Latest news with #Wallows
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Will Lorde Battle With ‘KPop Demon Hunters' on the Billboard 200 Next Week?
The Contenders is a midweek column that looks at artists aiming for the top of the Billboard charts, and the strategies behind their efforts. This week, for the upcoming Billboard 200 dated July 12, we look at a loaded week of new and surging releases, headlined by returning alt-pop star Lorde and what's quickly becoming the summer's hottest movie soundtrack. Lorde, (Republic): One of the most anticipated pop releases of the summer has certainly been Lorde's fourth album Virgin, her first full-length since 2021's polarizing Solar Power. The album came with an extensive rollout, led by first single 'What Was That' — which was debuted at a stop-start live event in New York's Washington Square Park (filmed for the song's official video, released later that week) and which became her first Billboard Hot 100 top 40 hit of the 2020s, bowing at No. 36. More from Billboard Debbie Harry on Image Expectations in Music: 'I Wanted to Work' Wallows Recall Morrissey Walking Out of Their Show: 'That's the Perfect Morrissey Story' Bob Vylan Axed From Radar, Kave Fest After Glastonbury Backlash That song fell off the Hot 100 after just a few weeks, and none of the other tracks released in advance of Virgin followed it onto the chart — and the set has only 11 tracks and no feature appearances — so it's unlikely to be a streaming blockbuster, though it should still perform respectably on DSPs. It's also expected to sell well, helped by its availability for purchase in eight vinyl variants, including two signed editions — as well as being available on CD and for digital download. (The early critical response for Virgin has also been much stronger than the relatively mixed reception for Solar Power.) It should be enough to continue Lorde's streak of each of her studio albums making the Billboard 200's top five, and may better the No. 5 debut of Solar Power. It's unlikely to give her a second No. 1 album on the chart, however — following the No. 1 bow of Melodrama in 2017 — as Morgan Wallen's I'm the Problem continues to be an absolute streaming juggernaut, set to score a seventh consecutive week of six-digit units on the chart. Soundtrack (Republic): The greatest potential obstacle to Lorde's path to a No. 2 debut on the Billboard 200 may come from another Republic release, and one far fewer would have tabbed as such a charts contender. KPop Demon Hunters, the animated Netflix musical set in the Korean pop world, has become such a sensation since its release two Fridays ago (June 20) that its soundtrack — featuring the songs of its two primary fictional groups, HUNTR/X and Saja Boys, as well as a couple contributions from real-life K-pop stars TWICE — appears on its way to being one of the summer's biggest hits. The rising soundtrack already debuted on the Billboard 200 dated July 5 at No. 8, making it the first soundtrack to reach the chart's top 10 since Ariana Grande & Cynthia Erivo's Wicked accompanying set in January. And the set is still growing, up 220% in streams over the first four days of this tracking week (June 27-30), as its songs continue to scale the DSPs' daily charts — with the soundtrack now occupying five of the top 15 spots on Spotify's Daily Top Songs USA listing, and seven of the top 25. If the set continues to grow on streaming, it could not only crash the Billboard 200's top five next week, it could challenge Virgin for the chart's runner-up spot. And the album doesn't even have a physical release yet — it's only available for streaming and digital purchase at the moment — so if Republic could get a physical soundtrack together to tap into K-pop fans' investment in tangible products, the sky is the limit for KPop Demon Hunters' commercial potential. KATSEYE, (Hybe UMG/Geffen): Speaking of K-pop — one of the biggest stories in the genre this year is of the global outfit KATSEYE, which encompasses members from not just Korea but the Philippines, Switzerland and the U.S., and sings in multiple languages, despite largely working within a K-pop framework. The group's approach has generated much discussion within various pop communities, and also a couple crossover hits: The group's singles 'Gabriela' (No. 94) and 'Gnarly' (No. 98) can both be found on this week's Hot 100. Both those singles can also be found on the sextet's second EP, Beautiful Chaos. The five-track set contains contributions from behind-the-scenes stateside pop fixtures like Andrew Watt and Justin Tranter, and comes with a surfeit of physical options for purchase — including four vinyl variants and nine CD variants. It might not be enough to compete with the streaming power of KPop Demon