Month: April 2023

Miracles do happen.

After several weeks staring at the U.K. chart summit, Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding’s “Miracle” (Columbia) lifts into top spot on the chart blast.

“Miracle” leaps over Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” (Columbia), which holds at No. 2, and Ed Sheeran’s “Eyes Closed” (Atlantic), down 1-3, to take top spot on the Official Chart Update.

It’s tight at the top. According to the Official Charts Company, just 2,000 chart units separate the top three at the midweek stage.

In its three weeks on the chart, “Miracle” has never gone higher than No. 2, thanks to the 10-week unbroken reign by “Flowers,” which came to an end last Friday (March 31).

If it does capture the crown when the Official Chart is published late Friday (April 7), “Miracle” would give Harris his 11th No. 1, and first since “Promises” with Sam Smith in 2018; and Goulding her fourth U.K. chart leader. As a pair, Harris and Goulding previously landed hits with 2012’s “I Need Your Love” (peaking at No. 4) and 2014’s “Outside” (No. 6).

“Miracle,” a throwback rave tune, enjoys a lift following the release of an official music video, and a new “Church Version” featuring Goulding’s vocals recorded in St. Bartholomew The Great, London’s oldest surviving church.

Further down the midweek list, Jisoo is on track to become the first member of BlackPink to land a solo U.K. top 40 hit with “Flower” (Interscope). It’s new at No. 29 on the chart blast. With “Flower” and its ME two-pack, Jisoo became the last of her bandmates, after Rosé, Jennie and Lisa, to release a solo project.

Finally, Tyler, The Creator could nab a fourth top 40 with “Dogtooth” (Columbia). It’s new at No. 37 on the Chart Update.

Boygenius is bouncing to No. 1 on the U.K. chart with The Record (via Interscope), the indie supergroup’s debut LP.

Formed by Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus, Boygenius leads an all-new top three on the Official Chart Update, the U.K.’s midweek tally.

If it holds its spot, The Record would give Bridgers her highest-charting U.K. LP, beating the No. 6 best for her 2020 record Punisher. Boygenius’ eponymously titled EP from 2018 didn’t trouble the Official U.K. Albums Chart.

Meanwhile, Melanie Martinez is on track for a career-best No. 2 with Portals (Atlantic), her third studio release. The U.S. alternative-pop act already has one U.K. top 10 to her name: 2019’s K-12, which peaked at No. 8.

Completing the podium on the Official Chart Update is Australian indie-rock trio DMA’S, with How Many Dreams? (I Oh You/Mushroom Group). Showcasing a reimagined Britpop sound and swagger, DMA’S — comprising Tommy O’Dell, Matt Mason and Johnny Took — last cracked the top 10 with 2020’s The Glow, which peaked at No. 4.

Following a reissue across vinyl, CD and cassette formats, De La Soul’s 1989 debut 3 Feet High and Rising (Chrysalis) could return to the top 10, for a brand new peak. The set, which reenters at No. 4 on the chart update, recently rebounded to a current best No. 12 following the long-overdue rollout of the hip-hop pioneers’ catalog on streaming platforms.

Also new to the top 10 at the midweek stage is The Who With Orchestra – Live at Wembley (Universal Music Recordings), a live recording from the British rock legends’ only U.K. date of their 2019 Moving On Tour. If it stays put, Live at Wembley, recorded with the 57-piece Isobel Griffiths Orchestra, will give Roger Daltrey and Co. their 16th U.K. top 10 album.

Finally, Nigerian singer and songwriter Davido is eyeing a career-best peak with his fourth studio album, Timeless (via Ceremony of Roses). It’s new at No. 8 on the chart blast.

All will be revealed when the Official U.K. Albums Chart is published late Friday (April 7).

Leave it to Saweetie and will.i.am to tear up the That’s My Jam stage. The duo teamed up on Tuesday night’s (April 4) episode to play Mega Mix Showdown, in which the players trade off lyrics to songs under a single category.

As if by fate, the category chosen was throwback rap, and the hip-hop superstars stepped up to the plate and performed partial covers of classics like Ice Cube’s “It Was a Good Day,” Outkast’s “Ms. Jackson,” DMX’s “Party Up (Up in Here),” The Notorious B.I.G.’s “Hypnotize,” TLC’s “No Scrubs” and many more.

Their performance was met by a standing ovation from the audience, plus fellow contestants Keke Palmer and Joel McHale, as Fallon ran over to the duo and declared, “That’s how you do it!”

Season two of NBC’s popular variety show premiered in early March. The show, hosted and executive produced by Jimmy Fallon, features challenges inspired by popular Tonight Show segments. In each episode, two teams of two celebrities compete for a charity of their choice in a series of music, dance and trivia-based games and musical performances.

Watch Saweetie and will.i.am’s Mega Mix Showdown below, and catch the full episode of That’s My Jam on Tuesday (April 4) at 10 p.m. ET/PT, before it becomes available to stream next day on Peacock, which you can sign up for here. You can also catch the entire first season and previous episodes on Peacock.

Even though he just co-headlined Dreamville Festival with J. Cole over the weekend, Drake‘s made a lot of headlines over a song he didn’t perform but might be releasing soon.

On Friday, the superstar rapper previewed a new track titled “Rescue Me” during an episode of Sound 42’s The Fry Yiy Show on SiriusXM Radio. The song samples Kim Kardashian discussing her divorce with Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) during the series finale of E!’s Keeping Up With the Kardashians. “I didn’t come this far, just to come this far and not be happy. Remember that,” she tells her mother Kris Jenner in the audio.

Last week, producer BNYX shared a clip from Drake’s Instagram Story of “Rescue Me” playing from a DJ controller. “I remember when I used to add the Drake acapellas to my beats to see if they was hard. Now look,” he wrote.

Taunting Ye is a classic move in Drizzy’s playbook, considering both rappers’ historic beef. In August 2021, Drake reignited their feud by dissing Ye in his verse off Trippie Redd‘s “Betrayal.” The Donda rapper then leaked the OVO boss’ home address on social media, and the Certified Lover Boy MC retaliated by taking shots at him on his song “7am on Bridle Path” and later leaking the then-unreleased “Life of the Party” collaboration between Ye and André 3000 on SiriusXM, before the track eventually found itself on the track list for the deluxe version of Donda. The two seemed to have squashed their beef by the end of year, when they came together to perform at the “Free Larry Hoover” benefit concert at Los Angeles’ Coliseum, which was organized by J. Prince.

During the concert, Ye pleaded with his ex-wife Kardashian to “run right back to me” while performing his “Runaway” magnum opus from his 2010 album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Their divorce was finalized on Nov. 29, 2022, and less than two months later, he reportedly remarried to Yeezy’s head of architecture, Bianca Censori.