Innholdsfortegnelse for June 1, 2019 i Billboard Magazine

POP SINGER-SONGWRITER AVA MAX ACHIEVES HER first Billboard Hot 100 top 10 as “Sweet but Psycho” rises from No. 12 to No. 10, led by its No. 4 status on the Radio Songs chart (82.5 million audience impressions, up 2%, according to Nielsen Music). The track, which previously ruled multiple European charts, including the Official U.K. Singles survey for four weeks in January, completes the steadiest climb — 23 weeks — to the Hot 100’s top 10 by a female soloist’s first entry (unaccompanied by another artist) since Anna Kendrick’s “Cups (Pitch Perfect’s When I’m Gone)” took 28 weeks in 2013. Atop the Hot 100, Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” (featuring Billy Ray Cyrus) rules for an eighth week, logging the second-biggest streaming week to date — 130.7…

On May 28, Warner Bros. Records officially became Warner Records, a global rebranding — complete with a new logo — intended to usher in a new era for the label that has been home to Prince, Fleetwood Mac, the Grateful Dead and others. In their first joint interview since they took the helm together in 2018, U.S. co-chairman/CEO Aaron Bay-Schuck, who started last October, and U.S. co-chairman/COO Tom Corson, who began in January 2018, discuss staffing up, signing urban acts and how they’re starting to turn the storied company around. “We stress-tested this company over the last 17 months, and it proved itself,” says Corson. “We’re ready for battle.” How would you assess the changes you have made so far? CORSON There was a lot of work to do…

How did you convince Freddie, who had a long-standing career as an independent artist, to join a major? It wasn’t a strategic thing, it just made sense. There was no convincing. It was really like, “Yo, let’s try this and see if it can make sense businesswise,” and we got it to a place where everybody was happy. I’ve been friends with Freddie and his manager, Lambo, for over a decade now and watched them build a really solid career for Freddie purely based off the quality of his music and his consistency. With Madlib, it was the same way. It was something that I wanted to have the opportunity to work on and help them get it to the world. It was a long time coming. What was…

ANDREW UNTERBERGER We have to start with the horse fronting this race: Do we think the current No. 1 single, Lil Nas X’s Billy Ray Cyrus-assisted “OLD TOWN ROAD,” has enough juice to keep reigning through the summer? JASON LIPSHUTZ A few weeks ago, I would have said no way, but now with a big-budget video and the song still atop the Hot 100… I don’t know. TREVOR ANDERSON I suspect it’s too far over the hill to mount an extensive season-long challenge. The Hot 100 is a three-factor chart; “Old Town Road” is at No. 3 on Radio Songs and recently fell from No. 1 to 2 on the Digital Song Sales chart, so there’s not much room to grow on streaming alone. All of the Song of…

Gloria Trevi / Karol G HOME BASE “McAllen, Texas — my entire family lives there.” “I spend time in Miami and Colombia.” PRESHOW RITUAL “I always put my trust in God, but aside from that, hair and makeup is a big ritual.” “I like to listen to music that’s not my own, and I pray with my whole team.” FAVORITE ONSTAGE LOOK “All of them, because they were all conceived specifically for each song I perform.” “It depends on my mood. We go from a lot of bling to a hoodie, sweats and sneakers.” FUNNIEST ONSTAGE SLIP-UP “On one of the first Diosa de la Noche dates, it was very hot, and we were sweating like crazy. When I turned around to look at the dancers after particularly…

Last December, UMG Nashville president Cindy Mabe climbed aboard George Strait’s tour bus, which was parked outside Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena and serves as his home during his residency in the city. Strait had turned in an album in October and wanted to put it out before year’s end. But Mabe knew it needed more setup time, and she arranged a face-to-face meeting to break the news. “Listening to these songs reminded me of how important George Strait is to music,” says Mabe in late April, sitting in UMG Nashville’s office on Second Avenue, overlooking the Cumberland River. So she presented Strait with not only a new rollout plan for the album but also a multiyear initiative for his back catalog that tied in partners like Spotify. “We spoke…

