Categoría: Billboard

Conan Gray’s latest studio album, Wishbone, bows at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart, marking his first leader there. Simultaneously, the collection arrives at No. 3 on the overall Billboard 200, granting the singer-songwriter his highest-charting project yet on the latter list. Both tallies, dated Aug. 30, will be posted in full to Billboard’s website on Tuesday (Aug. 26). Explore See latest videos, charts and news Also in the top 10 of the Top Album Sales chart, Billie Eilish, Niall Horan, Maroon 5, Chevelle, Chance The Rapper and Selena all make waves. Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart ranks the top-selling albums of the week based only on traditional album sales. The chart’s history dates back to May 25, 1991, the first week Billboard began tabulating charts with electronically monitored piece count information from SoundScan, now Luminate. Pure album sales were the sole measurement utilized by the Billboard 200 albums chart through the list dated Dec. 6, 2014, after which that chart switched to a methodology that blends album sales with track equivalent album (TEA) units and streaming equivalent album (SEA) units. Wishbone sold 53,000 copies in its first week (Gray’s best sales week ever) with physical purchases comprising nearly all of its sales. Vinyl sales accounted for just over 30,000 sold — Gray’s best week ever on vinyl. Wishbone also bows at No. 1 on the Vinyl Albums chart, marking his second leader. The set’s opening-week sales were bolstered by its availability across seven CD variants (including signed editions) and seven vinyl editions (some signed). On the Billboard 200, Gray has charted five entries overall, with three of them reaching the top 10 (Kid Crow in 2020, No. 5; Superache in 2022, No. 9 and Wishbone in 2025, No. 3). On the Top Album Sales chart, he’s also notched five entries, with four hitting the top 10 (Kid Crow, No. 2; Superache, No. 22; Found Heaven in 2024 at No. 2 and Wishbone, No. 1). Elsewhere on the latest Top Album Sales chart, Billie Eilish’s HIT ME HARD AND SOFT surges 44-2 with 18,000 copies sold (up 988%), following the release of a one-year anniversary vinyl variant. Vinyl purchases made up nearly all of its sales for the week. (The 18,000 figure is the total sales of all the versions of the album, old and new, combined.) The anniversary edition of the vinyl was pressed on bio-vinyl dark blue and orange splatter with its cover printed on silver mirror foil board and contains a poster. Another anniversary helps Niall Horan’s chart-topping Heartbreak Weather reenter the chart at No. 3, as a suite of five-year anniversary products help push the album back onto the ranking. Collectively, all the versions of the album, old and new, sold 12,000 copies in the tracking week (up from a negligible sum the previous week). Heartbreak Weather was reissued for its fifth anniversary in two new vinyl variants (an opaque baby blue color variant with new cover art, and a deluxe double-LP set pressed on sea-blue and white splatter vinyl with expanded packaging and nine bonus tracks), a CD variant (with new cover artwork and eight bonus tracks) and a digital download (with eight bonus tracks). Maroon 5 collects its eighth top 10 on the Top Album Sales chart as its latest release, Love Is Like, arrives at No. 4 with nearly 11,000 copies sold. TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s chart-topping The Star Chapter : TOGETHER climbs 7-5 (8,000, down 18%) and Chevelle nabs its sixth top 10 with the No. 6 debut of Bright as Blasphemy (nearly 7,000). Chance The Rapper’s new studio effort Star Line starts at No. 7 with nearly 7,000 sold, scoring the third top 10 for the artist. Selena’s former No. 1 Dreaming of You reenters the chart at No. 8 with 6,000 sold (up from a negligible sum in the week previous) after a number of 30th anniversary reissue products were released. Dreaming of You was remastered for its 30th anniversary, and reissued across four vinyl variants, a CD and a digital download. The KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack climbs 15-9 on Top Album Sales with its best sales week yet (nearly 5,500 — up 3%). The album has only been available to purchase as a digital download, but will see the impact of its release on CD (on Aug. 22) in the tracking week ending Aug. 28 (as reflected on the Sept. 6-dated Top Album Sales chart). Closing out the top 10 of the latest Top Album Sales chart is TWICE’s THIS IS FOR, which is steady at No. 10 with 5,000 sold (down 22%). Source link

