to emulate that big summer top-down energy after a really heavy summer last year and people are hungry for that. But at the end of the day, it's still Bieber.
Andrew Unterberger: It seems like Bieber finally found the R&B vibe that connects for him both personally and commercially. A knockout chorus and two popular guest stars certainly helps, but there's a relaxed casualness to "Peaches" that we haven't really heard from Bieb -- who's been leaning hard on near-overwhelming earnestness in most of his recent singles -- since his last No. 1 single as a featured artist, "I'm the One." It's certainly a fit for the upcoming warm-weather months, and just kind of a good wavelength for Bieber in general.
2. Justice returns Bieber to the top of the Billboard 200 for the eighth time, but with a smaller first-week number than Changes (231,000 to 154,000), after Changes was far down from Purpose. Is it a worrying trend for Bieber, or more a sign of the times for 2021 pop/R&B than anything?
Lyndsey Havens: Well, it is and isn't a sign of the times. For example, Taylor Swift closed 2020 with the top-selling album, Folklore, which in its debut week earned 846,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. Sure, that number is eight times was Justice moved, but even that figure was slightly less than her previous album (2019's Lover earned 867,000 equivalent album units in its opening week, while 2017's Reputation was well over one million). In general, I'd say the numbers are going down, but that it shouldn't be a cause for concern for any one artist in particular. Plus, Bieber may be selling cassettes of Justice, but isn't offering any vinyl pre-sale, a format that has continued to spike year-over-year and in the case of Swift, did help drive sales.
Jason Lipshutz: Part of that new first-week number can be chalked up to slight over-saturation -- after all, Changes was Bieber’s first album in five years, and Justice has arrived just 13 months later, with several singles in between to keep the Biebs fresh in everyone’s minds. Plus, Changes preceded a huge (soon-to-be-postponed) Bieber tour last year, with a concert ticket/album sale redemption offer attached to it, while Justice has arrived in the middle of a pandemic and in a post-bundles chart world. Long story short, another six-figure No. 1 debut should be more than enough to satisfy Team Bieber.
Mia Nazareno: Yes, I think it is worrying, but Justin’s trying to fully cross over from pop to R&B and that’s not necessarily a natural transition for him (or his fans). The R&B sound of Justice is of course historically rooted in Black music, and I think Justin is aware of that -- as evidenced by him including snippets of MLK speeches in the album's intro and interlude, to everyone’s surprise. Especially in 2021, young listeners are more woke than ever, and they have their radar up for when an artist is appropriating and benefiting from a culture that’s not their own. R&B is also an especially trendy genre right now with so many artists – especially women – killing it. With Jazmine Sullivan, H.E.R., and SZA dominating the R&B space, I’m not entirely surprised that Justin is having some difficulty holding on to the top spot.
Neena Rouhani: All in all, I’d say it’s worrying. I think the numbers for Justice being lower than Changes is a testament to the musical landscape in this moment. JB dropped Changes in early February 2020, when the music industry felt comparatively normal. Now, so much has changed. There’s sort of a renaissance happening in music, post pandemic. We especially see this in R&B and hip-hop; the numbers are going crazy. To put it simply, there’s some really amazing poppy R&B coming out and that creates a lot of competition for Bieber. To me, Purpose was his last album that felt really cohesive and fresh. With the help of great writers, the project pushed him into both dance and R&B and established him as a legitimate genre-spanning star. With Justice, it seems like he’s riding this “redemption” wave and trying to recreate the Purpose sound, but between the lyrical content, long track list, MLK speeches and overall sound, for me it just reads as confusing.
Andrew Unterberger: I'd say a slightly depressed streaming consumption market plus a lack of ticket bundles and other chart minutiae probably makes up most of the difference in first-week numbers between Changes and Purpose -- though it's clear that the Purpose-era days of Bieber putting up numbers to make him the envy of all other stars are probably firmly in the rearview at this point. Still, "Peaches" is already his biggest hit in years, and anyone who thought that the lukewarm reception to Changes (and "Yummy" in particular) marked a major career turning point for Bieber has now been proven wrong several times over.
3. "Peaches" brings two featured artists to No. 1 for the first time in a pair of acclaimed R&B singer/songwriters, Giveon and Daniel Caesar. Which of the two would you say the crossover success of "Peaches" is more meaningful to?
Lyndsey Havens: I don't think it's more or less meaningful to either, but I do think the timing is more fortuitous for Giveon. The rising artist's debut EP earned a Grammy nod for best R&B album this year, and he recently scored a top 5 entry on the Billboard 200 with the deluxe reissue of his second EP, 2020's When It's All Said and Done. Following a successful chart run last year, a crossover chart-topper early into 2021 couldn't have come at a better time to cement his status as an R&B star.
Jason Lipshutz: Giveon has become an ascendant force in modern R&B, earning millions of streams with his high-profile collaborations like “Peaches” and Drake’s “Chicago Freestyle,” as well as on his own tracks like “Heartbreak Anniversary.” “Peaches” ticks off another box in the singer-songwriter’s rise, but the No. 1 hit is actually more meaningful to Caesar, a critically acclaimed, slow-jam-focused artist who had never climbed higher than No. 75 on the Hot 100 prior to this week. Giveon could be on his way to scoring several crossover hits, but for Caesar, “Peaches” represents a change-up and a wholly unexpected smash.
Mia Nazareno: I would say it means more to Daniel Caesar! Giveon is a tiny bit more current given his recent chart success, but I think that people would already talking about Giveon even without a feature on a JB track. Whereas Daniel Caesar’s Case Study 01 peaked at No. 17 on Billboard 200 in 2019. And as much as I loooove Daniel Caesar and all his collabs with the coolest women in music -- like H.E.R., Jessie Reyez, and Kali Uchis -- he’s been playing it a bit lowkey for the last few years. Having said that, I’m just happy Daniel is back, and I’m hopeful that I’ll be re-obsessed with his music in 2021.
Neena Rouhani: Let’s establish that Justin Bieber is benefitting the most from the two features. The conversations surrounding "Peaches" are overwhelmingly about Bieber and further molding this R&B image he’s creating. It also follows the trend of his last three Hot 100 No. 1s -- they're all collaborations. With that being said, it’s Giveon next. Daniel Caesar already had four Grammy nominations across three award seasons and took home a win. This is Giveon’s first time being in a lot of people’s music libraries. While I do fully understand the argument that this track is helping Daniel Caesar rebuild his audience after a brutal public image crisis, I think the exposure it’s giving Giveon at this early point in his career is extremely meaningful.
Andrew Unterberger: It's certainly good news and good timing for both, as Daniel Caesar gets his name back into headlines for positive reasons and Giveon continues building on the recent commercial roll that he's on. Who it means more for will depend on what each has coming next, but my money would probably be on Giveon, since he's still the newer name and he's the one with the hit still climbing the Hot 100 ("Heartbreak Anniversary" is up to No. 29). By year's end, there aren't going to be a lot of music fans left who still don't know his name.
4. How satisfied are you with "Peaches" being the breakout track from Justice? Is there another new (or new-ish) cut on Justice you'd like to see follow it to similar success?
Lyndsey Havens: I will say, after watching Bieber's Tiny Desk (Home) Concert, "Peaches" immediately stood out for its, "Oh... huh... what's that?" quality. It had the same impact after the first listen through of the album, so I do feel content that it's the breakout track of the moment. That said, a track like "Die For You" with Dominic Fike is more uptempo and on-trend with the pop-leaning alternative hip-hop hits of today, while "Loved By You" is a personal favorite and hopeful follow-up hit. You can't go wrong with a Burna Boy guest spot.
Jason Lipshutz: “Peaches” deserves its time in the sun -- all peaches do, to fully grow! -- but let’s get a prolonged summer run for “Somebody,” the anti-isolation anthem that’s co-produced by Skrillex and returns Bieber to his festival-conquering Purpose days. The song distills the qualities of that unstoppable singles run, then applies them to Bieber’s latest, synth-laden approach to pop, with engrossing results.
Mia Nazareno: I’m a big Daniel Caesar fan, so I’m very satisfied with “Peaches” getting all the recognition so far. Besides that, I do quite enjoy the fourth track “Off My Face.” From “One Less Lonely Girl” to “Boyfriend” to “Sorry,” JB is at his best when he’s singing exactly what girls want to hear. “Off My Face” is no exception especially when Justin sings: It's your world and I'm just in it. To me, that certainly sounds like he’s graduated from boyfriend to husband status.
Neena Rouhani: With “Peaches,” I get it but I don’t get it. Don’t get me wrong, I like the song. Production wise, it’s the most simplistic among the R&B cuts, and in a lot of cases, less is more. It’s definitely a smooth listen and the hook is catchy. There were other songs on the album I liked more, like “Off My Face” and “Love You Different,” but I understand why "Peaches" was the one they chose to run with and I’m so excited for both Giveon and Daniel Caesar, two standout R&B artists, both notching their first No. 1.
Andrew Unterberger: Can't argue with the results, and I generally think "Peaches" is worthy of the four-quadrant pop domination it seems to be setting up for, even if I wish there was a bit more to the song beyond the groove and the chorus. But it's a very minor shame to me that the uptempo "Hold On," my favorite of the advance tracks from Justice, does seem like the only one that's not going to get an extended chart run, by virtue of radio and streaming playlists having too many older Bieber songs still to spin, and now having a new colossus to contend with in "Peaches." Oh well: It can join "Friends" and "Die in Your Arms" in the mini-canon of potentially classic Bieber singles that fell in between the cracks. Inside Justin Bieber's New World: Therapy, Date Nights and Delivering 'Justice'
5. Between "Peaches" and Harry Styles' "Watermelon Sugar," it's back-to-back years now with a fruit No. 1. What should be the next fruit-themed smash to complete the hat trick in 2022?
Lyndsey Havens: I suppose strawberries could have a moment? Sure, why not. Strawberries, final answer.
Jason Lipshutz: Coming in 2022, hopefully: “Apple Bottom Jeans,” Flo Rida’s self-re-imagining of “Low” that returns the rapper to his rightful Hot 100 perch. Too many years have passed since a good old-fashioned ubiquitous Flo Rida single; time to take it back to where it all began.
Mia Nazareno: “Pomegranate” by Lizzo – inspired by her favorite pandemic snack, as reported by her TikTok account.
Neena Rouhani: Oh God…are lemons a fruit?
Andrew Unterberger: Drake keeps getting closer -- "Diced Pineapples" with Rick Ross and Wale hitting No. 71 in 2014, then "Passionfruit" reaching No. 8 in 2017 -- and apparently blueberries are a top Canadian export, so maybe a "Blueberry Syrup" anthem for when the clubs reopen could get him back to pole position.
4. How satisfied are you with "Peaches" being the breakout track from Justice? Is there another new (or new-ish) cut on Justice you'd like to see follow it to similar success?
Lyndsey Havens: I will say, after watching Bieber's Tiny Desk (Home) Concert, "Peaches" immediately stood out for its, "Oh... huh... what's that?" quality. It had the same impact after the first listen through of the album, so I do feel content that it's the breakout track of the moment. That said, a track like "Die For You" with Dominic Fike is more uptempo and on-trend with the pop-leaning alternative hip-hop hits of today, while "Loved By You" is a personal favorite and hopeful follow-up hit. You can't go wrong with a Burna Boy guest spot.
Jason Lipshutz: “Peaches” deserves its time in the sun -- all peaches do, to fully grow! -- but let’s get a prolonged summer run for “Somebody,” the anti-isolation anthem that’s co-produced by Skrillex and returns Bieber to his festival-conquering Purpose days. The song distills the qualities of that unstoppable singles run, then applies them to Bieber’s latest, synth-laden approach to pop, with engrossing results.
Mia Nazareno: I’m a big Daniel Caesar fan, so I’m very satisfied with “Peaches” getting all the recognition so far. Besides that, I do quite enjoy the fourth track “Off My Face.” From “One Less Lonely Girl” to “Boyfriend” to “Sorry,” JB is at his best when he’s singing exactly what girls want to hear. “Off My Face” is no exception especially when Justin sings: It's your world and I'm just in it. To me, that certainly sounds like he’s graduated from boyfriend to husband status.
Neena Rouhani: With “Peaches,” I get it but I don’t get it. Don’t get me wrong, I like the song. Production wise, it’s the most simplistic among the R&B cuts, and in a lot of cases, less is more. It’s definitely a smooth listen and the hook is catchy. There were other songs on the album I liked more, like “Off My Face” and “Love You Different,” but I understand why "Peaches" was the one they chose to run with and I’m so excited for both Giveon and Daniel Caesar, two standout R&B artists, both notching their first No. 1.
Andrew Unterberger: Can't argue with the results, and I generally think "Peaches" is worthy of the four-quadrant pop domination it seems to be setting up for, even if I wish there was a bit more to the song beyond the groove and the chorus. But it's a very minor shame to me that the uptempo "Hold On," my favorite of the advance tracks from Justice, does seem like the only one that's not going to get an extended chart run, by virtue of radio and streaming playlists having too many older Bieber songs still to spin, and now having a new colossus to contend with in "Peaches." Oh well: It can join "Friends" and "Die in Your Arms" in the mini-canon of potentially classic Bieber singles that fell in between the cracks.
5. Between "Peaches" and Harry Styles' "Watermelon Sugar," it's back-to-back years now with a fruit No. 1. What should be the next fruit-themed smash to complete the hat trick in 2022?
Lyndsey Havens: I suppose strawberries could have a moment? Sure, why not. Strawberries, final answer.
Jason Lipshutz: Coming in 2022, hopefully: “Apple Bottom Jeans,” Flo Rida’s self-re-imagining of “Low” that returns the rapper to his rightful Hot 100 perch. Too many years have passed since a good old-fashioned ubiquitous Flo Rida single; time to take it back to where it all began.
Mia Nazareno: “Pomegranate” by Lizzo – inspired by her favorite pandemic snack, as reported by her TikTok account.
Neena Rouhani: Oh God…are lemons a fruit?
Andrew Unterberger: Drake keeps getting closer -- "Diced Pineapples" with Rick Ross and Wale hitting No. 71 in 2014, then "Passionfruit" reaching No. 8 in 2017 -- and apparently blueberries are a top Canadian export, so maybe a "Blueberry Syrup" anthem for when the clubs reopen could get him back to pole position.
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Post by Baby Yoda Hot100Fan on Apr 6, 2021 15:30:33 GMT -5
By Billboard Staff 4/6/2021
Nearly two years after his Hot 100 takeover with “Old Town Road” kicked off, Lil Nas X has returned to the top of the chart this week with “Montero (Call Me By Your Name).” The new single, which was boosted in part by a must-see music video, debuts at No. 1 on the Hot 100 with 46.9 million U.S. streams, according to MRC Data, and earns Lil Nas X another chart-topper after “Old Town Road” spent a record 19 weeks at No. 1 in 2019.
How surprising is Lil Nas X’s latest chart achievement? And is the controversy “Montero” has caused since its release replicable by other pop stars? Billboard staffers discuss these questions and more below.
1. “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” is now Lil Nas X’s second career No. 1 single after debuting atop the Hot 100. On a scale of 1-10, how surprised are you that “Montero” was the song to return Nas to the chart penthouse?
Andrew Unterberger: If you had asked me two Fridays ago when I heard the song for the first time, I would've said a 9 at least -- it didn't sound like an obvious hit to me, and obviously Lil Nas X's chart track record since "Old Town Road" has been respectable, but not automatic-number-one respectable. But after a couple days of Internet-wide back-and-forth over the song and its video, that number would've dropped to a 4 or 5, and then by mid-last week, I would've been surprised if it didn't go to No. 1. Lil Nas X is simply prodigious at turning controversy into chart success.
Heran Mamo: 0, because I was expecting it. Even with “Old Town Road” being the longest-running No. 1 song in the Hot 100’s history, Lil Nas X didn't give me the impression that he’d be a one-hit wonder. He’s constantly innovating his sound, his visuals and his marketing strategies. But the latter was pretty much done for him this time around (more on that later).
Jason Lipshutz: Let’s say a 6. While I didn’t doubt Lil Nas X’s ability to score more pop hits following the monster run of “Old Town Road” in 2019, the fact that he’s done so with a song that sounds nothing like his chart-busting debut, while trading in cowboy-cosplay lyrics for an earnest outpouring of queer love, is both an unexpected and wholly impressive commercial feat. Obviously the marketing of the song and the chatter surrounding its presentation helped heighten interest during its release week, but as a pure pop song, “Montero” packs in plenty of personality and immediate hooks in the span of two minutes and change, so no one should be shocked that it’s quickly become a smash.
Katie Bain: "Montero" is a really solid song with a compelling sense of pep and as solid a melody as anything Lil Nas X has previously released. I'm not surprised that it's at No. 1, but certainly that position is largely a function of its satanically raunchy video. That said though, the song is strong enough to stand on its own -- no stripper pole necessary.
Stephen Daw: Unequivocally, it's a 1 for me. The moment the song and video were released, I felt very strongly that Lil Nas X had yet another hit on his hands. Especially after his record-breaking run with "Old Town Road," it was clear to myself and many others that Nas wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. Between the hype he built around the release date itself, the incredible melody, the clever lyrics, and yes, that insane music video, there was no chance that this song wasn't going to be huge.
2. How much credit for the No. 1 debut do you give the song’s music video, specifically the controversy caused by its lapdance-in-Hell sequence?
Andrew Unterberger: Most. The song is fine -- and certainly will prove impactful, if not downright historic, as the first song this explicit about gay sex to have commercial success so wide and immediate -- but on its own, I don't think it could've moved the needle nearly this much, and certainly not this quickly. The video, combined with the Satan sneaks, and Lil Nas X's generally peerless social media activity are what made "Montero" an unavoidable part of pop culture the past week and a half, and it's why we're talking about this song as a major 2021 moment, rather than simply one of the biggest new songs of the week.
Heran Mamo: The music video did a devilishly good job getting the song to No. 1, and with nearly 100 million YouTube views in less than two weeks, I’m giving it significant credit. The controversy behind the “Satan Shoes” also helped the song take off – even if the sneakers are legally not allowed to fly off the shelves. There is quite possibly no such thing as bad publicity for Lil Nas X in the case of “Montero,” since religious and conservative critics unintentionally made his song even more popular. The devil works hard, but Lil Nas X for sure works harder.
Jason Lipshutz: Without the music video, “Montero” would still likely be a hit for Lil Nas X... but it’s hard to imagine the song streaking to No. 1 without its visual causing so much discussion (both positive and negative) and bulking up its overall streaming numbers. To me, the performance of “Montero” demonstrates just how crucial the music video remains as a medium in the post-MTV viewing era: if you capture the public’s attention with a smart, must-see concept, enormous dividends could be in store.
Katie Bain: Righteous indignation is definitely a valuable commodity, and I think it's reasonable to say that a lot of people watched this video after hearing about it as a source of moral outrage. I think a lot of those people then immediately rewatched it, because it's just a really delicious three minutes of biblically inspired glitz.
Stephen Daw: I would like to think that the song would have performed well regardless of the video. That being said, you cannot look at the success of this song and not immediately point to the media storm Nas caused over the last two weeks thanks to a pole, a pair Calvin Klein underwear and some expert-level grinding on Lucifer. Attention is attention, and there is simply no one currently working in the industry as good at garnering everyone's attention than Lil Nas X.
3. Much like with Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s “WAP” last year, the controversy surrounding “Montero” this week yielded heightened interest in the song/video, and a No. 1 debut on the Hot 100. Do you think more artists will try to purposely morph outrage into big streaming numbers in the near future?
Andrew Unterberger: They very well might -- Cardi/Megan and Lil Nas X have certainly proven that getting debated on Fox News is a much more reliable path to viral success than exploding on TikTok has ever been -- but I doubt they'll be as good at it. The reason why "WAP" and "Montero" were able to shoot right to the forefront of the discourse are because Cardi and LNX are very possibly the two smartest current pop stars when it comes to knowing what the Internet really feeds on, and how best to deliver it. They were able to simultaneously stoke their respective outrages while also rolling their eyes at them, in a way that made them look in complete control of the situation, but not manipulative or thirsty. That's a tougher high dive than you might think, and a lesser artist (or a lesser provocateur) would bellyflop attempting it.
Heran Mamo: I don’t think artists like Cardi B, Megan Thee Stallion and Lil Nas X need to purposefully wield the outrage their songs and videos have provoked to have splashy No. 1 debuts. With “WAP,” religious and conservative critics proved how much they hate to see Black women rap about sex and perform about their own pleasure; with “Montero,” they didn’t want to see Black queer men rap about sex and lap dance on the devil. All three rappers clapped back at the very racist and homophobic systems that oppress them, and not only do fans in the Black and LGBTQ+ communities find solidarity in their responses -- which can lead to major streaming gains -- but the songs’ successes prove those societal institutions wrong. Plus, natural curiosity from any observer trying to make sense of all the hubbub will have to look up the song in question and eventually go down the rabbit hole to its viral music video component, with or without realizing they’re contributing to a hit.
Jason Lipshutz: The modern blueprint has clearly been set by “WAP” and now “Montero”: make a piece of pop that will conjure politicized fury, which will then provoke a backlash to that fury in defense of the art, and all the while watch people on both sides of the issue consume that piece of art. Leaning into shock value is nothing new, but in these hyper-partisan times, outrage seems easier to exploit than ever. With these two songs and their accompanying videos, that outrage has existed on the conservative side -- which makes me wonder if we’re too far away from a hit single that squarely aims to provoke liberal anger on its way to millions of streams.
Katie Bain: Probably, but while anybody can make a controversial song and video, an artist really needs to have the acumen and attitude to ride, control and expand the spotlight created by that controversy, particularly on social media. Megan, Cardi and Lil Nas X are all really good at Twitter, Instagram and all the other platforms where a hit can become a mega-hit. Without those comebacks, clapbacks, pieces of bonus content and the other digital detritus that raise the profile of a song -- and help relay a sense of authenticity from the artist who made it -- trying to stoke controversy and boost streaming numbers simply by being controversial can not only fall flat, but also come off as reductive.
Stephen Daw: The short answer is yes. Burgeoning artists will look at the success of these songs, and absolutely go out of their way to create something intentionally provocative to try and stoke public interest. But I'll point out an important factor here — both "Montero" and "WAP" are catchy, fun, irresistibly infectious songs. Yes, both songs are purposefully and intentionally controversial, but controversy alone cannot make a hit. The content, from production to melody to lyrics, has to be refined and done right in order for a "scandalous" song like “Montero” to work.
4. After bursting through with “Old Town Road” two years ago, Lil Nas X has evolved his sound and visual aesthetic in some compelling ways, from “Panini” to “Holiday” to “Montero.” What do you think of his artistic evolution, and what would you like to see more of from his future music?
Andrew Unterberger: I’m not really sure, to be honest. While I have the utmost respect for Lil Nas X as a content creator and as a discussion advancer, as a songwriter I think his hits since "Old Town Road" have been pretty messy and sort of undefined. He might need new collaborators, or he might need practice to better figure out how to filter his personality into his songs -- or he might just need to ignore me entirely, since he's clearly doing fine without my help. But I still think we're an era away from Lil Nas X making the pop music that really backs up his pop stardom.
Heran Mamo: I think after coming out, Lil Nas X has grown more comfortable embracing himself more with his artistic vision. He’s not afraid to express himself through dress or message, especially with “Montero” normalizing queer storylines in popular music. In the future, I want to keep seeing him make 14-year-old Montero not only seen and heard but also proud.
Jason Lipshutz: Considering how huge “Old Town Road” was -- and how impossible it would be to ever try to top its chart performance -- Lil Nas X’s next few acts have played out as a best-case scenario for an artist who wanted to desperately avoid one-hit wonder status. He’s had a handful of memorable collaborations post-“Old Town Road” with artists like Cardi B and Das, kept his cheekier side intact on “Holiday,” and now has another No. 1 hit with his most personally revealing single to date. Good for Lil Nas X; also, justice for “Holiday,” an absolute banger that should have been bigger last year.
Katie Bain: The cotton candy robo-future aesthetic Lil Nas X been working with more or less since "Panini" is not just visually stimulating, but one he's really made his own -- and one which I think speaks to him becoming increasingly more comfortable with himself, his artistry and with pushing boundaries. He should just keep doing that until he can't no more.
Stephen Daw: I have loved watching Lil Nas X grow from "Old Town Road." It's so clear that he saw his success and realized that he could push the limits, and it's been a blast watching him play with more eccentric fashion and weave in wildly different genres into his sound. As for the future, I hope he continues the work he's started with "Montero" — unapologetically giving the middle finger to anyone that has a problem Black queer superstar succeeding.
5. Finish the sentence: two years after it first hit No. 1 on the Hot 100, “Old Town Road”...
Andrew Unterberger: ...is still one of the best pop songs of the 21st century. I really wish we could fast forward past the stage where everyone's dismissing it as a juiced-up novelty hit, or music for kids, or just a meme song with no actual listenability, and get to the point where we realize how lucky we were to get a genre-mashing song that fresh, that inspired and that unexpectedly coherent as the biggest song in the country for 19 weeks. It's coming, eventually.
Heran Mamo: ...is one of the greatest success stories by an artist who has constantly been told he couldn’t do something and constantly broken out of genre- and gender-based boxes people tried to confine him in.
Jason Lipshutz: ...rules! I’ve somehow never gotten sick of “Old Town Road,” and will be happy to hear it at every major gathering for the rest of my days. Blast it at every wedding reception, karaoke night, summer festival. The best single of 2019 still bangs in 2021, and will bang long after it.
Katie Bain: ...is still stuck in my head.
Stephen Daw: ...is. Still. A. Bop. Don't @ me.
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Post by Baby Yoda Hot100Fan on Apr 13, 2021 18:41:06 GMT -5
Somehow PYRO and Ritt Momney came up in this article:
By Billboard Staff 4/13/2021
In March, it looked like Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak might've missed their best shot at a No. 1 for the lead single from their joint Silk Sonic project, when "Leave the Door Open" debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100, below the three tracks from Drake's Scary Hours 2 song pack.
But a month later, the song has proven it didn't waste its only chance in that debut week. After climbing to No. 2 a few weeks ago, the song finally jumps to No. 1 in its fifth week on its listing -- helped by top-five performance in all three component metrics of radio, sales, and streams, and given an extra boost by a pair of CD single versions of the track that shipped to consumers during the prior chart week.
What does the song's performance mean for the upcoming An Evening With Silk Sonic full-length project? And who is the No. 1 more meaningful for, Mars or .Paak? Billboard staffers discuss these questions and more below.
1. Four weeks ago in this column, we debated whether or not Silk Sonic had made a bad move by releasing "Leave the Door Open" the same week as Drake's Scary Hours 2 three-pack, which occupied all the top three spots on the Hot 100 that week and left Silk Sonic to debut at No. 4. On a scale of 1-10, how surprised are you that it's turned out to be a mostly moot point, as "Door" has climbed to No. 1 in its fifth week?
Rania Aniftos: Around a 3. Despite Drake’s chart takeover last month, Bruno and Anderson have been steadily continuing to promote “Leave the Door Open” in creative, funny ways – whether it be a Fortnite dance, a live version of the song or sassy social media posts. They’ve kept “Leave the Door Open” fun, relevant and in our heads, and I'm not too surprised that as a result, the song naturally climbed up the Hot 100.
Katie Atkinson: 1. Surprisingly for a modern artist who now has eight Hot 100 chart-toppers, Bruno Mars has never once debuted at No. 1. So while I expect him to find his way to the top, I don't expect him to start there. (Until he eventually does debut at No. 1… and that probably won't really surprise me either.)
Carl Lamarre: Five. I'm more surprised that Drizzy's Hot 100 trifecta deflated so quickly versus Silk's ascension to the summit. Those buttery vocals on "Leave The Door Open" were too irresistible to pass up. Their climb was inevitable. The Silk Gang nimbly threaded a polished '70s soundscape from top to bottom and, because of that, are more than deserving of this feat.
Joe Lynch: Ah yes, I remember that column as if it were 28 days ago. My surprise registers at a 2.5 here – in my blurb from that column, I predicted an eventual No. 1 for Silk Sonic, and here we are. I'm not patting myself on the back, though: A kid in a red-orange puffer vest time travelled to give me a heads up on this one.
Andrew Unterberger: I'll say 7. I just didn't think "Leave the Door Open" was commercial enough for 2021 to have the juice to keep growing after the first couple weeks. But continuing to doubt Bruno Mars on the charts is only slightly less stupid than continuing to doubt Drake, so I really have no one but myself to blame for still being surprised at this point.
2. Obviously an early '70s soul throwback isn't the most traditional of hits for 2021 -- especially one that's proven successful on streaming, in sales and on the radio. Is it mostly just a matter of the combined star power (and track record) of Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak, or is there something more about the song itself that's allowed it to become such a hit?
Rania Aniftos: The song admittedly wasn’t my favorite when it first came out, but I’ve warmed up to it recently – partially because I adore the combo of two famously cool guys like Bruno and Anderson, who have channeled their humor and retro sense of style into a new music venture. Their personalities are infectious, which makes a throwback song like “Leave the Door Open” more digestible for a younger, modern audience. I’m sensing that many others had the same experience I had, and now the song’s a bonafide hit.
Katie Atkinson: A little bit of both. Even though it's not a dance-floor filler like "Uptown Funk!" or "24K Magic," "Leave the Door Open" has a lot of the same charm, from its tongue-in-cheek lyrics to its comfortably familiar musical influences. And while .Paak has been around for years and has four Grammys under his belt, he's now riding Mars' universally appealing coattails to the mainstream recognition he finally deserves thanks to this quirky side project.
Carl Lamarre: I think the pairing of Bruno and Anderson helped catapult them to the promised land. We know Bruno is a perennial contender on the Hot 100 every time he drops, but forging this musical bond with Anderson is the proverbial cherry on top. It's a shame that we still peg Andy as an underrated act despite the Grammy wins and his musical prowess. When you bring those kinds of forces together, magic ensues, and ultimately, you "leave the open door" for endless possibilities.
Joe Lynch: Hard to discount the star power, of course, but if Bruno Mars has taught us anything over the last decade, it's that his Unorthodox Jukebox approach to hitmaking can and does perform against the grain: The vast majority of his radio hits have tapped throwback sounds not currently in vogue. It's a formula that he's been able to replicate for himself, but almost no one else has been able to repeat.
Andrew Unterberger: It's mostly the star power, but yeah, Bruno does have an uncanny ability to nail the retro trends that aren't necessarily in vogue at the moment, but which folks still have an appetite for. He's nailed it before with the funk-wave hybrid '80s sound of "Locked Out of Heaven" and the pure new jack swing of the "Finesse" remix, and now he's got it with the lush Philly soul of "Leave the Door Open."
3. The No. 1 is Bruno Mars' eighth overall since his 2010 debut -- tied for most of any artist in that timespan -- but it's Anderson .Paak's first, and indeed, just his second Hot 100 hit total (after a brief cameo at No. 89 as a guest of Eminem's on "Lock It Up" in early 2020). Which of the two artists does this No. 1 mean more for, in your opinion?
Rania Aniftos: I’m going to say Anderson .Paak because it’s about time he gets the chart recognition he deserves (albeit in a joint alias). He’s been releasing such incredible music since 2012 and Malibu is one of my favorite albums of all time. While his albums have made appearances on the Billboard 200, the artistry of songs like “Heart Don’t Stand a Chance” hasn’t shone through on the Hot 100 and I’m happy that the combined starpower with Bruno helped propel that a bit. As you can tell, I’m very passionate about this, so maybe I’m the one that the No. 1 means the most to.
Katie Atkinson: Absolutely Anderson. Hip-hop fans likely saw his name for the first time when he was featured on six tracks of Dr. Dre's surprise 2015 album Compton, but he's never had a mainstream look like this before. This will be the song that makes my mom learn his name.
Carl Lamarre: Going back to my answer for No. 2, this does more for Anderson. You read down his stat line, and you'll understand why he's a true gem in music: Four gold trophies from the Grammys, a true opus in 2016's Malibu, and a fistful of collaborations with Kendrick Lamar, Dr. Dre, and Andre 3000, but yet he's still lacked a pure chart win on the Hot 100. This accolade gets the monkey off his back, and serves as a good building block for him as he continues to position himself as a musical great.
Joe Lynch: Paak. He's enjoyed critical praise and rabid response to his live crowds for years now, but Hot 100 success has evaded him. It's gotta be validating to breeze past that No. 89 peak and sit comfortably atop the throne with a song that's firing on all cylinders (streaming, radio, sales).
Andrew Unterberger: Gonna deviate from my colleagues here and say this actually means more for Bruno. Yes, it's more of a chart first for Anderson -- but still, few will think of this as an Anderson .Paak song, so much as a Bruno song with Anderson along for the ride. And while Bruno Mars has been close to automatic on the Hot 100 for over a decade now, you never know what it means for an artist's relevance when they get to that second decade, and we hadn't really heard much from Bruno in a few years before this. Don't underestimate the importance of him re-establishing his star power being as bright and high in the sky as it's ever been.
4. Do you think that the success of "Leave the Door Open" leaves, well, the door open for the upcoming An Evening With Silk Sonic album to be one of the year's biggest? Or will the early excitement for "Door" largely dry up by the time of the album's eventual release?
Rania Aniftos: Yup, it will keep the door wide open. I’m thinking that “Leave the Door Open” is just the tip of the iceberg of what they’ve been up to, and the singles, music videos and antics are only going to get better from here. Hopefully, they’ll be able to launch a sold-out tour as a duo too.
Katie Atkinson: Looking at how massive Bruno's last album (2016's 24K Magic) was and knowing that it was similarly referential to bygone musical eras, I think the album will be huge. Mars seems to have cracked the code of appealing to an older crowd that misses "real music" while not coming off as (too) cheesy to younger fans. He makes unapologetically fun wedding music.
Carl Lamarre: No lie, if "Leave the Door Open" serves as a precursor into what Silk Sonic can provide late in crunch time, then I think An Evening With Silk Sonic has the makings of a classic. Bruno and Andy dished out a masterclass on '70s soul with their first single. Can you imagine what they can do on 10-12 tracks together? Two precocious and prolific star musicians in one booth can only mean one thing: championship ring vibes.
Joe Lynch: This will be one of the year's biggest for sure. Had "Leave the Door Open" debuted at No. 1 then dropped off a cliff, I think we could entertain arguments that it was fueled by buzz and curiosity; but the fact that it stuck around in the Hot 100's top 5 for a month, gained steam at radio and finally went No. 1 makes its success all the sweeter. It indicates that Silk Sonic isn't coasting by on mere early excitement, but is connecting with listeners.
Andrew Unterberger: Yep -- in the words of Michael Jordan, the ceiling is the roof for An Evening With Silk Sonic at this point. The duo still hasn't announced a sure-to-be-much-anticipated tour behind the project, or even released an upbeat summer- (or wedding-)ready single from it yet. Big numbers are incoming, for sure.
5. It's been speculated that "Leave the Door Open" is at least in part playing off the title and chorus to Teddy Pendergrass' 1978 hit "Close the Door." What's another soul classic who you'd enjoy seeing Silk Sonic respond to or update with one of their follow-up singles?
Rania Aniftos: The Temptations’ “My Girl.” They’ll find a way to make it fun, sultry and swoon-worthy.
Katie Atkinson: The first thing that popped into my head was the Isley Brothers' "Between the Sheets," maybe because of their recent Verzuz battle. It just fits the whole lovermen vibe Silk Sonic is going for to a T. Of course, Biggie already borrowed that beat for "Big Poppa," so maybe they could do another play on the title and not just a straight cover to create a whole new bedroom banger. "On Top of the Sheets"? Or "Under the Sheets"? I'll let them decide their personal preferences.
Carl Lamarre: I would double dare Bruno and Andy to remake Marvin Gaye's 1971 hit "What's Going On." With the current climate of police brutality in chaos, if Bruno and Andy can put aside the bedroom banter to speak on the senseless killings of Daunte Wright, George Floyd, Breanna Taylor, and more, that would be such a powerful message. Last year, we saw Andy ring the alarm with his evocative single "Lockdown," but with Bruno in-tow and his commercial viability, this remake could remind folks of the importance of protecting Black people in America.
Joe Lynch: I would love Silk Sonic to release a rebuttal song to Ritt Momney's viral cover of Corinne Bailey Rae's contemporary soul classic "Put Your Records On." Entitled "Take Those Records Off, Ritt," this buttery response song would take aim at TikTok trends, reminding listeners that inclusion in a TimeLife informercial is the only true measurement of a song's lasting impact.
Andrew Unterberger: Let's keep it in Philadelphia to take an O'Jays classic to that next level: "Love Plane."
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Post by Baby Yoda Hot100Fan on Apr 20, 2021 15:40:12 GMT -5
By Billboard Staff 4/20/2021
For the third time in the past 12 months, Taylor Swift has a No. 1 debut on the Billboard 200 albums chart. For the first time in her career, it's with an album that she's (mostly) recorded before.
Fearless (Taylor's Version), Swift's re-do of her 2008 sophomore set -- accompanied by six newly recorded songs that were written during sessions for the original album -- bows atop the 200 with a stunning 291,000 equivalent album units moved, the best first week for any album thusfar in 2021. In addition, the set charts eight of its 26 tracks on the Billboard Hot 100 this week, led by the new "Mr. Perfectly Fine (Taylor's Version) (From the Vault)" at No. 30.
What have we learned from this re-recorded Fearless? And would other artists be able to replicate its success? Billboard staffers answer these questions and more below.
1. Taylor Swift is now at a level where she's putting up blockbuster first-week numbers with her combination re-recordings/deluxe reissues. How do you even begin to put this fairly unprecedented achievement in proper context?
Lyndsey Havens: It's the "three largest weeks for an album in the last eight months" for me. That record requires some breaking down, because you first must acknowledge that for Swift to have claimed the three biggest weeks among albums in units earned, she had to release three albums in eight months. And though the first-week units have declined from Folklore (846,000) to Evermore (329,000) to Fearless (Taylor's Version) (291,000), all that does is prove just how massive Folklore was to begin with.
Jason Lipshutz: Let’s set the first-week numbers aside for a second, as gaudy as they are, and focus on the fact that Fearless (Taylor’s Version) is the first No. 1 album that’s also a re-recorded version of another album. How many artists could launch a project that is ostensibly a note-for-note re-creation of an existing, widely available album straight to the top of the chart? This achievement speaks not only to the stadium-packing popularity of Swift, which is now squarely in its second decade, but to the dedication of a fan base that understands her battle for creative ownership and is ready to support her every step of the way.
Mia Nazareno: At 31, Taylor Swift has earned nine No. 1 albums, and ties with veteran superstar/cultural icon Madonna for having the second most No. 1 albums among women artists. Swift is closely trailing behind Barbra Streisand’s record of having eleven No. 1 albums, and at the rate she's going it’s not crazy to think that she can surpass Streisand within the year. In the last eight months, Swift put out three albums – the Grammy-winning Folkore, Evermore, and Fearless (Taylor’s Version) -- which all debuted at the top spot on the Billboard 200. The numbers are staggering, but what I’m most pleased about is Swift dethroning Morgan Wallen -- in the middle of one of the year's biggest musical controversies -- at No. 1 and halting his streak on the top spot on Top Country Albums. She dethroned him with songs people have already heard, so that’s a win in my book!
Andrew Unterberger: How about the fact that while Fearless (Taylor's Version) was putting up 2021-best numbers, the original Fearless was actively sagging, dropping 19% in overall metrics? You might expect it to get a curiosity bump if anything, but the Swifties are both well-trained and impossibly devoted -- so now that Taylor's Version of Fearless is here, you won't need to tell them twice to delete the original from their streaming and iTunes libraries.
