USA
Billboard Report (excerpt)
'Luther' leads Hot 100 for a ninth week
Tuesday, April 22, 2025
by Keith Caulfield & Gary Trust, Los Angeles

Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s “Luther” rules the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart for a ninth total and consecutive week. The single, whose title honors late R&B legend Luther Vandross,

who is sampled on the track, became Lamar’s sixth No. 1 and SZA’s third. Lamar and SZA each extend their longest career Hot 100 reigns with the song, whose official video premiered April 11. Meanwhile, “Luther” passes 24kGoldn’s “Mood” (featuring iann dior), which led for eight weeks in 2020-21, for the sole second-longest Hot 100 command among rap hits this decade, after only Roddy Ricch’s “The Box,” which dominated for 11 weeks in 2020. “Luther” totaled 67.5 million radio airplay audience impressions (up 7% week-over-week), 25 million official streams (up 10%) and 2,000 sold (up 7%) in the U.S. April 11-17. It rebounds two spots for a seventh week atop the Streaming Songs chart; leads Radio Songs for a third week and rises three places to No. 20, after reaching No. 4, on Digital Song Sales. Chappell Roan’s “Pink Pony Club” clip-clops a spot to No. 4 on the Hot 100, led by 2% gain to 45.2 million in audience. It tops the Pop Airplay chart for a third

week. The singer-songwriter matches her best Hot 100 rank, first set by “Good Luck Babe!,” which hit No. 4 last September. Her three top 10s have all reached the top five; “The Giver” debuted at its No. 5 peak in March. A week after “Ordinary” became Alex Warren’s first Hot 100 top 10, the song becomes his first top five hit, lifting 7-5. It surged by 60% to 13.2 million in airplay audience in the tracking week. The single also lifts 3-1 to become Warren’s first leader on Digital Song Sales (6,000 sold, up 3%). Teddy Swims’ “Lose Control,” which led the Hot 100 for a week in March 2024, and became the year’s No. 1 song, rebounds 8-7, as it tallies a record-breaking 58th week in the top 10, surpassing the run in the region of The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” for the most such frames in the chart’s 66-year history. “Lose Control” first set up shop in the top 10 on the list dated Jan. 20, 2024, and has been absent from the tier for only eight weeks since. “Lose Control” notches an 87th week on the Hot 100 overall, tying Imagine Dragons’ “Radioactive,” in 2012-14, for the third-longest stay in the chart’s history. They trail only “Heat Waves” (91 weeks, in 2021-22) and “Blinding Lights” (90, in 2019-22). Elsewhere in the Hot 100’s top 10, Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ “Die With a Smile” ascends 3-2, following five nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 beginning in January. The song swaps spots with Drake’s “Nokia,” down a spot from its No. 2 high. Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” drops 4-6 on the Hot 100, following its record-tying 19 weeks at No. 1 beginning last July. BigXthaPlug’s “All the Way,” featuring Bailey Zimmerman, dips to No. 8 on the Hot 100, a week after it launched at No. 4; Benson Boone’s “Beautiful Things” rises 10-9, after it hit No. 2 in March 2024; and, rounding out the top 10, Morgan Wallen “I’m the Problem” slips 9-10, after it debuted at its No. 2 high in February. Ken Carson lands his first No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, as the rapper’s latest project, More Chaos, enters atop the list dated April 26. It's the third charting set for the rapper, and first top 10. The set earned 59,500 equivalent album units in the United States in the week ending April 18, according to Luminate. Of that sum, nearly 82% was driven by streaming activity. More Chaos is Carson’s first top 10 effort as well and follows two charted titles: A Great Chaos (No. 11 peak in 2023) and X (No. 115 in 2022). More Chaos, released via Opium / Interscope Records, replaces Opium label founder Playboi Carti atop the Billboard 200, as the latter’s Music moves to No. 7 after three nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1. Carson is the third act in 2025 to land their first No. 1 this year, following Tate McRae (with So Close To What) and PartyNextDoor (with the Drake collaboration set $ome $exy $ongs 4 U). With More Chaos earning 59,500 units in the latest tracking week, that marks the smallest weekly sum for a No. 1 album in nearly three years, since the May 2, 2022-dated chart, when Pusha T’s It’s Almost Dry opened at No. 1 with just under 55,000 units. Of More Chaos’ 59,500 first-week equivalent album units, SEA units comprise 48,500 (equaling 67.3 million on-demand official streams of the songs on the streaming editions of the album; it debuts at No. 3 on the Top Streaming Albums chart), album sales comprise 11,000 (it debuts at No. 4 on Top Album Sales) and TEA units comprise a negligible sum. The rest of the top 10 on the Billboard 200 is fairly low-key, as Carson is the lone debut in the region. The Nos. 2-10 titles are also all former No. 1s. (The top 10 was last comprised entirely of No. 1s on the Dec. 9, 2023-dated list.) Kendrick Lamar’s GNX rises 5-2 with nearly 55,000 equivalent album units earned (up 3%), while SZA’s SOS climbs 4-3 with 53,000 (down 2%). The pair kicked off their co-headlining Grand National Tour on April 19 at Minneapolis’ U.S. Bank Stadium. Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet is up two spots to No. 4 (52,000 equivalent album units; up 6%), PartyNextDoor and Drake's $ome $exy $ongs 4 U falls 3-5 (nearly 52,000; down 8% — as the set climbs 2-1 on Top Streaming Albums for a fourth nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1); Morgan Wallen’s One Thing at a Time ascends 7-6 (46,000; up 4%); Playboi Carti’s MUSIC falls 1-7 (45,500; down 29%); Bad Bunny’s Debí Tirar Más Fotos is steady at No. 8 (nearly 42,000; down 2%); Ariana Grande’s Eternal Sunshine falls 2-9 (40,000; down 29%); and Lady Gaga’s Mayhem rises 12-10 (39,500; up 11%).

