USA
Billboard Report (excerpt)
Kendrick Lamar's 'Not Like Us' surges back to No. 1
Tuesday, February 18, 2025
by Keith Caulfield & Gary Trust, Los Angeles

The song reigns for the first time since July. The scathing diss track – which on Feb. 2 won the Grammy Awards for record and song of the year, among its five victories – adds a third week

atop the Hot 100. It debuted at No. 1 on the May 18, 2024, chart and became a pop-culture fixture, spending the next eight weeks between Nos. 2 and 6. It was further boosted by Lamar’s Juneteenth The Pop Out: Ken & Friends concert – in which he performed the song five times. It rebounded for a second week at no. 1 on the July 20 chart, following the July 4 premiere of its official video. “Not Like Us” leads the Hot 100 again after a break of 29 chart weeks (and 30 total, encompassing a week off the chart while holiday hits decorated the ranking) – the third-longest break between time at No. 1 in the chart’s 66-year history (surpassing two hits that waited nine weeks each between stays on top: Olivia Rodrigo’s "Vampire" in 2023, and Miley Cyrus’ "Wrecking Ball" in 2013). “Not Like Us,” on Interscope, totaled 49 million official streams, 20.5 million radio airplay audience impressions and 33,000 sold in the U.S. Feb. 7-13. It surged by 156%, 31% and

432% in the metrics, respectively, week-over-week. The track soars 9-1 for its seventh week atop the Streaming Songs chart, and its first since the July 27, 2024, survey, as it logs its sixth-best weekly streaming total; 10-1 for its first week atop Digital Songs Sales, where, with its best sales week, it becomes Lamar’s third leader; and 42-30 on Radio Songs, after it reached No. 7 in August. Joining “Not Like Us” at No. 1 on the Hot 100, Lamar’s “Luther,” featuring SZA, ascends 3-2 for a new best and “TV Off,” featuring Lefty Gunplay, jumps 10-3, after reaching No. 2. Lamar performed the songs as the eighth, 10th and 11th songs during his halftime set. “Luther” drew 42.7 million streams (up 94%) and “TV Off,” 35.7 million (up 77%), Feb. 7-13. Lamar previously monopolized the Hot 100’s top three on the chart dated Dec. 7, with, at Nos. 1-3, respectively, “Squabble Up,” “TV Off” and “Luther.” In addition to his two triples, The Beatles boasted the top three for five weeks in 1964, followed by Ariana Grande (one week, 2019), Drake (three, 2021-23) and Taylor Swift (three, 2022-24). Chappell Roan’s “Pink Pony Club” races 18-9 on the Hot 100, led by 20.7 million in radio reach (up 11%) and 20.1 million streams (up 10%). SZA’s “30 for 30,” featuring Lamar, roars 22-10 on the Hot 100, with 21.4 million streams (up 43%) 16.5 million in airplay audience (up 10%) and 1,000 sold (up 75%). Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ “Die With a Smile” drops to No. 4 on the Hot 100 following five nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 beginning in January. It notches a second week atop Radio Songs (63.5 million, up 2%). Lamar also ranks in the Hot 100’s top 10 with “Squabble Up” (20-5), led by its 85% gain to 27.8 million streams following its inclusion in his halftime show setlist. Billie Eilish’s “Birds of a Feather” falls 4-6 on the Hot 100, after hitting No. 2. Rosé and Bruno Mars’ “Apt.” descends 6-7 on the Hot 100 after reaching No. 3. Plus, Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” wobbles 5-8 on the Hot 100, following its record-tying 19 weeks at no. 1 beginning last July. Kendrick Lamar's GNX jumps back to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, for a second week atop the list (rising 4-1 on the survey dated Feb. 22), following his Super Bowl halftime show (Feb. 9) and the set’s release on physical formats. (It was previously only available to stream, and to purchase as a digital download album.) According to Luminate, of the 236,000 equivalent album units earned by GNX in the week ending Feb. 13 in the U.S., SEA units comprise 117,000 (up 86%; equaling 161.01 million on-demand official streams of the set’s songs; it jumps 4-1 on Top Streaming Albums), album sales comprise 116,000 (up 10,100%; it reenters at No. 1 on Top Album Sales for its first week at No. 1 on that chart) and TEA units comprise 3,000. The set’s 236,000 units earned mark its largest week since it debuted at No. 1 on the Dec. 7, 2024-dated chart with 319,000. With GNX selling 116,000, that marks Lamar’s largest sales week for an album since DAMN. debuted with 353,000 sold in its first week (chart dated May 6, 2017). Of GNX’s 116,000 sold, vinyl sales comprise 87,000 — Lamar’s best week ever on vinyl. GNX was released on physical formats for the first time on Feb. 7, on CD, cassette and five vinyl variants. As Lamar has three albums concurrently in the top 10 on the Billboard 200, he’s the first living male artist to achieve that feat since Herb Alpert on the Dec. 24, 1966-dated chart (when he, along with the Tijuana Brass, had three titles in the top 10). The most recent act, overall, with at least three albums in the top 10 was Taylor Swift on the Dec. 9, 2023, chart, when she had five in the region. GNX is currently in its 12th consecutive week on the chart and has yet to depart the top five on the weekly tally. Former No. 1 DAMN. drives 29-9 on the Billboard 200 with 39,000 equivalent album units earned (up 93%) and good kid, m.A.A.d city jumps 27-10 with 37,000 units (up 71%). DAMN. spent four weeks atop the list in 2017, and it was last in the top 10 on the March 17, 2018-dated chart, when it ranked at No. 9. The good kid album peaked at No. 2 in 2012 and was last in the top 10 on the Nov. 24, 2012-dated chart, when it placed at No. 9. SZA, who was a special guest performer during Lamar’s halftime show, sees her former No. 1 SOS climb 3-2 on the latest Billboard 200 with 109,000 equivalent album units earned (up 33%). The album was reissued on Feb. 9 with four additional tracks. The Weeknd’s Hurry Up Tomorrow falls 1-3 on the Billboard 200 in its second week (101,000 equivalent album units; down 79%), Bad Bunny’s chart-topping Debí Tirar Más Fotos descends 2-4 (78,000; down 17%) and Chappell Roan’s The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess climbs 6-5 (59,000; up 19%). Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft falls 5-6 (56,000 equivalent album units earned; up 6%), Sabrina Carpenters’s former leader Short n’ Sweet is steady at No. 7 (51,000; up 5%) and Morgan Wallen’s chart-topping One Thing at a Time is a non-mover at No. 8 (41,000; down 8%).

