NCT 127 Nets Third No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales Chart With ‘Sticker: The 3rd Album’

NCT 127 nets its third No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart (dated Oct. 2) as the Korean pop group’s latest studio release, Sticker: The 3rd Album, opens atop the tally with 58,000 copies sold in the U.S. in the week ending Sept. 23, according to MRC Data.

Sticker: The 3rd Album leads a busy top 10, where a total of six albums debut in the region, including the latest projects from Lil Nas X, Spiritbox, Bob Dylan, Daughtry and Mozzy.

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 MRC Data. Pure album sales were the measurement solely 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 units and streaming equivalent album units. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram. 

Of Sticker: The 3rd Album’s sales of 58,000, physical album sales comprise 57,000 (all from CD sales) and 1,000 via digital download. Like many K-pop releases, the CD edition of the album was issued in multiple collectible packages and boxed sets (nine, including a Target-exclusive edition). NCT 127 previously led Top Album Sales with NCT #127: Neo Zone, The 2nd Album in 2020 and NCT #127 We Are Superhuman: The 4th Mini Album in 2019.

Lil Nas X’s first full-length album, Montero, arrives at No. 2 with 22,000 copies sold, all via digital download.

Rock band Spiritbox sees its debut full-length set Eternal Blue bow at No. 3 with 19,000 sold. Of that sum, 10,000 were sold via vinyl LP while the rest were mostly split between CD and digital download sales. The album’s vinyl sales were robust enough to land a No. 1 debut on the Vinyl Albums chart. Eternal Blue also arrives at No. 1 on both the Top Rock Albums and Hard Rock Albums tallies.

Kacey Musgraves’ Star-Crossed falls 1-4 in its second week with 15,000 sold (down 69%). Bob Dylan’s latest archival release, Springtime in New York: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 16, 1980-1985, bows at No. 5 with 13,000 sold. Metallica’s self-titled former No. 1 album dips 2-6 with 12,000 (down 58%) while Olivia Rodrigo’s chart-topping Sour dips 5-7 with nearly 12,000 (down 18%).

Rounding out the new top 10 are Daughtry’s latest release, Dearly Beloved (a debut at No. 8 with 11,000 sold), Mozzy’s new Untreated Trauma (debut at No. 9 with nearly 11,000) and Iron Maiden’s former No. 1 Senjutsu (falling 3-10 with 8,000; down 48%).

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Cardi B Stuns at Paris Fashion Week in Red-Hot First Appearance Since Having Baby Boy: See Photos

Cardi B made quite a statement with her first public appearance after giving birth to a baby boy earlier this month, stepping out at Paris Fashion Week on Tuesday at a Mugler event in fire-engine-red feathers surrounding her blond hairdo and a form-fitting sequin gown to match.

“MUGLER MAMI,” Cardi captioned a series of stunning photos from the red carpet.

Cardi B and Offset took to Instagram on Sept. 6 to announce the birth of their second child together, a baby boy, by sharing a sweet family photo of their new bundle of joy. In the snapshot, Cardi and Offset are sitting under a Louis Vuitton blanket in a hospital bed as they proudly gaze at their newborn. “9/4/21,” Cardi captioned the pic, adding a blue heart emoji.

“We are so overjoyed to finally meet our son,” the couple said in a statement provided by Cardi’s representatives. “He is already loved so much by family and friends and we can’t wait to introduce him to his other siblings.”

Cardi and Offset are already parents to their 3-year-old daughter Kulture, who was born July 10, 2018. Offset is also the father to three other children from previous relationships.

See a full shot of Cardi’s Mugler outfit in Paris below:

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Broadway’s ‘Aladdin’ Cancels Performance Due to Breakthrough COVID-19 Cases

Disney’s Aladdin on Broadway canceled Wednesday night’s (Sept. 29) performance due to breakthrough COVID-19 cases, just one day after the show reopened for the first time in 18 months.

“Through our rigorous testing protocols, breakthrough COVID-19 cases have been detected with the company of Aladdin at The New Amsterdam Theatre. Because the wellness and safety of our guests, casts, and crew are our top priority, tonight’s performance, Wednesday, September 29th, is canceled,” the production tweeted Wednesday evening.

All tickets will be refunded and production officials will communicate the status of future performances on Thursday.

“We will continue to provide support to the affected Aladdin company members as they recover,” the tweet added.

