Director Chris Miller is sipping an Aperol Spritz during a well-earned family vacation to the Dolomites, marveling at the success of his and co-director Phil Lord’s film Project Hail Mary.

Starring Ryan Gosling, the movie about a hapless schoolteacher who is blasted off into space to save civilization has also done something otherworldly: become a box office hit. To date, it has grossed $300 million globally, a miraculous feat for a movie in the modern era that isn’t a sequel or based on existing IP. (Industry observers point to 2023’s Oppenheimer as the last example of a similar hit). One could even say that its rare success at the box office mimics the improbable story told in the film. 

“When you’re doing something that’s a big risk at a time when things are not looking great and it works, it’s very gratifying,” Miller told Billboard via Zoom in between orange-hued sips, of both the film itself and its box office. “In a way, it was its own Hail Mary.”

Aside from an emotional and inspiring story (which was adapted from a 2021 novel by Andy Weir) coupled with eye-popping visual effects, the film is fueled by an eclectic soundtrack utilizing both head-turning needle drops and an innovative score which is equally atmospheric and soaring. 

“We initially had a few ideas we were circling when it came to the music,” Miller told Billboard. “One of them was to have music from all over the world because we wanted it to feel like a global mission with everyone rooting Ryan’s character on.” That includes anything-but-mainstream placements like “Gracias a la Vida” from the Argentine singer Mercedes Sosa and “Po Atarau” courtesy the Turakina Māori Girls’ Choir out of New Zealand, spearheaded by music supervisor Kier Lehman. “We tried using more modern tracks in it, but it didn’t ever want to stick,” said Miller.

There was one outlier. The movie’s most memorable musical moment comes from a haunting performance by the no-nonsense character charged with heading the international task force to save Earth, played stoically by Sandra Hüller. During a key moment in the film, the team gathers to blow off steam and sing karaoke, with Hüller belting out Harry Styles’ Billboard Hot 100 top 5 hit “Sign of the Times,” a setup that was inspired by a location scout the directorial duo embarked on. 

“We went onto the USS Abraham Lincoln in San Diego and noticed that the most interesting parts of the ship were the social spaces,” Lord recalls. “Some of them have all sorts of quirky things, like 15 versions of Monopoly and a karaoke machine. We were thinking, this is also a movie about social anxiety and the way our connections with each other become so valuable.”

Inspired to include a karaoke scene in the script for dramatic effect, initially Hüller’s character wasn’t even slated to take the mic. But in a story Gosling later relayed on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, days before they shot the scene, the star randomly heard Hüller from her dressing room. “I heard the voice of an angel and I was like, ‘What is that?’ I went down the hallway and said, ‘You can sing? Please sing in the movie.’ And she was like, ‘I’ll think about it.’”

Eventually, Lord said that Hüller agreed with one caveat: “She said, ‘I’ll do it, but only if I get to pick the song.’” The team girded themselves, but her choice was “Sign of the Times,” as she and her daughter would both sing along to the Styles track. But the clock was ticking: the production only had 36 hours left on the ship where they were filming in London; barely enough time to practice, let alone clear the megahit considering the time difference. Gosling told Fallon of the reaction: “Can you choose an easier song to clear?”

“We spent over a month getting ready to film that scene, pre-recording everybody and overpreparing with options,” Lehman said, until the musical wrench was thrown into his plans. “I knew it wasn’t going to be easy, so we immediately jumped into it.” Their first call was to Universal Music Publishing who represents Styles. Eventually, the film’s powerhouse producer Amy Pascal got involved, as well as Jody Gerson, chairman/CEO of Universal Music Publishing Group. “She got in touch with Harry and told him what a special movie it was going to be.”

In the 11th hour, they narrowly cleared the song. “Just in time for her to sing, but just barely,” said Lehman. “There was no prep for her.” According to Lord, she only crooned it on camera twice. “We also didn’t tell anybody there what she was going to do, so those reactions are genuine reactions from the cast who didn’t even expect her to show up.” 

As Gosling told Fallon, “It became the anthem of the film,” with the actor even singing it to Harry Styles during a recent hosting gig on Saturday Night Live. Adding to the kismet, Styles is back in the spotlight promoting his Billboard 200-topping album Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally in tandem with the movie’s release. “It’sone of those incredible moments,” said Lehman, noting even specific lyrics like “We gotta get away from here” match the scene perfectly in the lead-up to Gosling launching into space. “I think it comes from leading with the creative first and not being afraid to take a chance on the right song, even though the backend part of the process wasn’t the ideal situation for my position as a supervisor,” Lehman admits.

In addition to clearing Styles on a time crunch, Lehman also had a Beatles song to contend with. The source material novel is rife with Beatles references, which carry over on screen. Even the capsules Gosling eventually sends back to Earth are named for the respective members of the Fab Four. With that in mind, the goal was to include at least one Beatles tune: no small feat for the famously clearance-averse and typically prohibitively expensive act. 

“There were some interesting covers that we had tried from early on because we assumed we never would be able to actually get one in,” said Miller. They included David Bowie’s spin on “Across the Universe” as well as “Here Comes the Sun” courtesy Cat Stevens. Eventually, they narrowed in on two songs: “Don’t Let Me Down” for the end credits, and “Two of Us” during a pivotal scene before the film ends. According to Lehman, the process was layered: “The first I was told was that it’d be very expensive, and they’d need a lot of information in order to make a final decision.”

With that, the filmmakers handed over scripts, a rough cut, and then, unusually, the final cut of the scene late in the process, so the powers that be had full understanding of the song’s inclusion which later got the greenlight. “Our producing partner Aditya Sood pitched ‘Two of Us,’ and when we included it, it fit it so perfectly,” said Miller, alluding to the fact that while the song on its face is about John and Paul’s friendship, it has double meaning given it’s also a nod to Ryan Gosling’s character and the alien he (spoiler alert) becomes close with.”

With the placements in place, the rest of the universe of music is populated by a score from Daniel Pemberton, who previously teamed up with Lord and Miller on Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. “I wanted to make something that felt magical and strange, that captured both the awe and wonder of the universe as well as what it would be like to communicate with an alien being who turned out to be kinda fun,” Pemberton told Billboard. According to Miller, they wanted to make sure Gosling’s character “never felt alone in the scenes. That’s why there were a lot of choral elements in the score; like children stomping and clapping.”

