Doja Cat is the cover star for Dazed magazine’s Winter 2022 The Beautiful Issue, and as the title suggests, the “Say So” singer looks stunning and effortlessly cool with her bright pink buzz cut.
In the accompanying interview, the star reflected on her journey through playing with her look, and the range of reactions she gets online. “They’re like, ‘Oh, this can’t possibly be her simply having fun. She has to be out of her mind. She has to be cuckoo,’” she said. “Also, I have a really bad impulse control; I like to react to things really quick. If I’m in the right mood, or the wrong mood, I will snap back and I’ll have fun doing it.”
As for her latest ‘do, a shaved head and nonexistent eyebrows, Doja revealed that she’s loving it, despite at first thinking she looked like a “wrinkly penis.” “I have never felt more beautiful in my entire life, which is very strange. I felt beautiful when I had long hair. I definitely felt like a hot girl then, but I always do,” she explained. “There’s something so exhilarating about change; [it] showed me a different side of myself. I feel so new, fresh and sexy. I also feel better without make-up: having this bare head and so little make-up is a fun experience. It’s new, and I love it.”
She also shared her perspective surrounding her relationship with her body, something she said has grown. “Now, to me, beauty is going against [what society wants]. I love when you take something that is maybe classically beautiful and twist it and make it your own,” she shared. “For me, it’s more of an ‘are you happy?’ kind of thing. I want my fans to learn they don’t have to be like anyone else and the thing they want is already there. They just haven’t found it yet, and once they do they’ll be like, ‘How the f— did I not see it? How did I miss this?’”
The Holiday 100 jingles back to Billboard’s charts menu, ranking the top seasonal songs of all eras via the same formula used for the Billboard Hot 100, blending streaming, airplay and sales data.
Mariah Carey‘s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” – which surges from No. 25 to No. 5 on the Hot 100 – rules the Holiday 100 for a 52nd week of the chart’s 57 total weeks since the list launched in 2011; it has topped the seasonal survey for 37 consecutive weeks, dating to the start of the 2015-16 holiday season.
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The only other Holiday 100 No. 1s to date: Justin Bieber’s “Mistletoe,” for a week in the 2011-12 holiday season; Pentatonix’s “Little Drummer Boy” (one, 2013-14) and “Mary, Did You Know?” (two, 2014-15); and Ariana Grande’s “Santa Tell Me” (one, 2014-15).
Carey’s 1994 carol crowns all three Holiday 100 component charts (with all surveys dated Dec. 3): Holiday Streaming Songs (21.5 million streams, up 54%, in the Nov. 18-24 tracking week, according to Luminate); Holiday Airplay (20.6 million airplay audience impressions, up 80%); and Holiday Digital Song Sales (3,000 sold, up 57%).
“When I wrote [it], I had absolutely no idea the impact the song would eventually have worldwide,” Carey marveled of “Christmas” last year. “I’m so full of gratitude that so many people enjoy it with me every year.”
Rounding out the Holiday 100’s top five is a quartet of classics released in the 1950s-60s: Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” (No. 2), Bobby Helms’ “Jingle Bell Rock” (No. 3), Burl Ives’ “A Holly Jolly Christmas” (No. 4) and Andy Williams’ “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” (No. 5).
Meanwhile, one song newly released this holiday season debuts on the Holiday 100: Kane Brown’s “Blue Christmas” (No. 58, led by 3.5 million streams, up 79%), after it arrived Nov. 10 as an Amazon Music exclusive. The song joins Elvis Presley’s iconic 1957 original version, at No. 22 on the Holiday 100.
The entire latest Holiday 100, along with all seasonal and other charts, will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (Nov. 29).
Pusha T is speaking out on Kanye West‘s string of antisemitic remarks over the past month.
“It’s definitely affected me. It’s been disappointing. As a Black man in America, there is no room for bigotry or hate speech. So yeah. It’s been very disappointing,” Pusha, who recently worked with Ye on his It’s Almost Dry album, said in a new interview with the Los Angeles Times.
