A Brooklyn judge will allow a prominent alt-right internet figure to keep his identity secret when he testifies against a pro-Trump Twitter troll accused of trying to trick 2016 Hillary … Click to Continue »

Morgan Wallen’s One Thing at a Time spends a second week atop the Billboard 200 albums chart (dated March 25), as the set earned 259,000 equivalent album units in the United States in the week ending March 16, according to Luminate. That’s down 48% compared to its debut week sum of 501,000 units a week ago.

One Thing at a Time logs the largest second-week for an album since Taylor Swift’s Midnights collected 342,000 units in the week ending Nov. 3, 2022 (chart dated Nov. 12), after debuting a week earlier with 1.578 million units.

One Thing at a Time’s second week is nearly as large as the opening week of Wallen’s last album, Dangerous: The Double Album, which launched with 265,000 units (week ending Jan. 14, 2021, chart dated Jan. 23).

One Thing at a Time is the first album by a male act to spend its first two weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 since Harry Styles’ Harry’s House tallied its first two weeks atop the list on the charts dated June 4 and 11, 2022. It’s also the first country album to log its first two weeks at No. 1 since Dangerous spent its first 10 weeks at No. 1 (Jan. 21-March 27, 2021 charts). (Country albums are considered those that have hit or are eligible for Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart.)

Also in the top 10 of the new Billboard 200 albums chart, TWICE and Miley Cyrus debut at Nos. 2 and 3, respectively, with their latest efforts, Ready to Be and Endless Summer Vacation. Both acts earn their largest weeks by units earned since the chart began measuring by units in December 2014.

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. The new March 25, 2023-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on March 21. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

Of One Thing at a Time’s 259,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending March 16, SEA units comprise 234,000 (down 39%, equaling 308.06 million on-demand official streams of the set’s 36 songs), album sales comprise 21,000 (down 81%) and TEA units comprise 4,000 (down 53%). Notably, the album’s haul of 308.06 million streams for its songs tallies the second-biggest streaming week ever for a country album, after the set’s debut frame (498.28 million).

TWICE scores a career-high placing on the Billboard 200, as the pop ensemble’s new album Ready to Be debuts at No. 2 with 153,000 equivalent album units earned – the act’s biggest week ever. It’s the fourth top 10-charting effort for the South Korean group. Previously, the act went as high as No. 3 with its last two charting sets, Between 1&2: 11th Mini Album and Formula of Love: O+T=<3, The 3rd Full Album, both in 2021.

Of Ready to Be’s 153,000 equivalent album units earned, album sales comprise 145,500, SEA units comprise 7,000 (equaling 10.28 on-demand official streams of the set’s seven tracks) and TEA units comprise 500.

Like many K-pop releases, Ready to Be was issued in collectible physical format packages (11 different CDs [including exclusives for Barnes & Noble, Target and the group’s official webstore] and two vinyl LPs [one exclusive to Target and one exclusive to the act’s webstore). 86% of the album’s first-week sales came from its CD editions. CD variants of Ready contain a standard set of items and randomized elements (such as a postcards, photo cards, etc.).

Unusually, Ready to Be had a vinyl version of the album available on the same wide release date as the CD edition of the album, as most major K-pop titles in the past were initially available only as a physical album on CD – on no other physical formats (like vinyl or cassette).

TWICE recently scored its second charting hit on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart, with the new album’s “Moonlight Sunrise,” spending one week on the list at No. 84 (Feb. 4, 2023 dated chart).

Miley Cyrus’ Endless Summer Vacation debuts at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 with 119,000 equivalent album units earned – her biggest week since the chart began measuring by units in December of 2014. Endless Summer Vacation marks Cyrus’ 14th top 10-charting effort, including her releases billed to her Disney Channel character Hannah Montana.

Of Endless Summer Vacation’s 119,000 equivalent album units earned, SEA units comprise 61,000 (equaling 80.61 on-demand official streams of the set’s 13 tracks – Cyrus’ biggest streaming week ever for an album), album sales comprise 55,000, and TEA units comprise 3,000. Aiding first-week sales for Endless Summer Vacation were four vinyl LP variants (including one exclusive to Target and two exclusive to her webstore) and two deluxe boxed sets (one with a puzzle and a CD, the other with a beach towel and a CD) sold exclusively through her webstore. 44% of Endless’ first week sales came from its vinyl editions.

