Tyler Hubbard notches his third No. 1 as a soloist on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart as “Park” shifts two gears to the top of the chart dated Aug. 9. The song increased by 16% to 28.9 million in audience July 25-31, according to Luminate.

“Park” is from Hubbard’s second album, Strong, released in April 2024. The Monroe, Ga., native co-wrote the track with Jesse Frasure, Ashley Gorley and Canaan Smith.

“Reaching the top of the chart is not something I ever take for granted,” Hubbard tells Billboard. “We hoped that the world would have as much fun listing to this song as we did writing it. It’s been awesome to open every show this summer with ‘Park’ and see the fans connect with it night in and night out. This one is special and I’m more grateful than ever.”

Hubbard previously topped Country Airplay with “Back Then Right Now” for a week in May 2024. Before that, “Dancin’ in the Country” hit No. 2 in May 2023. His first leader, “5 Foot 9,” reigned for a week in November 2022. His first of five entries, “Undivided” with Tim McGraw, reached No. 16 in May 2021.

Hubbard made 16 previous trips to No. 1 on Country Airplay, in 2012-21, as half of Florida Georgia Line with Brian Kelley, who is also working solo.

Top 10 Fireworks

Scotty McCreery banks his 10th Country Airplay top 10 as his collaboration with Hootie & The Blowfish, “Bottle Rockets,” lifts 11-10 (16.4 million, up 5%).

The song revisits the Darius Rucker-fronted group’s “Hold My Hand,” which hit No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1995. It’s the first Country Airplay top 10 for the band and second entry; “Hold On” arrived at its No. 30 high in October 2019. The act last hit the top 10 of a Billboard airplay chart in 2006, when “One Love” rose to No. 5 on Adult Contemporary.

Meanwhile, Rucker has banked nine solo Country Airplay No. 1s, between 2008 and 2019.

Spike Lee’s Highest 2 Lowest is set to hit theaters on Aug. 22, and in support of the upcoming film, the acclaimed director and Knicks superfan stopped by The Tonight Show on Thursday (July 31).

During his interview with host Jimmy Fallon, Lee praised A$AP Rocky’s acting ability and credited him with holding his own opposite Denzel Washington on the set of the crime thriller.

“Yeah, don’t sleep on A$AP. In this film, Denzel and A$AP go toe-to-toe,” Spike teased. “What’s interesting is, even before I got involved with this film, I always thought that A$AP looked like he could be Denzel’s son. There’s a big resemblance. So when you see it on the screen, it adds an element of father and son.”

Having worked on multiple movies with the Oscar-winning star, Lee recalled times he’s seen actors crumble in scenes with Washington. “Don’t sleep on A$AP. I’ve done five films with Denzel, and a lot of times when he’s in a scene with somebody, they just get overwhelmed. He’s one of the greatest living actors today, but A$AP wasn’t having that. Toe-to-toe, I mean, they were going at it.”

Highest 2 Lowest is a “reinterpretation” of Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 noir High and Low. Produced by A24 and Apple, the flick finds Rocky playing Denzel’s son, a character named Yung Felony, and is set in New York City. Rocky’s character is an aspiring rapper, while Washington’s runs a respected record label, Stackin Hits, and is the heir apparent to Quincy Jones.

Look for Highest 2 Lowest in theaters on Aug. 22, before the film comes to AppleTV+ on Sept. 5. Watch Spike Lee talk about A$AP Rocky and Denzel Washington on The Tonight Show shortly after the 10-minute mark below.

Jessie Murph is no stranger to the charts. The singer first broke onto a Billboard chart as a teenager in 2021, when her single “Always Been You” — the entree to her first project, the 2023 mixtape Drowning —crashed onto the Hot 100 at No. 95. Since then, she’s made steady progress climbing higher and higher: collaborations with Diplo and Polo G (“Heartbroken,” No. 64), Jelly Roll (“Wild Ones,” No. 35) and Koe Wetzel (“High Road,” No. 22) all helped pave the way for her own projects, with debut album That Ain’t No Man That’s the Devil debuting at No. 24 on the Billboard 200 last fall.

