Innholdsfortegnelse for May 25, 2019 i Billboard Magazine

ED SHEERAN AND JUSTIN BIEBER’S “I DON’T CARE” SOARS onto the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 2 as it opens atop the Digital Song Sales chart with 77,000 first-week downloads sold, according to Nielsen Music. The duet also launches at No. 3 on Streaming Songs (34.1 million U.S. streams) and charges to No. 13 on Radio Songs (49.1 million impressions). Bieber tallies his 15th Hot 100 top 10, and Sheeran scores his seventh. Though they chart their first song co-billed as artists, Sheeran co-wrote Bieber’s “Love Yourself” (No. 1, February 2016) and Major Lazer’s “Cold Water,” featuring Bieber and MØ (No. 2, August 2016). Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” (featuring Billy Ray Cyrus) tops the Hot 100 for a seventh week. With 103.1 million U.S. clicks in the…

BJ BURTON • HOMETOWN Raleigh, N.C. • RÉSUMÉ Burton has credits as a co-writer, producer, engineer and/or mixer on albums like Lizzo’s Big Grrrl Small World (2015), Francis & The Lights’ Farewell, Starlite! (2016) and Bon Iver’s 22, A Million (2016). • BIGGEST HOT 100 HIT Eminem‘s “Fall,” which peaked at No. 12 on Sept. 15, 2018 • KEEPING UP WITH BJ Francis & The Lights’ “Morning” became the theme song of Keeping Up With the Kardashians in 2017. BUDDY ROSS • HOMETOWN Kelso, Wash. • RÉSUMÉ He has toured as Frank Ocean’s keyboardist since 2012 and later became his music director. Recently he worked as a recording and mixing engineer on Vampire Weekend’s Father of the Bride. • BIGGEST HOT 100 HIT Ocean’s “Nights,” which reached No. 98…

Politics often are a big part of Eurovision, the TV contest in which artists from European nations compete to win best song. In 2018, as in years past, audience members booed Russia for its anti-LGBTQ policies when the country’s results were read. But during the show’s 64th season — which concluded May 18 with the crowning of the Netherlands’ Duncan Laurence for his song “Arcade” — more acts than ever drew from universal struggles. Denmark submitted “Love Is Forever,” which included the line “Don’t get too political”; Iceland presented a dystopian future filled with hate as the outcome of people failing to unite; and North Macedonia delivered an inspirational ballad for International Women’s Day. Ben Smith, the co-host alongside Mike McComb of Eurovision-focused podcast The EuroWhat?, says that this…

Aly/AJ BEST CHILDHOOD MEMORY “We had a killer playset. We would use piping from our dad’s construction jobs as telescopes and soccer balls as pirate ship bombs. We were very imaginative.” “Growing up in Seattle, riding our bikes, riding horses and being outside a lot. We had a normal childhood, even though we started in this business fairly early.” FAVORITE CLASSIC ALY & AJ SONG “‘Flattery’ [off 2007 LP Insomniatic]. The melody holds up. I’ll listen to other songs we’ve written and be like, ‘That sounds so 2006.’” “‘Division’ from Insomniatic. I love the instrumentation, and melodically, it’s really beautiful. We’ll probably bring it back on tour.” STATE YOU WANT TO PERFORM IN Hawaii Alaska ARTIST YOU LOVE RIGHT NOW “Kacey Musgraves. We connect more with old-school country music,…

Billboard’s annual Latin Music Week brought together notable Latin tastemakers for in-depth panel discussions, talent appearances, networking receptions and live performances. Panels featured top Latin artists such as Ozuna, Anuel AA, Juan Luis Guerra, Becky G, Anitta, Karol G, Natti Natasha and many more. Billboard would like to thank our official sponsors of Latin Music Week, including Dr Pepper, Honda, Drai’s Nightclub and McDonald’s.…