However, the rapper still has musical respect for his collaborator. “Creatively, Ye has meant freedom to me,” he said. “A lot of times, people would try to get me to change certain things about my process, change certain things about me lyrically, change certain things about the content. He never has been like that. He always saw me for who I was and knew how to take it to the next level.”
Pusha continued, “We actually have a lot of the same taste, we love just barred-out rap. He would tell me things like, ‘Man, you just be the extreme version of yourself. And I’m gonna be the extreme version of myself.’”
Ye took to Twitter in October to use antisemitic rhetoric in his posts, then continued to amplify his hate speech in interviews. The reaction from the public was swift, with several companies — including The Gap, Balenciaga, and more — terminating their relationships and brand deals with the rapper.
Forbes has also reported that Ye has lost his billionaire status after Adidas announced on Oct. 25 that it was dropping his due deal, and that the brand does not tolerate hate speech.
LL Cool J will receive the entertainment icon award at the fifth Urban One Honors, which will tape at The Eastern in Atlanta on Friday, Dec. 2. David and Tamela Mann will receive the inspirational impact award. R&B singer and actor Tank will host the show.
The two-hour telecast, with the theme “Celebrating Icons of the Culture,” is set to premiere on Monday, Jan. 16, 2023 (Martin Luther King Jr. Day) on TV One and Cleo TV, a division of Urban One.
A lifetime achievement honor, music innovation honor, and the first-ever Phoenix honor will also be presented on this year’s show. Those honorees are expected to be announced on Thursday, Dec. 1.
LL Cool J received the Kennedy Center Honors in 2017 and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the award for musical excellence category in 2021. He’s a two-time Grammy winner for best rap solo performance and a five-time host of the annual Grammy Awards telecast.
Tamela Mann won a Grammy for best gospel performance/song six years ago for “God Provides.” She and her husband David Mann star in TV One’s The Manns.
The show will include a performance by Keke Wyatt and a celebration of the 50th anniversary of hip hop with DJ Spinderella (Salt-N-Pepa), Monie Love and Doug E. Fresh. The show will also include appearances by Rev. Run (Run DMC, “Run’s House”) and Lamman Rucker (TV One’s Bad Dad Rehab: The Next Session).
LeToya Luckett will host a backstage pass segment featuring interviews with the show’s honorees, performers and presenters.
Urban One Honors is executive produced by Eric Tomosunas and Robert A. Boyd II of Swirl Films. Kim Burse serves as musical director. Marilyn Gill serves as executive producer. Kashon Powell is vice president of programming for Radio One and Susan Henry is executive producer in charge of production for TV One.
Megan Thee Stallion became the first Black woman to appear on the cover of Forbes‘ 30 Under 30 issue Monday (Nov. 28) and opened up about the pressure of her sophomore studio set Traumazine in the accompanying interview.
“This album was really personal to me,” she told the magazine. “This is, like, the first time I ever, you know, talked about things that I’m feeling or talked about things that I’m going through. So it kind of made me nervous to write a lot of these songs. It makes me nervous to perform some of these songs. And I was kinda just like, ‘OK, I’mma write this stuff and I’mma just put it out. Hmm, Hotties, what you got to say about this?’
“My emotions sometimes make me a little nervous,” the rapper continued. “Like, to be vulnerable can make me a little nervous sometimes so…I just feel like I’m still processing how the album feels to other people.”
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Released back in August, the LP contains the hit singles “Sweetest Pie” with Dua Lipa, “Plan B,” “Pressurelicious,” “Her” and “Ungrateful,” and bowed at No. 4 on the Billboard 200.
However, these days, Megan has more in her sights than just conquering the music industry. “I want to be bigger than just my music. I want people to know Megan as everything that she ever wanted to be: Megan the artist,” she said, later adding, “My mind is in a place where I feel like I can do whatever I want to do because nobody ever told me I couldn’t.