In today’s crowded live-music market, North American venues are leveraging take-home gifts to coax artists (and their teams) into repeat bookings, stretching both their budgets — and their creativity — in the process. This year’s inaugural batch of venue-gifted loot boasts an array of boutique goodies — from custom dog treats that SMG staff in Grand Rapids, Mich., gave to singer Tony Bennett’s pooch, Happy, to a spooky custom rug that Los Angeles’ Microsoft Theater presented to creators of the true-crime podcast My Favorite Murder during its sold-out live-podcast Halloween event. Cutting-edge tech is also well represented with items like a custom gold “XXIVk” Game Boy that Scotiabank Arena staff gifted to Bruno Mars — a nod to his ’90s-leaning 24K Magic LP — that included retro game titles…

Tyler’s Tops Tyler, the Creator nabs his first No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 as IGOR debuts atop the list. The set, released on Columbia Records, starts with just under 165,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending May 23, according to Nielsen Music — the second-biggest week of 2019 for a hip-hop album. Of that sum, 74,000 were in album sales. In a fun chart footnote, Tyler, the Creator previously debuted and peaked at Nos. 2, 3, 4 and 5 with each of his four earlier studio albums. Now, finally, he lands his first No. 1. Tyler’s debut solo set, Goblin, topped out at No. 5 in 2011. He then followed with Wolf (No. 3 in 2013), Cherry Bomb (No. 4, 2015) and Flower Boy (No.…

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,…

Megan’s Fever Breaks Megan Thee Stallion (above) achieves her first entry on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums as Fever opens at No. 6. The set earned 28,000 equivalent album units in the week ending May 23, according to Nielsen Music. Fever concurrently debuts at No. 10 on the all-genre Billboard 200 (see page 110), adding her LP to the short list of rap albums by women to reach the chart’s top 10, following previous titles from Da Brat, Missy Elliott, Eve, Nicki Minaj, Cardi B and others. Fever builds on the momentum of the Houston native’s breakout year, which includes the hit single “Big Ole Freak,” a No. 5 smash on R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay. Speaking of R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, Cardi B rules the list for an 18th consecutive week, a new record among…

Avicii Advances To No. 1 Avicii (above), who died April 20, 2018, tops Dance/Mix Show Airplay with “SOS” (featuring Aloe Blacc), marking the first posthumous leader in the chart’s nearly 16-year history. It’s the DJ’s second No. 1 and Blacc’s first, as the latter was uncredited as the vocalist on Avicii’s first leader, “Wake Me Up!” (10 weeks at No. 1 in 2013). “SOS,” remixed by Laidback Luke and others, also sails 14-8 on Dance Club Songs, becoming Avicii’s 12th top 10 and Blacc’s first. Additionally on Dance/Mix Show Airplay, Dynoro and Ina Wroldsen roll 14-10 with “Obsessed,” each act’s second top 10. On Hot Dance/Electronic Songs, Illenium and Jon Bellion leap 13-8 with “Good Things Fall Apart.” Illenium’s first top 10 and Bellion’s second drew 3.9 million U.S.…

RADIO IS STILL KING WHEN IT comes to country music. But when a song isn’t connecting, the marketing plan doesn’t die — not on Shane Tarleton’s watch. When Warner Music Nashville (WMN) released Devin Dawson’s last single, “Dark Horse,” to radio in November 2018, the title track of his debut album never reached the country charts. So Tarleton and his team looked at other avenues to keep the singer engaged with fans, such as partnering with online musical services and social media platforms. “My approach is, ‘We are marketing this artist to the globe no matter what’s happening at radio,’” explains Tarleton, 44. “We’re going to go after brand alliances, and we’re going to make sure that every partner is aware of what our agenda is. This last tour,…

When she was 17, Charm La’Donna landed a coveted spot as a dancer on Madonna’s record-breaking Sticky & Sweet Tour — thanks in part to her ability to krump. “She was looking for the type of performer who could be versatile,” says La’Donna of the pop icon. “I happened to be that girl.” The gig launched an impressive career for the now-31-year-old Compton, Calif., native, who began taking dance lessons at age 3 and has since worked with Britney Spears, Pharrell Williams and Selena Gomez. In 2018 she made headlines for devising and dancing in Kendrick Lamar’s Grammys performance, after serving as the only female dancer on the rapper’s DAMN. tour. Her latest project: choreographing for flamenco revivalist Rosalía, who DM’d her on Instagram early last year. 1. EL…