Record Of The Month
The song was originally self-released by American rapper and songwriter Doechii to YouTube
on November 10, 2019. It was re-recorded in 2025 following it gaining traction on social media
platforms, being released to streaming platforms on March 4, 2025. 'Anxiety' contains a prominent sample of the 2011 song 'Somebody That I Used To Know' by Gotye feat. Kimbra.

United Kingdom
Music Week Report (excerpt)
Alex Warren stays at number one
Monday, April 21, 2025
by Alan Jones, London
 
Ordinary has another exceptional week for Easter bunny Alex Warren, securing its fifth consecutive week at No.1, although its consumption eases 3.91% to 70,615 units (1,794 digital downloads, 68,821 sales-equivalent streams). The longest-running No.1 hit by a male soloist since Noah Kahan's Stick

Season ruled for seven straight weeks at the start of 2024, and the longest-running by any act in 2025 – surpassing the four-week reign of Lola Young’s Messy – Ordinary has also crossed the threshold from silver to gold, with to-date consumption of 467,646 units. For the last two weeks, its consumption has exceeded that of its nearest two challengers together but that is not the case this week, with Pink Pony Club increasing 6.80% week-on-week to the highest tally of its 263 week career (39,636 units) to take second place for the fifth time in total and fourth week running, while Ed Sheeran’s new single, Azizam, which debuted at No.3 last week, holds that position but suffers a 1.21% decrease in consumption to 35,559 units. Increasing consumption for the 20th week in a row, 26-year-old Chicagoan singer/songwriter Ravyn Lenae’s debut hit, Love Me Not, climbs for the eighth consecutive week, and reaches the Top 10 for the first time, moving 14-10 (23,188 sales).