In fact, Pemberton used an array of novel ways to record the score, including recruiting actual schoolchildren to record in none other than Abbey Road, in a nod to Gosling’s teacher character. “We had (the kids) playing a lot of the percussion parts using their bodies, stomping on the floor, clapping and slapping,” said Pemberton, who also used a 1950s-era Cristal Baschet, made of glass and metal and played with water. “There are so many unique sounds.”

“A lot of a movie’s success depends on people feeling engaged and holding their attention for the length of a concert,” said Lord. “A big part of that is having beautiful music in it. Over time, I think we managed to find the right rhythm to keep everyone locked in and that’s why you’re finding people leave the theater, telling their friends and wanting to see it again.”

To document Cheap Trick’s last-ever show at the Nippon Budokan — the Tokyo arena that helped make the band famous with its At Budokan album in the ’70s — the Rockford, Ill., rockers spent $12,000 on a four-person film crew last October. The resulting music video, “The Best Thing,” a sentimental look at the band’s lengthy relationship with its Japanese fanbase, has drawn 77,000 YouTube views — generating only a fraction of the money necessary to buy one of Cheap Trick guitarist Rick Nielsen’s signed five-neck guitars. But revenue wasn’t the point of the exercise.

“You look at it as promotion,” says Dino Paredes, the band’s manager. “The whole point is to capture the relationship between the band and this culture. Clearly, on the business side, it isn’t always a great return on investment.” That said, “The Best Thing” is an “evergreen,” he adds. As for those 77,000 YouTube views, he predicts, “If you and I talk in 10 years, we’ll probably add a couple zeroes to that number.”  

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Though MTV, the platform responsible for bringing music videos into the cultural zeitgeist, removed the last of its on-air music video channels three months ago, billions of users still watch them on YouTube every month — not counting the variations displayed on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and other social media. And artists still view the medium as a key promotional tool. “To us, they’re really important,” says Mike Chester, general manager of Warner Records. “We’ll always fund a great idea — and some great ideas cost money to pull off. I always tell the team: ‘It’s not about the money. We’ll double the money. We need an idea.’”

Videos cost from $20,000 to the rare $1 million superstar production, according to Chester, who adds, “I’m not approving $1 million videos very often. Hardly ever.” Others in the music business put the range between $30,000 and $250,000, with occasional big-budget videos costing as much as $850,000. Justin Clough, a Nashville director who has worked with Morgan Wallen, HARDY and Bailey Zimmerman, says the maximum budget is about $400,000. “Well, look, I do everything,” he adds. “If somebody has a cool song and they got $10,000, let’s rip it.”

It’s hard to say how much revenue artists generate from their videos. According to sources at two of the major labels, the U.S. the blended video stream rate for premium, ad-supported official videos and ad-supported, user-generated videos for 2025 was $0.0038 per stream, or $3.80 per 1,000 video streams. So Taylor Swift’s “The Fate of Ophelia” video, released last October, would have grossed about $1.31 million for its 345 million views and Alex Warren‘s video for “Ordinary,” released on Feb. 25, would have landed roughly $1.25 million for its nearly 328 million views.

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But aside from megastar hits, most music videos do not “move the needle,” Lizzo declared on TikTok last September, adding that she made a video for her song “STFU” but released it only on Instagram for this reason. “The golden age of the music video is over. And actually, it’s been over for a long time. There will never be another ‘Thriller,’ ‘Lady Marmalade,’ or ‘Ladies Night,’ because critical mass and mainstream culture just don’t exist anymore,” she said. For this reason, according to Clough, labels have “redisbursed” their video budgets in recent years. “With new artists, it’s really hard to get budgets for videos,” he says. “Now it’s allocated to two small-to-medium-sized videos and 20 days of content shooting. Which stings a little bit.

“I’m not necessarily worried that the music video, as a whole, is going to go away,” he continues. “The shining light on all of this is there’s more video than ever.” And more platforms to showcase them: Last November, streaming giant Spotify began rolling out music videos for its customers in the U.S. and Canada.

In 2024, Clough joined a Zoom with Zimmerman to discuss the rising country star’s planned “New to Country” video, along with Zimmerman’s managers and Clough’s producers. At the start of the call, he was surprised to hear Zimmerman’s first words: “I want explosions!” The resulting video opens with a sketch that sees a music executive complaining about a $2.3 million budget for a music video, including $150,000 for a private jet and $12,000 for “redneck shit.” The video wound up with just 3.6 million YouTube views, but, Clough says, it was valuable for Zimmerman because he used it to market his tour, also called New to Country: “With certain artists, the number is less important than making sure the product is delivered properly.” Similarly, his 2024 video for HARDY’s “Rockstar” may have drawn just 7 million views, but Clough says it “cemented him in the rock space,” helping the singer transition from a pure country audience to a new genre.

Consumption for music videos has increased moderately in recent years, according to Luminate, from 93 billion in 2024 to 96 billion in 2025, and another 19.4 billion through March 19 of this year — not counting user-generated content set to existing songs. And while JP Evangelista, Vevo’s executive vp of content, programming and marketing, observes that “everyone is slightly more cautious now when they are assuming giant, giant video budgets,” his team still identifies 30 “mass-budget” videos per year costing an estimated $750,000 to more than $1 million. “That hasn’t slowed down,” he says. “It still comes from large-scale, tier-A artists where they feel like they can justify the investment and hire a mass-scale director.”

Stephen Bryan, YouTube’s global head of label partnerships, adds that music videos in the TikTok era have more diversified uses than just airing in full to artists’ superfans, classic-MTV-style. Many artists these days release multiple pieces of video content, big and small, from spontaneous behind-the-scenes iPhone footage to live clips to dance videos to remixes to excerpts from The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon or NPR’s Tiny Desk. “When we talk with our partners, we talk about how all those pieces can come together in an effective campaign to release a new song, then extending through the promotional cycle,” Bryan says. “In many ways, music videos are more important, really, than ever before.”


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The temperature was in the 70s, and Taylor Austin Dye’s head was in the ‘90s.

On June 12 last year – the Thursday after Nashville’s CMA Fest – Dye had a job to do. She was set for an 11:00 a.m. writing appointment at the Brentwood home studio of songwriter Dan Agee. She’d just bought a used convertible, and she decided to put the CD player to work.

