USA
Billboard Report (excerpt)
Kendrick Lamar tops Billboard Top 200 easily
Tuesday, May 24, 2022
by Keith Caulfield & Gary Trust, Los Angeles

Kendrick Lamar lands his fourth No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart as his latest release, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, launches atop the list (dated May 28). He’s debuted at No.1

with each of his last four albums. Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers charges in with 295,500 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending May 19, according to Luminate — the largest week of the year for any album. It’s the third straight week in which that benchmark has been crushed. A week ago, Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti did the trick with its No. 1 debut of 274,000, and in the week before that, Future’s I Never Liked You bowed at No. 1 with 222,000. Of Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers’ 295,500 equivalent album units earned, SEA units comprise 258,500 (equating to 343.02 million on-demand official streams of the set’s 18 tracks), album sales comprise 35,500 and TEA units comprise 1,500. It claims the biggest week, by equivalent album units, for any album since Adele’s 30 debuted with 839,000 units in the week ending Nov. 25, 2021 (chart dated Dec. 4, 2021). At No. 2 on the new Billboard 200, Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti falls

from the No. 1 slot in its second week (182,000 equivalent album units earned; down 34%). Future’s former No. 1 I Never Liked You slips from No. 2 to No. 3 with 89,500 units (down 23%). Tomorrow X Together scores its second top 10 album and highest-charting effort yet on the Billboard 200, as Minisode 2: Thursday’s Child bows at No. 4. It surpasses the No. 5 debut and peak of The Chaos Chapter: Freeze, in June 2021. (In total, Minisode 2: Thursday’s Child is the sixth charting effort on the Billboard 200 for the South Korean pop quintet.) Minisode 2: Thursday’s Child starts with 68,500 equivalent album units earned. Of that sum, album sales comprise 65,500; SEA units comprise 3,000 (equaling 4.37 million on-demand official streams of the set’s five tracks) and TEA units comprise a negligible sum. Morgan Wallen’s chart-topping Dangerous: The Double Album is pushed down one spot to No. 5 despite a 5% gain (55,500 equivalent album units earned). Jack Harlow’s Come Home the Kids Miss You falls three rungs to No. 6 in its second week with 55,000 units (down 51%). Florence + The Machine collects its fourth top 10 album on the Billboard 200 as Dance Fever debuts at No. 7 with 54,000 equivalent album units earned. Of that sum, album sales comprise 42,500, SEA units comprise 11,000 (equaling 14.5 million on-demand official streams of the set’s 14 tracks) and TEA units comprise 500 units. The Black Keys round out the week quartet of debuts in the Billboard 200’s top 10, as Dropout Boogie bows at No. 8. The set starts with 33,000 equivalent album units earned. Of that sum, album sales comprise 27,500; SEA units comprise 5,000 (equaling 6.5 million on-demand official streams of the set’s 10 tracks) and TEA units comprise 500 units. In total, Dropout Boogie is the duo’s sixth top 10 album on the Billboard 200 and comes only a year after its last release, Delta Kream, which debuted and peaked at No. 6 on the May 29, 2021-dated chart. Closing out the new top 10 on the Billboard 200 are two former No. 1s: Olivia Rodrigo’s Sour falls 5-9 with 32,000 equivalent album units earned (though up less than 1%) and Lil Durk’s 7220 slips 7-10 with 29,000 units (down 7%). Jack Harlow‘s “First Class” holds the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart for a third total week, five weeks after it flew in at No. 1. “First Class,” released on Generation Now / Atlantic Records, drew 60.3 million radio airplay audience impressions – up 23%, as it wins the Hot 100’s top Airplay Gainer award for a fifth consecutive week – and 25.2 million streams (down 19%) and sold 8,600 downloads (up 8%) in the May 13-19 tracking week, according to Luminate. The track jumps 8-3 for a new high on Radio Songs and 7-4 on Digital Song Sales, after a week on top, and drops 2-6 on Streaming Songs, following three weeks at No. 1. Harry Styles’ “As It Was” keeps at No. 2 on the Hot 100, after three weeks at No. 1, with 70.1 million in airplay audience (up 6%) – as it rules Radio Songs for a second week – 22.5 million streams (down 3%) and 7,900 sold (up 5%). The track tops the Pop Airplay chart for a second week and ascends to No. 1 on Adult Pop Airplay, where it’s Styles’ second leader, following “Watermelon Sugar” for a week in October 2020. Kendrick Lamar debuts four songs in the Hot 100’s top 10, led by “N95” at No. 3, as it opens with 37.2 million streams, 942,000 airplay audience impressions and 2,300 sold. The track starts as his third No. 1 on Streaming Songs, following “Humble.” (for four weeks, beginning in April 2017) and his featured turn on Lil Wayne’s “Mona Lisa” (one, October 2018). Lamar’s other top 10 premieres on the latest Hot 100, also from his new album Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers: “Die Hard,” with Blxst and Amanda Reifer, at No. 5 (driven primarily by 27 million streams, as well as 2.4 million in airplay audience); “Silent Hill,” with Kodak Black, at No. 7 (26.5 million streams; 1.8 million in radio reach); and “United in Grief,” at No. 8 (25 million streams). Future’s “Wait for U,” featuring Drake and Tems, descends 3-4 on the Hot 100, two weeks after it debuted at No. 1. Morgan Wallen’s “You Proof” roars in at No. 6 on the Hot 100. The song, released May 13 – Wallen’s birthday, after he had teased it on TikTok May 1 – debuts at No. 1 on Digital Song Sales (23,100 sold), where it’s his fourth top 10, all achieved this year, and No. 8 on Streaming Songs (22.4 million). Elsewhere in the Hot 100’s top 10, Lizzo’s “About Damn Time” holds at its No. 9 high and Latto’s “Big Energy” retreats 8-10, after hitting No. 3. Meanwhile, after a slow start for new music this year – as only two of the 26 songs to appear in the Hot 100’s top 10 between January and the April 9 chart were released in 2022 – a robust 17 top 10s released this year have reached the region in the seven weeks since, by Styles, Harlow, Wallen, Future, Lizzo, Bad Bunny and Lamar.