“So getting into writing, getting into directing, getting into acting,” Megan concluded, “I feel like, yeah, now y’all see I’m not one-dimensional. I’m everything that I say I am.”
Read Megan’s Forbes‘ 30 Under 30 story here, and get a glimpse of her fierce cover look below.
Japan-based boy band ONE N’ ONLY — consisting of members EIKU, TETTA, REI, HAYATO, KENSHIN, and NAOYA — recently digitally dropped its bouncy new single “Good Day.” The six-member dance and vocal unit has been steadily expanding its global fanbase, particularly in Asian and South American countries, through their unique style of music they’ve coined “JK-pop” that blends the best qualities from both genres.
Billboard Japan caught up with the members for the first time since they performed in front of their fans in Brazil at the end of July. The members chat about “Good Day” and share their thoughts on the danceable tune, plus give away some behind-the-scenes details about its recording and choreography in this latest interview.
You recently released your new song “Good Day.” Could you tell us a bit about this cheerful, uplifting number?
NAOYA: It’s like we’ve added another track to our repertoire of cheerful numbers such as “Video Chat,” “LUCKY” and “HOLIDAY.” “Good Day” is a song that really looks great performed live and can be presented in a different way from the other songs I just mentioned. It’s just a lot of fun to dance to. It brings out the members’ genuine expressions. It’s also unusual in that it starts and ends with the A melody (first verse). I’m pretty sure it’ll becomeone of our signature songs in the future.
It’s very addictive.
REI: Yes, it is. I think it’s a song that really goes straight into people’s hearts. I want it to be the kind of tune where people think, “Yes!” when they hear the intro at a concert.
EIKU: I really like the choreography of the chorus. The part where the members dance facing each other just makes me smile, and I tried to make the song feel fresh and spontaneous in my own way when we recorded it.
You make eye contact one-on-one?
KENSHIN: We do, a lot!
NAOYA: I’m on the outermost end of the formation, so I get to make eye contact with KENSHIN, then look other way and make eye contact with SWAG [the group’s fans]. It’s one of the fun parts of the song, so I’m looking forward to performing it live as much as we can.
How do you feel when you face each other individually like that?
KENSHIN: It cheers me up! I love seeing the other members faces close up like that. But when I make eye contact with EIKU, I always crack up.
EIKU: He twitches his eyebrows. He tries to make me laugh.
KENSHIN: I also make eye contact with NAOYA, and he looks at me like, “How’s this?” [Laughs] We goof off like that, so fans are encouraged to look out for those moments.
REI: HAYATO is over there looking like he has nothing to do with this conversation, but he’s the one who makes the weirdest expressions.
HAYATO: I don’t deny it. [Laughs]
TETTA, anything you want to add about the track?
TETTA: I really like the A melody(first verse) too. Actually, I heard that our choreographer came up with the dance for this part by imagining me dancing to it. The soft spot I have for this part has grown even more after hearing that. Besides, the choreographer praises me every time I dance to it.
KENSHIN: We all tend to thrive on praise.
TETTA: Yeah! Praise us!
Do you all often praise each other?
REI: We often praise TETTA after he finishes singing. Also, HAYATO’s rapping is really awesome. I was surprised at how much he evolved during the fall tour. But in Sapporo, he called SWAG “twag.” [Laughs]
HAYATO: I did my best to pretend it didn’t happen. [Laughs] That was my first time performing a solo on stage, and since it was my own idea, I was still sort of pondering what to do. That was part of the reason why I got nervous onstage and blurted out “twag.” It was pretty vexing so I was super careful during the rest of the performance. [Laughs]
KENSHIN: No, you really did better with each performance. The final was even more amazing with the added emotion.
REI: You’re always quick to praise, KENSHIN.
TETTA: The momentwe finished “STARLIGHT~Mirai no Tobira~,” you came over to tell me it was great and it made me so happy.