“I was listening to a Shania Twain album on the way to the write, you know – top down, it was a great day,” Dye recalls. “I went in there, and they said, ‘What are you feeling today? What’s going on?’ I was like, ‘Man, I’ve been listening to this Shania Twain record on repeat, and I would love to write something like that.’”

Well, not exactly like that. Dye wanted to inject a little Nickelback influence – “heavy drums, heavy guitar licks,” she explains – and as soon as she spoke those two references, Agee laid into a bristling, ascendant guitar riff. Songwriter Nick Wayne, the day’s third contributor, put in his own two cents when Dye mentioned a pro-female relationship story.

“Nick was like, ‘Well, what if you don’t need a man for that?’,” she recalls. “I was like, ‘That’s perfect. Let’s do that.’ And then we wrote it in about an hour.”

A feisty, powerful singer from Hazard, Ky., Dye is the first female signed to the country division of Jay DeMarcus’ Red Street label. “Don’t Need a Man for That” – eventually released as “Man for That” – would emerge as her first radio single for the company, showcasing her grit as well as her vocal power.

“Taylor’s a rough broad, you know what I mean?” says Lex Music Group founder Lex Lipsitz, her manager-producer. “She’ll throw down with you, but she’s also a woman, and she’s very girly, too. She loves makeup and loves getting dressed up and fashion and things like that. But she’ll also knock your front tooth out – you know what I mean? – if you piss her off.”

“Man for That” captured that determination and self-sufficiency, and unfolded much like the breezy convertible ride that got her to the appointment: top down. They knew what the hook would be at the finish. line and started from the opening note.

“The way I look at top-down writing, it’s so much easier for me to just get that [natural growth] of the song,.. almost like we’re live performing it for the first time,” Wayne says. “We actually don’t even know what’s about to happen.”

Here’s what did happen: Agee quickly pulled a track together around a stomping, four-on-the-floor bass, while Dye and Wayne developed a first-verse series of short “You don’t need to…” phrases – don’t need to “bait my hook,” “mow my grass,” “open my door.” The conclusion to the verse, “I don’t need a man for that,” set up the chorus, though that was challenging for a second. They wanted the melody to soar, and to change up from the shorter phrases in the opening frame.

“I remember Nick saying, ‘Taylor, just sing. Let’s not worry about lyric right now – just start singing, let’s see what happens,’” Agee recalls. “So, a lot of those long phrases are just what she’s saying in the moment. And Nick had his phone on record going, ‘Yes, that one.’ ‘Yes, that one.’ ‘Maybe not that one.’”

In the process, they pulled off a subtle, classic Twain move, modulating from a C blues scale to the key of E-flat. “The chorus, it modulates throughout the whole thing, which is such a ‘90s thing to do,” Dye notes. “I’m all for. it.”

That modulated chorus provided a temporary challenge in their top-down adventure. “I remember going around in circles about how we were going to get back, because it’s kind of in a differe.nt key from the first [verse], hence the Shania thing,” Agee says. “We really had to [change] the way th.ose last couple of lines landed to make it get back to the original riff and not feel out of left field.”

Lyrically, those phrases included a setup line that created a mild Nashville twist, capturing both Dye’s vulnerability and her swagger: “If you break my heart I’ll get you back/Baby, I don’t need a man for that.”

The second verse reversed the opening stanza’s point of view. Instead of “You don’t need to…” phrases, it rolled through “I can…” positives. The singer can “light my own smoke,” “make my own cash” and “take out my own trash.”

“Is the second verse going to kill a song or not?” Wayne asks rhetorically. “That’s a great topic that songwriters talk about, and it can be overthought. And so, it’s nice to just do the same thing but have the perspective change. We literally did the exact same thing. It’s just the person changed.”

After the second chorus, they modulated once more, shifting from E-flat to C major, slightly brightening the sound for a guitar solo.

“We played around for quite a while with it having another key change at the end, almost like Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You,’ with a bigger lift at the end for another chorus,” Agee says. “After quite a bit of that, we started to go, ‘Okay, we pushed it too far.’”

Agee’s wife was out of town, so with the house to himself, he stayed up through most of the night building out a full-production demo. Lipsitz and Red Street were ecstatic about “Don’t Need a Man for That” (as the demo was labeled), and they held the instrumental tracking session on Oct. 16 at Southern Comfort, the basement studio at Lipsitz’s Brentwood home, formerly owned by Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter. Lipsitz played frequently in that studio with Shooter Jennings in the ‘90s as members of the hard rock band Stargunn.

“We always joke that the ghost of Waylon is watching us,” Dye quips.

They followed the demo’s outline, but amped up the sound, particularly in the opening verse, where Agee’s production was percussion-less. After some experimenting, drummer Miles McPherson ended up playing sticks on the rim, reminiscent of ZZ Top’s “La Grange,” in that section. “Miles is so great,” Dye says. “I would put him in my pocket and take him everywhere with me if I could.”

Dye encouraged guitarist Nathan Keeterle to find a tone that was “a little dirtier, a little grungier,” and he ended up stacking a biting, white Gibson SG with a thick ES-335. Lipsitz also boosted the sound a decibel or two on the chorus – not enough to notice, but enough to make it feel brighter.

When Dye recorded her final vocals, she knocked out a glass of bourbon, then powered her way through it. Lipsitz coaxed her to re-sing a few sections to make her Hazard-bred enunciations discernible. “I’m not trying to tame her accent, but otherwise you don’t know what she’s saying,” he observes. “That’s how country she is.”

Dye installed “Man for That” as her show opener, and Red Street released it to country radio via PlayMPE on March 2, setting March 30 as the official add date. It introduces her as an empowered voice with serious bravado.

“That song is a good pointer to who I am as an artist,” she says. “It’s very fun, it’s energetic, it’s rocking. I think that encapsulates who I am.”


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Welcome to Billboard Pro’s Trending Up newsletter, where we take a closer look at the songs, artists, curiosities and trends that have caught the music industry’s attention. Some have come out of nowhere, others have taken months to catch on, and all of them could become ubiquitous in the blink of a TikTok clip. 
 
This week: Hannah Montana’s anniversary special sends fans on a wave of nostalgia listening, the return of Verzuz bumps a couple R&B vets’ catalogs and one of 2024’s biggest rappers scores his most viral hit yet.