Now 20, Murph has taken things to new heights this year: Her single “Blue Strips” reached No. 15 on the Hot 100 in May, becoming her first top 20 hit. That led into the release of her sophomore album, Sex Hysteria, which this week debuted at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 with 44,000 equivalent album units, marking her first top 10 album. The project, which includes collaborations with Gucci Mane and Lil Baby, is a showcase of her genre-blending style, shifting from country to hip-hop to dance music and back as she explores a range of influences and sounds. And the success of the project so far has earned her manager and Disruptor Management senior director Julie Leff the title of Billboard’s Executive of the Week.

Here, Leff discusses the work that’s gone into building Murph’s career over the past few years, the first-week success of the project and how all those collaborations and cross-genre influences have helped Murph tap into new audiences. “We always praise authenticity at Disruptor and allowing artists to express themselves sonically or visually in the way that is most true to them, regardless of genre, is what resonates the most with their fan base,” Leff says. “The blends of inspirations and how those manifest themselves in each project are what make artists these days stand apart.”

This week, Jessie Murph landed her first top 10 album of her career, as Sex Hysteria debuted at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 with 44,000 equivalent album units. What key decisions did you make to help make that happen?

I think the first key decision was to start a new album and touring cycle less than 12 months after her previous release. Above all else, I trust in Jessie’s creative process to lead the way, and we recognized that there was demand for another project from her, as well as going back to tour markets she hadn’t been to in over a year. We focused on messaging and storytelling. We wanted to make sure there was awareness not only that she was starting a new chapter, but that this chapter would be a departure from her last one, even though they came out in close proximity to each other. Every decision we made over the course of the Sex Hysteria album campaign was specific to ensure we drove home the feeling and aesthetic of this era and kept it cohesive. The creative for this era was Jessie’s baby and was brought to life in such a special way by her creative director at Disruptor, Claire Schmitt.

This is her third album to chart on the Billboard 200, with each building higher than the last. How have you helped her build her presence since her 2023 debut?

Something we’ve done really well over the years is stay active and stay consistent. Jessie is the hardest-working artist I’ve ever worked with; since releasing her first song, we never paused releasing music and never stopped touring. We’ve released a lot of songs across three projects in four and a half years, oftentimes with one to two weeks in between releases. I have to give credit to our team at Columbia Records for giving us the support, the leeway, and the encouragement to stay so active. Jessie was on the road for the last four years, going from primary markets, to Europe, to Australia, on to secondary markets and festivals, and is currently back out for another worldwide tour. She’s connected to her fan base that has grown with her online and on the road, and puts them first. I am proud of her commitment to developing as an artist year after year.

“Blue Strips” became her first top 20 hit on the Hot 100. What was the strategy behind helping that break through?

I feel like we’ve been working towards this moment for years now. When I think about the strategy behind “Blue Strips” specifically, a lot of it came down to timing it right. Jessie initially shared part of the song on social media months prior to when we ultimately released it; we knew from the response online that it was something special. She made this incredible body of work and conceptualized a whole world that it was going to live in. We knew if we were patient and didn’t rush out the song, it would pay off. We decided to release “Gucci Mane” to kick off the campaign, and then released “Blue Strips” alongside her Coachella and Stagecoach performances. That groundswell of activity, and knowing when to activate it, helped propel “Blue Strips” into what it has become.

She had previously charted with features alongside artists like Jelly Roll, Koe Wetzel and Diplo and Polo G. How have those collaborations helped raise her profile and reach as an artist? 

Well, every new collaboration opens you up to more fans and opportunities to be introduced to new audiences, of course. They all came from organic relationships that Jessie started with these artists. I think the team has done a great job of making these collabs dynamic and not something that exists on DSPs. Whether it’s been popping out with Jelly Roll at Jingle Ball or Times Square NYE, or singing with Koe and Diplo at Stagecoach, giving these records dimension has been a vital part of our strategy around collaborations. Almost equally important is that these moments help provide additional context for fans to see sides of Jessie and understand her more deeply as an artist who is multi-faceted and genre agnostic.

She’s dipped into country, hip-hop, dance music and more in developing her sound and in her singles. How much does genre still play a role for developing artists these days?

