Categoría: Billboard

He’s an iconic heavy metal singer, both with Iron Maiden and on his own. He’s a commercially licensed pilot whose air exploits are documented on film (2009’s Iron Maiden: Flight 666). He’s hosted award-winning radio shows, published books and graphic novels, and been part of beer brands. But Bruce Dickinson is nonplussed when all of these accomplishments are placed before him. “Yeah, it kinda crept up on me,” Dickinson tells Billboard via Zoom from France. This Friday (Aug. 22), he kicks off a North American tour in Anaheim, Calif., supporting 2024’s The Mandrake Project and following this year’s More Balls to Picasso, a fresh reimagining of Dickinson’s second solo album, Balls to Picasso, which came out in 1994. “When I did Mandrake I looked back at all this stuff I’ve done and I went, ‘I’m actually proud of all this stuff. It’s really good!’” he continues with a laugh. “I tend to discount stuff that I’ve done once I’ve done it. I don’t revisit it. Maiden’s the same way. The artist in me wants to move on, move on, move on and keep pushing, but sometimes it’s just nice to sit back, roll in it all and go, ‘This is really cool.’ It’s great to discover I’m a fan of the stuff I did — isn’t that weird?’” The Mandrake Project, Dickinson’s first solo outing in 19 years, is a continuing conceptual fantasy piece that’s allowed Dickinson to combine a few of his creative ambitions. In addition to the music — 10 songs on the album, all by Dickinson and six with producer Roy Z — it’s slated to be a 12-volume comic book series, written by Dickinson with Tony Lee for Z2 comics, illustrated by Staz Johnson. The first four issues are out and have been packaged together, with the other eight in progress and another album of Mandrake-inspired music set to start recording early next year. “Mandrake, the story, is constantly unfolding and constantly teaching me things about writing,” Dickinson explains. “Episodes five, six and seven are scripted and we’re in the middle of the artwork for that now, getting those done. It’s a long process. It’s a really fascinating process as well. It’s not like a book. It’s not like a film. It really is a complete hybrid art form. So I’m aiming high here; the holy grail in all this is sort of the Watchmen-type comic. And if I even get halfway there, I’ll be very happy.” Dickinson took Mandrake to the stage last year, mostly in Europe, between legs of Iron Maiden’s successful The Future Past World Tour. He plans to add more of the album’s songs into the North American shows (as well as a side trip to The Town festival on Sept. 7 in Sao Paulo), mixing them with songs from his other solo albums and perhaps something from the Maiden catalog (he included part of “Alexandar the Great” in Europe). He’s been working on some fresh visuals, too, and promises a re-set of the stage from what he did before. “We have a reasonably varied repertoire,” Dickinson says, “because the band is so flexible, and because it’s not like a Maiden tour where we’re locked into that set with the show and the lights and everything. With this (solo tour) we can vary it. We can say, ‘Hey, what do we fancy doing tonight? Let’s do this one as an encore’ and so on. It’s fun. It’s nice to have the flexibility of being a little bit random.” More Mandrake music to accompany future volumes of the comic is in motion as well, according to Dickinson, who plans to take his touring band into the studio during January with producer Brendan Duffey, who also worked on More Balls to Picasso. “In April we convened and had a massive, collective brain dump in the studio and came up with 18 song demos, maybe two or three that are connected to (Mandrake),” he says. “Now we’re refining the demos.” Writing for Mandrake, he explains, is like “having a conversation in your head with a thing you’ve already written. In a way you’re interviewing the character you’ve created by saying, ‘Why are you like this? Tell me about yourself, and I’m gonna write a song about you.’ Very interesting.” A Mandrake movie might seem like a logical future project as well, but Dickinson cautions fans not to hold their breath. “I’m not even gonna think about that,” he explains. “I’m involved in writing the story and getting it to episode 12 and a conclusion. At that point we can sit back and look and everything. I think a lot of people rush into (a film). It’s a huge commitment making a film or a TV series. So I want to finish the story the way I want it before anybody else tries to get their hands on it.” He also laughs out loud at the notion of a Mandrake stage musical before offering a firm “no.” Dickinson is also ready to continue Maiden’s Run For Your Lives World Tour, which ran through Europe this summer and featured Simon Dawson, bassist Steve Harris’ bandmate in British Lion, taking the place of the retired Nicko McBrain. More concerts will be taking place during 2026, though dates have not yet been announced, and Dickinson is looking forward to continuing his creative juggle. “This new tour of ours, which will be coming Stateside, is the most incredible thing we’ve ever done, and people will be blown away by it,” he says. “This tour has been revelatory, really, in how much fun we’re having on stage. It’s evident in everybody’s playing, and, for what it’s worth, all the reviews and things are off the charts. You can never make everybody happy, but by and large, it’s doing great. We can only guess how great it’s doing in people’s hearts and minds from the reactions we get every night, which are amazing.” Dickinson’s upcoming The Mandrake Project tour dates are

