More stories

  • in

    Twice’s ‘With You-th’ Tops the Billboard Chart

    The act’s six-song EP “With You-th” debuts at No. 1, while Morgan Wallen celebrates a year of “One Thing at a Time” by hitting the No. 2 spot.The nine-woman K-pop group Twice leads the Billboard album chart for the first time this week with its latest mini-LP, thanks to collectible CD and vinyl sales, while Morgan Wallen marks a full year of blockbuster streaming numbers.Twice’s “With You-th,” a six-song EP, opens at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart with the equivalent of 95,000 sales in the United States. The vast majority of its consumption — 90,000 copies — was through purchases of physical copies, which included 14 collectible variations on CD and three vinyl LP versions, according to the tracking service Luminate.“With You-th” also garnered 6.3 million streams, the lowest streaming total for a No. 1 album in almost five years, since Celine Dion’s “Courage” opened with 3.9 million in 2019 — a period when sales “bundles” helped albums top the charts by including the music with purchases of concert tickets or merchandise. (After an industry uproar, Billboard tweaked its rules to rein in the practice.)Wallen’s “One Thing at a Time” rises one spot to No. 2 in its 52nd week on the chart, with the equivalent of 67,000 sales. Since it came out a year ago, Wallen’s album has remained remarkably popular, holding at No. 1 for a total of 18 weeks and never dipping below No. 6 on the all-genre album chart — and even then, only hitting that low point two times.Week after week, “One Thing” has been a streaming champion, logging a total of 8.3 billion streams since it came out. Even after a full year, each of the album’s 36 tracks is clicked an average of more than two million times on streaming services weekly — by comparison, the six songs on the brand-new Twice album had an average of a little over one million streams apiece.Also this week, “Vultures 1,” by Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) and Ty Dolla Sign falls to No. 3 after two weeks at the top, while Noah Kahan’s “Stick Season” is No. 4 and SZA’s “SOS” is in fifth place. More

  • in

    Morgan Wallen’s Latest Album Reclaims No. 1 for a 17th Time

    “One Thing at a Time,” the country star’s 2023 release, tops the Billboard chart in a slow sales week.So far in 2024, the Billboard album chart is looking a lot like 2023.For the first two weeks of the year, Taylor Swift held at No. 1 with her “1989” remake. Now, the country star Morgan Wallen returns with “One Thing at a Time,” which dominated the chart for 16 weeks last year and now logs its 17th time in the top spot.“One Thing at a Time,” which had a blockbuster opening last March and remained a steady hit for months, rose to No. 1 with the equivalent of 61,000 sales in the United States, including 80 million streams and 2,000 copies sold as a complete package, according to the tracking service Luminate.Luminate’s recent year-end report named “One Thing at a Time” the most popular album of 2023 in the United States, logging the equivalent of about 5.4 million sales, largely from streaming.With no major new releases to challenge it, “One Thing” has the lowest weekly sales number for a No. 1 album in almost two years, since Pusha T’s “It’s Almost Dry” logged 55,000 in May 2022. Swift’s total on last week’s chart was also notably low, at just 64,000 equivalent sales.Also this week, Drake’s “For All the Dogs” is No. 2, Swift’s “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” falls two spots to No. 3 and Nicki Minaj’s “Pink Friday 2” is No. 4.“Stick Season” by the Vermont pop-folkie Noah Kahan is in fifth place, that album’s highest chart position yet in the nearly year and half since its release. Kahan, who has scored streaming hits and has a major arena tour coming this year, is in contention for best new artist at the Grammys on Feb. 4. More