Today’s fans listen to so many different genres, especially Gen-Z. Jessie is the same and listens to everything from Lil Baby to Amy Winehouse to legacy country artists. When she goes in the studio, the music she’s making is reflective of the wide range of music she listens to. It’s more authentic to blur genre lines than to artificially put herself in one specific box.

You work in both management and on the label side. What have you learned from each that you can apply to working with an artist like Jessie?

Whether it’s on the label or management side, I’ve always felt incredibly lucky that I get to work so closely with artists and get to understand them firstly as human beings. One thing I’ve learned that has been particularly useful working with an artist like Jessie is to not let the instinct to protect your client keep you from shying away from taking risks, either creatively or strategically. It’s in my nature to overthink decisions because I view myself as the last line of defense on the artist team, and I take that role very seriously, whether I’m that artist’s manager or product manager at the label. I’ve learned that letting go and embracing bold decisions is when the most exciting, career-building moments can happen.

The management shuffle is continuing at The Feldman Agency (TFA). The Toronto-based talent agency has parted ways with Rob Segal, previously president of brands and partnerships. 

Segal became a partner in the company in 2023 as part of an expansion to become a full-service entertainment company.

In 2024, Segal was named one of Billboard’s International Power Players alongside CEO Jeff Craib. He cited his biggest achievements from that first year on the job as “shepherding the new business in owned and operated properties,” licensing and branding opportunities for TFA’s artists and launching the first season of The Bowl at Sobeys Stadium, the outdoor concert venue series that then “hit pause” in 2025.

This news comes less than two months after TFA announced a series of internal promotions. Veteran Joel Baskin was named senior vice president, Josie Cheng was named managing director-administration, Amy Lloyd was given a new role as talent buyer, Emma Leblanc took the reins as marketing associate and Jessie Silverstein was promoted to senior coordinator. 

The appointments signaled TFA’s increased “strategic focus on talent buying, artist support and operational innovation across its offices in Toronto and Vancouver,” they said at the time.

When reached for comment, Craib confirms Segal’s departure. 

“While Rob Segal is no longer heading up partnerships, the exciting operational staff promotions we announced previously speak to TFA’s growth as a company,” he tells Billboard Canada. “Our strong work with brands, artists and our properties in this space continues.”

The Feldman Agency’s talent roster includes major names like Shania Twain, Daniel Caesar, Snotty Nose Rez Kids, Josh Ross and Owen Riegling, plus non-music clients like All Elite Wrestling. 

Craib and TFA president Tom Kemp were named to Billboard Canada’s 2025 Power Players list, citing major tours for Alessia Cara, Mother Mother, Barenaked Ladies, Carly Rae Jepsen, Charlotte Cardin and more. – Richard Trapunski

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Chad VanGaalen, Sunnsetter and More Pull Music From Spotify

A number of Canadian artists are removing their catalogues from Spotify.

Across the country, musicians are withdrawing their discography from the streamer, many citing co-founder and CEO Daniel Ek’s ties to an AI weapons company, Prima Materia.

It was reported in June that the organization led a new round of investment in defense company Helsing, which sells software that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to inform military decisions. Ek is the chairman of Helsing and reportedly invested €600 million — approximately $961 million CAD.

The most recent artist to join the exodus is Ontario singer-songwriter Sunnsetter. On Sunday (July 27), the shoegaze musician, born Andrew McLeod, posted to Instagram to share his decision.

“I have no interest in supporting a platform that has almost single handedly dismantled the entire music industry and is tied directly to military industrial AI technology,” he wrote in a statement.

“Daniel Ek has literally taken the money that’s coming from YOU meant to pay artists, and used that money to then turn around and invest in AI killing technology meant to further facilitate genocide around the world and support military regimes and this turn towards fascism. It’s disgusting, it sickens me. I want to be freed from this cycle and I hate it.”

Sunnsetter added that their label, Paper Bag Records, was supportive of their decision to withdraw from Spotify.

McLeod joins a list of Canadian musicians taking a stand. Three days ago, Calgary artist Chad VanGaalen took to Instagram to share that he removed his music from the platform. Starting the process a few months ago, VanGaalen’s record labels, Sub Pop and Flemish Eye, executed what he called the “digital devil’s work” to remove his discography.