Saturday Night Live boss Lorne Michaels famously runs a tight ship. He doesn’t like it when the cast cracks up during sketches and he expects the show’s musical acts to stick to the script and play the songs they’ve rehearsed for that week’s show. Explore See latest videos, charts and news So, when Sinead O’Connor veered way off during her moving a cappella October 3, 1992 performance of Bob Marley’s “War” on SNL — which she ended by ripping up a picture of then Pope John Paul II and saying “Fight the real enemy” — the singer was reportedly blanket-banned from the NBC network and would never again appear on SNL; O’Connor died of natural causes in July 2023 at age 56. In a rare interview, Michaels was asked by Puck if he had to think twice about bringing attention to one of the show’s most controversial moments by having Miley Cyrus and Brittany Howard cover O’Connor’s most famous hit: her take on the Prince-penned “Nothing Compares 2 U.” The pair took on the ballad in February during the SNL50: The Anniversary Special celebration and Michaels said it was a no-brainer. “No,” he said when asked about whether he had any worries about revisiting that controversial moment. “If [O’Connor] were still alive, I would have asked her to sing that song. But it was represented by Miley singing it with so much power.” The famously stoic Michaels said he “teared up a couple times” during the emotional half-century celebrations earlier this years, saying he wasn’t weeping, per se, but that “a lot of other people were,” especially when Paul McCartney closed the show with the Beatles’ “Carry That Weight.” Flashing back to the show opener with Paul Simon and Sabrina Carpenter dueting on “Homeward Bound,” Michaels said that even after 50 years of SNL, he was nervous about whether the first gen-now gen collaboration would work. “Earlier anniversary shows, we just did the one show, but I thought a year ago that we could do that [concert the Friday night before at Radio City Music Hall],” he said. “I spoke to Paul Simon about it, and then he got a call from Sabrina Carpenter, who wanted him to do a song with her on her special. And he said, ‘I don’t think I want to do that. Would you take that to Radio City?’ So [the opening] started back then, it was in my head. And then it migrated.” He knew for sure, however, that he wanted to close with McCartney. “For lots of reasons. The emotion,” Michaels said. “Once he was there, I toyed with him opening, but there was something to closing with ‘Golden Slumbers’ that felt powerful to me. And Paul [Simon] and Sabrina were gonna do ‘Homeward Bound,’ which worked perfectly. It resonated with the audience that was there because for a lot of them, [SNL] was a home for five to 10 years. [The pairing] let the audience know what the show is. It’s now and it’s then.” As for whether he was holding out for Taylor Swift — who has been on the show six times, including a cameo on the 40th anniversary special — to participate if she’d wanted to, Michaels said that was never in the cards. “She and Travis [Kelce] came to Pete Davidson’s show, the first show of the season before, and I talked to her about it then,” he said. “But I knew that her [Eras] tour was mammoth. And I thought, ‘If she can come, she’ll come, and if she can’t, she can’t.’” SNL will return to the air for its 51st season on Oct. 4. Source link

Back in 2018, Travis Scott made his Reading Festival debut and it felt like a headline performance in its own right. Now, seven years on, he returned to the iconic U.K. festival to officially close out Sunday night (Aug. 24) as the main stage headliner. When Scott last appeared at Reading, his rising stardom was at an all-time high, just weeks on from the release of the critically-acclaimed Astroworld. Playing a Friday night sub-headliner slot on the Main Stage, he delivered a jubilant, amped-up performance, drawing what was arguably the largest crowd of the festival that year, overshadowing even the likes of Post Malone and headliners Fall Out Boy. Fast-forward to 2025, and Travis Scott’s popularity remains undeniable. His fourth studio LP, Utopia, became his first UK No. 1 album in 2023, and his recent project, Jackboys 2, reached the same spot in the U.S. this past July. Scott’s performance was a European festival exclusive, and much of the day’s crowd seemed to be there solely for him, with many repping his limited-edition FC Barcelona shirt, which felt like the unofficial uniform of the night. There might have been some lingering questions following his mixed reception at Reading’s sister festival Leeds on Friday – where reports suggested he ended his set 30 minutes early – but those doubts were quickly put to rest. With his Reading slot trimmed to a sharp