Endless Summer Vacation was ushered in by the smash single “Flowers,” which has spent six weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 (through the most recently published chart, dated March 18). It marks her second No. 1 on the list, following 2013’s “Wrecking Ball.”

As Ready to Be and Endless Summer Vacation both launch with over 100,000 units, it’s the first time the chart has housed two debuting albums each with over 100,000 units since the Sept. 10, 2022-dated chart – when TWICE also factored in. That week, DJ Khaled’s God Did debuted at No. 1 with 107,000, while TWICE’s Between 1&2 debuted at No. 3 with just over 100,000.

Both Ready to Be and Endless Summer Vacation arrive with first weeks so significant that had either arrived on the chart in the four weeks before Wallen’s One Thing at a Time debuted (March 18-dated chart), and posted the same opening-numbers, either could have been No. 1. Here are the five weeks at No. 1 leading up to One Thing at a Time’s arrival: March 11-dated chart: 94,000 units (the debut week of Karol G’s Mañana Sera Bonito); March 4: 87,000 (SZA’s 10th week at No. 1 with SOS); Feb. 24: 93,000 (SOS’ ninth week at No. 1) and Feb. 18: 100,000 (SOS’ eighth week at No. 1).

The rest of the new top 10 on the Billboard 200 consists entirely of former No. 1s. SOS falls 2-4 (76,000 equivalent album units earned; down 8%), Mañana dips 3-5 (52,000; down 13%), Midnights descends 5-6 (47,000; down 3%), Dangerous is down a spot to No. 7 (39,000; a decline of 6%), Metro Boomin’s Heroes & Villains moves 7-8 (39,000; down 4%), Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti falls 8-9 (36,000; down 5%) and Drake and 21 Savage’s Her Loss is a non-mover at No. 10 (34,000; down less than 1%).

Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.

Selena Gomez is expressing her gratitude after becoming the first woman on Instagram to surpass 400 million followers.

The Only Murders in the Building star, who is now the most-followed woman in Instagram, took to the social media platform on Sunday (March 19) to show her appreciation to her millions of supporters around the world.

Related

“Wishing I could hug all 400 million of you,” Gomez captioned a photo gallery on Instagram of herself excitedly posing with fans.

As of Sunday morning, the 30-year-old actress and singer had 401 million Instagram followers. Less than a month ago, when Gomez reached 381 million followers, she surpassed Kylie Jenner as the most-followed women on the social media platform.

While Gomez is the most-followed woman on Instagram, soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo is the most-followed person in general with 563 million followers. Another soccer star, recent World Cup winner Lionel Messi, follows with 443 million.

Prior to her celebratory post on Sunday, Gomez shared a stunning makeup-free selfie on March 13 with the simple caption, “Violet Chemistry,” which is a song from Miley Cyrus’ new album, Endless Summer Vacation.

The “Lose You to Love Me” singer returned to personally posting on her Instagram page in January, more than four years after she deleted the app from her phone and gave posting rights to a a member of her team due to her unhealthy relationship with the platform.

“At one point Instagram became my whole world, and it was really dangerous. In my early 20s, I felt like I wasn’t pretty enough. There was a whole period in my life when I thought I needed makeup and never wanted to be seen without it,” she previously told InStyle.

See Gomez’s post celebrating her 400 million Instagram followers below.

Jimin‘s new solo song “Set Me Free, Pt. 2” has topped this week’s new music poll.

Music fans voted in a poll published Friday (March 17) on Billboard, choosing the BTS member’s defiant hip-hop influenced track as their favorite new music release of the past week.

Related

“Set Me Free, Pt. 2” brought in 89% of the vote, beating out new music from Melanie Martinez (“DEATH”); Taylor Swift (“If This Was a Movie,” “Safe and Sound” and “Eyes Open” (Taylor’s Version), “All of the Girls You Loved Before”); Kx5 (Kx5); Hozier (Eat Your Young EP); and others.

Jimin is the latest BTS member to go solo, and South Korean singer gave fans a taste of his forthcoming album, FACE, with the release of the set’s lead single “Set Me Free, Pt. 2.” Loaded with snapping hip-hop beats and Auto-Tuned vocals, the track is accompanied with an appropriately flashy music video.