 Achieving a new personal best for the ninth straight week, Show Me Love, by WizTheMC and Bees & Honey, advances 8-6, upping consumption 6.72% to 28,114 units. Stalled at No.6 for three weeks, Sports Car moves slowly forward again this week, recovering to No.5 for Tate McRae, and increasing consumption 4.83% to a best-yet 28,503 units, 11 weeks after it debuted at No.8, and seven weeks after it peaked at No.3. Entering and departing from the Top 10 multiple times in the last 22 weeks, Teddy Swims’ third hit, Bad Dreams, continues its erratic behaviour, lurching 13-9 (23,466 sales) to start its sixth run in the Top 10. Its full chart run during that time: 15-8-6-12-22-22-74-OUT-7-9-9-11-9-11-15-14-16-10-9-11-9-11-13-9. Of its 10 weeks in the Top 10 so far, it has been No.9 six times, and for all its tenacity it has climbed no higher than six. In Swims’ native America, the track has never made the Top 10, with a highest position of No.37. The rest of the Top 10: Anxiety (4-4, 29,473 sales) by Doechii, Beautiful Things (5-7, 27,592 sales) by Benson Boone and Busy Woman (7-8, 27,266 sales) by Sabrina Carpenter. Overall singles consumption is down 2.08% week-on-week to 31,157,282, 6.86% above same week 2024 consumption of 29,156,712 units. Paid-for sales are up 17.49% week-on-week at 289,614, 9.16% above same week 2024 sales of 265,306. Record Store Day releases helped boost physical sales 1679.88% to 43,429 units. On arguably the holiest day of the Christian year, there’s a God Shaped Hole at the top of the album chart, courtesy of Those Damn Crows. The Welsh rock quintet’s first No.1, it debuts atop the list on consumption of 16,412 units (6,376 CDs, 3,400 vinyl albums, 184 cassettes, 358 KiTs, 5,895 digital downloads and 199 sales-equivalent streams). Since first coalescing in Bridgend in 2014, Those Damn Crows have built their popularity steadily – their 2016 debut album, Murder And The Motive took two years to peak at No.152, while 2020’s Point Of No Return reached No.14 and God Shaped Hole’s immediate predecessor Inhale/Exhale debuted and peaked at No.3 on consumption of 10,071 units in 2023. In the top five for every one of the 34 weeks that have passed since its release, Sabrina Carpenter’s Short N’ Sweet is No.2 for the third week in a row and 21st week in all, with consumption in the week slipping just 0.17% to 15,454 units, as it moves into double platinum territory (615,223 sales). After a hiatus of nearly six years, American indie/folk group Bon Iver’s fifth studio album, Sable, Fable debuts at No.4 (9,116 sales). It is their third Top 10 entry. Their 2008 debut For Emma, Forever Ago was a slow starter, taking 13 weeks to chart, and peaking at No.42, but it was a highly-rated slow burner, and remains their biggest seller, with to-date consumption of 351,175 copies. Back in the Top 10 for the first time in 28 weeks. Oasis’ No.1 2010 compilation Time Flies: 1994-2009 catapults 17-3 (9,898 sales), ahead of their reunion tour, after being released in a newly remastered, 15th anniversary limited quadruple vinyl edition, which accounted for 5,151 of those sales. Released as Oasis’ contribution to Record Store Day, it has already outsold the original vinyl edition of the album, which was an even more limited quintuple album set, and sold 1,450 copies. Its latest fillip carries Time Flies... consumption into septuple platinum territory, with a to-date tally of 2,109,792 units. Meanwhile, lead singer Liam Gallagher’s Acoustic Sessions EP – previously available only digitally, in which format it debuted and peaked at No.24 in 2020 – is available on vinyl for the first time, and re-enters at No.33 (3,521 sales). The rest of the Top 10: +-=÷× Tour Collection (5-5, 8,188 sales) by Ed Sheeran, Eternal Sunshine (4-6, 6,478 sales) by Ariana Grande, 50 Years: Don’t Stop (6-7, 6,422 sales) by Fleetwood Mac, Who Believes In Angels? (1-8, 6,387 sales) by Elton John & Brandi Carlile, The Highlights (7-9, 6,227 sales) by The Weeknd and Mayhem (8-10, 5,895 sales) by Lady Gaga. Overall album sales are up 1.93% week-on-week at 2,615,259 units, 9.15% above same week 2024 sales of 2,396,004. Physical product accounts for 395,748 sales, 15.13% of the total, with Record Store Day helping boost vinyl 108.75% week-on-week to 232,574 units. Record Store Day fell a week later last year, but had a bigger effect, with physical product at 558,880 units, of which vinyl accounted for 269,134 units.