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Baby Tate & Saweetie chatted with Billboard’s Staff Writer, Rania Aniftos, about collaborating on the ‘Hey, Mickey!’ remix, the concept behind the music video, being women in a male-dominated space, new music, and more!
Spoiler alert: This story contains the identity of the contestants eliminated on Wednesday night’s (May 10) episode of The Masked Singer.
You’d think that having five singers would give you a distinct advantage when going up against just one disguised vocalist on The Masked Singer. But on Wednesday night’s semifinal episode of the season, even after California Roll left it all on the stage with a killer version of Kelly Clarkson’s “Breakaway” and then went head-to-five-head against Macaw and Medusa in the Battle Royale round singing Bruno Mars’ “Runaway Baby,” it was time for the nori to meet the road.
Once again, the panel was split on who was under the adorable sushi getups, which had intrigued the panel for weeks as the group of singers showed impressive versatility, with a haunting take on Radiohead’s “Creep,” an epic cover of Lady Gaga’s “Paparazzi,” and perfect harmonies on Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart.” As usual, panelist Ken Jeong was way off, suggesting Miami Sound Machine and the cast of In the Heights, while Nicole Scherzinger thought they might be the cast of Spring Awakening or Hamilton. Jenny McCarthy-Wahlberg was on-target again by voting for chart-topping vocal group Pentatonix.
As it turns out, she was right, and before the group’s elimination on Wednesday, Billboard caught up with members Scott Hoying, Kevin Olusola and Matt Sallee (the group also includes Mitch Grassi and Kirstin Maldonado) to find out how they got rolled into participating and why hitting their signature vocal harmonies was so hard with zero eye contact.
Were you fans of the show before you were booked, and why did it take so long to get you on there, because it seems like a natural fit?
Hoying: I love the show. I think it’s such a fun idea… totally over-the-top and the costumes are so beautiful. I remember watching it and seeing how moved the people were that were on the show because when you’re hidden behind the mask, you can change your voice and sing any way you want and express yourself in ways you don’t normally get to. People actually get emotional because they feel the freedom. We definitely had that [experience], and it was the least nervous I’ve ever been performing on a television show because it felt so cozy behind the mask and we could really unleash new parts of ourselves.
Matt, what were you able to do what you typically can’t onstage, or things you lean on when you perform?
Sallee: I thought it was really cool when we were going through the arranging process and we were really excited to try new sounds and instrumentation because we’re a cappella. We were thinking, “How can we make this as enjoyable as possible because of all the instrumentation we could use?” That’s something we’ve dabbled with in our more recent music, and we wanted to show an evolution of how we can be not just an a cappella group, but can also use other instruments and sounds and still have the same Pentatonix sound.
There’s something about being under those masks. Were you able to physically express yourselves in ways you normally wouldn’t?
Olusola: That’s one of the most fun parts of this. Normally, when you’re onstage and everyone sees you, not to say you’re self-conscious, but you’re very aware of how your body moves and your angles, how your face looks because the cameras are on you. It’s all part of the presentation. When you’re behind the mask, you can really go full-out because there’s a levity to the mask — it’s an interesting, funny character — so the fun and joy that you bring the more extra moments you have onstage lends really well. So if we’re kicking onstage, if we’re jumping around, if we’re having fun with the audience doing something that would normally look outlandish, it lends super well to this show. We really went full out and we would talk about it so much afterwards: “Did you really do that on stage!?” “Yeah, I did, and I’m happy about it!”
Anything that scared you about slipping into the sushi?
Hoying: Oh man, so many anxieties. I was worried at first because our sushis were so boxy when we were in them. I was afraid we were going to be echoey. I was literally being a nerd about the acoustics, and I was also worried about being really, really hot. I get hot really easily and I worried I wouldn’t be able to sing or perform. I was also worried about falling off the stage, because I couldn’t see through the mask super well peripherally.
With a vocal group, I imagine being able to see each other and make eye contact while singing is a huge deal. How hard was it to pull that off in these ridiculous costumes?
Sallee: I was really proud of us, because we sing together — we’re together a lot, more than with our families — so we know each other really well and there is this big trust built and natural cohesiveness when we sing together. I was really proud of us for doing that apart from each other. For one of the songs we were spread out throughout the studio and not even by each other singing together. Being able to hear each other and know in our in-ear monitors that we’re all there, it was not so terribly different when we’re not having giant sushi rolls on top of us.
It’s hard enough to do choreo on a good day, but how much harder was it when you can’t see each other? Were you counting steps, worried that you would knock each other over?
Olusola: That was my main fear. You’re looking through a very limited hole, and so because of that, it limits your ability to see and your visibility is lower. That’s something I had to be extremely aware about, but also knowing that I wanted to go full out because the character I got to play. That was one of the things where my brain and body had to be in synchronization in a completely different way. At the same time, we still had so much fun and we still went full out! At some point, when you got to the actual show, we had rehearsed it enough to kind of trust our bodies, trust our ability to perform and not make any mistakes that will cause bodily harm.
Medusa seems pretty formidable. Any idea who she is?
Hoying: We have no idea, but she is sooo good! Just one of those undeniable voices, just oh my gosh.
Will you be adding any of the songs from your Masked run to your upcoming summer tour?
Hoying: I think so. I think we’ll definitely do a couple of them.
The cool girls of rap came together for the ultimate collaboration last month, as Saweetie hopped on a remix of Baby Tate‘s 2016 viral hit, “Hey, Mickey!,” and the duo sat down with Billboard‘s Rania Aniftos to share how it all came together.
“When it came to thinking about who I would want on it, I knew it had to be somebody to match the cuteness and the energy of the song,” Tate explains, pointing out that Saweetie clearly embodies “cuteness,” as she was rocking a bikini top decorated in Hello Kitty trinkets.