one-hour set, Scott powered through a rapidfire, 25-song run spanning Rodeo, Astroworld, Utopia and more. To those unfamiliar, Reading Festival’s final day carries its own kind of lore. Once infamously marked by tent-burning antics (a ritual that’s now, thankfully, more rare), Sunday at Reading has always been known to get rowdy. Scott clearly understood the assignment – this one was, in his own words, for “the ragers.” Here are the seven of the best moments from his set. An Electrifying Entrance After his set in Leeds on Friday night, Scott took to social platform X to ask fans for footage of the crowd during his first two tracks, describing the reaction as “mad wild.” Watching his Reading Festival intro, it’s easy to see why. Just like at Leeds, the crowd erupted as Scott launched into the frenetic and sprawling “CHAMPAIN & VACAY” from his Jackboys 2 project, before seamlessly transitioning into his recent single “DUMBO,” set against a dazzling backdrop of fireworks and pyrotechnics. Chances are, he’ll want a video of this one as well. Circus Maximus Heads to Reading Travis Scott’s Circus Maximus tour, which began in late 2023, has been his most ambitious yet. It kicked off with a grand performance at the actual Circus Maximus – Rome’s ancient chariot-racing arena – and the tour has kept up that same sense of epic scale since. Just look at Scott’s current stage setup: towering carved heads, massive stone boulders and rising platforms (think The Flintstones meets The Jetsons). While things were scaled back from the grand set-up that we saw during Travis Scott’s London show last year – likely due to festival production limitations – Scott still delivered a slice of his dystopian, slightly prehistoric-themed spectacle. Flanked by large boulders and a fire pit, he loomed over the crowd for much of the show. As ever, Scott’s stagecraft leans toward the cinematic. Welcome to Utopia While Scott’s set pulled from right across his back catalogue, it leaned heavily on tracks from his latest solo album, Utopia. As the rapper himself shouted at one point during the set: “Utoooopiiiaaaa!” – and the choice cuts from the record didn’t disappoint. “TOPIA TWINS” sparked a raucous NSFW singalong, while “I KNOW ?” was sleek and infectious. Perhaps the standout moment, though, was Scott’s poignant rendition of his Bon Iver and Sampha collaboration “MY EYES,” a smooth, autotuned ballad that saw him channelling a Frank Ocean-esque flow and displaying a rare sense of vulnerability. It was a lush, emotive performance and offered a welcome pause from Scott’s otherwise high-octane set. “FE!N” is a Phenomenon You can usually tell which track is primed to go off in a live setting. For Travis Scott, that song had long been “SICKO MODE,” the moment Drake’s vocals hit and the beat began to gear up, full energy from the crowd inevitably followed. But judging by his Reading Festival performance, Utopia standout “FE!N” might have just overtaken it. The Playboi Carti collab sparked the most visceral crowd reaction of the night, a full-blown moment of delirium that undoubtedly left vocal cords strained. It’s no surprise, really – the track was built for moments like this. Sadly though, unlike at Scott’s Rolling Loud set last year, there was no Owen Wilson cameo this time around. Astroworld Remains a High-Mark Highlights from 2018’s Astroworld shone brightly at Reading Festival. Sure, even if ‘FE!N’ ultimately stole the show, there’s still no track in Travis Scott’s catalogue that rivals “SICKO MODE” as an all-round hit. The beat switches, the flow changes, the strung-out psychedelic atmosphere – it has it all. Meanwhile, the woozy, synth-laced “BUTTERFLY EFFECT,” the explosive, bass-heavy “NO BYSTANDERS” and the hypnotic “STARGAZING” all served as reminders of why Astroworld remains the album to beat in Scott’s discography. He Isn’t Here to Pick Sides Earlier this summer, ahead of the new Clipse record, Pusha T had some pointed words to say about Travis Scott, seemingly unimpressed by Scott’s alleged lack of loyalty to his rap peers. But Scott doesn’t appear fazed one bit. At Reading Festival, he made it clear he’s not in the business of picking sides. It was interesting that his setlist included a Drake collab (“SICKO MODE”), a Kendrick collab (“goosebumps”), as well as “Type Shit,” his track with Future and Metro Boomin from We Don’t Trust You – the album that sparked the entire Kendrick vs. Drake drama. As if that wasn’t enough, he also performed songs he has with both Kanye West and Playboi Carti (“Praise God” and “BACKR00MS”) –  two more artists recently caught up in their own feud. All of which