Welcome to Billboard Pro’s Trending Up newsletter, where we take a closer look at the songs, artists, curiosities and trends that have caught the music industry’s attention. Some have come out of nowhere, others have taken months to catch on, and all of them could become ubiquitous in the blink of a TikTok clip.  Explore See latest videos, charts and news This week: Taylor Swift’s announcement of her upcoming 12th album leads to streaming gains across her catalog, Cardi B helps a Jay-Z fan favorite find new life, a 20-year-old metal cut goes viral for bizarre reasons and more. The Streams of a Showgirl: Taylor Swift’s Catalog Booms Following Album Announcement Not only did Taylor Swift announce her 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl, last week, but she did so in a way that became a multi-day news cycle — first teasing a new era and appearance on her boyfriend Travis Kelce’s New Heights podcast on Monday (Aug. 10), then revealing later that day that the podcast interview would include plenty of information about her new album, and then unveiling all of the Showgirl details in a wide-ranging discussion on Wednesday (Aug. 12), with those meme-able moments and potential Easter eggs powering Swifties through the end of last week. Although fans will have to wait until Oct. 3 for Swift’s new album, they didn’t have to wait to stream her back catalog, which enjoyed a sizable streaming boost in the midst of the excitement. From Aug. 12-14, Swift’s catalog earned nearly 110 million official U.S. on-demand streams, according to Luminate; that total marked a 57% bump from the three-day period right before the New Heights podcast tease (70 million streams from Aug. 8-10). Meanwhile, one Swift song has been resurgent for a non-Showgirl reason: “False God,” from 2019’s Lover, was featured in the Aug. 13 episode of the hit Amazon Prime series The Summer I Turned Pretty. The song earned 1.2 million streams from Aug. 13-15, up a whopping 383% from the previous weekend (250,000 streams). – JASON LIPSHUTZ Cardi B’s New ‘Imaginary Playerz’ Single Spurs Notable Gains for Jay-Z Gem It References  Cardi B is keeping her Am I the Drama? album campaign rolling, and for her latest single she looked to fellow New York hip-hop icon, Jay-Z. For “Imaginary Playerz,” Cardi sampled Jay’s “Imaginary Players,” a Prestige-produced fan-favorite from 1997’s In My Lifetime, Vol. 1. Though Cardi’s track, which dropped on Aug. 15, envisions Jay’s original from a female perspective, her new single still spurred streaming gains for Hov’s classic.  According to Luminate, Cardi’s track pulled over 3.8 million official on-demand U.S. streams in its first four days of release (Aug. 15-18). During that same period, Jay’s “Imaginary Players” earned over 427,000 official streams, marking a whopping 313% increase from the 103,000 official streams it collected the weekend prior (Aug. 8-11).  Jay’s original was never an official single, but the “Imaginary Players” legacy lives on through Cardi’s latest tease of her long-awaited sophomore studio album. — KYLE DENIS ‘Freaky Friday’ Sequel Bumps Songs From Original & New Movies It was a sequel fans had waited over 20 years for: Freakier Friday debuted in theaters on Aug. 8, as the follow-up to 2003’s Freaky Friday, starring Jamie Lee Curits and Lindsay Lohan (itself a remake of the 1978 original with Jodie Foster and Barbara Harris). The movie is off to a respectable box office start, and has also resulted in major streaming gains for the songs featured in the movie — in which Pink Slip, Anna (Lohan)’s band from the original movie reunites — as well as for Pink Slip classics from the ‘03 original.  The Freakier Friday soundtrack drew 879,000 official U.S. on-demand streams in total for the week ending Aug. 14 following the film’s release, according to Luminate — a gain of 153% over the prior week. That’s led by nearly 586,000 streams for Pink Slip’s re-recorded “Take Me Away,” nearly triple its tally the previous week. And there was enough enthusiasm left for peak Pink Slip from the new movie that the group’s “Ultimate” from Freaky also saw a spike, rising 74% to 229,000 streams for the week. (You can find the full story of all these songs in our Pink Slip reunion oral history here.) – ANDREW UNTERBERGER Viral ‘Milkaholic’ TikTok Trend Revives 20-Year-Old Metal Song  Between Sleep Token and Ghost topping the Billboard 200 earlier this year and a Pierce the Veil deep cut going viral, hard rock and metal are having notable moments in 2025. U.K. hardcore band Her Words Kill is the latest act to benefit from this wave, thanks to its fast-rising hit, “Sir, This Is a Cutthroat Fashion.” Originally released on 2005’s Load My Revolver, Baby LP, “Cutthroat Fashion” has found new life as the primary song for a new “milkaholic” TikTok trend, inspired by Tom & Jerry.  