Denise Warner: You can't. It's not possible. But let's try in context of no. 1 albums: Ostensibly, she has five more re-recordings to go. If all five hit no. 1, that will give her 14 Billboard 200 topping works, the most among women and tying her with Jay-Z for the most among solo artists. At 31, it's easy to assume Taylor has a lot of songs and albums left in her. And she isn't going to break up with herself, leaving many years to catch The Beatles, who reign with 19 albums that hit no. 1 on the chart.
2. Did listening to her re-recording of Fearless add to or change your perspective on Swift's sophomore album at all? If so, in what way?
Lyndsey Havens: It more so changed my perspective on Folkore and Evermore -- two albums I already loved dearly and now have an even deeper appreciation for. I say that because when juxtaposed with the early lyricism heard on Fearless (Taylor's Version), from both original album tracks and ones from the vault written at the same time, it's even more impressive and compelling to realize how advanced -- and playfully fictional -- Swift's storytelling has become.
Jason Lipshutz: I mean, this isn’t a personal or general revelation, but those singles sure are timeless, huh? Listening to the re-recorded versions of “You Belong With Me,” “Fifteen” and “Love Story” -- trying to pick up tweaked production details and vocal approaches -- also served as a welcome reminder that the songs that helped make Swift a superstar did so for a reason, with impassioned hooks and bursts of a personality ready to be delivered to the masses. It’s easy to take these songs for granted after they’ve been in our lives for more than a decade, but the new versions helped me remember why I loved the old ones so damn much.
Mia Nazareno: Before I answer this question, I just wanna flex that I'm part of the very special 1993 club, which means “Fifteen” came out when I was.... fifteeeeeen. Given that I'm already a massive fan of Fearless, the re-release reaffirmed how much that album means to me. The re-recording didn’t change my perspective on the album, but it did make me think about how much I’ve changed – and I think that’s a sentiment that’s shared among her longtime fans. For those who were in high school when Fearless came out, the joy of being a Taylor Swift fan comes from the feeling of growing up with Taylor with each release cementing a snapshot of a moment in our lives. I think the only changes we think about when listening to Fearless (Taylor’s Version) are the ones that come with growing up and feeling a bit sentimental about it all.
Andrew Unterberger: Honestly, I just think it's cool to have an excuse to have everyone revisiting a classic pop album like Fearless again. Despite being inarguably one of the most successful albums of the 21st century -- 11 weeks at No. 1, Diamond certification, Grammy for album of the year -- it actually gets a little forgotten in the Taylor Swift discussion these days, because so many fans and critics still dismissed her as just a teen country sensation at the time, and because more recent works are obviously more sophisticated and grown-sounding. But Fearless has a number of my all-time favorite Swift jams -- "Hey Stephen," "Forever & Always," of course "You Belong With Me" -- and it's nearly as much fun for us to revisit them with new recordings and new ears 13 years later as it probably was for Taylor herself.
Denise Warner: I'll be honest, I had never listened to the original as a complete work. I knew the songs -- "Fearless," "Fifteen," "Hey Stephen," "White Horse" and of course "Love Story" and "You Belong With Me." But I hadn't appreciated Fearless as a fully realized album before. (My bad!)
3. Of the six new songs recorded for the set, "Mr. Perfectly Fine" has been by far the best-performing so far. Why do you think it's caught on the most -- and is it your own pick for the most interesting/revelatory of the new cuts?
Lyndsey Havens: I mean, when the rumored subject is Joe Jonas how could it not catch fire. That said, I personally still find "You All Over Me" featuring Maren Morris to be the standout vault track. The story and the way it's told by the pair is beautiful and affecting, and there's something special about the fact that had this song come out 10+ years ago, it couldn't have included Maren. There's something cosmic about that, as if this song was always meant to exist now.
Jason Lipshutz: Joe Jonas speculation aside, “Mr. Perfectly Fine” contains the hallmarks of a early-period Swift kiss-off, with slick turns of phrase, some spiky country-pop guitars and Swift delivering a message to her ex with a winning sneer planted on her face. It’s not the best “From the Vault” song -- that would be “Don’t You,” the gorgeously hazy story of a chance encounter with an ex that rumbles awake into an anthem -- but “Mr. Perfectly Fine” most effectively evokes the sound of Fearless-era Swift, so it’s not surprising that longtime fans would love it.
Mia Nazareno: The short answer is Joe Jonas. While Swiftie sleuths think that the track was inspired by Taylor's brief romance with the JoBro -- which definitely adds to its allure -- I think the song caught on because she dropped it relatively early, before it was diluted with the other 25 tracks on Fearless (Taylor's Version). It's also catchy and relatable, which are two things the pop star does brilliantly. Personally, the track grew on me when I saw a TikTok clip of a club playing the single with twenty-somethings dressed in denim minis dancing and mouthing the words to the camera. It looked like pure bliss, and now I'm on the bandwagon. Besides that, "That's When" featuring Keith Urban has been on heavy rotation -- and yes, it was revelatory to hear a Keith Urban song for the first time and liking it.
Andrew Unterberger: Obviously a who's it about? hubbub never hurts a song's commercial prospects -- just ask one of Swift's most devout current acolytes -- but I think "Mr. Perfectly Fine" just sounds the most like a potential Fearless-era Taylor single, the kind of catchy, smart (and smarting) post-breakup song that made her the stuff of country and pop legend at an absurdly early age. Personally, I gravitate towards another From the Vault Taylor archetype with "We Were Happy" -- the kind of sighingly melancholy remembrance that mixes the sublime with the devastating like no one else.
Denise Warner: Hindsight is 20/20 but if "Mr. Perfectly Fine" had been released in 2008 when Taylor was 18, it would have been subject to the unfair and misogynist criticism gleefully lobbed at the younger Swift. Opening the vault for "Fine" follows Taylor's reclamation of that played out narrative to continued success. More than that, though, "Mr. Perfectly Fine" is a perfect throwback to Taylor's "vintage" style with its country-twinged pop sound, great hook and delicious lyrics -- even if she would later borrow some for "All Too Well." Plus, it gave us a back and forth between Taylor and Sophie Turner, whose husband Joe Jonas is allegedly the eponymous title character. At 31, Taylor is saying she can give your baby presents one day, then put you in your place the next. And now, she will be celebrated for it.
4. Now that the industry has seen how successful these re-recordings can be, do you think we'll see a number of star artists try to reclaim their old work in a similar fashion? Who do you think might benefit the most from doing so -- or is Taylor Swift the only artist with the right combination of factors to really pull this off?
Lyndsey Havens: I think Taylor is one of the very few artists who can pull this off to this extreme level of success. While there are other artists who have the hits, and others who have the reasoning, I can't think of many who have as potent a combination as she. Someone like Kesha comes to mind... and then Bieber of course recently told Billboard he is in the process of negotiating a deal that would allow him to own his masters and license them to UMG. So as conversations over ownership in this industry continue to evolve and hold center stage, I think stars reclaiming old work could take on various forms. But no matter what, very few instances could replicate this kind of cultural moment -- and no one else could ever again be first to do it.
Jason Lipshutz: Certain A-listers may have the type of dedicated fan base to make a re-recording endeavor worthwhile, but outside of them, I’d guess the widespread availability of almost all catalogs on streaming services makes it difficult for most artists to convince fans to care about a new take on an old project. What some artists interested in re-recording their projects may take away from Swift’s Fearless (Taylor’s Version) win is the inclusion of some “from the vault” songs that could generate fan interest in a re-imagined album -- sort of like a reissue with new goodies for diehard listeners, but with a slant in favor of greater artistic control.
Mia Nazareno: In this moment, I think Taylor is the only artist who can pull this off. Swift's saga of reclaiming her music has been played out in the public and has been brewing for a couple years now. From her documentary Miss Americana in 2020 to her Woman of the Year speech in 2019, she hasn't been shy about standing up for musicians' rights to their own music. The feud was most famously portrayed during the lead up to her performance at the 2019 American Music Awards, wherein it was reported that Swift’s old label Big Machine Records was preventing her from playing her old hits on stage. In the end, Swift was able to play medley of her songs from different eras and was a sensation – boosting streams and earning nearly 59 million views on YouTube. Now that we’re seeing the success of her re-recordings as the conclusion to the conflict, I think Swift is the only contemporary artist with the platform and the catalog that fans value this much.
Andrew Unterberger: I think it's something we'll see more of eventually, though not on this scale -- which is something arguably no 21st century artist besides Swift has the catalogue, the resources, the fanbase and the drive to pull off so successfully. But when the motivation and narrative is legitimately there -- like with Kesha, who might want to reclaim her early work to a certain extent, and whose fans would want to do whatever they could to help her -- certainly there's a path to success that Swift has laid out here. It's going to be something a lot of artists start to think about, anyway.
Denise Warner: Without knowing the specifics of the contracts that Beyoncé, Rihanna, Adele, Drake or others in that upper echelon signed, I can't honestly say definitively if Taylor is the only one who could pull this off. (If those artists already own their masters, the argument is moot.) I think more important than using Taylor's path to owning her masters for current artists is the effect she'll have not only on the younger generation of talent when signing recording contracts, but the labels that make those deals.
5. Now that Fearless is under her belt a second time, Swift has five other albums under her old Big Machine deal left to re-record: Taylor Swift (2006), Speak Now (2010), Red (2012), 1989 (2014) and Reputation (2017). Which do you think she should take on next, and why?
Lyndsey Havens: Well, I know well enough to trust Swifties so I will go with 1989 because it *seems* like that is the album we may be getting next. Which, to be honest, is thrilling because that album largely upped my level of fandom for Swift. More so than any other of the six albums she is now gaining ownership of, 1989 takes me back to a very specific time and place and I'm excited to relive that experience. But, though this is not what the question asked, I will add that I am most intrigued to hear Taylor's version of Reputation, since we're the least removed from that album. And for that, I wonder if it will be the last one we're gifted? Only time (or carefully laid easter eggs) will tell.
Jason Lipshutz: I have thought long and hard about this, and here is my dream order: Fearless, then 1989 (follow up one album of the year winner with another), then Speak Now (my personal favorite Swift album, I need it sooner than later), then Reputation (maybe the most interesting “From the Vault” songs of all), then Taylor Swift (back to where it all began), and finally Red (the towering artistic achievement of her early era). Let’s go.
Mia Nazareno: 1989 is the only album that makes sense! Hear me out -- "Out of the Woods" will be soundtracking the end of the pandemic and will usher us into another roaring twenties (fingers crossed). We'll all be thinking it: "Are we out of the woods yet? Are we in the clear yet?" And then, when offices begin to open back up in the summer, we'll be tuning into "Welcome to New York" as we leave our parents' homes and repopulate the cities (guilty of this myself). And then, once we're settled into our new leases, single and vaccinated millennials will get back get back out there into the dating world and will undoubtedly revisit "Blank Space." Taylor is a master storyteller, and each track on 1989 will be a chapter in 2021.
Andrew Unterberger: Honestly, I'd just get the self-titled debut out of the way at this point. I understand why she didn't start with it -- while its singles undoubtedly hold up, the set is undoubtedly her weakest on the whole, and not the kind you'd necessarily want to launch a project like this with -- but now that Taylor's Versions are a proven success, and while she's already in the midst of revisiting her teenage years, may as well just knock this one off too, and build back up to the sets that fans are most excited to revisit. Hell, she can probably turn it around in time for the self-titled's 15th anniversary in October! (Plus, an accompanying re-recording/re-release of a couple of those early Xmas songs -- including the all-timer "Christmases When You Were Mine" -- would make it a must-buy for the holiday season.)
Denise Warner: To be a bit greedy, I want to hear all of them for various reasons. Fearless (Taylor's Version) proved she can re-create her country work in a way that is fresh and exciting without losing its original appeal, leaving me excited to hear what she does with Taylor Swift (Taylor's Version) and Speak Now (Taylor's Version.) All signs point to 1989 (Taylor's Version) being next up, and within the context of Folklore and Evermore, it will be fun to hear what she has in store for what was her first true pop work. And while I loved the original Reputation's sonic shift, it might fare better now that she's broken her other sound barriers. That leaves me with Red, my personal favorite of her albums. It's the bridge between her country and pop personas. And if "Mr. Perfectly Fine" is any indication of what's left in her vault, imagine what she has in store for "Mr. Casually Cruel in the Name of Being Honest."
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Post by Baby Yoda Hot100Fan on May 4, 2021 19:14:08 GMT -5
By Billboard Staff 5/4/2021
More than a year after The Weeknd first dropped his After Hours album in March of 2020, the set is still spinning off No. 1 singles. Following "Heartless," which first topped the Billboard Hot 100 in 2019, and "Blinding Lights," which was No. 1 on Billboard's year-end Hot 100 for 2020, "Save Your Tears" becomes the set's third track to reach the chart's apex this week.
"Tears" jumps from No. 6 to No. 1 on the chart dated May 8, in large part thanks to a boost from a new remix of the song, featuring fellow pop megastar Ariana Grande. The two, who've collaborated together multiple times already, are credited as co-leads on the song's official Hot 100 listing, giving both artists their sixth No. 1 hit on the chart.
Why did the remix do so well? And how has After Hours stayed in the mainstream's forefront so long? Billboard staffers discuss these questions and more below. The Weeknd & Ariana Grande's 'Save Your Tears' Soars to No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100
1. After multiple months in the top 10, "Save Your Tears" jumps to No. 1 this week in large part due to the release of the song's Grande-featuring remix. Why was the remix so immediately impactful -- and do you think the new version adds much to the original song besides boosting its star power?
Katie Atkinson: It feels like The Weeknd had this remix in his back pocket and was just waiting for the perfect time to deploy it – and he clearly picked the correct week. I think the immediate impact has everything to do with the familiar pairing of The Weeknd and Ariana Grande and fans loving them together. But for me, while Grande's ethereal vocals are really lovely here, I think history (and radio) will remember the album version as the definitive take on this track.
Katie Bain: Abel + Ari have market-tested chemistry, with the "Save Your Tears" remix (as we all are aware!) rounding out a hat trick of collabs that follow "Love Me Harder" and "Off the Table." These two artists just sound and look great together, and given that they're both mind-spinningly massive stars, it makes sense that their respective fanbases would drive the remix (which was well-hyped by their shared label, Republic) to the top spot. "Save Your Tears" is my favorite track from After Hours, so this one had a lot to live up to for me.
Did it? I guess? I respect that it's good, but it doesn't quite move me. Grande's voice is gorgeous as always, and adding a female perspective adds nuance to the messages (and I do like the new lyrics too, especially "met you once under a Pisces moon"). But did it knock my red jacket off? Not really. I had hoped for something a bit more bombastic, and while the remix nearly gets there, it doesn't give me goosebumps.
Stephen Daw: First of all, the remix was welcomed so openly because "Save Your Tears" is a great song, full stop. That being said, I think the reason it gained so much steam and got boosted to the summit of the charts is because Ariana Grande is a chart-topper through and through, and she was absolutely the right pick to help boost The Weeknd into the No. 1 slot. As far as the remix goes, I think it's fine. It would've been great to see the song actually get a whole mess of new production elements, a tempo change, maybe some added verses from both The Weeknd and Ariana. But at the end of the day, I understand that a good song doesn't need to be messed with too much, and "Save Your Tears" certainly still sounds great with the Ariana add-in.
Jason Lipshutz: Had The Weeknd tapped any old A-lister to hop on the “Save Your Tears” remix, the single may not have powered to No. 1 -- but Ariana Grande is not any old A-lister when it comes to her team-ups with Mr. Tesfaye, from “Love Me Harder” to last year’s “Off The Table” on Positions. Their chemistry is dynamic, their rhythmic-pop sensibilities in lock-step -- so when it was announced that Grande was joining the “Save Your Tears” rework, the top of the Hot 100 was clearly in sight, after months of promotion for the After Hours single.
Andrew Unterberger: The remix does its job: It's super-fun to hear Ari's voice come in instead of Abel's on that first pre-chorus "huhhh-ahhh-uhhh-ahh-uhhhh" backing sigh, and to hear her sing her own new lyrics on the second verse rather than just parroting back the original (like some people). That said, I do wish they had added a little more interplay, or maybe a new bridge or something to really hammer home the identity of this new spin, and make it a worthy standalone companion to the original rather than just a novelty bonus version.
2. For pretty much the entirety of the past decade, the starry remix has been one of the most proven ways to help boost a song lingering in the Hot 100's top tier all the way to No. 1. Do you think the practice is ultimately a positive or negative thing for pop music?
Katie Atkinson: While it's unquestionably a shameless tactic, I think it's more positive than negative. It's made for some interesting pairings (some more successful than others) and there are some major examples of remixes elevating a song's quality, not just its chart position. A few that come to mind are Billy Ray Cyrus turning Lil Nas X's "Old Town Road" into a far more complete single or Beyoncé blessing fellow Houstonian Megan Thee Stallion with a rare feature for "Savage" -- and both of those remixes hit No. 1 and won Grammys.
Katie Bain: It totally depends on the quality of the remix. I think ultimately we all just want to hear music that makes us feel something, and if a star can come in and juice up an already juicy hit, I don't see how anybody loses. (In that vein I suggest everybody now takes three minutes and 30 seconds to listen to the Missy Elliott remix of Jack Ü's "Take U There.") Obviously a lot of these remixes are ploys for apex chart position, but I don't think effective ploys and actual art have to be mutually exclusive.
Stephen Daw: In the grand scheme of things, I think that remixing your song to give it a chart boost is a largely inoffensive, effective method. Yes, there is the concern that if artists just keep remixing the same song over and over again, then we'll never get to hear new music from them. But I would argue that if the remix is fresh and different enough, then it's worth taking a new approach to your song to see what else you can come up with, especially if it means working with someone that both you and your fans are going to love having on the track. All I ask is that we start spicing them up a little bit.
Jason Lipshutz: The addition of a star to an existing hit by way of a remix has become such a proven formula because... listeners love it! The combination of a known quantity (a hit single) with another known quantity (a popular artist), in a way that’s a mystery until fans actually listen to the remix, piques listener curiosity week in and week out. The “Save Your Tears” remix reached No. 1 in part because so many pop fans were wondering how Grande would enmesh herself in the world of “Save Your Tears,” a song many already loved.
Andrew Unterberger: It's mostly harmless, if a bit shameless -- though I can't help wish there was still more of a place for the '90s concept of a guest-starry hit remix, which often not only added new one or multiple new vocalists, but entirely new lyrics, a different beat, maybe a thematic twist, and even its own music video. Yes, it takes a lot more work and thoughtfulness, but shouldn't that be what we expect from our best and brightest pop stars? Abel and Ariana are certainly capable -- we even saw the latter get pretty close recently with her excellent, star-studded "34+35" remix -- but the bar for remixes is so much lower these days that it's hard to really blame them for merely doing what they need to in order to clear it.
3. The Weeknd's After Hours set makes history with this No. 1, becoming just the second album (after Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814) to score Hot 100 No. 1s in three separate calendar years. With so many albums of recent years coming and going seemingly in a week or two, what does it say about either The Weeknd or pop music in 2021 that After Hours has been able to extend its dominance over such a long period?
Katie Atkinson: There are a lot of possibilities, but one I've been really wondering about is radio. I know I've barely listened to the radio in the past year-plus because I've barely been in my car, so I'm wondering if it took people longer than usual to passively discover each successive single without that traditional outlet. Add that to The Weeknd's team doing a masterful job of going old-school and timing each release to a big awards show and leveraging the Super Bowl halftime for visibility, and you're continually finding new listeners beyond the fans who streamed the full album day one.
Katie Bain: After Hours has had an unusually long cycle because of COVID. Had the pandemic not happened, I'm not sure we would have gotten such longevity from this album, as I suspect The Weeknd would have already moved on to other things. But given the current uncertainty around public health, touring and future releases, The Weeknd's team has smartly milked the LP for all it's worth, dropping the Grande and Rosalía remixes, scoring a huge look for the album with the Super Bowl halftime show and just extending its shelf life until, I imagine, what's possible in terms of their next move (we know The Weekend is working on another album) becomes clearer.
Stephen Daw: I think it says definitely that After Hours is one of the best pop records of the last decade, and it should be remembered as such. Every time I go back and listen to the album, I find something new to obsess over in the production, the lyrics or the vocals, which is what great pop records do on a regular basis. The Weeknd is one of the most talented artists currently making music, and other artists should take note of the hyper-focused work he's done to make this record stick out in people's minds a year and change after its release.
Jason Lipshutz: Credit The Weeknd for masterfully rolling out After Hours: he hit all the right beats on this album campaign, from the November 2019 return with “Heartless” to the prolonged radio push of “Blinding Lights” to the Super Bowl halftime hits parade to the perfectly timed “Save Your Tears” remix. Perhaps the most impressive feature of it all: the entire campaign has felt of the same piece, with The Weeknd’s evolving face bandages and the ‘80s-inspired synth-pop at the heart of its biggest hits. Chart stats aside, running an album campaign this cohesive over 18 months feels downright impossible in 2021
Andrew Unterberger: The simultaneously faster-and-slower pace of the Hot 100 -- where the No. 1 seems to turn over every week, but the biggest and most enduring hits last in the top 10 for months, even a year in the case of Tesfaye's previous chart-topper -- makes it friendlier to long rollouts. In this relatively depressed streaming market, extended radio prowess (which The Weeknd can almost always count on these days) can make you a fixture in the top tier even without that release-month streaming excitement, and can even get you close enough to the top to grab a No. 1 with the right push. And as I've said before in this column, The Weeknd has never been one to leave potential No. 1 hits on the table.
4. After Hours also gets in the record books for this No. 1 by becoming just the seventh album since 2010 to notch three Hot 100 No. 1s -- following efforts by Katy Perry (Teenage Dream), Adele (21), Rihanna (Loud), Taylor Swift (1989), Justin Bieber (Purpose) and Drake (Scorpion). Which artist not currently on that list do you think will most likely be next to join that exclusive company?
Katie Atkinson: I'm surprised Ariana isn't already on that list, so she's my pick. It's probably because of the quick pace of her album eras that she hasn't done it yet, so if she stretches out the timeline on her next blockbuster project, it will happen.
Katie Bain: Beyoncé has been close to this achievement in the past -- 2003's Dangerously in Love spawned two No. 1s and another two top 5 Hot 100 hits -- and very arguably should've gotten there with at least one of her last two classics (2013's self-titled and 2016's Lemonade). I'd love to see her take her rightful place as queen of the club.
Stephen Daw: When I read the names on this list, I instinctively thought Ariana Grande's name would definitely be on it (I now realize that Thank U, Next only launched two No. 1 singles). It's frankly a matter of time before Ms. Grande gets added to that list, in my humble opinion -- she's proven to be a dominant figure in the top 10 throughout her career, while also proving that she is extremely smart about who she works with and how she releases music. I'll just call it now: Ariana's next album is going to have three No. 1 singles. Feel free to quote me on it.
Jason Lipshutz: Bruno Mars will be on that list eventually, I’d bet -- maybe even as a member of Silk Sonic, if his Anderson .Paak collaboration can spin off two more chart-toppers following “Leave The Door Open”! If only Mars had included “Nothin’ On You” with B.o.B on his 2010 debut, Doo-Wops & Hooligans, he’d be on there already... or if “Uptown Funk!” with Mark Ronson had been added to a deluxe edition of 2012’s Unorthodox Jukebox, somehow. Bruno’s been close, but he’ll get there for real soon enough.
Andrew Unterberger: Grande certainly has a case, having previously gotten as close as an artist can get: Thank U, Next spawned a pair of No. 1s in the title track and "7 Rings," as well as a No. 2 with "Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I'm Bored." But I'll switch it up and go with Travis Scott -- who, lest we forget, has scored three No. 1s of his own since 2018's Astroworld ("Highest in the Room," "The Scotts" with Kid Cudi, "Franchise" featuring Young Thug and M.I.A.), all currently untethered to any one full-length project. He could surprise release an album tonight with all three of these tracks on it and join this club instantaneously.
5. Also making a decent bit of history with this No. 1 is Grande, who becomes just the second artist (after Paul McCartney) to score three No. 1s as a co-lead artist with three different duet partners (along with Justin Bieber on "Stuck With You" and Lady Gaga with "Rain on Me"). Who else do you think Grande could pair up with next to help her break the tie with Sir Paul?
Katie Atkinson: Let's just shoot for the moon and ask for an Ari and RiRi duet! Any music Rihanna releases next will rocket up the charts, so if she invites Ariana along for the ride, it will be a bullet to No. 1.
Katie Bain: As a devoted Bey stan, I am again going to give her as an answer. Imagine them together -- all of those vocal runs, all of that hair. We saw what Beyoncé did for Megan Thee Stallion with the Hot 100-topping "Savage" remix, and she's always been one to link with her fellow pop royalty (see: the steamy Shakira collab "Beautiful Liar," the DGAF Gaga collab "Telephone" the wedding standard Ed Sheeran collab "Perfect," plus anything she's ever done with her husband.) A Grande collab thus doesn't feel too out of reach. I'd be fine to toss The Weeknd on that track, too.
Stephen Daw: Let's take two standoms and unite them around a singular cause — the Arianators and the BTS Army joined in musical harmony. Not only would an Ariana x BTS collab send fans into an absolute tailspin of excitement, it would also very likely be an excellent pop song. Take the sugar-sweet pop musings of a hit like "Dynamite," mix it up with some of the pop-meets-R&B stylings of a single like "Positions," and you've got a hit on your hands.
Jason Lipshutz: Imagine seeing “Adele & Ariana Grande” pop up on your streaming platform of choice. Is there any way you’re not pressing play to hear that vocal duel? Is there any way that song isn’t hitting No. 1? Let’s make it happen!
Andrew Unterberger: I've been calling for an Ariana Grande/Billie Eilish full-length album collab for about as long as the latter's been around. That may be a ways off now that the latter has announced her upcoming new album -- with no credited featured artists, at least on the early tracklist -- but a Grande remix of one of the tracks from that could still be in the cards. It's a proven recipe for success, certainly.
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Post by Baby Yoda Hot100Fan on May 25, 2021 16:03:27 GMT -5
By Billboard Staff 5/25/2021
For the sixth time in six tries, rapper J. Cole has the No. 1 album in the country. His first full-length set of the 2020s, The Off-Season, dropped earlier this May to mixed critical reviews but ecstatic fan reception -- and this week, it debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart.
The set moves 282,000 equivalent album units in its first frame, just 9,000 short of the year's best first-week mark, held by Taylor Swift's Fearless (Taylor's Version). In addition, the album also charts all 12 of its tracks in the Hot 100's top 40 this week, including a staggering four debut entries in the top ten. (All of this while Cole was also making his professional basketball debut, as a guard for the Rwanda Patriots of the Basketball Africa League.)
Which of the songs is most likely to become the set's breakout hit? And can J. Cole keep doing this forever? Billboard staffers answer these questions and more below.
1. J. Cole moves 282,000 equivalent album units of The Off-Season in its first week -- the second-biggest debut for any album in 2021, albeit a lower one than for his previous album, 2018's KOD (397,000). In basketball terms, how would you rate Cole's early commercial performance here?
Carl Lamarre: Commercially, I would maybe say this was a smooth 25 and 10 performance. That stat-line is admirable, but when you remember Cole's explosive 2018 output (40 and 15 type-of-game), it's hard not to acknowledge the slippage sales-wise. Now, musically, he dished out haymakers for his rabid fanbase, who were craving punchlines from the Carolina giant, but overall, I'd be lying if I said I didn't expect more.
Jason Lipshutz: A hard-earned 23 and 12 from a veteran power forward in an easy victory -- nothing to tell your grandchildren about, but a testament to workmanlike consistency. As we approach the 10-year anniversary of J. Cole’s debut album Cole World: The Sideline Story later this year, the rapper still posting six-figure debuts while generating tons of fan interest and dominating online hip-hop conversations speaks to his staying power, regardless of the exact first-week equivalent album units number. That figure is a drop-off, but still one of the biggest first-week totals of the year -- an occasion for a few fist-pumps in a celebratory post-game interview.
Heran Mamo: An MVP coming off the bench to reclaim his title. J. Cole has been categorized as one of the greatest of all time in the rap game. Even if it’s not his personal best (let’s not forget that in Cole’s three-year hiatus, the Billboard 200 rules have changed by getting rid of merch and ticket bundles), he’s scoring record numbers across the board with the second-biggest debut, the largest streaming week for any album and biggest week for a hip-hop release in 2021 for his sixth No. 1 album.
Neena Rouhani: I would consider this album to be an alley-oop. Cole usually doesn’t call in any assists (something his fans love to point out--platinum no features!), but for The Off-Season, he enlisted the help of a handful of artists including newcomer Morray, hip-hop icon Cam’ron and Lil Baby -- and, appropriately enough, Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard.
Andrew Unterberger: It's a solid playoff performance from a dependable longtime scorer -- somewhere in between the superstar productivity of Cole's buddy Damian Lillard and the veteran savvy of Dame's sixth man teammate Carmelo Anthony. Very impressive and totally respectable, but not necessarily as headline-grabbing as some past stat lines.
2. Units aside, the fan response to The Off-Season has been among the warmest Cole has ever gotten -- what's one thing he's doing for the first time (or just noticeably differently) on this album that's allowed it to draw such a generally positive response?
Carl Lamarre: To me, I think Cole went back to his roots. If you remember his early mixtapes like The Come Up and The Warm Up, he was on a mission to prove that he was the best rapper. On The Offseason, Cole tucked away his activist hat and morphed into the bloodthirsty MC we loved and admired. Now that's not a knock on Cole, because he and Kendrick are the leading voices of our generation regarding social issues, but you can tell he wanted to have fun and rap again. Mission accomplished.
Jason Lipshutz: The “platinum with no features” tag has always been a blessing and a curse for J. Cole, at least from a critical perspective: the rapper has proven himself to be dominant enough as a lyricist to satisfy his sprawling fan base, but the lack of guest stars has contributed to the idea that his albums are too same-y, fairly or unfairly. Not only are the guest spots on The Off-Season smartly deployed and exciting, but the fact that they exist at all helps diversify the sound of the LP while still maintaining Cole’s focus. Case in point: the album’s middle run -- featuring Lil Baby in attack mode, Puff Daddy praying and 6LACK receiving a high-profile spotlight -- is one of the strongest of Cole’s discography.
Heran Mamo: Recruiting rising stars like Lil Baby and fellow Fayetteville, NC artist Morray signals he’s down for teamwork with those who’ve long admired him. Morray previously described J. Cole reacting to his music as “Michael Jordan coming into the court with Derrick Rose and saying ‘good job.’” Aminé called Cole "one of the greats” after sharing a screenshot of their recent FaceTime call -- presumably about Cole’s “pride.is.the.devil,” featuring Lil Baby, sampling the T-Minus-produced beat on Aminé’s “Can’t Decide” track from his 2020 sophomore album Limbo. Cole knows he stays at the top of his game, but that doesn’t stop him from working with the rookies of the genre.
Neena Rouhani: I hate to repeat myself but for one...features. Cole hasn’t featured a verse from another artist on an album since Born Sinner -- aside from, well, himself (as Kill Edward on KOD). He’s proven to be versatile and interesting enough to carry every track, but this time around he brought in rap favorites across generations. And that’s one thing that I think contributes to the warm response, Cole has remained relevant to blossoming rap-heads as much as he remains a favorite for millennials. On top of that, I think it’s what he is doing that’s the same, rather than what’s different. We’re definitely in an era of so-called "mumble rap,” so Cole releasing something true to his style at this moment felt like a breath of fresh air for a lot of listeners.
Andrew Unterberger: I think he's taking a little bit of a lighter touch with his messaging on this album, stepping back from the occasional heavy-handedness of songs like "ATM" and "1985." It's allowed fans to focus more on the formalistic aspects of his rapping, rather than getting bogged down in debating the narratives behind it.
3. The release of The Off-Season has also lead to Cole's strongest single-week showing on the Billboard Hot 100, with the rapper debuting four songs in the Hot 100's top 10: "my.life" with Morray and 21 Savage (No. 2), "amari" (No. 5), "pride.is.the.devil" with Lil Baby (No. 7) and "95.south" (No. 8). Do any of these seem like a potential breakout hit single to you, or do any stand out in particular from the rest of the project?
Carl Lamarre: It's a toss-up between "my.life" and "pride.is.the.devil," but I'm going to lean on the latter only because, for one, I never thought Baby and Cole would get on a track together. I appreciate Cole stepping outside of his comfort zone and breaking his tradition of not collaborating. As Baby continues his hot streak of obliterating features when lined up against juggernaut MCs, the results are golden, as Jermaine also displays his lyrical flavor for a different generation.
Jason Lipshutz: "my.life" functions as a spiritual sequel to “A Lot,” the 21 Savage-J. Cole team-up that was one of the most enduring hip-hop singles of 2019. While their latest collaboration isn’t as immediate as its predecessor, their chemistry still crackles, and Morray’s velvety crooning only helps matters as the song’s unlikely centerpiece. Plus “my.life” includes a Ja Morant name-check! As the Grizzlies upend the Jazz in the playoffs, there’s no way this doesn’t become The Off-Season’s breakout hit.
Heran Mamo: “my.life” immediately catches my attention not only because it has the highest debut at No. 2, but because it's the first time we get to hear Morray and Cole’s chemistry on a track. After getting his hometown hero’s co-sign on his first Hot 100 hit “Quicksand,” things are looking up for the soulful rapper. It reminds me of how Drake’s “Laugh Now Cry Later” hit did wonders for Lil Durk’s career by earning him his highest-charting Hot 100 hit.
Neena Rouhani: I mean three of the four songs mentioned are the opening tracks of the album, so I don’t think that’s a coincidence. The exception is "pride.is.the.devil," which features one of the biggest artists of the new school. To me, that’s the one that feels the most like a hit single. The instrumental’s guitar loop and drum pattern is in line with what’s hot and Cole’s cadences and repetitive, sing-songy rap schemes hit a lot of the ingredients for a radio hit, and Lil Baby definitely holds his own alongside the hip-hop giant. Secondly, I’d say “my.life” which has some really great melodies (shoutout to Morray), similar instrumental elements to “pride,” and some quick-witted bars, courtesy of Cole and 21 Savage.
Andrew Unterberger "my.life." Go Grizzlies.
4. Despite the four Hot 100 top 10 debuts, a first No. 1 hit on the chart remains elusive for Cole, as he's blocked on top by the bow of Olivia Rodrigo's breakaway new single "Good 4 U." Is he now the biggest star in popular music to you without a No. 1 to his name?
Carl Lamarre: He has to be. I don't think Jermaine cares at this point of his career because of his previous feats: six consecutive trips to the Billboard 200 summit, Grammy Award-winner, platinum without any features (multiple times), and a key clog in the 2010s alongside Kendrick and Drake. Jermaine is a perennial all-star with Hall of Fame credentials.
Jason Lipshutz: Maybe the pop fanatic in me is making me biased here, but Dua Lipa is such an enormous top 40 star at this point that I’d guess casual music fans would be pretty surprised that none of her singles have topped the Hot 100 yet. J. Cole has long been considered more of an album auteur than hit-maker, even if his streaming popularity naturally sends some tracks to the upper reaches of the Hot 100 (as it does this week). I wouldn’t be shocked if Cole crowns the Hot 100 sometimes in the near future -- he’s at No. 2 this week, after all! -- but I’m also not shocked that he’s never made it to the summit.
Heran Mamo: Part of me wants to argue on behalf of Dua Lipa because “Levitating” is inching closer and closer to that No. 1 spot after a nearly 40-week odyssey, and unlike J. Cole, she regularly has the support of pop radio to take her there. Yet, Cole has more than twice the amount of top 10 hits as her and has sent all six of his studio albums straight to No. 1 on the Billboard 200, so my final answer for who’s the biggest star without that key chart-topper is Cole.
Neena Rouhani: First of all, I don’t think Cole really cares that much. If he did, he could absolutely do it the same way a lot of other artists did: alongside a pop icon. If we had J. Cole on a song with Camila Cabello (like what Young Thug did) or Doja (like Nicki Minaj), or Taylor (like Kendrick Lamar) -- or if he collaborated with Beyoncé again -- we’d most likely see him land a No. 1. But with that being said, yes. I do think he’s the biggest artist without a No. 1.
Andrew Unterberger: It's him or Dua, for sure -- he's got the history, she's got the more recent heat, and both have each come one spot away in the past two weeks. It's not something he particularly needs for the resumé, since he hasn't really been about singles since "Work Out" disappointed certain rap elders nearly a decade ago. But he'll probably get one soon enough anyway; his following is just that strong and his output is that consistent.
5. For the better part of a decade now, it's seemed like J. Cole can mostly disappear in between albums for a couple years, come back with a new set without much advance notice when he decides it's time to do so, briefly set the music world on fire, and then retreat to the shadows not too long thereafter. Do you think he can keep up this cycle basically indefinitely, or will he have to switch up the approach at some point?
Carl Lamarre: I think this routine works for Cole. He makes you miss him long enough before he dips his feet back in the water and decides to swim his way back to prominence. The adage "absence makes the heart grow fonder" is applicable: The longer Cole fades to black, the more we yearn for his presence.
Jason Lipshutz: “Indefinitely” is a long time, but if J. Cole abides by this formula for another decade, I’d guess that he would be just fine. That’s a testament to the fan base he’s accrued over the course of his career -- hip-hop fans hungry for his lyricism and perspective to be delivered over the course of a fleshed-out body of work -- as well as to J. Cole’s consistency on the mic, his skills unendingly sharpened even if some projects are stronger than others. No matter how certain albums perform or the number of hits they produce, J. Cole has found his blueprint, and a long-term audience for it.
Heran Mamo: If it’s worked this well for him in a six-album cycle that took 10 years to complete, I don’t see why he would need to switch it up. The man was once known as a high school basketball star who walked onto St. John’s University team -- and even after he paused his hoop dreams for his rap career, Cole returned to the court for his pro basketball debut at age 36. Making it to the NBA by way of an initial overseas career was something he wrote about setting as a goal by 27. Time remains an unpredictable element in his life, on and off the court, but that doesn’t mean it’s setting him back.
Neena Rouhani: I think he’s tapping out soon. I feel like at this point, he’s basically got demos down for whatever will come out in the near future while he’s living out his baller dreams, and then he’s going to retire. Which I totally respect and understand; he doesn’t seem to be fixated on stardom in any capacity. With whatever he drops next, I could see the album cycle picking up pace, with Cole releasing more frequently, as opposed to 2-3 years between projects, especially since he’s teased at retirement soon.
Andrew Unterberger: I think he's still got a long way to go before diminishing returns would really be a concern with this release pattern. That said, I was a big fan of J. Cole's in-between year of 2019 -- with his Dreamville roster's Revenge of the Dreamers III, his rare star guest turn on 21 Savage's "A Lot" and his own smash one-off "Middle Child" -- and hope we have one of those years in store for us from Jermaine before he next peeks his head out for a full album however many years down the line.
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Post by Baby Yoda Hot100Fan on Jun 2, 2021 17:13:14 GMT -5
By Billboard Staff 6/2/2021
It's been the sweetest of entrances for Sour, the debut album from singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo. The set bows with 295,000 equivalent album units moved in its opening week -- not just the best first-week tally for an artist's debut album since the Billboard 200 switched from measuring direct sales to album units in 2014, but the best Week One numbers for any album by any artist in 2021 thus far.