Saweetie agreed that the collab was a perfect match. “I’ve been wanting to collaborate with her, so I was excited when I got the call,” she says.
Baby Tate also noted that it was quite the “surprise” when a song from 2016 blew up on TikTok in recent months. “I did just drop a project in September of last year so when something started blowing up on TikTok, I’m thinking, ‘Oh something from Mani Pedi is going crazy.’ No, it was ‘Hey Mickey.’ Like, what?”
Both rappers are working on new releases, with Tate gearing up to release a full album in the summer. “I’m going to be singing a lot on this project, as I was on my last, but it’s not going to be in an R&B space. It’s going to be more pop-leaning. It’s going to be fun, it’s going to be wild, edgy and just sexy and hot,” she shares, with Saweetie noting that she “needs” that energy right now.
Saweetie, meanwhile, has fans itching for her long-awaited album. “With an album, you’re introducing yourself into the world,” she says. “Who is Saweetie? Who is Diamonté? They think it’s just, ‘Rich n—-, eight-figure, that’s my type.’ That’s a portion of me. That’s not the whole soup. There’s other ingredients. I’m figuring out, how do I landscape this album so that people are able to get to know me?”
Watch Billboard‘s full interview with Saweetie and Baby Tate above, and check out the new “Hey, Mickey!” music video below.
After back-to-back No. 2 finishes for his last two releases, Jack Harlow captures his first No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Rap Albums chart with Jackman. The set opens atop the list dated May 13 with 35,500 equivalent album units earned in the week ending May 4, according to Luminate.
Jackman. was effectively a surprise release, with the first announcement on April 25, three days ahead of its April 28th drop. Streaming contributes the majority of the 10-track album’s first-week results, with 33,500 units from streaming-equivalent album units. The five-figure sum equals 43.4 million official on-demand streams of the album’s songs. Traditional album sales comprise 1,500 units, with the outstanding 500 deriving from track-equivalent album units.
On his fourth visit, Harlow claims his first Top Rap Albums champ. He first appeared on the list with his Sweet Action EP, which peaked at No. 13 in July 2020. His full-length debut, That’s What They All Say, debuted and peaked at No. 2 in December 2020, as did his sophomore LP, Come Home the Kids Miss You, in May 2022.
Elsewhere, Jackman. kicks off at No. 2 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and ties That’s What They All Say and Come Home the Kids Miss You for his best showing there. On the all-genre Billboard 200, Jackman. begins at No. 8, his third top 10 on that list.
The Jackman. impact extends to the Hot Rap Songs chart, where five tracks debut. “They Don’t Love It” leads the new entries at No. 9, securing Harlow’s ninth top 10 on the list. Here’s an updated look at the collection:
Song Title, Artist (if other than Jack Harlow), Peak Position, Peak Date
“What’s Poppin,” featuring DaBaby, Tory Lanez & Lil Wayne, No. 2, July 11, 2020
“Tyler Herro,” No. 10, Nov. 7, 2020
“Industry Baby,” with Lil Nas X, No. 1 (19 weeks), Aug. 7, 2021
“Nail Tech,” No. 4, March 5, 2022
“First Class,” No. 1 (14 weeks), April 23, 2022
“Dua Lipa,” No. 6, May 21, 2022
“Churchill Downs,” featuring Drake, No. 7, May 21, 2022
“Yungen,” Rod Wave featuring Jack Harlow, No. 10, Aug. 27, 2022
“They Don’t Love It,” No. 9 (to date), May 13, 2023
In addition to “They Don’t Love It,” Jackman. also launches Hot Rap Songs starts for “Common Ground” (No. 18), “Ambitious” (No. 22), “Denver” (No. 23) and “Is That Ight” (No. 24).
Toosii’s “Favorite Song” proves to be just that on Billboard’s Hot Rap Songs chart, as the track advances from No. 2 to rule the list dated May 13. The track, released through SouthCoast/Capitol Records, reaches the apex on the list – which blends streaming, airplay and sales – thanks to consistent performance in the foremost category and growth in the latter pair.
The melodic rap track amassed 19.5 million official U.S. streams in the week ending May 4, according to Luminate, essentially even with the prior week, and holds at No. 2 on Rap Streaming Songs after a previous three-week reign. On the R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Sales chart, it likewise captures the silver medal – a new peak for the track – with 3,000 downloads sold, a 4% bump from the prior week. At radio, “Song” ascends 24-20 on R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, with a 17% gain to 5.5 million in audience impressions.
As “Favorite Song” reigns on the Hot Rap Songs chart, it pushes 5-4 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and 13-11 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100. Should the track climb on the latter list, it would mark the rapper/singer’s first top 10 Hot 100 hit. If already favorable trends at radio and sales stats weren’t enough, the release of a “Favorite Song” remix featuring Khalid on May 5, which will impact next week’s charts, improve the track’s chances of cracking the top 10 barrier. (The original and remix versions of songs are combined into one listing for tracking and chart purposes.)
With “Favorite Song,” Toosii, born Nau’Jour Grainger has captured the biggest hit of his still-young career. TikTok has been key to the track’s success, with both its original and a sped-up version being popular choices to soundtrack clips on the social media app. Between the two two renditions, “Favorite Song” has soundtracked nearly 1.1 million clips. (Activity on TikTok does not contribute to Billboard’s charts, many of the app’s most popular songs have seen corresponding gains on streaming services that factor into Billboard chart rankings.)
23-year-old Toosii first landed on the Billboard charts in February 2020 with the mixtape album, Platinum Heart, which included his first charting song, “Truth Be Told,” a No. 38 hit on the Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart. Follow-up single “Love Cycle” built on the initial breakthrough, and, thanks to a remix with Summer Walker, flew to No. 9 on the airplay list in early 2021.
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