USA
Billboard Report (excerpt)
'We Still Don't Trust You' debuts at No. 1
Tuesday, April 23, 2024
by Keith Caulfield & Gary Trust, Los Angeles

Future and Metro Boomin’s second collaborative album, We Still Don’t Trust You, debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart (dated April 27), with 127,500 equivalent album units earned in

the U.S. in the week ending April 18, according to Luminate. It’s the sequel project to the pair’s We Don’t Trust You, which opened at No. 1 on the April 6-dated chart (with 251,000 units in its first week). With We Still Don’t Trust You arriving atop the Billboard 200 only three weeks after We Don’t Trust You debuted at No. 1, that marks the shortest gap between new No. 1s by an artist since Future replaced himself at No. 1 in 2017 in successive weeks with his self-titled album (March 11, 2017, chart) and Hndrxx (March 18, 2017), both of which debuted at No. 1. Future and Metro Boomin’s We Don’t Trust You rises 4-3 with 83,000 equivalent album units earned (down 17%). In the last 20 years, there have only been seven instances of acts charting two albums in the top three at the same time. Prince did it twice following his death in 2016 (The Very Best of Prince and the Purple Rain soundtrack on the May 7-14, 2016 charts), Future did so once in 2017 with

his back-to-back No. 1s (Future and HNDRXX on the March 18, 2017, chart), Taylor Swift achieved the feat three times (Dec. 26, 2020, with Evermore and Folklore; and Dec. 9 and 23, 2023, with 1989 [Taylor’s Version] and Midnights) and now Future and Metro Boomin on the latest chart with We Don’t Trust You and We Still Don’t Trust You. Of We Still Don’t Trust You’s first-week unit sum of 127,500, SEA units comprise 124,500 (equaling 162.57 million on-demand official streams of the set’s 25 tracks), traditional album sales comprise 2,500 (the album was only available to purchase as a digital download) and TEA units comprise 500. Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter slips to No. 2 after spending its first two weeks atop the Billboard 200. It earned 98,000 equivalent album units in its third week (down 24%). Morgan Wallen’s former No. 1 One Thing at a Time rises 5-4 with 71,000 (down 1%). Noah Kahan’s Stick Season jumps 8-5 with 51,000 (up 14%), following the release of the Stick Season (We’ll All Be Here Forever) deluxe edition across four vinyl variants and on CD. The deluxe set was originally released on June 9, 2023, as a digital download and streaming album. Linkin Park’s first hits compilation album, Papercuts, debuts at No. 6 with 44,000 equivalent album units earned. Of that sum, SEA units comprise 23,000 (equaling 32.04 million on-demand official streams of the set’s 20 songs), album sales comprise 20,500 and TEA units comprise 500. The album’s sales were bolstered by its availability across eight vinyl variants, as well as a CD, cassette and digital download. Papercuts boasts 14 of the band’s 19 top 10s on Billboard’s Alternative Airplay chart, including 10 of its 12 No. 1s on the list. Benson Boone’s Fireworks & Rollerblades skates 6-7 in its second week with 43,000 equivalent album units earned (down 25%). Three former No. 1s round out the top 10: SZA’s chart-topping SOS rises 10-8 with just over 40,000 (up 1%), Morgan Wallen’s Dangerous: The Double Album climbs 11-9 with 40,000 (up 1%) and Ariana Grande’s Eternal Sunshine falls 7-10 with nearly 40,000 (down 17%). Hozier’s “Too Sweet” ascends to No. 1, from No. 2, on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart, three weeks after it debuted at No. 5. The Irish singer-songwriter achieves his first Hot 100 leader. In his sole prior run in the top 10, he hit No. 2 with his breakthrough hit “Take Me to Church” in 2014-15. “Too Sweet,” on Rubyworks/Columbia Records, becomes the 1,169th No. 1 in the Hot 100’s history. It drew 35.6 million streams (down 3%) and 14.1 million radio airplay audience impressions (up 136%, good for top Airplay Gainer honors on the Hot 100) and sold 6,000 (down 17%) April 12-18. The single, which Hozier co-wrote and co-produced, rises 2-1 to become his first leader on the Streaming Songs chart; dips to No. 5 from its No. 3 high on Digital Song Sales; and debuts at No. 42 on Radio Songs. “Too Sweet” marks the fifth Hot 100 No. 1 by an Irish act. It’s the first since Sinéad O’Connor’s “Nothing Compares 2 U” in 1990 and the first by a male soloist since Gilbert O’Sullivan’s “Alone Again (Naturally)” over a half-century ago. Sabrina Carpenter brews up her first Hot 100 top 10 as “Espresso” debuts on the chart at No. 7. Released April 12, it drew 19.8 million streams and 5.1 million in airplay audience and sold 4,000 in its first week. Future, Metro Boomin and Kendrick Lamar’s “Like That” drops to No. 2 after spending its first three weeks on the Hot 100 at No. 1. Benson Boone’s “Beautiful Things” holds at No. 3 on the Hot 100, after reaching No. 2, and Teddy Swims’ “Lose Control” keeps at No. 4, four weeks after becoming his first No. 1. The latter logs a second week atop Radio Songs (69.9 million, essentially even week-over-week). Beyoncé’s “Texas Hold ‘Em” rises 6-5 on the Hot 100, after it reigned for two weeks in early March. Rounding out the Hot 100’s top 10, Jack Harlow’s “Lovin on Me” lifts 7-6, following six nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 beginning in December; Ariana Grande’s “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)” is steady at No. 8, after it debuted at No. 1 in March; Noah Kahan’s “Stick Season” climbs to a new No. 9 high, from No. 10; and SZA’s No. 6-peaking “Saturn” returns to the region (15-10).