In essence, TikTok users take shots of milk, intending to evoke the feeling of hitting rock bottom and nursing one’s alcoholism after a particularly rough day. User @noahnestell kicked off the trend with a Jul. 31 post set to “Cutthroat Fashion” and focusing on the lyrics, “Better pack your tears into a suitcase/ And run away with my heart.” As the trend evolved, users swapped out milk for other non-alcoholic beverages such as Yakult and matcha. The sound attached to user @noahnestell’s original video has garnered over 253,600 posts, while the official “Cutthroat Fashion” sound boasts just under 250 posts.  According to Luminate, “Cutthroat Fashion” earned just over 7,000 official on-demand U.S. streams during the week of July 18-24. That figure leapt 869% to nearly 70,000 official streams the following week (July 25-31), which included the day user @noahnestell shared his video. By the week of Aug. 1-7, “Cutthroat Fashion” grew a further 586% to over 476,000 official streams, and one week later (Aug. 8-14), the streaming activity jumped another 65% to over 790,000 official on-demand U.S. streams. — KD Source link

Number_i blasts in at No. 1 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100 with “U.M.A.,” on the chart released Aug. 20. “U.M.A.” is the lead single off the trio’s second full-length album No.II, set for release Sept. 22. The track topped downloads (40,207 units), radio airplay and video views, and came in at No. 21 for streaming. Number_i logs its fourth No. 1 hit on the Japan Hot 100, following “GOAT,” “INZM,” and “GOD_i.” The boy band performed at Head in the Clouds Los Angeles 2025 on June 1 and daily streaming numbers for the group in the U.S. increased by 126% compared to the previous week (May 25), according to Luminate. Mrs. GREEN APPLE’s “Summer Shadow” debuts at No. 2. The three-man band’s latest single dropped digitally on Aug. 11 and is currently being featured in Kirin Beverage’s Gogo no Kocha commercials. The track launches at No. 2 for downloads (19,882 units) and streaming, No. 5 for radio, and No. 3 for video. Explore See latest videos, charts and news HANA’s “Blue Jeans” follows at No. 3. The track holds at No. 1 for streaming for the fifth straight week, while maintaining momentum in sales (No. 21), downloads (No. 12), and radio (No. 10). AKB48’s “Oh my pumpkin!” bows at No. 4. The long-running girl group’s 66th single commemorates its 20th anniversary and features four former members, including Atsuko Maeda, as well as seven members from overseas sister groups. The CD launched with 526,581 copies and hits No. 1 on Billboard Japan’s Top Singles Sales chart. 53 singles by AKB48 have consecutively launched atop this chart since the release of its 14th single “RIVER” in 2009 — the most by any act — and the group breaks its own record this week. AiNA THE END’s “On The Way” moves 13-5 to break into the top 10. The opener for the anime show Dandadan Season 2 saw a 138% increase in streaming from the previous week, coming in at No. 7 for the metric, while hitting No. 6 for downloads, No. 28 for radio, and No. 5 for videos. The single is also reaching listeners outside of Japan, with approximately 58% of streams coming from Japan, 7% from the U.S., and 35% from other countries and regions. Last year during the same period, about 89% of AiNA THE END’s songs were being listened to domestically, per Luminate, so it appears “On The Way” is spurring the artist’s global expansion. The Billboard Japan Hot 100 combines physical and digital sales, audio streams, radio airplay, video views and karaoke data. See the full Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart, tallying the week from Aug. 11 to 17, here. For more on Japanese music and charts, visit Billboard Japan’s English X account. Source link