FACE is scheduled for release on March 24. On the same day, Jimin will also share the music video for second single “Like Crazy,” which was co-written by his BTS bandmate RM.

Earlier this year, Jimin scored his first solo entry on the Billboard Hot 100 by joining Taeyang for the BIGBANG member’s new single “Vibe.” Jimin has also released solo songs “Lie” and “Serendipity,” as well as “With You,” from the soundtrack to the TV drama Our Blues.

Trailing behind Jimin on the fan-voted poll was Martinez’s new song “DEATH,” with 4% of the vote. On the track, the singer says a farewell to her Crybaby persona, embracing a rebirth — and electronic, synth-driven sound — for her Portals album cycle, which promises to be one of her most ambitious yet.

See the final results of this week’s new music release poll below.

Andrew Lloyd Webber has announced that he will be absent from the opening night of his new Broadway musical Bad Cinderella because his eldest son is “critically ill” with gastric cancer.

The Phantom of the Opera composer shared a statement with The Hollywood Reporter on Saturday (March 18), revealing that his 43-year-old son, Grammy-nominated composer and record producer Nicholas Lloyd Webber, has been fighting cancer for the last 18 months and is currently hospitalized.

Related

“We are all praying that Nick will turn the corner,” Andrew Lloyd Webber said in the statement. “He is bravely fighting with his indomitable humour, but at the moment my place is with him and the family.”

Andrew Lloyd Webber was scheduled to attend the opening night of Bad Cinderella, which he composed, on Thursday (March 23) at New York City’s Imperial Theatre. The new musical is a reimagining of Cinderella, which ran in London from 2021 to 2022.

“I will not be able to cheer on its wonderful cast, crew and orchestra on Opening Night,” the Oscar-winning composer said.

Andrew Lloyd Webber also noted that he has “not been able to attend the recent previews” of Bad Cinderella because of his son’s illness.

Nicholas Lloyd Webber is known scoring the 2017 BBC One drama Love, Lies and Records, along with the 2021 movie The Last Bus. He was also the co-producer of the original cast album for his father’s Cinderella in 2021, which earned him a Grammy nomination for best musical theater album.

It’s nearly 9:30 p.m. in Austin, Texas and Kx5 — the electronic dance music supergroup of Kaskade and deadmau5 — quietly take the stage. They hardly go unnoticed, though, as the fans packed on the lawn at the Moody Amphitheater at Waterloo Park begin to scream for the legends.

“Austin!” Kaskade yells into his mic, showing the city some love before returning his full attention back to his deck, as he and deadmau5 perform with precision a steady stream of syrupy and hypnotic hits beginning with set opener “Bright Lights.”

With lyrics like, “There’s a place… we can go… for a feeling…” the pair set the tone for the third and final night (Saturday, March 18) of Billboard’s South By Southwest concert series. And together, the two deliver a much-needed communal dance party to cap off what was, for most, a nonstop week.

The headlining set could not come at a better time for Kaskade and deadmau5, either, as just 24 hours earlier Kx5 released its self-titled debut album — over a decade after the two first partnered up. Rightfully so, the night is a celebratory culmination of all of the above.

Throughout the set — which clocks in at just over an hour long and utilizes over 50 lights and frequent fog blasts — Kaskade and deadmau5 deliver sky-high drops tailor made for roller coaster enthusiasts — especially on new track “Eat Sleep,” which blends into a snippet of an industrial, deconstructed remix of “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger.”

Later, during the atmospheric album cut “When I Talk” deadmau5 lights up — creating his own personal mini fog machine — while “Sacrifice,” which features Sofi Tukker, prompts Kaskade to yell “C’mon!” while reclining his upper body into a small standing backbend. 

As the show reaches its halfway point, the soaring drops and bursts of fog seem to occur in more rapid succession as the show builds, The crowd reacts accordingly, with one devoted fan dancing along holding two circular press-down night lights that in this environment more resemble floating orbs. 

To prepare for the set’s peak, the pair dive into “Escape,” a melodic daydream off Kx5 on which British singer-songwriter Hayla questions: “What if I escape?” For most in attendance, this show offered just that — even if only for a brief while.