The annual London festival came to a close with an emotional day full of the past, present and future of the U.K. indie scene. 8/25/2025 Phil Sharp Indie-rockers The Maccabees called it quits at an inopportune moment. The indie band – made up of Orlando Weeks (vocals), Hugo and Felix White (guitars), Rupert Jarvis (bass) and Sam Doyle (drums) – split in 2017 following the release of their sole U.K. No. 1 record, 2015’s Marks to Prove It. The band split on good terms, rather feeling that it was time to pursue something new. Total bummer. But where they waved goodbye with an emotional U.K. farewell tour, other bands from that time stuck it out and met new audiences on streamers and festivals: The Kooks, The Wombats and Bloc Party have spent the past decade growing their audiences and hitting commercial highs. Felix White has spoken of seeing these bands and his contemporaries headline festivals like Reading & Leeds and All Points East and wondering… what if? After a run of solo projects, in late 2024 the group seized the moment for a return and announced a comeback at All Points East, held in east London’s Victoria Park. No new music, just giving their devoted fans the good times all over again. An all-star support bill was amassed with Bombay Bicycle Club, CMAT, The Cribs and more giving Sunday’s bill (Aug. 24) the feel of a gleeful school reunion after years different adventures. After spots at APE for dance (Barry Can’t Swim, Chase & Status) and pop (Raye), the festival gave indieheads a day out to remember and wrap up this summer’s festival run. These were the best moments from The Maccabees emotional return concert at All Points East. A New Wave Soar All Points East’s lineup blended the past, present and future of British indie music, with the latter putting on a strong showing for the current scene. Brigitte Calls Me Baby, Westside Cowboy, Man/Woman/Chainsaw drew strong crowds for their mid-afternoon sets, particularly up against more-recognized names. Divorce, the Nottingham alt-country group who released their debut album Drive to Goldenhammer earlier this year, brought lively enthusiasm in their mid-afternoon set. “Hangman,” a song about devotion and care, is something of an anthem already. Everything Everything’s Prescient Predictions Manchester group Everything Everything have always pushed themselves – and their audiences – to never rely on past glories: 2022’s Raw Data Feel enlisted artificial intelligence as a writing tool; 2024’s follow-up Mountainhead removed the excess and plug-ins for something visceral. 2015 LP Get to Heaven, however, is where they found the balance between the avant-garde and the mainstream. “Distant Past” thrummed with house energy, and the steady build of “No Reptiles” speaks on the alienation of watching a country tear itself to shreds amidst misinformation campaigns and conspiracy theories. Sound familiar? Exit Planet Dust The Wakefield-born trio – brothers Gary, Ryan and Ross Jarman – are one of the most well-established bands on Sunday’s lineup. That said, their punky energy still feels raw and visceral, despite being decades down the line from LPs The Cribs (2004) and The New Fellas (2005), a double-whammy dose of personality and fun. 2007 cult hit “Be Safe,” an esoteric reflection on modern living narrated by Sonic Youth’s Lee Ranaldo, sparked mass singalong and the first of many crowd actions to send waves of dust up from Victoria Park’s barren ground to hang in the air. CMAT Sees Out Her Huge Summer The Irish singer-songwriter’s summer has been sensational. Following the announcement of her third album Euro-Country (due Aug. 29) CMAT – real name Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson – has toured heavily at a slate of European festivals for the past three months, including a rapturously-received Glastonbury set. Now on the eve of her album’s release, the crowds are bigger and firmly under the spell of a ridiculously charismatic and talented performer. She already has a handful of undeniable bangers – “Take a Sexy Picture of Me” and “Stay For Something” – and her sunset slot on the East Stage felt like the pitch of an artist ready to headline shows of a similar capacity in the coming years. Bombay’s Big Day Out London group Bombay Bicycle Club have been a firm U.K. festival favourite in the U.K. since 2008’s scorching debut I Had The Blues But Shook Them Loose. While they never reached the top rung of festival bills, they’ve been dependable booking with broad appeal. It remains a fitting descriptor, with a huge throng of people showing up to sway along to hits like “Shuffle” and “Always Like This.” That afternoon’s hero CMAT hot-footed it across