The contenders is a midweek column that looks at artists aiming for the top Advertising sign charts and the strategies behind their efforts. Next week (for the upcoming Billboard Hot 100 dated May 11), Taylor Swift's second week for Department of Tormented Poets should be less dominant on the Hot 100 than the first, leaving room for challengers from some far less established stars (and one of the Eras tour openers).
Taylor Swift feat. Post Malone, “Fifteen Days” (Democracy): Taylor Swift is of course setting a record this week on the May 4 chart, closing all 14 of the Hot 100's top 14 spots with songs from her new album. The Tortured Poets Department, led by the album's first and lead single, 'Fortnight' featuring Post Malone. That song amassed more than 76 million official US streams in its first week, according to Luminate – the best one-week mark for a song since YouTube user-generated content was removed from chart calculations in 2020 – while also bowing out as the top-selling track of the week with 19,000 sales and entering Radio Songs at a lofty No. 14 with 31.1 million radio impressions.
Streams and sales should drop significantly in the song's second week – as is typical for debuts of its size – but radio should only continue to heat up from here, with the song already vying for a top 10 spot on next week's Pop Airplay chart. And while streams will be down, they should still be pretty strong in numbers, as the song remains in the top five on Spotify and Apple Music's US daily charts, and its official music video in the top five on the Trending music chart. of YouTube.
Sabrina Carpenter, 'Espresso' (Island/Republic): Swift's primary competition for the top spot next week may come from her good friend and international Eras tour date presenter Sabrina Carpenter. The multi-platform star's new single 'Espresso' easily became her highest-charting single on the Hot 100 with its No. 7 debut last week, and despite falling to No. 22 on this week's chart, it remains the sixth-highest non-Swift song on the list.
'Espresso' should make a huge comeback on this week's chart as it continues to rise worldwide (and some of Swift Tormented poets runways evacuate facilities). It has topped Spotify's Daily Top Songs USA chart since “Fortnight” and is currently climbing the Pop Airplay chart, closing 32-25 there in its second frame. One of the only things holding it back is the fact that it's competing on the airwaves with another of her recent hits: “Feather,” which still hangs in the Hot 100's top 50 and reaches a new peak of No. 5 on it. radio songs of the week chart.
Shaboozey, “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” (American Dogwood/EMPIRE): Like Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter continues to garner accolades, his widespread influence on pop culture is already undeniable. Perhaps the most obvious and immediate impact it had is on the breakthrough success of country artist Shaboozey, who was a collaborator on two of the album's chart-topping tracks and who just weeks later is already enjoying a crossover hit reaching Texas. Keep it 'Em size, with the festive (if slightly melancholy) 'A Bar Song (Tipsy).'
The hit, which intersperses choruses and lyrics from J-Kwon's 2004 pop-rap classic “Tipsy,” is one of the lone climbers on this week's Hot 100, climbing 36-27 on the chart despite 20 Tormented poets songs debuting above it. With the song continuing to soar on streaming – now in the top five on the US and Spotify and Apple Music daily charts – while also leading the iTunes real-time chart and starting to gain traction at country radio (as reaches No. 1 on the multi-metric Hot Country Songs Chart), should be a Hot 100 contender for the next few weeks, perhaps even challenging the No. 2 peak for the original “Tipsy” 20 years ago.
Tommy Richman, “Million Dollar Baby” (Pulse/ISO Supermacy): Virginia singer and rapper Tommy Richman first came to light as a signee (and opening act) for R&B hitmaker and fellow DMV Brent Faiyaz. Now, he's well on his way to a hit beyond any success Faiyaz has yet enjoyed, with the TikTok-teased “Million Dollar Baby.” Released on Friday (April 26), the song has already topped Apple Music's real-time chart and its virality seems to be just getting started – likely leading to a top 10 Hot 100 debut and possibly a top five if continue its early momentum.
Benson Boone, “Beautiful Things” (Night Street/Warner): I can't count out Benson Boone, whose “Beautiful Things” has been in the mix for the spot for the past two months now, and which just now seems to be finally peaking at radio, reaching No. 2 on Radio Songs and threatening to to end Teddy Swims' three-week reign at the top. It might not be enough to knock off Swift and hold off all her rising challengers, but “Beautiful Things” is the highest-ranking non-Swift song on this week's chart, so who knows? With a little late hit, maybe it could eclipse its previous No. 2 peak and eventually make it all the way to the top of the Hot 100 mountain.
Kendrick Lamar, “Euphoria” (pgLang/Interscope/ICLG): The big wild card on next week's Hot 100 is of course Kendrick Lamar's Drake track 'Euphoria,' which made its global debut on YouTube on Tuesday (April 30) and has quickly become what feels like the only song in the world for which people speak. It hit other DSPs and online retailers later in the day, so it should have two full days of tracking along with a partial Tuesday to make up for its incomplete first week of chart eligibility – not likely enough to challenge for No.1 in a crowded field, but certainly enough for a splash debut. We'll see in the coming weeks if it can follow Lamar's Future and Metro Boomin's collaboration “Like That” into pole position and become the rapper's second Drake-dissing Hot 100-topper for 2024.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/sabrina-carpenter-espresso-taylor-swift-fortnight-number-one-contenders-1235670879/