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Dr. Teeth And The Electric Mayhem — The All-Muppet Band — Are Officially Billboard-Charting Artists

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If the Muppets are the Beatles, then Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem are Wings. Don’t think about this too hard. Just accept it, because vocalist Dr. Teeth, drummer Animal, guitarist Janice, bassist Floyd Pepper, guitarist Janice, trumpeter Lips, and saxophonist Zoot have made it to the Billboard charts. And it only took nearly 50 years!

The Muppets Mayhem: Music From the Disney+ Original Series, a companion album to Disney+’s Muppets Mayhem, debuted at #13 on the Kid Albums chart. “The 22-track set includes 17 songs credited to Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, plus five scores by Mick Giacchino,” according to Billboard. “While some songs are original compositions for the series, others are covers of classics by The Beach Boys, Cyndi Lauper, Simon & Garfunkel, and more.”

Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem isn’t the first Muppets-related project to reach the charts — “Rubber Duckie” peaked at #16 on the Hot 100, while “Rainbow Connection” reached a high of #25 — but I’ll take Animal drumming to Kiss over Ernie singing about his dang bath toy any day of the week. Put down the duckie, indeed.

Other albums currently in the Kids Albums top 20 include Bluey: Dance Mode!; the soundtracks for Encanto, The Lion King, and Moana; and A Charlie Brown Christmas, despite it being, y’know, May.

(Via Billboard)

Ariana Grande Heard The ‘Not A Singer Anymore’ Slander And Returned To No. 1 On The Hot 100 With The Weeknd

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Ariana Grande just pulled off the ultimate flex. She’s deep in her Wicked era, transforming into Glinda for Jon M. Chu’s forthcoming two-part film adaptation. Arianators are needlessly worrying that one of the biggest pop stars on the planet will suddenly stop being one of the biggest pop stars on the planet.

Grande directly responded to her fans in January, but the notion that she’s “not a singer anymore” was emphatically put to bed today, March 6. Worry not: Whenever Ariana Grande decides to sing, she reigns supreme. Her power is evident on the new Billboard Hot 100 chart dated March 11, where Grande and The Weeknd’s “Die For You (Remix)” sits at No. 1.

“Wrote and recorded a verse for my friend after a 14 hour day on set,” Grande wrote in a TikTok video showing her in the studio, posted on February 21 ahead of the song’s February 24 release. “This certain exception had to be made …..”

@arianagrande

⭐🌙

♬ original sound – arianagrande

Per Billboard, “Die For You (Remix)” is the seventh No. 1 on the Hot 100 for Grande and The Weeknd, respectively, and it marks their second No. 1 together. “Save Your Tears” peaked at No. 1 in May 2021. It couldn’t come at a better time for The Weeknd, who needs some good news to balance out all of the reported drama and dysfunction around his HBO series, The Idol.

The top 10 of the Hot 100 chart dated March 11 is rounded out by Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” at No. 2, SZA’s “Kill Bill” at No. 3, PinkPantheress and Ice Spice’s “Boy’s A Liar, Pt. 2” at No. 4, Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” at No. 5, Metro Boomin, The Weeknd, and 21 Savage’s “Creepin’” at No. 6, Karol G and Shakira’s “TQG” at No. 7, Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ “Unholy” at No. 8, Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero” at No. 9, and Beyoncé’s “Cuff It” at No. 10.

Before today, Cyrus enjoyed six consecutive No. 1 weeks with “Flowers,” the lead single from her Endless Summer Vacation album due this Friday, March 10.

SZA’s “SOS” Continues Its Record-Breaking Run

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SZA has proven once again her aptitude for making history. For the ninth non-consecutive week, the 33-year-old singer has earned Billboard‘s No. 1 spot for her sophomore release, SOS. According to the outlet, the project has earned 93,000 equivalent album units. SZA now joins Adele and Taylor Swift as female artists who’ve charted No. 1 for nine weeks. The English songstress earned the top spot with her album 23 for ten weeks, whereas the country-turned-pop star previously held the spot for nine weeks with 1989.

In a conversation with the New York Times, SZA reflected on her approach to SOS. “I didn’t even know how to make [the album] cause I didn’t have a purpose,” she dished. The TDE star also explained how Ctrl had been a way to prove her ability to create an album. But now, SZA says, “I did everything I wanted to do.” Regardless, her latest effort has been met with high acclamations from fans, with tracks like “Snooze,” “Nobody Gets Me,” “Low,” and “Shirt” listed as her most popular tracks according to Spotify. “Kill Bill” has also rightfully been receiving attention, charting at No. 2 following every week since its drop.