Record Of The Month
'Stefania' by the Kalush Orchestra from the war-torn Ukraine is the big winner of this year's Eurovision Song Contest - the world's greatest music event.

United Kingdom
Music Week Report (excerpt)
Florence + The Machine celebrate their fourth no.1
Monday, May 23, 2022
by Alan Jones, London
 
Despite not yet yielding a Top 50 single, Florence + The Machine’s fifth album, Dance Fever, makes a strong debut atop the chart, achieving the highest weekly sale of any album in 2022 to deliver her/their fourth No.1. The 19th different album to top the chart in as many weeks, Dance Fever does so on

consumption of 31,187 units (12,161 CDs, 6,520 vinyl double packs, 6,664 cassettes, 1,796 digital downloads and 4,046 sales-equivalent streams), becoming the first album to exceed 30,000 sales since Adele’s 30 sold 70,813 copies on its fifth and last week at No.1, 21 weeks ago. Available in four CD, nine vinyl and three cassette editions, Dance Fever doubtless benefitted from multiple purchases but still delivers the lowest opening week tally in Florence + The Machine’s career. Their only Florence + The Machine album NOT to reach No.1 - their last album High As Hope - came off second best to Drake’s Scorpion, opening at No.2 on sales of 40,304 in 2018. Debut album, Lungs, sold 63,032 copies on debuting at No.2 in 2009 while follow-up, Ceremonials, sold 94,050 copies to debut at No.1 in 2011, and How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful sold 68,788 copies debuting at No.1 in 2015. Lungs did reach No.1 eventually - but not until its 28th week on the chart.