Seven months after its first step onto Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, Leon Thomas‘ “Mutt” is the top dog. “Mutt,” released on EZMNY/Motown/ICLG climbs 2-1 to crown the list dated Aug. 24, securing Thomas his first No. 1 as an artist, after six prior entries as a producer and 13 as a songwriter. For its coronation week on the multi-metric Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, “Mutt” registered 8.9 million official streams, 1,000 sales downloads and 49.3 million audience impressions in the United States for the tracking week of Aug. 8-14, according to Luminate. Streams and sales totals were down 4% and 15%, respectively, from the prior tracking week, while radio audience impressions improved 8%, enough to secure the week’s Airplay Gainer distinction. “That’s crazy,” Thomas tells Billboard via video on the song’s achievement. “Back in the day, I used to have on my wall, like, a vision board and I had No. 1 on Billboard on my wall. So that’s bucket list right there. That’s a big deal.” “Mutt” took the scenic route to its triumph, needing 31 weeks to reach top spot. The climb ties for the sixth-longest trek of 1104 No. 1s. To recap the lengthiest waits to the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs summit: Weeks to No. 1, Song, Artist, Date Reached No. 143, “Step in the Name of Love,” R. Kelly; Dec. 6, 200336, “Die for You,” The Weeknd & Ariana Grande; March 11, 202335, “All of Me,” John Legend; May 17, 201432, “Needed Me,” Rihanna; Sept. 24, 201632, “Go Crazy,” Chris Brown & Young Thug; Dec. 6, 202031, “You,” Lloyd feat. Lil Wayne; Feb. 17, 200731, “Mutt,” Leon Thomas; Aug. 23, 2025 In addition to its Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs victory, “Mutt” cruises to an 18th week at No. 1 on the Hot R&B Songs chart and climbs 20-17 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100, where it reached a No. 12 best in June. “Mutt,” from Thomas’ album of the same name, gives its creator a triple win as a performer, a co-producer and a co-writer, earning his first Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs No. 1 in each capacity. As a producer and writer, Thomas’ prior best result came via SZA’s “Snooze,” which peaked at No. 2 on the chart for 13 nonconsecutive weeks in September 2023 – February 2024. Elsewhere, “Mutt” refuses to surrender its radio stranglehold in the R&B/hip-hop realm, posting a ninth week at No. 1 on the plays-based Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart (up 1% for the week) and sixth frame in charge of the audience-based R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay ranking (also up 1%). Source link

Ninajirachi knew she was writing music about a deep relationship, but she was also aware that her songs weren’t about a romantic interest, or a friend, a parent or a pet. Eventually, she realized they were about her laptop. Explore See latest videos, charts and news And why not, given how much time the Australian producer has spent with the effectively sentient machine, a constant companion that connected her to a world of music then made it possible for her to make her own? “No one in the world knows me better,” she sings on her cheekily but tellingly titled track “I Want to F–k My Computer.” The song is a centerpiece of I Love My Computer, the debut Ninajirachi album released on Aug. 8 via NLV Records. Much like its maker, the 12-track project is smart, stylish and ebullient, with a bit of edge and a lot of observations on living and loving in our computer world. With the album, the 26-year-old Australian producer/songwriter/singer steps further into a spotlight she’s been carving out for years with her musical releases, her Dark Crystal party series that happen in Australia and increasingly big and continent-spanning shows in Australia, Asia, Europe and North America. These include a turn on the EDC Las Vegas mainstage during her debut at the festival this past May and a recent three-show run supporting one of her musical heroes, Porter Robinson, on his Australia tour this past February. Her own biggest U.S. tour to dates starts on Sept. 5, with six of the 17 shows already sold out. “I don’t feel like I entirely fit in in the EDM world,” she says. “I don’t entirely fit in in the Australian dance thing, so I’m happy to just do my thing and whoever likes it can come and check it out.” The name Ninajirachi has been in the dance world zeitgeist since the artist was a highschooler named Nina Wilson in Gosford, New South Wales, a town with approximately 4,800 residents – a population smaller than some of the crowds she’d eventually play for. It was in her bedroom in Gosford that she discovered electronic music over the internet, falling for artists like Robinson, Flume and more during the EDM golden age. “I feel really excited to be alive at the time of internet music that feels like it’s everywhere,” she says. She began uploading her productions to SoundCloud when she was 16, with one of the tracks catching the attention of taste-making Australian radio host, DJ and label owner Nina Las Vegas, who put Ninajirachi’s “Pure Luck” into heavy rotation on the country’s influential radio station Triple J. Ninajirachi was a 2016 and 2017 finalist in Triple J’s Unearthed High competition, which sought out the best talent among Australian high schoolers. The two Ninas eventually met IRL when Las Vegas was speaking on a panel and Ninajirachi was in the audience. “She said hello to me, but I didn’t know if it was because she was really saying hello to me or just being polite to this girl who was ogling her,” Ninajirachi says now. It was the former. Nina Las Vegas later sent a message saying they should meet for coffee and make music together. “I went to her apartment, and we made a song that ended up being on her EP, and we just kept doing sessions and having coffees,” Ninajirachi says. “I’d made my first EP, and I was showing it to her, and she was like, ‘Oh, do you want me to put it out?’ I was like, ‘Yes, that would be crazy cool.” This project, Lapland, came out in 2019, with all of Ninajirachi’s subsequent releases also dropping via NLV Records. In 2019, Ninajirachi signed with Matt Downey of Seven20 for management. “It’s like a small team, and NLV Records is independent, so it’s usually just me, Matt, Nina and [visual collaborator] Aria [Zarzycki] in a group chat, like ‘AHHH!’” she jokes of the general pace of things. While the subsequent years contained many career building blocks (including a 2023 collab with ISOxo on his excellent kidsgonemad! album) Ninajirachi says she really felt the momentum shift this past March after a run of Australian headlining sets. She played her then unreleased single “All I Am” during each of these shows, which created a subsequent surge of support for the track when it dropped on February 25. The song now has nearly two million streams on Spotify alone, marking her biggest release on the streamer to date. This momentum was buoyed by Ninajirachi’s slot on the lineups for Australia’s touring festival Laneway, which she played all four editions of in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide this past February. Charli xcx was the festival’s headliner, with Ninajirachi feeling that Charli fans “might just like my music.” The same was true when she’d played the three shows supporting Robinson, a move that not only satisfied her teenage self, but exposed her to likeminded fans. “I found that even some of his fans outside of Australia have discovered my music just from me being on the poster, which is really cool.” she says. “His fans are so loyal, and they seem to get into whatever he shows them.” The momentum all lead up to the release of I Love My Computer earlier this month, with the project marking a creative cohesion of sounds and concepts for the producer. “I didn’t want to just make a bunch of music and slap a title on it and call that my first album,” Ninajirachi says. “I love albums, and my favorite albums feel like they have a big visual identity and so much great world-building and lore and you can make an elevator pitch about what they’re about. I just didn’t feel like I had an idea for an album, until I made this one.” This idea is simultaneously personal and universal, as Ninajirachi uses the music to explore her own musical awakening via the songs and scenes she found on the internet, speaking to

Bad Omens debut at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Hard Rock Songs chart dated Aug. 23 with “Specter,” snagging the Richmond, Va., band its second ruler on the multimetric survey. “Specter” bows with 3.5 million official U.S. streams, 644,000 radio audience impressions and 3,000 sold in the week ending Aug. 14, according to Luminate. The song was released Aug. 8 at 8 p.m. ET, making for nearly a full seven-day first tracking week. Related The song’s download count sends it to a No. 1 debut on Hard Rock Digital Song Sales as well, marking the band’s third leader, following “Just Pretend: in 2022-23 and “V.A.N.,” with Poppy, in 2024. “Specter” additionally starts at No. 16 on Hard Rock Streaming Songs and is bubbling under both the Mainstream Rock Airplay and Alternative Airplay charts. “Just Pretend” became Bad Omens’ previous No. 1 on Hot Hard Rock Songs, leading for a chart-record 51 weeks in 2022-24 (after the ranking began in 2020). In between reigns, the band earned a pair of No. 2-peaking songs in “The Death of Peace of Mind” (2023) and “V.A.N.” (2024). “Specter” marks Bad Omens’ first debut at No. 1 on the tally. Concurrently, “Specter” opens at No. 19 on Hot Rock & Alternative Songs, the group’s best start, surpassing the No. 30 beginning of “Just Pretend.” It’s also No. 16 on the Hot 100’s Bubbling Under chart, Bad Omens’ first appearance there. “Specter” is currently a standalone single. Bad Omens’ most recent full-length, The Death of Peace of Mind, debuted and peaked at No. 11 on Top Hard Rock Albums in 2022 and has earned 834,000 equivalent album units to date. Daily newsletters straight to your inbox Sign Up Source link

