Month: August 2023
Adele will stop singing to stand up for her fans.
The superstar paused her Las Vegas concert in the middle of performing “Water Under the Bridge” Saturday night (Aug. 26) to question what was happening in the crowd at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace.
“What is going on there with that young fan who’s been bothered so much since I came on for standing up?” she called out to the Weekends With Adele audience, as seen in fan footage from the show. “What’s going on with him? Yes, you, with your hand up, yes you!”
“Why are you all bothering him?” she asked. “Can you leave him alone, please? They won’t bother you anymore, darling. You enjoy the show. Leave him alone.”
She then addressed the rest of her fans in attendance, saying, “Sorry, guys. He’s been bothered the whole show by security and other people sitting behind him. He’s here to have fun. All of you are here to have fun.”
“Let’s start again,” Adele announced, and the band started from the top of “Water Under the Bridge.”
Taylor Swift also came to a fan’s defense in the middle of a performance on her current tour. At her May 13 Eras Tour stop in Philadelphia, Swift interrupted her performance of “Bad Blood” to shout “She’s fine!” and “She wasn’t doing anything!” between song lyrics. “Hey! Stop!” she yelled out to a reportedly aggressive security guard, before continuing on with the song.
Watch Adele’s moment in Vegas below.
Miley Cyrus‘ latest song “Used to Be Young” has topped this week’s new music poll.
Music fans voted in a poll published Friday (Aug. 25) on Billboard, choosing the 30-year-old superstar singer’s reflective single as their favorite new music release of the past week.
“Used to Be Young” brought in nearly 42% of the vote, beating out new music by Selena Gomez (“Single Soon”), BLACKPINK (“The Girls”), Ariana Grande (Yours Truly 10th Anniversary Deluxe Edition), Zach Bryan (Zach Bryan), and others.
The past decade of Cyrus’ life has been filled with highs, lows and criticisms — all for public consumption. Such is the subject of her latest ballad, “Used to Be Young.” The vulnerable track sees the Disney Channel alum reflecting on her headline-worthy past, while allowing herself much needed forgiveness to move on to the next phase of her life.
“You tell me time has done changed me / That’s fine, I had a good run,” she admits, tapping into the pop balladry that she’s utilized her entire career, from “The Climb” to “Wrecking Ball” to “Flowers.”
Cyrus gave some insight into writing the song in an Instagram post revealing the lyrics, writing, “I have spent the last 18 months painting a sonic picture of my perspective to share with you. The time has arrived to release a song that I could perfect forever. Although my work is done, this song will continue to write itself everyday. The fact it remains unfinished is a part of its beauty. That is my life at this moment … unfinished yet complete.”
“Used To Be Young” marks the singer’s first piece of new music since the release of her eighth album, Endless Summer Vacation, which debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 in March, and arrived alongside its own Backyard Sessions via Disney+.
Trailing behind “Used to Be Young” on the poll is Gomez’s new track “Single Soon,” which brought in 33% of the vote. The Rare Beauty founder shows off her fun and flirty side on the song, as she muses on the many ways to break up with her lover — notes, phone calls and ghosting are all options — so she can be carefree, untethered and most importantly, unbothered.
See the final results of this week’s new music release poll below.
P!nk is honoring her loving father on the second anniversary of his death.
The 43-year-old pop veteran took to social media on Saturday (Aug. 26) to share some heartfelt words about her late dad, Jim Moore, who she lost to cancer in August 2021. He was 75.
“I miss you, Dad. The kids do too. Sometimes I hate how time flies,” P!nk, whose real name is Alecia Moore, captioned a video on Instagram. “Sometimes I hate how we have to be funny in order to avoid the hurt. Today it isn’t funny. Today it just hurts. I’m glad you don’t anymore though. You don’t hurt.”
The brief clip shows P!nk’s jovial father playing in a restaurant alongside what looks to be the singer’s 6-year-old son, Jameson Moon Hart, when he was a toddler.
She continued in her post, “I hope they still call you twinkle toes and that you’re still getting out of line. I hope you’re singing along. I hope you’re making everyone laugh. I hope you feel this love … gone but not forgotten, Daddy Sir.”
P!nk — who also shares a 12-year-old daughter, Willow, with husband, former motorcross star Carey Hart Carey Hart — revealed two years ago that her dad passed away following a battle with prostate cancer.
Earlier this year, P!nk paid tribute to her father in a sentimental post on Valentine’s Day that included a snippet from her latest album, Trustfall.
“Sometimes love leaves us too soon. On Valentine’s Day — I cherish the love I have that I can touch — and the love I have in my heart for those who have gone on to the next adventure,” she wrote alongside a 30-second video preview of the song “When I Get There.”
“This one’s for you, Daddy Sir,” she added, using her affectionate nickname for the Vietnam veteran, who provided voiceover for the clip. “I thought it would be nice if you had some memories of how it all began and where you all came from,” Moore said over images of P!nk hugging her dad, as well as a montage of school pictures of the singer from childhood through her teen years and film of her parent’s wedding.
“It’ll always be so important to all of us,” Moore said before revealing footage of the singer on her first birthday as the song’s majestic piano bed swells up. “I think of you when I think about forever,” P!nk sings amid a montage of video of her and her dad together. “I hear a joke, and I know you would’a told it better/ I think of you out of the blue.”
See P!nk’s tribute to her late dad on the second anniversary of his death below.