  • in

    Morgan Wallen Returns to No. 1 in a Slow Chart Week

    With Drake’s “For All the Dogs” and Taylor Swift’s rerecording of “1989” waiting in the wings, Wallen’s “One Thing at a Time” has its 16th time at the peak.In a relatively slow week of music sales before the arrival of blockbusters by Drake and Taylor Swift, the country star Morgan Wallen returns to the top of the Billboard album chart, notching a 16th time at No. 1 for his newest album, “One Thing at a Time.”Wallen’s album returns with the equivalent of 74,500 sales in the United States, including nearly 98 million streams, according to the tracking service Luminate.“One Thing at a Time,” stuffed with 36 tracks, has been a steady streaming hit since March; only in the last month has it dipped below 100 million streams a week, a benchmark that relatively few albums reach even in their debut week, let alone their 40th. Wallen’s 16 reps at No. 1 are the most for any album since Adele’s “21,” which logged 24 weeks at the top in 2011 and 2012.Still, Wallen’s 74,500 “equivalent album units” — a composite number that represents an album’s popularity on streaming platforms and in purchases of downloads and physical copies — is notably low. That is the least units to top the charts in almost a year and a half, since Pusha T’s “It’s Almost Dry” opened with 55,000 in April 2022.The music industry is bracing for boffo numbers from Drake, whose long-awaited “For All the Dogs” came out Friday and is already a smash online, and for Swift’s “1989 (Taylor’s Version),” which comes out Oct. 27 and is all but certain to be huge on streaming services and in sales of both CDs and vinyl LPs. (“Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour,” her concert film, is set to open on Friday and has already surpassed $100 million in worldwide advance ticket sales.)Ed Sheeran’s surprise “Autumn Variations” opens at No. 4, his second Top 10 new LP this year. His “-” (a.k.a. “Subtract”) opened at No. 2 in May, though it quickly plunged from there, falling out of the Top 20 after two weeks and the Top 100 after nine — a rare flop for Sheeran, one of the giants of pop’s streaming age.Also this week, Rod Wave’s “Nostalgia” falls to No. 2 after two weeks at the top, with Olivia Rodrigo’s “Guts” at No. 3 and Zach Bryan’s self-titled album No. 5. More

  • in

    Lil Uzi Vert and Olivia Rodrigo Oust Morgan Wallen From No. 1

    After weeks of dominance on Billboard’s album and singles charts, the country superstar was bested by the rapper’s LP “Pink Tape” and the singer-songwriter’s track “Vampire.”Olivia Rodrigo and the rapper Lil Uzi Vert have shaken up the Billboard charts after weeks of dominance by the country superstar Morgan Wallen, with Rodrigo taking the top single and Lil Uzi Vert the top album.Rodrigo’s “Vampire,” the first new single in two years from the 20-year-old singer, songwriter and actress who was catapulted to music stardom in early 2021 with “Drivers License,” opens at No. 1 on the Hot 100 chart. It had nearly 36 million streams and 26 million “airplay audience impressions,” a measurement of a song’s popularity on the radio, according to data from the tracking service Luminate.Rodrigo’s arrival bumps Wallen’s song “Last Night” to No. 2, after a total of 13 weeks at No. 1, the last 10 of them consecutive. “Vampire” is the first release from Rodrigo’s second studio album, “Guts,” due in September.On the album chart, Lil Uzi Vert scores the first rap No. 1 of the year with “Pink Tape,” a sprawling 26-track release filled with bits of rock and metal. “Pink Tape,” which Lil Uzi Vert — a 27-year-old from Philadelphia who emerged as part of the “SoundCloud rap” generation in the mid-2010s — has teased for more than two years, had the equivalent of 167,000 sales in the United States, including 210 million streams and 11,000 copies sold as a complete package.“One Thing at a Time,” Wallen’s latest album, falls to No. 2 in its 18th week of release. It has been No. 1 a total of 15 times, including the last three weeks. “Dangerous: The Double Album,” Wallen’s last LP, from 2021, is No. 5.Peso Pluma, a songwriter and performer from Mexico, holds at No. 3 for a second week with “Génesis,” the highest position ever for an album of regional Mexican music.Taylor Swift’s “Midnights” is No. 4, and Swift is favored to take over next week’s chart with her latest rerecorded album, “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version),” which was released on Friday and instantly became a major hit on streaming services. More