Hunters on next week's Billboard 200, but it should be enough to further cement KATSEYE as a burgeoning force on the charts. IN THE MIX Russ, (Diemon): Billboard's 2025 Indie Trailblazer returned on Friday (June 27) with new set W!LD, follow-up to 2023's No. 12-debuting Santiago. The album should also be ticketed for a top 20 debut, as the 19-track collection has yet to produce any obvious breakout hits, but Russ' selling power remains considerable for an independent rapper — and W!LD is available for purchase in multiple vinyl, CD and cassette variants, some of which are signed. Barbra Streisand, : (Columbia): Barbra Streisand is one of the legends of the Billboard 200, having topped the chart a staggering 11 times in her career, ranging from 1964's People to 2016's Encore: Movie Partners Sing Broadway. Streisand's latest Partners duets set is unlikely to make it an even dozen, but should attract interest with its star-studded guest list — including modern-day chart-toppers Ariana Grande, Sam Smith and Hozier, as well as all-time legends like Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney and Mariah Carey — and is available for sale in a pair of vinyl variants, as well as on CD. Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Four Decades of 'Madonna': A Look Back at the Queen of Pop's Debut Album on the Charts Chart Rewind: In 1990, Madonna Was in 'Vogue' Atop the Hot 100
Yahoo
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Wallows Recall Morrissey Walking Out of Their Show: ‘That's the Perfect Morrissey Story'
Wallows joined Jake Shane's podcast Therapuss for a conversation covering everything from their formation and early memories to Morrissey's surprising appearance at one of their shows and Dylan Minnette's potential return to acting. The American alt-rock trio—Dylan Minnette, Braeden Lemasters, and Cole Preston—discussed everything from their teenage misadventures to the early days of their band, revealing how a Kings of Leon cover sparked their journey. More from Billboard Debbie Harry on Image Expectations in Music: 'I Wanted to Work' Bob Vylan Axed From Radar, Kave Fest After Glastonbury Backlash Neil Young Plays Rare Full-Band 'Ambulance Blues' With The Chrome Hearts 'That's why one of the first songs we ever learned, ever covered was a Kings of Leon song called 'Molly's Chambers,'' Minnette shared. 'I wanted to be like them. I don't think I ever got as rock and roll as they were—we're more Catan, cold brew, and cold plunge now.' Minnette also addressed persistent rumors about his acting career, clarifying he never officially stepped away from Hollywood. 'There was this weird narrative that I quit acting, but I never felt that or said that,' he said. 'I've had a desire to do it again in some regard, and if the right thing comes along, then the right thing comes along.' His last acting credit was Hulu's The Dropout in 2021, but he still describes 13 Reasons Why as 'the most fulfilling experience I ever had shooting anything.' The band reminisced about early chaos on tour—including an Ohio incident where 'someone got their head kicked into our van'—and their first Coachella set in 2019. 'It was nerve-racking,' Minnette recalled. 'We had never played the new songs live, never used in-ear monitors. It was a lot, and after that I was like, we're never doing Coachella as the first stop of the tour again.' Perhaps the wildest anecdote came when the band revealed Morrissey once attended a Wallows show. 'Morrissey came to a show we played,' Minnette recalled of the night at Los Angeles' Roxy Theatre. 'A couple of years ago, we did this 50th anniversary special show at the Roxy, and they asked us to play. We said, 'Yeah, we have a lot of history there.' And someone told us, 'Morrissey from The Smiths, he's apparently a big Wallows fan, he's asking to come to the show.' We were like, 'What are you talking about? Morrissey's not… yeah right.'' But as the night approached, their skepticism turned into disbelief. 'Then the day of the show, they're like, 'He's coming,' and we're like, 'Okay, right.' And then before the set, they were like, 'He's in the building, he's ready to watch.' And we were like, 'Morrissey's here?'' Minnette continued. The surreal encounter didn't last long. 'There's a really funny video of him sitting there — he looks so upset and he looks so mad. Apparently our fans are really loud, screaming girl voices, and it was way too loud for him. He left three songs in,' Minnette said with a laugh. 'That's the perfect Morrissey story. Didn't even need to meet him. It's the fact that he was there and left.' Wallows are currently gearing up for their summer festival run, which includes their third appearance at Lollapalooza. Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