‘Hannah Montana’ 20th Anniversary Special Spurs Massive Gains for the Fictional Pop Star — And A New Single from Miley Cyrus Herself 

Last month’s 20th Hannahversary celebration (March 24) found Miley Cyrus returning home to the iconic Disney set on which she changed pop culture forever. Alongside guest appearances by Selena Gomez and mom Tish Cyrus-Purcell, the hour-long special also featured a revelatory interview with Call Her Daddy’s Alex Cooper and a heart-melting read-through with dad Billy Ray Cyrus. Naturally, such a heartfelt dedication to a show that defined the lives of most late millennials and early Zoomers resulted in particularly large streaming gains. 

In the seven-day period before the special hit Hulu and Disney+ (March 17-23), Hannah Montana’s catalog earned 4.63 million official on-demand U.S. streams. That figure exploded by 306% to over 18.8 million streams in the seven-day period following the special’s premiere (March 24-30), according to Luminate. Notably, three Hannah Montana albums appear on the April 4-dated Top Soundtracks chart: 2006’s Hannah Montana (No. 16), 2007’s Hannah Montana 2 (No. 20) and 2009’s Hannah Montana: The Movie (No. 22). 

To coincide with the special and deliver a personal gift to fans, Cyrus shared a tender adult contemporary tune titled “Younger You.” The reflective song debuted with 1.12 million official on-demand streams on its first day of release (March 27), finishing with a four-day total of 2.63 million streams by March 30. — KYLE DENIS 


Verzuz Battle Boosts Catalog Classics From Tank & Tyrese 

Only magic happens when you put two big voices in the same room — especially when they’re attached to even bigger personalities. Last week (March 26), the two R&B crooners faced off for the latest edition of Verzuz on Apple Music, and the entertaining hour-and-a-half stream inspired fans to revisit both artists’ catalogs on streaming. 

The weekend following the Verzuz battle (March 27-29), Tank’s catalog jumped 58% to over 2.88 million official on-demand U.S. streams, according to Luminate, up from 1.81 million official streams during the weekend prior (March 20-22). “Please Don’t Go,” which peaked at No. 42 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2007, leapt 90% to over 219,000 official streams during the weekend following the battle (March 27-29), while 2017’s steamy “When We” posted a 37% increase to 444,000 official streams during the same period. 

Streaming activity for Tyrese’s catalog rose by nearly 50%, clearing 2.4 million official on-demand U.S. streams. The singer-actor also performed his signature Hot 100 smash “Sweet Lady” (No. 12), which leapt 25% to over 571,000 official streams following the livestream (March 27-29). 
Although the ongoing DHS meltdown prevented their mutual groupmate Ginuwine from making an appearance, maybe this Verzuz momentum will inspire the proper return of TGT. — KYLE DENIS 


Dormant U.K. Group Scores Viral Hit “Jane!” Thanks to Video Game and Anime Edits 

London group The Long Faces released a number of singles in the late 2010s and early 2020s, and developed enough of a following to at least have its own subreddit — but since the release of 2023 single “Eisenhower,” has not dropped any music or even updated their social media accounts. But now, they have one of the most popular rock songs in the U.S., thanks to fan edits featuring the song blowing up across platforms.  

The band’s 2018 spiky alt-rock blast “Jane!” has been growing on streaming all year, since an edit of the episodic adventure video game Dispatch featuring the song started going viral on TikTok. Now, the song is also being adopted by fans of the Jujutsu Kaisen anime series, with video edits featuring branding character Ryu Ishigori as “Jane Juliet,” thanks to their use of both the Long Faces song and L.A. band Clarion’s “Hello Juliet.” 

Thanks to these edit boosts, “Jane” has been growing on streaming every week since the beginning of the year, rising from 590,000 official on-demand U.S. streams for the tracing week ending Jan. 8 to over 2.9 million for the week ending Mar. 26, according to Luminate. And the numbers are still going up: In the first four days of this current tracking week (Mar. 27-30), the song has amassed nearly 2.3 million plays, a 47% gain from the equivalent period the previous week. 

No word yet on if the song’s newfound virality will re-activate The Long Faces — but in the meantime, the much more active Clarion, who is touring the U.S. this spring, has also started to see gains from the related exposure, up 205% from 396,000 plays the week ending Jan. 8 to over 1.2 million for the week ending Mar. 26. – ANDREW UNTERBERGER 


Bossman Dlow Eyes New Hit With Fast-Rising ‘Motion Party’ 

In 2024, Bossman Dlow exploded onto the scene with several Hot 100 hits — “Get In With Me” (No. 49),” “Mr. Pot Scraper” (No. 93) and “PJ”(with Lil Baby, No. 86) — and a smattering of smaller street hits that minted him as one of Florida’s most exciting new rap voices. 

Now, he’s back on the Hot 100 with “Motion Party,” a track that’s quickly taking over social media, already becoming his highest-peaking hit on the chart upon its debut (No. 45). Although the song officially hit streaming on March 13, its social media life began months prior. On Feb. 26, TikTok user @/mrflawdaaa posted a clip of a new dance challenge set to a snippet of “Motion Party,” which, at the time, only existed as an unofficial TikTok audio originally posted by Tymeout, Dlow’s manager, on Jan. 28. @/Mrflawdaaa is a popular TikTok creator who’s boosted hip-hop songs with viral dances, including Dlow’s own “Shake Dat A– (Twerk Song)” in 2024. Thanks to his reach (and barrage of clips promoting the challenge), the dance caught on, helping the sound reach tens of thousands of posts before the song’s official release. 

Dlow tapped @/mrflawdaaa for a cameo in the song’s official music video, teasing the clip with behind-the-scenes TikToks as early as Feb. 18, eventually premiering the full video on YouTube on March 12. In its first week of release (March 13-19), “Motion Party” logged 7.79 million official on-demand streams, with that figure jumping 8.6% the following week (March 20-26) to 8.46 million streams. At press time, its official TikTok sound plays in over 218,000 clips, while Tymeout’s unofficial sound plays in an additional 108,000. Over on Instagram, the official “Motion Party” sound can be heard in over 31,000 Reels. The official music video has garnered nearly 4 million views on YouTube since its premiere.  

With his new smash already becoming his first top 10 hit on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (No. 10), Bossman Dlow looks well positioned to rule the spring — and maybe even the summer — with “Motion Party.” — K.D. 


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Ore Dake Level Up na Ken (Solo Leveling) Vol. 24 by DUBU, Chugong and h-goon debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard Japan Book Hot 100 list released April 2.