As she gears up for a summer tour — kicking off June 7 at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif. — Jennifer Lopez is now one of the biggest acts signed to Hitco, the music company co-founded in 2018 by Antonio “L.A.” Reid and Charles Goldstuck, sources say. Here, she looks back on her now-classic 1999 debut, On the 6 When Jennifer Lopez decided she wanted to pursue a proper music career in 1998, the former Fly Girl faced plenty of skeptics — even at her brand-new label, Sony. “She wasn’t hearing it,” though, says longtime manager Benny Medina. And once former Sony Music Entertainment chief executive Tommy Mottola listened to her demo, he immediately brought her in to form a plan. “I didn’t know what to ask for,” says…

CHRIS KAPPY FOUNDER/OWNER, MAKE WAKE ARTISTS LYNN OLIVER-CLINE FOUNDER, RIVER HOUSE ARTISTS In early 2016, longtime friends Chris Kappy, 46, and Lynn Oliver-Cline, 45, plotted Luke Combs’ career from a $250-a-month windowless room above a dentist’s office on Nashville’s Donelson Pike. “We had both of our desks and a small love seat,” remembers Kappy, who had recently quit his job at Atlanta-based music-cruise producer Sixthman and moved to Music City to manage the singer-songwriter full time. “Luke would come in, lay on it and shoot the shit.” Now more than 2.7 billion on-demand U.S. streams (according to Nielsen Music), three years and one everyman megastar later, the executive collaborators have parlayed their glorified storage space into the purchase of a 10,000-square-foot building on Nashville’s west side. But this doesn’t…

FAITH HILL and VICTORIA SHAW (singer-songwriter) Where Bellevue When 1994 Shaw on Hill “We started hanging out when she was the receptionist at the publishing company I was writing for. She was just adorable and delightful. We became fast friends. Her first album came out at the time we were rooming together, so she was on the road a lot, doing promotion. One night the two of us were sitting on the couch in our sweatpants, watching the CMA Awards, and she said, ‘One day, we’ll be up there.’ The following year, she won.” DIERKS BENTLEY, FIELDING LOGAN (manager, Q Prime South) and JAY WILLIAMS (partner/co-head, WME Nashville offices) Where Green Hills When 1998-99 Logan on Bentley and Williams “My first job in town was at the Station Inn.…

Co-writers: Casey Brown, Dickerson Country Airplay peak: No. 1 (Jan. 27, 2018) “Even when we were writing the verses, it felt like one of those rare kinds of things songwriters hope happen. We really liked this idea of what [Russell] would’ve been before he had this person in his life. Casey had built a track, and I messed around with lyrics. It took a couple of days, but we knew we had something special.”…

A Toast To Imagine Dragons, Juice WRLD Imagine Dragons’ Evolve celebrates its 100th consecutive week on the Billboard 200 as the album rises 62-60. The set, which debuted and peaked at No. 2 on the chart dated July 15, 2017, has earned 2.6 million equivalent album units through the week ending May 23, according to Nielsen Music. Of that sum, 771,000 are in album sales. The album has been a streaming monster, having tallied 1.76 billion on-demand audio streams for its songs. Three of its tunes have cleared 100 million streams apiece: “Believer” (642.5 million), “Thunder” (528.5 million) and “Whatever It Takes” (274.4 million). All three topped Hot Rock Songs and Alternative Songs, reached the top three on Mainstream Top 40 and made the top five on the all-format…

Brown’s ‘Good’ Week “Good as You” by Kane Brown (above) ascends 2-1 in its 21st week on Country Airplay, up 6% to 39.9 million audience impressions, according to Nielsen Music. The song, Brown’s fourth consecutive and total leader, completes his quickest trip to No. 1, following “What Ifs,” featuring Lauren Alaina (35 weeks to No. 1 in 2017); “Heaven” (28 weeks, 2017-18); and “Lose It” (26 weeks, 2018). “We never take these moments for granted,” says Brown. Blake Shelton’s “God’s Country” tops Hot Country Songs for a second week and becomes his first leader on Country Streaming Songs (12.6 million U.S. streams, up 16%). Luke Combs’ This One’s for You logs its 36th week at No. 1 on Top Country Albums (25,000 equivalent album units, down 9%) and breaks…