Travis Scott’s Utopia makes it a month at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart (dated Sept. 2), as the set spends a fourth total and consecutive week in the lead. The effort earned 161,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in the week ending Aug. 24 (down 13%), according to Luminate. Utopia surpasses Astroworld as Scott’s album with the most weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
Utopia is also the first rap album to spend its first four weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in five years, since Drake’s Scorpion logged all five of its weeks at No. 1, from its debut frame (July 14-Aug. 11, 2018). The last rap set with four weeks at No. 1, in total, was Drake’s Certified Lover Boy, which tallied five nonconsecutive frames at No. 1 between Sept. 18 and Nov. 6, 2021.
Also in the top 10 of the new Billboard 200, Hozier scores his third top 10-charting album as Unreal Unearth launches at No. 3, while J-Hope’s year-old Jack in the Box album reaches the top 10 for the first time, as it re-enters the list at No. 6 following its expanded reissue and debut on CD in multiple collectible iterations.
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. 2, 2023-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on Aug. 29. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.
Of Utopia’s 161,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending Aug. 24, album sales comprise 92,000 (down 7%), SEA units comprise 69,000 (down 20%, equaling 92.07 million on-demand official streams of the streaming set’s 19 songs) and TEA units comprise a negligible sum (down 19%). For a second week in a row, the album’s sales profit from a promotional offer in Scott’s official webstore, which deep-discounted the Utopia vinyl LP (available in multiple variants) from $50 to only $5 for a limited time. Of Utopia’s 92,000 sales for the week, vinyl accounted for 89,000.
Morgan Wallen’s chart-topping One Thing at a Time is a non-mover at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 with 91,000 equivalent album units earned (down 4%).
Hozier captures his third top 10-charting set — all of which have reached the top five — as Unreal Unearth debuts at No. 3. The album bows with 62,000 equivalent album units earned. Of that sum, album sales comprise 39,000, SEA units comprise 23,000 (equaling 29.58 million on-demand official streams of the set’s 16 songs) and TEA units comprise a negligible sum. The album was preceded by the hit single “Eat Your Young,” which marked Hozier’s third No. 1 on Billboard’s Adult Alternative Airplay chart (May 20-dated list).
Unreal Unearth’s first-week album sales were bolstered by vinyl sales, which accounted for 60% of its opening-week sales figure (23,000 of 39,000). The album was released in five different vinyl iterations, including exclusive color variants for Amazon, independent record stores and Hozier’s official webstore.
The Barbie soundtrack is steady at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 with 55,000 equivalent album units (down 15%), while Taylor Swift’s former leader Midnights climbs one spot to No. 5 with 53,000 units (down 8%).
J-Hope’s year-old Jack in the Box album bounces back onto the list for its first week in the top 10 (and second week on the chart), as it re-enters at No. 6 with 50,000 equivalent album units earned (up 5,107%). The album was originally released on July 15, 2022, and debuted and first peaked at No. 17 on the July 30, 2022, chart. It was reissued with additional bonus tracks on — and on CD for the first time — on Aug. 19, 2023. The set initially was released only as a digital download album and through streaming services.
Of the set’s 50,000 units earned in the week ending Aug. 24, album sales comprise 47,000 (up 13,238%), SEA units comprise 2,000 (up 250%, equaling 2.99 million on-demand official streams of the set’s tracks) and TEA units comprise 1,000 (up 44,125%). The CD edition of the album was available in four collectible editions, including exclusive versions for Target and Walmart, all containing assorted branded merchandise (some of which was randomized).
J-Hope is the third member of BTS to score a top 10-charting album on the Billboard 200, following his bandmates RM and Jimin. RM reached the top 10 in 2022 with Indigo (peaking at No. 3) and Jimin reached No. 2 with Face earlier this year. BTS itself has logged seven top 10s, with six reaching No. 1.
Two more chart-topping Swift sets follow J-Hope, as Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) falls 5-7 (48,000 equivalent album units earned; down 21%) and Lover dips 7-8 (46,000; down 14%). Peso Pluma’s Génesis descends 8-9 (nearly 45,000; down 4%) and Wallen’s former No. 1 Dangerous: The Double Album is steady at No. 10 (43,000; down 3%).
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.
Ariana Grande is continuing her week-long celebration of the 10th anniversary edition of her debut album, Yours Truly, with a brand new live performance.
On Sunday (Aug. 27), the 30-year-old pop star and actress released a newly recorded live version of “Baby I,” filmed alongside a full band and mini orchestra in London. The new clip follows similar live recordings of Yours Truly core tracks “Honeymoon Avenue” and “Daydreamin’.”
Released as the second single from her debut album, “Baby I” debuted at No. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in August 2013. It followed the top 10 track “The Way,” featuring Mac Miller.
At the time of its release, Grande told Billboard that she wanted the “Baby I” video to recall the breeziness of early ’90s music videos from TLC and Will Smith. The “Baby I” clip does just that, showing the singer sporting some choreographed moves, belting in front of graffitied walls and even wearing white overalls. There’s also a house party with giant Crayola crayons.
More Yours Truly live performance videos are on their way, with “Tattooed Heart” and “Right There” arriving on Tuesday (Aug. 29) and “The Way” on Wednesday (Aug. 30). Grande also answered fan questions in a Q&A video on TikTok over the weekend.
The audio tracks for all six of the live performances have already been released as part of the Yours Truly anniversary edition, which dropped Friday (Aug. 25). Grande also uploaded all the tracks to YouTube, after which fans quickly noticed a subtle tribute to Miller, her “The Way” collaborator and late ex-boyfriend.
Released Aug. 30, 2013, through Republic Records, Yours Truly served as the world’s proper introduction to the pint-sized star with major pipes who, up until then, had only been familiar to tweens as the star of Nickelodeon’s Victorious, its spinoff Sam & Cat and Broadway’s 13.
Watch Grande’s “Live From London” performance of “Baby I” below.