Month: August 2022

Panic! At the Disco made sure the evening didn’t grow dimmer with its performance of “Don’t Let the Light Go Out” at the 2022 MTV VMAs on Sunday (Aug. 28).

The black-and-white display started off with a sultry guitar intro before frontman Brendon Urie stepped into the picture with his emotive singing of the band’s single from its seventh studio album Viva Las Vengeance, which was released on Aug. 19. While Urie stared intensely into the camera, its 360-degree rotation revealed that the audience at New Jersey’s Prudential Center was lighting up the venue with their own devices, and the vintage car on stage was shining its headlights on them.

“Who’s gonna drive me home tonight?/ Who’s going to argue ’til they win the fight?/ You’re the only one that knows how to operate/ My heavy machinery/ Don’t let the light go out/ Don’t let the light go out/ Don’t let the light go out/ Don’t let the light go out,” Urie pleaded in the chorus as he took center stage, the car’s headlights glowing on either side of him.

An epic guitar solo on top of the car further drove home the song’s point about not wanting to let go of a loved one who might be at the end of their journey. But his despair was met with sparklers illuminating the stage and fake embers glowing on the screen. It’s safe to say the light never went out.

Panic! At the Disco was nominated at the 2022 VMAs for best alternative with “Viva Las Vengeance” this evening, but lost to Måneskin’s “I Wanna Be Your Slave.”

Taylor Swift has a new album – as in, not a re-recorded album, a new album.

The superstar made the enormous announcement while taking home the final MTV Video Music Award on Sunday night (Aug. 28) at the Prudential Center in Newark. While accepting the video of the year award — the third of her career, a VMAs record — for her “All Too Well” short film, Swift revealed that her next full-length is out on Oct. 21.

“I thought it might be a fun moment to tell you that my brand new album comes out October 21,” said Swift. “And I will tell you more at midnight.”

After a countdown on TaylorSwift.com, the celebrated singer-songwriter did just that. “Midnights, the stories of 13 sleepless nights scattered throughout my life, will be out October 21. Meet me at midnight,” Swift wrote on her Instagram (her website, unsurprisingly, crashed exactly at midnight as fans flocked to see the revelation).

“We lie awake in love and fear, in turmoil and in tears. We stare at walls and drink until they speak back. We twist in our self-made cages and pray that we aren’t – right this minute – about to make some fateful life-altering mistake,” Swift wrote next to a photo of herself cradling her head in a darkened room. “This is a collection of music written in the middle of the night, a journey through terrors and sweet dreams. The floors we pace and the demons we face. For all of us who have tossed and turned and decided to keep the lanterns lit and go searching – hoping that just maybe, when the clock strikes twelve… we’ll meet ourselves.”

The upcoming album will be Swift’s first since the acclaimed one-two punch of Folklore and Evermore, a pivot towards indie-folk that were recorded in secret in the early days of the pandemic and released in the second half of 2020. Folklore and Evermore were both nominated for album of the year at the Grammys, at the 2021 and 2022 ceremonies, respectively; Folklore won the top prize, giving Swift a record-tying three career wins in the category.

Following the release of Evermore in December 2020, Swift began rolling out the re-recorded versions of her first six studio albums, a project she announced in 2019 after being unable to buy back her master recordings. Fearless (Taylor’s Version) and Red (Taylor’s Version), the first two re-recorded albums, scored two of the biggest debuts of 2021 on the Billboard 200.

The 10-minute version of Red fan favorite “All Too Well” topped the Hot 100 chart upon its release last November. Swift has yet to announce the release of her next re-recorded album, although multiple ‘Taylor’s Version’ tracks from 1989, including “Bad Blood” and “Wildest Dreams,” have been unveiled in recent months.

Swift appeared at the 2022 VMAs with five nominations, all for the All Too Well short film that she directed last year, and took home three awards, including for best longform video and best direction. Swift had previously won the video of the year trophy twice, for the “Bad Blood” and “You Need To Calm Down” visuals in 2015 and 2019, respectively.

See the IG announce below.