BTS fans have permission to dance all the way to their nearest McDonald’s, which has unveiled a new set of adorable Happy Meal toys inspired by the seven-piece boy band. As announced Tuesday (Aug. 19), the fast-food chain will start rolling out new TinyTAN Happy Meals — which will each come with miniature toys modeled after RM, V, Jung Kook, Jin, Suga, Jimin and J-Hope — in just a few weeks. Each of the iconic red boxes will contain two of the figurines, meaning ARMY could theoretically assemble the whole band with as few as four McDonald’s orders. “You asked and we delivered,” the company wrote in a release. “This September, McDonald’s is teaming up with TinyTAN to launch the TinyTAN Happy Meal. On September 3, this group of lovable characters inspired by the seven members of BTS are heading to the Golden Arches with magical moments like never before!” The K-pop stars are just the latest inspirations for McDonald’s toys, which have been a quintessential part of its kids’ meals for decades. Recently, the chain has paired its Happy Meals with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle x Hello Kitty, Minecraft and Crocs trinkets. The timing of its BTS-themed meals, however, couldn’t be better. After spending more than two years apart to work on solo music and complete South Korean military requirements, the septet has finally reunited and plans to come back with a new album and tour next year. “All seven of us will begin working closely together on new music,” the bandmates said in a joint statement in July. “Since it will be a group album, it will reflect each member’s thoughts and ideas. We’re approaching the album with the same mindset we had when we first started.” In the meantime, ARMY can catch up with the Bangtan Boys at McDonald’s locations all over the world. Get weekly rundowns straight to your inbox Sign Up Source link

When Pharrell Williams teams up with adidas, the sneaker world stops and pays attention. Since their partnership kicked off in 2014, the duo has delivered some of the most forward-thinking designs in sneaker culture — and the upcoming VIRGINIA adistar Jellyfish might just be sneaker of the year. Explore See latest videos, charts and news From the jump, this sneaker has been one of the most anticipated drops of 2025. Pharrell has always lived at the intersection of music, fashion and design, and the Jellyfish proves he’s still pushing boundaries, despite what people may think. Debuting at Paris Fashion Week back in January, this shoe instantly threw the sneaker world into a frenzy. From sneaker Twitter to the sneaker blogs, all posts pointed to Pharrell. The community fell in love with the sneaker’s sculptural midsole, and then the Clipse co-sign made this shoe impossible to ignore. The silhouette takes cues from the fluidity of a jellyfish, with an exaggerated midsole meant to echo floating gills. A layered mesh upper, exoskeletal side panels, and subtle “VIRGINIA” branding add futuristic dimension. Pharrell’s storytelling goes deeper than aesthetics, the campaign reimagines a fictional coral reef, spotlighting the fragility and beauty of marine ecosystems without disturbing the real thing. Pharrell Williams Jellyfish Adidas Courtesy Photo It’s avant-garde but wearable: nature-inspired, fashion-forward, and a reimagining of adidas’ performance heritage with lifestyle flair. People have compared it to Balenciaga’s Triple S, but let’s be real, the Jellyfish does everything the Triple S tried to do, only cleaner and with actual story and intention behind it. What makes this release even more intriguing is the timing. By most accounts, chunky sneakers or “dad shoes” have been considered “dead.” The oversized, heavy silhouettes that dominated starting around 2016–2017, think Balenciaga’s Triple S or the adidas Yeezy Boost 700, have largely given way to thinner, sleeker models like Bad Bunny’s Ballerinas, Puma’s Speedcat, A$AP Rocky’s Puma Mostros and the ever-present adidas Samba. So for adidas to bring out a sneaker that feels like a direct callback to that bulky era is a bold move. Personally, I love the shoe and clearly a lot of the sneaker community does too, which raises the possibility: maybe chunky sneakers aren’t as dead as we thought. And if they are? Leave it to Skateboard P to breathe life back into them. The real test will be whether this style resonates with the mainstream sneaker consumer or stays within the culture’s inner circle. Pharrell Williams Jellyfish Adidas Christopher Claxton/Billboard The launch colorway, a mix of white, orange and black, is set to drop August 23rd. But we’ve already seen multiple other looks leak, including all-black, white/black/silver, and a clean white/blue/black. The Clipse (Pusha T & Malice) were spotted in pairs during their Paris Fashion Week takeover — and it wasn’t just a flex, it tied directly to Pharrell’s world. He also produced the duo’s massively anticipated fourth album Let God Sort ’Em Out, which debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200. Clipse in Jellyfish Brendan O’Connor Retailing at $300, the Jellyfish comes with a hefty price tag. Honestly, I expected these to come in at $180–$200. But when you factor in design innovation, material costs, R&D and Pharrell’s creative reach, especially now that he’s also Creative Director of Louis Vuitton Men’s, the number starts to make