Record Of The Month
24-year old British / Cypriote singer-songwriter Artemas Diamandis lands his first global smash
with the retro-futuristic sound collage 'I Like The Way You Kiss Me'.

United Kingdom
Music Week Report (excerpt)
Hozier's 'Too Sweet' remains at number one
Monday, April 22, 2024
by Alan Jones, London
 
It took nearly 10 years to progress from first hit to first No.1 for Hozier, and the Irish singer / songwriter is in no hurry to relinquish his hard-earned crown, with consumption of Too Sweet ramping up a further 17.68% to 71,822 units (1,790 digital downloads and 70,032 sales-equivalent streams) as its

logs its second week at the summit. Beverage news: While current Top 10 hits by Hozier, Beyonce and Dasha extol the virtues of whiskey, Sabrina Carpenter’s new hit, Espresso, uses coffee as a metaphor for relationship addiction. It is Carpenter’s fourth hit and first Top 10 entry, debuting at No.6 (40,308 sales). Illusions debuts at No.9 (26,974 sales), becoming Dua Lipa’s 16th Top 10 and 28th Top 75 entry. Her fourth straight Top 10 hit, it is the third from upcoming third album, Radical Optimism. Meanwhile, Perrie (Edwards) – veteran of 45 hits, including 19 Top 10 entries and five No.1s with Little Mix – debuts at No.10 (25,915 sales including 1,283 CDs) with her first solo single, Forget About Us. Little Mix are on extended hiatus at the moment. Her bandmate Leigh-Anne Pinnock reached No.11 last year with her debut solo single, Don’t Say Love, while former Little Mix member Jesy Nelson reached No.4 with Boyz (feat. Nicki Minaj) in 2021. The band's other