Rodrigo's success is nearly as resounding this week on the Billboard Hot 100. Her "Good 4 U" slips one spot from its perch at No. 1 (replaced by pop superstars BTS' new English-language song "Butter"), but each of the 11 tracks from Sour find themselves in the chart's top 30 -- including second single "Deja Vu" hitting a new peak of No. 3, and new album track "Traitor" debuting at No. 9.
How did Sour score such a massive debut? And what lessons can the industry learn from it? Billboard staffers discuss these questions and more below. 1. Sour debuts at No. 1 this week with the year's best single-week performance at 295,000 units moved. Is this officially the best debut season for a new artist that you can remember at this point? Who else from the past decade or so would you stack it up against?
Josh Glicksman: Without a doubt, yes. I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t fall victim to recency bias every now and then, but Olivia Rodrigo is not just the most exciting new artist in pop so far this year – she’s perhaps the most exciting artist in pop so far this year, period. I’m always wary of looking for immediate comparisons for new artists, though. She’s the first artist to simultaneously chart three songs from a debut album in the top 10 of the Hot 100 – by definition, there’s no reference point there! But if you’re forcing my hand, I’d say Cardi B: the question of “How does she follow up ‘Bodak Yellow’?” dissipated near-instantly, thanks in large part to the massive success of Invasion of Privacy, which delivered hits in bounds.
Lyndsey Havens: To me, the obvious answer here is Billie Eilish. Her (relatively recent) debut season felt similarly larger than life -- her 2019 debut album topped the Billboard 200 with 313,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in its first week. But more important than a single-week performance or overall debut season is longevity -- and while these artists did make an immediate and massive impression, it's the lasting impact of their work that's almost more comparable and uniting.
Jason Lipshutz: I mean... two Hot 100 No. 1 singles, huge TV performances, early Grammy buzz, A-list co-signs and now the biggest album debut of the year? I can’t remember any other new artist enjoying quite such a fruitful five-month run in terms of commercial and cultural impact; the closest analogs might be Billie Eilish in 2019, although it took her a bit longer to unlock top 40 radio success, and Lorde in 2013, although her debut album didn’t post gargantuan numbers. At the beginning of 2021, Olivia Rodrigo was an unknown to mainstream pop fans outside of her High School Musical: The Musical: The Series work. Now, she is unequivocally a superstar.
Joe Lynch: Tough to compare the 295k number to other debuts from the 2010s due to chart methodology changes. While I do think the current charts better reflect 21st century music consumption, it's worth noting that Sour's total includes 218k SEA units compared to 72k album sales units (and 4k in the TEA category). All in all, it seems to be on equal footing to the first week sales of albums like One Direction's Up All Night (176,000 album sales in 2012) and Zayn's Mind of Mine (112,000 pure album sales in 2016), both debut pop outings boosted by a raging inferno of digitized teen interest.
Andrew Unterberger: It sorta depends on how you define rookie eligibility. Obviously Billie Eilish and Cardi B had debut albums that generated similar levels of excitement and popularity fairly recently -- but those both built on major hit songs they had achieved in earlier calendar years, as well as EPs and mixtapes (respectively) that proved they were hardly flukes. But while Rodrigo had found some success with High School Musical: The Musical: The Series' "All I Want" in early 2020, she was still largely an unknown quantity by the time "Drivers License" dropped in January. And now, not even half a year later, she's putting up the year's best numbers. It's a trajectory we haven't seen in a long time.
2. Obviously the songs have connected with people in a real way, but the success of Sour is also a credit to the marketing plan of Rodrigo and her team at IGA. What's something they've done particularly smartly in that respect that has made this triumph possible?
Josh Glicksman: They didn’t let the “drivers license” victory lap last for too long. Especially in an age when here today, gone tomorrow megahits are thriving, it would’ve been easy for Rodrigo and her team to ride the wave of that success well into the summer. The SNL skit gave it a natural boost in late February, and I can’t imagine it would’ve been difficult to find a superstar wanting to hop on a remix to the track if they wanted give the song a revitalization at some point. Instead, they didn’t let her get buried under the One Big Hit narrative and came out swinging with follow-up singles “deja vu” and “good 4 u” in April and May, respectively. Both showcased the depths of her range and reinforced her long-term, superstar potential.
Lyndsey Havens: I mean... sending a two-pound box of Sour Patch Kids to high-profile celebs is a genius move in my eyes. More seriously, though, I think the thing she and her team did best is perhaps the most subtle: timing. It's no coincidence that "Drivers License" arrived amidst rumors of a Disney love triangle, which spawned at least two response tracks, which queued Rodrigo up for her second single that furthered the narrative, which preceded the anticipated season 2 debut of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series on which she stars, which dropped just as Rodrigo conquered Saturday Night Live as musical guest, which, of course, teed up the release of Sour. It was a whirlwind schedule that from the outside seems fortuitous, but behind the scenes is all thanks to a well-oiled star-making squad that followed a strict and well-planned timeline.
Jason Lipshutz: In hindsight, the timing of the single releases from Sour was brilliantly executed: Rodrigo’s team let “Drivers License” dominate for darn near three months before finally unveiling “Deja Vu,” a close cousin to the breakthrough hit’s sound that reached the top 10 of the Hot 100 on its own accord. Then, “Good 4 U” served as a pop-punk change-up one week before Sour was released, demonstrating the unexpected breadth of Rodrigo’s sonic palette and no doubt inspiring casual fans to check out the full-length when it arrived. I wouldn’t have changed a single thing about the single releases, and I’d bet neither would Team Rodrigo.
Joe Lynch: Using the razor-sharp pages of the Swift Pop Playbook, Rodrigo successfully got the world hooked on her teenage heartbreak drama without ever addressing it too directly. Talking s--t about an ex on socials is just messy, but when it fuels your art, it allows people a sort of vicarious gossip that's hard to resist. It's not easy to stay tight-lipped and still fuel speculation, but they seem to have walked that line cannily.
Andrew Unterberger: I think they mostly let the songs sell themselves. Sure, Rodrigo's done some music videos, a couple live performances, and a decent amount of press -- but she and her team also understood that once the songs were out there in the culture, the best promotional tool they had was just in sitting back and letting the masses debate, cover, make videos (and SNL skits!) around and collectively flip out over them. They approached Sour with a light touch, providing just a gentle nudge in the right direction when needed, and the music has proven powerful enough to do the rest of the work for them.
3. Even though it dips to No. 2 on the Hot 100 this week after becoming her second No. 1 debut the week before, "Good 4 U" is still gaining in metrics, and posted historic numbers on Spotify beyond even what "Drivers License" accomplished. When all is said and done, which of the two songs do you think her 2021 will be better remembered for?
Josh Glicksman: Though my neck is sore from headbanging to "good 4 u” time and again since its mid-May release, I have to go with “drivers license” here. The moment was simply too big: The immaculate bridge. The (rumored) drama. The fact that a Disney star casually dropped an f-bomb in her debut single! The cocktail of it all made it destined for the hit that it immediately became. And it’s the one that people will ultimately remember, no matter how long ago they actually got their driver’s licenses. Did I already mention the bridge?!
Lyndsey Havens: I'm shocked to say this, but "Good 4 U" will be the song we remember and cherish most. We thank "Drivers License" for all it did and the doors it opened (and look, it's still a favorite for me) but there is something absolutely undeniable about the reach of "Good 4 U." I've heard it blasted by a group of boys biking by, from a golf cart on a course I walked past and of course blaring out of my own car as friends -- ones who aren't even familiar with Rodrigo or her story but know and love the hit -- scream along.
Jason Lipshutz: “Drivers License,” and it’s not even close. Good for “Good 4 U” for changing up Rodrigo’s sound, bringing brash pop-punk back to the top of the Hot 100 for a new generation, and for generally ruling. But it’s not the year-defining emotional gut-punch of “Drivers License,” which will endure as Rodrigo’s stunning opening shot and follow her throughout her career thanks to its cultural impact. Put it this way: Saturday Night Live is not producing a sketch about a bar full of adult men bonding over the power of “Good 4 U.”
Joe Lynch: I still say "Drivers License" will get more miles per gallon. Short of "G4U" fueling a full-on pop-punk comeback, "License" will have longer radio legs, particularly since it fits so well into a variety of formats. Also, it had an entire SNL sketch dedicated to dissecting its lyrics, which will assuredly help its enduring pop culture visibility as the years go by.
Andrew Unterberger: It's probably "Drivers License" -- but not definitely. If the massive success of "Good 4 U," which has really only just kicked off in earnest, does lead to a future generation of fans (or a current generation of hitmakers) being opened up to the possibilities of pop-punk/guitar-based pop in general as a form of youthful expression, then that could have an impact far wider than the short-term virality of "Drivers License." The latter is already iconic in a way that's pretty hard to eclipse, but the former has a chance to be a true game-changer. 4. All 11 of Sour's tracks land in the Hot 100's top 30 this week -- which of the other nine do you think has the best chance of following "License" and "Good" to No. 1?
Josh Glicksman: My heart says “Brutal” – fellow subpar parallel parkers unite! – but my head says “Traitor.” From its tongue-in-cheek barbs (“Remember I brought her up and you told me I was paranoid?”) to its sincere frustration (“God I wish you had thought this through before I went and fell in love with you”), Rodrigo’s songwriting prowess is on full display in the ballad. It’s tailor made for Instagram captions and sync placements alike, and I expect to see plenty of both in the coming weeks and months as it hangs around the charts.
Lyndsey Havens: Oof, I mean... "Brutal" is epic, "Traitor" is a quick fan favorite... and then of course there's the run of "Happier" into "Jealousy, Jealousy" into "Favorite Crime" -- unreal. But based on current data alone, I'll have to say "Traitor," though it depends on which track gets the next single-worthy push. So in short, it's a toss up -- and a good problem to have.
Jason Lipshutz: “Jealousy, Jealousy” is my favorite non-single on Sour, a muscular garage-rock riff that highlights a second half of the album full of quieter moments. Once “Good 4 U” eventually settles down at radio, “Jealousy, Jealousy” should be given an inventive music video and a primetime performance to help the general population catch on to its power.
Joe Lynch: Beyond those two No. 1s, "1 Step Forward, 3 Steps Back" has spent the most time looping through my head, but it seems far too minimal to nab a No. 1 spot. But I can imagine "Jealousy, Jealousy" – which sort of sounds like Arctic Monkeys' "Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High" through a Taylor Swift lens – making an ascent to the pole position. It has that sneaky bass line, a teasing, Swiftian vocal delivery and those warped background yelps that have been everywhere on pop radio hits for like four years now.
Andrew Unterberger: "Traitor" is probably the early leader in the clubhouse, but don't count out "Favorite Crime" -- which has slowly been gaining on streaming services, despite being the second-to-last track on the album, and which Rodrigo says tends to be a favorite among older listeners, for whatever reason. Also probably have to mention "Deja Vu," which seemed to have already peaked, but is now up to No. 3 on the Hot 100 with the Sour bump -- and may still get a second wind on radio as Rodrigomania kicks into high(er) gear.
5. Rodrigo's breakthrough is massive and unavoidable enough that you have to figure it will end up bending the current music industry in some significant way. Where do you think the impact of Sour's success will be most acutely felt?
Josh Glicksman: Rodrigo certainly isn’t the first pop star in recent memory to dip her toe in the punk world realm, but you’d have to imagine her efforts are going to lead to plenty of other aspiring musicians to try to duplicate a similar angle. It’s clear at this point that alternative radio formats are welcoming – or at least more so than they traditionally have been over the past several decades – to genre-blurring crossover hits. I get the feeling that Travis Barker is going to be a busy man for a long time to come.
Lyndsey Havens: I think the most significant shake up because of her success is that it proved to aspiring actors, particularly those looking and hoping to go the Disney route, that by doing so the next decade of your life and career doesn't have to be predetermined. Rodrigo bravely and boldly broke out of a tried-and-true routine that has bolstered and benefitted some of pop's biggest stars, and oh boy is it paying off so far.
Jason Lipshutz: Although I think “Drivers License” will be the most undying hit from this era of Olivia Rodrigo’s career, the success of “Good 4 U” could prove to be its most influential moment. New-school pop-punk has been creeping back onto the charts thanks to artists like Machine Gun Kelly, Lil Huddy and jxdn, but Rodrigo blasting in at No. 1 on the Hot 100 with a song that sounds like a Paramore-Green Day hybrid could have reverberations within popular music for a long time. Maybe it’s an anomaly; maybe it inspires numerous major pop artists to pick up a guitar and channel their favorite Warped Tour memories. Either way, it will be fascinating to watch the ripple effects of “Good 4 U” play out.
Joe Lynch: I'm sure label scouts are redoubling their efforts to find "the next Olivia Rodrigo" hiding on TikTok or in the cast of a teen TV series, or both. Historically, it's been tough for artists to jump from a social media platform or a TV show and into massive pop stardom, but when it works -- Justin Bieber and Shawn Mendes for the former, Miley Cyrus and Demi Lovato for the latter -- the payoff is huge. Expect to see more teen actors and media influencers pushed into the music biz with varying degrees of success.
Andrew Unterberger: I think the hunt for young talent with a sharp writing perspective will become more competitive than ever. Rodrigo may end up being a generational star in terms of her mix of ability, intelligence and charisma, but there's a million kids writing songs in their bedroom now who could connect to audiences in a not-dissimilar way if properly heard. Following her breakout, I could see the label rush on confessional, edgy young singer-songwriters over the next couple years being similar to the SoundCloud-era rush on young rappers from a half-decade ago.
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Post by Baby Yoda Hot100Fan on Jun 29, 2021 18:48:02 GMT -5
By Billboard Staff 6/29/2021
Halfway through the calendar year and with Fourth of July just around the corner, the always much-anticipated Song of the Summer race is now officially underway.
Two weeks into Billboard's annual Songs of the Summer chart, and the leader remains BTS' "Butter" -- which has led the Billboard Hot 100 for each of the last five weeks -- followed by Olivia Rodrigo's "Good 4 U" and Dua Lipa's "Levitating" (featuring DaBaby), both of which have also finished just behind BTS for the past two Hot 100 listings.
Will "Butter" reign atop the chart for the whole season? And what songs could threaten its supremacy? Billboard staffers discuss these questions and more below.
BTS' 'Butter' No. 1 on Songs of the Summer Chart, Doja Cat's 'Kiss Me More' Hits Top 5
1. The Song of the Summer for the first two weeks of Billboard's official chart has been BTS' "Butter." How likely do you think it is to end the season on top as well?
Rania Aniftos: Very likely. BTS released the ultimate summer song right at the start of summer, so why fix a No. 1 spot that’s not broken? We saw a similar pattern last year with DaBaby’s “Rockstar,” which was also released just before the summer and dominated the chart the whole season. I see “Butter” having the same success.
Katie Atkinson: It's best not to bet against BTS, but I think "Butter" might have needed the full juice of its first five weeks to be on top by Labor Day. It may be BTS' biggest hit ever, but it feels like there's still room for another song to sneak into the top spot. Would I be surprised if it pulled it off though? Not really, so I'll give it a 75% chance.
Jason Lipshutz: I’d give it a 70 percent chance. As “Butter” spends its fifth week atop the Hot 100, the song also bumps up two spots to No. 12 on the Pop Airplay chart -- which means that, even if the latest BTS hit slips out of the top of the Hot 100 in the coming weeks, its growth at U.S. radio could help sustain its momentum and remain in the driver’s seat for Song of the Summer. There’s still a lot of time left on the clock, but “Butter” is entering this phase of the game with a sizable lead.
Heran Mamo: It has potential, especially given last year's leader: DaBaby and Roddy Ricch’s “Rockstar.” That smash led the Songs of the Summer tally for 13 out of its 15 tracking weeks while holding at No. 1 on the Hot 100 for seven weeks. “Butter” just churned out its fifth consecutive week on top of the all-genre tally, so it just might stick to No. 1 on the summery summary, as Billboard’s Gary Trust likes to say this time of year.
Andrew Unterberger: I'll say around a 65 percent chance, but it largely depends on how long the ARMY is willing to fight this battle. Though the streaming and radio presence of "Butter" is considerable, it's certainly the song's staggering weekly sales totals -- over 100k for each of its five weeks, at a time when songs regularly lead Billboard's Digital Song Sales chart with tallies in the 10k-20k range -- that have kept BTS at No. 1 the Hot 100. That's a testament to their fans' commitment to going out of pocket to ensure that their favs remain on top. Will they be able and willing to keep it up all summer? Underestimate them at your own peril.
2. If not "Butter," which of the songs currently in the chart's top 10 do you think has the best shot of dethroning it for the overall seasonal tally?
Rania Aniftos: Doja Cat and SZA’s “Kiss Me More,” for sure. It’s already climbing up the chart, and continues to make waves on TikTok without any sign of slowing down. The breezy lyrics, the beat, Doja and SZA’s voices and basically everything about the song screams “summer” to me, so I wouldn’t be surprised if it leads the seasonal tally soon.
Katie Atkinson: Definitely Olivia Rodrigo's "Good 4 U." It topped the Hot 100 and has only been behind "Butter" since then. I think "Good 4 U" might have more room for growth than "Butter" does – especially if it (finally) gets played on alternative radio or climbs to the upper reaches of the Adult Pop Airplay chart, like her previous No. 1 "Drivers License."
Jason Lipshutz: Anecdotally, I have heard “Kiss Me More” by Doja Cat and SZA an astonishing number of times on top 40 radio over the past month, and enjoy the song a little bit more each listen. It’s the cooler, edgier kid sister to Doja Cat’s “Say So,” more subtle in its main hook deployment but no less vibrant. “Kiss Me More” has yet to really challenge for the top of the Hot 100, but I could foresee the single hanging around in the top 5 for several weeks, gathering chart points, and slipping into No. 1 at some point, thus competing with “Butter” for Song of the Summer crown.
Heran Mamo: “Kiss Me More” feels like it has a pretty good shot of being song of the summer (and it just reached the top 5 this week). Ushering in summer flings after mass vaccination has helped curb COVID, Doja Cat and SZA’s ode to kissing feels the timeliest of the bunch, and it’s been getting a lot of love on the rhythmic, pop and all-genre radio charts. Those elements could contribute to the slow burning sensation of “Kiss Me More” rising to No. 1 on the summer tally, where Doja Cat and Nicki Minaj’s “Say So” wrapped at No. 7 last year.
Andrew Unterberger: The timing certainly seems right with "Kiss Me More," especially with it likely to get a large bump this week following the release of parent album Planet Her. I also wouldn't totally rule out Justin Bieber's "Peaches," with Daniel Caesar and Giveon -- it's likely already hit its commercial peak since debuting at No. 1 a few months back, but it seems absolutely unkillable on radio and streaming. If there ends up being a lot of turnover elsewhere on the chart, slow and steady (and stoned) could potentially win the race there.
3. What's a song that's still a little too new or underground to really register in the chart's top tier, but you think has a pretty good shot of growing into contention for eventual Song of the Summer honors?
Rania Aniftos: Speaking of Doja Cat, her new collaboration with Ariana Grande, “I Don’t Do Drugs,” is just starting its journey in the music world. The harmonies are smooth and beachy, and Grande’s verse in particular is really, really catchy. Also, my 16-year-old cousin listens to it on repeat, so I’m going to trust Gen-Z’s taste and guess that this song will make its way up the Song of the Summer chart soon.
Katie Atkinson: It's hard to ignore the power of Doja Cat and The Weeknd coming to the Hot 100 and (probably) the Songs of the Summer chart next week with "You Right" from Doja's Planet Her album. Both have put in time at the top of the Hot 100 and are certified hitmakers. The only thing potentially working against this one is its laid-back tempo, so it might not exactly work on your playlist for BBQs and pool parties.
Jason Lipshutz: Rauw Alejandro’s “Todo de Ti” makes its listeners immediately snap to attention, a sweaty and jubilant dance track that’s currently flying up the Hot 100 (up nine spots to No. 36 this week). To me, its top 10 ascent is all but inevitable; maybe “Todo de Ti” pushes into the Song of the Summer race in August, but that will be too late to unseat the front-runners. Still, Alejandro’s breakthrough solo hit is strong enough to warrant at least a dark horse mention.
Heran Mamo: Following the success of Megan Thee Stallion & Beyonce’s “Savage,” which topped the 2020 Songs of the Summer chart for a week before “Rockstar” eventually took the title, Meg’s new single “Thot Shit” feels like a strong contender. The inventor of Hot Girl Summer can’t be excluded from this conversation, especially when fans were on their knees praying for a twerk-along anthem to ring in the season, and she certainly delivered.
Andrew Unterberger: I'll co-sign "Todo de Ti," and I'll also throw in Willow's Travis Barker-featuring "transparentsoul," a pop-punk scorcher that's been heating up the streaming charts for months and is now starting to singe the Hot 100 as well. And don't forget a couple of long-simmering hits in Glass Animals' "Heat Waves" and Kali Uchis' "Telepatía," both of which have been around since late last year but are still hitting new peaks in popularity.
4. Which artist are we still waiting on a potential summer song from -- one who you think could absolutely blow the competition of out of the saltwater if they come correct with their new beach banger?
Rania Aniftos: Time for Harry Styles to give us another fruit-themed summer hit!
Katie Atkinson: If Rihanna decides to end her musical hiatus today and puts a splash of Barbados sunshine into her first single, it's over for all you other gyals. After all, her 2007 megahit "Umbrella" practically invented the very concept of the song of the summer.
Jason Lipshutz: It’s Drake, of course, whose Certified Lover Boy album has been delayed more times than “What’s Next” has been played on NBA playoff broadcasts this summer. However, I remain convinced that Silk Sonic has an uptempo heater to follow up their chart-topping slow jam, “Leave The Door Open.” Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak: if you’re reading this, drop a dance-friendly follow-up single and enter the Song of the Summer competition in earnest!
Heran Mamo: Drake is quietly waiting to give us some heat with Certified Lover Boy. After months of postponing the album, he already confirmed it’s coming out before the end of the summer. For whatever reason it hasn’t come out yet, CLB is the “outside” music we’ve all been waiting for this season. Having it drop during the pandemic could’ve crushed the mood entirely (unless it has some “Marvin’s Room”-type ballads that would’ve made the LP perfect for the pandemic), but now it’s ready to meet the moment.
Andrew Unterberger: Since Silk Sonic seem to be having too much fun not releasing a second single to actually dominate the summer with one, I'll say Lil Nas X. "Montero" is proving to be a lasting hit well beyond its initial controversy, his recent BET Awards performance demonstrates how spectacularly he's grown into his pop star skin, and everyone involved with his latest seems very confident in the heat that's still to come on the full album. And one thing about Lil Nas X: He knows how to to get to the top of a chart and stay there.
5. Based on what's been popping so far and your general early impressions of our first summer in the (quasi-, sorta-) post-pandemic era, what do you think are the kind of songs people will gravitate towards this summer? Or will it be largely indistinguishable from the pop music of the previous 15 months spent mostly indoors?
Rania Aniftos: At this point, everyone (myself included) is deeply craving some social interaction, vacation and fun. As a result, we’ll see the same feel-good, groovy pop songs that got us through quarantine continue into the summer, mostly because we can now actually dance to them with our friends on a dancefloor instead of alone in our kitchens at 2 p.m.
Katie Atkinson: It's been indistinguishable so far, which makes me think we deserve an out-and-out summer smash this year since we're finally getting to make up for lost time outdoors. We need a "Despacito" (2017) or a "California Gurls" (2010) or "I Gotta Feeling" (2009) – a song that feels as sunny and fun as the season itself, not just a song that happens to be popular during the summer months. Who will be our summer savior??
Jason Lipshutz: “Intensity” is the word I keep coming back to: whether it’s BTS’s full-throttle pop-rap, Olivia Rodrigo’s punk flair-up, Masked Wolf’s possessed rhyming or DaBaby’s bullet-time disco shimmy alongside Dua Lipa, this year’s crop of summer songs don’t leave much room for laid-back vibes (the exception here is Justin Bieber’s “Peaches,” which seems to be gobbling up those vibes for the rest of the top 10 combined). Maybe that’s just coincidence, or maybe we’re just collectively ready to feel something again.
Heran Mamo: Tasty, refreshing, even fruit-flavored hits seem to be in season again, from Harry Styles’ “Watermelon Sugar” last year to Justin Bieber, Giveon and Daniel Caesar’s “Peaches” and BTS’ “Butter” in 2021. But I don’t think fans are going to discriminate against dance songs based on whether we were mostly indoors at the time of their release or when we were finally able to enjoy them outdoors. Dua Lipa and DaBaby’s “Levitating” entered the Songs of the Summer chart at No. 3 (where it remains for a second week) and is still holding at the top five of the Hot 100, even though the original version sans Billboard Baby himself has been out for over a year, basically since the beginning of the pandemic. If hits from Lipa’s sophomore album Future Nostalgia can be repurposed from the kitchen to the club, then some pandemic anthems are more likely to crossover into this summer.
Andrew Unterberger: It seems to me like this summer is setting up to be an interesting showdown between the deliriously vibe-y hits (Bieber, Doja, Kali Uchis, Glass Animals) and the punchier in-your-face cuts (Rodrigo, Willow, Alejandro, perhaps Lil Nas X) -- whichever wins out may depend on how intensely folks want to celebrate their first summer back. Either way, I think it's pretty awesome to have plenty of both.
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Post by Baby Yoda Hot100Fan on Jul 13, 2021 19:35:04 GMT -5
To think I love the Stained songs mentioned:
By Billboard Staff 7/13/2021
Among the usual array of hitmakers currently populating the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100, you might have noticed a rather unexpected name making a debut this week: Aaron Lewis, frontman for '00s hard rockers Staind, whose solo single "Am I the Only One?" bows at No. 14.
It's a conspicuously high entrance for an artist who hasn't seen the chart since 2011, and whose mainstream presence has been relatively limited in the decade since. But the right-wing-leaning ballad struck an apparent nerve with its intended audience, and helped by support from conservative platforms like Fox & Friends and SiriusXM's Patriot Radio station (and the good timing of releasing the song just before 4th of July weekend), the song posted blockbuster first-week sales of 59,300 -- one of the year's best first-week tallies, at least for an artist not named BTS.
What does the song's improbably robust debut mean? And how will the song endure from here? Billboard staffers discuss these questions and more below.
1. So yes, that's Staind frontman Aaron Lewis -- who hasn't hit the Hot 100 with or without his best-selling rock outfit since 2011 -- debuting at No. 14 on the chart this week, as well as No. 1 on Hot Country Songs. On a scale from 1-10, how surprised are you by this debut for "Am I the Only One"?
Katie Atkinson: 10. I feel generally aware of the songs that hit No. 1 on our genre charts or rocket into the top 20 of the Hot 100, but this one came out of left field for me. Am I the only one who hasn't thought about Aaron Lewis since TRL was still on?
Gil Kaufman: I know zero isn't a number on this scale, but can I say zero? In terms of relevance I'd say I'm an 8, since Lewis' solo career has been at a slow, steady boil for years without really exploding and the song is moderately catchy without being particularly memorable. But in terms of content -- given the rending red/blue divisiveness in our country at the moment -- I'd say not at all surprised, since the lyrics feel like MAGA Mad Libs.
Jason Lipshutz: A 9! Yes, “Am I The Only One” is undeniably memorable, with its old-man-yells-at-cloud politics, Springsteen-baiting bridge and strings-laden melodrama designed to provoke a conservative base into multiple streams. Still, this is not just a notable country chart debut -- this is Staind leader Aaron Lewis bowing in the top 20 of the Hot 100, nearly a decade into a country-leaning solo career that had yet to produce one unaccompanied solo Hot 100 hit. Nobody had this one on their Billboard chart bingo card at the start of 2021.
Melinda Newman: 8. It's not completely shocking because the song speaks to a block of Americans who watch right-leaning news outlets, strongly believe that Donald Trump should still be in the White House and that the Jan. 6 insurrection was a good start at reclaiming the country they feel has been stolen from them. Propelled by promotion from Fox News, SiriusXM's Patriot Radio and social media platform Telegram, the song struck a direct chord with that audience, who immediately showed their support for the message by buying the song.
Andrew Unterberger: I'll say a 9.5, kept from a 10 by the fact that Lewis does have legitimate Hot 100 history to his credit -- Staind's "It's Been Awhile" climbed all the way to No. 5, albeit a full 20 calendar years ago -- and the fact that we've seen conservative anthems have impactful sales performances before, particularly around early July. But aside from that? This is about as shocking as a top 20 debut gets.
2. Obviously, the No. 14 debut comes largely on the back of a blockbuster sales week. What do you see as the primary driving cause behind the high sales number, and what lessons do you think the industry can take from it?
Katie Atkinson: It's an unabashedly conservative song that hit a bull's-eye in immediately finding its target audience. Anyone who relates to the sentiment can (and did) show their support by buying the song. More than anything, I'd say this is a lesson in music marketing. Lewis' label took the song directly to the people who wanted it -- via Fox News and other like-minded outlets -- and it clearly worked.
Gil Kaufman: Releasing it on July 2 in the wind-up to the return of Fourth of July festivities was marketing genius, to say the least. It also helped that he debuted it in March at Fort Worth, Texas' Billy Bob's Texas -- in the same month the state dropped all pandemic restrictions -- after setting himself up as a lib-bashing troubadour in 2020 with his solo song "If I Were a Liberal." While so many artists have been reluctant to sing out their true feelings in such explicit terms, Lewis and his team are clearly leaning into it, hard, confident that there is a huge audience out there ready shake their heads in unison about fighting for the flag, preserving Confederate monuments and turning tail on Bruce Springsteen.
Jason Lipshutz: As the artistic embodiment of a “Does This Flag Offend You?” T-shirt directed explicitly at strawmen, “Am I The Only One” is unapologetic in its politics, thumping its chest with one hand while clutching at the pearls of the past with another. The music industry will no doubt take notice of how conservative listeners have immediately rallied around the song, and we may be in for another wave of pro-Republican, boot-in-your-ass singles that marked country music during the first George W. Bush administration.
Melinda Newman: Again, the promotion from right-leaning media outlets brought it to the attention of an audience who craves the feeling that someone is listening to them and hears them and, most importantly, stands in solidarity with them given that this is a message that most artists are not promoting. The lesson for the industry is that there is a highly motivated audience for this kind of music.
Andrew Unterberger: I think it's a different version of the same lesson for the industry demonstrated with the sales-driven seven-week reign of BTS' "Butter" on the Hot 100 -- that if fans care deeply enough for a cause, they'll essentially vote with their wallets. In the case of BTS, of course, it's a much more innocent display of fan affection for their artist of choice; with Lewis' anthem, it's a whole ideology being supported. But the takeaway is similar: If fans are really invested in a song's chart placement, the path is there for them to make a real impact, assuming they're organized and committed enough.
3. As a lyrically conservative-leaning, musically stripped-down ballad, the song is obviously pretty far outside of usual top 20 fare in 2021. Do you see its debut as meaningful for contemporary popular music in any way, or is it a one-off unlikely to be repeated?
Katie Atkinson: I'm thinking a one-off -- but a one-off that really worked. Instead of gaining steam over weeks or months and never bubbling up outside conservative circles, "Am I the Only One" made a big splash out of the gate, therefore garnering headlines just like this one about its unlikely success. Whoever tries to copy from this playbook will need a few things coming in: A recognizable name or voice (that Lewis growl is ingrained in the minds of anyone who listened to the radio in the early 2000s) and a laser-focused marketing campaign.
Gil Kaufman: Again, it's definitely a sign that there's an audience out there hungry for this kind of America First balladry. But the fact that there haven't been many other notable songs to so explicitly plant this red, white and blue flag in the sand and chart this high does make it feel like an outlier. In a business often averse to taking bold political stances that might offending potential listeners, it's almost a novelty track. Then again, maybe Lewis is the vanguard of a rising red chart wave?
Jason Lipshutz: There will be imitators, no doubt: “Am I the Only One” debuting in the top 20 of the Hot 100 is the type of eyebrow-raising feat that will inspire other artists and labels to replicate its formula. Yet I’d be surprised if any follow-up is as successful as Lewis’ single. Politics aside, “Am I the Only One” contains a striking vocal performance and lyrics that linger with its listener (even while making that listener shake his or her head). Those factors will be hard to copy, but copies will certainly be attempted.
Melinda Newman: It is meaningful in that the song appeals to an audience who feels ignored by mainstream media and so this is a signal that they are more than willing to plunk down money to support a song and/or artist who speaks for them. Similarly, Waylon Jennings' grandson, Struggle Jennings, and Caitlynne Curtis put out "God We Need You Now," a song that appealed to the same audience, with a message that appealed to those who feel perhaps even stronger than Lewis about where our country is headed, and the need to bring down those who oppose them. And, buoyed by support from right-wing media, it debuted at No. 3 on Rap Digital Sales Songs and No. 7 on Country Digital Song Sales before quickly dropping off.
Andrew Unterberger: Lewis won't be the only one: Others will attempt, and a few might succeed to varying degrees. But a debut this resounding is a little bit of a perfect storm -- and also requires more fan investment than incidental virality typically dictates. There's a market here, though, and one that plenty of folks will happily capitalize on.
4. Billboard reported this week that "Am I the Only One" will be sent to country radio shortly -- do you see it catching on as an airplay (or even a streaming) hit, or will its popularity mostly go as far as its sales do?
Katie Atkinson: I could see it getting some love from a few radio stations. But even if the country audience still skews conservative, I think mainstream country radio won't want to rock the boat either direction, trying to stay as apolitical as possible as it inches toward more inclusivity among its artists.
Gil Kaufman: If The Chicks have become country radio skunk spray, this song may be country radio catnip. Can you imagine someone calling in to complain about a station playing a song that talks about fighting for the flag while asking people to join Lewis in standing up to bless the U.S.A.? Good luck with that.
Jason Lipshutz: I’m skeptical, based simply on the structure of the song -- a four-and-a-half minute ballad is not exactly country radio catnip, unless that ballad is an all-timer. “Am I the Only One” will certainly receive pickup from conservative stations ready to cosign its messaging, but beyond that, I’m not sure the song has the right length or tempo to fit in.
Melinda Newman: Its popularity will continue to be driven by sales and streaming. Country radio tends to shy away from anything that its listeners would consider polarizing and this song definitely is given Lewis' stance on viewing removing Confederate statues as an assault on America and his call to arms when he questions if he's the only one willing to fight and "take a bullet for bein' free." On the flip side, "Undivided," by Tyler Hubbard and Tim McGraw was about as benign a statement as an artist could make calling for unity and it stalled at No. 16 on Country Airplay -- perhaps because some conservatives saw it as too progressive a take.
Andrew Unterberger: It's not really a clean fit for modern country radio for a variety of reasons, so I doubt it'll do well enough for its airplay to come anywhere near to matching its sales impact. That said, I could see a small minority of independent stations and DJs rallying behind it -- and considering how Morgan Wallen is already being accepted back into the FM fold, this might not be quite as far a bridge for even some more mainstream stations as it initially seems.
5. Let's flash back to um, simpler times -- do you have a peak Staind jam of choice, or are you happier to leave them in the '00s?
Katie Atkinson: I'm going to think outside the box and choose the acoustic Mainstream Rock Airplay chart-topper "Outside," which was billed as "Aaron Lewis of Staind with Fred Durst" (if that doesn't scream 2001, I don't know what does). It was also released as a proper Staind song, but it's that acoustic version -- with Lewis' slightly off-key guitar and Durst's superfluous backing vocals and ad libs ("I'm feelin' those lighters!") -- that places you directly into the Korn-fed crowd of the 1999 Family Values Tour.
Gil Kaufman: While "It's Been a While" is the only song most people remember, the rumbly single "Mudshovel" from the band's 1999 sophomore album, Dysfunction, is like the ultimate nu metal connect-the-dots. It's big, dumb, angry and lousy with double kick drums, rumbling, down-tuned bass, swirly guitars and lyrics about anger, torment, pain and betrayal. As if that wasn't enough, it's all wrapped into a gruntfest in which Lewis sounds unintentionally hilarious growling the title as if possessed by a Hot Topic demon.
Jason Lipshutz: “It’s Been Awhile” remains a legitimately great rock song, the perfect balance of muscular guitar sludge and fragile confessions; it’s also still a top-notch sing-along, since, even if you forget most of the words, you still know that every line begins with “It’s been a while...” I heard it on rock radio a few weeks back, and I turned my car stereo all the way up.
Melinda Newman: I don't seek it out, but when "It's Been Awhile" comes on the radio in my car, I sing the chorus at the top of my lungs and am instantly transported back to a time when heavy-guitar driven rock, fueled by intense male vocals that showed an edge of vulnerability ruled the airwaves.
Andrew Unterberger: I also still have my lighter raised for the live version of "Outside," a legitimately unnerving power ballad that was about as close to a true moment of grace as nu metal gave us in its first few years of prominence. That said, is it as great as "Born to Run," "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)" or "Dancing in the Dark"? Of course not.
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Post by Baby Yoda Hot100Fan on Aug 31, 2021 14:48:45 GMT -5
By Billboard Staff 8/31/2021
One of the most-anticipated comeback efforts of 2021, Lorde's Solar Power LP debuts at No. 5 this week on the Billboard 200 albums chart. The set moves 56,000 equivalent album units in its first week, including 34,000 in album sales.
Though the first-week numbers are solid, they're down from Lorde's prior album, 2017's Melodrama, which bowed atop the Billboard 200 with 109,000 units moved. And while Melodrama was met with rapturous critical reception, leading to a Grammy nomination for album of the year, the response to Solar Power has been a little more mixed thusfar.
Is the lower-key response to Solar Power fair? And how likely is Lorde to return to the top 40? Billboard staffers discuss these questions and more below.
1. Solar Power debuts at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 albums chart with 56,000 equivalent album units moved -- her lowest bow on the chart to date, and down from the No. 1 debut and 109,000 units of Melodrama's first week. Is the showing a disappointment for Lorde, or is it just sort of in line with where she's at commercially in this stage of her career?
Hannah Dailey: I full-heartedly think Lorde just doesn’t give a s--t about charts or sales or any commercial measurement of success. Not only did she forgo traditional CDs to sell her music box inventions (which don’t count toward the charts), but she also sings about it quite a bit throughout the album. Just look at the third track “California”: She literally “breaks up” with fame to pursue a healthier lifestyle away from materialistic obsession. What’s more is that this ambivalence doesn’t feel forced -- because she’s also conceded how difficult it was to turn her back on these things -- but she had to in order to prioritize her wellbeing.
Stephen Daw: I think it's pretty clear that this is likely not what Lorde was hoping for with Solar Power. Seeing album sales reduce by almost half is never a fun thing to see for any artist, especially when that artist is making a comeback after going on hiatus following a critically-and-commercially beloved album like Melodrama.
Jason Lipshutz: It’s hard to decree that this chart debut is a “disappointment” for Lorde, after listening to an album in which she so clearly shrugs off commercial expectation and pop appeal. Solar Power is an insular, ethereal project that isn’t designed for the pop charts (even if there are multiple songs that are catchy as hell), was met with mixed reviews (even if I personally like it more than most)... and still scored a top 10 debut on the Billboard 200 chart. Considering the context, there’s no way Team Lorde should view this debut as a letdown.
Kristin Robinson: I think it’s definitely a disappointment. Reception, in general, has not been enthusiastic, and I think that her number 5 placement reflects that. That being said, she doesn’t seem to concerned with chart placement (if she did, I think she would have kept selling CDs instead of replacing that format with eco-friendly music boxes, which do not qualify as album sales for Billboard charts), so maybe this isn’t the best metric to use in judging Solar Power’s success. This album was a big step out of her comfort zone which I commend her for, but it’s a risk that didn’t pay off, sadly.