The title is the Japanese manga adaptation of a popular South Korean web novel by Chugong. The volume scores across three metrics this week to claim the top spot: No. 1 in brick-and-mortar, No. 2 in e-books and No. 20 in e-commerce (EC). The anime’s second season began airing in Japan in January 2025, and its theme song, LiSA’s “ReawakeR (feat. Felix of Stray Kids),” stayed at No. 1 for eight weeks on the Global Japan Songs Excl. Japan chart, which ranks music from Japan consumed in other countries and regions.

Tsujitomo and Masaya Tsunamoto’s GIANT KILLING Vol. 69 — the soccer manga serialized in Morning magazine since 2007 — enters the chart at No. 2, hitting No. 4 in both brick-and-mortar and e-books, and No. 11 in e-commerce. Hirohiko Araki’s The JOJOLands Vol. 8 climbs a notch to land in the top 3. Bin Kusamizu and Saburo Megumi’s Fragile Vol. 31, which leads the e-book metric, debuts at No. 6.

Ryo Asai’s In the Megachurch, which continues to rule the social media metric, remains within the top 20 this week (No. 16). The title is nominated for the 2026 Hon’ya Taisho (Japan Booksellers’ Award), with the winner set to be announced April 9. On the social media front, both volumes of the Japanese edition of Andy Weir’s Project Hail Mary translated by Kazuko Onoda — the feature film opened in Japanese theaters Mar. 20 — rank at No. 2 and No. 3 on the metric. On the overall chart, Vol. 1 climbs from No. 16 to No. 12, while Vol. 2 rises from No. 21 to No. 14.

The Billboard Japan Book Hot 100 is a comprehensive chart combining physical sales, e-books, library loans, subscription data and social media activity. See the top 10 titles on this week’s list below, tracking the period from Mar. 23 to Mar. 29.

(Numbers in parentheses indicate the title’s metric placements for brick-and-mortar, EC, e-books, subscriptions, and social media, top 20 only. English title given if translations or adaptations exist.)

1. Ore Dake Level Up na Ken (Solo Leveling) Vol. 24, DUBU, Chugong, h-goon (1/20/2/–/–)

2. GIANT KILLING Vol. 69, Tsujitomo, Masaya Tsunamoto (4/11/4/–/–)

3. The JOJOLands Vol. 8, Hirohiko Araki (5/16/12/–/–)

4. ONE PIECE Vol. 114, Eiichiro Oda (2/14/–/–/–)

5. Oni no Hanayome (The Ogre’s Bride) Vol. 9, Jun Togashi, Kureha (3/–/–/–/–)


6. Fragile Vol. 31, Bin Kusamizu, Saburo Megumi (–/–/1/–/–)

7. Bungo Stray Dogs Vol. 28, Kafka Asagiri, Sango Harukawa (7/7/–/–/–)

8. Shuumatsu no Warukyure (Record of Ragnarok) Vol. 27, Azychika, Shinya Umemura, Takumi Fukui (6/–/–/–/–)

9. Orukusen Okoku-shi (History of the Kingdom of the Orcsen) Vol. 6, Kyoichiro Tarumi, Takeshi Nogami (–/–/3/–/–)

10. Kimi to Bara-iro no Hibi Vol. 3, Chihiro Hiro (12/–/10/–/–)





Sony Music Publishing UK, in partnership with its JV partner Second Songs, signed a global publishing agreement with Copenhagen-based songwriter Bastian Langebaek, which includes future works. Notably, Langebaek boasts six co-writes on Olivia Dean’s breakthrough album The Art of Loving, including “Let Alone The One You Love” and “Baby Steps.” He also has credits on songs performed by Anderson.Paak, AURORA, Jessie Ware, Jess Glynne, Nilufer Yanya, Anna Of The North and more.

“I’m incredibly excited and grateful to sign a new publishing deal with Second Songs & Sony Music Publishing, getting to work once more with [Second Songs co-founder] Mark Gale, who I first signed with 11 years ago, a moment that changed everything,” said Langebaek in a statement. “As I step into this next chapter, I want to give a big shout out to Caroline Elleray and Tim Major, as well as my friend and manager, the hardest-working person I know, Vaz Pilikian. Thank you for believing in me.”

Tim Major, president and co-managing director of Sony Music Publishing UK, added, “Bastian is an undeniably exceptional songwriter as well as a wonderful human and we are very proud that he has chosen to work with us. Our partnership with Second Songs is the perfect set up for him, reuniting with Mark and utilising our global SMP forces to build on all of his immense success. We are grateful to Bastian and Vaz for the trust they have placed in us all.”

In his own statement, Gale said, “We are immensely proud and humbled that Bastian has chosen Second Songs and SMP as his publishing home for the next chapter of his career. Bastian is one of the most talented and nurturing people you’re ever likely to meet so fits into the ethos of our company perfectly. It’s a joy to see the songs he’s helped create as they travel all over the world and become the soundtrack to people’s lives.” — Chris Eggertsen

Pooh Shiesty has been arrested on robbery and kidnapping charges tied to a violent dispute over the Memphis rapper’s recording contract that included Gucci Mane as one of three victims.

The Department of Justice announced on Thursday (April 2) that Pooh Shiesty (Lontrell Williams Jr.), his father, Lontrell Williams Sr. and Big30 (Rodney Lamont Wright Jr.) were among eight individuals arrested on Wednesday (April 1) over the alleged incident, which is said to have taken place on Jan. 10 in Dallas.

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During a press conference on Thursday hosted by Ryan Raybould, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, it was alleged that on Jan. 10, three music professionals traveled to a Dallas recording studio for a meeting arranged by Pooh Shiesty to discuss the rapper’s record deal. According to CBS News, the DOJ identified Gucci Mane as one of the individuals at the meeting.

Once the meeting began inside the Dallas recording studio, the complaint alleges that an “armed takeover” ensued.

“Williams Jr. produced an AK-style pistol and forced one of the victims to sign a release from the recording contract at gunpoint,” Raybould said. “The remaining conspirators displayed firearms and robbed the other victims of Rolex watches, jewelry, cash and other high-value items. One of the victims was actually choked by one of the victims to near-unconsciousness.”

The complaint accuses one of Pooh Shiesty’s co-conspirators of barricading the studio door so that the victims could not leave. Defendants also flaunted some of the stolen prized items on social media, as shown in a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Texas.