SZA’s “SOS” Charts No. 1 For The Ninth Week

SZA and Taylor Swift seen during the 65th GRAMMY Awards at Crypto.com Arena on February 05, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by John Shearer/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)

The highly anticipated album was released last December. It marked SZA’s first full project since her 2017 debut studio effort, Ctrl. Since then, the Missouri-born singer has released various singles and collaborations. She recently dropped Grammy award-nominated “Good Days” and “Hit Different” featuring Ty Dolla $ign. While SZA received primarily positive feedback from SOS, she was criticized for making “sad girl music.” The lyricist addressed these accusations in her NYT interview, explaining that “sad-girl energy has always been my energy. It’s never been, like, bitch-girl energy.” 

Even with haters finding a way to nitpick SOS, the work as a whole is an incredible display of SZA’s refined taste in modern R&B. Her melodic additions to soft beats infuse magically to inflict emotional insights. Needless to say, SOS proudly inhibits “sad girl energy,” creating the perfect soundtrack for comforting a heartbreak. While only time will tell if SZA will surpass the ten-week mark for top album, her SOS Tour commences this week in Columbus, OH. Revisit the starlet’s “Kill Bill” music video below.

SZA Stuns In Her “Kill Bill” Visual

[Via] [Via]

SZA’s ‘SOS’ Is On Adele’s Heels After Its Ninth Week At No. 1 On The ‘Billboard’ 200 Chart

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SZA continues to surprise herself with the overwhelming success of SOS, her long-awaited sophomore album from December. It became her first-ever No. 1 on the Billboard 200 that month and has steadily broken records in the ensuing weeks.

Last month, SOS became the first album since Adele’s 30 (December 2021 to January 2022) to spend each of its first five weeks at No. 1. SZA began February by celebrating a seventh total week, citing that she, Adele and Taylor Swift are “the only female artists to have an album spend at least seven weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 this century.”

By February 12, SOS logged its eighth nonconsecutive week and became the first album to tally that mark since Swift’s Folklore, and now, SZA is on Adele’s heels for yet another historic feat.

Per Billboard on Sunday, February 19, SOS sits at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart dated February 25, for a ninth total week.

“The last set by a female artist to spend at least nine weeks at No. 1 was Adele’s 25, which ruled for 10 nonconsecutive weeks between Dec. 12, 2015, and March 12, 2016,” Billboard‘s Keith Caulfield noted.

He later added:

“In the last 10 years, only three albums by women have spent at least nine weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200: SOS, Adele’s 25 (10 in 2015-16) and Taylor Swift’s 1989 (11, 2014-15). The last R&B/hip-hop album with at least eight weeks atop the list was Drake’s Views, which [spent] 13 nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 (May 21-Oct. 8, 2016). SOS has the most weeks at No. 1 for an R&B/hip-hop album by a woman, or an R&B album by a woman, since Mariah Carey’s self-titled debut spent 11 weeks, all consecutively, at No. 1 in 1991.”

SZA appeared as a presenter at the 2023 Grammys on February 5, and she’s likely to be there as a nominee next year.

“Last night was the first time I had a great time at an award show! (Prolly cause I ain’t have to do sh*t but cheer my friends on + announce ppl I Stan lmao),” SZA wrote on Instagram afterward. “My team also surprised me w a GANG OF PLATINUM and gold plaques for SOS [crying emoji] can’t believe the album is already eligible for double platinum. LOVE TO EVERYBODY THAT GOT ME HERE AND CONTINUES TO LIVE ME UP. I love you.”

After initial concerns that people wouldn’t like SOS, SZA has apparently settled into the rhythm of repetitive record-breaking. “Honestly I’m bored and could go for some aliens,” she tweeted last week. “Speaking for me only.”

In actuality, she’s preparing to take her blockbuster album on the road. Her SOS Tour is scheduled to begin tomorrow, February 21 in Columbus, Ohio. Omar Apollo will serve as her opener.

Omar Apollo is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

SZA’s ‘SOS’ Is No. 1 On The ‘Billboard’ 200 For The Seventh Week, Accomplishing Several Remarkable Feats

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SZA’s sophomore album SOS proves to be the gift that keeps on giving. Today (January 30), the album is No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart dated Februrary 4, for a seventh total week.