member, Jade Thirwall, has yet to release any solo material. In a Top 10 comprising only solo acts for the second week in a row, there are new peaks for I Like The Way You Kiss Me (5-3, 46,306 sales) by Artemas and Austin (8-7, 32,858 sales) by Dasha. In fact, the highest-ranking hit by anything but a solo act is No.14. The rest of the Top 10: Beautiful Things (2-2, 48,798 sales) by Benson Boone, Lose Control (4-4, 45,167 sales) by Teddy Swims, Texas Hold ‘Em (3-5, 41,237 sales) by Beyonce and We Can’t Be Friends (Wait For Love) (7-8, 30,944 sales) by Ariana Grande. Overall singles consumption is up 2.69% week-on-week to 29,156,712 units, 11.62% above same week 2023 consumption of 26,121,536 units. Paid-for sales are down 1.12% week-on-week at 265,306 – 10.01% below same week 2023 sales of 294,808. Twenty-six years to the month after they topped the chart with compilation The Best Of, indie rock legends James finally return to No.1 with 18th studio album, Yummy on consumption of 18,542 units (11,651 CDs, 4,695 vinyl albums, 1,623 digital downloads, 573 sales-equivalent streams). Still spearheaded by 1982 founder members Tim Booth (vocals) and Jim Glennie (bass), it is their first album as a nontet, arriving just 10 months after they reached No.3 (13,972 sales) with its immediate predecessor, Be Opened By The Wonderful, on which they reimagined previously recorded material in stripped-down orchestral versions. Their 20th Top 75 and 12th Top 10 album, Yummy arrives at the summit nearly 38 years after their introductory 1986 album Stutter debuted and peaked at No.68. Four of their subsequent studio albums reached No.2 – Gold Mother (1990), Seven (1992), Millionaires (1999) and Girl At The End Of The World (2016). It secures James’ highest debut sale since Millionaires opened its account with 34,136 pure sales in 1999. Their biggest ever first week sale came from The Best Of, which sold 58,503 copies as it toppled Celine Dion from No.1 in 1998. Although they have released subsequent, more comprehensive compilations, The Best Of remains James’ biggest selling album, with to-date consumption of 1,013,286 units. The only other act to have their first No.1 studio album further into their chart career than James is The Specials, who topped with Encore in 2019, more than 39 years after their debut, breaking the record held by The Eagles since their one and only No.1, Long Road Out Of Eden in 2007, came more than 34 years after their 1974 chart debut. Mark Knopfler’s 10th regular solo studio album – 18th including soundtracks – One Deep River debuts at No.3 (14,996 sales), equalling the highest solo chart position yet for the 74-year-old Glasgow-born Geordie, matching the peak of 2015 set, Tracker. As leader of Dire Straits, Knopfler racked up four No.1 albums between 1982 and 1991; and reached No.2 with Missing: Presumed Having a Good Time, his only release fronting one-off country rock band The Notting Hillbillies in 1990. Across his entire career, One Deep River is his 20th Top 10 album. In Germany, it debuts at No.1 this week, becoming his seventh chart-topper there in total, and fourth solo. Seven years after their most recent studio effort, Californian rockers Linkin Park’s first ever bona fide hits set, Papercuts (Singles Collection 2000-2023), debuts at No.4 (10,830 sales). It is their 15th Top 75 and ninth Top 10 entry. Former martial arts fighter Kris Barras fell short of the Top 75 with his first two albums – Lucky 13 in 2016 and The Divine And Dirty in 2018 – fronting his eponymous band, but gets more popular with every release. Third album, Light It Up, reached No.49 in 2019, fourth album Death Valley Paradise reached No.27 in 2022, and this week his Earache label debut, Halo Effect, opens at No.5 (10,427 sales, including 25 USB sticks). The 38-year-old singer/songwriter is from Torquay. Leeds indie quartet English Teacher’s first full-length album, This Could Be Texas, debuts at No.8 (7,807 sales). Glasgow hard rock veterans Gun’s ninth studio album in a 35-year-chart career, Hombres is their eighth chart entry, third Top 10 album and highest-charting set since Swagger reached No.5 in 1994, opening at No.10 (7,166 sales). Some 88.11% of that total (6,314 sales) is physical (4,751 CDs, 1,493 vinyl, 70 cassettes). 3,513 of those physical sales are in Scotland, where the album duly debuts at No.1. Increased physical availability more than offset declining streaming to help boost consumption of Beyonce’s Cowboy Carter by 3.20% week-on-week to 15,355 units as it holds at No.2. It is still No.1 on streaming, despite its consumption there tumbling 32.99% week-on-week to 8,894 units, while its pure sales are up 302.05% to 6,461. The rest of the Top 10: The Highlights (6-6, 8,552 sales) by The Weeknd, Guts (5-7, 7,862 sales) by Olivia Rodrigo and Stick Season (10-9, 7,298 sales) by Noah Kahan. Overall album sales are up 0.49% week-on-week at 2,396,004, 10.18% above same week 2023 sales of 2,174,548. Physical product accounts for 305,160 sales, 12.74% of the total.