Pooh Shiesty was on home confinement at the time of the January altercation after being released from prison in October. He served more than three years of a five-year sentence on firearm conspiracy charges.

Shiesty is signed to Gucci Mane’s 1017 Records company in partnership with Atlantic Records. Upon his release from prison, the Memphis rapper earned a top 10 hit with “FDO” on the Billboard Hot 100.

Eight of the nine suspects were arrested on April 1 by the FBI, while one remains at large. The same day, the FBI also raided Shiesty’s family home, located in Cordova, Tenn.

Outside of Shiesty, his father and Big30, the U.S. Attorney’s Office listed Kedarius Waters, Terrance Rodgers, Damarian Gipson, Demarcus Glover, Kordae Johnson and Darrion McDaniel as defendants in the case. Each faces up to life in prison if convicted.

Representatives for Shiesty declined to comment for this story. Billboard has reached out to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for North Texas for comment.


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A critically acclaimed singer, actress and dancer, BLACKPINK’s Jennie is now adding “designer” to her impressive resume with her latest collaboration with Frankies Bikinis.

The “Like Jennie” singer codesigned an extensive line of ultra-cute apparel with the brand’s creative director Francesca Aiello that includes printed bikinis and one-pieces ready for wading in the waves this summer, along with cozy hoodies, zip-ups, colorful top and color-blocked low-cut bottoms. The collection dropped Thursday (April 2) and is available to shop on Frankies Bikinis’ website.

Pricing ranges from $85 to $195. Each piece seems to focus on a laid-back aesthetic. Beachy cover-ups give way to swimwear and date night-ready dresses that scream “cool girl” because everyone wants to be like Jennie. While there’s a lot to look at — around 50 pieces — we have some favorites that we’ve linked to shop below.

Some of our favorites include an adorable Venus Cotton Top in the shade Rose for $95. The piece is made of breezy cotton with long sleeves and a rounded, plunging neckline. A collaborative star graphic is affixed to the front of the top, reading “Frankies Bikinis Jennie.” This is an everyday piece with a flattering form fit in a colorway we think will flatter most, if not all, who buy this shirt. They especially look good with the Eva Cotton Mini Shorts from the collection for $95 that also comes in a rosy hue, although, our favorite is the muted blue in the shade comet. The shorts are extremely mini, sitting low on the hips. They’re extremely cheeky and form-fitting, prepped for layering over your favorite bikini.

Speaking of bikinis, the Ari reversible style from the collection is to die for. Both the top and bottom retail for $95 each and come in a unique leopard print style that can be inverted, revealing an equally cute black and white striped style beneath. It’s like getting two bikinis for the price of one. If you’re more of a one-piece person, the collection also features a ton of styles with more coverage, such as the Lotus swimsuit in black, retailing for $180. The piece is your standard high-cut swimwear in the front with spaghetti straps, but turn the style around and you’ll find the swimwear has a low-cut back with tons of personality.

From night to day, we have the Briar Knit Halter Top, which retails for $110 and comes in a pastel yellow morning light hue with a plunging neckline. The top is made of a comfortable stretch fabric that is form-fitted, snatching up your waist. There’s also the Kim Mini Dress in coconut cream available for $130. This is a long sleeve style made of a sheer cream-colored fabric. The sheer moment is great for layering, but can also be worn solo over a cute bra and panties for a sexy moment. We’d also wear this piece as a beach cover-up in a pinch.

What to buy from BLACKPINK's Jennie x Frankies Bikinis collection online.

Venus Cotton Top in Rose

This top is made of breathable cotton and comes in a deep red hue. The front is affixed with a cobranded star reading “Frankies Bikinis Jennie.”


What to buy from BLACKPINK's Jennie x Frankies Bikinis collection online.

Eva Cotton Mini Shorts in Comet

These are micro shorts made of a breathable cotton fabric. The stretchy shorts sit low on the hips and feature a cheeky cut.


What to buy from BLACKPINK's Jennie x Frankies Bikinis collection online.

Lotus One-Piece Swimsuit in Black

The front of this one-piece is pretty normal, but the back is all party. The back is plunging and features interesting criss-crossing straps.


What to buy from BLACKPINK's Jennie x Frankies Bikinis collection online.

Ari Reversible Bikini Top in Marrakesh

This bikini top is reversible, as the name suggests, going from a leopard print to a striped pattern. The top is a halter style that ties in the back.


What to buy from BLACKPINK's Jennie x Frankies Bikinis collection online.

Elena Reversible Bikini Bottom in Marrakesh

Like the top, these Elena bottoms are also reversible. The style ties on the sides and can be adjusted like the top.


What to buy from BLACKPINK's Jennie x Frankies Bikinis collection online.

Briar Knit Halter Top in Morning Light

Butter yellow is an extremely popular hue. The colorway was translated into this Briar halter top with a sensual plunging neckline.


What to buy from BLACKPINK's Jennie x Frankies Bikinis collection online.

Kim Mini Dress in Coconut Cream

The Kim is a sheer style made for layering. The dress is long-sleeved with a mock neckline.


In 2011, a teenager from Gunpo, a city 30 km from Seoul, crossed the South Korean capital to audition at YG Entertainment. The 16-year-old faced a line of hundreds of candidates, performed for the judges, and left the building without knowing the result of the audition that would change her life forever. Shortly after, Jisoo joined the agency’s exclusive trainee program. She went through countless hours of rehearsals and music, singing and dance classes over five years before debuting in BLACKPINK alongside three other girls — and the rest is history with a capital H. The group was one of the driving forces behind K-pop’s surge in global popularity over the following decade.

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Thirteen years later, in February 2024, the singer revisited that gesture: walking into a room hoping to start something new. She left YG and founded BLISSOO, beginning a new chapter as the manager of her own career. Since then, Jisoo, 31, has experienced her greatest professional freedom. The change did not intimidate her. Quite the opposite.

Much like her character Seo Mi-rae in Boyfriend on Demand, released on Netflix on March 6, she embraces this new phase with lightness and humor. In the series, she plays a webtoon producer — digital comics are extremely popular in South Korea, created in a vertical format for continuous scrolling — under pressure at work while testing a dating app set in virtual reality.