During the song, deadmau5 shows Kaskade something on his phone, to which the two react with wide eyes and jaws dropped before honing in with laser focus for their final minutes on stage. And just then, the Kx5 logo that opened the show reappears onscreen, indicating they are indeed coming full circle.

The ride is ending. 

But not before one final hit. The one, of course, that started it all: “I Remember.”

“This song is old enough to vote!” deadmau5 declares with a wide smile. He then hops down from the platform which has housed him and Kaskade for the last 60-plus minutes, bringing his beer with him, to take a well-deserved bow and applaud his partner, who stays glued to his deck until the last resounding note reaches the final row of fans.

And as the two begin to walk off the stage, the anticipated chant for an encore begins. But after a closer like that, Kx5 made sure to give a performance no one will forget.

Even so, one bawling fan could be heard telling friends: “I need to see this again.”

Billboard’s parent company PMC is the largest shareholder of SXSW and its brands are official media partners of SXSW.

Miami Beach officials will not impose a curfew Saturday and will stick to their spring break programming and policing plans after a deadly shooting rocked Ocean Drive on Friday night. … Click to Continue »
Two people were shot Friday night, one fatally, as a relatively calm and peaceful spring break in Miami Beach was rattled by gunfire for a second straight year. Miami Beach … Click to Continue »

Kelsea Ballerini is all of us,” fans commented on TikTok this weekend, when the country singer stopped her show to ask if anyone was keeping tabs on Taylor Swift‘s Eras Tour on Saturday night (March 17) — while Ballerini was in the middle of her own performance.

“Can I just level with you for a minute?” Ballerini asked an Atlantic City, New Jersey, crowd. “Is anyone stalking The Eras Tour? Has it started?”

“I’m gonna stalk it after this,” she promised, “but I have one question. Is ‘Cruel Summer’ on the setlist?”

Fans of both artists — who must’ve had one eye on Ballerini’s stage and one eye on their phones, watching for live updates from Swift’s tour kickoff — delivered the good news: “Cruel Summer” is finally getting its time to shine on The Eras Tour. The Lover favorite had never before been publicly performed live by Swift, who last toured before the album was released. Swift debuted the song live at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

“Wow,” Ballerini said in celebration. “That’s my Super Bowl, I gotta be honest.”

Billboard‘s review of the show notes that “Cruel Summer” got “the full, stadium-show treatment, complete with a raised platform, backup dancers and Swift unveiling a diamond-encrusted one-piece with matching tall boots. For both the fans in attendance and Swift herself, the song seemed to represent an exhalation — this tour was finally happening, and this immaculate song, three-and-a-half years old at this point, was finally being performed.”

Watch Ballerini’s “Cruel Summer” check-in via TikTok.

Taylor Swift‘s Eras Tour set list features a surprise song, so far performed during a mini acoustic set, on each date of the the superstar’s 2023 trek.

Guitar in hand and making her way to the end of the stage’s catwalk at March 17’s Eras kickoff in Glendale, Arizona, Swift revealed her intentions for the acoustic portion of her long-awaited live show. She’ll perform a surprise song that will not be played again on this tour — probably.

“The plan, the goal, would be to play different songs every single night and never repeat one. Right? So that when you heard one on this tour, you would know it’s the only time that I was going to play it in the acoustic set, unless — caveat — unless I mess it up so badly,” she said with a small laugh, “that I have to do it over again in some other city. Send your best wishes towards me that I don’t do that.”

The Eras Tour is her first real tour in five years, and the first time the prolific songwriter is getting to perform selections from Lover, Folklore, Evermore and Midnights to sold-out stadium crowds.

Eras Tour night one introduced a career-spanning, whopping 44-song setlist with a runtime of more than three hours, with Swift playing anywhere from one to eight tracks from all 10 of her full-length studio albums. The show’s nightly secret song is sure to keep her fans on their tallest tiptoes, waiting to hear what gem will be unveiled at their concert.

Below, check out the list of all the surprise songs she’s brought to The Eras Tour, courtesy of social media live streams and post-concert clips uploaded by Swifties in attendance. Bookmark this page, as the list will updated regularly as the tour goes on.