Andrew Unterberger: It's probably hard for Lorde and her team to write it off completely -- I'm sure any artist would rather see their project fully and widely embraced than not -- but there are asterisks to the lower sales total, between her music box not counting for first-week sales calculations and ticket bundles no longer factoring into the Billboard 200 as they did back in 2017. And as my co-writers have pointed out, this is not an album meant for crossover airplay and arena touring; Lorde's clearly taking a step back from stardom, and that's fine.
2. The critical response to Solar Power has also been somewhat muted, with the set drawing a 69 aggregate rating on the crit-compling site Metacritic -- down from the 91 of Melodarama. Has the more tempered response been fair, do you think, or do you think the gap between perception of the two albums will close somewhat in years to come?
Hannah Dailey: Honestly, no. I don’t think it’s fair to judge an album’s quality by pointing out all the elements it lacks in comparison to a previous record, nor do I think it’s fair to say an album is bad because it’s “too happy” -- both statements I’ve seen multiple times over across different Solar Power reviews. Moreover, Lorde is held to a wildly different standard than a lot of artists, which I suppose is a compliment in itself. She’s always been one step ahead of the game, serving as a pioneer of alt-pop and forging her own sound.
This time, she didn’t carve out new spaces or reinvent anything, but that only feels like an issue because it happens to be something she’s done in the past. All of the aforementioned complaints are based on unmet expectations that Lorde never promised to meet in the first place, and not on and not the body of work itself -- which, while very different from her past albums, is still a gorgeous, honest and thoughtful record.
Stephen Daw: I have to side with the critics here — I like Solar Power, but when you compare it to Lorde's past work (especially Melodrama, which is still one of my favorite albums of the last decade), it lacks the vibrant, alt-pop point of view that made her a household name. The music feels dull and washed-out, while her songwriting doesn't cut to the core the way she's always been able to. If anything, I think that the gap between the public perception of these albums could grow wider over the next few years.
Jason Lipshutz: Melodrama is a more forceful project than Solar Power, but that discrepancy in urgency reflects where Lorde is at in her life right now -- more at peace with her choices and surroundings, content with letting the rigors of pop stardom slip away to promote her own mental health. The tropical breeziness of Solar Power was always going to be a tougher sell for critics following the hyper-emotional early-twenties fantasia of Melodrama. And while I do think the latter is the more accomplished album, I also think history will be kind to the former.
Kristin Robinson: I think the album was certainly weaker than her previous two projects, so that number is pretty deserved. But I commend her for trying something so out of her comfort zone. I think this record shows her growing pains, marking a departure from the alienated, iconoclastic teen she once was and shows her earnestly attempting to find herself as a woman. I just don’t think she’s found out exactly what that woman looks and sounds like quite yet, which is OK.
When considering Lorde, we must remember how young she was when she started. We, as fans, set ourselves up for disappointment if we expect Lorde to be the same person as she was when “Royals” hit radio. Artists who had nearly massive success really early are cursed in my view. So are teen girl artists. Lorde is all of that. She came out of her first project with a massive target on their back, and at some point she was going to make something that didn’t live up to the hype. I think we are seeing Billie Eilish go through the same thing right now. Both Lorde and Billie are great artists. I think we should give them some grace, and wait to see what they do next.
Andrew Unterberger: It's been a little confusing to me -- largely because I don't see why so many people seem to be judging it based on how much it is or isn't like Melodrama. Of course that was a good album, but it was just one of two that Lorde has made in her career, and honestly I prefer 2013 debut Pure Heroine anyway. Solar Power is an evolution, just like Melodrama was for Heroine, and while it might not be as immediately grabbing (or ultimately as thoroughly engrossing), it's a coherent, thoughtful and lovely album, worth meeting on its own merits. I think time will be kind to it, even if Melodrama remains many fans' go-to.
3. Lorde does not appear anywhere on the Hot 100 this week, with the title track being the lone song from the set to appear on the chart, debuting (and thusfar peaking) at No. 64 in June. Would you have expected any of the songs to have a stronger chart presence? Do you see Lorde returning to the top 40 in the future?
Hannah Dailey: I only would have expected “Mood Ring” to appear on the chart, given that it’s a single and was slightly controversial. I would’ve maybe thought more people would like “Secrets From a Girl (Who’s Seen it All)” since it serves as a sequel to one of her most beloved tracks, “Ribs,” but I’m not surprised at all that it didn’t chart. As for returning to the top 40, I think she’ll always have the power to reclaim her throne -- but only if she explicitly wants to. Everything she does feels so intentional, and though she’s absolutely skilled enough to pump out another “Royals” or “Green Light,” if she ever felt like it, it’s simply not the type of music she wanted to make this time around.
Stephen Daw: I thought if any of the songs had a chance at charting, it would be "Mood Ring," one of the rare spots of upbeat pop on the album. That being said, I'm not terribly surprised to see that it didn't make it onto the charts — while it's an objectively solid song, it doesn't quite have that "earworm" factor that lends to the staying power of some of her other chart successes. As for the future, I'm not worried about Lorde — she will definitely be back in the top 40, just not with anything off of this album.
Jason Lipshutz: Give me a radio edit of “Secrets from a Girl (Who’s Seen It All)” stat! No offense to Robyn’s spoken-word outro, but what comes before it represents the album’s most immediately likable pop-rock moment, a warm and catchy jam for the waning days of beach season. Here’s hoping radio PDs try it out in their rotations; Lord(e) knows I’ll be adding it to my Labor Day Weekend playlist.
Kristin Robinson: Honestly, I didn’t find a song on this record that really stood out to me, so I think it’s doubtful. While almost anything is possible when you have the kind of marketing budget she must have, I don’t think this one will produce a hit. Also, I think Lorde is capable of making another hit song, but I don’t think that’s her main goal. I admire that she really makes music on her own terms, and because of that, I don’t see her trying to specifically write a radio hit any time soon.
Andrew Unterberger: I'll admit to being a little dumbfounded that the song "Solar Power" wasn't more, well, warmly received. I'm a little prejudiced, given that it draws inspiration from one of my favorite songs of all time (Primal Scream's "Loaded") and at least carries echoes of another (George Michael's "Freedom '90"), but I also think it's a really smart, fun pop song with the exact kind of frisky-not-flighty summer vibe that I thought would put it over the top the past few months. One of the bigger chart bummers of the year for me that it didn't happen. (Though I can still see her returning to the top 40 before too long -- maybe with a one-off or collab -- she just might not make a priority of staying there.) 4. While the album's co-writer and producer Jack Antonoff has earned his reputation as a pop star whisperer, none of the high-profile sets he's been a primary creative partner on this year (Solar Power, Lana Del Rey's Chemtrails Over the Country Club, St. Vincent's Daddy's Home, Clairo's Sling, his own Bleachers' Take the Sadness Out of Saturday Night) have been particularly resounding commercial successes. Has the mainstream drifted away from Antonoff's sound and/or style, or have he and/or his collaborators just shifted their priorities?
Hannah Dailey: I really don’t think it’s a question of Jack Antonoff’s sound at all. These are all artists with their own ideas and visions, and Lorde has said a few times now that with him, the artist is always in full control. These are all just cases of women making the music they want to make, with Jack helping them see it come to fruition. If there is an Antonoff-related link between all these albums and their commercial successes, maybe it’s just that these artists now care less about being marketable and more about their creative authenticity, and Jack happens to be a producer who understands that.
Stephen Daw: I definitely think it's an issue of shifted priorities. When I look at that list of collaborators, I see a lot of artists who were looking to make deeply artistic statements with their work. But Antonoff also worked on some of last year's most successful albums — he has credits for multiple songs on Taylor Swift's Folklore and Evermore, and he worked as lead producer on The Chicks' fantastic Gaslighter. If anything, I think Antonoff's work here proves that he's extremely versatile when it comes to what kind of product he's looking to deliver.
Jason Lipshutz: It’s an interesting run of albums, to be sure, although I would argue that none of those artists have made “resounding commercial success” their specific calling card. Instead, Antonoff has helped his collaborators hollow out their respective rabbit holes and tumble downward, whether it’s Lorde on Solar Power’s shimmering pop pleasures or Clairo on Sling’s muted folk touchstones. He could produce more hits in the coming years, or none at all -- as long as he helps bring an artist’s musical vision to fruition, major stars will keep dialing Antonoff’s number.
Kristin Robinson: The mainstream isn’t drifting from Antonoff, but I think the artists he likes to work with are far enough into their careers that they are comfortable taking more risks and making less commercial work. Antonoff has always been great at taking what the artist’s vision is and amplifying that, rather than imposing his own style onto it with a heavy hand, so I don’t think we can place much blame on him for the sounds being less mainstream.
Andrew Unterberger: It's a little of both to me. Obviously, these are strong artists with their own visions that he's working with, so it's not like Antonoff is trying to circle-hole any square pegs here, particularly not for any explicitly commercial aims. But it also does happen that the kind of intimate, heart-bursting alt-pop that he does currently specialize in is not particularly in top 40 vogue right now, at a time when bigger dynamics and more propulsive productions are now at the mainstream's forefront. A little bit of a chicken/egg situation, but it's pretty clear that Antonoff is the guy you call right now if you want to make the album you want to make, not the guy who's gonna give you the biggest album of your career.
5. A pop star making an album that defies artistic expectation and is met with less-than-overwhelming commercial returns feels like an increasingly common refrain in recent days. What does the example of Solar Power and other recent albums like it tell you about the nature of pop stardom in 2021?
Hannah Dailey: I don’t really know if it means much has changed or will change. Overall, perhaps this trend indicates that people are searching for artists who can unify the public with universally loved and uber-relatable anthems, thus creating a market for a new pop act to come along someday soon and succeed by doing exactly that. But in terms of what it means for current pop stars whose albums aren’t really taking the world by storm, I think the trend is just an evolution of stan culture. These artists created their own lanes and will continue to be loved by their own fleet of fans, with the distance between them and casual listeners probably widening over time.
Stephen Daw: I think it says that it all comes down to the fans and their expectations. It's pretty clear to me that a lot (though certainly not all) of Lorde fans were unsatisfied with Solar Power -- they'd waited four years for a new album, and when it finally arrived, it just wasn't quite what they'd been hoping for. For some artists, making a big change and taking some risky liberties can pay off in a major way -- take a look at Olivia Rodrigo's Sour, which hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 once again this week. Fans did not see a pop-goes-pop-punk album coming from the girl who sang "Driver's License," and yet she has consistently topped the charts since. You can be a pop star and take risks in 2021, just as long as your audience is along for the ride.
Jason Lipshutz: To me, pop stardom is less of a singles-driven game nowadays -- or at least, it can be for certain artists. While A-listers like Justin Bieber, Dua Lipa and Ariana Grande have racked up radio spins over the past year, artists like Billie Eilish, Lorde and Halsey have released bold new full-lengths in recent weeks, all of which carry lofty ambition but none of which rely too mightily on one breakthrough single. And in the same way that smash hits help keep Bieber, Lipa and Grande in the spotlight, Eilish, Lorde and Halsey have all dominated the cultural conversation thanks to their wildly different but all boundary-challenging LPs. There’s never been one way to exist as a pop star, but that’s never felt more true than it does right now.
Kristin Robinson: I can’t help but think that quarantine has had something to do with it. I think artists who have already proven themselves are shifting their priorities from staying on top to making music they are proud of because quarantine gave them some time to reflect. While not all of these albums have been resounding successes, to me, I love to see pop artists place a little more merit on expression and “art” and not about radio palatability. I always think back to how Joni Mitchell’s Blue wasn’t as well-received right away and grew its status as a classic record over time. Maybe that will happen to a couple of these.
Andrew Unterberger: It's more to me about how "pop star" is a much more widely defined term than it used to be. Artists like Billie Eilish and Lorde are pop stars because they've had massive pop hits that have earned them massive pop audiences -- but sustained pop success has never really seemed like a top priority for them, the way it has for ostensible peers like Dua Lipa or The Weeknd. Their stardom (as gauged by most conventional measures) will likely come and go depending on the release but with their loyal followings -- which aren't dependent on radio hits or streaming-friendliness -- they'll still have long, successful careers without ever drifting too far from the spotlight.
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Post by Baby Yoda Hot100Fan on Sept 15, 2021 15:11:01 GMT -5
By Billboard Staff 9/15/2021
Another year, another series of Billboard chart records taken over by Aubrey "Drake" Graham. This week, his long-awaited new studio album Certified Lover Boy debuts atop the Billboard 200 albums chart, with 613,000 equivalent album units moved -- easily the highest first-week mark of 2021, nearly doubling the 309,000 moved last week by recent foe Kanye West with his Donda set.
However, it's on the Billboard Hot 100 that Drake really makes his historic mark. CLB launches all 21 of its tracks onto the chart this week -- including nine of the top 10, and each of the top five, led by "Way 2 Sexy" (featuring Future and Young Thug) at No. 1. He simultaneously sets the records for most concurrent top 10 hits and most total top 10 hits off the same album, and becomes the first artist since The Beatles in 1964 to hold all five top spots in the same week.
What to make of all this Drake history? And how has he been able to keep this up for so long? Billboard staffers debate these questions and more below.
1. The Billboard record books are at Drake's mercy this week, with him making all sorts of chart history with Certified Lover Boy's debut week. Of all the impressive marks made by CLB on both the albums and songs front, which do you think is the most staggering?
Cydney Lee: I expected CLB as a whole to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 but having 9 songs in the top 10 on the Hot 100 chart is mind-blowing to me. Drake deserves all his flowers!!!
Jason Lipshutz: Three years ago, Drake made Hot 100 history following the release of Scorpion by scoring a whopping seven songs in the chart’s top 10. It was a staggering feat at the time -- and the fact that he just broke his own record by launching nine songs into the top 10 of the Hot 100 with Certified Lover Boy is nothing short of astonishing. If there’s one stat that fully captures Drake’s dominance of popular music, particularly found on streaming services, it’s that one.
Neena Rouhani: It’s the claim to nine of the top ten positions on the Hot 100 for me. That is a first, even for Drake- -- and we don't see many of those these days, considering he has basically achieved everything else under the sun. And it gave his longtime collaborator Future his first Hot 100 No. 1 which is the icing on the cake.
Dan Rys: Having nine of the top 10 songs on the Hot 100. First of all, it’s never been done before, and having the entire top five has only ever happened once (by The Beatles). But nine of the top 10 is just insane; having two in the top 10 is proof enough of cultural dominance, but a 90% marketshare at the apex of the most important songs chart in the country is mind-boggling. I’m curious, too, how many stay in the top 10 next week -- I wouldn’t be surprised if five or so stuck around.
Andrew Unterberger: Obviously the 9/10 on the Hot 100's top 10 is the most eye-popping, but I did want to give a quick shoutout to the insanity of him moving 613,000 first-week units at this point of his career -- basically lapping the rest of the field this year, including his good buddy Kanye West (though there's obviously some caveats there, with the latter having a shorter week after his Sunday release). With Drake entering his mid-30s and still riding this high, you do sorta have to wonder if he'll just kinda stay this bulletproof indefinitely.
2. With Drake's chart dominance at an all-time high, do you think he's at the peak of his career popularity? Or have the charts changed more than his own standing?
Cydney Lee: Peak might be accurate, but I think he’ll continue to climb. After all, the charts are a reflection of his career popularity in a way.
Jason Lipshutz: The answer is somewhere in the middle, although, no matter how favorable different chart evolutions have been to Drake, it’s quite clear that he remains enormous in pop culture, a recording artist in a class of his own when it comes to streaming might. Whether or not he’s at the peak of his popularity remains in the eye of the beholder -- I’d probably still give his Scorpion era, with its radio-dominating smashes like “God’s Plan” and “Nice For What,” the slight edge -- but “nine songs simultaneously in the Hot 100’s top 10” serves as quite the argument, right?
Neena Rouhani: Yes and no. to the first part I think if you took a survey of how many people know who Drake is today, versus five years ago, he’s more well-known presently. But that doesn’t always translate into interest or sales. The initial buzz and freshness of what Drake represents is not what it was circa Views or Scorpion, but he’s still holding his own in comparison to the current musical landscape. He did not, however, manage to surpass his own previous first-week album sales (732,000 album-equivalent units for Scorpion and over one million for Views) which can also be attributed to the way music is consumed today.
I’m not sure if Drake is determined to prove himself with the same vigor that he had five or six years ago -- similar to a former NCAA ballplayer that has now been in the NBA for some years, with a couple of rings to his name. That’s not to say he was incapable of performing better during the first week, just that he’s comfortable. I think there comes a time when your legacy alone becomes enough for you to break records and outdo other artists, regardless of whether or not the project you release is actually the best thing on the charts.
Dan Rys: I think it has more to do with both the chart changes and the growth in streaming, which so heavily skews towards R&B/hip-hop. You could look at it from a pure numbers point of view: CLB had the second-most on-demand streams of all time in a single week, coming in just two million streams shy of Drake’s own Scorpion from 2018, which had a few more tracks on it. But the average number of paid music subscriptions in the U.S. has grown from 43.7 million in the first half of 2018 to 82.1 million in the first half of 2021, according to figures the RIAA released this week. (Plus, CLB’s chart figure includes video on-demand streams, whereas Scorpion’s did not, a function of a recent chart rule change.)
More people are streaming more than ever now by a significant margin, and CLB still just missed that all-time mark. Now, there are all kinds of caveats you could toss in there -- Scorpion was preceded by three huge hit records, whereas CLB had none, for example, and Drake is still obviously a massive, massive artist by any metric -- but I do think that the chart changes helped here.
Andrew Unterberger: It seems to me that Drake has basically stayed equally successful while metrics the rest of popular music, on the whole, have dipped a little. The reasons for the latter are myriad -- the stratification of streaming artists and radio artists, the slowdown of new music consumption during the pandemic, the failure of a new rap ruling class to emerge in the recent absence of some of the mightier names, even some changes in Billboard rules. But fact is, as long as Drake keeps standing tall as ever, he'll look even bigger than usual as the water level continues to lower around him.
3. Going into CLB, there was some speculation that Drake's biggest days might be behind him in the new decade. What do you think was the biggest factor in him staving off any commercial stagnation with this album?
Cydney Lee: I feel like Drake equally appeals to women as he does men, so that automatically widens his fanbase. The album is called Certified Lover Boy, for God’s sake! The title, meme-able album cover and the fact that it was delayed so many times just built so much anticipation. Also, there’s usually not many gimmicks surrounding his rollouts (unlike another major artist who dropped the week prior), so I feel like Drake is always able to maintain a sense of allure and hype when he finally does announce new music. Everything about CLB was very on-brand for him.
Jason Lipshutz: Even with some shorter projects and full-length non-albums in between, the three-year break between Scorpion and Certified Lover Boy helped generate ample curiosity when CLB finally arrived, as if the world was ready to check in with Drake and understand the details of his long-promised lover boy certification. The decision to eschew pre-release singles also helped stoke that curiosity -- we had no idea what exactly CLB would be before it was unveiled in full, and when it comes to one of the biggest artists on the planet, that’s an exciting feeling.
Neena Rouhani: First of all, he’s Drake. That is reason enough, but for the sake of extending my response, I’ll say that he definitely built considerable momentum and anticipation surrounding Certified Lover Boy over the past couple years.
Dan Rys: To this point, and to the point above, I do think that his stranglehold on the culture has diminished somewhat; from about 2011 until 2016 or so, it seemed like every bar out of Drake’s mouth entered the cultural lexicon as a commonly-used phrase, and while he’s still capable of doing that, it’s less automatic than it was at one point in the past. But I think what he says is still impactful in its own way -- and that the strategy this time of not releasing any singles ahead of time, of not tipping his hand, so to speak, as to what he would say or what styles he would dip into on this album, is what led to this massive debut. There was no lead single that might have turned a casual fan off this time around, and people were curious as to what he would say and do here. I think that genuine curiosity, more than even this feud with Kanye, is what helped make this so huge.
Andrew Unterberger: Drake's sense of timing remains impeccable. He could've rushed CLB out late last year as originally planned, when he wasn't building off momentum and the buzz around his new stuff was pretty eh -- but instead, he laid back, biding his time with some big feature appearances and waiting for the right time to strike. The excitement around his social media sparring with Kanye West, combined with the release of West's own Donda, provided the perfect runway for him to jump back into the fray with the new album, which all of a sudden the world was once again eagerly anticipating.
4. "Way 2 Sexy" is the highest-ranking of Drake's 21 Hot 100 debuts this week, entering atop the chart. Does it seem like the project's breakout hit to you, or will it ultimately be overtaken by another track on the set?
Cydney Lee: The ridiculous interpolation and video are probably why it ranks so high right now. For one, fans love when Drake and Future link, and they also love when Drake’s corniness is on full display (I mean this in the best way, love you Drake), and he plays it to perfection every time. “Way 2 Sexy” is a hit because of the laughs, but I think it will eventually be overtaken by another song. What song, I’m not sure yet.
Jason Lipshutz: Yep, it’s “Way 2 Sexy,” which hoists Right Said Fred’s catwalk ferocity and repositions it toward magnetic trap hedonism. Drake and Young Thug sound great on the track (in maximalist and minimalist modes, respectively), but this is Future’s wavy-cool show, and on his first-ever Hot 100 chart-topper, he sinks his teeth into the commercial potential of the interpolation.
Neena Rouhani: I think “Way 2 Sexy” makes sense. It samples a widely-known hit song that would easily go viral had it been released today. It’s making waves on TikTok. It’s extremely palatable. It has a music video where Drake is pelvic-thrusting in short shorts and a sweatband, strolling along the beach with a prosthetic beer belly and grey hair, and letting the choppa sing while dressed as Rambo. And that description is only scratching the surface. I will say, “Girls Want Girls” feels far more like a Drake hit. It’s moody and sing-songy, with signature Drake melodies and punchlines. We’ll see if it eventually swaps in for the top spot.
Dan Rys: Put me in the camp of people who thought it was a little ridiculous the first time I heard it, until I saw the video and appreciated that they agreed and were in on the joke, as it were. I do feel like it’s probably the most instantly catchy, maybe just because it takes the least work to dig its way into listeners’ brains due to the Right Said Fred lift. But I wonder if a song like "Fair Trade," which is probably going to go down as the most-quoted hook on the whole album, or "Girls Want Girls," which might be its most accessible song, will ultimately become the most lasting hit, at least among fans. However, let me go on the record as saying "Knife Talk" deserves it most, even if it probably won’t reach those heights.
Andrew Unterberger: It's "Way 2 Sexy" for sure, which I can't say I'm thrilled about.
5. Fill in the blank: Certified Lover Boy is the best Drake album since ________.
Cydney Lee: Views.
Jason Lipshutz: More Life, maybe? The more I listen to CLB, the more I like parts of it, in the same way that segments of More Life have kept me coming back years later. Scorpion had better singles, but CLB may have more consistent multi-song runs, like “Yebba’s Heartbreak” to “7am on Bridle Path” in the middle of the album.
Neena Rouhani: Drake’s music ages like wine, so you’ve gotta give me a few more weeks for this one.
Dan Rys: Nothing Was The Same. I don’t think this is necessarily a Drake-specific thing -- it’s honestly another thing I would probably chalk up to the influence of streaming -- but it does feel like the biggest artists rarely make front-to-back cohesive albums anymore. Instead, we get a lot of long playlists that almost feel like samplings of various palettes or collages that artists are working on simultaneously, rather than projects with vision and precision. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it is different, and maybe it’s why there seem to be more EPs than there have been in the past, too; with how quickly music moves now, an EP of six to seven songs (or, in Drake’s case, one of his three packs) might be the best canvas on which to paint those portraits. To me, NWTS is probably Drake’s last album that made sense on the same plane all the way through, and CLB comes closest to that cohesion.
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Post by Baby Yoda Hot100Fan on Sept 21, 2021 14:15:11 GMT -5
By Billboard Staff 9/21/2021
With the Billboard Hot 100 being blanketed for the last two weeks by big-ticket releases from Kanye West and Drake, there hasn't been much room lately for slow-growing hits to make their mark on the listing. But this week, we have a new top 5 hit from a first-timer in the chart's top tier: country singer-songwriter Walker Hayes.
Hayes, who previously reached the Hot 100 in 2018 with "You Broke Up With Me," jumps 21-5 this week with his viral hit "Fancy Like." The track has been steadily scaling the chart for most of the past two months, after taking off on TikTok, scoring a big Applebee's sync (due to a prominent reference in the song's chorus), and now landing pop veteran Kesha for a new remix.
How has the song reached such heights in a crowded field? And which country star could be next up to the top 5? Billboard staffers discuss these questions and more below.
1. Completing a climb to the Hot 100's top 5 is rare for any new single these days, let alone a country one. What's been the key to Walker Hayes being able to grow this song into one of the year's biggest crossover hits?
Katie Atkinson: Any time you can get someone to accidentally listen to your song, you've won. Between the song's TikTok omnipresence and its too-good-to-be-true (for Walker and the restaurant chain) placement in Applebee's commercials, this song is basically inescapable. And with pop culture as splintered as it is these days, there aren't a whole lot of ways to get this many people to listen to your song without specifically seeking it out. So… Applebee's ads are the new radio, basically.
Jason Lipshutz: He stumbled into the hook of his career! Similar to Maren Morris’ “The Bones” and Gabby Barrett’s “I Hope” in recent years, Walker Hayes’ “Fancy Like” possesses the type of irresistible chorus that can cross over to non-country fans, as well as work at different streaming and radio formats. As more listeners have been exposed to that hook -- be it through a top 40 power block, an Applebee’s commercial, or elsewhere -- the song has grown into the top 5 smash it is today, outperforming most of the more impressive country crossover hits of the past half-decade.
Jessica Nicholson: Walker tapped into TikTok’s power of discovery when he and his daughter Lela developed a dance for “Fancy Like” and created a TikTok video of themselves performing the dance. Within days of its release, the clip had earned millions of views, with other Tiktok users creating videos of themselves attempting the dance. That organic social media discovery element helped push the song to the top of Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart. The song celebrates the singer-songwriter’s love of the restaurant chain Applebee’s, and in late August, the song got a larger promotional boost from Applebee’s, which featured the song (and Hayes) in a national television commercial.
Kristin Robinson: Timing is everything for a single. This song epitomizes the carefree, windows-rolled-down feeling of summer, better than most of the other chart climbers of the past few months. Though we are now in September, I think this summer provided the perfect foothold for “Fancy Like.”
Andrew Unterberger: Hayes and his team have paced the spread of it really well -- first on TikTok, then on radio, then in commercials -- and he timed the song's official remix to coincide with a week without a major new full-length release clogging the Hot 100, allowing him room to make a big jump. It might fall back a little from here, but getting to the top 5 is a huge coup for a still relatively unproven hitmaker like Hayes.
2. Promotional efforts aside, what do you think it is about "Fancy Like" as a song that has allowed it to really connect -- not just with country audiences, but pop audiences, and younger listeners in general?
Katie Atkinson: It's fun. And catchy. And it doesn't take itself seriously. And to be honest, after a year and a half of takeout on your couch or eating on a makeshift "patio" constructed in the middle of a road, maybe the idea of Friday night inside a chain restaurant all of a sudden sounds like a luxurious experience.
Jason Lipshutz: When you strip down the “Fancy Like” chorus to its nuts and bolts, it really is a thing of beauty -- not only because of the tie-in-ready Applebee’s shout-outs, but the internal rhymes (“Got that Bourbon Street STEAK with the Oreo SHAKE”) are all a blast to sing along with, and then the hook is punctuated with the song title so it’s even easier to remember. “Fancy Like” takes one listen to burrow inside someone’s brain, and that Applebee’s order has become second nature by the final chorus.
Jessica Nicholson: While the song’s melody is certainly catchy, the lyrics also connect with a large swath of listeners. In addition to Applebee’s, the song’s lyrics namecheck several very accessible and familiar products and brands, including Wendy’s, Victoria’s Secret, and Maybelline. But the song is also about just being happy with yourself and not needing high-status items to be happy. Given everything the world has been through since early 2020, it seems people are connecting more than ever with the idea of finding contentment in the people you have around you, rather than in things.
Kristin Robinson: “Fancy Like” doesn’t take itself too seriously. What other love song has worked in allusions to Wendy’s and Applebee’s within 60 seconds? Country has the tendency to be accidentally corny sometimes. Those tracks don’t tend to land for pop fans, but I think some of the best country hits, “Fancy Like” included, lean into funny tropes and themes and are just unapologetically fun. Another example of a crossover hit that’s just pure fun is “She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy” by Kenny Chesney. Both of those songs show such a great sense of humor, irreverence, and self-awareness.
Andrew Unterberger: There's an all-ages appeal to it, as driven home by the video of Hayes dancing with his daughter that launched the song's initial success. You can picture parents and their young kids blasting it in the car on the way to dinner -- possibly at one of the chains discussed therein, but it's also fairly all-purpose. And people are really loyal to their fast food favs, so to hear Hayes go to bat for such specific items in his hook is pretty relatable, and very clever.
3. This week's boost on the charts is also assisted by a new remix featuring Kesha. Do you think choosing the pop singer-songwriter as a remix guest was a particularly inspired pick -- and do you see the remix finding a life of its own, or mostly fading in favor of the original?
Katie Atkinson: It's cute to choose an artist whose breakout hit was called "Tik Tok" (wink-wink) for the remix, plus you can definitely hear some inspiration from Kesha's brand of talk-rap. And, of course, the girl who brushes her teeth with a bottle of Jack is probably also down with some boxed wine and Natty in foam cups. It's not a stretch. But in the end, I think the original will be the one that endures.
Jason Lipshutz: Adding Kesha to “Fancy Like” was a savvy move on Hayes’ part, and while her contribution to the remix is inspired, it all comes back to that hook and how it’s originally deployed. I could see the remix picking up some radio play from pop PD’s who are a little hesitant to go full-on country, but in terms of streaming success and pop culture impact, the original likely has the longer legs here.
Jessica Nicholson: The song’s melody lends itself well to a collaborative effort, and Kesha (who was raised in Nashville) not only contributes vocals, but also contributed writing to the new version. I think this version will find its own space with music fans, but a large block of listeners will continue to gravitate toward the original. It’s also interesting that Hayes collaborates with an artist who found initial career success in 2009 with a song called “Tik Tok.”
Kristin Robinson: I don’t find this particularly inspired. I think Kesha’s voice works pretty well with Walker’s but I don’t understand why Kesha was the pick for such a big country crossover song. It feels very random. I would’ve liked to see Miley Cyrus on this one if I was able to pick. I think this Kesha remix will probably fade into the background in favor of the original.
Andrew Unterberger: It's fine, but I wish she was given more room to really dig in on her part -- It feels like she's barely even gotten through half a verse by the time the song returns to the main hook. Maybe there's an extended cut out there that would be more essential, but this version is a cute one-time listen that doesn't really demand returning to.
4. Though country stars visiting the Hot 100's top 5 has been a pretty sizable rarity in the past decade, we've now seen it twice in the last two years with Luke Combs and Walker Hayes now. Which country artist this decade do you think might be next to chart a crossover hit that high?
Katie Atkinson: Walker definitely came out of nowhere, so it could be another surprise. But I wonder if Niko Moon might be able to come up with another feel-good vibe after his top 20 Hot 100 hit "Good Time."
Jason Lipshutz: Kane Brown keeps getting close, thanks to cross-genre collaborations with the likes of Khalid, Swae Lee, Marshmello and Blackbear; “Be Like That” in particular could have really taken off had its release timing been a bit more favorable. Brown is a brand name and a gifted country-pop specialist, so I wouldn’t be remotely surprised if he scores a top 5 hit in the next 12 months or so.
Jessica Nicholson: Kane Brown is no stranger to both the country and pop charts and has an ace record of collaborating with artists outside the country genre. He’s made his way to the upper echelons of the Hot 100 before, with “Heaven” reaching the Top 15 on the Hot 100 in 2018, while “Be Like That,” which featured Swae Lee and Khalid, reached No. 19 on the Hot 100 just last year. Each year seems to bring more and more crossover between country, pop and hip-hop, and Brown possesses a smooth, understated vocal delivery that sounds comfortable at the intersection of all of those genres.
Kristin Robinson: Dan + Shay would be my guess. They already did it once late last decade (with a huge assist from Justin Bieber on "10,000 Hours"), and have close ties to pop hitmakers like the Bieb through their association with Scooter Braun. I could also see Thomas Rhett making a run for it, and I think Morgan Wallen had a shot at this prior to the racist video of him that surfaced earlier this year. While Wallen has proven that he is still doing well on the Billboard 200 albums chart despite that racist video, I think he would struggle to gain a Top 5 single on the Hot 100, because I doubt mainstream radio would be as supportive of him at this point. Same with mainstream editorial playlists on DSPs.
Andrew Unterberger: I'll cast my lot with Sam Hunt, who's already come damn close -- "Body Like a Back Road" peaked at No. 6 in 2017 -- and seems to be back in the hunt for a similarly sized megahit with his undeniable new single, "23." Once he figures out how to really weaponize TikTok for promotion, it's game over.
5. What fast food or chain restaurant item would you be most pleased to hear shouted out in a hit pop song next?
Katie Atkinson: I'm partial to Red Lobster, and while Beyoncé already gave them a (well-deserved) shout-out, she didn't specifically mention the buttery perfection of the Cheddar Bay Biscuits. If Walker is looking for his next viral hit, the name already sounds like a country song.
Jason Lipshutz: As a Quizno’s lifer dearly missing their stores in the NYC area, I need a superstar to shout out the Chicken Carbonara on a track and bring this once-mighty sandwich franchise back to prominence. Looking at you, PostMates Malone!
Jessica Nicholson: Arby’s curly fries and Chick-fil-A’s waffle fries are pretty popular fast food choices.
Kristin Robinson: I’m a Texas girl so I’m biased, but I definitely want a Whataburger shout out next.
Andrew Unterberger: Call me when Hayes skips the Frosty and fries at Wendy's and goes straight to the Baconator -- I'll happily chime in with backing vocals.
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Post by Baby Yoda Hot100Fan on Oct 26, 2021 16:40:40 GMT -5
By Billboard Staff 10/26/2021
Adele’s return was always going to be a big deal; now, she once again has the biggest song in the country. “Easy On Me,” the first taste of her long-awaited fourth album 30, jumps up to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart in its first full week of release.
“Easy On Me” previously debuted at No. 68 on the chart, thanks solely to its first five hours of availability upon release. The song has now become her fifth career No. 1 on the Hot 100 ahead of the Nov. 19 release of 30, Adele’s first full-length in six years.
Where does “Easy On Me” rank among Adele’s chart-toppers? And what do we hope it means for her new album? Billboard staffers discuss these questions and more below.
1. Adele’s new single reaching the top of the Hot 100 should surprise absolutely no one, although it’s not every day that a piano ballad hits No. 1. Do you think “Easy On Me” is in for a long stay at the top?
Jason Lipshutz: The Adele smash that “Easy On Me” most closely resembles is “Someone Like You,” which spent five weeks atop the Hot 100 in 2011; I think “Easy On Me” is in for a similar run a decade later. Not quite as overpowering as “Hello” or catchy as “Rolling In The Deep,” but with the gravitas and breathtaking vocals of Adele’s best piano ballads, “Easy On Me” is another commercial winner from the superstar. And regardless of how many weeks it stays in the top spot of the Hot 100, the song will undoubtedly linger at pop and adult contemporary radio for a long, long time.
Katie Atkinson: Yes. It might not stay "Hello" long, but its radio performance alone should keep it up top for a few weeks. And while piano ballads aren't frequent chart-toppers, Olivia Rodrigo's eight-week stay with "Drivers License" earlier this year proved that the right weepy No. 1 can hang around for a while.
Katie Bain: This is a perhaps unpopular opinion, but no. "Easy On Me" is an extremely pleasant song, but I'm not sure it has the big hooks, resonant melodies or other standout elements that give a song staying power at the very top. That said, it's Adele, so this song could sit at No. 1 well into next year and that also wouldn't be surprising.
Neena Rouhani: Whether or not it’ll remain at the top is hard to say. I think radio will definitely keep it spinning, but in terms of streaming, the turnover rate is so high. People are quickly onto the next thing. Also, the way Billboard tabulates the charts today is different from the time of “Rolling In The Deep” or “Hello.” Overall, I am not sure if the track has the same longevity on the charts as “Hello” -- not because it’s a lesser song, but because “Easy On Me” isn’t following the same pop “formula” as “Hello” in terms of composition, lyricism and melodies.
Stephen Daw: I 100% believe she'll be at the top for at least a few weeks. Sure, we don't get to see piano ballads top the charts all that often, but it certainly didn't stop "Hello" or "Someone Like You" in years where that same fact was true. It also didn't stop Olivia Rodrigo from topping the chart for eight straight weeks earlier this year with her own lovesick piano ballad, ”Drivers License." Add in the sheer amount of time we've been waiting for new Adele, and I think it's clear that "Easy On Me" will be sticking around for the time being.
2. Where would you rank “Easy On Me” among Adele’s other No. 1 hits — “Rolling In The Deep,” “Someone Like You,” “Set Fire To The Rain” and “Hello”?
Jason Lipshutz: Right now it’s batting cleanup for me, behind “Rolling In The Deep,” “Someone Like You” and “Hello.” In terms of vocal nuance and thematic focus, “Easy On Me” is among my favorite Adele singles -- but damn, those three former No. 1s are difficult to unseat as stone-cold tear-streaked classics.
Katie Atkinson: Maybe I haven't spent enough time with it, but I would rank it at No. 4, only ahead of "Set Fire to the Rain." It's beautiful and I've had it on repeat since its release, but it just hasn't impacted me emotionally like "Hello," "Someone Like You" or "Rolling in the Deep" (yet). I remember choking up at just the intro of "Hello" in its first week -- it's hard to compete with that visceral reaction.
Katie Bain: Again, perhaps unpopular: I’d rank it last. It's not that "Easy On Me" isn't a good song. It is. But for me, those other No. 1s are all-time great, turn-the-radio-up-every-time-they-come-on, scream-in-the-car-at-the-top-of-your-lungs bangers. For me, this one -- while a sturdy vehicle for Adele's era-defining voice -- isn't as powerful, as raw, or as memorable.
Neena Rouhani: Before I say what I am about to say... let me remind everyone that I am an Adele STAN. I sang “Turning Tables” at my 11th grade talent show and spent many car rides staring out of the window as “Someone Like You” played on repeat. However -- I was not a fan of “Hello.” I actually skip it every time it comes on when my music is shuffled, but I do acknowledge its brilliance and catchiness. I feel similarly about “Set Fire To The Rain.” “Someone Like You” is absolutely incredible and my personal No. 1. I’d put “Easy On Me” as No. 4.
Stephen Daw: I love a ballad about complicated, messy emotions, so "Easy On Me" hits me right where I live. That being said, I'd have to put it right in the middle of these tracks — "Set Fire to The Rain" and "Hello" were never my favorite Adele songs, but "Rolling In The Deep" and "Someone Like You" both still give me chills to this day. "Easy On Me" is fabulous, but it's yet to offer me that same kind of emotional release you get to experience on both of those songs.
3. Although she’s one of the defining popular artists of the past decade, Adele is not as prolific as her fellow superstars, with multi-year waits in between projects. Do you wish that Adele released albums more consistently, or do you appreciate the every-few-years event that is a new Adele LP?
Jason Lipshutz: Not only do I appreciate the all-caps EVENT that a new Adele project represents, but I also love how the last two album campaigns have been timed to the autumn, with a new album ready for Black Friday purchasing and holiday listening. Thank you, Adele, for giving us “Hello” as the leaves were changing and the wind was growing colder; for allowing us to contemplate “When We Were Young” as night fell earlier in the afternoon; and, now, for bestowing us with “Easy On Me” in the heart of pumpkin spice and Halloween candy season, a time when we must all take it easy on ourselves.
