Innholdsfortegnelse for July 21, 2018 i Billboard Magazine

In the first half of 2018, overall on-demand streaming increased 41.7 percent to reach 403.5 billion U.S. streams, according to Nielsen Music. That growth defies mathematical trends, which dictate that, as a base enlarges, it becomes harder to achieve a bigger percentage growth than in preceding time periods. That increase is larger than the 36.3 percent bump in 2017 over the prior year’s 208.9 billion streams at the six-month mark. Also at midyear 2018, total U.S. album consumption units reached 360.2 million, an 18.4 percent increase over 2017 that follows another: a 7.8 percent gain in album consumption units counted in the first half of 2016. The most-streamed song so far this year is Drake’s “God’s Plan,” with 1.12 billion total on-demand streams, a 63 percent rise over the…

Ever since his breakthrough — a feature on his now incarcerated mentor Vybz Kartel’s 2010 hit “Clarks” — Popcaan has become the torchbearer for dancehall. The Portmore, Jamaica, native born Andrae Sutherland has soared from the island to countries worldwide, with 304.9 million total on-demand streams since spring 2012, according to Nielsen Music, thanks to his affable charm and guest spots on tracks from Kanye West and Gorillaz. As dancehall has re-entered the American mainstream in recent years — with artists like Rihanna and Drake co-opting its conventions for sizable hits — the 30-year-old has a bigger platform for his second album, Forever, arriving July 20 via Mixpak Records. As it happens, he has a new, more positive focus — along with some eyebrow-raising views on gender relations. Forever…

Lauv Still Getting ‘Better’ Pop singer-songwriter Lauv (above) returns to No. 1 on Billboard’s Emerging Artists chart, rising 2-1 for a fifth week atop the tally as his breakthrough hit, “I Like Me Better,” reaches the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 (52-33) in its 22nd week. The song ties Kodak Black’s “Roll in Peace” (featuring XXXTentacion) for the steadiest advance to the region in 2018. “Better” concurrently bumps 8-7 in its 39th week on Mainstream Top 40, as it ties for the third-longest stay in the airplay chart’s 25-year history. Meanwhile, Why Don’t We re-enters Emerging Artists at No. 3, a new peak, as the pop quintet’s new track “Talk” arrives at No. 18 on Digital Song Sales with 14,000 copies sold, according to Nielsen Music. The…

Bieber And Baldwin’s Betrothal Justin Bieber (below) is getting married, and he’s got the Social 50 gain to prove it. After rumors of his engagement to Hailey Baldwin surfaced, Bieber officially revealed his betrothal on social media. He gathered boosts in all social metrics in the process, led by 156,000 Twitter mentions (up 316 percent in the week ending July 12, according to Next Big Sound), to re-enter the chart at No. 15. “My heart is COMPLETELY and FULLY YOURS and I will ALWAYS put you first!” he wrote. Four spots above Bieber, Charlie Puth re-enters the Social 50 at No. 11 after releasing the music video for his song “The Way I Am” on July 9. The clip got its biggest boost in attention when the singer initially…

Cardi B leads the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards nominations with 10 nods, including video, song and artist of the year. Rapper 6ix9ine is arrested on an outstanding warrant for allegedly choking a teen at a Houston mall in January. Monte (left) and Avery Lipman’s Republic Records becomes the first label to rule the top three slots on the Billboard 200 in 15 years.…

On the eve of the release of Drake’s Scorpion on June 29, several music retailers nervously wondered if the rapper’s album would eventually come out on CD, since his previous release, More Life, never did. The merchants were gathered in Florida at the annual convention of Alliance Entertainment, the largest music wholesaler of CDs and vinyl in the United States. With CD sales accounting for $1.1 billion at U.S. retail in 2017, attendees were at a loss as to why labels weren’t wholeheartedly supporting the CD. If Scorpion, which earned 732,000 equivalent album units in its first week, according to Nielsen Music, had come out on the format at the same time as it hit streaming services, retailers speculated that it would have also sold 250,000-300,000 physical copies in…

In its 10 seasons, as RuPaul’s Drag Race has become a cultural phenomenon and a platform for over 100 performers, many of the drag queens from the show have used the spotlight to release music. Now, one enterprise is working to take that music mainstream. On July 14, Producer Entertainment Group, a management company boasting a roster that includes Drag Race winners Sharon Needles, Jinkx Monsoon, Alaska 5000 and Bob the Drag Queen, saw its release of Blair St. Clair’s electropop debut album, Call My Life, take the top spot on Billboard’s Dance/Electronic Album Sales chart. PEG founder David Charpentier says he formed his own imprint because “there were no labels out there that would take us seriously. They just thought drag was a joke. I remember going to…