However, it is by far F+TM's biggest seller, with a to-date tally of 1,887,909, followed by Ceremonials (963,387), How Big… (408,289) and High As Hope (146,533). Their 2012 MTV Unplugged set, which reached No.27, has sold 45,708 copies. A little over five years after his last proper album, Damn debuted at No.2 for Kendrick Lamar, the Californian rapper returns to active service, and again debuts at No.2 with Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers. Lamar’s fifth chart album, and fourth Top 10 entry, it achieves consumption of 28,206 copies – 1,643 digital downloads and 26,563 from sales-equivalent streams. Had it been released physically, it would likely have been No.1. Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, which debuted and peaked at No.16 on sales of 7,141 copies in 2012 is Lamar’s biggest-seller with to-date consumption of 387,571 units, ahead of Damn (354,938) and To Pimp A Butterfly, his only No.1, which debuted atop the chart in 2015 on sales of 29,695 copies, which have since climbed to 280,901. Released exactly 20 years after their first album, Dropout Boogie is American rock duo The Black Keys’ 11th studio set, their eighth Top 75 entry, and their fifth (consecutive) Top 10 album, debuting at No.5 (5,692 sales). Their eighth album, Turn Blue, provided their highest placing and weekly sale, debuting and peaking at No.2 on sales of 33,037 in 2014. Their seventh studio album, 2011’s El Camino – which debuted at number 29, on sales of 21,891 and peaked 38 weeks later at No.6, following the Ohio pair's incendiary televised performances at the Reading and Leeds festivals over the August 2012 bank holiday - is the pair's biggest seller to date with consumption of 452,508 copies. It is also home to their most popular track, Lonely Boy, which peaked at No.80 but is their only gold single, with consumption to date of 535,948 units. London folk/rock band Bear’s Den secure their second Top 10 album with fourth regular release, Blue Hours, opening at No.6 (5,650 sales) to match the peak scaled by their 2016 second album, Red Earth & Pouring Rain. It arrives 32 weeks after their Fragments collaboration with Paul Frith reached No.177. Three of last week’s Top 10 albums remain in the top tier: = (5-3, 8,171 sales) by Ed Sheeran, Between Us (6-4, 6,095 sales) by Little Mix and Sour (10-7, 4,443 sales) by Olivia Rodrigo. The last of these celebrates its first birthday, never having left the Top 20, with consumption to date of 494,237 units. There are Top 10 re-entries for 50 Years: Don’t Stop (13-8, 4,211 sales) by Fleetwood Mac, The Highlights (14-9, 4,181 sales) by The Weeknd and Curtain Call: The Hits (15-10, 4,041 sales) by Eminem. Overall album sales are down 1.08% week-on-week at 2,047,648, 8.76% above same week 2021 sales of 1,882,687. Physical product accounts for 263,952 sales, 12.89% of the total. After finishing second in the Eurovision Song Contest last Saturday (May 14), UK entry Sam Ryder’s Space Man secures the exact same result on the singles chart, vaulting 78-2, with consumption soaring 888.18% week-on-week to 61,268 units (including 22,697 digital downloads and 1,274 CDs). It actually managed to establish a small lead on the last two of the week’s sales flashes but ultimately lost out to Harry Styles’ As It Was, which secured its seventh straight week at No.1 at the death. That was thanks to a 10.61% increase in consumption to 65,568 units, due largely to a second injection of CDs, that accounted for 9,187 sales, and increased streaming ahead of the release of his highly-anticipated new album, Harry’s House, today (May 20). Ryder’s very first hit, Space Man is the first UK entry to even reach the Top 10 since 2007 when Scooch’s abomination Flying The Flag (For You) reached No.5, the first Eurovision hit of any origin to reach the Top 10 since 2012, when Sweden’s Loreen reached No.3 with Euphoria, and the highest charting UK entry since 1996, when Gina G also reached No.2 with Ooh Ahh...Just A Little Bit. Ryder was trumped at the finish in Eurovision, almost inevitably, by Ukraine’s Kalush with their song Stefania. Ukraine’s third winner to date, it makes a surprisingly muted debut this week at No.38 (11,478 sales). There are also debuts for Norway’s bizarre Give That Wolf A Banana (No.47, 9,914 sales) by Subwoolfer, Spanish entry SloMo (No.56, 8,728 sales) by Cuban-born Chanel and Swedish entry Hold Me Closer (No.59, 8,459 sales) by Cornelia Jakobs, which finished 10th, 3rd and 4th, respectively. There’s also a new entry from 2021 Eurovision winners, Maneskin, who score their fifth hit with Supermodel (No.43, 10,638 sales), after performing it at this year’s contest. In the biggest shake-up in the Top 10 for weeks – although, historically, it’s a fairly tame week – rapper Kendrick Lamar’s new album, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, spawns two new arrivals, namely N95 (No.6 29,975 sales) and Die Hard (No.7, 29,321 sales). A collaboration with fellow rapper Blxst and singer Amanda Reifer (a hitmaker previously as a member of Cover Drive), Die Hard is only the second song of that title ever to chart, doing so, remarkably, a week after an otherwise unrelated rap collaboration between Knucks and Stormzy reached No.61. Lamar’s full allotment of three tracks as a primary artist is completed by United In Grief (No.14, 24,001 sales). He has had 37 hits in less than 10 years since his 2012 chart debut. Emulating Harry Styles’ As It Was, there are increases in sales but unchanged chart positions in the Top 10 for Go by Cat Burns (3-3, 46,610 sales) and About Damn Time (4-4, 41,610 sales, exactly 5,000 less) by Lizzo. The rest of the Top 10: First Class (2-5, 39,793 sales) by Jack Harlow, Peru (7-8, 28,843 sales) by Fireboy DML & Ed Sheeran, Starlight (5-9, 28,195 sales) by Dave and Baby (6-10, 27,750 sales) by Aitch & Ashanti. The last two go to ACR next week. Singles consumption is up 0.72% week-on-week at 25,215,253 units – an all-time high, and 8.53% above same week 2021 consumption of 23,232,597 units. Paid-for sales are up 14.61% week-on-week at 370,384 – 6.09% below same week 2021 sales of 394,414.