11:11 Clocks In At No. 1 Maluma (above) charts his third straight No. 1 on Top Latin Albums and Latin Rhythm Albums as 11:11, his fourth studio set, opens atop both lists. The LP follows his previous leader, F.A.M.E., which arrived at the summit of both tallies and led for one week (June 2, 2018). 11:11 opens with 17,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending May 23, according to Nielsen Music. It’s the third-largest debut for a Latin album released in 2019, trailing only Romeo Santos’ Utopía (24,000 units) and Luis Fonsi’s Vida (22,000). The first week for 11:11 was mostly driven by streaming activity, registering 13,000 in streaming equivalent album units. That figure translates to 17.4 million on-demand audio streams for the set’s songs in its…

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…

FREDDIE GIBBS IS IN A GOOD MOOD. He’s in New York to visit his new label home, RCA/Keep Cool, with which he inked a deal in March to release a new collaborative album, Bandana. It will be his second with Madlib, and follows the pair’s acclaimed 2014 set, Piñata. For Gibbs, the upcoming major-label release is not a victory lap — it’s the shot he has earned after more than a decade of grinding as an independent artist. In 2006, Gibbs, then a baby-faced MC in his early 20s with a reputation for harrowing street tales, signed with Interscope. He was dropped a year later, before his debut was released. “When I was at Interscope, I didn’t have a plan,” he says. “They were testing the waters to see…

While performing at BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend on May 25, Miley Cyrus debuted three new songs, rumored to be titled “Dream” (which samples the Wu-Tang Clan), “Mother’s Daughter” and “Cattitude.” Two days later, she confirmed a new project out May 31, She Is Coming, and shared the album art — a black-and-white image in which she’s wearing a Sex Pistols shirt. She Is Coming will be her first full-length since 2017’s rootsier Younger Now, which peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200; her pop star peers Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Kesha and Halsey all hit No. 1 with their albums that year. In 2013 Cyrus landed a No. 1 with the hiphop-fueled Bangerz and topped the Billboard Hot 100 with “Wrecking Ball.” Meanwhile, November’s “Nothing Breaks Like…

Co-writers: Jessie Jo Dillion, Morris Country Airplay peak: No. 4 (Nov. 17, 2018) “I laugh every time I play the song at a [writers] round, [singing], ‘Sitting on a big-ass pile of dimes.’ We were just goofing off, having a fun time. It was accidentally put on hold for Little Big Town. That doesn’t typically happen unless the song has legs. Maren had to call and say, ‘Hey, do you mind if I take the song back?’”…

Personal trainer Erin Oprea didn’t know the first thing about country music when, 13 years ago, singer-songwriter Aubrie Sellers and her mother, Lee Ann Womack, enlisted her services. “It’s only in the past year that I learned what a bass is — that it’s not a drum,” says Oprea with a laugh. Since then, she has become one of Music City’s most in-demand fitness gurus, helping to tone the likes of Kacey Musgraves, Maren Morris, Ryan Hurd, Kelsea Ballerini and Carrie Underwood. Here are three of the moves that keep them all in fighting shape. JUMP AROUND “A jump rope is the most versatile piece of equipment. It’s cardio outside of the tour bus,” says Oprea, who often integrates it into an interval-based Tabata workout. “I’ll have my musicians…

Martin Bandier, who exited his post as chairman/CEO of Sony/ATV Music Publishing in April after 12 years, will take home the Visionary Leadership Award on June 13. The accolade spotlights a member of the SHOF’s board of directors who has made a significant contribution to its mission. With the tribute, Bandier joins just three prior honorees: SHOF chairman emeritus Hal David, former BMI CEO Del Bryant and former ASCAP chief John A. Lofrumento. Bandier’s 50 years in the publishing sector, which include leading SBK Entertainment and EMI Music Publishing, dovetail with the event’s own 50th anniversary this year. At Sony/ATV, the dealmaking titan grew the company into the publishing giant it is today. (Clients include The Beatles, Lady Gaga, Carole King and Taylor Swift.) “I helped make music publishing…