Quando Rondo Makes His Shot Quando Rondo (above), whose moniker is an ode to NBA star Rajon Rondo, debuts at No. 39 on Emerging Artists as his third mixtape, From the Neighborhood to the Stage, arrives at a career-best No. 29 on the Billboard 200 with 17,000 equivalent album units, according to Nielsen Music. His sophomore LP, Life After Fame, reached No. 138 last October. Charly Bliss makes its Billboard chart debut as the power-pop quartet opens at No. 44 on Emerging Artists, while its second full-length, Young Enough, starts at No. 4 on Heatseekers Albums (1,000 sold). Neo-soul singer Jamila Woods also makes her chart entrance, bowing at No. 48 on Emerging Artists as her second set, Legacy! Legacy!, debuts at No. 3 on R&B Album Sales and…

Day Lights Up Chart Following the May 13 death of Doris Day (below) of pneumonia at 97, she debuts at No. 4 on the Social 50 chart almost completely due to Wikipedia page views. The singeractress’ page on the online encyclopedia was viewed 1.1 million times in the week ending May 16, according to Next Big Sound, up from a minuscule amount the previous week. Her debut is the highest for an artist after their death since Nipsey Hussle started at No. 3 in April. Day tallied over 40 hits on Billboard’s various pop singles surveys between 1945 and 1962. She initially made seven trips to the top 10 of the charts in 1945-46 as a vocalist with Les Brown & His Orchestra. Two songs hit No. 1: “Sentimental…

Eilish’s First Radio Reign Billie Eilish (above) scores her first No. 1 on an airplay ranking as “Bury a Friend” bumps 2-1 on Alternative. She previously hit No. 7 on the chart with “You Should See Me in a Crown” in December. Meanwhile, “Bad Guy” jumps 35-28 on Alternative, while “When the Party’s Over” bullets at No. 19 on Mainstream Top 40, where “Bad Guy” pushes 25-22. All four songs appear on Eilish’s former Billboard 200 No. 1, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? Also achieving a first airplay chart leader, Badflower rises 2-1 on Mainstream Rock with “Heroin.” The Los Angeles four-piece previously peaked at No. 2 with “Ghost” in October. “Heroin” concurrently reaches a new high (No. 16) on Rock Airplay, up 12% to…

Newsboys Reunite With No. 1 United by Newsboys (above) debuts at No. 1 on Top Christian Albums, arriving with 21,000 equivalent album units (almost entirely from traditional album sales), according to Nielsen Music. The band earns its seventh leader among 25 entries dating to its debut, Not Ashamed, in 1992. The group first hit No. 1 with Take Me to Your Leader in March 1996. United is Newsboys’ first studio set since Love Riot, which started and peaked at No. 2 in 2016. On Top Gospel Albums, Titus Showers’ debut solo EP, Who?, arrives at the summit (3,000 units). Showers is the lead singer of gospel group The Showers, which hit No. 3 on the chart with The Journey in 2017. Also on Top Gospel Albums, Jovonta Patton’s EP…

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 multi platinum 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 ondemand streams where 100 streams equal 1 download (Gold). RIAA certification for…

When Elton John takes the stage at Amsterdam’s Ziggo Dome on June 8 for the first of two dates on his Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour, each fan may hear a different version of the show. That’s because ticket holders can rent a wearable receiver and earbud, paired with a mobile app, that will allow them to tailor the concert’s sound to their liking in real time. For €10 ($11), attendees can boost John’s piano on “Bennie and the Jets,” enhance his vocals on “Your Song” or turn up the guitars on “The Bitch Is Back.” “Ninety-nine percent of those that used the system come away with a ‘wow’ moment,” says Graham Tull, co-founder/chief technology officer of PEEX, the London-based startup behind the device, designed by Danish developer RTX.…

IN ORDER TO BECOME ELTON JOHN, THE Royal Academy of Music prodigy born Reginald Dwight not only had to pick a name better suited for show business, but a look to match. His metamorphosis is well documented in the Dexter Fletcher-directed biopic Rocketman, which stars Taron Egerton as the splashy music giant who could kick both legs up in the air while pounding out piano chords (for more, see page 42). One of the most essential visual elements of John’s artistic persona? His sunglasses. “If you Google ‘Elton John,’ 99.99% of the time he’s wearing glasses,” says costume designer Julian Day, who commissioned 80 pairs of frames for the film. He prepped for the task by touring the artist’s private clothing archive and studying the work of designer Bob…