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A post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift)

After Maneskin member Victoria De Angelis flaunted her Lil Kim circa 1999 VMA-inspired outfit on the red carpet at the 2022 MTV VMAs on Sunday (Aug. 28), it was her bandmate Damiano David’s turn to cause a stir during their electric performance of “Supermodel.”

The bare-chested David had no problem showing off his goods, wearing chaps that exposed his rear end. For at-home viewers, MTV zoomed out on the group’s performance various times while an undeterred David partied away with a group of clad dancers alongside him. Despite the camera tricks, Maneskin electrified the crowd in attendance and kept the vibes intact with their hit. In July, the rock quartet achieved its second No. 1 on Billboard’s Alternative Airplay chart after “Supermodel” landed at the summit. Their first was “Beggin,” which reigned supreme for 11 weeks last October. 

In a May interview with Billboard, Maneskin gushed about the making of “Supermodel” alongside pop producer heavyweight Max Martin. “It was cool because Max and all of his team, they never tried to force us to do something that we didn’t want to do,” said David. “He basically wanted to understand how we work and how we’re used to making music and what makes us happy about music. He was very humble and said, ‘How can I help you to make it global?’ It was fun because we were used to writing only by jamming. This new thing of using computers and stuff was really mind blowing for us.”

Earlier in the night, Maneskin notched their first Moon Person after clinching a win for best alternative video for “I Wanna Be Your Slave.” In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, the foursome celebrated the historic victory, as they were the first Italian group to win a VMA award. “We didn’t expect to [win],” admitted David. “There’s a lot of great, great artists here, so it’s an honor for us, of course.”

Maneskin was also nominated for best new artist and best group. 

After making history at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards by becoming the first Latin artist to win artist of the year, Bad Bunny brought part of his current World’s Hottest Tour to the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on Sunday night (Aug. 28).

Broadcast live from his tour stop at Yankee Stadium, the Puerto Rican artist performed his energetic dembow track “Titi Me Pregunto” joined by his diverse dance group and surrounded by thousands of ecstatic fans at the venue. This marks the reggaeton phenom’s second VMAs appearance. His first, three years ago, was a joint performance with J Balvin of “Que Pretendes.”

Bunny, who was a four-time nominee, received his Moon Person trophy from the Yankee Stadium stage. “From my heart, I don’t have words to descibe what I feel and the pride of receiving this at the Yankee Stadium,” he said. “I always knew that I could become a huge artist without changing my culture, my slang, and my language. I am Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, from Puerto Rico to the world.”

The Puerto Rican act’s “Titi Me Pregunto” was also nominated for in the best Latin category, which was nabbed by Anitta’s “Envolver.” Un Verano Sin Ti was nominated for album of the year, which Harry Styles won with Harry’s House, and his Chencho Corleone-assisted “Me Porto Bonito” up for song of the summer. The track is currently in its 14th week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart.

The 2022 VMAs were held on Sunday, Aug. 28, at 8 p.m. ET from Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. The show was the first broadcast from that venue three years ago. For the third year in a row, the VMAs simulcasted on The CW Network, making the show available to an expanded broadcast audience, in addition to BET, BET Her, CMT, Comedy Central, Logo, MTV2, Nickelodeon, Paramount Network, Pop, TVLand and VH1.

Making her MTV VMAs debut, Brazilian superstar Anitta was a vision in red wearing a tight blood-red bodysuit to perform her global smash hit, “Envolver.” The Brazilian superstar took the stage at the Prudential Center in New Jersey on Sunday night (Aug. 28) after being introduced by BLACKPINK, who reminded those in attendance of Anitta’s star-studded collaborations, including Madonna and Snoop Dogg.

Then, Anitta appeared on the very top of a white set of steps that seated her fierce troupe of dancers. She started off with “Envolver” and, as expected, she made her way down the steps to do her viral dance that includes bending over, executing a slow-motion push-up, gyrating her hips while holding a plank position. But she wasn’t done there.

“VMAs, did you think I wasn’t going to shake my a– tonight?” she asked. Immediately she gave a master class in twerking and samba to her funk anthem “Vai Malandra.”