Voice, Idol Winners Wow Maelyn Jarmon (above) hits No. 1 on Emerging Artists after winning the 16th season of NBC’s The Voice (May 21). Four of her tracks land on the Digital Song Sales chart, led by her cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” at No. 6 (20,000 sold, according to Nielsen Music). Meanwhile, Laine Hardy, the 2019 winner of ABC’s American Idol (May 19), launches at No. 2 on Emerging Artists as his debut single, “Flame,” ignites at No. 8 on Digital Song Sales (18,000). Plus, Voice runner-up Gyth Rigdon roars 33-6 on Emerging Artists and fourth-place finisher Andrew Sevener debuts at No. 11 as their tracks “Proof I’ve Always Loved You” and “Rural Route Raising” open at Nos. 29 and 44 on the sales survey with 9,000 and…

5SOS Returns 5 Seconds of Summer (below) returns to the Social 50 thanks to its new single, “Easier,” which was released May 23 and features writing and production assistance from Charlie Puth, among others. The song’s debut led to a 201% boost in the four-piece’s YouTube subscribers (26,000 in the tracking week ending May 23) as well as 119,000 mentions on Twitter, according to Next Big Sound. It’s only the second time 5SOS has reached the Social 50 in 2019; in February, the group was at No. 49. Elton John makes his maiden Social 50 appearance at No. 46, thanks to a continued rise in Wikipedia views that breaks into the six digits; the singer earned 110,000 page views — up 51%. Interest in the artist has increased as…

No ‘Missed’ Opportunity The Head & The Heart top the Triple A airplay chart with “Missed Connection,” which rises 2-1. The song is the band’s third leader and first since “All We Ever Knew,” which ruled for eight weeks beginning in August 2016. The new track is the first single from Living Mirage, which bows at No. 3 on Top Rock Albums with 24,000 equivalent units earned, according to Nielsen Music. The summit of Top Rock Albums belongs to The National’s I Am Easy To Find, which debuts with 40,000 units earned. The act’s eighth studio album is its fourth total and consecutive leader, a streak that dates to the May 2010 arrival of High Violet. Rammstein’s self-titled set opens at No. 2 on Top Rock Albums and No.…

‘Life’ Is Good For Barrett Pat Barrett (above) scores his first Christian Airplay chart leader as “Build My Life” rises 2-1, up 4% to 10.6 million audience impressions, according to Nielsen Music. On the airplay-, streaming- and sales-powered Hot Christian Songs tally, “Life” ranks at No. 8. “Life” is Barrett’s second Christian Airplay entry following his first solo single, “The Way (New Horizon),” which hit No. 5 last September. Both tracks are from his 2018 self-titled first solo album. The member of worship collective Housefires co-penned “Good Good Father” (with Tony Brown), which, as recorded by Chris Tomlin, led Hot Christian Songs for seven weeks and Christian Airplay for a week in 2016. Also on Christian Airplay, Newsboys collect their 13th top 10 and first in five years as…

CARLA WALLACE CO-OWNER/CEO, BIG YELLOW DOG MUSIC Wallace’s boutique publishing/artist-development firm counts songwriter turned pop star Meghan Trainor and country powerhouse Maren Morris as early success stories. The former’s doo-wop-tinged smash “All About That Bass” ruled the Billboard Hot 100 for a whopping eight-week run in 2014, and thanks to songs like breakout hit “My Church,” Morris’ first two albums — 2015’s Hero and this year’s GIRL —both debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart. A pre-fame Morris first showcased her vocal prowess at a 2014 company karaoke Christmas party, where she performed Beyoncé’s “Halo.” “We were all like, ‘What?!’ ” recalls Wallace. Now she looks to Trainor’s and Morris’ genre-bending approaches for her next class of rising stars, from Tenille Townes to Brynn Elliott. “These…