This marks the first Broadway cancellation due to COVID-19 since shows resumed on the Great White Way. Theaters began reopening this summer, and larger musicals including Chicago and Hamilton returned earlier this month.

This article was originally published by The Hollywood Reporter.

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Gloria Estefan Reflects on Being Called Out During ‘In the Heights’ Colorism Controversy

Gloria Estefan says being called out during the height of the In the Heights colorism criticism was something she understood as a result of her name recognition and is partly why the Estefans are dedicating an entire episode of Red Table Talk to the issue.

In a recent interview with Yahoo! Entertainment, Estefan, along with her daughter Emily and niece Lili, revealed that a season two episode of their Facebook series will focus explicitly on colorism in the Latinx community. The trio said that part of that decision was based on the conversations and criticisms that popped up around the release of the Jon M. Chu-directed and Lin-Manuel Miranda-written In the Heights.

“One of the things that really sparked my interest even more so into tackling this topic [of colorism] at the Table this time was when the controversy started coming out surrounding In the Heights — that one of the people that started that conversation online, their line was, ‘We’re not all Gloria Estefan!’” she said. “They literally called me out because I’m lighter.”

The singer and Cuban American icon said it can be assumed she isn’t Latina due to her lighter skin, but says she understands why someone would point to her as an example.

“I understood it, completely. I understood it because I am a very well-known Latina, and I look a certain way. My skin is white, you know,” she said. “Although to a lot of people, they might assume that I’m not white because I’m Latina! So, it may have nothing to do with your genetics; the bottom line is labeling and putting people in boxes.”

“OK, even though I go, ‘Hey, I’m just as Latina as anybody else,’ I understood where that was coming from,” she added.

Emily — who is proud the show is “bringing up and opening the door to the conversation of colorism and racism within the Latin community” — says women like the Estefans “do walk around with these privileges” and advantages, including in hiring. But she says that makes it “even more important to use our voice, to speak about it.”

The 26-year-old went on to say that people have not necessarily called them out but have educated them “on the reality of certain experiences,” around an issue that Gloria says isn’t just “difficult” to talk about within their community, but that historically “isn’t” talked about.

“People are saying ‘mejorar la raza,’ which is a terrible expression implying that if your skin is lighter, you’re making your culture better or something like that — and this is something that has been said for years in families, and some people don’t even think to say something because they don’t realize,” Emily said. “So, as three Latina white women, we don’t encounter a lot of the struggles that our Afro Latino brothers and sisters do. And it’s really important, and I feel privileged to be able to use our platform to highlight conversations like that.”

This article originally appeared in THR.com.

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Here’s What Dolly Parton Thinks About Lil Nas X’s Viral Cover of ‘Jolene’

Dolly Parton is begging of Lil Nas X to please… keep singing after watching his viral cover of the country star’s 1973 hit “Jolene.”

The 22-year-old hitmaker performed Parton’s Hot Country Songs No. 1 song “Jolene” along with songs from his Billboard 200 No. 2 album Montero during a Sept. 21 visit to BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge.

“I was so excited when someone told me that Lil Nas X had done my song #Jolene. I had to find it and listen to it immediately…and it’s really good,” she wrote while sharing LNX’s performance video. “Of course, I love him anyway. I was surprised and I’m honored and flattered. I hope he does good for both of us. Thank you @LilNasX.”

The 75-year-old legend wrote the same message on her Instagram underneath a backstage picture of the two decked out head-to-toe in country gear.

The stunned artist typed out “HOLY SH–“ on Twitter in response to Parton’s compliment of his performance, which he explained on the radio show last week. “This song is kind of like beautifully sad, you know? I like the little twang, like the country twang in it. So I was like, ‘Lemme try this out,’” the “Industry Baby” singer said.

He previously invited the Country Music Hall of Famer to hop on a remix of his record-breaking Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 song “Old Town Road,” but she playfully responded by tweeting a spoof rendition of the “OTR” remix covers, featuring a pink unicorn-resembling creature with a blond mane beside Lil Nas X’s black steed and Billy Ray Cyrus’ brown horse.

See Parton’s reaction to Lil Nas X’s “Jolene” cover.

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We All Want a Rihanna Album, But Does She Even Need to Make Music Anymore?

Between her fashionably late appearance at the Met Gala on Sept. 13 and Friday’s Amazon Prime premiere of her Savage x Fenty Show Vol. 3, Rihanna has been all over the headlines lately — but not because of new music.