“I think this applies especially to women my age, but it doesn’t matter what profession you’re in. You have to be braver and less afraid of change. Whatever happens, you can learn and grow as a person. I hope [the series encourages] people to embrace the process of change and try something new,” Jisoo tells Billboard Brasil in an interview for her first cover in the country.

When YG chose Jisoo from among so many young dreamers, the agency was riding the wave of BIGBANG and 2NE1’s meteoric success — two groups that boosted K-pop’s global visibility at the time. In 2016, BLACKPINK debuted as the label’s (spot on) bet and went on to become the biggest girl group in the world over the following decade. And that’s easy to prove. Did they break records on Billboard charts? Yes.

On the Hot 100, “Ddu-Du Ddu-Du” debuted at No. 55 in June 2018, the highest entry by a K-pop girl group on the chart at the time. In 2022, BLACKPINK topped the Billboard 200 with BORN PINK — the first K-pop girl group to reach No. 1. First K-pop artists to perform at Coachella in 2019, and the first Asian artists to headline one of the world’s biggest music festivals in 2023? Done.

New world records? Also, in June 2020, the quartet set three of them, thanks to the music video for “How You Like That.” With over 86 million views in the first 24 hours after release, the video entered the Guinness World Records as the most-viewed video and music video on YouTube in 24 hours, as well as the biggest debut for a K-pop group at the time. In 2026, BLACKPINK became the first artist to reach 100 million subscribers on YouTube. Even more remarkable is that many of these achievements happened before the release of BLACKPINK’s first full-length album, The Album, in October 2020.

Jisoo, the oldest member of the group — which also includes Jennie (30), Rosé (29) and Lisa (28) — was the last to release solo music. The single “ME” arrived in March 2023 with two tracks. Under her own management, Jisoo released the EP AMORTAGE and the collaboration “Eyes Closed” with former One Direction member Zayn last year. She also held her first tour, Lights, Love, Action, bringing thousands of fans together across seven cities in Asia. She further expanded her acting résumé, following her 2021 debut, with the zombie drama Newtopia (2025) and now Boyfriend on Demand.

And she shows no signs of slowing down. The name of Jisoo’s agency, BLISSOO, combines “bliss” with the artist’s name — a summary of the image she has built over the past decade. Since debuting with BLACKPINK, the singer-actress-dancer has been known for her humor and off-the-cuff jokes both backstage and onstage — a quality admired by fans and co-workers alike. “Jisoo is hilarious, she’s really very funny. She has the ability to make everyone on set laugh,” says Seo In-guk, her romantic lead in the new Netflix series.

In her first leading role in a romance on the streaming platform, the actress plays Seo Mi-rae. Beyond dealing with workplace pressure and rivalry, the character has also put love on the back burner to focus on her career. Her routine begins to shift when she agrees to test a dating app set in a virtual universe, where users can fall for idealized versions of K-pop idols (much like herself in real life), fictional characters and custom-built strangers.

Asked whether she has ever given up important moments and people for the sake of her career, Jisoo answers without hesitation: “Yes, of course.” Today, however, she says she seeks balance. “I try my best to balance everything. Work is important, but so is love. So I try to reorganize my hours so I can enjoy both.”

When reading the script for the first time, Jisoo says she didn’t find the series’ virtual universe too far-fetched. The premise, created by screenwriter Namkoong Do-Young, felt close to today’s reality. The cast also includes South Korean star Lee Soo-hyuk (Tomorrow, 2022) and a special appearance by rapper Jay Park, known for his suggestive lyrics and shirtless performances.

The rising actress also says she identified with Mi-rae from the start, sharing similar thoughts to her character. “She and I both like spending time with ourselves,” says Jisoo. For the role, she filmed scenes in 250 outfits and appears in 95% of screen time across different storylines and settings. “Jisoo worked very hard, always smiling. I wanted to hire her as an assistant director, because she’s someone great to have around,” said the series’ director, Kim Jung-sik, at a press conference.

Still in 2026, Jisoo plans to release a full album and new audiovisual content. As a solo artist, there is a greater chance she will visit Brazil for the first time. None of BLACKPINK’s global tours, between 2018 and 2026, included the country — and the quartet is the favorite girl group among Billboard Brasil readers, according to a survey conducted by the magazine last year.

“I really want to go to Brazil. I know Brazilian fans are very passionate. They are always sending me so much love and support, and I’m very grateful for that,” says Jisoo. As with every K-pop idol, the interview followed a formal format, with pre-approved topics and carefully calculated answers. But the multi-hyphenate artist allows herself to step off script for a few seconds, smiling when she notices the BLACKPINK lightstick positioned behind the reporter on the video call.

“I saw you have our lightstick… Thank you [for the love]. As soon as I have the opportunity, I definitely want to go and meet everyone in person. I love you all.” In a potential solo tour, Jisoo’s setlist will feature songs about the highs and lows of love. Across the four tracks on AMORTAGE, she sings about relationships, empowerment and overcoming hardship — themes that also run through her new K-drama. “After this series, I think I’m less afraid of trying new things or dealing with change. This work allows me to look at things with a more open mind.”

Before the EP’s release last February, Jisoo announced she had signed a global deal with Warner Records for her solo career, helping her reach an even wider audience worldwide. On YouTube, the singer has over 900 million views — 100 million from the “earthquake” music video alone, the lead single from the EP. “There are fans eager for solo performances and those who want me to show more diverse sides of myself as an actress. I’m trying to enjoy it all and show as many facets as possible,” she concludes.

This is a translation of an article that originally appeared on Billboard Brasil.

This week, Billboard is publishing a series of lists and articles celebrating the music of 20 years ago. In this instalment of our 2006 Week, we turn to the rapid rise of Arctic Monkeys, an early social media-era breakthrough that redefined how bands could build an audience.

It began in earnest, almost like a modern myth, with four fateful words: “Don’t believe the hype.” When Arctic Monkeys frontman Alex Turner delivered this line while filming the Old Grey Whistle Test-style video for electrifying 2005 debut single “I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor,” he did so with a nonchalant tone and half a shrug. Yet, at the time, this was a band on the brink of stardom beyond its wildest dreams, ultimately living inside a storm of its own making.

If virality has a starting point in modern rock, it arguably kicks off with Arctic Monkeys, and a wave of scrappy demos that spread faster than the British music industry could react. When this gang of school friends emerged from Sheffield’s grassroots underground in the early 2000s, they became one of the first groups to harness the power of the internet to reach its audience. By October 2005, the same month “Dancefloor…” was formally released, the band had already sold out the 2,000-capacity London Astoria. It was the stuff that fairytale stories are made of. 