Katie Atkinson: Take your time, Adele! There's no doubt that the downtime between releases is what keeps that air of mystery around her that creates so much drama when she does come out of hiding. Also, she seems to appeal to almost every generation, so it's not like she has to race the clock of her audience outgrowing her. People will be listening for decades to come.
Katie Bain: In a world that demands artists release new music as much as possible, I think Adele's pacing is admirable. I love that she takes her time, culls from whatever's transpired in her life during the last few years to make the music, and then makes each release a global event. There are so few pop culture moments we all share in now, but I feel like a new Adele album is still one of them. 3. Although she’s one of the defining popular artists of the past decade, Adele is not as prolific as her fellow superstars, with multi-year waits in between projects. Do you wish that Adele released albums more consistently, or do you appreciate the every-few-years event that is a new Adele LP?
Jason Lipshutz: Not only do I appreciate the all-caps EVENT that a new Adele project represents, but I also love how the last two album campaigns have been timed to the autumn, with a new album ready for Black Friday purchasing and holiday listening. Thank you, Adele, for giving us “Hello” as the leaves were changing and the wind was growing colder; for allowing us to contemplate “When We Were Young” as night fell earlier in the afternoon; and, now, for bestowing us with “Easy On Me” in the heart of pumpkin spice and Halloween candy season, a time when we must all take it easy on ourselves.
Katie Atkinson: Take your time, Adele! There's no doubt that the downtime between releases is what keeps that air of mystery around her that creates so much drama when she does come out of hiding. Also, she seems to appeal to almost every generation, so it's not like she has to race the clock of her audience outgrowing her. People will be listening for decades to come.
Katie Bain: In a world that demands artists release new music as much as possible, I think Adele's pacing is admirable. I love that she takes her time, culls from whatever's transpired in her life during the last few years to make the music, and then makes each release a global event. There are so few pop culture moments we all share in now, but I feel like a new Adele album is still one of them.
Neena Rouhani: I think she should never change her methods. This rapid release cycle is one of the worst things to happen to music. Adele allows us time to really cherish and sit with what she shares, like savoring that last bite of the most decadent cheesecake. You never want it to be over, so you slowly nibble away at it. It’s a guaranteed No. 1, every time. We know that an Adele release is rare, so we are truly grateful.
Stephen Daw: Make us wait for it! The problem with being hyper-prolific is it forces you to burn through a lot of creative energy very quickly, especially in an age where fans sometimes expect new "eras" with every album release. Adele is smart to let that creative energy build up over time, so that when she does finally release a new single or album, it feels like an event you've been waiting for. Building tension only to release it with a song like "Easy On Me" is a move that I'll always respect.
4. “Easy On Me” previews Adele’s highly anticipated new album, 30. When it comes to the sound, thematic focus, collaborators or general vibe, what are you personally hoping to hear from 30?
Jason Lipshutz: For years I have been begging Adele to record a dance album -- imagine that voice in a disco-pop setting! -- and while “Easy On Me,” and Adele’s recent discussion of the album’s thematic focus on her divorce, indicate that 30 will definitely not be that, I still hold out hope for one uptempo banger on the track list. Someday, Adele will drop her “I Will Survive,” and that day will be glorious.
Katie Atkinson: There's no reason for Adele to mess with a good thing. The album should be built around her untouchable vocals as always, with complementary production to showcase them. Of course I want some emotional gravitas and painful realities that will hit too close to home, but I don't need any features or dubstep or anything else that skews too far from her can't-miss formula. "Rumour Has It" is the highest Adele BPM I can handle.
Katie Bain: If "Easy On Me" is any indication, I think we're going to get a lot of divorce-related introspection -- which, given how prolifically Adele has always turned the ups and downs of her love life into music, creates pretty massive expectations. While the gentleness of "Easy On Me" is nice, I do hope the separation experience also manifested in music that also makes her want to once again set fire to the rain.
Neena Rouhani: I hope to hear classic Adele. I don’t want trap drums, I don’t want a big pop feature, I just want what Adele does best, which is soul-baring, heart-crushing, sob-worthy ballads mixed with a few upbeat “I’m healed now” cuts. I wouldn’t be mad at one or two on-theme features, but please, Adele. We desperately need your raw, stripped-back self.
Stephen Daw: For me, I'm hoping to get some variety on this album. As great as "Easy On Me" is, I think an entire album of identical love ballads would end up being a disappointment. I want to see Adele take some broad strokes -- maybe try a couple upbeat dance numbers, or even go for a song that has nothing to do with her love life. Mixing it up just enough so that we get to hear that incredible voice in some new, exciting sonic landscapes would be a really fun way to show her versatility on 30. 5. Fill in the blank: the Adele song from her first three albums that should have been a much bigger hit is _____________.
Jason Lipshutz: “I’ll Be Waiting,” the horns-heavy uptempo gem from 21 that’s too undeniable to be shrugged off as a deep cut. Shout out to the millions of other people who have embarrassingly belted along with that one in their cars.
Katie Atkinson: OK, right after I said I didn't want my Adele to have too high of a BPM, I think the jangly "Right as Rain" from 19 should have been a single. Maybe it was too similar to Amy Winehouse, who was a contemporary of Adele's at the time, but "Rain" is (ironically) such a ray of sunshine.
Katie Bain: “Best For Last.”
Neena Rouhani: “All I Ask.”
Stephen Daw: "All I Ask." Sometimes, I wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, wondering why on earth this song was never released as a single. "All I Ask" is an absolutely gorgeous ballad that shows off Adele's vocal range and technique perfectly, and differentiates itself from her other ballads with a new time signature, a different flavor of heartbreak, and best of all, simplicity. Why "All I Ask" never got promoted to a post-release single will always irk me, because it could have become another No. 1 for her.
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Post by Baby Yoda Hot100Fan on Nov 4, 2021 10:40:05 GMT -5
By Billboard Staff 11/3/2021
This election week, you may have noticed that the Billboard Hot 100 features not one, but two songs titled "Let's Go Brandon" in its top 40 -- both from artists with little, if any, prior chart history.
The shared title derives from a NASCAR event in Alabama (won by driver Brandon Brown), in which an audience chant of "F--k Joe Biden!" was interpreted by an NBC Sports announcer as "Let's go Brandon." Since then, the three-word phrase has become a conservative meme, used by politicians, organizations and even a Southwest Airlines pilot -- and now, a number of rappers who have capitalized on the trend.
The first "Let's Go Brandon" to hit the Hot 100 came from New Jersey rapper Loza Alexander, built around sound clips of the "Let's go Brandon" call and the accompanying "F--k Joe Biden" chant at the Alabama event, which debuted at No. 45 on the chart last week. This week, the song climbs to No. 38 -- but it's lapped by a song of the same name by Christian rapper Bryson Gray (also featuring Chandler Crump and Tyson James), which features more rapping and no audio samples than the Alexander song, and debuts this week at No. 28 on the Hot 100.
Both songs are clearly positioned to be right-wing anthems -- down to both Alexander and Gray wearing a MAGA hat in their respective "Brandon" videos -- and follow other conservative-leaning songs from artists like Tom MacDonald and Aaron Lewis onto the Hot 100 this year. Like those songs, the two "Brandon"s mostly owe their splashy debuts to robust sales weeks, with the songs occupying the top two spots on this week's Digital Song Sales chart, as Gray's version sells 48,000 copies and Alexander's sells 39,000.
What does all of this mean? And what does it portend for the Hot 100 moving forward? Billboard staffers debate these questions and more below. 1. "Let's Go Brandon" was a surprising-enough chart phenomenon when Loza Alexander debuted at No. 45 with his song of that title on the chart last week. Now, not only has Loza's song climbed to No. 38, but we have a new song of that title from Bryson Gray, Tyson James and Chandler Crump debuting ten spots ahead of it at No. 28. How has this meme spread wide enough to support not one, but two hit singles on the Hot 100?
Katie Atkinson: A large, riled-up group has rallied around a cheeky catchphrase and hoisted an inside joke all the way to the top 40 -- twice. The impetus of the phrase was the rise of "F--k Joe Biden" chants this fall at some sporting events, where hundreds or even thousands of fans joined in. That's the kind of promo you can't buy, and these two songs got in early and are reaping the benefits. Also, like-minded people are clearly getting a kick out of the phrase itself, which recalls Britney Spears' "If U Seek Amy" as a sort of juvenile wink-wink to radio censors.
Jason Lipshutz: When a meme is slightly clever and also supported by large swaths of a political party, it’s not shocking that it will find legs. The original “Let’s Go Brandon” offered both a sticky hook and sly opportunity for coded anger against the current administration; it’s still short of a phenomenon, but the fact that it’s begat a successful spin-off indicates that this chant is not just a blip on the conservative-music radar.
Kristin Robinson: I think the Facebook Files reveal last month reminded us that what we see on social media is an echo chamber of previously held beliefs (to keep us scrolling) and some content that provokes outrage and hatred (to get us engaging). These algorithms, I believe, are the reason why the “Let’s Go Brandon” meme has proliferated so quickly. You’ll either see it because you are already conservative and may find it funny, but you might see it if you’re left-leaning because it may provoke reactions and outrage.
Andrew Unterberger: It's a decently clever secret-password sort of a meme -- one that sounds perfectly innocuous to the uninitiated, and with an amusing origin story that takes a full minute's worth of explanation to introduce to anyone not already familiar. Obviously political tensions are once again at a new high in this country, and it makes complete sense that "Let's go Brandon" would catch fire as a sort of absurdist rallying cry. (Though I'll admit I never would've guessed that multiple top 40 hits were in the cards for its virality.)
Christine Werthman: There’s nothing too revelatory to report here: The meme, as memes do, blew up (on social media, across news outlets), and these performers are capitalizing on the trend. But why is it burning so hot? As we can see from this week’s election results, voters are not looking favorably upon Joe Biden and the Democratic Party, so it makes sense that two anti-Biden anthems would take off, especially now. And while many ongoing Trump supporters are not shy about expressing their views about this president, these memes reach wider by giving other people a less profane way of showing their distaste. As Tyson James says, “I’m a Christian, so how do I say this? Let’s go Brandon.”
2. It's not the first time music fans have launched right wing-leaning hits onto the Hot 100 this year -- Tom MacDonald and Aaron Lewis have also found similar success with songs with a conservative bent. Do you see their chart success as more of an incidental side effect of their natural popularity, or as a purposeful statement being made by their supporters via the Hot 100?
Katie Atkinson: I think whenever a fan purchases music in 2021, they're making a statement -- whether that statement is "I need to collect all of Taylor Swift's vinyl" or "I need to buy every version of a song to help BTS on the charts" or, um, "Let's go Brandon." They could easily stream the songs for free, but they want these anti-Biden songs to make the biggest impact, and that is definitely accomplished through sales.
Jason Lipshutz: The former. Based on their sales and streaming numbers, I suspect that there’s not an enormous audience for these songs relative to that of an average Hot 100 hit, but that their audience is passionate enough about their messaging to buy them as well as stream them and ultimately boost their chart placements. That act leads to more incidental chart gains than purposeful ones -- it’s hard to imagine the “Let’s Go Brandon” Hive caring that much about pushing the song higher on the Hot 100 -- but chart gains nonetheless.
Kristin Robinson: I believe its support is intentional by the right based on its statements, but I don’t think that’s a phenomenon unique to the right. There are many songs that have been bolstered by the left for political messaging in the past decade. I think “This Is America” by Childish Gambino is a good example of that. I will say, however, that these two songs that made the Top 40 are not actually serious and thoughtful, like Gambino’s “This Is America," but more akin to meme-ier songs that were never were able to reach this kind of height.
Andrew Unterberger: I think that Tom MacDonald's Hot 100 success -- which, it should be said, has thus far been kept to the lower half of the chart -- is likely largely organic, since he seems to have a real fanbase and his success has been repeated a couple times already. The triumph of the "Brandon"s is almost certainly Hot 100 success for Hot 100 success' sake, audiences doing what they have to in order to get these songs on the charts in order to prove a point, regardless of how much they're really jamming out to the actual songs. Just look at the YouTube description for the Bryson Gray "Brandon" -- it's a message from Gray rallying his conservative followers to "fight back within the culture" by shelling out the $1 for the song on iTunes.
Christine Werthman: Let’s look at Aaron Lewis. The Staind frontman hadn’t been on the chart since 2011 and then landed at No. 14 in 2021 with “Am I the Only One?” Maybe tons of people were jamming to “It’s Been Awhile,” thought, “Wow, it really has been!” and went searching for Lewis’s latest. But it’s more likely that the conservative message, not so much the messenger, attracted a wider swath of listeners who sent the song sky high. As Jason Lipshutz prophesied in July, the success of Lewis and MacDonald among right-wing listeners spurred imitators, and much like the Toby Keith acolytes before them, there will be plenty more to come.
3. Plenty of left-wing protest songs emerged and found support in the wake of Donald Trump's presidential campaign and four years in office, but few if any had the chart success of "Let's Go Brandon" or Lewis' "Am I the Only One." (YG and Nipsey Hussle's "FDT," for instance, never cracked the Hot 100.) Why do you think these right-wing protest songs have been able to make such a more concentrated chart impact?
Katie Atkinson: You only have to look at the Trump and Biden inaugural performers to know that the bulk of famous musicians skew to the liberal side of things, so there are definitely fewer out-and-out conservative songs breaking through. In this case, some artists you had never heard of were able to bring a conservative viewpoint to the mainstream thanks to a viral meme. Basically, a musician saying "f--k Donald Trump" is a lot less of a novelty than a musician saying "f--k Joe Biden." Also, the irony of both of these songs being performed by hip-hop artists -- who typically draw the ire of right-wing pundits, like when Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion's "WAP" became a five-alarm fire on Fox News last fall -- is not lost on me.
Jason Lipshutz: It all comes back to the sales numbers for these right-wing protest songs, an effect of the concentrated passion that will compel listeners to spend money on “Let’s Go Brandon” and the like -- which results in greater chart success than songs that accrue far more streams. That said, I do think left-wing protest songs had an impact during the Trump administration, even if they were more focused on social change than calling out the president; last summer, for instance, the Black Lives Matter movement sparked a whole new era of protest songs.
Kristin Robinson: I honestly don’t know. I guess it’s possible there are less openly conservative songs, so, in turn, when they do come up, republicans rally around the songs with more concentration? I also think we are living in a different time that when “FDT” came out – with TikTok proliferating songs so quickly and widely, I could see TikTok virality being the determining factor in these songs’ successes.
Andrew Unterberger: I think a large part of it is timing -- in 2016 and 2017, when anti-Trump anthems were at their cultural peak, music fans had not yet really weaponized the Digital Song Sales portion of the Hot 100 as a shortcut to getting songs an attention-grabbing chart debut. (Hit songs were also selling more on average in those days, making it harder to launch a song this high on the chart via such grass-roots measures.) But in 2021, even the biggest hits don't sell that much, and pop fans have long since demonstrated how achievable a big chart debut is with an organized push through download sales. Conservatives seem to have been paying attention, and now that Trump is out of the White House, they're letting their protest be heard via the Hot 100.
Christine Werthman: I would guess that YG and Nipsey naturally attract a younger demographic, while older listeners would be turned off by the profanity suggested in the title, so they lost out on that audience as well as radio play. Staind has a longer history, so Lewis might have a more varied and larger listenership. And then “Let’s Go Brandon” as a meme is receiving widespread media attention, so curious listeners of all ages and from both sides of the aisle are tuning in to the song to hear what it's all about. There's also a simpler answer -- which is that conservatives are still angry about the election and will eagerly embrace any song whose message matches their feelings.
4. While "Am I the Only One" has picked up minor country radio airplay, neither that song nor any of MacDonald's hits has really become a breakout hit on radio or streaming. Do you think either version of "Let's Go Brandon" might crossover to one of those formats, or will they both stay as sales hits only?
Katie Atkinson: I think the Loza Alexander song could become a streaming hit; it's surprisingly catchy, and I could see it going over well at college parties after the games where those chants are heard. The Bryson Gray one, however, doesn't feel like a fun repeat listen to me at all.
Jason Lipshutz: Sales hits only, for sure. Even if they boost their streaming numbers and find the occasional radio spin, both “Let’s Go Brandon”s are likely too polarized to become a true crossover hit. I could be wrong -- I certainly didn’t foresee a top 40 Hot 100 hit when this whole thing started! -- but I can’t picture either as a multi-format smash.
Kristin Robinson: I can’t see radio stations picking these up, except maybe the occasional spin on a conservative news radio station. Both songs are rap-leaning, and I don’t see them fitting on rap radio. Also, “Am I The Only One” wasn’t a joke like the “Let’s Go Brandon” songs are, so country radio could take it much more seriously. I think comedy-driven political music will fare far better on the internet than on radio.
Andrew Unterberger: I could maybe see the Bryson Gray version catching on with slightly different lyrics, since the production and rapping feel close enough to a plausibly popular trap song in 2021. But the lyrics are probably a little too specific and unsavory to catch on in most mainstream spaces.
Christine Werthman: Loza Alexander’s track is catchier, but it doubled down on the explicit Biden chant, making it not radio-friendly, and the Bryson Gray version, clocking in at just under four minutes, is a little too long to have high replay value. Both are going to flame out eventually and not make a big impact on radio or streaming, but the “Let’s Go Brandon” meme and chant are going to outlive them both.
5. Back in the '60s and early '70s, it was actually not that uncommon for conservative spoken-word monologues (with light musical accompaniment) to become popular, with Victor Lundberg, Johnny Sea and Byron MacGregor all scoring Hot 100 top 40 hits along those lines. Do you see America trending back towards that era, or do you think this is close to as extreme as it's likely to get on the charts?
Katie Atkinson: There's clearly an audience ready to put their money behind conservative musical messages. In this case, Alexander and Gray seized on the right message at the right time. In Aaron Lewis' case, he had the familiarity from his nu-metal days coupled with the Fourth of July holiday. It's not far-fetched to think someone else could come along and capture these listeners' attention again.
Jason Lipshutz: There will be more of these. As user-generated social media has become increasingly influential in popular music, our country has become more politically polarized, and more incidental left-wing and right-wing anthems will be produced by unknown voices catching fire on a particular platform. If conservative spoken-word monologues were taking off a half-century ago, more TikTok-friendly, haphazard chants like “Let’s Go Brandon” can thrive in this world.
Kristin Robinson: don’t think it will go that far, but I think the mostly-liberal music business often underestimates how many conservatives are out there, looking for music that speaks to their beliefs. I see more songs like “Okie from Muskogee” by Merle Haggard, a song that took shots at anti-war protestors in 1969, to pop up. Something that speaks to conservative values, but perhaps isn’t so jarring and in-your-face as “Lets Go Brandon” and the like.
Andrew Unterberger: That this is even a question worth asking is pretty sobering.
Christine Werthman: Oh boy, I hope this is where we’re headed. Imagine one of these paired with a modern dance performance at the next RNC. Chills.
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Post by Baby Yoda Hot100Fan on Nov 9, 2021 15:39:26 GMT -5
By Billboard Staff 11/9/2021
Though 2019 saw a full-length release from Ed Sheeran, with his all-collab No.6 Collaborations Project set, it's been four years since he's released an album in his solo-showcase (and arithmetic symbol-named) series: 2017's ÷ (Divide), which marked the greatest success of his career to date and confirmed his status as one of the biggest pop stars on the planet.
Now, in 2021, Sheeran is back, and he's once again landed atop the Billboard 200 albums chart with his new LP = (Equals), featuring a pair of Billboard Hot 100 top 10 hits in "Bad Habits" (No. 2) and "Shivers" (a new peak of No. 6 this week). However, his first-week number of 118,000 equivalent album units moved has dipped a little from the 173,000 of Collaborations Project, and is down fairly significantly from the 451,000 of Divide.
How has Ed Sheeran maintained his chart-topping status -- and why is it starting to show signs of slippage? Billboard staffers debate these questions and more below.
1. Equals debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 118,000 equivalent album units moved -- obviously a great number for an average pop artist, but down about 47% from the first-week performance of 2019's No.1 Collaborations Project set, and about 282% from that of his most recent non-collaborative album, 2017's Divide. If you're Ed Sheeran, how excited are you about this debut, on a scale from 1-10?
Rania Aniftos: Six. I’d feel torn. Of course, I’d be thrilled that the album topped the Billboard 200 with good numbers, but I’d wonder what I could do differently in the social media/TikTok age to capture the attention of Gen-Z, who might not connect as much to his music compared to his older fans and probably led to the drop in numbers. At the same time, though, he might not even care. He’s Ed Sheeran. He’s doing just fine.
Lyndsey Havens: Eight. Yes, a 282% drop in consumption between 2017's Divide and this year's Equals is massive, but we're also comparing two things that arrived over four years apart during which the listening landscape has largely shifted. The general consensus with most top-performing artists today seems to be, "Cool, they're back on top -- but with a worse first-week performance than last time. Are they over? Did they flop?" And we repeatedly see that to be not true. That said, I think dethroning Drake from the Billboard 200 -- and scoring a No. 1 album just before Taylor Swift, Silk Sonic and Adele flood the chart -- is something to be quite pleased with.
Gil Kaufman: Three. I’m bummed, TBH. If I’m Ed and I’m watching the world collectively lose their minds over the upcoming Adele album and then I see these numbers, I might wonder what’s going on. Sure, Sheerios are sopping up the album’s singles so far, but for an artist who's talked about writing dozens of songs for this album and meticulously honing the tracklist down to the very best selections, this kind of downward trend has to sting a bit.
Jason Lipshutz: Four. Another No. 1 album with a six-digit equivalent albums unit debut, from an artist who’s been a star for roughly a decade, is nothing to sneeze and speaks to his longevity as an A-lister. That’s a significant drop-off from 2017’s Divide... but Divide had one of the biggest hits of the decade in “Shape of You.” “Excited” may not be the word to describe my reaction to this debut if I’m in Ed Sheehan, but considering the circumstances, there’s no reason to be shockingly disappointed, either.
Andrew Unterberger: Five. It's pretty clear at this point that Divide (and "Shape of You") specifically was his pop peak, a four-quadrant smash from a still relatively unlikely pop megastar that was just the write song/album at the right moment. He's not likely to repeat that success again, and that might be for the best: His most natural form is as a singer-songwriter with a guitar, a loop pedal and an impressive connection with his audience. The sooner he's able to shed his pop trappings (while maintaining his core following -- 118k is still pretty solid!), the better for his long-term artistic health, which I have to imagine he'd at least partly agree with himself. 2. What do you think the biggest reason for Sheeran's drop in numbers over his past two projects says more about -- changes in the industry, or changes in Sheeran's music and stardom?
Rania Aniftos: The main criticism I have about Equals is that it feels like the same ol’ Ed Sheeran. Nothing out of the ordinary lyrically and musically. I knew what the album was going to sound like before I even listened to it. In an era where there’s so much new music to consume and new artists are always popping up seemingly out of nowhere and sharing powerful messages in unique musical ways… Sheeran feels boring in comparison. I think listeners in 2021 are looking for more than the same old stuff, especially given that Sheeran has a whole discography of the aforementioned "same old stuff." He can look to his friend Taylor Swift as inspiration: She’s been in the music scene for just as long as he has but is constantly switching up her sound while still staying true to who she is, hence her ability to stay exciting and actually break album sales records.
Lyndsey Havens: Well, I think they go hand in hand -- at least for any successful pop star today. As the industry changes, so too do we often see the biggest names in music changing with it. Just listen to "Shape Of You," Ed's huge hit off Divide, and compare that sonically to a hit like "Bad Habits" from his latest project. And that's not to say had Ed made more of the same that Equals would have collected a bigger first-week figure -- and it's worth noting there are classic Sheeran ballads on the new album -- but my larger point is that things change and one of them happens to be, generally speaking, less earth-shattering first-week performances. But hey, I'm sure Adele will smash this point to smithereens.
Gil Kaufman: To be fair, Equals is a very tight, cleverly crafted suite of songs with bullseye-sharp lyrics about true (married) love, being a dad, losing a close friend and reminiscing about that time you played Wembley for the first time. (You remember what that feels like, right?). It feels weird to say it, but Ed might just be too nice a guy with a grown-ass-man perspective that could be out of touch? While Olivia Rodrigo is casually dropping f-bombs in hit singles and eviscerating her exes with lyrical daggers, it’s possible Sheeran’s lack of edge might feel quaint, or out of touch, to his young audience. Maybe his word darts make more sense to their parents now, but who knows if they even know how to turn on the music machine to stream/download the album?
Jason Lipshutz: Mostly changes in the industry -- had a ticket bundle been attached to the chart debut of Equals, that first-week number may be far greater -- but also changes in the type of release this is from Sheeran. The fact that Equals boasts two top 10 Hot 100 hits in “Bad Habits” and “Shivers” demonstrates that his mainstream stardom is very well intact -- but simply put, neither of those songs is anywhere near as enormous as “Shape of You” was four years ago. And that’s fine! Another No. 1 album with multiple hits represents a positive outcome for Sheeran, even if it’s a drop-off from its solo predecessor.
Andrew Unterberger: It's a natural comedown from a once-in-a-lifetime success, combined with pop music and the infrastructure surrounding it undergoing some pretty drastic changes in the nearly half-decade since. Back when Divide and "Shape" were conquering the world, streaming and radio were still largely speaking the same language and the latter could still mint a culture-ruling smash practically on its own -- but now, the two formats have bifurcated, and streaming is far more important to overall consumption. And yeah, the recent elimination of ticket bundles for an artist whose sovereignty is still primarily in the live realm probably isn't helping his numbers much either.
3. You wouldn't predict any dip in Sheeran's popularity from his current radio omnipresence, responsible in large part for propelling two of his official advance singles from Equals ("Bad Habits" and "Shivers") to being steady Billboard Hot 100 top 10 hits. Why do you think he's remained such such a pop radio fixture into the 2020s?
Rania Aniftos: I know I was venting about how predictable Ed Sheeran can be in the previous question, but funny enough, that’s also what makes him so popular in the radio sphere. His voice is great and the songs are always safe, noncontroversial and so, so catchy. Sheeran has perfected the recipe for radio success to the point where, honestly, a radio exec could pick any song from Equals out of a hat and it would be an instant radio hit.
Lyndsey Havens: Revisiting an earlier point, I think Ed walks this fine line between evolving while remaining consistent. Listeners know what to expect from him -- and he always delivers, while also injecting his lyrics about love and sometimes loss with whatever popular production is currently resonating.
Gil Kaufman: Name two other young male pop singers outside of Justin Bieber and Kid LAROi who could rival him at the moment? Now name two more who are so lyrically incisive and quick with a grabby hook? We know Ed is playing the long game -- his album titles are proof enough. And judging by the way he vanishes between albums and, like Adele and Lorde, takes time to live life and stay out of our feeds every second when he’s not on cycle, his less is more -- until it’s not -- approach seems to help his singles pop when they drop. We can miss you if you go away.
Jason Lipshutz: It’s all about the hooks when it comes to Ed, who’s traipsed around different trends and shape-shifted the way he utilizes his voice since arriving with “The A Team” to move from tender acoustic singer-songwriting to weepy balladry, tropical-adjacent dance music and alternative-baiting pop-rock. The commonality across “Thinking Out Loud,” “Castle on the Hill” and “Bad Habits” is how damn catchy they all are -- the man knows how to write a melody that will get stuck in your head and on the radio for weeks.
Andrew Unterberger: In a period of enormous flux, both for the culture and for pop music, radio has increasingly gravitated towards the known quantities. Therefore, most of the stars who defined pop in the '10s -- Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber, The Weeknd, Bruno Mars, Adele, and indeed, Sheeran -- still see the red carpet rolled out for them whenever they resurface in the 20s. Plus, Sheeran has done a solid job of updating his core sound to reflect radio's new defaults; out are the dancehall-derived beats and Mumfordy stomp-rock rushes, in are the cinematic '80s productions and spiky alt-pop hooks.
4. Outside of those two big hits, what song from Equals do you find the most interesting and why?
Rania Aniftos: “Sandman.” Ed Sheeran has kept his personal life quite private throughout his career, and doesn’t often say much about his wife or his daughter. “Sandman” is such an adorable glimpse into his life as a first-time, loving father – eloquently, and in his own words. It’s a lullaby that I would cherish forever if I were the child of a pop superstar with an angelic voice.
Lyndsey Havens: I think more than any one song resonating, I'm most interested in the ones in which Fred (of Fred again... fame) had some involvement, whether that be as a co-writer or co-producer. Tapping an artist like Fred supports my earlier point as well about Ed's ability to adapt and expand his creative circles without ever moving too far away from the core artistic components that helped him become a star.
Gil Kaufman: I’m a sucker for “Visiting Hours” for a number of reasons. For one, the idea of heaven having visiting hours so that you can share your life updates with dead loved ones is about as clever as it gets. The heartbreak in Ed's voice and the specificity of his wanting to soothe his anxieties by having a chat with a spectral friendtor (friend/mentor) is crushing and inspiring all at once. I also happen to have interviewed the person the song is about a number of times (late Australian promoter/record label head/legendarily hard-charging mensch Michael Gudinski) and every line rings true. Plus, the ability to transform your grief into song that quickly (about two weeks), effectively and elegantly is a true gift.
Jason Lipshutz: “Sandman” is a sweet lullaby for Sheeran’s daughter, and it’s not a stellar track, per se -- but it does make me think that Sheeran would make a very good, very successful kids’ album if he ever wanted to. Ed, if you ever wanted to trade stadium tours for PBS, you’d be making Raffi money.
Andrew Unterberger: "Tides" is actually my favorite song of his in quite some time -- he does surprisingly well shouting out the regrets and confusion that come with emotional maturity over guitar cacophony and insistent drum pounding. Here's hoping No.7 Collaborations Project is just him getting together with some of his childhood chums in a garage rock band. 5. Now that Sheeran has exhausted four of the primary math symbols, what do you think his next non-collaborative studio album should be titled?
Rania Aniftos: Pythagorean Theorem. C’mon Ed, let’s graduate to high school math.
Lyndsey Havens: Well, I believe we're missing - (Minus), which will, of course, be where Ed wipes his entire discography from streaming platforms only to release it all as a multi-disc deluxe physical boxset that will reappear online weeks after it shatters physical sales records.
Gil Kaufman: Square root, duh. For his country album.
Jason Lipshutz: He’s conquered the math world -- it’s language arts’ time to shine. Give me a nice semicolon or em-dash album as a shout-out to us grammar geeks out there, Ed!
Andrew Unterberger: If Sheeran's not pleased with the critical response to this album, naming his next one after the quadratic formula would be a respectable middle finger to the folks writing about him.
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HolidayGuy
Diamond Member
Joined: December 2003
Posts: 33,882
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Post by HolidayGuy on Nov 9, 2021 16:37:10 GMT -5
How can something have a 282% drop? A gain, yes, but not a drop. Supposed to read 82%, I gather?
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Post by Baby Yoda Hot100Fan on Nov 9, 2021 16:53:41 GMT -5
^Good catch. They used the = equivalent albums in the denominator for their calculator which is completely wrong and resulted in their 282% drop. The correct denominator should be the sales for Divide and would result in close to a 74% drop. That makes more sense. I guess Billboard doesn't do basic math very well.
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Post by ontopofthis on Nov 10, 2021 9:34:54 GMT -5
That is true culturally, but it is not for Billboard purposes. Airplay helps songs that are not doing anything anywhere else stay in the top ten forever. That is even with airplay measurements being as shotty as they are. I am surprised that someone from Billboard actually is saying that even though it is true
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radio2009
Gold Member
Joined: December 2009
Posts: 619
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Post by radio2009 on Nov 14, 2021 1:10:00 GMT -5
And, once again, "Okie From Muskogee" was not meant to be taken literally. Merle Haggard was a liberal Democrat, and was taking shots at the rednecks in his town.
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Post by Baby Yoda Hot100Fan on Nov 30, 2021 16:51:54 GMT -5
11/23/2021 By Billboard Staff
Swift's latest re-recording package claims one of the year's biggest first-week debuts. Billboard staffers discuss how she's able to do it.
Without releasing a single new album of all-original material this year, Taylor Swift can now claim two of the biggest LP debuts of 2021. Fearless (Taylor’s Version), her re-recording and reissue (with new “From the Vault” bonus tracks) of her diamond-certified sophomore album, had an impressive enough bow with its 291,000 first-week equivalent album units back in February. But now, it’s clear that was mostly a warm up for the release of Red’s (Taylor’s Version) earlier this month.
This week, Swift’s new Red recording and repackaging moves a staggering 605,000 units — more than double the amount of her new Fearless‘ first week, and short of only Drake’s Certified Lover Boy and its 613,000-unit debut for the biggest single-week performance of the entire calendar year. What’s more, the set also launches 26 of its tracks onto the Billboard Hot 100 this week — led, of course, by her much-anticipated extended re-recording of signature Red deep cut “All Too Well,” which enters the chart at No. 1.
Why was this Taylor’s Version able to lap the performance of her prior TV release? And what lessons might other artists take from its success? Billboard answers these questions and more below.
1. Red (Taylor’s Version) isn’t the first Taylor Swift deluxe re-recording to debut at No. 1 with a big first week this year — but it does so with a first-week number over twice as big as Fearless (Taylor’s Version), moving 605,000 equivalent album units where F(TV) moved “just” 291,000 units. What’s the primary reason for this set’s performance marking such a significant improvement?
Katie Atkinson: The boring answer is that the Red (Taylor’s Version) vinyl was made available on release week this time around, whereas the Fearless vinyl wasn’t delivered until a half-year later, vaulting the first re-recording back to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in October with an additional 150,000-plus units. But that math still doesn’t add up to the blockbuster Red numbers, so the much juicier answer is about how much more buzz swirled around this release vs. Fearless back in April. Taylor had the Internet writing thesis papers on a three-month relationship that happened more than a decade ago because she offered up so many new intimate details to pore over.
Stephen Daw: While there is likely a laundry list of reasons why Red (Taylor’s Version) managed to dramatically outperform her re-release of Fearless — marketing, other releases, anticipation, etc. — I think it’s fair to point out that Red has long stood as the fan-favorite Taylor album. It was the storied start to her pop crossover, it contains massive hit songs along with B-sides that gained cultish followings, and it’s long been heralded by fans as the superstar’s best work. So, when it came time for them to finally hear an updated version of the album, along with a whopping nine new songs, they jumped at the opportunity much faster than with Fearless.
Josh Glicksman: Don’t ever underestimate how badly people want to be a part of the conversation. If you’ve been plugged in online at all in the lead-up to or in the immediate aftermath following the release of Red (Taylor’s Version), you’ve surely seen plenty of dialogue about “All Too Well” and its backstory. The short film set to the new version of the song already has more than 45 million views despite it hardly being a week and a half old! Combine that with the scores of other gargantuan hits on the project — including the re-recorded version of her first-ever Billboard Hot 100 No. 1, “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” — and you have a recipe for an eye-popping sales week.
Jason Lipshutz: The enormous debut resulted from a combination of setup and circumstance. Even though Fearless includes breakthrough hits like “Love Story” and “You Belong With Me,” Swift’s fans were always going to be more interested in returning to Red, both a towering and more personal fan favorite with several hits (“We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” “I Knew You Were Trouble,” “22”) of its own. Yet the way Swift orchestrated this release added fuel to the fire: aside from “From The Vault” collaborations with Ed Sheeran, Chris Stapleton and Phoebe Bridgers, the 10-minute version of “All Too Well” was a must-hear that was given an accompanying short film and show-stopping SNL performance. Red (Taylor’s Version) was treated like an Event in pop culture, and both diehard and casual fans responded in kind.
Andrew Unterberger: It’s funny to think of Fearless — a legitimately diamond-certified blockbuster — as a relative non-crowd-pleaser in Taylor Swift’s catalog. But it feels a long time ago, and in particular a lifetime removed for Swift herself, whereas Red feels a little more grounded in her current identity. It also helps that the bonus From the Vault cuts are just kinda better this time around; more revealing, more considered. The “new” songs don’t feel like add-ons, they feel like essential extensions and expansions of the album and its accompanying era — and having a 10-minute version of a signature track to key the whole thing around is particularly inspired.
2. The most-anticipated and warmest-received new recording on the set is of Swift’s near-mythical 10 minute version of her album track “All Too Well,” which becomes the longest track to ever top the Billboard Hot 100 with its No. 1 debut this week. Does the song’s expanded length mark a true improvement or expansion on the beloved deep cut, or it is more a historical curiosity for long-time fans?
Katie Atkinson: I’m stunned to say it’s a true improvement. As an editor, hearing about a 10-minute version of a pop song makes me wonder what could have been left on the cutting-room floor. But somehow Swift managed to take the devastating original and add even more visceral details, along with creative new melody choices, that hold your interest for the full 10 minutes-plus. Nowhere was that clearer than in Swift’s absolutely captivating SNL performance of the supersize song that never felt too long.
Stephen Daw: I think it’s mostly the latter. Nothing about the extended cut is necessary for the already near-perfect song — nowhere on the new version do I find myself thinking “I cannot believe she cut that part, this makes the song exponentially better.” A lot the 10-minute version does just serve its purpose as almost a collector’s item of sorts for superfans. But, there is something to be said for this much more realistic, detailed explanation of a young woman’s heartbreak that makes the song hit you differently, depending on which version you listen to.
Josh Glicksman: Sure, there’s plenty of historical curiosity, but the expansion is a true improvement through and through. “All Too Well” thrives in all of its painstaking, intricate details, and the 10-minute version provides loads of them. Whether it’s the visual of the “f–k the patriarchy” keychain on the ground or the image of a significant other sharing a handful of jokes at their own expense in front of your parents, Swift paints a vivid picture from one verse to the next and makes the stroll down memory lane that much more achingly beautiful — and difficult — for her listeners.
Jason Lipshutz: After living with it for about a week and a half, I can honestly say that I expect to listen to the 10-minute version of “All Too Well” more often than the standard version in the future. The expansion of the song deepens its emotional impact to me — I get lost in the storytelling far more than I get distracted by the extended run time, as if the details of the breakup at the heart of the song needed more space to breathe with a few more minutes included. Also, some of the new lines just pop: “And I was never good at telling jokes, but the punch line goes / ‘I’ll get older, but your lovers stay my age’” has been rattling around my head since I heard it!
Andrew Unterberger: I still prefer the original, just because I think the pacing is perfect in the “short” five-and-a-half minute version, and I think the 10 minute cut probably meanders an extra minute or two longer than it needs to. But most of the additional lyrics crackle with the same electricity that made the original so vital; the longer version’s only been out for a week and a half and already there are several lines it seems impossible to imagine the song without (my personal favorite: “You who charmed my dad with self-effacing jokes/ Sipping coffee like you were on a late-night show”). The original’s the one I’ll go back to more often, but the new one’s no mere novelty. I’m still holding out for a split-the-difference eight-minute version though.
3. Ten years ago — maybe just ten months ago — it would’ve been close to unimaginable that a prog-rock-length re-recording of a pop star’s non-single would ever be in contention for a No. 1 Hot 100 debut. What does it say to you about Swift — her artistry, influence and/or marketing savvy — that she was ultimately able secure the top spot fairly handily with the new “All Too Well”?