the site to join them for “Rural Radio Predicts the Rapture” from 2023’s My Big Day. A Rapturous Return For a certain era of indie fan, The Maccabees encapsulated what was memorable about the late ‘00s indie scene: music that cared little about what the outside world thought of it, and favored intimate moments over commercial clout. Songs from 2007 debut Colour It In such as “Latchmere” still retain their spunky, goofy energy, and “X-Ray” and “Lego” showcased the band’s knack for packing zippy riffs and choruses into every nook and cranny of a song. Guitarist Felix White reminded the crowd that these songs were written as teenagers with no audience, and now the 50,000-strong audience who’ve descended on east London were now a part of something special. One Ticket to Indie Heaven Despite some minor glitches – the sound cuts out twice in inopportune moments – and a missed high-note or two (blame the dust, not the effort), it’s a celebratory moment. 2015’s Marks to Prove It saw the band finish on an unexpected high before their shock split, but its mature ambition (“Kamakura” and “Spit it Out”) gave fans a strong farewell record. Those songs soared on Sunday, and there’s clearly hope that the band could return to the studio for another stab at it. Jamie T – a fellow scene hero in his own right – joined

Royel Otis doesn’t do flashy gimmicks, make bold, brash statements or lay down anything that could be confused with cheese or syrup. Nevertheless, their ascent has been rapid. The Sydney duo of Royel Maddell and Otis Pavlovic went from a development project, to cracking the Billboard Hot 100, cleaning up at the ARIA Awards, and, more recently the top spot on a Billboard chart, doing so in bullet time. On Friday, Aug. 22, the indie-pop duo put a smacker on us in the form of Hickey (via OURNESS / Capitol Records), the followup to their 2024 debut Pratts & Pain which cracked the top 10 on the ARIA Chart in their homeland, peaking at No. 10. It’s a collection that is, at times, dreamy with hints of psychedelic pop, nostalgic twists, and the stuff that gets parties started. Explore See latest videos, charts and news After the “rollercoaster” year that was 2024, says Pavlovic, during which they cleaned up with four ARIAs, and their cover of The Cranberries’ “Linger” for SiriusXM entered the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 94, the years-long friends cruised into songwriting mode. “We just kind of work together, bounce ideas off each other or whatever,” Maddell explains. The songwriting process, he continues, “it’s just us showing each other ideas, like demos that we’ve recorded at home. Then we just work from there. I don’t know how anyone has actual schedules or a routine of how they write songs, personally.” Trust the process. Great songs, good vibes and a cracking live set have placed Royel Otis on the bill for the biggest festivals this year, including Glastonbury Festival, Lollapalooza Berlin and Chicago, Fuji Rock Festival, Pukkelpop, and Reading & Leeds. On Spotify, Royel Otis has amassed more than 10.8 million followers and counting. Last November, Ourness partnered with Capitol to get Royel Otis into the hearts and minds or more music fans. The process did its thing when Hickey single “Moody” became their first-ever No. 1 on a Billboard chart, summiting on the Adult Alternative Airplay tally in July. For his work guiding the band, Ourness co-founder/director Andrew Klippel was named as Billboard’s Executive of the Week, and manager of the year at Australia’s 2025 AAM Awards. And why the name Hickey? “Because love bites harder than any other emotion in the world…” the lads remark on social media. Stream Hickey below. Source link

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds are coming home in early 2026. The alternative rock legend and his formidable band will embark on a tour of Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand next January and February, their first dates in these parts since 2017. Produced by Supersonic, the 10-show trek will visit a string of outdoor cultural spots, kicking off Jan. 17 at Fremantle Park, WA. Along the way, Cave’s Wild God Tour will visit Adelaide Entertainment Centre, The Domain Sydney, Brisbane’s Victoria Park, Melbourne’s Alexandra Gardens, and head east for two shows at TSB Arena in Wellington, the New Zealand capital. Explore See latest videos, charts and news Tickets go on sale this Friday, Aug. 29 at 10am local time from nickcave.com. “I can’t wait to get to Australia and New Zealand with The Bad Seeds and to bring you our epic Wild God show,” Cave comments in a statement. “It’s been a long time coming, and