Record Of The Month
Federico Olivieri, better known as Olly, won the Sanremo Music Festival 2025
with the song 'Balorda Nostalgia'
and he automatically receives the ticket for the Eurovision Song Contest.

United Kingdom
Music Week Report (excerpt)
Lola Young's 'Messy' is still number one
Monday, February 17, 2025
by Alan Jones, London
 
Messy is No.1 for Lola Young for the fourth straight week, despite consumption easing 8.37% to 51,751 units (207 7-inch singles, 2,193 digital downloads and 49,351 sales-equivalent streams). Hitting ACR simultaneously, and thus having the value of their streams halved, three of last week’s top five are

no longer in that region of the chart, with Apt falling 2-8, (23,894 sales) for Rosé & Bruno Mars, That’s So True ebbing 3-14 (20,338 sales) for Gracie Abrams and Sailor Song sinking 5-29 (13,973 sales) for Gigi Perez. With last week’s No.10, The Door by Teddy Swims, similarly stricken – falling to No.43 (10,198 sales) – the Top 10 is refreshed, with three songs making their first appearances therein, three returning (one at a new peak) and Abracadabra – which debuted at No.6 last week for Lady Gaga - surging to No.3 on consumption of 42,973 units on its first full week of availability. Gaga’s other current hits experience mixed fortunes: Bruno Mars collaboration Die With A Smile ebbs 13-19, (19,976sales) while Disease bounces 68-48 (9,154 sales). They peaked at No.2 and No.7, respectively. All three songs are from Gaga’s upcoming album, Mayhem, and provide her with her first streak of three consecutive Top 10 hits since Born This Way, Judas and The Edge Of