Anitta’s “Envolver” won the best Latin category over songs such as Bad Bunny‘s “Titi Me Preguntó” and Becky G and Karol G‘s “MAMIII.” Earlier this year, the reggaeton track became a global hit driven by its TikTok success. In March, “Envolver” became the first song by a Brazilian act to enter the top 10 on Spotify’s Global chart and subsequently hit No. 1 in Brazil. In April, the track hit No. 1 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart, marking the first leader on the list by an artist from Brazil.

During her acceptance speech, Anitta made sure to shout out her country, fans and family. “Oh my God,” she started. “I really wasn’t expecting this. This is the first time Brazil [is represented] in these awards. I was born and raised in the ghetto, and tonight, I performed music that was once considered a crime in my country. Thanks to my family and fans,” she ended.

Watch Anitta’s performance below:

Kane Brown brought country and the good vibes to the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday night (Aug. 28), where he performed his brand new single “Grand” live from the Toyota Stage in Fort Lee, N.J.

Brown is the first male country artist to perform on the show, which launched in 1984. He follows Kacey Musgraves and Taylor Swift, who have both taken the stage at the VMAs in the past to represent the country music world.

The performance used mixed-reality technology powered by The Famous Group to showcase the 28-year-old crooner in a glowing green box while he sang his breezy new song, “Grand,” which is set to appear on his upcoming third studio album, Different Man.

“Ain’t life grand?/ Only ones I keep around me is my fam/ No coincidence, it’s always been the plan/And I always keep it trilly with the fans,” Brown sang in the chorus, as the audience kept the energy high by waving glowing green lights in the air.

“I took time with this album and I love every song on the album,” Brown previously told Billboard of his forthcoming 17-song project, which is set to release on Sept. 9. “My wife says it’s her favorite album I’ve ever done.”

Brown’s first two studio albums, Kane Brown and Experiment, both topped Top Country Albums. Experiment also topped the all-genre Billboard 200. While the star isn’t nominated for any VMA trophies this year, he was the only country artist to receive a 2021 nomination (video for good for his hit “Worldwide Beautiful”).

Happy birthday to LeAnn Rimes, who celebrates her 40^th birthday on Sunday (Aug. 28). Over the course of more than two decades and more than two dozen major label studio album releases, Rimes has proven herself not only as one of music’s most exquisite vocalists and song interpreters, but also as a heartfelt songwriter.

Rimes is gearing up to release a new album, god’s work, on Sept. 16. Here, Billboard looks back at 10 of her essential tracks.

“Blue”

In 1996, Rimes landed her breakthrough hit with this throwback composition, which Bill Mack originally wrote for Patsy Cline. Though just 13 at the time she recorded this, Rimes sounded and looked mature beyond her years, her teardrop vocal drawing instant comparison to the late Cline. “Blue” soared into the top 10 on Billboard’s Country charts and in 1997 earned Rimes Grammy wins in the all-genre best new artist category, as well as the trophy for best female country vocal performance, making her one of the youngest Grammy winners ever.

“Probably Wouldn’t Be This Way”

Rimes turns in a stunningly aching vocal performance on this ballad of a woman mourning the death of a lover, the second single released from her 2005 album This Woman.

“One Way Ticket (Because I Can)”

Rimes earned a two-week No. 1 Billboard Country Airplay hit in 1996 with the free-spirited, third single released from her debut album, Blue.

“What I Cannot Change’

The final single from Rimes’ 2007 album Family, “What I Cannot Change” is a meditation on acceptance and forgiveness in relationships. Rimes’ vocal rendering is introspectively restrained, mournful yet centered. The song earned Rimes a best female country vocal performance Grammy nomination in 2009.

“You Light Up My Life”

The title track to Rimes’ 1997 album You Light Up My Life: Inspirational Songs is a cover of “You Light Up My Life,” a song originally recorded by Kasey Cisyk and made popular by Debby Boone.

“How Do I Live”

In 1997, Rimes earned only modest chart success in the country format due to Trisha Yearwood’s rendition of the same song (Yearwood’s version was used in the movie Con-Air), but Rimes earned an enduring juggernaut of a pop hit with this ballad, which entrenched itself at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. Though it just missed the top slot, the song had massive staying power. Now, 25 years after its release, it still resides at No. 6 on the Greatest of all Time Hot 100 Songs, marking the highest ranking on the chart by a female artist. The song also netted Rimes a Grammy nomination for best female country vocal performance.