Citing “just the usual 2025 s–t,” — including investments in “AI weapons of war, drone technology” — VanGaalen confidently decided to depart.

“It made me feel really sad because I don’t want my art to be a part of that — and my art doesn’t need to be a part of that,” he said.

For fans missing VanGaalen’s music, he said his discography is available on Bandcamp for free.

Billboard Canada has reached out to Spotify Canada for comment.

Read more, including words from King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Fiver, Xiu Xiu and more here. – Heather Taylor-Singh

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Mustafa, Saya Gray, Yves Jarvis Make The Inaugural SOCAN Polaris Song Prize Short List

The SOCAN Polaris Song Prize has its inaugural short list. 

The list comprises songs recorded by Lou-Adriane Cassidy, Saya Gray, Yves Jarvis, Mustafa and Ribbon Skirt. The winner will receive $10,000 split between the song’s Canadian performers and the song’s credited Canadian songwriter(s), courtesy of Canadian performing rights society SOCAN.

Here is this year’s short list:

These songs were selected from the previously announced 20-song long list.

Of these five artists, only Toronto artist/poet Mustafa has previous experience of a Polaris-related short list, via a 2021 nomination for the Polaris Music Prize for his debut release, When Smoke Rises.

An interesting facet of this short list is that all five of the artists listed are also on the 10 album short list for the 2025 Polaris Music Prize. As a result, they will all be performing at the Polaris Concert & Award Ceremony, at Toronto’s Massey Hall on Tuesday, September 16. Both Prizes will be awarded at that event. 

As with the Polaris Music Prize, the Song Prize is voted on by the members of the Polaris jury without regard to musical genre, label affiliation or commercial popularity.

The SOCAN Polaris Song Prize is the organization’s first new award since the Slaight Family Polaris Heritage Prize was introduced in 2015 to award albums from the pre-Polaris Prize era. The launch of the Song Prize is part of an extensive initiative of programming changes announced for the organization’s 20th anniversary. – Kerry Doole

The U.K. Singles Chart has its first K-pop No. 1 in 13 years as KPop Demon Hunters’ “Golden” hits the top spot on Friday (Aug. 1). The song features on Netflix’s animated musical and is credited to the group HUNTR/X, and is sung by EJAE, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami. 

“Golden” also becomes only the second K-pop single ever to hit No. 1 on the Official Singles Chart following PSY’s 2012 mega-smash “Gangnam Style.” The former has risen rapidly on the U.K. charts, and jumps eight places week over week from No. 9; “Golden” currently sits at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100.

A number of singles from K-pop artists have come close to hitting the top spot on the U.K. chart in recent years. Two of BTS’ singles have hit No. 3 (“Dynamite” in 2020 and “Butter” in 2021), and BLACKPINK’s Rosé’s “APT.” (2024) peaked at No. 2 to become the highest charting K-pop solo female artist on the list.

The last time a track from an animated film or television reached the top spot was in 2022 with “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” from Disney’s Encanto. Other animated characters to hit the top spot in the U.K. include The Simpsons (“Do the Bartman,” 1991), Mr Blobby (“Mr Blobby,” 1993), Bob the Builder (“Can We Fix It,” 1999 and “Mambo No. 5,” 2000), Crazy Frog (“Axel F,” 2005) and Gorillaz (“DARE,” 2005).

Two additional tracks from Kpop Demon Hunters make the top 20 of the U.K. Singles Chart: Saja Boys’ (Andrew Choi, Neckwav, Danny Chung, Kevin Woo and samUIL Lee) “Your Idol” lands at No. 10 and “Soda Pop” places at No. 11.

After giving the Canadian his eighth No. 1 single, Justin Bieber’s “Daisies” falls to No. 2 and MK and Chrystal’s “Dior” finishes at No. 3 following its recent two-week stint at the summit. Drake and Central Cee’s “Which One?” is the week’s highest new entry at No. 4, and Sabrina Carpenter’s “Manchild” closes at No. 5.

Following a rocking tribute to Ozzy Osbourne in Birmingham, England, on Wednesday (July 30), the late musician’s presence is still felt on the charts as Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid” rises 12 places (No. 20), and his solo song “Crazy Train” earns a new peak (25).