No. 21 on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart Full House Growing up in Jacksonville, Fla., Michael Jackson fan YK Osiris started out posting clips of himself singing on Instagram and YouTube. Named Osiris Williams after the Egyptian god, he was nicknamed YK, for “Young King,” by his teacher; it stuck, despite his less-than-royal upbringing. The eldest of eight, he says he didn’t always get what he wanted, “but my momma always gave me what I needed. I didn’t complain, but I didn’t live how I live now.” Ladies First His romantic breakout hit, “Valentine,” which he dropped in March 2018, has generated 106.6 million on-demand U.S. streams, according to Nielsen Music, and put him on the radar of Def Jam vp A&R Alexander “A E” Edwards. That same month,…

Industry trailblazer Sylvia Rhone, the newly promoted chairman and CEO of Epic Records, will deliver a keynote address at the 2019 MIDEM music conference, which takes place June 4-7 in Cannes. Rhone, who previously was president of Epic and oversaw the rise of Camila Cabello, Travis Scott, Meghan Trainor and DJ Khaled, among other artists, will also be interviewed by attorney Dina LaPolt, founder and owner of LaPolt Law. Rhone and LaPolt are expected to discuss strategies for navigating today’s complex music ecosystem, the rise in technology and streaming, and the potential of the global music marketplace. Based on its 2018 attendance, MIDEM, now in its 53rd year, is expected to draw over 4,800 participants from 80 countries. Other speakers include outgoing Recording Academy president/CEO Neil Portnow and Troy…

ONE OF THE UNITED Kingdom’s top-grossing indoor venues, Manchester Arena in England, got a boost on the Billboard Boxscore chart for venues with capacities of 15,001 or more, landing at No. 2 thanks to the help of a mini residency from a homegrown boy band. Take That performed five shows at its hometown arena, selling more than 71,000 tickets over five nights (April 22, 23 and 25-27) with a gross of $7.5 million. The concert series earned Take That the No. 4 spot on the Top 30 Boxscores chart for April, beating out fellow Brit Ed Sheeran (whose April 9 concert at the Tokyo Dome in Japan grossed $6.1 million). The group has now performed at Manchester Arena 46 times since 1995, breaking its own record for the most…

A Third No. 1? It’s Logic-al Logic nabs his third No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart in as many years, as Confessions of a Dangerous Mind bows atop the tally. It follows his previous leaders, Bobby Tarantino II (March 24, 2018) and Everybody (May 27, 2017). Confessions also brings a hip-hop album back to No. 1 after a six-week streak without rap at the top of the tally. The last rap set to lead was Nav’s Bad Habits on April 6. Confessions starts with 80,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending May 16, according to Nielsen Music, with 24,000 of that sum in album sales. Both figures are relatively smallish for Logic, who saw his last proper studio album, 2018’s YSIV, launch at No. 2…

AIRPLAY DATA COMPILED BY 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 © 2019,…

‘Road’ Leads To No. 1 At Radio Streaming titan “Old Town Road” by Lil Nas X (above, right), featuring Billy Ray Cyrus (above, left), arrives atop Billboard radio rankings for the first time as it rallies 7-1 on Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop and 2-1 on Rhythmic. On the former list, the duo had a mighty 20% surge in plays in the week ending May 19, according to Nielsen Music. The six-spot leap is one of the nine biggest jumps to No. 1 since the chart’s inception in 1993 and the largest since Rae Sremmurd’s “Black Beatles,” featuring Gucci Mane, raced 8-1 on Dec. 3, 2016. Meanwhile, on Rhythmic, “Road” ascends with a 6% uptick in plays in the week. While it’s Lil Nas X’s first radio leader, the track wraps a…

Meduza Moves To No. 1 Meduza, the Italian production trio of Mattia Vitale, Luca De Gregorio and Simone Giani, tops Dance Club Songs with “Piece of Your Heart,” featuring GOODBOYS (2-1). The first No. 1 for both acts was remixed by James Hype and Weiss, among others. “Piece” has also pierced the Dance/Mix Show Airplay top 10, reaching No. 5. Atop Dance/Mix Show Airplay, Lil Nas X and featured singer Billy Ray Cyrus each earn their first leader, soaring 8-1 with “Old Town Road.” The track, which rules the Billboard Hot 100 for a seventh week (see page 3) and takes over atop two other airplay tallies (see page 83), was remixed by Diplo. Additionally on Dance/Mix Show Airplay, Australian singer VASSY posts her fourth top 10, and New…