KENSHIN: I can’t hide my feelings. I want to communicate my thoughts every time.
Getting back to the subject, HAYATO, tell us your favorite part of this song.
HAYATO: I like the part where REI sings, “Life goes on, risou o koete (beyond ideals).” His voice matches and it feels so good. It really does go “beyond the ideal.” I’d like everyone to listen carefully to that part along with the lyrics.
REI: Sweet. You pointed out what I was aiming for! Actually, that part is deliberate and I’m singing at full volume while staying relaxed.
HAYATO: So that’s why it feels “beyond the ideal”! After that, you tighten it up with “ready.”
REI: Thanks for saying all that. [Laughs]
HAYATO: The cadenced way you handle the ending of each line is really cool, too.
REI: I learned that from TETTA.
Did you decide who sings which parts by yourselves?
TETTA: The writer of the song had all the parts laid out at first, but we discussed things among ourselves and changed it while were recording it.
REI: My part we spoke about just now used to be EIKU’s at first, right?
EIKU: Yeah. But REI’s voice fits better, and since I’m in charge of the beginning of the chorus, it’s better to have someone else do it. REI’s voice adds a really nice touch to the song.
KENSHIN: It turned out really well. It’s really great because EIKU’s chorus brims with encouragement and respect for those who live and work hard every day, and it can be interpreted as us saying, “Let’s keep on growing together from now on.” It’s heartening and uplifting so I recommend listening to it in the morning.
NAOYA: First thing in the morning is good.
KENSHIN: Recently I’ve been challenging myself to play this song the moment I wake up and get ready to leave the house during the three minutes it takes to finish. Everyone should give it a try!
NAOYA: That sounds pretty thrilling. [Laughs]
—This interview by Kana Yoshida first appeared on Billboard Japan.
“Subtitle” rose to No. 1 again powered by streaming (21,377,577 to 21,708,199, No. 1 for the metric), downloads (22,717 to 19,838, No. 1), and video views (2,934,239 to 3,025,749, No. 2). While showing a slight decrease in downloads, the track continues to add weekly streams and views, and the track has also accumulated more points overall compared to the week before.
Naniwa Danshi’s “Happy Surprise” sold 517,381 CDs in its first week to rule sales and look-ups, but couldn’t add enough points through the other metrics (No. 11 for video, No. 10 for radio airplay, No. 39 for Twitter mentions) to debut at the top and launches at No. 2 on the Japan Hot 100. Still, the rising Johnny’s boy band has sold over half a million CDs in its first week for three singles in a row — its debut single “UBU-LOVE” sold 632,655 copies and the follow-up “The Answer/Sachiare” sold 534,004 copies — showcasing the seven-member group’s rising popularity.
Last week’s No. 1 song, King & Prince’s “Tsukiyomi,” falls to No. 7, but continues to perform well in various metrics, coming in a No. 1 for video, No. 2 for look-ups and Twitter, and No. 4 for sales. In particular, the track has been coasting along in the top 5 in video since its debut on the metric, moving 1-5-5-4-3-1 and logging its highest weekly view count this week at 3,957,470 views.
The Billboard Japan Hot 100 combines physical and digital sales, audio streams, radio airplay, Twitter mentions, YouTube and GYAO! video views, Gracenote look-ups and karaoke data.
Calvin Harris is clearing up a rumor once and for all that he was involved in the delay of Rita Ora‘s sophomore album.
For years, it was reported and speculated that the 32-year-old singer songwriter’s second album was delayed over the use of the DJ’s tracks, as the two dated briefly in 2013. On Monday (Nov. 28), Harris responded to writer George Griffiths, who claimed that Ora would have been “one of the biggest pop stars in the world,” if the album wasn’t “torpedoed.”
“Entire thing is a myth, there is one unreleased song i worked on and it isn’t good,” Harris wrote of his involvement in response. Ora has yet to publicly address her ex-boyfriend’s tweet.
