USA
Billboard Report (excerpt)
'Encanto' soundtrack surges to no.1
Tuesday, January 11, 2022
by Keith Caulfield & Gary Trust, Los Angeles

The soundtrack to the Walt Disney animated musical film Encanto surges to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart (dated Jan. 15), as the set jumps 7-1 in its sixth week on the

list. It’s the first soundtrack to hit No. 1 in more than two years — since Disney’s own Frozen II chilled atop the list for one week, on the chart dated Dec. 14, 2019. Encanto earned 72,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in the week ending Jan. 6 (up 76%), according to MRC Data. Streaming activity of the set’s songs drove the majority of that unit sum. Of Encanto’s 72,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending Jan. 6, SEA units comprise 58,000 (up 91%; equaling 87.69 million on-demand official streams of the set’s tracks), album sales comprise 11,000 (up 33%) and TEA units comprise 3,000 (up 33%). The album’s two most popular songs of the week, by SEA units, are “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” and “Surface Pressure.” “Bruno” and “Surface” both debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 chart dated Jan. 8 and should jump up the list dated Jan. 15. The Encanto soundtrack, with songs written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, was

released on Nov. 19, before the film arrived in U.S. theaters on Nov. 24. The movie was released via the Disney+ streaming service a month later — which is likely helping the album’s exposure and promotion in the last two tracking weeks. A week ago, the album leaped 110-7 after its premiere on Disney+. Adele’s chart-topping 30 album falls to No. 2 after spending its first six weeks on the Billboard 200 at No. 1. It earned 57,000 equivalent album units in the week ending Jan. 6 (down 43%). Morgan Wallen’s former No. 1 Dangerous: The Double Album celebrates a full year on the chart, as it rises 5-3 with 42,000 (down 4%) in its 52nd week on the chart. It debuted at No. 1 on the Jan. 23, 2021-dated list and spent 10 weeks atop the tally. It recently closed 2021 as MRC Data’s most popular album of the year. Many albums this time of year, like Dangerous, make positional moves up the Billboard 200 despite declines in activity (or very small gains), as the chart readjusts to normal following weeks of the chart being filled with older Christmas albums. On the new chart, there isn’t a single Christmas album on the tally – while in the previous week, there were 37 on the tally, including five in the top 10. A trio of former No. 1’s are next up on the Billboard 200: Olivia Rodrigo’s Sour is a non-mover at No. 4 (41,000 equivalent album units earned; down 10%), Taylor Swift’s Red (Taylor’s Version) falls 3-5 (38,000; down 19%) and Drake’s Certified Lover Boy rises 11-6 (37,000; up 2%). Doja Cat’s Planet Her bumps 15-7 with 34,000 equivalent album units (up 5%). The Weeknd’s hits compilation The Highlights rises 13-8 with 34,000 units (up less than 1%). The Weeknd should make a splashy debut on the Jan. 22-dated Billboard 200 with his surprise new studio album, Dawn FM, which was released with little warning on Jan. 7. The set was released via streaming services and as a digital download album for purchase. Its CD edition is due out on Jan. 28, while its cassette and vinyl LP editions are scheduled for release on April 29. If Dawn FM bows at No. 1, it would mark The Weeknd’s fifth chart-topping effort, and eighth top 10 overall. (All of his charting entries have debuted in the top four of the list.) Rounding out the new top 10 on the Billboard 200: Juice WRLD’s Fighting Demons (12-9 with 31,000 equivalent album units; down 15%) and Polo G’s former No. 1 Hall of Fame (20-10; 27,000 units, down 3%). Adele‘s “Easy on Me” rebounds for an eighth week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart. The songs claim space in the top 10 as six holiday titles depart the tier (and all 29 seasonal songs on the entire Hot 100 a week ago all drop off the chart). “Easy on Me,” released on Columbia Records and which first led the Hot 100 in late October, drew 99 million radio airplay audience impressions (up 6%, and good for top Airplay Gainer honors on the Hot 100) and 15.8 million U.S. streams (up 3%) and sold 8,000 downloads (down 12%) in the Dec. 31-Jan. 6 tracking week, according to MRC Data. The ballad spends a seventh week at No. 1 on the Radio Songs chart; drops 3-4 on Digital Song Sales, following two weeks at the summit; and resurges 22-5 on Streaming Songs, after five weeks on top. The Kid LAROI and Justin Bieber’s “Stay” pushes 6-2 on the Hot 100, after seven weeks at No. 1 beginning in August. The collab has spent its first 26 weeks (or, six months) on the chart in the top 10, becoming just the sixth song to achieve the feat; Post Malone’s “Circles” set a record by logging its first 38 weeks on the Hot 100 in the top 10. Glass Animals’ “Heat Waves” sizzles 7-3 on the Hot 100, completing a record 51-week ascent on the chart to the top five; the single (which debuted at No. 100 on the Jan. 16, 2021, tally) bests the 45-week trek for Gabby Barrett’s “I Hope,” featuring Charlie Puth, in 2020. The song drew 66.5 million in airplay audience (up 3%) and 14.1 million streams (up 12%) and sold 4,000 (down 8%) in the tracking week. It concurrently rules the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs and Hot Alternative Songs charts, both of which use the same multi-metric methodology as the Hot 100, for a 16th week each. Ed Sheeran’s “Shivers” also hits a new Hot 100 high, advancing 9-4 (topping its previous No. 5 peak). “We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” credited to Carolina Gaitán, Mauro Castillo, Adassa, Rhenzy Feliz, Diane Guerrero, Stephanie Beatriz and the Encanto Cast, blasts 50-5 in its second week on the Hot 100; all six soloists are among the Encanto voice cast and earn their first top 10 placements on the chart. The song drew 25.2 million streams (up 102%, earning the Hot 100’s top Streaming Gainer award) in the tracking week and bounds 35-1 on Streaming Songs. It also sold 7,300 (up 42%) and bumps 10-6 on Digital Song Sales. Lil Nas X and Jack Harlow’s “Industry Baby” jumps 12-6 on the Hot 100, after a week at No. 1 in October. It leads the multi-metric Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Songs charts for an 18th and 19th week, respectively. Elton John and Dua Lipa’s “Cold Heart (Pnau Remix)” roars 20-7 on the Hot 100, reaching the top 10 for the first time (and surpassing its prior No. 11 high). It drew 52.1 million in airplay audience (up 6%) and 10 million streams (up 18%) and sold 13,300 in the tracking week (up 53%, aided by 69-cent sale-pricing in the iTunes Store, sparking its top Sales Gainer win on the Hot 100). It jumps 5-1 for its first week atop Digital Song Sales, becoming John’s first leader and Lipa’s second, after “Levitating” for a week last May. John achieves his 28th Hot 100 top 10 and first since “Candle in the Wind”/”Something About the Way You Look Tonight” marked his ninth No. 1 in October 1997 through January 1998. As he had last appeared in the top 10 on the chart dated Jan. 31, 1998, he ends a break of 23 years, 11 months and two weeks between top 10s. Sheeran’s “Bad Habits” rises 19-8 on the Hot 100, after reaching No. 2 in August, and Doja Cat’s “Need to Know” climbs 14-9, after hitting No. 8 in November. Closing out the Hot 100’s top 10, Kodak Black’s “Super Gremlin” surges 16-10 for its first week in the tier, as it bounds 9-2, also a new high, on Streaming Songs (22.7 million, up less than 1%). It also drew 4.5 million in radio reach (up 63%) and sold 1,200 (down 11%) in the tracking week. Kodak Black earns his third Hot 100 top 10, following “Tunnel Vision” and “ZEZE,” featuring Travis Scott and Offset.