The last album from the Bajan pop star was 2016’s Anti, which topped the Billboard 200 and spawned the Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper “Work,” as well as the top 10 hits “Needed Me” and “Love on the Brain.” Over the past five years, however, much of her publicity (and income) has come from her skyrocketing Fenty Beauty brand and Savage x Fenty lingerie line, with Forbes reporting in August that RiRi is officially a billionaire thanks to her mogul status.

On the latest episode of the Billboard Pop Shop Podcast, we discuss what might be next for Rihanna’s music career, and why she might not really need to release an album at this point. Of course, we all want the album — just peep Rihanna’s Instagram comments — but does she owe us any music? Listen to the conversation below:

Also on the show, we’ve got chart news about Lil Nas X making a high debut on the Billboard 200 albums chart with Montero and logging three concurrent top 10 hits on the Hot 100, how Taylor Swift’s latest re-recording of an older hit debuts straight into the top 40 on the Hot 100, and how Drake holds on tight to the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 with Certified Lover Boy. Plus, we discuss the guilty verdict returned Monday on all nine counts in R. Kelly’s federal sex trafficking and racketeering trial.

The Billboard Pop Shop Podcast is your one-stop shop for all things pop on Billboard’s weekly charts. You can always count on a lively discussion about the latest pop news, fun chart stats and stories, new music, and guest interviews with music stars and folks from the world of pop. Casual pop fans and chart junkies can hear Billboard’s deputy editor, digital, Katie Atkinson and senior director of Billboard charts Keith Caulfield every week on the podcast, which can be streamed on Billboard.com or downloaded in Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast provider. (Click here to listen to the previous edition of the show on Billboard.com.)

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Jay-Z Teases New Kid Cudi Collaboration in Action-Packed ‘The Harder They Fall’ Trailer

It looks like new music from Jay-Z and Kid Cudi is on the way. In an all-new trailer for the upcoming, Jay-Z-produced western film The Harder They Fall, a collaborative track by Hov and Cudi can be heard, in which Kid Cudi sings, “My guns go bang.”

Directed by Jeymes Samuel, The Harder They Fall is loosely based on the notorious cowboy Nat Love and the Rufus Buck Gang. Regina King, Idris Elba, LaKeith Stanfield and Deon Cole are among the star-studded cast. Elba plays Buck, “a ruthless crime boss who just got sprung from prison,” who is now the target of his longtime enemy, Love, played by Jonathan Majors, per the Netflix synopsis. The film marks Samuel’s directorial debut.

The Harder They Fall is set to make its world premiere at the 65th BFI London Film Festival on Oct. 6. It will premiere on Netflix on Nov. 3.

Watch the official trailer for The Harder They Fall below:

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The Players Behind Walker Hayes’ ‘Fancy Like’: See the Full Credits

Amid a top 10 dominated by pop and hip-hop tracks from the likes of Drake and Lil Nas X, Walker Hayes’ “Fancy Like” carved out a No. 5 finish on the Billboard Hot 100 this week for the second week in a row.

It previously peaked at No. 9 after catching fire on TikTok and being featured in an Applebee’s ad (the latter inspired by the song’s chorus, which references the restaurant chain). Speaking of TikTok, “Fancy Like” (which has also logged 11 weeks at No. 1 on Hot Country Songs) reached the top five on the tally following the debut of a remix featuring Kesha, who by the way scored her breakthrough hit with a song called…”Tik Tok.”

A finish in the upper reaches of the Hot 100 is a rare crossover feat for a country artist that’s been accomplished by only a handful of others, including, most recently, Luke Combs (“Forever After All,” No. 2) and Gabby Barrett (“I Hope” feat. Charlie Puth, No. 3). Walker’s only previous Hot 100-charting single was “You Broke Up With Me,” which peaked at No. 62 on the tally in Feb. 2018.

Explore the team of musicians, producers and more behind the track with recording credits provided by Jaxsta below.

Artists:
Main Artist – Walker Hayes

Songwriters:
Composer Lyricist – Cameron Bartolini
Composer Lyricist – Josh Jenkins
Composer Lyricist – Shane Stevens
Composer Lyricist – Walker Hayes

Producers:
Producer – Joe Thibodeau
Producer – Shane McAnally
Producer – Walker Hayes

Engineers: 
Mastering Engineer – Joe LaPorta
Mixing Engineer – Joe Thibodeau
Recording Engineer – Joe Thibodeau
Recording Engineer – Mike Stankiewicz
Recording Engineer – Walker Hayes

Performers:
Acoustic Guitar – Walker Hayes
Drums – Joe Thibodeau
Electric Guitar – Adam Stark

Labels: 
Distributor – Sony Music Entertainment
Label – Monument Records

Explore the full “Fancy Like” credits on Jaxsta here.