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This early success was the result of a dramatic display of word of mouth. Young, unsigned and hungry, the band frequently gave away free demo CDs at pub gigs across Sheffield. But something unusual happened: those recordings didn’t stay confined to the local music scene. Fans began ripping the CDs and sharing the bootlegs to blogging platform MySpace, simply because they loved the music and wanted others to hear it. Per a report from The Guardian, it was estimated that there were upwards of 140 different live Arctic Monkeys tracks floating around on the internet by mid-2005.

The members of Arctic Monkeys grew up on hip-hop – and have repeatedly spoken of their love of British rapper Roots Manuva – alongside Britpop and garage rock. But their fusion of influences sounded entirely their own. From the deliberately offbeat name, to lyrics rooted in keen observation of day-to-day youth antics in Sheffield and colloquial speech, the band made it its mission to quietly stand apart in every way, a vision that caught the attention of esteemed indie label Domino Records [Wet Leg, Hot Chip] and led to a record deal.

“Dancefloor” immediately stormed straight to the top of the Official U.K. Singles Chart, logging six consecutive weeks in the top 10 while also swiftly becoming a staple on British alternative and rock radio. Three months later came the January 2006 arrival of the band’s first album, Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not, from which the majority of tracks were already available for free online ahead of release. 

Yet the record still went on to become one of the fastest-selling debuts in U.K. chart history, shifting over 360,000 copies in its opening week and winning both the Mercury Prize and multiple BRIT Awards. It received a Grammy nomination for best alternative music album, while “Dancefloor” landed a spot in the best rock song category, helping to introduce the band to a wider transatlantic audience. (This week, the track ranks at No. 12 on the Billboard editorial staffs 100 best songs of 2006 list.)

The band weren’t directly involved with the dissemination of their music online, Arctic Monkeys’ former press officer, Anton Brookes, told The Independent at the time. “It was all generated by enthusiastic fans,” he said. “A few years ago, it would have involved fanzines and cassettes. New technology means it just happens a lot quicker.” 

What soon became clear was that MySpace allowed a fledgling band’s music to be heard without major label assistance or traditional gatekeepers like radio and press, who struggled to keep up with the internet’s boundless velocity. Arctic Monkeys’ trajectory was as much about people connecting with the songs as the material itself; the band provided decisive proof that a following could be built through direct fan engagement, signaling a shift in control from labels to listeners that continues today.

The Arctic Monkeys members’ own reaction to their burgeoning status suggested that success was a shock even to them. Many of the interviews they gave at the time suggested that they were observing their own rise from a distance, unsure how to process it. “[The hype] doesn’t seem to be as big [to us] as what people might think it is,” Turner told The Today Show. “Maybe we are immune to all of it because of everything that’s happened. Maybe in 10 years we’ll realize what it is.”

Two decades on, even in an age where virality can launch careers overnight, the band’s ascent remains a watershed moment. They weren’t the only British act of the era to break through online – the likes of Lily Allen and Adele were also hugely prominent on MySpace during the mid-2000s – but it was Arctic Monkeys who indirectly helped to break down access and barriers in the industry, while also illustrating how the internet could place music at the heart of social media.

In more recent years, with seven records and sold-out stadium shows to their name, the band have continued to reshape expectations for what a contemporary rock act can achieve away from traditional routes. Arctic Monkeys have chosen to shun social media throughout their career, and have historically been known to swerve all major brand deals and ad synchs alongside a number of television appearances, including declining an offer to perform on the once-iconic Top of the Pops.

This display of artistic integrity has been consistent, and has only helped to cement their stature as one of the most influential acts of the 21st century. Arctic Monkeys’ anthemic, adventurous sound – from the funny, feisty garage rock of their early days to the psychedelic lounge-pop and baroque flourishes of their later material – can be heard in a generation of disparate musicians from Fontaines D.C. to Sombr and Texan rapper Monaleo, who interpolated the band’s Billboard Hot 100-charting hit “Do I Wanna Know?” on her song “Sober Mind.”

If anything, this sonic evolution only sharpened their cultural reach. The band were mostly a British phenomenon until their slow-burning reinvention on 2013’s platinum-selling AM transformed them into bonafide rock stars in the U.S. That era also saw them become unlikely fixtures of a new digital monoculture, as the record’s nocturnal cool and romantic detachment found a home on Tumblr. Here, they thrived along with moody alt-pop heroes like Halsey, Lana Del Rey and The Neighbourhood, helping to define the microblogging platform’s overall aesthetic.

In 2022, following latest LP The Car, Arctic Monkeys’ initial rise was once again paralleled by a fresh flush of social media attention, as a new, predominantly Gen Z wave of listeners rediscovered and amplified their music across TikTok. This resurgence gave older tracks a new lease of life, most notably 2007’s eerily beautiful “505” and “I Wanna Be Yours,” the steady, smoky, deeply romantic ballad – and reworking of the John Cooper Clarke poem of the same name – that closes out AM.

By the start of the following year, “I Wanna Be Yours” had spent months on Spotify’s Top 50 songs chart, not in the U.K. but globally, a feat spurred on by fan edits circulating TikTok. At 3.6 billion streams, more than any Taylor Swift, Bruno Mars or BTS song, it stands as the 14th most popular song in Spotify history, with continued growth across key markets including the U.S., India, Mexico and Brazil. Intriguingly, neither “I Wanna Be Yours” nor “505” were ever pushed as a single, nor did the former feature regularly in the band’s setlists prior to The Car world tour, which wrapped up in late 2023.

With four tracks that have accrued over a billion streams, it’s clear that Arctic Monkeys occupy a rare position: a band whose legacy is not confined to nostalgia, but continues to expand, even while it remains on hiatus. What began as a defining indie breakthrough in the mid-2000s has evolved into a sustained, significant global force that has remained consistently present over shifting eras of social media, one that has only been reinforced by time. 

Above all else, a gut-led approach to every aspect of the band’s work has remained paramount. “When I think back to earlier times, I feel like we were just running on instinct, creative decisions included,” Turner told NME in 2022. “I don’t really think that much within the band has changed a great deal; we might know a few more tricks, but we’re still rolling on that very same instinct.”


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