Welcome to Billboard Pro's Upward trends newsletter, where we take a closer look at the songs, artists, curiosities and trends that have caught the attention of the music industry. Some have come out of nowhere, others have taken months to catch on, and all could become ubiquitous with the flash of a TikTok clip.
This week: Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars' new duet continues to grow, Taylor Swift's second Tormented poets The single is finding a home at radio and Gigi Perez may be the next singer-songwriter on the verge of a major breakthrough.
“Die With a Smile” Looking To Live Top 10 Hot 100's
A duet between Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars was always going to generate a lot of buzz upon release, and “Die With a Smile,” the pop-rock anthemic collaboration released on Friday (August 16), hopes to cash in on that stardom. power for an explosive debut at the top of the Hot 100. And while that may have seemed like a far cry from the duo's opening-day numbers, it's grown over the course of its first week — and now it could very well be possible for a top debut.
After bowing with 2.78 million on-demand audio streams in the U.S. on its opening day, according to Luminate, “Smile” remained around that daily streaming mark over the weekend. However, the song did see a significant spike in streams on Monday (August 19), with 3.52 million streams — up 34% from the previous day. And the song continues to grow – as of this Wednesday's release, the song had topped both Spotify's Daily Top Songs USA and Apple Music's real-time charts. (The song also performed very well in digital song sales, selling over 14,000 in its first four days of release, as it remained at the top of the iTunes chart for nearly the entire time.)
Perhaps more pop fans latched onto the song as the work week began, or it's possible that TikTok users have started to sink their teeth into its hooks. Either way, “Smile” could potentially score another top 10 on Mars and Gaga's long records early next week. – JASON LIPSHUTZ
How big a hit can Taylor Swift's 'I Can Do It With a Broken Heart' become?
On Tuesday night (August 20), Taylor Swift wrapped up a five-night run at the UK's Wembley Stadium and Eras European tour by unveiling a new music video for 'I Can Do It With a Broken Heart'. which featured behind-the-scenes clips of the blockbuster tour. The anthem for shining to the fore in the midst of personal turmoil emerges Department of Tormented Poetswhich marks his 15th frame at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 this week.
And unlike “Fortnight,” the album's lead single featuring Post Malone that debuted atop the Billboard Hot 100, “Broken Heart” slowly climbed back up the chart and became a hit on multiple platforms.
Read more about Taylor Swift's 'Broken Heart' hit here.
“Sailor Song” Charts Course to Virality for Singer/Songwriter Gigi Perez
New Jersey-born, Florida-raised Gigi Perez found some streaming success earlier in the 2020s with the ballad “Sometimes (Backwood),” which has garnered nine-figure streams on Spotify. But the singer-songwriter, whose sound is reminiscent of '00s alt-folk favorites like Bon Iver and Fleet Foxes, seems to be heading for new levels of virality with her new TikTok-approved love song, the “Sailor Song”.
The long-teased song has earned plaudits, even some comparisons to Hozier's “Take Me to Church,” for its impassioned delivery and lyrics of queer love and longing — while also drawing some backlash from religious TikTokers who oppose the “I don ” of t believe in God/ But I believe you're my savior” chorus line. Perez responded to the controversy and users asking her to change or remove this verse, with a TikTok hers on Monday (August 19), explaining via caption that the lyric change was “never up for discussion… My songwriting is not a democracy and that goes for any artist's work.”
However, the buzz surrounding “Sailor Song” only helped its overall consumption. While it debuted with 3.9 million official US on-demand streams in the tracking week ending August 1, according to Luminate – already a huge number for a new song from an artist without an extensive chart history – two weeks later , that number rose to 4.6 million, a 23% increase. The song also climbs from No. 18 to No. 12 on Hot Rock Songs this week, one of the chart's top gainers. – ANDREW UNDERBERGER
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/lady-gaga-bruno-mars-die-with-a-smile-growing-debut-week-1235758135/