With this latest feat, SOS becomes the first R&B/hip-hop album by a woman to top the Billboard 200 for seven weeks, since Whitney Houston’s 1987 album, Whitney, which spent 11 weeks on top upon its release.

SOS has spent the most weeks at No. 1 for any album by a woman since 2020, the last being Taylor Swift’s Folklore. It has also spent the most consecutive weeks at No. 1 within the span of a year for any album across all genres since the soundtrack to Disney’s 2021 film, Encanto.

Upon receiving the news, SZA took to her Instagram story to express her gratitude in a spiritual manner.

“7 is yemayas number,” she said. “I’m so thankful to everyone and God thank you.”

On this week’s top 10 is Swift’s Midnights, which placed at No. 2, now having spent its first 14 weeks in the top two. Trippie Redd’s Mansion Musik makes its debut at No. 3, and country-rock star Hardy’s The Mockingbird & The Crow arrives at No. 4, and Metro Boomin’s Heroes & Villains is now sitting at No. 5.

Drake & 21 Savage’s Her Loss, which temporarily dethroned Swift’s Midnights upon its release last November, is now at No. 6, pushing Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti to No. 7. Morgan Wallen’s Dangerous: The Double Album has fallen to No. 8, and “Something In The Orange” singer Zach Bryan’s American Heartbreak album is now at No. 9. Lil Baby’s It’s Only Me, which became his third album to debut at No. 1 upon its release last year, is now sitting at No. 10.

Some of the artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

SZA Is No. 1 For A Sixth Week With ‘SOS,’ An R&B Feat That Hasn’t Happened In Nearly 20 Years

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On December 9, 2022, SZA released SOS, her latest album. Since it was chart-eligible, the LP has not known what it’s like to be anything but No. 1 on the Billboard 200. It debuted in the top spot of the chart, and that’s where it remains on the latest rank: Billboard announced today (January 23) that on the new chart dated January 28, SOS is No. 1 for a sixth total week.

That’s the most weeks at No. 1 on the chart among R&B and hip-hop albums since Drake’s Views logged 13 non-consecutive weeks in 2016. Narrow the scope to just R&B albums and SOS has the most chart-topping weeks since Usher’s Confessions was No. 1 for nine total weeks in 2004.

Furthermore, this is a notable moment for women artists. In the last decade plus, the only women with albums to spend at least six weeks at No. 1 are Adele, Taylor Swift, and now SZA. The last album by a woman besides those three to have at least six No. 1 weeks was Susan Boyle’s I Dreamed A Dream in 2009 and 2010. When it comes specifically to women in R&B, SOS has the most weeks at No. 1 since Mariah Carey’s Daydream, which had six non-consecutive weeks on top in late 1995 and early 1996.

SZA Has Had No. 1 Songs And Albums, But Her Debut Appearance Atop Another Chart ‘Means So F*cking Much’ To Her

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SZA had no idea what she was in for when she finally released SOS on December 9. Literally. “I never thought in a million years that people would like it,” she told Rolling Stone later in the month, around the time it became her first career No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. Single “Kill Bill” has also topped the Billboard Hot R&B Songs and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts.

Has anyone ever been so happy to have been so wrong?

This week marks the fifth consecutive week that SOS has reigned at No. 1. ” God is good. F*ck who disagree! Focus on yourself believe in yourself TRUST YOURSELF. GRATEFUL,” SZA wrote in an emoji-filled tweet. Previously, SOS hit “Kill Bill” gave SZA her first No. 1 on Billboard‘s Streaming Songs chart and second No. 1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. But on Friday, January 13, SZA was relishing in hitting No. 1 on a different Billboard chart.

“I appreciate every milestone and accolade but THIS? As a writer [this] means so f*cking much to me. I aspire to be a better writer everyday thank you WOW,” she tweeted along with a screenshot of the news that she earned her first week at No. 1 on the Hot 100 Songwriters chart last week.

Per Billboard, the No. 1 spot was earned by SZA having 15 charting songs on the Hot 100 chart dated January 14. All of them are from the SOS track list, including “Kill Bill” (No. 3), “Shirt” (No. 23), “Nobody Gets Me” (No. 42), “Low” (No. 45), “Blind” (No. 51), and “Snooze” (No. 53).

SZA is scheduled to kick off her SOS Tour with Omar Apollo as the opener on February 21 in Columbus, Ohio. See all the dates here.