Katie Atkinson: We’re talking about nearly a decade of (sorry) folklore wrapped up in this song. As Nina Braca’s Billboard essay traced, not only has the song grown in length, but it’s grown in popularity, in mystique, in analysis. If Taylor had dropped a 10-minute single out of thin air, it might have been a curiosity, but probably not a chart-topper. This song has had fans creeping toward the edges of their seats for years only to be pushed over the edge with this gigantic gem.
Stephen Daw: People can say and think whatever they want about Taylor Swift, but at the end of the day, none of them can deny her songwriting ability, her unbelievable reach with fans, and her business prowess. She is a master at her craft and is an expert at marketing her work and uniting her fans to a common purpose. To me, this debut really just says that, love her or hate her, Taylor Swift is incredibly good at her job and deserves every bit of recognition she’s getting.
Josh Glicksman: It says that all three are flourishing. Swift is a long-established veteran of the industry, and is using all of the tools that she’s learned along the way at her disposal — both as an artist and as a brand — to prove that she knows how to thrive in an ever-changing music landscape. Between a genre-shifting alternate version, a short film and an all-out marketing campaign on late night television, it feels like this song was a lock for No. 1 even if it ran another 5-10 minutes long. And who’s to say the next version shouldn’t? Throw cuffing season out the window. It’s ballad season, baby!
Jason Lipshutz: Over the past year-and-a-half — essentially, ever since the release of Folklore — Swift has done an excellent job of framing herself as a timeless auteur, in part by underlining her songwriting as the most indispensable part of her artistry. She has transcended the concept of radio hits and has become more interested in emphasizing enduring storytelling, both inside her songs (a la the allegories and personal histories of Folklore and Evermore) and outside of them (with the re-recording project and the spotlight it places on creative ownership). The 10-minute version of “All Too Well”? That’s just another masterstroke from a brilliant writer, a feat of narrative cohesion that also offers treats for the rubber-necking listeners hungry for Gyllenhaal burns. If you think another superstar could as nimbly guide a 10-minute version of a previously released song to the top of the Hot 100, you should think again.
Andrew Unterberger: I think it says that there’s not as much difference between pop stars and cult artists right now as many may have previously thought — and that in their own way, Taylor Swift fans are just invested and curious and generally nerdy when it comes to her music as, say, Grateful Dead or Radiohead fans are when it comes to theirs.
4. Outside of the new “All Too Well”s, which of the Red (Taylor’s Version) new recordings is the most revelatory to you?
Katie Atkinson: Allow me to admit my Taylor Swift ignorance with this answer, but the most revelatory for me was “Girl at Home,” which was a bonus track on the deluxe edition of Red back in 2012. I owned Red in the pre-streaming days but not the deluxe edition (and clearly missed the song as a promotional single too, sigh), so I was pleasantly surprised by just how much “Girl at Home” drew a straight line to her next album, 1989. Obviously, the big pop hits on Red (“We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” “I Knew You Were Trouble”) were clear, even as she remained a country star, but that cool indie-pop sound she perfected on 1989 was obviously already well on its way during the Red days, as evidenced by this bonus track.
Stephen Daw: Listen, I’m a simple queer man — if I see Phoebe Bridgers’ name, I click. And “Nothing New”absoolutely blew me away with how effective it was having these two Sad Girls™ on the same song together. The songwriting was top-tier, the harmonies and musicality were pristinely simple, and the overall vibe of the song hit me exactly in the “autumn is almost over time to be sad” bone.
Josh Glicksman: Sign me up for “Nothing New.” It feels like a perfect example of what makes the Taylor’s Version projects so exciting. “Nothing New” is a song that really only makes sense on Red, both due to its overall message and timestamped lyrics (“How can a person know everything at 18, but nothing at 22?” — Swift was 22 at the time of the song’s release.). If she were to release a song like that on an entirely new project today, it’d remain powerful, but not to the extent that it is here. Plus, Phoebe Bridgers delivers a gem of a feature.
Jason Lipshutz: Definitely the Phoebe Bridgers collaboration “Nothing New,” which Swift wrote on her own but caters perfectly to Bridgers’ lyrical and vocal instincts. As someone who loved Folklore, Evemore and Punisher last year, hearing Swift and Bridgers blend their approaches on an affecting duet is the non-ATW “From the Vault” highlight for me.
Andrew Unterberger: I love “I Bet You Think About Me,” a rollicking ballad of pure breakup spite that invites Chris Stapleton along for harmonies and moral support. It’s just a just an undeniable blast of gleefully negative energy.
5. A deluxe re-recording / reissue package having a first week this massive — nearly as massive as any entirely original album has had in 2021 — will almost certainly have wide-ranging industry impact. What lesson, if any, do you think other major pop artists or their record labels may take from the success of Red (Taylor’s Version)?
Katie Atkinson: Even though Swift’s undertaking is unprecedented, the closest comparison might be a greatest-hits package back in the day that included one new single – but instead, there are like nine new songs. And given the fact that greatest-hits sets make much less sense these days, with the popularity of streaming, Swift figured out how to make a repackaging much more attractive by super-serving fans with new material, in addition to giving them the now-Taylor-approved hits. I’d say the biggest lesson would be for other artists at or close to her level to realize the power of nostalgia and revisit their older material in a much more valuable way than just slapping together a hits package. New/old songs. New videos. New short films. New performances. She’s treating each TV release like a brand-new album cycle, and it’s working.
Stephen Daw: I definitely think there are going to be quite a few artists wondering whether or not a Triple Ultra Super Diamond Deluxe Version of their most successful albums could be massive money-makers — but to most of them, I would simply say, “I’m sorry, but you’re not Taylor Swift.” There are a mere handful of artists who I see this method of re-releasing actively working for, and without the sort of cultural domination that Taylor demands, I just don’t see this working for other, smaller artists.
Josh Glicksman: I’d expect major pop artists to make releasing expanded anniversary editions of fan-favorite projects increasingly common. It’s a great way to revitalize some of the most beloved parts of an artist’s catalog, as well as to throw in a few new tracks from that period in time that may have gotten lost along the way. And for record labels, it’s an opportunity to release a “new” album from an artist when an entirely fresh project may not be ready just yet.
Jason Lipshutz: Although some of the fanfare around Red (Taylor’s Version) has to do with Swift being, you know, a mega-star, the lesson for other artists should be: get creative with reissues! Don’t just slap some half-recorded demos on a new version of a classic album — pore over them, try some outside-the-box ideas, and understand why so many listeners love the original product in the first place. Perhaps these re-recordings will compel other artists to expand upon previously released projects in more meaningful ways.
Andrew Unterberger: As is often with the case, Swift separates herself with sheer level of commitment. Of course, she has resources many don’t — a likely massive recording and promotional budget, a Rolodex full of fellow star artists, a fanbase willing to follow her into just about any battle — but what makes Red (TV) an essential 2021 release is the amount of attention, thought and feeling she puts into every step of the recording and the rollout, ensuring that the set feels less like a deluxe reissue and more like a near-sequel to the original. Other artists with massive followings and towering catalogs could certainly follow her lead with their classic sets — some will likely try — but are they willing to go as far down the path as she does? We’ll see.
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Post by Baby Yoda Hot100Fan on Nov 30, 2021 16:55:32 GMT -5
11/30/2021 By Billboard Staff
Adele's '30' debuts with the best first-week number of 2021 -- but given the history she's following up, does the number represent a triumph or a disappointment?
It’s the blessing and the curse of being Adele: When it comes to album sales and first-week numbers, you’re really only competing with yourself.
The global pop superstar released her heavily anticipated new album 30 this week — her first since 25 arrived six years ago. With 839,000 equivalent album units moved in its debut frame, the album easily passed Drake’s Certified Lover Boy and Taylor Swift’s Red (Taylor’s Version) for the best single-week number of 2021 so far. However, it’s still about a 75% drop from her most recent LP bow, when 25 opened with a historic 3.38 million copies sold in its first week of release in 2015.
How should Adele feel about her first-week number? And is any artist going to be able to move a million copies in their album’s first week again? Billboard staffers discuss these questions and more below.
1. 30 blows by the competition for this year’s best first-week sales number, with 839,000 units moved in its first week of sale. However, the number is only about a quarter of the historic first week (3.38 million) she experienced for her 25 album in 2015. If you’re Adele, how are you feeling about that first-week performance, on a scale from 1-10?
Rania Aniftos: 9. After a six-year break, I don’t think any artist can know for sure how their return to music will perform – especially if the last album broke multiple records. Those are some pretty big shoes to fill. If I were Adele, I’d be thrilled that my fans welcomed me back with open arms with an objectively very impressive number of sales, despite the dip since the last album.
Katie Bain: 8. As we’ll get into below, albums simply don’t sell in the same way they used to, so 839,000 is more a reflection of the major ways music consumption has changed in the last six years than it is on the popularity of Adele — which clearly remains enormous given that 839,000 is the best first week sales number of 2021.
Jason Lipshutz: A 6. If you’re Adele, you’ve transcended the experience of worrying about first-week consumption numbers a long time ago, and can simply enjoy a guaranteed chart-topper whenever you release a lead single or new full-length. The fact that 30 arrives with lower-than-prognosticated equivalent album units may be enough to prevent too much champagne-popping — but when coming up short of commercial expectations still yields the biggest album debut of the year, how upset can you really get?
Jessica Nicholson: 7. Given streaming’s growth over the past six years, it’s expected that sales for this project would be lower.
Andrew Unterberger: A 5. Obviously nobody expected her to approach 3.38 million again — that was the Haley’s Comet of 21st century pop, an achievement that grows more staggering and improbable with each passing year — and even getting half that would have remained a fairly stunning feat. But only a quarter? Sure, you can’t compare eras, but it was only a year and change ago that Taylor Swift’s Folklore — a surprise release with no hit singles, a relatively uncommercial sound, and no physical availability at first — moved 846,000 in its first week. Adele is still unquestionably a superstar, and possibly the very biggest one, but she’s just not a superhero anymore.
2. Obviously there’s a ton of context that goes into 30 only doing a fraction of 25′s first-week number, including much that’s changed about the industry since 2015. What do you think the biggest reason is for the discrepancy between the two sets’ opening performances?
Rania Aniftos: I’m going to say that slow songs just don’t generate as much buzz lately. Over the past two pandemic-filled years, we’ve seen a musical craving for fun, disco-tinged pop with cheeky lyrics and maybe Adele’s ode to heartbreak brings down the mood as we try to heal from our worldwide trauma. It’s hard for me to say because I love a good ballad, but I haven’t heard many slow, emotional songs on the radio recently. But then again, it’s Adele. She could pull a Kanye West “Poopy-di Scoop” and probably still top the Hot 100 and move 839,000 units, so my opinion doesn’t really matter here.
Katie Bain: It has to be the proliferation of streaming, and particularly the eradication of streaming windows, a now antiquated-seeming model in which Adele and other superstars like Taylor Swift held new albums from streaming services for a period after the release to drive album sales. As noted in the article linked to above, “Adele’s 25 wasn’t on streaming services at all (besides the lead single “Hello”) until June 2016, over seven months after the album became available for purchase.” With 30, the most obvious answer seems that hardcore fans who would have bought the album during a circa 2015 streaming window are now just playing it via their DSP of choice.
Jason Lipshutz: It’s easy to forget that 25’s record-setting debut was caused primarily by what preceded it: one of the biggest-selling albums of all time. Thanks to the world-conquering success of Adele’s 2011 sophomore album, 21, interest in its follow-up when it arrived four years later could not have been higher, and that fever pitch produced what will likely stand as the biggest debut week for an album for a long time. Although 25 enjoyed its own successful run, its follow-up was never going to be as feverishly anticipated as the sequel to 21; combined with diminished album sales across the board, 30’s debut number was never realistically going to threaten that of its predecessor.
Jessica Nicholson: The lack of streaming windows. 25 was unavailable on streaming for seven months after its release in 2015, bolstering sales for the album. Adele had not released music in nearly five years by the time 25 came along, and was largely absent from the media spotlight for much of that time, further heightening music lovers’ anticipation for new music leading up to the LP.
Andrew Unterberger: Being two albums and a full decade away from the once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon that was 21 — the last time Adele was truly at the very center of both pop music and pop culture — certainly has its impact. And while streaming availability is likely a necessary concession for every pop star to make in 2021, Adele is just never going to have the outsized impact on those services that she did in retail at her very peak — particularly not when many younger listeners now view her as music for their parents.
3. “Easy on Me” returns to No. 1 on the Hot 100 this week for its fifth week atop the chart — the third straight Adele lead single to reign for that long, following “Rolling in the Deep” and “Hello.” In your opinion, has the song proven itself worthy of being held alongside those two classics?
Rania Aniftos: Oh, yes. It has all the key ingredients for an Adele hit single: heartbreaking lyrics, a stunning piano melody and, of course, her once-in-a-generation voice. Adele gave her fans what they know and love about her with “Easy on Me,” layered with the comforting, mature perspective of a now-adult woman. It feels right at home with “Rolling in the Deep” and “Hello,” and it’s no surprise that “Easy on Me” has done this well.
Katie Bain: In October I mentioned that “Easy On Me” wasn’t my favorite Adele mega-hit, and my feelings haven’t warmed since then. That said, there are many, many people who feel differently, as proven by the song’s return to No. 1 this week. In terms of worthiness, the vocal run on “go eeeeeeeeeassy on me baby” is an earworm and certainly the song is absorbing into the collective consciousness through sonic osmosis even for those who aren’t big Adele fans, just like “Rolling In the Deep” and “Hello” did. While this one doesn’t pack as big of a punch for me as those aforementioned No. 1s, that doesn’t mean it won’t join them in the Adele canon.
Jason Lipshutz: “Easy on Me” has grown on me: when I first heard the lead single and doubted its staying power, I was just a child, as Adele might say, and didn’t yet get the chance to let its piano-ballad charms seep into my brain. Much like “Hello,” the song’s simplicity works in its favor, with a chorus designed to immediately be grasped and belted out on car rides with the volume turned way up. If “Easy on Me” isn’t quite on the “Hello,” “Rolling In The Deep” or “Someone Like You” level, it’s gotten closer for me than I anticipated.
Jessica Nicholson: Absolutely. It’s classic Adele — a raw, heart-on-your-sleeve style vocal comparative to “Someone Like You.” It’s pleading, elegant and intimate.
Andrew Unterberger: It’s not particularly close for me. Its commercial legs have certainly proven impressive, and many of the songs around it on 30 have grown on me since their release — but “Easy” has just never left a lasting impression on me: It’s nowhere near as emotionally visceral or bloody as “Deep,” or as overpoweringly dramatic and massive-sounding as “Hello.”
4. Of the non-“Easy” tracks on the set, “Oh My God” has the best Hot 100 debut this week with its No. 5 bow. Do you think it has the best shot of following “Easy” to smash status, or do you have your eye on another track on the set as having the most commercial potential?
Rania Aniftos: Since my first 30 listening, I knew right away that “Oh My God” would be the standout track after “Easy.” With an album all about “divorce, babe, divorce,” and two other albums filled to the brim with the more devastating aspects of heartbreak, it’s refreshing to see Adele be a little flirty as she navigates the dating scene again in “Oh My God,” which is an equally relatable part of moving on — and that’s likely why it’s connecting with so many people.
Katie Bain: If “Easy On Me” is the box of Kleenex your best friends passes you during the dregs of your breakup, “Oh My God” is the shot of tequila they encourage you to down on the night they finally get you out of the house. Saucy, singable and just really sophisticated pop music (and also the most R&B-oriented song on 30) “Oh My God” seems like it has potential to hit with younger audiences in a way “Easy on Me” might not be. There’s no reason this song shouldn’t be a major smash.
Jason Lipshutz: I’m still all in on “Can I Get It,” the lone Max Martin contribution to 30 that sports a kicky pop-rock setup, a whistle hook and Adele at her most unabashedly seductive. Whenever top 40 radio gets a hold of it, “Can I Get It” is going to linger in heavy rotation… and if Adele ever gives it a showy awards performance, the sky will be the limit for its commercial potential.
Jessica Nicholson: “Oh My God” has a great shot at becoming an official smash. Adele lets loose with these feather-light vocal runs, supported by a captivating R&B groove and an irrepressible melody. The song is already resonating with fans around the world, as evidenced by its No. 3 slot on Billboard’s Global 200 chart. Although, the stomping “Can I Get It” could set up a formidable challenge as a hit.
Andrew Unterberger: “Can I Get It” would absolutely have slayed late in the 21 rollout, when whistle hooks and drop-style instrumental hooks were thoroughly unavoidable on top 40 radio. It still could in 2021 — this is Max Martin we’re talking about, and he’ll keep scoring huge hits well into his second decade of cryogenic deep freeze — but “Oh My God” has the early advantage, and is probably the odds-on favorite at this point.
5. With 30 falling a little bit short of a seven-digit first week, the four-year gap since the most recent million-selling week for a new album (Taylor Swift’s Reputation in 2017) remains. Which current artist do you think is most likely to break the streak — or will it be one whose name we’re not all that familiar with yet?
Rania Aniftos: Rihanna! The Navy’s been desperately waiting for years, and that devoted fanbase will surely ride over on their battleships at the stroke of midnight on release day to buy those albums.
Katie Bain: If Taylor couldn’t do it with Folklore or Evermore and Adele can’t do with 30, I’m not sure who can. We know hip-hop fans typically consume music more through streaming than album sales, which makes Drake unlikely. With Beyoncé due for a new album and The Weeknd’s fifth studio LP forthcoming, both stars seems like strong possibilities. If neither of them achieves it, it’ll likely be some white-hot upstart we haven’t even heard of yet.
Jason Lipshutz: I’d guess it’s someone who’s not yet a mega-star. Perhaps under the exact right circumstances — a surprise, radio-friendly Beyoncé project? Frank Ocean’s pivot to commercial pop-R&B? A 60-song Drake album that puts streaming services in a chokehold? — a current superstar could get close to seven figures. But I’d guess that the next million-seller comes in a future iteration of the music industry, with an artist not yet on the mainstream’s radar. And in many ways, that’s a more exciting event to anticipate.
Jessica Nicholson: Possibly an artist who is not that familiar to music listeners yet—although, never rule out Beyoncé or Taylor.
Andrew Unterberger: Gotta give Rihanna heavy consideration here: She’s never put up numbers that massive during her recording career, but she spent most of it as one of the most prolific recording artists in pop, and was considered more of a singles artist than an albums one. Now it’s been over a half-decade since she released ANTI, the most beloved album of her career, and we’ve gotten barely anything new from her since. A new Rihanna album — especially one that arrived without much advance notice — would be an absolute game-changer, and would certainly be the most-streamed album in ages. (I wouldn’t count out Swift trying to get her ducks in a row to make this feat possible again for her next time out, either.)
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Post by Baby Yoda Hot100Fan on Dec 14, 2021 17:48:28 GMT -5
12/14/2021 By Billboard Staff
It's once again Mariah Carey and Brenda Lee leading the pack on the Hot 100 as we wind into the final stretch of this holiday chart season.
Another holiday season, another Christmas music takeover on the Billboard Hot 100. Every year, the impact that holiday music has on the charts seems to grow — though by season’s end, it’s usually the same two women who end up leading the pack: Mariah Carey and Brenda Lee.
Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” — which has topped the Hot 100 for multiple weeks each of the last two holiday seasons — is No. 2 on the chart this week, behind only Adele’s seven-week chart-topper “Easy on Me.” But just after her at No. 3 is “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” which has climbed to No. 2 in back of Carey each of the last two years, and which seems to be closing the gap between the two songs even more this year.
Will this be the year Brenda Lee finally takes over? And who might sneak up on them in years to come? Billboard staffers discuss these questions and more below.
1. The chart gap between “All I Want For Christmas Is You” and “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” seems to get smaller every year — but with Christmas just a week and a half away, Mariah Carey’s unkillable pop classic is still leading Brenda Lee’s holiday perennial. What percentage chance would you say Lee has of getting the gift of a Hot 100 No. 1 this year?
Stephen Daw: I’m gonna give Lee a 10% shot here. Like, never say never, but also, it’s probably not happening for you this year, Brenda. “All I Want For Christmas Is You” is an absolute chart behemoth, and with the massive gains Mariah is making as we get closer to the holiday next week, I don’t see that gap closing significantly enough for Lee to swoop in and take the No. 1 spot. But hey, Christmas miracles can happen, so maybe she’ll manage to pull it off, unlikely as it may seem.
Josh Glicksman: Unfortunately for Brenda Lee, I’d say that there’s a less than 10 percent chance that Santa Claus comes down the chimney with a No. 1 hit for her this year. With only a few weeks remaining of the influx of songs on the Hot 100 — historically speaking, at least — she’d have to make a significant surge to sled past “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” and you’d imagine if something to cause that was in the works, it’d have already surfaced by now. But hey, silver bells are perhaps preferable to gold ones this time of year, anyway, right?
Jason Lipshutz: I’d say 10%, because I simply won’t bet against “All I Want For Christmas Is You” as the most dominant holiday single on the charts until proven otherwise. Watching the gap close between Mariah Carey and Brenda Lee’s respective holiday singles each year has been interesting to watch, and can be chalked up to a few factors, like streaming playlist placement and the “classic” designation over the more modern “All I Want For Christmas Is You.” Yet until the runner-up actually makes it into the No. 1 slot, I’m counting on the perennial champ to get there instead.
Melinda Newman: Maybe 25%. There is a small, but not impossible, chance that Lee’s Christmas party hop leaps over Carey’s wistful holiday hit. Lee and Carey’s streaming numbers are neck and neck, as are their sales, although Lee’s airplay impressions are slipping. Carey also has the edge because a new Apple + special this year has helped introduce her 27-year old chestnut to new fans.
Andrew Unterberger: I’d say 15%. If “Rockin'” was going to pass Mariah, it probably would have by now, but as things really heat up the actual week of Christmas, playlisting across the various streaming services — which sometimes favors older songs — could provide something of a wildcard.
2. Let’s say you were on Brenda Lee’s publicity team and determined beyond all determination to get her the No. 1 this year. What move(s) might you try to pull out that might actually be effective enough to give her that extra boost over the top?
Stephen Daw: If there’s anything I’ve learned from the past few years, it’s that there’s nothing quite like a remix or remaster to boost public awareness, interest, and yes, streams. If I were her team, I’d plot out a special re-release of the single, including a version that features a “We Are the World”-amount of music superstars joining in on the verses to help regenerate interest in the holiday classic. I think that, mixed with the addition of the song into any Christmas movie it can be plugged into, would certainly help rocket the holiday gem up to a No. 1 position. [Ed. note: Remixes released outside of the general time frame of older songs do not have their metrics combined with original versions for Billboard chart purposes, so a splashy new “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” remix would not directly help the original’s chart position — however, it would of course drive attention and likely extra consumption towards the original as well.]
Josh Glicksman: I’d do what countless other artists in today’s age have tried doing in order to revitalize or give a little extra oomph to one of their hits: add in a flashy remix! No one has really forayed into the field of putting new spins to classic holiday hits, so what’s the harm in trying? Even if it’s merely a duet or trading verses with a superstar, there’s nothing like giving a decades-old hit some 21st century pizzazz.
Jason Lipshutz: My main objective would be to get Mariah Carey involved. If you’re not a close chart-watcher, you probably aren’t aware of how “All I Want For Christmas Is You” and “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” have established themselves as the Batman and Robin of perennial Hot 100 hits during the holiday season — and the way to change that is to pair Mariah and Brenda and make some well-deserved noise about the friendly competition. Who knows? Maybe Mariah will graciously rally around “Rockin’” getting to No. 1. It’s not like Lee is challenging Carey’s claim to the Christmas throne, and more than deserves one week to wear the crown.
Melinda Newman: Just like Ed Sheeran took to social media to implore fans to go buy or stream Elton John/Dua Lipa’s “Cold Heart” so it would knock his own “Shivers” out of No. 1 on the U.K. charts, Lee’s publicity team should ask Carey to do the same. Carey could do a cute post saying that all she wants for Christmas is for “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” to go to No. 1. What could be less Grinch-like than giving 77-year old Lee the ultimate Christmas gift— a No. 1 song. I would also enlist many of the contemporary artists who have cut their own versions of “Christmas Tree,” including Justin Bieber, Meghan Trainor and Kacey Musgraves, to go on social media and tell their followers to bring this one home for Lee.
Andrew Unterberger: I’m not sure the remix route is necessarily the way to go here, since there’s no real way to do that in a way that sounds natural, and holiday music fans aren’t really interested in new spins on their favorite Christmas classics anyway — the music is comfort food at this time of year, and nobody wants their favorite recipes tinkered with. Maybe it’s just a matter of trying to land it a big sync in a widely watched new holiday movie or holiday TV special. The fondness that most music fans under the age of 40 have for the song is likely due in large part to associations with Home Alone, after all — repeat that effect for a new generation and that might be enough to get it over the top.
3. Though this has been more or less a two-horse race the past couple years, there’s no telling which Christmas songs — even decades- or generations-old standards — will tick up in a given December. Which song a little lower on this week’s Hot 100 rankings do you think might have a chance of one day being a No. 1 threat? (See below for complete breakdown of Xmas songs on Hot 100 this week.)
Stephen Daw: It’s tough because there’s a lot of great Christmas classics on the Hot 100 right now. But, if I had to choose, considering that there’s an entire Internet game called Whamageddon based around the sheer pervasiveness of the song “Last Christmas,” I’ll give it up to the 1984 classic for a future No. 1. It’s been the inspiration for a full movie, it’s been covered by basically every artist that’s ever lived, and every year it seems to only grow in cultural status — with the right tactics, I think that single could easily reach the summit of the Hot 100.
Josh Glicksman: It feels like Ariana Grande’s “Santa Tell Me” is going to surge up the charts into contention one of these years. Maybe the pop star will head out on a holiday-themed Christmas & Chill 10th anniversary tour in 2025, complete with a few new tracks and a release of the seasonal favorite? If not her, Darlene Love doesn’t seem far away from entering the conversation, either. “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” works well because it has the beloved classic feel, and with her modern-day performances of the modern standard, it’s still being introduced to new listeners.
Jason Lipshutz: The more time that Ariana Grande’s “Santa Tell Me,” which comes in at No. 30 on this week’s Hot 100, is given to seep into the collective consciousness, the more likely the song becomes a holiday staple. New Christmas singles typically take a few years to join the regular holiday-music rotations on radio stations and streaming services, but “Santa Tell Me” is catchy and likable enough to hang with the best of them. See you near the top of the Hot 100 in 2027, Ari!
Melinda Newman: I’m picking two: a relatively new one and a stone-cold classic. Kelly Clarkson’s “Underneath the Tree,” from her 2013 holiday album, Wrapped in Red, has all the elements to make it to No. 1: an irresistibly catchy melody, great Phil Spector-ish Wall of Sound production, a spiffy sax solo, ringing bells, the theme of love as the ultimate present and Clarkson’s unbeatable delivery. It should be a perennial top 10 holiday song.
But whereas Clarkson’s bop pays spritely homage to Spector’s sound, Darlene Love’s incomparable “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” is, of course, the real deal. Nothing comes close to the shimmering production, Love’s powerhouse vocals, the backing singers and the slight melancholy as she longs for her love to return again for the holiday. At 58 years old, it remains the best Christmas song of the rock era. No disrespect to any of the other singers, but no other artist on the chart can hold a (Christmas) candle to Love’s mighty, mighty delivery.
Andrew Unterberger: I could see a pro-“Feliz Navidad” movement continuing to brew. The song caught a real second wind last year celebrating its 50th anniversary, and as the rare bilingual holiday song to annually impact the charts, it perhaps feels a bit more relevant to contemporary pop than some other competing titles. Plus, who wouldn’t be rooting for a song as sheerly likeable as “Feliz Navidad” if it got close?
4. There have also been a number of brand new songs on the chart in the past two weeks: Dan + Shay’s “Pick Out a Christmas Tree,” Taylor Swift’s “Christmas Tree Farm (Old Timey Version),” Ed Sheeran and Elton John’s “Merry Christmas” and Camila Cabello’s “I’ll Be Home For Christmas.” Which of them seems the most like a potential future perennial to you?
Stephen Daw: Strangely (though let’s be real, not that strangely), I think it’s going to be “Christmas Tree Farm (Old Timey Version)” by Ms. Swift. While my gut says that a song by a chart-ruler like Ed Sheeran with a legend like Elton John would have a massive future, my problem with “Merry Christmas” is that it’s very much designed for this moment — a happy holiday song meant to cap off a very hard year. What Taylor did with her “Old Timey Version” of “Christmas Tree Farm,” though, is she made it feel timeless. So, should the song ever make it out of the realm of Amazon exclusivity, I think it has a good shot at becoming a smash hit sometime in the not-too-distant future.
Josh Glicksman: Taylor Swift, no doubt about it. If you’ve only learned one thing in the past year about music, it may very well be that it’s never, ever too late for her to create a monumental amount of hype surrounding a years-old release. Like, ever. Sign me up for the “Christmas Tree Farm (Old Timey Version) (Taylor’s Version) (Frosty Winter Version)” a decade or so from now. It’s going to be an absolute hit.
Jason Lipshutz: Ed Sheeran and Elton John’s “Merry Christmas” isn’t my favorite of these, but I could foresee the warm-and-fuzzy duet with an immediately arresting hook to withstand the test of time. In the same way I hesitate to bet against “All I Want For Christmas Is You” as the current Christmas champ, I don’t like discounting Sheeran’s knack for collecting hits — and having his pal Elton in the mix makes “Merry Christmas” a cross-generation crowd-pleaser.
Melinda Newman: Sheeran and John’s “Merry Christmas” feels like it has the potential to go the distance and get trotted out every year. It includes elements that every holiday perennial should have — pristine, layered production; a slightly wistful, but still upbeat theme; ringing bells and a general sweetness, not to mention superstars and a very goofy video. It also feels like the one that will most readily get licensed in holiday commercials for years to come, which will keep introducing it to a new audience.
Andrew Unterberger: Gotta be “Merry Christmas,” which seems custom-designed to slot into radio and streaming playlists of holiday classics like a favorite from 35 years ago that you just hadn’t heard in a little while — and which of course is co-led by two of the most successful British pop-rock stars of the past half-century, one of whom already has one Xmas perennial to his credit. Don’t count out Dan + Shay though — the warm-hearted sentimentality of holiday music is right in their sweet spot, and this is their second season in a row breaking the Hot 100 with a Christmas song. If “Pick Out a Christmas Tree” doesn’t become their holiday standard, maybe the next one will.
5. While it sometimes seems like every major artist has tried their hand at a holiday anthem at this point, there are still some remaining holdouts. Who would you most like to see get into the holiday music game by this time next year?
Stephen Daw: I feel like the obvious answer here is Adele — her voice is literally perfect for a holiday album, and I actually would love to hear her take on an original Christmas track. If she could channel the unbridled joy-yet-wistfulness of, say, Kelly Clarkson’s Wrapped in Red (a personal favorite Christmas album of mine), then I think it would be an absolute game-changer for the rest of the holiday music world. However, considering that Adele has just released an album and is likely prepping to go back off the grid, it’s doubtful that my wish will come true by this time next year.
Josh Glicksman: How about Lorde? As much as I love Christmas songs about chilly temps, heavy snowfall and hot cocoa, it wouldn’t hurt to throw in a few externally warm tracks as well. Her holiday experiences during New Zealand’s summertime should help with that.
Jason Lipshutz: Picture it: after a year-long, world-conquering campaign behind 30, Adele caps off a tremendous run by recording her first holiday single. Who wouldn’t want that? Who doesn’t need that? Let’s make it happen for 2022!
Melinda Newman: Easy answer — Adele. Technically she sang” All I Want For Christmas” with several other artists on The Late Late Show with James Corden in 2016, but that doesn’t count. I want a new sad holiday original from Adele that has you in tears on the floor by the time the first chorus is over. Runner up: Billie Eilish. She parodied one on a Christmas sketch on Saturday Night Live this past week and she’s sung “Sally’s Song” in a live production of Danny Elfman’s Nightmare Before Christmas, but if there’s anyone who could put a new off-kilter spin on the holidays, it’s Eilish.
Andrew Unterberger: Adele is indeed the obvious choice, but let’s also make room for some Weird Christmas potential with a Doja Cat holiday single — something manic, horny, and as irresistible as the glow of the Yule Log TV broadcast.
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Post by Baby Yoda Hot100Fan on Jan 5, 2022 16:15:39 GMT -5
1/5/2022 By Billboard Staff
Now that we've wrapped for 2021, what can we expect from the Hot 100 in 2022?
It may be January on the calendar, but it’s at least still half Christmas on the charts — Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” begins 2022 still atop the Billboard Hot 100, while the top stretches of the chart are still littered with fellow holiday classics.
A good time, then, to look ahead to what may be ahead on the Hot 100 this year. What songs that are already starting to percolate in the mainstream will become defining hits for 2022? Which artists with music scheduled for the next few months may end up dominating the early part of the year? And new trends might up bending the charts in new and unexpected directions?
1. With the most recent chart week still including tracking data from Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, the Hot 100 still largely littered at the top with Christmas songs. Outside of 2021 No. 1s like “Easy on Me” or “Stay,” what song in the upper stretches of the chart do you think is the biggest threat to top the chart in 2022?
Katie Atkinson: Katie Atkinson: I’m going to go with GAYLE’s irreverently fun “abcdefu” (currently at No. 17), which shockingly hit No. 2 on the Global 200 last month behind only Mariah’s perennial powerhouse – meaning it was the most popular non-Christmas song in the world. (Actually, at No. 5 on this week’s chart, it remains the most popular non-holiday song in the world.) It feels like it’s only a matter of time until it creeps up to the top 10 in the U.S. and, maybe, all the way to No. 1.
Lyndsey Havens: While I’m rooting for our current Chartbreaker GAYLE and her breakout hit “abcdefu,” I’m placing my bet on Silk Sonic’s “Smokin Out the Window,” which is seeing weekly gains in performance and re-climbing the chart eight weeks after its top 10 debut (it since peaked at No. 5). With the group’s Grammy buzz and potential for a stellar awards show performance — and tour, hopefully, at some point — it seems Silk Sonic won’t be in the rearview mirror any time soon, and “Smokin Out the Window” might just be the hazy slow-burning hit to keep them on the road to the top.
Jason Lipshutz: Current top 10 songs like Glass Animals’ “Heat Waves” or Ed Sheeran’s “Shivers” may be more obvious answers, but I’m keeping an eye on Kodak Black’s “Super Gremlin,” which sounds like a melodic-rap smash and has reacted as such over the past few weeks. The top 10 feels like a sure thing for “Super Gremlin” (currently at No. 16) once the holiday singles drop off, and from there, should the streaming numbers keep jumping, the top spot will be attainable.
Joe Lynch: With Santa’s elves in retreat, I see another diminutive fictional being creeping toward the top of the Hot 100 in 2022: that’s right, gremlins. No, we’re not talking about brainy gremlins, googly-eyed gremlins or electricity gremlins, but a “Super Gremlin” from the pen of Kodak Black. The Sniper Gang rapper rips into the mic like a hungry man tearing meat from the bone while the off-kilter, catchy hook keeps pulling you back in for seconds.
Andrew Unterberger: Definitely can’t rule out “Heat Waves,” which improbably kept on growing over the past year and actually ended 2021 atop the Spotify daily US chart. But I’ll take the slightly longer odds on GAYLE’s “abcdefu,” which became one of the runaway hits of late 2021 on TikTok and streaming and has only just started to be embraced by radio — where it very well might become ubiquitous in early 2022, even with its profane-by-implication hook.
2. Lower than that on this week’s Hot 100, what still-climbing song or songs do you think might be jumping up into the chart’s top 10 in short order?
Katie Atkinson: Doja Cat & The Weeknd’s “You Right” has just missed the top 10, so far peaking at No. 11, but with its re-entry on the chart this week at No. 42, maybe it’s ready to separate itself from the sea of Planet Her radio singles. “You Right” has been my favorite since the album arrived in June, but it’s been crowded out by the top 10 hits “Kiss Me More” and “Need to Know” — 2022 could be its moment.
Lyndsey Havens: As Adele’s 30 adds a sixth week to its Billboard 200 chart-topping tally, so too do the album’s first two singles gain steam. While “Easy On Me” could return to No. 1 after the holiday fall off, “Oh My God” is a dark horse contender to perhaps reenter the Hot 100’s upper echelon over time. After debuting at No. 5 in early Dec., the sassy, uptempo track has returned to the top 40 (jumping 57-40) this week — a good indicator of what’s to come once more space opens up.
Jason Lipshutz: Climbing from No. 94 to the top 10 of the Hot 100 is a tall order, but Ari Lennox’s “Pressure,” which debuts there this week, is both extremely likable and sports a titular refrain snaking throughout that sounds tailor-made for a viral challenge. As Lennox’s first Hot 100 entry as a lead artist, “Pressure” already represents a victory for the R&B star, and I’d suspect it becomes a bigger one soon.
Joe Lynch: It’s an easy prediction but I’m going with the Encanto breakout song “We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” a slyly beguiling song from the inordinately talented Lin-Manuel Miranda. Similar to “Let It Go” finding an audience beyond Frozen viewers, I see Bruno being on the tip of people’s tongues for months.
Andrew Unterberger: We’re about on schedule for our semi-regular Imagine Dragons visit to the top 10, so I’ll back their bombastic J.I.D. collab “Enemy,” which was slowly growing over the end of last year and seems poised for crossover domination in early 2022.
3. The Weeknd has already announced a new album for this Friday, making it likely the first major release of the 2022 calendar. Aside from him, which artist that’s scheduled for a new song and/or album in early 2022 do you expect to be a major presence on the charts in the quarter to come?
Katie Atkinson: It could be a huge year for Saweetie, with her debut album Pretty Bitch Music finally on the horizon (though without a set release date). Seeing how Megan Thee Stallion, Cardi B and Doja have dominated the charts, there’s plenty of room for Saweetie’s sugar-coated hip-hop up top.
Lyndsey Havens: My eyes are on The Weeknd’s labelmate and recent collaborator Post Malone. The pair released “One Right Now,” the lead single off Posty’s upcoming album (which he confirmed in Billboard‘s year-end Republic cover story) yet since then the chart-topper has remained relatively quiet. But perhaps he’s just clearing the way for Abel to dominate once again before making his own commanding — and long awaited — reentrance.
Jason Lipshutz: If Cardi B finally releases the follow-up to 2018’s Invasion of Privacy in the next few months, she’s likely going to dominate the charts with the same force as she carried four years ago — after all, “WAP” and “Up” returned her to the top of the Hot 100 in 2020 and 2021, respectively, without requiring the same thrust of a tentpole album rollout. Whenever the wait is over, a whole lot of listeners will be ready to press play on new Cardi.
Joe Lynch: If he keeps playing his cards right, mining the pop-punk resurgence presided over by Travis Barker and teaming up with similarly minded disciples of the genre, MGK – who says he has two albums coming this year – should prove to be a reliable presence on at least the album charts.
Andrew Unterberger: Country star Maren Morris’ first unaccompanied single of the 2020s, “Circles Around This Town,” is due for release on Friday — and given how 2019’s “The Bones” feels like it only just dropped off the charts a few weeks ago, I’d expect it to be one of the splashiest releases of the year from the country world. (Possibly the pop world too, given how wide the public embrace of Morris has been over her first two albums.)
4. Which artist who’s yet to score a No. 1 on the Hot 100 could you see finally breaking through to the top spot this year?
Katie Atkinson: It’s so hard to believe that Dua Lipa doesn’t have a No. 1 yet, the way she’s been so omnipresent in the pop world since dropping the lead single for Future Nostalgia back in 2019. But as she told us for the Billboard Pop Shop Podcast, she’s “maybe, potentially, actively working on some new music” right now, so she has plenty of time to finally release a chart-topper in 2022.