  • in

    Morgan Wallen Tops the Album Chart for a 15th Time

    Young Thug opens at No. 2 and Peso Pluma at No. 3 as the country superstar continues to dominate the Billboard 200.A month ago, the country superstar Morgan Wallen seemed sidelined. A vocal cord injury had benched him from his arena and stadium tour, and after a 12-week perch atop the Billboard album chart he had ceded No. 1 to Taylor Swift and the K-pop group Stray Kids.But Wallen didn’t stay down for long.He returned to the stage in late June, and “One Thing at a Time,” Wallen’s latest streaming blockbuster, came back to No. 1 after two weeks in second place, and it has stayed on top. This week, “One Thing” notches its 15th week at No. 1. Watch out, Adele, whose “21” was No. 1 for a total of 24 weeks in 2011 and 2012.In its latest week, “One Thing” had the equivalent of 110,500 sales in the United States, up slightly from the week before. That total includes 140 million streams and 4,500 copies sold as a complete package, according to the tracking service Luminate. Since its release in March, Wallen’s album has racked up the equivalent of just under three million sales, and been streamed 3.5 billion times.The list of artists whom Wallen has blocked from No. 1 — among them Metallica, Ed Sheeran, Niall Horan, Lana Del Rey and the K-pop acts Ateez, Seventeen, Agust D and Jimin — now includes Young Thug and Peso Pluma, who released new albums last week.Young Thug, the veteran Atlanta rapper, opens at No. 2 with “Business Is Business,” which had the equivalent of 89,000 sales, including 106 million streams. (He remains incarcerated in Georgia on racketeering charges in a wide-ranging RICO case.)Peso Pluma, a 24-year-old songwriter and performer from Mexico, starts at No. 3 with “Génesis,” which had the equivalent of 73,000 sales, and 101 million streams. According to Billboard, “Génesis” reached the highest-ever chart position for an album of regional Mexican music, which has lately been on a winning streak online and on tour.Also this week, Swift’s “Midnights” holds at No. 4 and Gunna’s “A Gift & a Curse” falls two spots to No. 5. Kelly Clarkson’s latest, “Chemistry,” arrives at No. 6. More

  • in

    Morgan Wallen Spends 14th Week at No. 1

    The country singer’s latest album, “One Thing at a Time,” has now notched more weeks atop the Billboard chart than any album in more than a decade.The country star Morgan Wallen is back on the road after six weeks of rest, and back once again at No. 1 on the Billboard album chart, notching his 14th nonconsecutive week on top since the release of his latest album, “One Thing at a Time,” in March.With 14 weeks at No. 1, “One Thing at a Time” separates itself from Drake’s “Views,” which totaled 13 chart-topping week in 2016, and gives Wallen the most weeks at No. 1 in more than a decade, since Adele’s “21” ended up with 24 nonconsecutive weeks in 2011 and 2012.This week, “One Thing at a Time” totaled 110,000 album equivalent units, including 139 million in streams and 4,500 in sales, dropping just 1 percent in listener activity since last week, when it returned to No. 1 after two weeks at No. 2. In the 16 weeks it has been out, Wallen’s album has not fallen under 100,000 in equivalent units, tying Bad Bunny’s “Un Verano Sin Ti” for most weeks totaling six figures in the modern counting era, according to Billboard.Wallen’s world tour in support of “One Thing at a Time” resumed last week in Chicago, following six weeks of postponement that the singer said was recommended by doctors for vocal rest. In April, Wallen had abruptly canceled a concert in Mississippi just before he was set to take the stage, angering some fans. Wallen’s tour continues through most of the year, with some rescheduled dates stretching into 2024.In what has become a chart fixture this year, a K-pop group selling collectible CDs also found success this week: Ateez’s “The World EP.2: Outlaw” is No. 2 with 106,000 units, including 101,000 in album sales. Billboard reports that of the 10 albums this year to sell more than 100,000 copies as a complete album, seven have been by K-pop acts offering various CD versions.The rest of the Top 5 includes Gunna’s first album since being released from jail, “A Gift & a Curse,” which totaled 85,000 units at No. 3; Taylor Swift’s “Midnights” at No. 4 with 60,000 units; and SZA’s “SOS,” up to No. 5 from No. 8 with 48,000 units. Wallen’s previous album, “Dangerous: The Double Album,” which spent 10 weeks at No. 1 in 2021, is No. 6. More