“I Need You”

In 2000, three years following her You Light Up My Life album of inspirational songs, Rimes recorded this anthemic track for the project Jesus: Music From and Inspired by the Epic Mini Series. Later it was included as the title track for a Rimes compilation album released by Curb Records. “I Need You” spent 25 weeks on Billboard‘s Hot 100, rising to No. 11.

“Nothin’ Better to Do”

In the lead single from her 2007 album Family, Rimes took fans deep into this swampy, bluesy groove for a deliciously defiant tale of a mischievous group of young adults in the deep backwoods with nothing but time on their hands. This track also earned Rimes a Grammy nomination for best female country vocal performance.

“Can’t Fight the Moonlight”

While “How Do I Live” and “I Need You” first proved Rimes’ massive crossover appeal, this Diane Warren-penned theme song to the movie Coyote Ugly from 2000 was a full-fledged, danceable pop hit that served as evidence of an artist just beginning to shed her child phenom status to evolve into a mature entertainer and performer. Rimes appeared as herself in the film, singing and dancing alongside actress Piper Perabo. (Rimes also provided the singing voice for Perabo’s character throughout the film.)

“Long Live Love”

From her 2016 album Remnants, this track earned Rimes her second No. 1 on Billboard‘s Dance Club Songs chart and is a pop vocal tour de force, wrapped in an irresistible dance groove.

 

 

 

Elton John and Britney Spears‘ “Hold Me Closer” duet has topped this week’s new music poll.

Music fans voted in a poll published Friday (Aug. 26) on Billboard, choosing the superstar team-up as their favorite new music release of the past week.

“Hold Me Closer,” Spears’ first major appearance on record since the end of her 13-year conservatorship, beat out new music by David Guetta and Bebe Rexha (“I’m Good (Blue)”), Rema featuring Selena Gomez (“Calm Down”), DJ Khaled (God Did), Lolahol (“Lock&Key”), and others.

“Hold Me Closer” is a fresh take on John’s 1972 classic “Tiny Dancer.” Produced by Grammy winner Andrew Watt, the track features the pop princess and the “Rocketman” himself singing the opening verse of John’s 1992 hit “The One” over a club-ready beat, before diving into the chorus of 1971’s “Tiny Dancer.”

“Tiny Dancer,” originally included as part of John’s 1971 album, Madman Across the Water, was released as a single in 1972 and peaked at No. 41 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was famously featured in a sing-along bus scene in Cameron Crowe’s 2000 film Almost Famous.

John previously made pop magic alongside Dua Lipa after repurposing songs from his past over a euphoric dance-pop beat on 2021’s “Cold Heart (PNAU Remix).”

“Hold Me Closer,” meanwhile, is Spears’ first new music since her 2016 studio album, Glory, which also included deluxe tracks “Mood Ring,” “Swimming in the Stars” and the Backstreet Boys-assisted “Matches” that were released in 2020.

Trailing behind the new release John and Spears on the fan-voted poll is Guetta and Rexha’s new single “I’m Good (Blue)” with 16% of the vote, and Rema featuring Gomez’s track “Calm Down” with nearly 2% of the vote.

See the final results of this week’s new music release poll below.

 

Ozzy Osbourne is “fed up” with America. The legendary heavy metal singer has revealed that he and his family are moving from Los Angeles back to his native England because of ongoing mass shootings in the United States.

“Everything’s f—ing ridiculous there. I’m fed up with people getting killed every day. God knows how many people have been shot in school shootings. And there was that mass shooting in Vegas at that concert… It’s f—ing crazy,” Osbourne said in a new interview with The Observer, referencing the Route 91 Harvest shooting in 2017, where nearly 60 people died and more than 500 were injured.