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G-Eazy Applauds Demi Lovato for Their ‘Bravery’ on ‘Breakdown’ Collaboration

G-Eazy is patting his collaborator Demi Lovato on the back after they faced their personal demons in their “Breakdown” collab from the rapper’s latest album.

The Bay Area rapper talked to Apple Music 1’s Zane Lowe about his new album These Things Happen Too, which he released Friday via BPG/RVG/RCA Records. In the music video for his and Lovato’s single “Breakdown,” the two artists came face-to-face with the headlines they’ve made over the years, from Lovato’s 2018 heroin overdose to G-Eazy’s 2018 arrest on charges of assault, drug possession and resisting arrest at a Swedish club.

“It’s one thing to have a conversation in private, but to make it a single and to video it, and to radio it, and to share that on a very, very, very public level, I just applaud Demi’s bravery,” he told Lowe. “I think as a human being, she’s exceptionally talented. Even bigger than that, when you get that level of success, of stardom, of reach and ascend that high… Demi is a very powerful force of bravery, of talent, of ability, of everything that Demi stands for. I applaud Demi, and I’m appreciative that Demi did it. I’m never shy to ask people uncomfortable questions because I think that’s where the greatness comes from.”

G-Eazy and Lovato will perform “Breakdown” on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Tuesday evening (Sept. 28), according to their Instagram Story.

G-Eazy’s latest album serves as the long-awaited sequel to his 2014 album These Things Happen, which peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200. In making the second edition of the project, the 32-year-old MC tapped back into the themes and featured artists from the first one as well as the folder of 438 songs he had been working on specifically for this LP.

“A lot of the music I make is very reflective, vulnerable, and honest. It’s me sharing my flaws, my ugly, my hurt, and it’s real,” he continued. “But to hold onto a lot of that for that long is also an incredibly hard process. I feel like I’m giving birth. I’m no longer pregnant after sitting on this for two years.”

Watch G-Eazy’s Apple Music 1 interview below.

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Sam Riddle, Famed L.A. Disc Jockey and ‘Star Search’ Producer, Dies at 83

Sam Riddle, the popular Los Angeles “Boss Radio” deejay of the 1960s who went on to produce the Ed McMahon-hosted TV talent show Star Search, has died. He was 83.

Riddle died Monday at his home in Palm Desert after a battle with Lewy body dementia, a publicist announced.

In an era when radio disc jockeys exerted huge influence on sales and pop culture, the Texas native started out in L.A. radio on KRLA and jumped to KFWB before landing at KHJ-93, where he became one of the founding jocks behind the “Boss Radio” format.

By virtue of his influence in charting hits, he appeared as a race announcer in the Elvis Presley starrer Clambake (1967).

On television, Riddle hosted 9th Street West and Hollywood a Go Go, which showcased such acts as The Rolling Stones, James Brown and Sonny & Cher. The recent HBO documentary Tina showed him introducing Ike & Tina Turner before their first big TV appearance.

On the syndicated Star Search, which ran from 1983-95, Riddle gave career breaks to such future stars as Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Usher, Dave Chappelle and Christina Aguilera.

Riddle was born on Dec. 12, 1937, in Fort Worth, Texas. After his parents, Robert and Juanita, divorced, his stepfather, Sam Hand, who owned a dairy farm and advertised in local radio, helped get Riddle his first job on the radio at age 16.

He served in the Air Force Reserves during the Vietnam War and worked as a deejay for stations in Arizona and San Diego before coming to Los Angeles.

Riddle’s producing résumé included the shows Boss City, Aloha a Go Go, Get It Together (with Mama Cass), Almost Anything Goes, The Lou Rawls Parade of Stars, Supermodel of the World, Out of the Blue, It’s Showtime at the Apollo, Livin’ Large and The Ultimate Poker Challenge.

He also oversaw the early creation and production of specials and series for Telemundo and Univision and managed acts for such labels as Sony/BMG and EMI Latin.

Survivors include his wife of 54 years, Adrienne; children Scott and Courtney; and grandchildren Miracle and Garin.

This article originally appeared in THR.com.

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