These Were 2022’s Most-Streamed Songs Across All Platforms

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Last year was full of great songs. Many acts returned with long-awaited new material, from hitmakers Beyonce and Blackpink to indie bands Alvvays and Big Thief. Records were broken by pop powerhouses such as Harry Styles with Harry’s House and Taylor Swift with Midnights.

Today, January 11, the Billboard Charts Twitter account shared the most-streamed songs across all platforms. Coming in at No. 1 is “Industry Baby” by Lil Nas X featuring Jack Harlow with 877.2 million streams. Following is Styles’ “As It Was” with 763.4 million. Then, there’s the Glass Animals hit “Heat Waves,” which was revived after being released in 2020, followed by “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” from the film Encanto.

At No. 5 is “Enemy” by Imagine Dragons and JID, followed by Justin Bieber and The Kid Laroi’s “Stay.” Kodak Black’s “Super Gremlin” is at No. 7. Future, Drake, and Tems take No. 8 with “Wait For U.” “Me Porto Bonito” by Bad Bunny and Chencho Corleone follow, and finally Bad Bunny takes the next spot as well with “Titi Me Pregunto.”

It’s no surprise Bad Bunny takes up two spots on this list — “Spotify Wrapped” deemed him the world’s most-streamed artist of last year. Meanwhile, he also got a nod from Apple Music, who named him their 2022 Artist Of The Year.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Music Streaming Set A New Record By Crossing The Trillion-Play Threshold In 2022, With R&B And Hip-Hop At The Helm

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Musicians and industry professionals have a well-documented obsession with chart placement. However, now in the dawn of streaming, there’s a growing pressure to deliver in other analytical ways, including streaming numbers. With physical albums sales continuing to fall, artists like Billie Eilish, Drake, and Ed Sheeran have all dominated across streaming platforms.

Although, traditional music medium such as vinyls seeing a huge spike in popularity, with artist like Taylor Swift and Adele (much to the displeasure of independent artists) including it in their album rollouts, streaming remains in the top spot of music activity. In fact, according to Luminate, the entertainment and data insight company behind Billboard‘s chart tracking, “on-demand song streams (audio and video combined) increased 12.2% to 1.268 trillion,” marking “the first time that yearly U.S. on-demand audio streams surpassed 1 trillion.”

The report revealed that “29% of all on-demand audio streams in the U.S. in 2022 were R&B/hip-hop songs.” No further information was provided for what role other genres play in this milestone.

Digital streaming platforms have like Apple Music and Spotify have continued to introduced new features to increase users’ app usage. Last year, Apple Music introduced Apple Music Sing, which gives subscribers an elevated experience with their favorite songs through enhanced karaoke abilities. While, Spotify expanded their Spotify Wrapped data points to include mood breakdowns and personality points of users most popular songs.

The Weeknd’s Six-Year-Old Song ‘Die For You’ Has Cracked The Hot 100 Top 10 For The First Time Thanks In Part To TikTok

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Over the weekend, The Weeknd commemorated one year of Dawn FM with a video for “Is There Someone Else?.” Coupled with the video’s release was this tweet: “I wonder… Did you know you’re experiencing a new trilogy?” Before we walk with The Weeknd into an enticing future, there’s reason to revisit his past.

Billboard revealed its newest Hot 100 chart (dated January 14) today, January 9. It’s unsurprisingly that Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero” has returned to No. 1 for a seventh total week after debuting there in late October, but it is surprising to see The Weeknd’s 2016 Starboy hit “Die For You” at No. 8 — which is now his 16th top-10 single on the chart.

“The Weeknd’s ‘Die for You’ vaults 26 to 8 on the Hot 100, led by 67.3 million in airplay audience (up 3%) and 9.9 million streams (up 10%),” the publication additionally relayed. “The song hits the Hot 100’s top 10 over six years after its original release on The Weeknd’s album Starboy, sparked by interaction on TikTok (which does not presently contribute to Billboard‘s charts). That buzz helped lead to the song’s airplay promotion and prominence, as the track holds at its No. 4 Radio Songs high.”

The Weeknd owns six career No. 1 Hot 100 singles, including the record-breaking “Blinding Lights” and “Starboy” (the latter featuring Daft Punk). Fellow Starboy track “I Feel It Coming” (also featuring Daft Punk) peaked at No. 4 on the chart.

“Die For You” isn’t the only The Weeknd song in this week’s Hot 100 top 10, either. His collaborative track “Creepin’” with Metro Boomin and 21 Savage, off of Metro Boomin’s December No. 1 album Heroes & Villains, sits at No. 6. It peaked at No. 5 last month.