sense. This isn’t just for the average sneakerhead, it’s aimed at both adidas fans and Pharrell’s luxury audience. For me, this is a major FLEX. I’ve been locked in since Pharrell first teased them seven months ago. The design, the story, the Clipse connection, the exaggerated midsole, everything about this sneaker just feels different. It’s rare to get a shoe that truly blends art, tech, and cultural energy without feeling gimmicky, but the Jellyfish does exactly that. So yeah — I’m copping. But now we want to hear from you: Flex, Trade, or Fade? Will you add the VIRGINIA adistar Jellyfish to your rotation, hold for trade value, or skip entirely? Drop your take in the comments. Pharrell Williams Jellyfish Adidas Christopher Claxton/Billboard Source link

Taylor Swift is officially back in album mode. On last week’s episode of Travis and Jason Kelce’s New Heights podcast, the superstar revealed her 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl, due out Oct. 3. Along with the announcement, she also dropped a few key details: the cover art, a concise 12-song tracklist (a sharp contrast to the 31-track “data dump” of The Tortured Poets Department), a guest feature from Sabrina Carpenter and the return of longtime producers/collaborators Max Martin and Shellback, who helped craft some of Swift’s biggest hits from Red, 1989 and reputation. The rollout marks another fascinating chapter in Swift’s career, and has left fans curious about what to expect. In the podcast, though, she said “[The album is] a lot more upbeat, and it’s a lot more fun pop excitement. My main goals were melodies that were so infectious, you’re almost angry at it.” She added that all 12 songs are “bangers” — not unlike the past hits she made with the Swedish pop masterminds, such as “Shake It Off” and “Blank Space.” “We’ve never actually made an album before where it was just the three of us, there’s no other collaborators,” she said. “It felt like catching lightning in a bottle. These guys, they’re just geniuses. Working with them again was absolutely incredible.” One thing we know for certain is that Swift is in for a big chart week. She’s already rewritten the Billboard record books countless times, and each new release seems to add more milestones to her résumé. With six weeks until Showgirl arrives, here’s a look at some of the biggest chart records Swift could break — in some cases against fellow superstars, and in others, against herself. Most No. 1 Albums on the Billboard 200 Among Solo Artists Swift is currently tied with Drake and Jay-Z for the most No. 1 albums among solo artists with 14 No. 1s apiece, dating to the chart’s launch in March 1956. If Showgirl debuts on top, she’ll be the first solo artist to tally 15 No. 1s — unless, perhaps, Drake drops his anticipated new album Iceman before Oct. 3. The Beatles lead all acts with 19 No. 1 albums. Most Consecutive Calendar Years at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 If Showgirl opens at No. 1, Swift will extend her run of yearly chart-toppers to seven (2019-2025), tying The Beatles for the most consecutive calendar years with a new No. 1 album. Swift has earned nine of her 14 total No. 1 albums in that span. Largest Streaming Week for an Album The Tortured Poets Department holds the record as the album with the largest streaming week ever, with 891.37 million on-demand official U.S. streams generated in its opening week (April 19-25, 2024). Since Showgirl is expected to have far fewer tracks (12 compared to 31), it will be much tougher to beat that record. But if anyone can outdo herself, it’s Swift. Most Vinyl Albums Sold in a Single Week in the Modern Era The Tortured Poets Department also set the record here, selling 859,000 vinyl copies on the chart dated May 4, 2024 — the most for an album in a single week since Luminate began tracking music sales in 1991. We know that The Life of a Showgirl is already available for preorder, and Swift announced Monday (Aug. 18) that two special vinyl variants were available in her webstore, named The Life of a Showgirl: The Shiny Bug Edition. Both versions, available for preorder for only 48 hours (or “while supplies last”), reportedly sold out in less than an hour. So we can be sure to expect another blockbuster vinyl week. The question is: can she clear that 859,000 bar? Most Albums to Sell 1,000,000 Copies in a Single Week in the Modern Era Since 1991, only 24 albums have sold 1 million-plus in the U.S. in a single week (in pure sales). Of those 24, Swift has the most, with seven. If Showgirl joins the club, she’ll extend her record to eight. Swift cleared the 1-million mark with, in order: Speak Now (1.046 million; Nov. 13, 2010), Red (1.208 million; Nov. 10, 2012), 1989 (1.286 million; Nov. 15, 2014), reputation (1.216 million; Dec. 2, 2017), Midnights (1.14 million; Nov. 5, 2022), 1989 (Taylor’s Version) (1.359 million; Nov. 11, 2023) and The Tortured Poets Department (1.913 