I’ve missed both Australia and New Zealand very much. It will be a wild and mighty joy.” The alternative rockers’ setlist will include songs from their 18th and latest studio album Wild God, alongside songs spanning their four-decade career, a statement reads. Cave has no shortage of classics in his repertoire. In the U.K., his adopted homeland, the band has landed seven top 10 albums, including Wild God, which opened and peaked at No. 5 last year. Cave was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2007. Produced by Cave and Bad Seeds/Dirty Three collaborator Warren Ellis, and mixed by David Fridmann, Wild God hit No. 66 on the Billboard 200, one of his nine titles to impact the albums chart. Wild God, released through Cave’s own label Bad Seed, via a new, exclusive worldwide licensing agreement with Play It Again Sam, an imprint of the independent [PIAS] label group, was nominated for a raft of awards, including two Grammy categories (best alternative music album and best alternative music performance), best alternative rock record at the Libera Awards and the 2024 Australian Music Prize. Before heading Down Under, Cave will complete his pan-European solo jaunt with a string of shows in Germany, Luxembourg and elsewhere. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds ‘The Wild God Tour’ Australia And Aotearoa New Zealand 2026Tickets on sale Friday, August 29 at 10am local time from nickcave.com. Presented by Supersonic Australasia Jan. 17 — Fremantle Park, Perth WA(Presented By The City Of Fremantle) Jan. 20 — Adelaide Entertainment Centre, SA Jan. 23, 24 –The Domain Sydney, NSW Jan. 27 — Victoria Park, Brisbane, QLD Jan. 30, 31, Feb. 1 — Alexandra Gardens, Melbourne, VIC Feb. 5, 6 — TSB Arena, Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand(In association with Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts) Source link

KARMA, the new album from Stray Kids, tops this week’s fan-voted music poll. Music fans voted in a poll published Friday (Aug. 22) on Billboard, choosing the K-pop group’s fresh LP as their favorite new release of the past week. KARMA topped the ranking in a week that also saw new releases streaming in from Doja Cat, Laufey and more. In a narrow victory KARMA was the crowd’s top pick, with the set bringing in more than 50% of the vote — sliding just ahead of Doja Cat’s new single. Explore See latest videos, charts and news Stray Kids’ fresh full-length LP is a collection of 11 tracks — including the single “Ceremony” feat. STAY — all produced by 3RACHA. KARMA tells a story about destiny from the unique perspective of Stray Kids, according to a press release that announced the album. “Destiny is shaped by a tangled web of choices and consequences,” it said. “KARMA begins with this very idea — an attempt to interpret Stray Kids’ fate. Despite countless external judgments and inner conflicts, they have continued to forge their own path with unwavering resolve. Through their music, Stray Kids represent a story of growth.” The boy band wrapped their largest world tour to date, Stray Kids World Tour , at the end of July after putting on 54 shows across five continents. Among the new releases trailing behind KARMA on this week’s poll are Doja Cat’s “Jealous Type,” coming in with 47% of the vote. Laufey’s A Matter of Time, Sombr’s I Barely Know Her, Deftones’ Private Music, Offset’s KIARI, Kid Cudi’s Free and BigXThaPlug’s I Hope You’re Happy follow. See the final results of this week’s poll below. Get weekly rundowns straight to your inbox Sign Up Source link

Chris Martin isn’t taking any more chances with Coldplay’s kiss cam. The frontman played matchmaker — and mock security guard — during the band’s concert at London’s Wembley Stadium on Friday (Aug. 22), helping a fan stage a marriage proposal with a bit of humor. Before letting the romantic moment unfold, the singer paused the show to conduct some playful “basic security checks” to ensure there were no surprises — a clear nod to a recent viral mishap. In fan-captured footage shared on TikTok, Martin is seen spotting a man in the crowd holding a sign that read, “I want to propose,” with an arrow pointing to the woman in front of him. Martin decided to intervene, but with some light-hearted screening first. “Okay, now listen. My brother, I need you to nod as I do some basic security checks, okay?” Martin said to the man. “Is this person your partner? Yes? No one else’s partner?” After the man nodded yes, the “Yellow” singer continued. “Are you cousins or siblings, or anything weird like that? Are you AI? Are you real people? Okay, then I think we can continue.” Martin then broke into a musical