Month: October 2022

Forty years ago, Duran Duran was the hottest band on the planet. Fast forward to now, well, they’re still pretty hot.

Over a 12-month stretch, the British new wave legends dropped a 15th studio album, Future Past, which debuted at No. 3 on the Official U.K. Chart; they performed at the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in the band’s birthplace, Birmingham, England; and headlined an open-air show at London’s Hyde Park, with 70,000 fans looking on. Add to that, induction into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame next month (the band was the top vote-getter from the public), and the upcoming release of a concert film entitled A Hollywood High, it’s been all-sizzle for the lads.

Earlier this week, frontman Simon Le Bon stopped by Jimmy Kimmel Live for a look to the future, the past, and a proper rockstar reception.

When the screams and hollering from the live audience died down, Le Bon admitted that the band was deceptively resilient. “It’s the 20th comeback, I think,” he says. “There’s so many comebacks, we haven’t gone away.”

That trip down memory lane included a revisit to the historic all-star Band-Aid charity single “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” (it was the first time he had met Bono and The Edge), and the Live Aid concerts that followed in July 1985. Kimmel, like many of us, taped the entire event, spread over concerts in London and Philadelphia, on VHS.

“It was mind-boggling,” Le Bon recounts of the concerts, spearheaded by Bob Geldof to raise money for famine relief in Africa. His hot take was of Stephen Stills, of Crosby, Stills, and Young, telling Duran Duran, who were prepping backstage, to “shut the f*** up.”

Le Bon typically doesn’t discuss the lyrics to those ‘80s mega-hits. Fallon went there, unpicking “Hungry Like The Wolf” and “The Reflex.”

Later, the Brit took his place at the mic with Duran Duran for a performance of “Invisible,” the first track lifted from 2021’s Future Past.

A Hollywood High is due out on Nov. 3, and will include exclusive interviews and archival footage in which the pop-rock legends dissect their decades long obsession with the City of Angels.

They’re set for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Nov. 5 as part of the class of 2022, which also includes Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo, Eminem, Eurythmics, Dolly Parton, Lionel Richie and Carly Simon.

Taylor Swift is the queen of Australia’s music charts, as Midnights (via Universal) darts to No. 1 with the biggest volume week of any album in five years.

Midnights bows atop the latest ARIA Chart, with more combined sales than any title since Swift released Reputation, also No. 1 back in 2017. It’s her 10th No. 1 ARIA Album.

With Midnights setting the albums chart alight, records tumble. Swift enjoys a record-setting haul on the national singles survey, capturing nine of the top 10 positions, led by “Anti-Hero” at No. 1, with “Lavender Haze” and “Snow On The Beach,” featuring Lana Del Rey, respectively completing the top 3.

According to Universal Music Australia, Midnights is the most-streamed album in a week in ARIA history, and the biggest-ever vinyl sales debut, shifting over 10,000 vinyl units in week one.

The song that ruins TayTay’s chance at a top 10 sweep is Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ former leader “Unholy” (Capitol/Universal), which dips 1-7 on the ARIA Singles Chart. With the exception of Smith and Petras’ collaboration, Swift locks down every ARIA chart position from No. 1 through to No. 14. Remarkably, she’s in possession of the only debuts on the latest singles frame — 13 of them.

“Anti-Hero” is Swift’s ninth No. 1 ARIA Single, and fourth in the past two years, most recently with “All Too Well (Taylor’s Version)” in 2021.

The U.S. pop star is shortlisted for the fan-voted best international artist category at the 2022 ARIA Awards, having won the pointed trophy in 2019 and 2021.

Parking at No. 2 on the ARIA Albums Chart, published Oct. 28, is Arctic Monkeys’ The Car (Domino Recordings/EMI). Though the Sheffield, England alternative rock band misses out on the crown, Alex Turner and Co. keep alive a streak that has seen all seven studio albums placed in the top 5, with three reaching the zenith.

Meanwhile, Australia’s pop royalty Kylie Minogue returns to the chart with Impossible Princess, which enjoys the reissue treatment for its 25th anniversary through Warner Music. Impossible Princess drops in at No. 3.

The top five is completed by two new classical crossover albums, Andrea, Matteo and Virginia Bocelli’s A Family Christmas (Decca/Universal), and Anthony Callea’s Forty Love (BMG), respectively.

Also new to the top 10 this week is Architects‘ tenth album Classic Symptoms of a Broken Spirit (Epitaph Record/RKT), at No. 8. The British metalcore band will support the album in these parts with a national tour in February 2023.

Billboard’s First Stream serves as a handy guide to this Friday’s most essential releases — the key music that everyone will be talking about today, and that will be dominating playlists this weekend and beyond. 