  • in

    Morgan Wallen’s ‘One Thing’ Returns to No. 1 for the 13th Time

    The country singer’s latest album has topped the Billboard chart for more than half the year.Nearly halfway through the year, Morgan Wallen has spent most of it on top.For the 13th time out of the 25 chart weeks so far in 2023, the country singer’s blockbuster album “One Thing at a Time” sits at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, returning to the highest perch after two weeks at No. 2. “One Thing at a Time” had spent the previous 12 consecutive weeks at No. 1 following its release in March, before being temporarily topped by a new edition of Taylor Swift’s “Midnights” and a CD barrage from the K-pop group Stray Kids.Wallen’s album totaled 112,000 equivalent units in its 15th week of release, including 141 million digital streams and 4,500 in album sales. Its 13 weeks at No. 1 matches dominant albums from the last decade by Bad Bunny (“Un Verano Sin Ti,” 2022), Drake (“Views,” 2016) and the soundtrack for “Frozen” (2014). Adele’s “21” was the last album with more than 13 weeks at No. 1 in 2011 and 2012, Billboard reports.In part because of Wallen’s dominance, this year marks the first time since 1993 that no rap album or single has topped the Billboard charts by this point in the calendar. “A Gift and a Curse,” the new album by the Atlanta rapper Gunna — his first since being released from jail after pleading out of the RICO case that also includes his mentor, Young Thug — will debut on the album chart next week.Rounding out the Top 5 this week are albums by the former One Direction singer Niall Horan, whose “The Show” starts at No. 2 with 81,000 units; a deluxe reissue of “Stick Season” by the pop singer-songwriter Noah Kahan, which totaled 71,000 units at No. 3; Swift’s “Midnights,” at No. 4 with 69,000 units; and the producer Metro Boomin’s “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” soundtrack, at No. 5 with 54,000 units. “5-Star” by Stray Kids, last week’s No. 1, falls to No. 6. More

  • in

    Taylor Swift Halts Morgan Wallen’s Run at No. 1

    After 12 straight weeks at the top, the country star’s “One Thing at a Time” yields to Swift’s “Midnights,” which was reissued in expanded editions.For 12 weeks, nothing could stop Morgan Wallen’s domination of the Billboard chart with his latest album, “One Thing at a Time.” Not Metallica. Not Ed Sheeran. Not the Jonas Brothers or solo projects from two members of BTS.Then came deluxe reissues of “Midnights,” Taylor Swift’s seven-month-old LP.With two expanded editions featuring bonus tracks, “Midnights” returns to No. 1, notching its sixth time at the top. One of the new versions, called “The Late Night Edition,” was primarily sold as a CD at Swift’s current stadium tour, though for 24 hours it was also available as a download from the singer’s website. Counting all variations, “Midnights” logged the equivalent of 282,000 sales in the United States last week, including 196,000 copies sold as complete packages and 108 million streams, according to the tracking service Luminate.“Midnights” has been a steady hit since it came out last October. In its 32 weeks on the chart, it has never left the Top 10, and in all but three of those weeks it was in the Top 5. In the United States, “Midnights” has had the equivalent of nearly five million sales and been streamed 3.2 billion times.Lately, as Swift’s Eras Tour has become a cultural juggernaut, her wider catalog has also dotted the upper ranks of the album chart. Last week, Swift had nine titles in the Top 40. (“Lover,” from 2019, is No. 6 this week.) Swift also announced recently that a rerecorded version of her 2010 album “Speak Now” — featuring the hits “Mine,” “Back to December” and “Mean” — will come out in July.The return of “Midnights” bumps Wallen’s “One Thing at a Time” to No. 2. Its 12-week consecutive run at the top was historic, falling just one week short of tying a record set by Stevie Wonder in 1977 among albums that open at No. 1 and hold there. Wallen’s last release, “Dangerous: The Double Album,” is No. 5 this week, its 122nd appearance in the Top 10.Also this week, “Almost Healed,” the new album by the Chicago rapper Lil Durk — featuring guest appearances by Alicia Keys, 21 Savage and Wallen — starts at No. 3 with the equivalent of 125,000 sales, including 168 million streams and 2,000 copies sold as a complete package. SZA’s “SOS” is No. 4. More