Ozzy added that he’s fearful of dying in America. “I don’t want to be buried in f—ing Forest Lawn,” the 73-year-old musician says of the celebrity-filled cemetery in L.A. “I’m English. I want to be back. But saying that, if my wife said we’ve got to go and live in Timbuktu, I’ll go. But, no, it’s just time for me to come home.”

Osbourne’s wife and manager, Sharon, noted during the interview that “America has changed so drastically. It isn’t the United States of America at all. Nothing’s united about it. It’s a very weird place to live right now.”

The couple, who celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary in July, plans to sell their Hancock Park mansion in L.A. and move to their 350-acre Buckinghamshire estate in early 2023, according to The Observer. Ozzy is reportedly planning to build a music studio in the U.K. home, where he mentioned the possibility of recording an album with former Black Sabbath bandmate Tony Iommi.

In early August, Ozzy reunited with Black Sabbath during the 2022 Commonwealth Games in his hometown of Birmingham, England. Performing alongside Iommi, as well as bassist Adam Wakeman and drummer Tommy Clufetos, the iconic metal group played their 1970 classic “Paranoid” for a crowd of 30,000 at Alexander Stadium. The gig was Osbourne’s first show since he underwent major neck surgery earlier this summer to realign pins in his back and neck inserted after a 2019 fall at home.

Osbourne has also been working on solo music. His upcoming album, Patient Number 9, is slated for release on Sept. 9. and will feature tracks with Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo, Eric Clapton, Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready and late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins.

Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti returns to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart (dated Sept. 3) for a ninth nonconsecutive week on top, tying the Encanto soundtrack for the most weeks atop the chart in 2022. Un Verano Sin Ti climbs 2-1 on the latest list with 105,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending Aug. 25 (down 3%), according to Luminate.

Also in the top 10 of the new Billboard 200, Demi Lovato captures their eighth consecutive top 10 effort (their entirely of charting releases) with the arrival of Holy Fvck; Madonna becomes the first woman with a top 10 album in each of the last five decades as Finally Enough Love debuts; and Five Finger Death Punch collects its eighth top 10 effort with the bow of AfterLife.

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. The new Sept. 3, 2022-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on Tuesday (Aug. 30). For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

Of Un Verano Sin Ti’s 105,000 equivalent album units earned, SEA units comprise 102,000 (equaling 143.72 million on-demand official streams of the set’s tracks), album sales and TEA units comprise the remaining sum.

Un Verano Sin Ti ties the Encanto soundtrack for the most weeks at No. 1 in 2022. The last album with more weeks at No. 1 is Morgan Wallen’s Dangerous: The Double Album, which logged 10 weeks, all consecutive, atop the list in early 2021 (Jan. 23-March 27, 2021-dated charts).

Un Verano Sin Ti debuted at No. 1 on the May 21, 2022-dated chart, then stepped away from the top slot for three weeks. It returned to No. 1 on June 18, and then moved aside for two more weeks, returning to No. 1 for five straight weeks from the July 9 through Aug. 6-dated charts. It then fell to No. 2 on Aug. 13, returned to No. 1 on the Aug. 20 chart, fell back to No. 2 on the Aug. 27 list, and now climbs back to No. 1 on the new ranking.

Un Verano Sin Ti is the first album with five separate visits to No. 1 since Adele’s 21 had 10 distinct stays at No. 1 in 2011-12, for a total of 24 weeks atop the list. It debuted at No. 1 on the  March 12, 2011-dated list and notched its final week atop the chart on June 23, 2012.

Plus, Un Verano Sin Ti has yet to depart the top two rungs of the chart for its entire 16-week run on the list thus far. The last album to start off as strong was Drake’s Views, which spent its first 17 weeks in the top two (May 21-Sept. 10, 2016-dated charts).

Rod Wave’s Beautiful Mind falls to No. 2 in its second week with 57,000 equivalent album units earned (down 51%). Beyoncé’s former No. 1 Renaissance is a non-mover at No. 3 with 52,000 units (down 18%).