cue, singing, “My beautiful brother, here is some advice for free. As we all look on and see you go down, I advise you to get down on one knee.” With cheers from across the stadium, the man dropped to one knee and proposed. The woman said yes, and the couple sealed the moment with a kiss. “Congratulations, my brother and my sister,” Martin said. “What a beautiful girl. What a wonderful guy. On a day like this, I encourage you to kiss. I hope you’re happy until the day that you die.” The light-hearted scene comes about a month after a more controversial kiss-cam moment at Coldplay’s show at Boston’s Gillette Stadium in mid-July. During that segment, former Astronomer CEO Andy Byron and the company’s HR executive Kristin Cabot — both married to other people — were caught on the stadium screens sharing an intimate embrace. At the time, Martin joked that the two might be having an affair, a comment that turned out to be eerily accurate. The moment exploded online, leading to widespread memes, the CEO’s resignation, and a comical twist in which Martin’s ex Gwyneth Paltrow was hired in as a temporary spokesperson for Astronomer in a PR move to manage the fallout. Source link

Morgan Wallen’s I’m the Problem notches its 12th nonconsecutive week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart (dated Aug. 30). The set earned 121,000 equivalent album units in the United States in the week ending Aug. 21 (down 4%), according to Luminate. I’m the Problem debuted at No. 1 on the May 31-dated chart, spent it first eight weeks in the pole position, stepped away from the top for two weeks and then returned to No. 1 for four weeks running. Also in the top 10 of the latest Billboard 200, Conan Gray scores his highest-charting album yet as Wishbone bows at No. 3, Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft jumps back into the top 10 after a new one-year anniversary vinyl variant was released, and Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department returns to the top 10 following the buzz surrounding the announcement of her upcoming The Life of a Showgirl album. 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 Aug. 30, 2025-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on Aug. 26. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram. Of I’m the Problem’s 121,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending Aug. 21, SEA units comprise 116,000 (down 4%, equaling 154.02 million on-demand official streams of the set’s songs — it leads Top Streaming Albums for a 13th nonconsecutive week), album sales comprise 4,000 (up 1%; it moves 21-17 on Top Album Sales) and TEA units comprise 1,000 (up 1%). Cumulatively, Wallen’s three No. 1 albums (I’m the Problem, One Thing at a Time and Dangerous: The Double Album) have spent a total of 41 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. That puts him in second place for the most weeks at No. 1 this century, surpassing Adele’s 40 weeks on top. Only Taylor Swift, with 86 weeks at No. 1 since 2000, has more. Before I’m the Problem’s 12 weeks at No. 1, One Thing at a Time ruled for 19 nonconsecutive weeks in 2023-34 and Dangerous: The Double Album was tops for 10 straight weeks in 2021. The KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack holds at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 with 108,000 equivalent album units earned (up 3%). The album debuted at No. 8 nine weeks ago and has never left the top 10. The last soundtrack to spend its first nine weeks in the top 10 was Fifty Shades of Grey in 2015, which spent its first 14 weeks in the top 10. Further, KPop Demon Hunters has spent five nonconsecutive weeks at No. 2 — its peak to date. The last soundtrack to spend at least five weeks at No. 2, without reaching No. 1, was Forrest Gump in 1994, which notched five straight frames in the runner-up spot (behind another soundtrack, The Lion King). KPop Demon Hunters is likely to sport further gains on next week’s charts, with the Netflix film getting a wide release in movie theaters for a sing-a-long event this weekend. Conan Gray scores his highest-charting album ever on the Billboard 200 as Wishbone bows at No. 3. It launches with 71,000 equivalent album units earned — his best week by units earned. Of that sum, album sales comprise 53,000 (his best sales week yet — it debuts at No. 1 on Top Album Sales), SEA units comprise 18,000 (equaling 23.71 million on-demand official streams of the set’s songs; it debuts at No. 27 on Top Streaming Albums) and TEA units comprise a negligible sum. The set’s first-week sales were bolstered by its availability across seven CD variants (including signed editions) and seven vinyl editions (some signed) and a standard digital download edition. Gray previously hit the top 10 of the Billboard 200 twice, with Superache (No. 9 in 2022) and Kid Krow (No. 5 in 2020). Wishbone was preceded by its single “Vodka Cranberry,” which peaked at No. 38 on the Pop Airplay chart. Gunna’s The Last Wun falls one spot to No. 4 on its second week on the Billboard 200 (48,000 equivalent album units, down 40%), while Alex Warren’s You’ll Be Alright, Kid is steady at its No. 5 high for a second week (nearly 40,000 units, down 6%). Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft rallies 24-6 after the release of a one-year anniversary vinyl edition of the album. The set, counting all versions of the album, including the new vinyl variant, earned 38,000 equivalent album units in the tracking week (up 64%). Of that sum, vinyl sales accounted for nearly 18,000. The anniversary edition of the vinyl was pressed on bio-vinyl dark blue and orange splatter with its cover printed on silver mirror foil board and contains a poster. Hit Me Hard and Soft, which peaked at No. 2 in its debut week (chart dated June 1, 2024), was last in the top 10 on the June 7, 2025-dated list (at No. 9) and last ranked as high on the Feb. 22, 2025, chart (when it was also at No. 6). Morgan Wallen’s chart-topping One Thing at a Time rises a spot to No. 7 on the latest Billboard 200 (nearly 38,000 equivalent album units, down 1%), SZA’s former leader SOS is up two spots to No. 8 (35,000, down 1%) and Justin Bieber’s SWAG falls 7-9 (nearly 33,000, down 15%). Closing out the top 10 is Taylor Swift’s former No. 1 The Tortured Poets Department, which jumps 18-10 with 30,500 equivalent album units earned (up 18%). Swift’s most recent studio album, which led the chart for 17 nonconsecutive weeks beginning in

Halsey is standing by her new film Americana as co-star Sydney Sweeney faces controversy over a recent American Eagle ad campaign. The 30-year-old singer and actress, who stars in the crime thriller alongside Sweeney, took to social media on Thursday (Aug. 21) to show support for the Tony Tost-directed feature, which has become the subject of online debate amid calls for boycotts tied to Sweeney’s involvement. “You should go see this movie,” Halsey wrote on her Instagram Story, sharing a poster for Americana, according to screenshots published by Page Six. “Because @tonytost made an exceptional film, in honor of a genre he knows intimately. Because his work and his vision are greater than the 24 hr gossip tabloid denim bulls—t.” The “Without Me” singer continued, “He’s an incredible artist who made a great film with a group of hardworking, talented people. If you love cinema, than you should know that cinema comes first. This is cinema.” Halsey’s remarks appear to address the backlash over Sweeney’s recent American Eagle campaign, which launched in late July. The ad features the Euphoria star using the phrases “great jeans” and “great genes” interchangeably. Critics online called the messaging tone-deaf, especially given its emphasis on Sweeney’s blue eyes and blonde hair — imagery some likened to racist and eugenicist propaganda from the WWII era. “I do agree that our words are important in this climate,” Halsey wrote in a second post. “I don’t, however, think that it’s fair for the news cycle to predatorily rip a hardworking director and his hardworking crew for this film that is completely separate-from and unrelated-to a (pretty dumb) advertising take.” She closed, writing, “If it’s not clear who the actual people I’m standing up for are, I’m sorry look closer.” Americana, which follows a group of characters in pursuit of a rare Native American artifact, earned a disappointing $500,000 from its Aug. 15 launch in more than 1,100 theaters, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The cast also includes Paul Walter Hauser, Eric Dane, Zahn McClarnon and Simon Rex. Director Tony Tost, making his feature debut, addressed the surrounding controversy on X a day before the film’s release. “One of the great things about movies is that they outlive the zeitgeist into which they were released,” he wrote. “As someone whose first film sorta got gobbled up by the zeitgeist, I’ll be curious to see how it’ll stand up after this moment is over. Hopefully fairly well!” Sweeney had not commented on the controversy at press time. It marks the second time in recent months the White Lotus alum has come under fire for an ad campaign. In June, she partnered with Dr. Squatch on a bar soap made with her actual bathwater, an idea that was widely criticized as antifeminist and exploitative. Source link