million; May 4, 2024). Only Artist to Sweep the Top 10 of the Hot 100 Three Times Swift famously blanketed the entire top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 on Nov. 5, 2022, after releasing Midnights, and then outdid herself by claiming the entire top 14 with Tortured Poets. With Showgirl’s expected 12 tracks, she can’t claim that record, but she could become the first artist to claim the entire top 10 three times, a feat no one else has achieved even once. Most No. 1 Songs on the Hot 100 of the 2020s Swift and Drake have both scored seven No. 1 songs on the Hot 100 in the 2020s so far — tied for the most among all artists this decade. If a track from Showgirl tops the chart, she’ll surpass him for the most (unless, of course, Drake scores a new No. 1 before then). Most Top 5s, Top 10s, Top 20s, Top 40s and Overall Entries on the Hot 100 Among Women Among women, Swift already holds the records for the most top 5s (36), top 10s (59), top 20s (100), top 40s (165) and overall entries (264). Among all artists, only Drake ranks higher on these lists. But the 12 tracks from Showgirl could help her narrow the gap, or at least extend her lead among women. Get weekly rundowns straight to your inbox Sign Up Source link

Lil Nas X went on a song spree earlier this year when he surprise-dropped the eight-track Days Before Dreamboy EP, a mini album that collected a clutch of singles he’d released in late 2024 and early 2025. And then… well, things got quiet. Explore See latest videos, charts and news The rapper revealed that he was hospitalized in April with what he said was partial facial paralysis, the cause of which was never disclosed, and then popped in to the Jennifer Hudson Show in May to once again tease his follow-up to his 2021 debut full-length LP, Montero. Things went dark again for a few months until this week when Lil Nas wiped his Instagram and re-populated it with song snippets of a number of new tracks featuring A-list collaborators. The spree started on Tuesday morning (Aug. 19) with a mysterious image of Nas in white cowboy boots and a golden dress holding a pair of lanterns in a room piled high with different colored material on the floor. That was followed by a shot of what appeared to be a desk surrounded by paintings, sculptures, light fixtures and other marginalia, again offered with no context or commentary, as well as a shot of a furry white chair bookended with a dramatic, regal painting of the MC and a white sheet hanging askew behind the tableau. And then things got really interesting with a playful selfie in which Nas rocked a fur coat and light brown cowboy hat — topped with a crown — and bright red lipstick with the caption, ‘OH NO sHES GONE MAD! CRAZY I TELL U!, followed by a snap of him throwing up a peace sign in front of a computer screen, the floor littered with stereo equipment and a dirty propane tank with the cryptic caption, “the god of music dare i say? me not jay z, no shade.” A few more images came next, including one of Nas in the gold dress and boots in a lit-up full-length mirror with the tease, “and just like that she’s back. We’ve all waited so long. When dreamworld needed her the most,” which paved the way for an untitled, slow-rolling song produced by Young Kio with a woozy guitar and a throwback to his breakthrough “Old Town Road” cowboy vibe. “Turn on the cable, Nassy’s out the stable/ B–ch I’m back around, let them n–gas know it’s fatal/ And I ain’t finna take s–t, n–gas better watch it/ You know I love the sound of them rounds when the Glock hit,” he raps on a song whose title appears to be “Black Horse.” He also dropped a snippet of “Kimbo” featuring Lil Jon, a big beat banger on which he solemnly sings the chorus, “I know you feel pressure/ When nobody’s around/ You Kimbo/ And I know you feel tempted/ When nobody’s around,” before dropping into a greasy verse on which he raps, “I want like three hoes on some Xans/ I’m with YTO and some friends/ I’m a five-star b–ch with a six pack/ Seven n–gas on me whenI walk into that G spot.” And though he’d earlier shared a snippet of one of his most legendary unreleased songs, “Down Souf Hoes,” featuring Sexyy Red and Saucy Santana, at press time that post had been deleted. The final two clips, uploaded on Wednesday morning (Aug. 20) find Nas, in boots and a white robe, banging a tambourine and standing in front of the pile of gear pictured in the previous snaps and crooning a cappella, “I want to live/ I want to fight/ I want to live a wondrous life/ I want to go, I want to thrive/ I want to live a wondrous life/ Oh what a life, oh what a life.” A final video spotlights a poppy, keyboard-heavy untitled song playing over an image of a colorful floor-to-ceiling mural as he sings, “strange things keep happening.” At press time a spokesperson for Lil Nas had not responded to Billboard‘s request for information on the album’s release date and the new song snippets. Source link