This week, Rihanna returns from a far-too-long absence, SZA tries out the full-length version of a long-teased fan favorite, Ice Spice goes under the sea and more. Check out all of this week’s First Stream picks below:

Rihanna, “Lift Me Up”

Rihanna’s much-anticipated return to music comes not with the kind of door-kicking, floor-filling lead single we once expected from her on a yearly basis, but rather with a lush, percussion-less ballad of domestic bliss. Co-written with producer Ludwig Göransson, Afrobeats sensation Tems and film director Ryan Coogler and featured on the soundtrack to the upcoming Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack, the stirring song showcases Rihanna’s still-improving vocals as she sings of the security she seeks in her partner and her life: “Lift me up/ Hold me down/ Keep me close/ Safe and sound.” A simple and touching love song, also written in part as a tribute to the late Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman.

SZA, “Shirt”

It’s not quite as long-awaited as Rihanna’s comeback, but SZA fans have been waiting for the full version of “Shirt” since she first teased it on TikTok in 2020, spawning a dance challenge in the process. Safe to say the full version of the song fits just right, with the singer-songwriter’s typically scattered and piercing vocals racing over a booming beat, leading to an already trademark chorus: “Blood stain on my shirt/ New b–ch on my nerves.” If the song sounds like something that could’ve played on BET’s Planet Groove in 1999, there’s a reason for that: Turn-of-the-century R&B architect Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins co-produced and co-wrote the track, along with SZA and “Freaky” Rob Gueringer.

Jin, “The Astronaut”

Coldplay’s first blast off into the BTSverse went pretty well — the two groups’ “My Universe” collab debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, marking the former group’s first time topping the chart since 2008 — so it’s not surprise to hear Chris Martin & Co. called on again for co-writing duties on Jin’s solo single “The Astronaut.” The bilingual love song provides the kind of sparkling pop-rock maximalism we’ve come to expect from the two groups, with Jin’s plaintive vocal perfectly selling the chorus sentiment (“When I’m with you/ There is no one else/ I get heaven to myself”) — with Martin’s own backing cries of course providing valuable assistance underneath.

Polo G, “Bag Talk”

After proving near-ubiquitous in popular music from 2019 to 2021, Polo G has had a more laid-back 2022, with just a couple features and a one-off single (“Distraction”) to his credit so far this year. “Bag Talk” suggests the break might coming to an end: Co-produced by heavy-hitters TM88 and Southside, Polo brings the urgency to the widescreen production, promising “You could pick any location in the city I’m good, b–ch/ Everywhere I go, I’m stamped… I need evеry dime, I stay on my grind/ Like Tony Hawk up that ramp.”

Dove Cameron, “Bad Idea”

Following in the mode of prior releases “Boyfriend” and “Breakfast,” “Bad Idea” is Dove Cameron’s third badass “B” single of 2022, another sultry and alluring pop offering performed with an audibly devilish grin. This time, Cameron also takes cues from another “Bad” singer: With its alternately jaunty and eerie production, darkly pulsing beat and whisper-cooed vocals (with occasional dips into sing-speaking), the song could’ve slotted rather naturally into the middle third of Billie Eilish’s When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?

Ice Spice, “Bikini Bottom”

Everyone’s favorite viral Bronx hip-hop sensation — and Billboard‘s own R&B/Hip-Hop Rookie of the Month for October — is back with a new single, and it might be her most irresistible yet. Ice Spice hopscotches through a skittering beat and a particularly springy RIOTUSA production in “Bikini Bottom,” spitting, “How can I lose if I’m already chose?/ Like, If she feelin’ hot then I make that b–ch froze.” Running a very replayable 1:46, you can bet that the staff at the Krusty Krab is getting down to this one at any opportunity.

Jin‘s highly anticipated solo single “The Astronaut” has finally landed.

The BTS superstar revealed the stunning, nearly five-minute rock–pop track on Friday (Oct. 28), worldwide alongside its heartwarming music video.

While BTS had previously revealed that “The Astronaut” was co-written by Jin and Coldplay, the entire song reveals the stadium-sized rock sound that the British band is known for as a perfect bed for Jin’s steady, soothing vocals.

While Jin’s past solo songs like “Awake” and “Epiphany” have proven he can bring raw emotions to his ballads, “The Astronaut” is able to capture that same sentimental approach to a more upbeat, dynamic pop-rock song. If you listen closely, one can even hear Chris Martin seemingly harmonizing with Jin on a few notes.

“The Astronaut” music video lets Jin embrace his actor side and tell a heartwarming story of an alien navigating Planet Earth, finding moments of wonder and joy throughout the journey, and ultimately deciding to call this planet his home. Jin looks cool and calm throughout the visual, which includes special cameos of his Coldplay collaborators and loving shoutouts to ARMY if one looks closely.

October is a major month for Jin’s music. Three of the star’s solo tracks hit worldwide streaming services for the first time on Oct. 21, and following the release of “The Astronaut” on Oct. 28, he’ll give the debut performance of the track alongside Coldplay less than 24 hours later at the band’s concert in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Fans can watch the concert at River Plate stadium in a movie experience with more than 3,500 theaters in more than 70 countries “cinecasting” the show.