Morgan Wallen’s chart-topping Dangerous: The Double Album climbs 6-4 with 49,000 equivalent album units earned (up less than 1%). Dangerous: The Double Album has now accumulated 84 nonconsecutive weeks in the top 10 on the Billboard 200. Since the chart began publishing on a regular, weekly basis in 1956, Dangerous ties Adele’s 21 and Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the U.S.A. for the second-most weeks in the top 10 among albums by artists with 84 weeks each. Peter, Paul and Mary’s self-titled album has the most weeks in the top 10 among singular acts, with 85 nonconsecutive weeks in 1962-64. However, there are seven albums that have more weeks in the top 10 than Peter, Paul and Mary — and all are multi-artist soundtracks and cast recordings, led by the all-time top 10 record holder, the original cast recording of My Fair Lady, with 173 weeks in the top 10 between 1956-60. See list, below.

Albums With Most Weeks in Top 10 on Billboard 200 Chart (March 24, 1956-onwards)
Weeks in Top 10, Artist, Title, Year First Reached Top 10
173, Original Cast, My Fair Lady, 1956
109, Soundtrack, The Sound of Music, 1965
106, Soundtrack, West Side Story, 1962
105, Original Cast, The Sound of Music, 1960
90, Soundtrack, South Pacific, 1958
87, Original Cast, Camelot, 1961
87, Soundtrack, Oklahoma!, 1956
85, Peter, Paul and Mary, Peter Paul and Mary, 1962
84, Morgan Wallen, Dangerous: The Double Album, 2021
84, Adele, 21, 2011
84, Bruce Springsteen, Born in the U.S.A., 1984
(through the Sept. 3, 2022-dated chart.)

Harry Styles’ former No. 1 Harry’s House rises 7-5 with 45,000 equivalent album units earned (up 4%), while YoungBoy Never Broke Again’s The Last Slimeto falls 5-6 with 37,000 units (down 25%).

Demi Lovato logs the highest debut of the week on the Billboard 200, as Holy Fvck starts at No. 7 with 33,000 equivalent album units earned. Of that sum, album sales comprise 20,000; SEA units comprise 12,000 (equaling 15.62 million on-demand official streams of the set’s tracks); and TEA units comprise the remaining sum. Holy Fvck is Lovato’s eighth consecutive top 10 album on the Billboard 200 — the entirety of their charting efforts.

Madonna’s remix compilation Finally Enough Love bows at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 with 30,000 equivalent album units earned. Of that sum, album sales comprise 28,000, SEA units comprise nearly 2,000 (equaling 2 million on-demand official streams of the set’s tracks) and TEA units comprise the remaining sum. The retrospective was available in either a 16-track standard album or an expanded 50-track deluxe set.

With the album’s debut, Madonna becomes the first woman with a newly-charting top 10 title on the Billboard 200 albums chart in the 1980s, ’90s, 2000s, ’10s and now the ’20s.

Finally Enough Love largely consists of previously released dance remixes, as the set celebrates Madonna’s 50 No. 1s on Billboard’s Dance Club Songs chart. She remains the first and only act with at least 50 No. 1s on any single Billboard chart. Finally Enough Love is the first remix album to reach the top 10 on the Billboard 200 since 2014, when Beyoncé’s six-track More Only EP debuted and peaked at No. 8 on the Dec. 13, 2014 chart. The last remix album to chart higher was Justin Bieber’s Never Say Never: The Remixes which debuted at No. 1 on the March 5, 2011-dated chart. And, Finally Enough Love is the highest-charting electronic/dance remix album in more than a decade, since Lady Gaga’s The Remix debuted and peaked at No. 6 on the Aug. 21, 2010 chart.

Megan Thee Stallion’s Traumazine falls 4-9 in its second week on the Billboard 200 (29,000 equivalent album units earned; down 53%).

Rock band Five Finger Death Punch collects its eighth top 10 album on the Billboard 200, as AfterLife debuts at No. 10 with nearly 29,000 equivalent album units earned. Of that sum, album sales comprise 22,000, SEA units comprise 6,000 (equaling 8.06 million on-demand official streams of the set’s tracks) and TEA units comprise the remaining sum.

Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes an exhaustive and thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data, removing any suspicious or unverifiable activity using established criteria before final chart calculations are made and published. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious and unverifiable is disqualified prior to the final calculation.