Lyndsey Havens: I would love to see Lil Baby hit the chart’s top spot this year, and with an upcoming anticipated album from Gunna — which features Baby on a track titled “25k Jacket” — it very well could be within reach. I’m also always rooting for Dua Lipa, who shockingly ended 2021 with the top Hot 100 song of the year (“Levitating”) despite it never hitting No. 1. While she’s seemingly exhausted all options for another version of Future Nostalgia, perhaps Lipa will follow The Weeknd’s lead and continue comforting fans with retro-inspired dance-pop hits as the pandemic continues on.
Jason Lipshutz: Although some of Blackpink’s members spent 2021 exploring solo sounds and projects, the K-pop quartet coming back together in 2022 for a new single or album would be a big deal, both in the U.S. and globally. Their highest-charting Hot 100 hit to date, “Ice Cream” with Selena Gomez, peaked at No. 13; provided they release something in 2022, I’d bet it climbs higher than that.
Joe Lynch:Dua Lipa got so close in 2021 that I bet she’s just one or two new singles away from finally topping the Hot 100 this year. Nothing is announced, but I can’t help but think her team is planning to strike while the iron is hot and get new music out before mid-year. After all, Future Nostalgia — which established her as a career pop star that radio can’t get enough of — is two years old at this point. Seems to me she’s primed not just for her first No. 1, but for a potential song of the summer champ.
Andrew Unterberger: Lil Durk was absolutely everywhere on the charts last year — except No. 1. The right collab should finally get him there this year, and you can bet he’ll get his shots up over the next 12 months trying to find it. (Perhaps it will finally come via longtime partner on the mic Lil Baby, one of the other biggest stars of the moment who’s still yet to secure that elusive Hot 100-topper.)
5. Make one other bold prediction for the Hot 100 this year: A new trend or shift, a record broken, an artist majorly breaking through or falling back, etc.
Katie Atkinson: I really miss the days of female country artists having major crossover moments that blurred the lines between pop and country, like the late ’90s with Shania and Faith or the early days of Taylor. There have been some one-offs – like Carrie Underwood’s top 10 hit “Before He Cheats” in 2007 and Gabby Barrett’s 2020 smash “I Hope,” or even Maren Morris joining forces with Zedd in 2018 for “The Middle” – but my bold prediction is that we’ll meet a new country superstar (or two) who can nimbly navigate the pop world too. A girl can dream!
Lyndsey Havens: I’ve long been rooting for the return of pop-punk and hoping for its continued winning streak — which can in large part be credited to Travis Barker. And now that Barker signed the pop-punk princess herself, Avril Lavgine, at the end of 2021, I believe she’s well set up to come roaring back this year with a new record that sounds a lot like her old self.
Jason Lipshutz: More guitars! If you think the mainstream pop world wasn’t paying attention to artists like Machine Gun Kelly and Willow bringing the pop-punk revival to the top 40, or Olivia Rodrigo topping the Hot 100 with a Paramore-indebted smash, or Italian rock group Måneskin scoring one of the biggest radio hits of the year, you need to think again. The trend started in earnest in late 2020, bloomed in 2021, and I expect it to be ubiquitous in 2022.
Joe Lynch: Okay, you’re asking for bold, you got it: 2022 will see a country song top the Hot 100 for the first time in years. Since 2012, there have been only two songs that one could arguably consider country that have topped the Hot 100: Taylor Swift’s “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” and Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” featuring Billy Ray Cyrus. Without wading into the perilous “what is country?!” discussion, it’s clear that country music rarely hits the pole peak of the flagship chart these days. But with the genre gaining at streaming, we may very well see Nashville saddle up to the top this year.
Andrew Unterberger: I’m feeling a lot of short runs at No. 1 for hits this year — even fewer songs than ever that manage to dominate all platforms at the same time. I see bright-burning viral TikTok hits trading off the top spot with massive artists’ top streaming debuts, and enduring radio smashes occasionally filling in the gaps in between, but none of them lasting on top for too long at a time. Olivia Rodrigo’s “Drivers License” ruled for eight weeks at the beginning of 2021, I’ll bet that no one song lasts that long on top this year.
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Post by Baby Yoda Hot100Fan on Jan 11, 2022 15:55:38 GMT -5
1/10/2022 By Billboard Staff
How did this slow-starting Disney movie soundtrack quickly turn into a juggernaut?
One of the first major chart success stories of early 2022 has emerged in the form of the soundtrack to Encanto, the computer-animated Disney movie about the magical Family Madrigal that debuted in late November and arrived on the Disney+ streaming platform over the holidays.
After debuting at a modest No. 197 on the Billboard 200 albums chart in early December, the film’s soundtrack has leapt up the chart in subsequent weeks, and moves from No. 6 to No. 1 on the listing this week — the first soundtrack to top the chart since Frozen II in 2019. Meanwhile, the film’s breakout hit has proven to be the foreboding “We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” credited to cast members Carolina Gaitán, Mauro Castillo, Adassa, Rhenzy Feliz, Diane Guerrero and Stephanie Beatriz (as well as “Encanto Cast”), which catapults from No. 50 all the way to No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 this week.
Will “Bruno” break the nearly three-decade streak of Disney hit songs failing to top the Hot 100? And what can the folks behind future blockbuster soundtracks learn from Encanto‘s slow-building success? Billboard staffers discuss these questions and more below.
1. The Encanto soundtrack finishes its climb to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart this week, after having originally debuted at No. 197 back in December. At a time when few albums and fewer soundtracks make any kind of slow climb to No. 1, to what do you attribute it having caught fire like this?
Katie Atkinson: While the music is great on its own, it’s even better after seeing the equally fantastic movie. This chart climb started after the film moved from theaters (which are still struggling to recover from the pandemic) to Disney+, so the audience just made a huge leap too. As the mom of a 4- and 1-year-old, we’ve listened almost exclusively to the Encanto soundtrack as we say an annual post-Christmas farewell to our festive friends Mariah & Brenda.
Stephen Daw: I was not very aware of Encanto until Christmas weekend, when it had finally dropped on Disney+ after it’s 30-day theatrical release. All of a sudden, people were asking me if I had seen it, TikTok would not stop talking about somebody named “Bruno,” and it felt like it was everywhere very quickly. I’m still not sure if it was guerrilla marketing, or just Disney fans really fawning over this movie, but it worked and I ended up watching it that week. After watching Encanto, I get it — Lin-Manuel Miranda’s songwriting is as sharp as ever, and each of the songs are catchy and fun and moving. Even I couldn’t resist blasting “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” on repeat for a few days after watching the film.
Jason Lipshutz: Pretty simple to me: Encanto premiering on Disney+ on Dec. 24 after a 30-day exclusive theatrical run. Encanto enjoyed a successful box office run, but once the film became available to stream in millions of homes over the holidays, its popularity skyrocketed, as did interest in its soundtrack. Had Encanto been released directly to Disney+, its soundtrack likely wouldn’t have had to climb quite as slowly or steeply, but since the film became way more accessible one month after its release, the 197-to-1 jump makes sense.
Kristin Robinson: The holiday season proves to be a really difficult time to promote traditional pop music releases every year because consumers are more interested in spending time with family and friends than in their usual grind. So much of our typical music consumption is during our commute to work, while working out at the gym, during a party with friends, etc. but the holidays are different. With jobs and gyms out of the way, we are often cutting our regular consumption of music and replacing it with safe, family friendly songs that suit the whole family. This is precisely why Encanto’s soundtrack has done well as typical chart toppers flounder.
Andrew Unterberger: The timing was certainly inspired here — not just because of the holiday season, but because of the lack of competition from non-holiday-themed releases at the end of the year. Not everyone wants to to spend their family gatherings watching A Christmas Story or It’s a Wonderful Life (or listening to the Amazon Holiday Essentials playlist) for the 500th time, so give ’em some secular content with good buzz that works for the whole family and there’s a big market there waiting to consume it. Let TikTok provide the streaming accelerant, and you’re on your way to blockbuster success.
2. The top-performing song from the soundtrack thus far is easily “We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” which shoots to No. 5 on the Hot 100 this week — a very unusual sort of breakout song for a Disney movie, given the plot-heavy nature of its lyrics and the cast-recording nature of its performance. Why do you think this was the song to really capture such a wide streaming audience?
Katie Atkinson: This song has the witty and speedy wordplay Lin-Manuel is known for as well as Les Miz levels of vocal stacking, so it bears repeat listens just to hear how it’s all pulled off. It’s also the peak of the movie’s core mystery (Who is Bruno? Where is Bruno? We need to talk about Bruno!), so it hits especially hard in the context of the film. And then on a very simple mom level, every toddler’s favorite word is “no,” so they picked up that chorus very quickly.
Stephen Daw: Of all of the numbers throughout Encanto, none of them comes even close to having the earworm quality that “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” does. Everything in the song — the cha cha melodies, the impeccable vocals from the cast, and the intertwining verses immediately come to mind — is built to force you to remember it. While it’s certainly interesting that a solo number like “Surface Pressure” or “Waiting For A Miracle” didn’t have quite the same bubbling-up effect, it’s undeniable when you listen to the song itself (and have the context to understand what it all means).
Jason Lipshutz: “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” is the rare Disney song that’s plot-dependent and ensemble-driven, and also the best song within its respective animated musical. Standout Disney songs are typically solo ballads that can stand apart from the story in which it is woven, but “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” crackles, a multi-part jam built around a refrain, “We don’t talk about Bruno, no, no!,” that’s fun to sing even if you have no clue who Bruno is. The reality is, most listeners probably do know who he is at this point, since Encanto has been available to stream and morph into a homebound phenomenon for a few weeks now.
Kristin Robinson: Children! I think we forget how big of consumers kids can be, and how obsessive they are when they find something they enjoy. If your kid loves a song, they will listen to it a million times in a row without any ounce of shame. Adults just don’t act like that (I mean, at least not in public!)
Andrew Unterberger: Pretty simple: It’s by far the most memorable song from the movie. That’s partly because it’s the musical number that the entire movie seems to building to — it’s title phrase is snapped by multiple characters in the film’s dialogue, mostly without explanation, before the song and its lyrics provide the “why” payoff. And it’s also just because the melody of that title phrase is an undeniable brain-sticker. No one’s gonna be performing all seven or eight parts in an Idol audition anytime soon, but it’s the song you’re must likely to leave the movie humming.
3. While “Bruno” is the top-streamed song from the soundtrack, Billboard reported last week that the only song from the film’s soundtrack submitted for Oscar consideration was the Sebastián Yatra-performed “Dos Oruguitas.” Was that the right choice to you, and do you think it will be nominated?
Katie Atkinson: I think it will definitely be nominated, as the lone representative from the most high-profile Disney musical of the year, but I think “Bruno” would have had a better chance of winning than the Spanish-language ballad does. It’s a bummer to think that just in 2018, “La La Land” was able to pull off a double nomination in the category — for “Audition (The Fools Who Dream)” and eventual winner “City of Stars” — but the cautious route led to Encanto‘s biggest hit being left out. I would have made a case for “Surface Pressure” as a nominee too, because the Oscars value a song playing a part in a film’s narrative (which is why credit songs are a hard sell), and Jessica Darrow’s struggle as the strong sister in the Family Madrigal is perfectly set to music in the unrelenting song.
Stephen Daw: For the Oscars, “Dos Oruguitas” was definitely the correct choice of those in the film. “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” is fun and funny and is certainly having its moment on the charts, but “Dos Oruguitas” carries a level of emotional resonance and beautiful sentimentality that “Bruno” does not. Say what you will about the best original song, but they sure love a heartwarming ballad. As far as a nomination, yes, “Dos Oruguitas” will absolutely receive one — the movie is having too much cross-cultural success for the Academy to snub them.
Jason Lipshutz: “Dos Oruguitas” is absolutely gorgeous — so gentle and understated in its beauty that it’s nearly distracting from the story when it shows up in Encanto. “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” is the best song on the soundtrack, but “Dos Oruguitas” is its own type of show-stopper that I can understand why it was selected as the Oscars submission, and hope it snags a nomination.
Kristin Robinson: I wonder if Disney was surprised by the success of “Bruno.” Picking the song for awards consideration is a guessing game based on what the internal team thinks people will like best, especially since this film came out so late in the year. They didn’t have time to mull over what audiences were attracted to before submitting their selection in the way other films with earlier release dates did. I think that they just guessed the wrong one!
Andrew Unterberger: It’s definitely the Oscar-iest song in the film, even as one of the few sung entirely in Spanish — and it is quite lovely, with a sensitive performance from Latin pop star Sebastián Yatra. That said, I think you’re always safer going with the song folks like the most from your movie, so I might’ve still opted for “Bruno” — or maybe the more conventionally poppy “Surface Pressure,” also a top 20 Hot 100 solo hit currently for cast member Jessica Darrow. But “Dos Oruguitas” should still get nominated for the Oscar, and might even have a decent shot at winning.
4. It’s been nearly 30 years since a song from an animated Disney musical captured the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100, when Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle’s recording of “A Whole New World” from Aladdin hit No. 1 in early 1993. Do you think “Bruno” or another of the Encanto songs will break the streak — and which non-Encanto Disney song from the 29 years since are you most outraged at having been denied the top spot?
Katie Atkinson: I don’t see “Bruno” climbing all the way to the top. It doesn’t feel like it will be the cultural phenomenon that “Let It Go” was back in 2014 – so I guess that’s my answer to the second part of the question too. It does make me wonder, however, whether the Frozen hit could have gotten there if streaming were as popular then as it is now.
Stephen Daw: Look, I’ve made it clear that I really like “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” — I love it, even. But I do not see a future for this song at the No. 1 spot on the Hot 100. As “Easy On Me” enters its eighth week at No. 1 (after briefly relenting so Mariah could bring us some Christmas cheer in the top slot), with “Stay” continuing to, well, “Stay” just behind it at No. 2, “Bruno” would have to conquer some streaming behemoths in order to take that top spot. As far as outrage — it’s from before 1993, but it will never make any sense whatsoever to me that “Part of Your World” not only was denied the top spot, but was even denied an entry on the Hot 100. It is, to this day, the quintessential Disney “I Want” song (sorry “Let It Go”), and it reigns supreme as Howard Ashman & Alan Menken’s greatest musical offering in their extensive history with Disney.
Jason Lipshutz: Yep, I’d bet “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” gets there. The song is already at No. 5 on the Hot 100, and it feels like the Encanto craze is just beginning — when it comes to a months-long, Frozen-esque phenomenon, we’re at the tip of the iceberg (pun intended). “Bruno” could linger in the top 5 but be blocked from the top spot, yet I don’t foresee a gargantuan hit keeping it away from No. 1, which means we’ll finally have another Disney chart-topper. As for a hit that should have reached No. 1, “Let It Go” from Frozen is already a pantheon-level Disney single, and while the cold doesn’t bother me anyway, its too-low No. 5 peak on the Hot 100 certainly does.
Kristin Robinson: I don’t think it’s too likely “Bruno” or any of the other Encanto songs will be able to get to No. 1, since with big new albums from The Weeknd and Gunna impacting the charts next week, the top of the Hot 100 is about to get a lot more crowded and competitive. Also, c’mon… no love for Phil Collins’ “You’ll Be in My Heart” from Tarzan in 1999?
Andrew Unterberger: “Bruno” has got a shot, for sure — any song that moves from No. 50 to No. 5 on the chart in one week generally does — but it’ll have its work cut out for it displacing Adele, who has a massive airplay advantage that the fairly radio-unfriendly “Bruno” is unlikely to cut into much. Still, the song’s streaming supremacy has been pretty steady for the past few weeks, and the upcoming award season can only really help; I’d say it’s about 50/50 to capture the top spot for at least a week or two before all is said and done. And while it’d only be a slightly more conventional chart-topper than “Bruno,” I would’ve been happiest to see the Dwayne Johnson-sung (and once again, Lin-Manuel Miranda-penned) “You’re Welcome” from 2016’s Moana conquer the Hot 100; it’s the funniest and most likeable Disney song of the 21st century.
5. What lessons, if any, do you think the Encanto breakout success can teach record labels and/or film studios about the way movie soundtracks can or should be rolled out/promoted at this point in the streaming era?
Katie Atkinson: Hire Lin-Manuel Miranda? Seriously though, just like Hamilton and Moana before it, these songs are begging to be relistened to multiple times to pick up every lyric and plot point. If Stephen Sondheim’s career were just getting started, he would also be a streaming favorite.
Stephen Daw: Never undervalue the importance of a good hook. There is certainly much to be said here for fans being driven en masse to see this movie once it dropped on Disney+, therefore driving streams of the album in turn. But had “Bruno” and much of the rest of the album not been as catchy and infectious as it was, it never would have had the same effect — it certainly didn’t happen with other movie musicals released in 2021 like Tick, Tick, Boom!, Dear Evan Hansen, or even LMM’s other big project, In the Heights.
Jason Lipshutz: Animated musicals that dominate pop culture for weeks on end can still happen — they just need to happen in the streaming era. Perhaps Disney knew all along that Encanto was going to be massive, setting it up for a limited theatrical run to plan for an even bigger impact upon its Disney+ arrival. But increasingly, labels and studios will need to turn those streaming-service debuts into at-home events, especially as we continue to navigate the pandemic and theaters slowly work to call back moviegoers. Encanto has exploded not just because it’s great, but because we can watch it again and again, and stream its songs over and over, with streaming subscriptions many of us already have set up. That sort of ubiquity will change how these phenomenons occur as compared to pre-streaming cultural crazes, but don’t dull their impact a bit.
Kristin Robinson: I think it proves that children stream, and they should be taken seriously as a demographic. Children’s films should be more thoughtful about their roll outs and recognize that a good soundtrack is not just about furthering the film, it’s also a money maker in and of itself.
Andrew Unterberger: I think the success of “Bruno” in particular shows that the Big Ballad-forward model of Disney/musical soundtrack promotion might be getting a little archaic — no point in putting all your resources into such a show-stopper (or getting a current pop A- or B-lister to do a re-recording of it for pop radio) when an unpredictable hit like “Bruno” might end up emerging as the viewer favorite.
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Post by Baby Yoda Hot100Fan on Jan 19, 2022 17:22:51 GMT -5
1/19/2022 By Billboard Staff
How did the rapper score his latest No. 1 album?
On this week’s Billboard 200 chart, Gunna emerged from a tight race for the top spot with the second No. 1 album of his career, as DS4Ever debuted with 150,300 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending Jan. 13, according to MRC Data. The 19-track project includes “Pushin P” featuring Future and Young Thug, which launched at No. 7 on the Hot 100 chart; meanwhile, The Weeknd’s Dawn FM album starts at No. 2 on this week’s Billboard 200, with 148,000 equivalent album units.
How did Gunna score a chart-topper this time around? And will “Pushin P” develop into a durable hit? Billboard staffers discuss these questions and more below.
1. Few would have predicted Gunna’s DS4Ever to emerge victorious in this week’s Billboard 200 race against a new album from a crossover heavy-hitter like The Weeknd. Focusing solely on the Gunna side of it, what about DS4Ever and its rollout allowed him to pull off the feat?
Andrew Unterberger: People really like Gunna! And it seems like buzz was on his side this time, particularly with “Pushin P” taking over the Internet and driving interest towards the project. Holding out the Drake collab “P Power” (which then leaked online) also appears to have worked to the set’s advantage, since it created extra interest around the album, and then drove further streams when it was included on the DRIP SEASON 4EVER reissue late on Thursday, near the very end of the tracking week.
Carl Lamarre: For us to consider Gunna an underdog is “P,” respectfully. The brother is an elite streamer and a formidable rap contender, proven by his 2020 Billboard 200 No. 1 album Wunna and DS4Ever becoming his fourth top 10 effort. I also think a combination of viral moments during the rollout — including his and Young Thug’s encounter with the racist pilot, the explosion of “Pushin’ P,” and the 16th letter in the alphabet becoming a culture-setting phenomenon — elevated Gunna’s chances of landing at No. 1.
Cydney Lee: DS4Ever is a continuation of Gunna’s early Drip Season series, so that alone is an excitement factor. He also teased “P” on Twitter in the week leading up to the album, and since Gunna’s not super vocal on Twitter, fans knew something was coming. The album cover art is also immaculate, and I feel like people just get a kick out of Gunna in general and for his over-the-top drip, so new music is just icing on the cake.
Heran Mamo: Certainly his trend-setting abilities, as “Pushin P” ignited emoji-riddled “P” Twitter memes, explanatory articles, beef between Gunna and Freddie Gibbs and the final word after Young Thug was kicked off a private jet by a pilot named Alex (he’s definitely not “P”) – some of which came before the album itself. That level of infiltration into not just hip-hop culture but popular culture brought heightened attention toward Gunna and this album. And the anticipation for the Drake-assisted “P power” (lesson here is never underestimate the power of “P”) also helped push the album, since it materialized a few days after the project did.
Jason Lipshutz: His personality isn’t as outlandish as his hip-hop cohorts, and his come-up narrative isn’t as crystallized, but Gunna is sneakily a big deal, particularly as an album artist. Wunna started at No. 1 in 2020 with a six-figure equivalent album unit debut, and Drip or Drown 2 started at No. 3 one year before that; regardless of its content and rollout, DS4Ever hitting the top of the Billboard 200 was always a possibility thanks to that track record. The strong reception to the album, smart marketing with the “P” emoji and A-list guest stars (including Drake, whose “P Power” was teased and later added to the album on streaming services) helped DS4Ever grow from No. 1 threat to No. 1 finisher.
2. “Pushin P” is off to the early lead among tracks from the album with its No. 7 Hot 100 debut, and appears to have already made the first major contribution to the year’s pop culture lexicon with the ambiguous “P” of its title. Does it seem set to become one of the early year’s defining hits, or do you think it will fade once excitement over the album dies down a little?
Andrew Unterberger: I don’t see those “P” emojis disappearing from my Twitter feed anytime soon. I’m a little bit surprised the song has taken off the way it has, since it’s not one of the more grabbing songs on the album to me, but an intriguing hook goes a long way and the adaptability of the “P” meaning has helped make it a meme for all seasons — and certainly for this winter 2022. It might not climb much higher than No. 7, especially with radio support likely to be slow-building, but I bet it lingers around the top 20 (and maybe the top 10) for months to come.
Carl Lamarre: I think “Pushin’ P” will remain an active player in the 2022 lexicon and has already etched a place in the lore of social media memes. If you go on Instagram, you’ll see people incessantly using the “P” emoji when they deem something player-like or cool. The phrase’s ubiquity could have long legs, and at least ride out for the rest of the year. As for the record itself, it’s an instant thumper. Gunna, Future and Thug can move mountains when it comes to crafting bangers as solo stars, but when united, they are a spirited trio who can make LeBron, Wade and Bosh’s success look like child’s play.
Cydney Lee: Gunna and Young Thug (and Future) are adept at making in-the-moment hits. Do you still hear “Ski” being played everywhere? I feel like “Pushin P” is another one of those, though it may last a little longer since it doubles as a new slang phrase. The song will probably die down, but the saying will be around for a minute. I wouldn’t be surprised if it got the dance-challenge treatment.
Heran Mamo: “Pushin P” can outlast the album’s initial hype if “P” continues to persist in pop culture. Those who don’t know what “P” means will inevitably find themselves going to the song for clarity, which would rack up more streams. Now that would be “P.” But collaborating with YSL label boss Young Thug, in what 300 Entertainment CEO Kevin Liles described to Billboard recently as a “Batman and Robin”-type bond, has proven fruitful for Gunna’s career over the years, with 11 of their joint tracks reaching the Hot 100 (prior to the release of DS4EVER), including “Hot” (peaked at No. 11), “Solid” (No. 12), “Ski” (No. 18) and “Dollaz on My Head” (No. 38).
Jason Lipshutz: If not for the “P” of it all, I’d say that the song was likely to drop off — “Too Easy” with Future is a more effective team-up between the two on the album, while “Thought I Was Playing” with 21 Savage sounds like a more natural hit. Yet “Pushin P” has already entered the cultural lexicon, a savvy bit of catchphrase deployment that will result in a long-lasting hit single. I’m not sure if “Pushin P” will climb higher than No. 7 on the chart, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was still in the top 20 of the Hot 100 come March.
3. DS4Ever mostly feels cut from the same cloth as Gunna’s prior No. 1 album Wunna — but are there any tracks on the album that surprised you by going in new and/or unexpected directions?
Andrew Unterberger: Don’t know if it’s brand new for him, but the sing-song bars (traded off with YSL mentor Young Thug) and frisky beat of “Mop” certainly feels like a curveball on the album to me, something almost more fit for Lil Uzi Vert’s Eternal Atake era. It feels like the logical extension of the duo’s Slime Language 2 hit “Ski” — and that was one of my favorite songs of last year, so I’m definitely not mad about them going further down that slope.
Carl Lamarre: One major standout highlight for me on DS4Ever was the transitions and flow of the album. Gunna deftly glides on famous ’90s R&B-tinged samples like Keith Sweat’s “Why Baby” (“livin wild”) and Jon B’s “They Don’t Know” (“you & me”) before turning his swag back on the riotous club-starter “south to west.” His musicality is on ten, and it showed during his live performance at New York’s Irving Plaza concert last week, where he performed the album with 1500 or Nothin’ serving as his live band.
Cydney Lee: Nothing unsurprising. After my initial excitement wore off, DS4Ever feels formulaic, but its placement as a series finale album could possibly explain why it doesn’t sound as experimental as Wunna. If anything, I was surprised to hear the Jon B. “They Don’t Know” interpolation on the Chloe Bailey-assisted “you & me.” Taurus killed that beat, and the song is more proof that Gunna can sing sing.
Heran Mamo: “You & me” with Chlöe. Gunna gets in his R&B bag for this one, especially after they pulled the sultry chorus of Jon B’s 1998 ballad “They Don’t Know” for the introduction and interpolated the lyrics. Considering relationship rumors have been swirling around these two – which they both recently shut down – “you & me” feels like a subtle response to what everyone around Gunna and Chlöe has been speculating. Whatever’s happening between them, their chemistry is undeniably palpable on the track, where Gunna gives us a real glimpse into his romantic side.
Jason Lipshutz: Wunna was one of the 10 best albums released in 2020, but DS4Eever flows better — I love how the collaborative tracks are clustered together and then broken up with multi-song solo runs, as if Gunna was alternating between sharing the stage and owning it himself. The songs on DS4Ever don’t represent a sonic or lyrical evolution, but does boast smarter sequencing, which encourages repeat listens.
4. On the other side, Dawn FM becomes The Weeknd’s first new album since 2013’s Kiss Land to not debut at No. 1. Is the No. 2 debut a disappointment for The Weeknd, or is it more about the context behind the release than anything else?
Andrew Unterberger: When you’re a superstar like The Weeknd, anything but a No. 1 is a disappointment almost regardless of context. But it’s not like he’s not No.1 anywhere — Dawn FM topped the charts in 10 other countries, if not this one — and he himself has acknowledged that he’d be short-changing his numbers a little by not releasing a physical edition of the album along with the digital version. Given what a massive blockbuster 2020’s After Hours was, and that this new set feels in many ways like the end of that era — he’ll be touring both albums for the first time this summer — rather than the start of a new one, I don’t consider Dawn FM debuting short of No. 1 that big a deal.
Carl Lamarre: It’s a disappointment only because it’s The Weeknd. People are still hungover from the blistering success of the nearly two-year-old After Hours. People are frozen in that After Hours era and aren’t ready to hit lift-off just yet. Only a few months ago, “Blinding Lights” became the biggest Hot 100 song ever. Only a year ago, The Weeknd performed at the Super Bowl. He’s still blockbuster, but because of that, it also makes the blemish that much more apparent.
Cydney Lee: I think it’s about the context. The Weeknd has been booked and busy since After Hours, winning awards and breaking music records left and right. We’ve been seeing a lot of him lately and while I wouldn’t say he’s been over-saturated, it just seems like there was more an allure around Gunna this time around. I also feel like OG fans of The Weeknd are either loving or hating his sonic transition which could explain the No. 2 debut, which, I also want to make clear, is not a disappointment considering his plethora of other accolades.
Heran Mamo: First of all, I don’t think a No. 2 debut should be a disappointment to any artist. Second, The Weeknd’s not the first major crossover pop artist in the last couple of years to debut at that spot — Drake’s Dark Lane Demo Tapes debuted at No. 2 behind country superstar Kenny Chesney’s Here and Now in 2020. In this case, I think it’s harder for concept albums like Dawn FM to be commercially successful, considering there are interludes like “A Tale by Quincy” and the titular track that aren’t songs in the traditional sense and wouldn’t get played as often as the other tracks. Not to mention, Dawn FM lacked the cinematic, months-long pre-release album rollout of its predecessor After Hours. But The Weeknd told me in his recent Billboard cover story that he didn’t know how to execute this project until now because “it probably would be too ambitious for me prior.” And he pulled it off and proved he’s a superstar who appeals to different generations and evokes the greats from generations before him. And he already expressed how he didn’t care about the lack of physical album copies impacting first week figures because “getting to experience the album together with the fans during these times” was more important to him. Those are wins on their own.
Jason Lipshutz: After an enormous, record-breaking past two years, The Weeknd returned with an album that could have been a victory lap but instead functioned as a maturation of his synth-pop sound, with some of his most immediate jams to date. Sure, a No. 1 debut is always preferable, but a No. 2 debut isn’t a negative for an unquestioned superstar coming off a Super Bowl halftime show and the biggest Hot 100 hit of all time. And with the physical edition of Dawn FM still to come, as well as songs like “Sacrifice” working their way onto pop radio, a No. 1 album may be in his sights in the coming weeks.
5. Debuting with his career-best first week numbers would seem to represent a level-up for Gunna in his stardom. Using a “P” word or phrase, describe Gunna’s current place in the hip-hop and pop universe.
Andrew Unterberger: Precipice, on the? Gunna had been lagging a little bit behind his Drip Harder partner Lil Baby in terms of crossover stardom the last couple years — which fit their respective personalities fine away — but this set definitely appears to be Gunna catching up, just one big song or moment away from joining Baby in hip-hop’s marquee tier. (And if “Pushin P” does keep growing, that might be enough to put him over the top.)
Carl Lamarre: Phenomenal. Gunna is only beginning to find his groove and is proving to be more than just Young Thug’s YSL running mate — he’s a bonafide star.
Cydney Lee: Punctual. Gunna seems to always show up right on time.
Heran Mamo: “P”revailing.
Jason Lipshutz: Potential. This is a big moment for Gunna, after years of professional build-up. I think the biggest is still yet to come, though.
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Post by Baby Yoda Hot100Fan on Jan 25, 2022 15:26:46 GMT -5
1/25/2022 By Billboard Staff
The viral TikTok breakout is well on its way to being one of the biggest and most emblematic hits of early 2022.
After taking off with impressive velocity towards the end of 2021, “abcdefu” — the breakout hit from 17-year-old singer-songwriter GAYLE — has become one of the first official smashes of 2022.
Last week, the song — which was initially teased on TikTok, and went viral on the service upon its full release — cracked the Billboard Hot 100’s top 10 for the first time, and this week it climbs from No. 9 to No. 8, a new peak for the Atlantic artist. The song has found even greater success on Billboard‘s Global 200 chart, where this week it holds at No. 1 for a third straight week, with over 58 million global streams to its credit over the tracking week.
How has the song reached such stratospheric heights already? And is GAYLE soon due for a second hit? Billboard staffers discuss below.
1. “abcdefu” is quickly becoming one of the biggest breakout hits of the past few months, climbing to No. 8 on the Hot 100 this week and holding atop the Global 200 for a third week. Are you surprised at the degree to which the song’s caught on, or does it feel about right?
Rania Aniftos: Not surprised at all. It’s the perfect blend of sassiness and catchiness that the TikTok audience loves — the hook is essentially made for a 15-second viral video. It’s also different than a lot of the devastating breakup ballads that we’ve been hearing on the platform lately, so it’s probably refreshing for music fans to hear GAYLE take an angrier, more confident approach to heartbreak.
Lyndsey Havens: I’m a bit shocked given the fact it managed to persist through an arguably difficult trifecta: year-end madness, holiday season chart shakeup and top-of-year newness. Though, when you think about what those three periods of time have in common, one word emerges: reflection. And it seems, through everyone’s mental reassessing, there was a lot of angst to work through — and for that, the song’s ability to resonate and persist right now feels about right. After all, how better to release some rage than through a sing-songy chorus in which you can subtly shout (abcde) “f u?”
Jason Lipshutz: Commercial performance can sometimes be instructive of a song’s subtle power: when I first heard Gayle’s “abcdefu,” I thought, “Good song, fun title,” and kept moving. But as the song has continued to grow on the chart, I’ve found myself returning to it in order to personally unlock its appeal, and gradually warming up to it to a better-than-good anthemic kiss-off. I’m now all in on “abcdefu” as an obvious smash, and look forward to hearing it in karaoke bars for years to come.
Kristin Robinson: “abcdefu” was the culmination of a lot of different popular elements that have been brewing for years — a mix of the rise of TikTok songwriters who use fan participation to inspire new music; the popularity of songs about teen girl rage (think: “Happier Than Ever” by Billie Eilish and “Good 4 U” by Olivia Rodrigo); the proliferation of hyper-conceptual, clever lyric writing (think: “Hot Girl Bummer” by blackbear or “Mad at Disney” by Salem Ilese). With all that in mind, I think the song’s success makes a lot of sense.
Andrew Unterberger: I’m not sure I would’ve predicted it, but it definitely fits. With songs like “abcdefu,” I’ve long thought that once they reach a certain level of momentum — escape velocity, basically — there’s basically no stopping them at that point. “abcdefu” got there late last year, and now it feels like the most obvious hit of the early year. I’d bet it still has a ways to go, even.
2. The song obviously has one of the most immediately memorable hooks of the decade, in the punny, bird-flipping shout-and-spell-along chorus. After a couple of months with it, does the gambit feel fresh, stale, or a little of both?
Rania Aniftos: With TikTok virality comes overexposure. While I still think that the song is smart and definitely gets stuck in your head, I’ve never been a huge fan of chant-sounding choruses because I find them to become a bit tiresome after a while. While I understand why “abcdefu” is a viral hit, its gimmick isn’t the most timeless to me.
Lyndsey Havens: While I expected to tire of the approach by now, it still packs a punch — and makes me chuckle, particularly the bit about (rightfully) sparing the dog from such negative energy. Since the song’s release last August, the way in which GAYLE and her creative team managed to take such an obvious, almost childish idea and turn it into a more grown and relatable hit continues to intrigue me. Plus, I’m a sucker for when an impassioned message is delivered by a chorus of voices, which almost always succeeds in driving home the universality of whatever that message may be.
Jason Lipshutz: Fresh, for sure. The hook works because of Gayle’s vocal performance, all nervy anger and sneaky assonance, her words blurring into each other as she names more things that can go to hell. In the wrong hands, that hook would be overly confrontational or even snotty, but Gayle blurts out her declarations with a confidence that also doesn’t push too hard.
Kristin Robinson: I think this song marks the pinnacle of the hyper-conceptual hook writing. There’s already a bit of a movement I’ve noticed on TikTok of people saying they are so tired of the more gimmick-based songwriting that’s hot right now. I don’t suspect this trend will stick around much longer.
Andrew Unterberger: More stale than fresh — we’ve just heard this kind of hook a lot recently, whether in Nessa Barrett and jxdn’s “la di die” or blackbear’s “do re mi” (or his “hot girl bummer,” for that matter). Call it “lowercase pop” I guess, catchy and flippant and pretty quickly grating, though also undeniably effective. 3. TikTok has both given to and taken from the song’s success — the latter coming when a creator “exposed” the fan message that supposedly inspired the song as having apparently been sent by someone on GAYLE’s marketing team. If true, does that more seem embarrassing for GAYLE and her team, or more like a successful/validated marketing campaign?
Rania Aniftos: When I first heard about this, I admittedly did think it was a little embarrassing just because it took away from the authentic and surprising virality that a lot of up-and-coming artists experience and get to enjoy. But, on the other hand, the fans don’t seem to be talking about it anymore and it’s still climbing up the Hot 100, so even a fake fan interaction proved itself to be a successful marketing technique. Who am I to judge?
Lyndsey Havens: In my opinion, if you’re going to exist and thrive as a rising mainstream artist today, you not only have to be transparent but should also own your path — whatever it may. More than ever, we see that fluffing up false narratives never really works out in an era of co-existing and sharing information at a rapid rate online. So while I see this — if true — as a successful marketing campaign that is so clearly continuing to pay off, I only wish there was more pride and ownership behind it along the way.
Jason Lipshutz: Simply put, there is no reason for Gayle or anyone in her corner to feel embarrassed, when most artists and teams would kill for a lightning-in-a-bottle moment like “abcdefu.” For better or worse, the song’s origin story has been a footnote, and will remain that way; what everyone will actually remember are the words and melody of “abcdefu,” and they will do so for a long time.
Kristin Robinson: It’s embarrassing. It seems right now everyone is on a witch hunt for “industry plants” and even people who release a song that might bear resemblance to something else (like the time everyone on TikTok was sharing the mash up of Olivia Rodrigo’s “Good 4 U” and Paramore’s “Misery Business”). Even if the allegation is not true, it definitely matters if your fans believe it’s true. Fans, especially in the beginning of your career, can be lost quickly if they sniff out inauthenticity. I hope GAYLE can bounce back and learn from that blunder!
Andrew Unterberger: I think it’s fine. It’s the kind of gambit that would probably be humiliating if it was “uncovered” before the song took off — but once the song is already a massive hit, who really cares what marketing maneuvers it took to get it there? Maybe it hurts GAYLE’s credibility a little with some of her core fans, but in pop music, everyone’s gotta play the game a little, and I think most fans understand that. At least she and her team played the game well.
4. GAYLE’s second song is already out in the similarly fed-up “ur just horny.” How likely do you think it is to follow “abcdefu” up the charts?
Rania Aniftos: While I’m not sure that it will have the immediate, exponential success that “abcdefu” had — just because it’s not as infectious — “ur just horny” displays an edgy artistry and a tinge of rock that GAYLE hasn’t shown her fans yet, which I love. I can see it being a song that slowly makes its way up the charts, becoming an unexpected fan favorite because it’s a song that shows her musical talent, not just her ability to crank up TikTok views.
Lyndsey Havens: As a core member of GAYLE’s team recently told Billboard in her Chartbreaker feature, the artist is more than her breakout hit. And while I’m even more sold on “ur just horny” as a track that proves GAYLE’s fuller artistic range, I’m skeptical it can have a similar kind of chart-topping success as “abcdefu.” But if “abcedfu” helped GAYLE gain the platform and momentum for a song like “ur just horny” to have more eyes and ears on it than it would have otherwise — future chart success aside — then that’s still quite a success.
Jason Lipshutz: “ur just horny” is really good too — the blueprint of chugging guitars and pent-up rage is clearly working for Gayle, but she also gets the details right, from provocative lines like “Took scissors to your chastity belt” to that exasperated “ugh” right before the first chorus. This style is working very well for Gayle as she kicks off her career, but there are also signs of a whip-smart songwriter emerging into the mainstream.
Kristin Robinson: I think “ur just horny” will do well, but it won’t do anywhere near what “abcdefu” did. I worry this follow up was released too early since “abcdefu” is still holding on so strong, but I understand the label’s desire to start easing fans into more GAYLE music while the iron is still hot. “ur just horny” just may more about proving to fans that she has multiple strong songs and that she has an identity as an artist outside the one hit, rather than actually hitting the top of the charts again.