BEING COOL ISN’T WHO I AM,” SAYS JASON MRAZ, the Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter best known for what he calls “wedding songs.” His most popular hit, the snuggly “I’m Yours,” spent 76 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 beginning in 2008, a record at the time. In 2012, he attempted to rough up his image by “living dangerously”: “I surfed bigger waves. I upgraded from a scooter to a motorcycle, but I was scared all the time. I grew my hair out and got mistaken for Kenny G.” He shrugs. Now, he says, “I just want to be a reminder that everything’s OK.” It’s a sweltering July day, and Mraz, 41, is sitting outside a Los Angeles photo studio, sipping a homemade elixir of herb-infused oat straw. He looks boyishly…

Hard-rock quartet Halestorm’s fourth album, Vicious, drops July 27, the same day that the Pennsylvania natives launch a U.S. summer headline tour of arenas and amphitheaters. “That’s when we all get to lose our minds for a couple years,” says singer and guitarist Lzzy Hale, 34, who breaks down what she needs to survive on the road. RECORD PLAYER “We call it Steve the D.J. — it’s a long story as to how we came up with the name. Every day, off we go to find records so we can feed Steve. Plus, he has a whiskey drawer. He’s the life of the party.” BAKING SODA “It’s great for when we’re hanging out on a long bus ride and all you can smell is feet. And you can also…

P!NK, “YOU GET MY LOVE” “The first day we worked together, she went super high, and we were just like, ‘Holy shit, let’s take it there.’ I think we broke the scale on that one.” FLORENCE + THE MACHINE, “HUNGER” “Her fans are like, ‘She’s a mother goddess queen of nature and channels whatever spirit god.’ That’s actually true.” CHARLIE PUTH, “IF YOU LEAVE ME NOW” “Charlie comes from this place of understanding music theory like The Matrix. It’s like he knows the recipe for every song.”…

Composer Max Richter (The Leftovers) researched states of slumber while writing his eight-hour classical ode to repose, 2015’s SLEEP — which, along with the hourlong From Sleep, earned 37.7 million on-demand streams, according to Nielsen Music. Ahead of performing the lullaby in Los Angeles’ Grand Park as attendees sleep on provided beds, Richter, 52, shares how to get the best rest. YES — COUNT SHEEP “Traditional methods for falling asleep work. Nontaxing, repetitive mental tasks have a lulling effect, and I built those patterns into SLEEP.” DO AS YOU’RE TOLD “It’s all kinds of obvious: Make sure your body clock isn’t messed up; don’t have coffee or stimulants before bed; stay away from screens.” #RESIST “We have a very screen-based life — we’re cogs in a late-capitalist machine,…

Scorpion Stings Again Drake’s Scorpion holds at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for a second frame, logging the biggest sophomore week for any album in over two years. The set earned 335,000 equivalent album units in the week ending July 12, according to Nielsen Music (down 54 percent from its big start of 732,000 units a week earlier). Of its second-week sum, a rather small 29,000 were in traditional album sales (see page 74). The last set to log a larger second week was Adele’s 25, which earned 1.2 million units on the chart dated Dec. 19, 2015. Further, Scorpion’s second week is fueled largely by its streaming activity: The set collected 288,000 stream equivalent album units, which translates to 391 million on-demand audio streams. The latter figure…

RADIO SONGS: The week’s most popular songs, ranked by radio airplay audience impressions as measured by Nielsen Music. Stations are electronically monitored 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. DIGITAL SONG SALES: The week’s top-downloaded songs, ranked by sales data as compiled by Nielsen Music. POP/RHYTHMIC/ADULT: The week’s most popular current songs at mainstream top 40, rhythmic, adult contemporary and adult top 40 formats, respectively, ranked by radio airplay detections, as measured by Nielsen Music. Songs are defined as current if they are relatively recently-released titles, or songs receiving widespread airplay and/or sales activity for the first time. Stations are electronically monitored 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. See Charts Legend on billboard.com/biz for complete rules and explanations. All charts © 2018, Prometheus Global Media, LLC…