WHEN DEBORAH MANNIS-Gardner began clearing hip-hop samples in the early 1990s, she relied on her acting skills to get the job done. At the time, she says, performing rights organization BMI would only allow three questions from people looking for a song’s copyright holder, so Mannis-Gardner, 53, pretended to be someone else every time she called. “I come from a theater background, so it was easy for me,” she says at a Philadelphia café near her home office in Hockessin, Delaware. “I would call Los Angeles, New York and Nashville and use different accents and names, depending on the time of day and who I was calling.” Her tenacity paid off. Mannis-Gardner, who founded her own DMG Clearances in 1996, has become the foremost authority on global music rights…

IN THE ARTWORK FOR THE SINGLE “Gimme,” Banks’ first solo release since 2017, the synth-pop singer gazes into the distance as she clutches her bare breast, which is just out of frame. The provocative image, which inspired the cheeky #TitsOutForBanks Twitter campaign among her dedicated fans, mirrors the directness of the song: “You can call me that bitch,” growls Banks in the first verse. The artwork was a move she now calls “a little bit risky.” But after being out of the spotlight for two years — during which the dark, alt-pop aesthetic that she, Lorde and Halsey helped popularize exploded even further into the mainstream through the likes of Billie Eilish — a risk was exactly what Banks, 30, needed to take. The new single, she says from…

Global music sales reached $19.1 billion in 2018 — the highest sales total in over two decades — driven by paid streaming, according to IFPI’s Global Music Report 2019, released April 2. With 255 million users now paying to subscribe to services such as Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer and Amazon Music, paid streaming subscriptions grew 33% worldwide, according to IFPI. The most recent year that global music revenue approached the high-water mark was 2007, when worldwide sales reached $18.4 billion. But never has the global music market seen the rate of growth experienced in 2018, with revenue rising 9.7% over the previous year — the highest growth rate since IFPI began tracking worldwide sales in 1997. While the United States saw a revenue increase of 15% and retains its…

Grande, Eilish Pump Pop Streams Ariana Grande’s Thank U, Next and Billie Eilish’s When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? keep doing big business in the top 10 of the Billboard 200: Neither has left the region after 14 and seven weeks, respectively. More impressively, the pop and pop/alternative sets, respectively, are performing strongly in the hip-hop-dominated streaming space. They are two of the top three biggest albums of 2019 in terms of total on-demand audio streams. So far this year, Thank U’s songs have collected the most on-demand audio streams — 1.52 billion through May 16, according to Nielsen Music. When is the No. 3 mosts treamed, with 978 million streams for its songs. In between those albums is A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie’s late-2018 effort,…

Shelton Crowns Hot ‘Country’ Songs Blake Shelton (above) scores his 14th Hot Country Songs No. 1, and first since “Sure Be Cool If You Did” in 2013, with “God’s Country.” “Honestly, I wasn’t even looking for songs or to go in the studio, but my producer [Scott Hendricks] called me and said, ‘I’ve got a few songs you need to listen to,’ and ‘God’s Country’ was the first one that he played,” says Shelton. “And, man, it stopped me in my tracks. I said, ‘We’ve got to record this now.’ I love the song and think it really fills a spot musically that’s missing in country right now.” “Country” concurrently climbs into the Country Airplay top 10 (11-10), becoming his 32nd top 10, up 13% to 23.4 million impressions,…

Anthony’s 11th Top 10 Marc Anthony (above) scores his 11th Top Latin Albums top 10 as OPUS starts at No. 2. His 13th studio effort opens with 9,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending May 16, according to Nielsen Music — the fifth-largest debut for a Latin album released in 2019. Of that starting sum, 6,000 were album sales — the third-biggest sales week for a Latin title in 2019, following the opening frames of Luis Fonsi’s Vida (16,000; Feb. 16) and Romeo Santos’ Utopia (9,000; April 20). OPUS also starts at No. 1 on the Latin Album Sales and Tropical Albums charts. Christian Nodal claims his second top 10 on Top Latin Albums as Ahora debuts at No. 7 with 5,000 equivalent album units. The bulk…