Andrew Unterberger: When it comes to artists scoring a second hit after having their first take off on TikTok, you should always bet the under — we’ve just seen it too many times, where no matter how good an artist’s follow-up single is, you can’t hope to recreate that kind of momentum right away, if ever. (Olivia Rodrigo, as usual, being a major exception). That said, “ur just horny” is fairly good — you could see it exploding on TikTok if you just heard it without knowing the artist behind it — and less tiring on multiple listens than “abcdefu.” So maybe she’ll end up one of the rare exceptions to the rule.
5. The spelled-out song title is a classic, near-foolproof pop move — what’s your favorite song to spell out most or all of its title in the lyrics?
Rania Aniftos: “Glamorous” by Fergie every single time. A mid-2000s staple from a mid-2000s icon.
Lyndsey Havens: I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s my favorite, though it’s likely the most memorable: Britney Spears’ “If You Seek Amy.” I may or may not have been a fresh teen when it arrived, and that kind of eye-popping double entendre left quite the impression.
Jason Lipshutz: Gotta be “H to the izz-O, V to the izz-A,” from Jay-Z’s “Izzo (H.O.V.A.).” Twenty years later, I still have no idea how a hook based on Jay’s “Hova” nickname and the short-lived “for shizzle my nizzle” slang works, but it undeniably does!
Kristin Robinson: “Glamorous” by Fergie, because it helped me out on a spelling test question when I was in elementary school (yeah, The Dutchess came out that long ago, y’all). Honorable mention to “Fergalicious” for helping me with the word “delicious” — and for messing up my understanding of how “tasty” is spelled for years to come (will.i.am says “T to the A to the S-T-E-Y girl you tasty” if you’ve forgotten).
Andrew Unterberger: Down with Naughty By Nature’s “O.P.P.” for 31 years and counting.
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Post by Baby Yoda Hot100Fan on Feb 1, 2022 16:06:43 GMT -5
1/2/2022 By Billboard Staff
The surprise smash may end up changing the rulebook for Disney soundtracks to come.
The song that everyone has been talking about for the first month of 2022, “We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” has now grown from viral Disney soundtrack hit into simply the most popular song in the country — hitting No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time this week (chart dated Feb. 5).
The musical number, from Disney’s hit animated film Encanto, moves from 2-1 this week, marking not only the first No. 1 for each of the credited cast members — Carolina Gaitán, Mauro Castillo, Adassa, Rhenzy Feliz, Diane Guerrero, Stephanie Beatriz and the general Encanto Cast — but the first No. 1 from any Disney animated film since 1993, when Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle’s duet recording of Aladdin theme “A Whole New World” reigned for one week in March.
How unlikely a No. 1 is it? And what could its success mean for Disney soundtrack singles to come? Billboard staffers answer these questions and more below.
1. A short five weeks into its chart run, “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” is the No. 1 song in the country. On a scale from 1-10, if you were told this would be the case at the very beginning of the year, how surprised would you be?
Leila Cobo: I would be a 10! It’s not just that “Bruno” is a song from a musical, it’s that it’s an ensemble song, with clever, complex lyrics, featuring unknown singers who have accents. I love it, but I could not be more surprised.
Stephen Daw: Easily a 10. Back in one of our last Five Burning Questions, I went on the record and said that I didn’t see a future for “Bruno” in the No. 1 spot for multiple reasons — it’s a song from a Disney musical, its support comes primarily from streaming while up against radio behemoths, and I thought the craze surrounding Encanto would be dying down soon. And yet, here we are, once again talking about “Bruno!”
Jason Lipshutz: A nine. The Encanto phenomenon had already begun by the end of 2021, but there was no indication that its soundtrack was going to cross over to this degree, or that “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” had a shot at surpassing Disney classics like “Colors of the Wind” and “Let It Go” in Hot 100 ranking. Yet here we are at the beginning of February, the Encanto soundtrack and “Bruno” atop the Billboard 200 and Hot 100, respectively, with the type of movie-to-music crossover that’s practically unprecedented. Add in the fact that “Bruno” has done this as a plot-driven ensemble number and not a classic Disney standalone ballad, and you’ve got a truly mind-boggling feat.
Andrew Unterberger: Probably an eight — and the only reason it’s not higher is because you could already see the songs from the soundtrack exploding on streaming by the end of last year (leading to a lot of “hmmm what are all these songs credited to multiple artists I’m totally unfamiliar with?” confused faces on my end). Once a phenomenon reaches that kind of virality, there’s usually no holding it back from reaching the top. Still, the song itself is as unconventional a No. 1 as any we’ve had this decade.
Christine Werthman: Mark me down as a nine on the surprised scale. Kids are quite loyal listeners when they’re into a song, but you can’t bank on only appealing to kids; otherwise, “Baby Shark” probably would not have tapped out at No. 32 on the Hot 100. I suspect that “Bruno” is having greater success because parents can also stomach this one — unlike the aforementioned — because it is a fun, dynamic song. Also, since there are so many singing parts in this ensemble track, the whole family can participate, instead of everyone fighting over who gets to be Elsa.
2. One of the most impressive things about “Bruno” unseating the mighty Adele and her radio blockbuster “Easy on Me” is that it does so with just marginal top 40 support of its own so far. Do you see that trend persisting, or has “Bruno” officially become too big for radio to ignore?
Leila Cobo: I think it very happily shows that this is still a business of outliers, and that songs that are meant to connect do so despite the lack of support from either radio or streaming platforms. It also shows that unique, distinctive sounds and lyrics usually still make for the biggest hits of all. And yes, I see this trend persisting, but not en masse. “Bruno” was able to rise to the top because it had a film behind it. But I hope it sends a lesson that listeners are not homogeneous and that there are ears for more than just hip-hop or conventional pop.
Stephen Daw: I don’t think that “Bruno” is going to get a massive radio push (although the last time I made a prediction about this song, I was very clearly wrong), but I do see it getting more airplay as the week goes on. Radio is certainly in a position where they have to at least consider playing the track throughout the next few weeks, but that won’t be what gives “Bruno” any staying power, in my opinion — the song has been built up to its current position by streaming and word of mouth, and that’s what will keep it successful.
Jason Lipshutz: One could argue that “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” doesn’t work at radio because it hinges on the dramatic arc and character development within Encanto to make any sense… but then again, those are also reasons it shouldn’t work on music streaming services, which it’s dominating for a month now. So, why not? “Bruno” has become a cultural juggernaut outside of its host movie, and I’d expect radio to adopt it sooner than later.
Andrew Unterberger: Radio will have to at least give it a try — especially given that, aside from The Weeknd, most of its heavy hitters have been pretty quiet for the first month of 2022. You can’t keep reheating those 2020 and 2021 leftovers forever, even on Top 40, and eventually the Encanto spark will prove close to irresistible. Does that mean it’s going to reach a “Blinding Lights”-type level of ubiquity and longevity on the airwaves? Hardly likely, but we’ll see; betting against this song in any capacity has been inadvisable thus far.
Christine Werthman: “Bruno” is a catchy song, but I don’t foresee it turning into a radio smash. Other Disney songs, like “A Whole New World” or “Beauty and the Beast,” could sneak into easy listening lineups because they were ballads, but something this up-tempo would sound out of place on those stations as well as in the top 40 format. I can’t imagine going from Dua Lipa and Elton John to “Bruno” — unless, of course, it got its own fire PNAU remix.
3. “Bruno” obviously has very little in common with the only other Hot 100 No. 1 from a Disney animated film — Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle’s “A Whole New World” from Aladdin — nor with most of the other smash hits pulled from Disney movies in the nearly three decades in between them. What impact do you think the runaway success of “Bruno” will have over how the music for Disney movies is devised, created and/or promoted in the future, if any?
Leila Cobo: I don’t think you can plan or replicate this kind of success. But it does show, yet again, that audiences are open to new sounds and themes as long as they’re catchy and fun to listen to and well-crafted, and “Bruno” filled all those slots. Throw-away tunes are meant to be forgotten. I also do love that “Bruno” has one writer instead of 25. Maybe there’s a lesson to be learned there as well.
Stephen Daw: I think one of two things is going to happen. The first would be Disney attempting to lock Lin-Manuel Miranda down to become their new Alan Menken — he’s already proven to be an asset thanks to Moana, and now he’s shown with Encanto that he can write songs that will succeed independently of the films he wrote them for. If that’s the case, we can expect to hear a lot more songs like “Bruno” in the future. The second, less likely (but arguably better) thing that could happen is Disney starts taking a lot more creative risks with their musicals from here on out — bringing in composers from all different areas of music rather than just musical theater to devise innovative scores for musical storytelling. Both could be possible, but I’m certainly banking on the fact that we’ll be seeing much more of LMM in future Disney films.
Jason Lipshutz: Three words: more, more, more. Now that Encanto has demonstrated that Disney has scored a pop culture phenomenon on its Disney+ streaming service, I’d expect a heavier saturation of animated musicals with the same type of promotional blitz — perhaps with a cadence similar to what we saw in the 1990s, when every summer featured a new Disney animated musical at the multiplex. The fact that Encanto can be streamed by Disney+ users whenever they want, as many times as they want, makes it even easier for viewers (read: kids) to learn the songs and stream them again and again; sure, not every animated musical can boast original Lin-Manuel Miranda songs, but there’s no reason for Disney to not take as many swings of the bat as possible and re-create the Encanto effect.
Andrew Unterberger: I think we’re going to see less and less of big names being pulled in for Disney soundtracks — whether it be for cast roles or for pop-oriented re-recordings of soundtrack staples. Few if any of the names on “Bruno” were likely immediately familiar to a majority of the song’s millions of weekly streamers, but that doesn’t matter: It’s always been way more about the song than the singer (or at the very least, the singer’s rep) when it comes to Disney success, and there’s no reason why the next major Disney soundtrack success wouldn’t also come without a marquee pop name attached to it.
Christine Werthman: I think this could signal a move toward more up-tempo songs in the future, but I don’t believe “Bruno” should be heard as the death knell for classic Disney ballads. There’s certainly still an audience for those, and even if they wouldn’t hit on TikTok the way “Bruno” has, they might get more radio play.
4. Though it’s primarily an English-language song, “Bruno” obviously has its roots in multiple forms of Latin pop music. How much do you think the song’s success owes to the global proliferation of Latin pop in recent years — and will it serve a major role in helping it spread even further?
Leila Cobo: That audiences are more open than we give them credit for was tested with Coco, the beautiful hit Mexican-themed animated film. I think “Bruno” would have done well regardless, but the fact that it was a Latin beat helped make it stick more in today’s environment.
Stephen Daw: I think the globalization of Latin pop is the reason “Bruno” has become such a major success story — obviously, the song is catchy and ultimately deserving of its success, but had the world not been primed for “Bruno” with the wave of artists like Bad Bunny, J Balvin, Kali Uchis and so many more, then I doubt the song would have become the runaway hit that it is today.
Jason Lipshutz: The success of Encanto’s music — not just “Bruno,” but multiple other songs, and its No. 1 soundtrack as a whole — is a testament to the global embrace of Latin pop, heightened during the past half-decade but with roots dating back far before that. Spanish-language songs have become commonplace on major streaming playlists and U.S. radio rotations in a way that they weren’t five years ago; “Bruno” hitting No. 1 as a primarily Latin pop song is not shocking, because Latin pop has made major noise on the Hot 100 in the years leading up to its run.
Andrew Unterberger: It’s helped, no doubt — though arguably the success of the Hamilton soundtrack and Lin-Manuel Miranda’s general sung-rapped stylings have helped at least as much. Still, in past generations music gatekeepers might’ve shied away from “Bruno” and gravitated towards a blander pop ballad like “Waiting on a Miracle” out of fear over alienating American pop listeners, and it’s awesome that that doesn’t have to be a worry anymore — and that gatekeepers can’t keep a song like “Bruno” down anymore anyway, even if they originally hoped to.
Christine Werthman Mike Elizondo, who co-produced the song with Lin-Manuel Miranda, said in a recent interview with Billboard that a large part of what makes “Bruno” stand out is its Colombian-influenced rhythm. That beat gives it a more global appeal, but the song also has distinct sections, a dramatic narrative and multiple characters — all of which helped it spread on TikTok as users acted out different parts. So yes, the Latin pop element is part of its success, as is the playfulness of the track, as is the backing of a Disney film. All of those things will help it continue to spread.
5. It’s (COVID-safe) karaoke night, and someone in your room selects “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” and starts handing out mics for the seven parts. Whose part — Carolina Gaitán (Pepa), Mauro Castillo (Felix), Adassa (Dolores), Rhenzy Feliz (Camilo), Diane Guerrero (Isabela), Stephanie Beatriz (Mirabel) or the general backing Encanto Cast — are you laying claim to?
Leila Cobo: I am Pepa, baby! I’m Colombian and I often say “No, no y no.” That’s my line.
Stephen Daw: While I think Dolores’s rapid-fire “grewtoliveinfearofBrunostutteringorstumbling” verse is just an incredible way to flex on your friends, I would have to go with my boy Camilo’s verse. It’s got everything that you really want in order to stand out at karaoke night — an easy range to sing in, melodramatic lyrics, a fabulous beat, built-in momentum from the past few verses, and the now-iconic final verse lead-in line, “Isabella your boyfriend’s here!” There is a lot of fun to be had with Camilo’s part.
Jason Lipshutz: Dolores’ whisper-rap, for sure. That’s the moment “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” switches gears into something more kinetic and cool — pass me the mic for that one.
Andrew Unterberger: I’ll just take the Encanto Cast bits and fill in here and there, thanks. Someone’s gotta do it!
Christine Werthman: Felix. He really amps up the drama.
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Post by Baby Yoda Hot100Fan on Feb 8, 2022 15:29:47 GMT -5
2/8/2022 By Billboard Staff
Despite being released in July 2021, 'Planet Her' is as unavoidable on the Billboard charts right now as ever.
n the nearly seven-and-a-half months since Doja Cat released her third studio album Planet Her, the album’s place in the pop solar system has seemingly only grown and grown.
While the LP was kept from No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart in its debut week by the big opening for Tyler, the Creator’s Call Me If You Get Lost, it has continued to hanging around the chart’s top 10, ranking at No. 9 this week (dated Feb. 12) in its 32nd frame. Meanwhile, the album’s Afrobeats-flavored “Woman” climbs from No. 46 to No. 37 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it the fifth top 40 hit from the album — four of which are currently sharing space in that Hot 100 region.
How has the album enjoyed such continued success? And what can other artists learn from it? Billboard staffers discuss these questions and more below.
1. We’re over seven months past the release of Doja Cat’s third studio album Planet Her, and all four of the album’s official singles — “Need to Know” (No. 10), “Kiss Me More” (No. 35), “You Right” (No. 36) and now “Woman” (No. 37) — are in the top 40 of this week’s Hot 100. What’s the biggest reason for the prolonged simultaneous success of this album’s singles on the chart?
Rania Aniftos: The Planet Her songs are all so different but still very much Doja Cat, so it doesn’t feel like the album is being over-milked. Whenever a song makes its rounds on social media, I never feel bored or “over” the Planet Her era, and her ability to shapeshift between genres but still maintain her sense of humor in the lyrics and characteristic musical style is refreshing. I can’t name another artist who is has multiple singles on the same album that are equally interesting in their own way.
Katie Atkinson: It’s always been hard to pin down an exact sound or genre for Doja Cat, and I think that’s why these very eclectic Planet Her songs are all thriving at the same time. You could hear all four in one hour on pop radio and not think, “Doja, again?!” because they’re all so different.
Jason Lipshutz: The biggest reason is that Doja Cat is an unequivocal multi-sector superstar, a popular artist who collects collects billions of streams, is embraced by different radio formats, moves album units and boasts hits that rule the charts immediately as well as others that slowly grow into juggernauts. “Streets,” from Hot Pink, was an example of the latter prior to “Woman,” crashing the top 20 of the Hot 100 a year after the album’s release — and, as I wrote at the time, demonstrating Doja Cat’s power as an A-list hitmaker.
Heran Mamo: Doja’s chameleonic sound. Planet Her is inhabited by different sounds from the rap, bubblegum pop as well as trap pop (“Kiss Me More,” “Need to Know”), R&B (“You Right”) and Afrobeats (“Woman”) worlds, and she flawlessly tapped into all of them with a fluidity only achievable for those who can deliver infectious pop hooks and ridiculous rapid-fire bars in the same song let alone the same album. The divergent sonic architecture of Planet Her allows Doja’s fans to ease into their exploration of the album, discovering new favorites and getting acclimated to newer sounds in the span of several months.
Andrew Unterberger: Nobody excels quite like Doja Cat when it comes to have different hits popping at different platforms simultaneously — she might have one song in heavy rotation at top 40 radio, while another goes nuts on TikTok, and another has a viral music video. And then she might get onstage at a major awards show and do a knockout performance of a totally different song than any of those. That versatility, not just in her sound but in her adaptability to different avenues for pop success, is what keeps her ubiquitous without ever making her feel stale or overexposed.
2. “Woman” is Doja’s most recent entrant to the top 40, climbing from No. 46 to No. 37 this week in its 27th frame on the chart. What do you think the song owes its relatively late-arriving jump in success to?
Rania Aniftos: Partially because it’s so catchy but also, of course, because of TikTok. The viral “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” mashup from Altego lives in my head rent free and reminded me of what a great song “Woman” is, and I’m guessing other fans had a similar experience. While we’re on the topic of that mashup, I think Doja Cat should reach out to Adassa, who plays Dolores in Encanto — because their voices fit perfectly together, and we absolutely need some sort of collaboration.
Katie Atkinson: As with most music these days, TikTok is definitely part of the equation. It’s also already been a massive international hit, hitting the top 10 of Billboard‘s Global 200 Excl. U.S. chart in the fall – which makes sense, given the song’s obvious global influences – so America is just catching up.
Jason Lipshutz: Doja Cat has the uncanny ability to deliver new singles that sound nothing like the ones that preceded them, even though they’re often fashioned from the same raw materials — a sung verse, a rapped verse, a flashy hook, attitude packed into every line. “Woman” sports an Afrobeats sound with R&B and reggae flourishes, a nice sonic change-up for Doja after the shimmery disco-pop of “Kiss Me More” and the booming-bass sex jam “Need to Know,” and the structural hallmarks of a Doja Cat single pay off once again here.
Heran Mamo: The delayed release of the official music video in December, six months after the arrival of Planet Her, certainly helped give the song a late boost. She keeps the DCCU (Doja Cat Cinematic Universe) alive with the eye-popping, intergalactic visual — reminiscent of Michael Jackson’s “Remember the Time” with its Ancient Egyptian setting — and supplements it with choreography and behind-the-scenes videos she posted just last month. What’s unique about Doja’s delayed hits during this album cycle is that after setting out to experiment with otherworldly sounds on Planet Her, she takes her time to show fans those other worlds and immerse them in her own.
Andrew Unterberger: To some extent, it’s just kind of its turn — pop radio has finally backed off just enough from “Kiss Me More,” “You Right” and “Need to Know” to allow “Woman” to start scaling its rankings (up two to No. 15 this week). Back in the day, this wouldn’t have seemed unusual at the slightest, but in 2022, there’s only a handful of star artists who can still garner this kind of momentum or interest with a fourth single off an already widely familiar album. This just shows that Doja is now one of them.
3. Lower on the Hot 100, another track from Doja’s latest re-enters the chart at No. 81: “Get Into It (Yuh),” aided by the debut of its official music video last week. Do you see the song ultimately joining its fellow Planet Her moons in top 40 orbit?
Rania Aniftos: Maybe I’m a bit biased because it’s not my favorite song on Planet Her, but I think if it hadn’t made its way past its Hot 100 peak of 68 last year when the song and its corresponding dance challenge was inescapable on TikTok, I’m not sure it will have a top 40 jump. On the other hand, if it’s one thing I’ve learned from watching Doja’s slow but oh-so-sure success, it’s to never doubt her ability to climb up a chart.
Katie Atkinson: Don’t forget the Taco Bell commercial bump too! I can definitely see this one climbing to the top 40. What this extended Planet Her era is proving is that there’s room for more and more Doja music in our lives. It’s not unlike Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia, which released its first single in late 2019 and then didn’t see its biggest hit until fifth single “Levitating” peaked at No. 2 in May 2021. The biggest could still be yet to come from Planet Her.
Jason Lipshutz: Will I forever associate the “Get Into It (Yuh)” chorus with the Taco Bell commercial in which it was featured last year? Absolutely. Does that limit its commercial ceiling, especially considering the success of every Planet Her single preceding it? Certainly not. If anything, I’d expect “Get Into It (Yuh)” to become a summer playlist staple as the weather heats up, giving Doja Cat yet another top 40 hit from this album.
Heran Mamo: Most definitely. What I learned from Sam Houston, who’s the director of visual content production at RCA Records and commissions many of Doja’s music videos, is that when they were gearing up for her Planet Her era, the “Streets” Silhouette Challenge was blowing up on TikTok around the same time. Instead of ignoring the new momentum for the old song, Doja and her team decided to devote an official visual for “Streets” where she created her own epic version of the challenge. That shows how Doja always has her fingers on the pulse of which songs of hers are hot right now and when it’s time to make a music video to either breathe new life into a promising hit or capitalize on its recent acclaim. But if you just listen to the song, the scream-a-long hook (that nods to fellow pop superstar and Doja’s “yuh” partner-in-crime Ariana Grande) and scene-stealing second verse makes “Get Into It (Yuh)” primed to get into the top 40 of the chart (yuh!).
Andrew Unterberger: Once “Woman” is done its own climb, maybe. It could be like Dua Lipa’s “Love Again,” which was a slow-growing chart hit over a year after its initial release on Lipa’s Future Nostalgia album, just because radio couldn’t get enough of the album’s singles. But even that song did very narrowly miss the top 40, so it may take a little elbow grease still for Doja to visit that region for a sixth time on this album cycle.
4. Despite never hitting No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, Planet Her is unquestionably now one of the most successful pop LPs of the early ’20s. Is there anything other artists can take from its slow-burning blockbusterdom, or is it just Doja Cat being Doja Cat?
Rania Aniftos: I don’t think any artist has quite understood the power of connecting with Gen-Z and the things they’re interested in the way Doja Cat has. You see other artists try to post on TikTok and Instagram in a relatable way, but it often comes off as out of touch and cringy — or it’s painfully obvious that their label made them join social media in an attempt to promote a new song. Doja has nailed not only the authenticity in a digital space, but also music that feels as fun and sassy as today’s music listeners are. As long as she maintains that formula, she’ll have many more slow-burning successes in her future.
Katie Atkinson: The trick is stacking your album with undeniably fun pop songs that will eventually all bubble up and have their moment. Seriously, though, I think the biggest lesson is to not write off an album in week one. It didn’t need to be No. 1 to be an eventual blockbuster.
Jason Lipshutz: It’s a little bit of both: obviously general demand for Doja Cat music is sky-high, but she’s also been incredibly smart about how she rolls that music out, dating back to Hot Pink. The string of singles from Planet Her have showcased her skill set over the course of several months and sounds, ranging from pop to R&B to hip-hop to Afrobeats, and she’s deliberately spaced out her single promotions and music videos to drum up excitement for songs that have been available on streaming services for a long time. The marketing of Planet Her has veered toward the old-school, but Doja Cat is such a new-school star that the rollout has felt fresh at every turn.
Heran Mamo: Artists should take note of how she’s successfully staggered the release of music videos for songs she’s noticed perform well on online platforms (e.g., TikTok) — a sign Doja’s a pop star born of the digital age. And while COVID continued sweeping through the DC crew and ultimately led the singer to cancel multiple performances in the last few months, the ones she actually pulled off at festivals and award shows continued raising the profile of certain cuts, like “Woman” and “Get Into It (Yuh),” that strategically informed her audience which will become her next singles and/or which songs they need to pay closer attention to. But absolutely no one could replace Doja Cat, who’s maintained the same level of infamous, charismatic eccentricity throughout her skyrocketing ascent to pop superstardom since her start on the internet. Paired with her dance background that’s informed her exhilarating and mesmerizing performances, Doja Cat hasn’t become a new person but has become an elevated version of who she always was.
Andrew Unterberger: Its success shows importance of maintaining a relatively consistent aesthetic and/or thematic through-line for an album’s whole promotional era — a lesson recently re-confirmed by Dua Lipa and The Weeknd, among countless other stars throughout pop history — while also keeping the songs from ever feeling sonically uniform. None of the big cuts from Planet Her are mistakable for one another, and a half-dozen fans of hers might each pick a different favorite from the bunch. That’s how you get an album in the mainstream’s center for seven months and not just seven weeks.
5. You’re the music director for the 2037 reboot of Euphoria, and you have permission and budget clearance to secure one Planet Her hit for the season premiere. Which song do you use and why?
Rania Aniftos: “Ain’t S–t,” because Nate Jacobs truly ain’t s–t.
Katie Atkinson: I’m going to go straight for irony and choose “I Don’t Do Drugs” featuring Ariana Grande.
Jason Lipshutz: “Kiss Me More” — which has already aged very well since its release last spring, and will continue to do so over the years. In 15 years, hearing Doja Cat and SZA’s infatuation jam will have a similar effect to hearing 2007 smashes like “Umbrella” or “Irreplaceable” today… and who wouldn’t love it if either of those popped up in next week’s Euphoria?
Heran Mamo: There would be an interesting irony in placing the Ariana Grande-assisted “I Don’t Do Drugs.” Rue has spent this entire second season lying to everyone she loves about being clean, but I’d hope for the best and say she finally gets to be in the future reboot of the series. But considering the song makes the storied “being in love feels like being on drugs” analogy, a grown-up Rue might be seeking her fix through a mature relationship, one that reminds her of how she felt when she was with Jules (if she isn’t still with her, that is), and one that patches the hole in her heart after her father’s passing.
Andrew Unterberger: “Need to Know,” definitely. I can see the strobe-lit party montages (and/or fantasy sequences) now.
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Post by Baby Yoda Hot100Fan on Feb 15, 2022 18:31:49 GMT -5
2/15/2022 By Billboard Staff
She’s been one of the most acclaimed singer-songwriters in indie rock for over a half-decade now — but with her most recent studio album, this February’s Laurel Hell, the artist born Mitski Miyawaki is also officially a major factor on the Billboard charts.
This week, Laurel Hell bows at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 albums chart (dated Feb. 19), with 36,000 equivalent album units earned — including 24,000 in album sales, making it the week’s top-selling set. It’s by far the best debut of Mitski’s career, with her previous high on the Billboard 200 being her No. 52 debut with prior LP Be the Cowboy in 2018, and an impressive performance for any indie rock act in 2022.
How did Mitski get to this new peak as a commercial artist? And what other indie sensations may take a similar leap in the near future? Billboard staffers discuss these questions and more below.
1. After previously notching a No. 52 best on the Billboard 200 with 2018’s Be the Cowboy, Mitski enters all the way up at No. 5 on the chart with her Laurel Hell set — along with a No. 1 debut on Top Album Sales. On a scale from 1-10, how surprised are you at the album’s resounding bow?
Josh Glicksman: Let’s go with a 7. Mitski has long released music worthy of this kind of debut, but that doesn’t make it any less surprising to see such a massive jump. She benefits from a sparse week in terms of new releases from chart mainstays, but it’s largely her vinyl presence — with Laurel Hell scoring the biggest vinyl sales week for any album so far this year — to thank for her first trip to the upper reaches of the Billboard 200. Don’t forget about those resurging CD sales, either, with 4,000 copies sold in the U.S. accounting for about one-sixth of the album’s sales, according to MRC Data.
Jason Lipshutz: A 2. Mitski has been garnering critical accolades for some time now, but she noticeably leveled up as a streaming artist and live performer during the period between Be the Cowboy and Laurel Hell. Before the release of her new album, Mitski had multiple songs become TikTok sensations, accrued nine-figure streaming numbers more than a few times and plotted her biggest headlining tour to date for the first half of 2022, along with Harry Styles support dates; this chart debut simply continues an upward trajectory that wasn’t hard to locate.
Joe Lynch: I’m going with 8. I’m not sh00keth but I’d be lying if I told you I knew Mitski’s expanded online presence would catapult her from a No. 52 bow to a No. 5 bow on the Billboard 200 – and a No. 1 on Top Album Sales to boot. That’s a big deal! Especially for an act better known for racking up high scores on Pitchfork than album sales.
Kristin Robinson: I’d say I’m a 6! Over quarantine, Mitski expanded her fanbase while barely lifting a finger, thanks to TikTok. I think her work resonated with a lot of people at a lonely time — she articulates that feeling so well. There was a lot of hype coming into this album, and although it’s not her best work (in my opinion), it is the most accessible and arrived at her most successful point to date. No. 5, however, is a really high score for her. Next week, I think it will fall off considerably due to the pre-saves and sales that boosted this week’s placement. Lastly, I think she dropped the album early enough in the year to avoid much competition on the Billboard 200 – I think the combination of timing, accessibility, and popularity pushed this one up the charts.
Andrew Unterberger: Maybe a 6.5. It shouldn’t be that surprising, since Billboard has reported about Mitski becoming a streaming star over the course of past couple years, in addition to already being close to sacrosanct in critical circles. But the sales number is pretty surprising — since TikTok success only leads to physical purchases in the rarest of cases — and I can’t count the number of times an acclaimed favorite like Mitski who seems to have decent mainstream support releases a seemingly much-anticipated new album, only for it to barely debut in the top half of the 200. A No. 5 bow is really quite attention-grabbing.
2. Clearly Mitski has seen her streaming presence expanded in the past year or so with her high level of TikTok success — and obviously Laurel Hell is largely built around a synth-pop sound that’s arguably more immediately accessible than some of her previous work. Which of these two factors do you think is more important to the album’s triumphant debut?
Josh Glicksman: As an avid supporter of (most) artists leaning into a more immediately accessible synth-pop sound, my heart says the latter, though I’d actually tie that in with a third option instead: some good old-fashioned, sustained fan base building. The numbers indicate that her digital sales didn’t move the needle all that much — just 2,000 of the 24,000 copies in the U.S., according to MRC Data — though her expanded streaming presence certainly brought plenty of newfound attention to her catalog. Instead, give credit to Mitski’s repeated critically acclaimed efforts over the years, as well as her team’s rollout plan for Laurel Hell.
Jason Lipshutz: The former — since, regardless of how Laurel Hell sounds, the increased interest in Mitski was palpable and yielded a major chart win. The synth-pop foundation of the new album should continue Mitski’s momentum, and maybe even produce a bonafide radio hit, but the success of Be the Cowboy on streaming set her up for this moment.
Joe Lynch: Laurel Hell hit No. 5 on the Billboard 200 mostly through sales – SEA accounted for 12,000 and sales for 24,000 of its 36,000 total. And of the 24k, 17,000 of those sales were vinyl. I find it hard to believe everyone who bought the album in its first week thought, “Wait, this is synth-pop? That’s more accessible than what I’ve previously heard from Mitski. Time to buy a copy!” These sales come from both longtime fans who have come to expect and trust Mitski to deliver a quality album start to finish and newer fans who discovered her through TikTok, did a deep dive into her back catalog and emerged as converts. TikTok had the bigger impact; this being synth-pop is incidental to its success.
Kristin Robinson: I think next week will be telling for Laurel Hell. Albums often get huge boosts in their first week if they have strong, loyal fanbases, due to pre-saves, sales, and also curiosity listens. Once people have had a week to sit with it, will they still stream it and save it to playlists and buy physical copies? If they continue to keep momentum, then you can easily say that the accessible, synth-pop sound was a primary reason, and if not, then you can conclude her growing popularity is the catalyst. My personal guess is it’s the latter!
Andrew Unterberger: It’s more the TikTok success, I think. What’s conspicuous about the new album’s bow (and maybe why it’s a little surprising that it’s as lofty as it is) is that for all of Mitski’s recent streaming success, none of the album’s new songs have really taken off yet: Only one of the 10 songs listed on Mitski’s “Popular” page on Spotify currently comes from Laurel Hell, and none of the album’s 11 tracks can be found on this week’s 25-position Rock Streaming Songs chart. It’s not the specific songs that are necessarily propelling this album’s immediate success, so much as Mitski’s expanded fanbase and general reputation for excellence.
3. Despite her album success — and some presence on rock streaming and airplay charts — Mitski has yet to chart a single on the Billboard Hot 100. Do you see that coming for her with any of the singles from this album, or at some point in the next couple years?
Josh Glicksman: I don’t see Mitski becoming a frequenter to the Hot 100 anytime soon, but I wouldn’t rule out a one-off here or there at some point in the next couple of years, especially with her aforementioned TikTok presence. That said, I’m not particularly optimistic about any of the singles from Laurel Hell being her ultimate breakthrough: it feels like her best shot to land something would have been in her debut week, and with nothing even cracking the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart, the odds are not in her favor.
Jason Lipshutz: I could definitely see something from Laurel Hell crossing over to the lower reaches of the Hot 100 — maybe something like “Stay Soft” or “Love Me More” grows enough on alternative radio and streaming to crack the tally? The new album may not include a surefire crossover song that would threaten top 40 spins, but there are tracks among the most accessible of Mitski’s career and worthy of becoming her biggest hit to date.
Joe Lynch: Nah. Mitski’s TikTok moment was authentic enough that it worked, but if someone on the label side tries to create some sort of top-to-bottom #LaurelHellChallenge on TikTok, people will see through it immediately and it will flopski. I could see a rock chart or even Adult Contemporary picking up on one or two of these songs, but a Hot 100 hit from Laurel Hell seems unlikely to happen in a streaming era dominated by hip-hop.
Kristin Robinson: I think it’s possible, but I’m shocked “Nobody” from Be The Cowboy didn’t crack the lower half of the Hot 100. Luckily for Mitski, she has multiple upbeat, catchy tracks to work with from Laurel Hell for radio airplay. She already streams well, and I think doing well at rock and alternative radio will be crucial for cracking the chart.
Andrew Unterberger: I think it’s very likely she scores a Hot 100 hit in the next couple years — but it may or may not be from Laurel Hell, or anything else she’s released this decade. The promotional blessing and curse of TikTok success is that it is totally impossible to predict what songs from an artist might take off during an album cycle, and that it might even be something from a totally unrelated earlier album — and several of the Mitski tracks that have exploded on streaming this decade were from several albums ago at this point. If “Why Didn’t You Stop Me?” from Be the Cowboy or “Fireworks” from Puberty 2 started aggressive scaling the streaming charts a couple months from now, would you be terribly surprised? Only if you hadn’t really been paying attention, probably.
4. While Laurel Hell has scored easily the best commercial debut of Mitski‘s career, the reviews — while still mostly very positive — have been a little more mixed in some corners than her last couple near-unanimously acclaimed sets. Is that fair to you, or do you think Laurel Hell should be viewed on a similar level to 2016’s Puberty 2 and 2018’s Be the Cowboy?
Josh Glicksman: It’s fair, though Mitski is undoubtedly in a tough spot: Be the Cowboy cracked the upper reaches of just about every publication’s Best Albums of 2018 list, so to follow that up with an equally stunning effort is no small task — nor is she interested in making a replica of that album, as she noted in a recent interview. The highs on Laurel Hell still take you well into the stratosphere, including project opener “Valentine, Texas,” and I’m more than happy to listen to her experiment with more radio-friendly singles like “The Only Heartbreaker.”
Jason Lipshutz: The main criticism of Laurel Hell seems to be that too many of the songs exist in the same synth-heavy pop-rock atmosphere… but I think Mitski finds a ton of success in that sound, so I don’t ding her for any redundancies. Laurel Hell may not contain the layered textures of Be the Cowboy or the emotional high points of Puberty 2, but this shade of Mitski’s music is just as rewarding to me.
Joe Lynch: It’s hard to say what’s fair and unfair when it comes to critical reviews, since it’s mostly subjective. In a streaming era where nearly everyone can sample nearly everything with a quick click (which is easier and more interactive than reading a review), music critics are nowhere near as important to the industry as they were 10, 20 years ago. Mitski is a wonderful artist and I care enough about her music to keep up with each new release, so I really don’t care what the Metacritic score for Laurel Hell is.
Kristin Robinson: I think that the somewhat more mixed reviews are fair. Mitski has set the bar so high for herself with critics in the past, especially with Puberty 2 and Be the Cowboy, it’s unsurprising that she would create something that wasn’t quite as lauded at some point. My favorite thing about Mitski is her smart lyrics and her ability to create drama without becoming kitschy. While this album has these elements too, I think it’d be hard to argue Laurel Hell has a better ballad than “Two Slow Dancers” or “A Burning Hill” or a better upbeat track than “Nobody.” Frankly, it just didn’t reach the same heights, but she’s still an incredible artist.
Andrew Unterberger: I think this album rules, honestly. It’s not wrong to say that Puberty 2 was more exciting and challenging, or that Be the Cowboy was more dynamically varied, but Laurel Hell will still likely end up on the same level as those for me. There’s still something subversive to me about Mitski inserting her bloody brand of frayed-nerve songwriting and uncompromising performance into this mainstreamed form of synth-rock. The sonic stylings are perhaps a little bland by comparison, but it feels like it’s done for a purpose — and since the songs and productions are uniformly excellent, it’s hard to really find fault in that.
5. Now that Mitski has achieved a top 5 Billboard 200 debut, who’s another prominent indie rock artist who hasn’t gotten to the 200’s top tier yet — but who you could see jumping up there soon on a future release?
Josh Glicksman: It depends how lenient the definition of “soon” is here, but put me down for Snail Mail making a run at the Billboard 200’s top five on one of her next few albums. She jumped to the top of Billboard’s Emerging Artists chart after the release of last year’s Valentine and has a similarly growing vinyl presence that could help her make a splashy debut down the road.
Jason Lipshutz: Feels obvious, but based on how much her profile has grown since 2020’s Punisher, expect Phoebe Bridgers’ next album to very easily best her career high of a No. 43 debut on the Billboard 200 chart — at this point, she could drop an album of phone book reading and it would streak into the top 10.
Joe Lynch: Her chart trajectory doesn’t entirely support this, but I feel like Angel Olsen is a breakthrough song away from getting a top 10 album on the Billboard 200. My Woman reached No. 48 in 2016, and while All Mirrors only hit No. 52, Mitski has demonstrated that a jump from No. 52 to No. 5 for a critically beloved indie artist is entirely possible. Olsen’s songwriting is so sturdy and her best melodies are unshakable that I could see the right sync (or hell, even a TikTok moment) bringing her to an expanded audience who would help take her next LP to the top 10.
Kristin Robinson: I could see Snail Mail making a high Billboard 200 debut at some point. Her last album Valentine’s roll out pushed her to No. 1 on the Emerging Artists chart. I also believe Big Thief is continually gaining steam, with no signs of slowing down and could be a future contender. Most obviously, Phoebe Bridgers has the best shot: Her last album Punisher peaked at No. 43, and after all the press and acclaim that received, she’s a true star. The chart’s top five, given she drops the album at a time that isn’t crowded with major label releases, could be in easy reach for her.
Andrew Unterberger: Phoebe Bridgers is indeed the clear frontrunner here — Mitski may be touring with Harry Styles, but Bridgers has actually dueted with Taylor Swift — but I’ll also take the longer odds on Alex G, the increasingly ambitious bedroom singer-songwriter who has worked with Frank Ocean and Japanese Breakfast, was a huge cult favorite of the Tumblr era, and whose rep seems to grow with every acclaimed album. A Mitski-like TikTok breakthrough/revival feels within reach for him, and the right Laurel Hell-type album could absolutely put him over the top.
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