Pilots ‘Jump’ Back In Twenty one pilots (above) blast back onto the Hot Rock Songs chart with two new tracks released July 11: “Jumpsuit” (No. 6) and “Nico and the Niners” (No. 9). The former starts with 11.4 million airplay audience impressions, 5.2 million U.S. streams and 22,000 downloads sold, according to Nielsen Music, the latter two metrics logged in just two days of availability. “Jumpsuit” zips onto multiple airplay charts, including the all-rock-format Rock Airplay tally, where it bows at No. 4, marking the top debut since The Black Keys’ “Fever,” which began at No. 2 in April 2014. “Jumpsuit” also enters the Alternative airplay chart at No. 8, the best start since Mumford & Sons’ “Believe” (No. 5, April 2015). “Nico” arrives on Hot Rock Songs with…

Santos, Ozuna Make Waves Romeo Santos (above) scores his 14th No. 1 on the Latin Airplay chart with “Sobredosis,” featuring Ozuna, as the song rockets 13-1 (15.5 million audience impressions in the week ending July 15, up 64 percent, according to Nielsen Music). “Sobredosis” earns Ozuna his fourth No. 1 and third of the year. Ozuna also scores a record-tying four concurrent songs in the top 10 of Latin Airplay, a feat only Wisin & Yandel had previously achieved (Feb. 25, 2006-dated list). Ozuna’s “Unica” vaults 12-7 in its 11th frame thanks to a 21 percent gain in audience (rising to 11.5 million). He is also at Nos. 3 and 9 (with “Me Niego” and “Te Boté,” respectively). Meanwhile, Karol G earns her first top 10 on Latin Airplay…

Daigle Has More To ‘Say’ Lauren Daigle (above) returns with new single “You Say,” which bounds onto Christian Airplay at No. 22 with 1.9 million audience impressions in the week ending July 15, according to Nielsen Music. On the Hot Christian Songs chart, which combines airplay, streaming and sales data, the ballad opens at No. 33. The song, which the Lafayette, La., native co-wrote, makes the highest entrance on Christian Airplay in 2018. It logs the best start for a nonholiday song by an unaccompanied female artist in over eight years, since Francesca Battistelli’s “Beautiful, Beautiful” bowed at No. 21 on March 20, 2010. “You Say” is the first offering from Daigle’s second proper full-length, Look Up Child, due Sept. 7. The new single is the first song that…

Céline Smolders At No. 1 Céline Dion (above) darts 2-1 on Dance Club Songs with “Ashes,” her third career leader and first in a decade. The tune, from the Deadpool 2 soundtrack, was remixed by Steve Aoki, Riddler and Laibert, among others. Dion’s Dance Club Songs history spans over 25 years, since “Love Can Move Mountains” debuted in November 1992 and peaked at No. 5 in January 1993. Her other No. 1s, among six top 10s, are “Misled” (July 1994) and “Taking Chances” (February 2008). On Top Dance/Electronic Albums, British electro act Years & Years enters at No. 1 with Palo Santo, its second chart-topper. The album bows with 9,000 equivalent album units, according to Nielsen Music. With 4,000 copies sold, Palo also opens at No. 1 on Dance/Electronic…

LEGEND Bullets indicate titles with greatest weekly gains. Album Charts Recording Industry Assn. of America (RIAA) certification for physical shipments & digital downloads of 500,000 albums (Gold). RIAA certification for physical shipments & digital downloads of 1 million units (Platinum). Numeral noted with Platinum symbol indicates album’s multiplatinum level. RIAA certification for physical shipments & digital downloads of 10 million units (Diamond). Numeral noted with Diamond symbol indicates album’s multiplatinum level. Latin albums certification for physical shipments & digital downloads of 30,000 units (Oro). Latin albums certification for physical shipments & digital downloads of 60,000 units (Platino). Numeral noted with Platino symbol indicates album’s multiplatinum level. Digital Songs Charts RIAA certification for 500,000 paid downloads and on-demand streams where 100 streams equal 1 download (Gold). RIAA certification for 1…

A cryptic 13-second Facebook video from Zac Brown Band has circulated in recent weeks, with dancers, horns and glitter teasing an “epic,” one-night-only event at Denver’s 1stBank Center on Aug. 7. The show is free — but only a friend can get you in the door. It’s part of Zac Brown’s latest project with his other band, EDM pop outfit Sir Rosevelt, and its collaboration with Montreal-based theatrical group Cirque du Soleil, with fans themselves distributing all the tickets. Brown kicked off the initiative on June 21 by distributing free tickets to just a handful of followers, who were then instructed to keep one ticket for themselves and share three additional ticket codes with friends who were important in their lives. Those fans, too, received extra tickets to pass…