Previous to this single, all seven members of BTS teamed up with Coldplay on the single “My Universe” for the latter’s Music of the Spheres album. The track debuted atop the Hot 100, becoming the first Hot 100 No. 1 by two groups each sporting lead billing on a song.

After a two-year wait, SZA gifted fans her long-awaited single “Shirt.” The song is accompanied by the Dave Meyers-helmed visual, which features actor Lakeith Stanfield.

“Bloodstain on my shirt/New bitch on my nerves/Old n—a got curved/Going back on my word/Damn, bitch, you like thirty,” she sings on the chorus. “Stealing all of my worth/Still question my affection/Let you all in my mental/Got me lookin’ so desperate.

After teasing fans with the song’s snippet in late 2020, “Shirt” later found its way onto TikTok, where a viral challenge began. At the top of 2021, the CTRL singer caught wind of the social craze and said she was “finalizing” the record. She again tantalized fans when she placed the song at the outro of her “Good Days” video. Her July 2022 performance at the Mad Cool Festival in Madrid also raised antennas when she hinted that Doja Cat would appear on the upcoming track.

“Want to know a secret? You all want to know who’s on this song? It’ll be like our secret, right?” she revealed to the crowd. “The hint is we already have a song together. Her name starts with a ‘D,’ and it rhymes with Soulja.” Last month, TDE’s Punch debunked those claims in SZA’s Complex cover story. Then, this week, SZA released a flirty trailer “Shirt” with Lakeith Stanfield alongside her.

“I appreciate [my fans] patience, but constantly trying to people-please and fulfill expectations instead of just thinking about what you need can deter you from your true path,” SZA said to Complex regarding her sophomore album. “And the next thing you know, you’re somebody that you never signed up to be. Even with this album, I just wanna be better than my last project to myself. I wanna be a better writer. I wanna be a better artist, musician… a better thinker. I just wanna do things that make myself proud and interested.”

In a brief interview with TMZ at LAX airport this month, SZA said she recorded 100 records for her forthcoming effort and that the project could drop “any day.”

Watch the official music video for “Shirt” below.

Welcome back, RiRi!

Rihanna made her much-awaited return to music on Friday (Oct. 28) with “Lift Me Up,” featured on the soundtrack of the upcoming Marvel sequel Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

The arrival of the song was announced earlier this week, preceded by a series of cryptic billboards around New York and a teaser post on social media, which included the forthcoming movie title appearing onscreen before highlighting the first “R” in “Forever.”

“Lift Me Up” was written as a tribute to the late Panther star Chadwick Boseman, who died from colon cancer in 2020 at 43. Tems, Oscar winner Ludwig Göransson, Rihanna and Black Panther director Ryan Coogler all have writing credits on the track.

The “Love on the Brain” singer hasn’t released an album since Anti dropped six years ago, and spent two weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. The project also featured three Billboard Hot 100 top 10 hits, including the No. 1 “Work,” featuring Drake. In July 2017, she hit No. 2 with Bryson Tiller on DJ Khaled’s “Wild Thoughts.” 

While she has yet to reveal any plans for a ninth studio album, Rihanna’s break from live shows is slated to end on Feb. 12, 2023, when she headlines the 2023 Super Bowl Halftime Show.

The Wakanda Forever soundtrack — produced by Coogler, Göransson, Archie Davis and Dave Jordan — will be out next Friday (Nov. 4). Listen to Rihanna’s “Lift Me Up” below.

Zach Bryan has been lighting up the Billboard charts with his album American Heartbreak and songs including “Something in the Orange,” and criss-crossing the United States on his American Heartbreak tour. Along the way has been building a reputation as an artist who also listens closely to his fans.

On Oct. 26, Bryan took to Twitter to state that he was planning to lower the price of the merchandise sold at his concerts.

“I just learned how expensive the merch was last night,” he said on Twitter. “A hoodie for 60 to 70 dollars is too much and I’m fixing it now. Thank you guys so much for being such a good and kind and rowdy crowd.”

Fans began chiming, with one saying, “I paid 45 bucks for a t shirt.. I wasn’t not gonna buy one but 45 bucks?? dang man,” to which Bryan responded, “I JUST learned how much they were. It’s fixed and I apologize.”

After another Twitter user noted that they would gladly pay $70 if he allowed his merch to be sold online in addition to at his concerts, Bryan responded, “no no no they’ll be 45 at most, 70 is absolutely heinous as hell and and anyone selling hoodies for that amount have completely desensitized from the world.”

His fans quickly responded with sentiments of gratitude for the singer-songwriter’s swift response, with comments. “I love how humble you are and how you put your fans first. you’ll always have our respect and support,” said one Bryan fan.

After his debut major label full-length album American Heartbreak debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s top country albums chart in June, Bryan quickly followed with the release of the EP Summertime Blues in July. His song “Something in the Orange” reached No. 2 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, and he’s notched just over a dozen entries on the chart, including “Highway Boys,” “Oklahoma Smoke Show” and “Burn, Burn, Burn.”