Entire thing is a myth, there is one unreleased song i worked on and it isn’t good
Back in 2015, Ora addressed more drama between her and Harris, explaining in an interview with Marie Claire, “There was a reason why I split up with him. And there was a reason why I’m at this point in my life where I feel like I have so much musical freedom, and I don’t have to explain myself to anybody… It was more of a thing where I was in awe. I was at that point in my relationship where I felt he could do no wrong. I thought he had my back and that he’d never steer me wrong.”
She went on to reveal that after their collaboration “I Will Never Let You Down” came out, “everything started to go a bit weird. I don’t know if it was because business was mixed with personal or what.”
In August 2014, Ora’s scheduled performance of the song was Teen Choice Awards was shut down due to some behind-the-scenes drama between the two exes. Harris, who wrote and produced the track, did not approve the rights to use the song on the show.
Another year has come and gone, but Billie Eilish is still answering the same questions. For the sixth year in a row, the pop sensation sat down for her annual interview with Vanity Fair.
This year, the black-haired 20-year-old superstar said her biggest accomplishments were that she “finally got to tour again,” including dual headlining sets at Coachella 2022 and Glastonbury, the completion of Happier Than Ever, The World Tour and, oh, you know, winning an Academy Award for her James Bond theme song “No Time to Die.”
“The most important thing to me now is being in touch with myself…and how I am actually, really feeling,” Eilish said after taking a beat to reflect. “And listening to my gut. Trusting my gut. My family being good and healthy and happy, and my relationship being really solid with them. That’s what’s important to me.”
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When the topic of her older brother FINNEAS came up, the “TV” singer teased quite a major revelation, admitting, “We see each other all the time, and also now, we’re starting to make music again. We just started the process of making an album, which is really exciting…I’m hanging out with my brother a lot. He’s my buddy!”
In a bit of a twist, Eilish also turned part of the interview over to her fans via Instagram, answering questions about her least favorite song in her discography (2017’s “Watch”) and how many songs she’s working on (“one, currently”).
Thanks to one of the annual questions being about whether she has a boyfriend, the star also spilled a bit of tea about her relationship with The Neighbourhood’s Jesse Rutherford. “Yeah, I do,” she said with a shy grin. “And it’s really cool and I’m really excited and I’m really happy about it.
“I managed to get my life to a point where I not only was known by a person that I thought was the hottest f—ing f—er alive,” Eilish continued to gush about the frontman, “but pulled his ass. Are we kidding me? Can we just [claps] round of applause for me? Thank you! Jesse Rutherford, everyone.”
Watch more of Eilish’s sixth annual Vanity Fair interview below.
Plus, Mariah Carey‘s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” sleigh rides from No. 27 to No. 5 on the Global 200; Jung Kook‘s “Dreamers (Music From the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022)” launches at No. 4 on the Global Excl. U.S. chart and No. 9 on the Global 200 – as he becomes the first member of BTS to have scored two solo top 10s on each tally; and Meghan Trainor‘s “Made You Look” lifts 16-10 on Global Excl. U.S.
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The two global charts, which began in September 2020, rank songs based on streaming and sales activity culled from more than 200 territories around the world, as compiled by Luminate. The Billboard Global 200 is inclusive of worldwide data and the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart comprises data from territories excluding the U.S.
Chart ranks are based on a weighted formula incorporating official-only streams on both subscription and ad-supported tiers of audio and video music services, as well as download sales, the latter of which reflect purchases from full-service digital music retailers from around the world, with sales from direct-to-consumer (D2C) sites excluded from the charts’ calculations.
‘Anti-Hero’ Again Atop Global 200, Carey’s ‘Christmas’ Climbs
Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero” holds for a fourth week at No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200, with 64.3 million streams (down 10%) and 17,000 downloads sold (down 13%) worldwide in the Nov. 18-24 tracking week.
Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ “Unholy” keeps at No. 2 on the Global 200, following four weeks at No. 1 beginning in October; Drake and 21 Savage’s “Rich Flex” repeats at No. 3, two weeks after it debuted at No. 1; and David Guetta and Bebe Rexha’s “I’m Good (Blue)” is steady at No. 4, after reaching No. 2.
Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” dashes 27-5 on the Global 200, with 43.9 million streams (up 56%) and 5,000 sold (up 52%) globally. The 1994 modern holiday classic topped the chart for four weeks each in the 2020 and 2021 holiday seasons.
Also in the Global 200’s top 10, Jung Kook’s “Dreamers (Music From the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022)” debuts at No. 9, with 42.7 million streams and 48,000 downloads sold worldwide from its Nov. 20 release through Nov. 24. Jung Kook helped build the song’s profile with a performance of it during the soccer tournament’s opening ceremony Nov. 20, while the song’s official video premiered Nov. 22.
Jung Kook becomes the first member of BTS to have earned two solo Global 200 top 10s, as “Dreamers” follows his featured turn on Charlie Puth’s “Left and Right,” which hit No. 5 in July. Here’s a recap of BTS members’ top 10s as soloists – SUGA, Jung Kook and Jin – on the Global 200 (where BTS has logged 10 top 10s), with all four achieved since May:
“That That,” PSY feat. SUGA, No. 5, May 2022 “Left and Right,” Charlie Puth feat. Jung Kook, No. 5, July 2022 “The Astronaut,” Jin, No. 10 (to-date), November 2022 “Dreamers (Music From the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022),” Jung Kook, No. 9 (to-date), November 2022
Smith & Petras Continue at No. 1 on Global Excl. U.S., Jung Kook Top 5, Trainor Top 10
Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ “Unholy” adds a seventh nonconsecutive week at No. 1 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart, with 52.6 million streams (down 5%) and 5,000 downloads sold (down 16%) in territories outside the U.S. Nov. 18-24.
Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero” holds at No. 2 on Global Excl. U.S., after two weeks at No. 1, and David Guetta and Bebe Rexha’s “I’m Good (Blue)” is stationary at No. 3, after hitting No. 2.
Jung Kook’s “Dreamers (Music From the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022)” soars onto the Global Excl. U.S. chart at No. 4, with 40.2 million streams and 35,000 downloads sold outside the U.S.
As on the Global 200, Jung Kook becomes the first member of BTS to have earned two solo Global Excl. U.S. top 10s, as “Dreamers” follows his featured role on Charlie Puth’s “Left and Right” (No. 2, July). Here’s a recap of BTS members’ top 10s as soloists on the Global Excl. U.S. chart (where BTS has collected 10 top 10s):
“That That,” PSY feat. SUGA, No. 2, May 2022 “Left and Right,” Charlie Puth feat. Jung Kook, No. 2, July 2022 “The Astronaut,” Jin, No. 6, November 2022 “Dreamers (Music From the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022),” Jung Kook, No. 4 (to-date), November 2022
Rounding out the Global Excl. U.S. top five, Rema and Selena Gomez’s “Calm Down” dips to No. 5 from its No. 4 high.
Plus, Meghan Trainor’s “Made You Look” leaps 16-10 on Global Excl. U.S., with 30.2 million streams (up 18%) and 5,000 sold (up 9%) outside the U.S. The song’s profile has swelled thanks to its prominence on TikTok (with the platform not presently reporting directly to Billboard‘s charts). The single is from Trainor’s fifth LP, Takin’ It Back, released in October, and marks her first top 10 since the chart began. On the Global 200, the song surges 10-6.
The Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts (dated Dec. 3, 2022) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (Nov. 29). For both charts, the top 100 titles are available to all readers on Billboard.com, while the complete 200-title rankings are visible on Billboard Pro, Billboard‘s subscription-based service. For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.
Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.
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