The day Drake dropped his new No. 1 double album, Scorpion, social media comedian Shiggy posted an Instagram video dancing to the album track “In My Feelings.” The 25-year-old born Shaquille Mitchell dubbed the dance #DoTheShiggy, and it became the Internet’s latest dance-challenge craze, pushing the non-single to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. His clip racked up over 5 million views, with celebrities like Odell Beckham Jr. and the Queer Eye cast doing their own. Shiggy shares his favorites. CIARA “Everyone knows Ciara’s a dancer, but you [haven’t] seen her dance in a while. I was like, ‘Oh, snap.’ To see her dance to something that I helped start is great, and having her husband Russell [Wilson] in the background all calm, it made it funny and…

No. 25 on Billboard’s Alternative Songs chart Lab rat King Princess grew up Mikaela Straus in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, where she would spend time with her sound-engineer father at his studio, Mission Sound. She met Arctic Monkeys, shook hands with Missy Elliott and watched Sia write. Those studio hangs gave her fodder for her earliest tracks. “I wrote about ladies who had come through,” she says. “I’ve been listening to straight-people music for so many fucking years. Why can’t it be gay?” College try Inspired by Patricia Highsmith’s 1952 novel, The Price of Salt, which depicts a lesbian love story, Straus wrote the opening line to “1950” — “I hate it when dudes try to chase me” — in her University of Southern California dorm room. “That was the first…

Future’s Streaming Record; Rap Rules Top 10 A little under a year after Future became the first artist to achieve successive, back-to-back No. 1 debuts on the Billboard 200, he earns the highest-charting streaming-exclusive album on the tally. His new LP, Beastmode 2 — which is available only via streaming — starts at No. 3 on the July 21 chart. Beastmode 2 arrives with 57,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending July 12 — all from streaming equivalent album units, according to Nielsen Music. The nine-track set was not released for purchase, nor were any of its tracks available to buy through digital retailers. Beastmode 2 launches with 73.5 million on-demand audio streams. The bow gives the artist not only his ninth top 10 but also the…

Chesney’s Record 30th No. 1 Kenny Chesney (above) scores his record-breaking 30th No. 1 on the Country Airplay chart as “Get Along” ascends 2-1, increasing by 7 percent to 46.2 million audience impressions in the week ending July 15, according to Nielsen Music. Chesney passes Tim McGraw (29 No. 1s) for the most leaders dating to the list’s 1990 launch. Chesney first reigned with “She’s Got It All” in 1997. “‘Get Along’ felt like such an important idea, beyond how great the song itself feels,” Chesney tells Billboard. “It’s the perfect way to set a record: something good coming from something that’s about doing good.” The song is the first single from Chesney’s album Songs for the Saints (July 27), his first on Warner Music Nashville. Jason Aldean’s “Drowns…

Mill’s Summer Shines Meek Mill collects his fifth top 10 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums as Legends of the Summer opens at No. 8. The four-song EP netted 27,000 equivalent album units in the week ending July 12, according to Nielsen Music. Summer prompts two debuts on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, “Millidelphia,” featuring Swizz Beatz (No. 40), and “Dangerous,” featuring Jeremih and PnB Rock (No. 44). Plus, Ella Mai reaches the top of the Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop airplay chart as “Boo’d Up” advances 2-1. The tune climbs 5 percent in plays in the week ending July 15. It also holds at No. 1 on Adult R&B and R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay for a second and fifth week, respectively. “Boo’d” also earns a new peak on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (No. 4), after the first full…

WHEN JOHNNY CASH PERFORMED “Folsom Prison Blues” at Calfornia’s Folsom State Prison on Jan. 13, 1968, the song was hardly new. Cash wrote the tune in 1951 after seeing the film noir Inside the Walls of Folsom Prison while serving in the U.S. Air Force. The studio version, which was recorded in 1955 at Sam Phillips’ Sun Studio in Memphis, climbed to No. 4 on Billboard’s Most Played by Jockeys country chart in 1956 and generated mail from inmates around the country. Although Cash’s experience with incarceration had been limited to a handful of one-night stays in jail on misdemeanor charges, he sympathized with the plight of the imprisoned and performed the first of several concerts for them in 1957 at Texas’ Huntsville State Prison. More than 10 years…