Glory in 2011. 24-year-old Californian singer/songwriter and internet personality Alex Warren had solid Top 40 hits with Carry You Home and Burning Down last year but powers into the Top 10 for the first time with new song Ordinary (No.7, 29,884 sales) becoming the highest of eight Top 75 debuts this week. Both earlier hits rally too, with Carry You Home, which peaked at No.23, climbing 32-28 (14,160 sales) while Burning Down surges 49-34 (12,013 sales), surpassing its previous peak of No.35, achieved on debut 20 weeks ago. Released in April 2020, and previously peaking at No.13 last October, Pink Pony Club bounced 26-14 after Chappell Roan was named as Best New Artist at the Grammy Awards and performed the track earlier this month. It maintains its impetus this week, jumping to No.4 (35,934 sales) to become Roan’s third Top 10 entry. Roan’s first hit, Good Luck Babe! (28-22, 16,296 sales) and Red Wine Supernova – a re-entry at No.32, just one notch below its peak – also climb. Fellow Grammy winner Doechii (Best Rap Album) makes the Top 10 for the first time in her career with Denial Is A River powering 16-9 (23,490 sales), and secures her fourth Top 75 entry with Nissan Altima (81-66 7,850 sales). Meanwhile, Kendrick Lamar’s Superbowl LIX halftime performance galvanises his diss track Not Like Us, which surges 27-2 (45,822 sales), surpassing the No.6 peak it scaled 39 weeks ago. It also precipitates rebounds for SZA collaborations Luther (34-10, 23,276 sales) and All The Stars, a re-entry at No.11 (21,871 sales). And, as secondary artist, he also reaches a new peak with another SZA collaboration, 30 From 30, which jumps 73-39 (11,225 sales), improving on its previous best of No.60. Not to be outdone, SZA has five songs in the Top 75, the three Lamar collabs plus the rallying BMF (56-51, 9,073 sales) and new hit Open Arms (feat. Travis Scott, No.74, 6,900 sales). Open Arms is SZA’s 25th hit, Scott’s 45th. No.1 last March, Beautiful Things is back in the Top 10 for the first time in 37 weeks for Benson Boone, vaulting 33 -6 (30,046 sales). He lost out to Chappell Roan on the best new artist Grammy but is nominated for Best International Artist, with Beautiful Things up for Best International Song at the upcoming Brit awards. Rounding out the Top 10: The Days (4-5, 31,775 sales) by Chrystal. Overall singles consumption is down 0.46% week-on-week to 30,259,353 units, 3.69% above same week 2024 consumption of 29,181,901 units. Paid-for sales are down 2.49% week-on-week at 258,530, 11.52% below same week 2024 sales of 292,202. Bigger than Madonna: Taylor Swift racks up the 13th No.1 album of her career, with Lover (Live From Paris) making a belated Top 75 debut two years to the week after its initial release. In so doing, she eclipses Madonna’s tally of 12 to become the most female solo artist with most No.1 albums in chart history She now ranks joint third among all artists - alongside Elvis Presley – for most No.1 album with only The Beatles and Robbie Williams (15 apiece) ahead of her. First released in a very limited double vinyl, heart-shaped edition exclusive to her website for Valentine’s Day 2023, when it debuted and peaked at No.90 (1,618 sales), Lover (Live From Paris) was deleted before they shipped but was briefly made available again for pre-order on the website recently in a larger but still limited edition, with consequent sales of 46,812 copies in the latest frame being the highest DUS for a No.1 album in 14 weeks. That fact is all the more remarkable since the album is only available on vinyl with no other physical formats available, and no streaming. The last vinyl album to sell more copies in a week was (natch) Swift’s last new studio album, The Tortured Poets Department, which attracted sales of 66,388 copies in that format when it debuted at No.1 on consumption of 270,091 units in April 2024. Lover (Live From Paris) is also the first album to reach No.1 without a streaming element since Swift’s own Reputation opened at the summit in November 2017 on sales of 83,648 units (41,853 CDs, 41,795 digital downloads). Irish rock quartet Inhaler have yet to have a hit single but their fanbase continues to build, with their third album, Open Wide, achieving their highest first week sale yet – 19,584 units - as it debuts at No.2. Inhaler hit the ground running with 2021 debut It Won’t Always Be Like This, which topped the chart on debut on consumption of 17,728 units. 2023 follow-up, Cuts & Bruises, sold 27 copies more on debut in 2023, but had to settle for second place. Comprising vocalist and guitarist Elijah Hewson, guitarist Josh Jenkinson and drummer Ryan McMahon (all 25) and 24-year-old bassist Robert Keating, the Dublin band make it three No.1s in a row in their native Ireland. The rest of the Top 10: Hurry Up Tomorrow (1-4, 10,584 sales) by The Weeknd, Short n’ Sweet (3-5, 9,945 sales) by Sabrina Carpenter, The Rise And Fall Of A Midwest Princess (6-6, 8,977 sales) by Chappell Roan, Can’t Rush Greatness (2-7, 8,540 sales) by Central Cee, SOS (7-8, 8,311 sales) by SZA, Hit Me Hard And Soft (8-9, 7,916 sales) by Billie Eilish and The Highlights (4-10, 7,477 sales) by The Weeknd. Overall album sales are up 1.19% week-on-week at 2,585,280 units, 6.29% above same week 2024 sales of 2,432,250. Physical product accounts for 359,376 sales, 13.90% of the total. With all of the top three selling more than 5,000 copies on vinyl for the first time this century, vinyl sales are up 44.54% week-on-week at 177,296 units. Vinyl outsold CDs (176,088 sales) for the first time since the final week of 2023 (200,198 vs. 199,591) and for only the third time in the 1,311 weeks that have thus far elapsed in the 21st century.