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United Kingdom
Music Week Report (excerpt)
Ed Sheeran's 'Equals' reigns a third week
Monday, January 10, 2022
by Alan Jones, London
 
As the climate gets more extreme, so does the singles chart. This week alone, we have the first instance of the entire Top 10 being made up of new and re-entries; the first instance of the previous week’s Top 10 departing the Top 75 en masse; the first instance of a track departing the Top 100 a week after

it was No.1 and the second biggest in-chart leap to No.1 in history. It’s been a stormy week: the big December freeze-out saw regular releases marginalised, with Christmas-themed tracks taking 52 places in the Top 75 last week, but the New Year thaw sees all of them melt away. Seven days ago, the Top 10, for the first time ever, was comprised entirely of Christmas music. This week, there is none, with the seasonal fare being replaced by seven regular tracks which resume their Top 10 careers, and three which enter the top tier for the first time. The smart money was on a mononymous female solo artist, with a five letter name ending ‘le’ to take the title – and that’s exactly what has happened, except that the expectation was that Gayle would triumph, and instead Adele’s Easy On Me storms back to the summit. Already Adele’s longest-running No.1 – it spent seven weeks at the summit – Easy On Me surges 38-1 this week on consumption of 39,156

units – the smallest tally for a No.1 for 43 weeks. In so doing, it makes the second biggest Top 75 jump to the summit in chart history, behind DJ Otzi’s abomination Hey Baby, which actually switched from import to domestic release the week it topped the chart in 2001 but as the UK and import versions bore the same catalogue number, it was shown as jumping 45-1. Gayle’s debut hit Abcdefu previously peaked at No.2 five weeks ago, and now revisits that peak jumping 14-2 (36,873 sales). There are also re-entries to the Top 10 for Seventeen Going Under (30-3, 27,052 sales) by Sam Fender, Coming For You (41-5, 24,446 sales) by SwitchOTR feat. A1 x J1, Flowers (Say My Name) (33-7, 22,999 sales) by ArrDee, Overseas (36-8, 22,846 sales) by D-Block Europe and Shivers (42-10, 21,495 sales) by Ed Sheeran Of these, the tracks by Sam Fender and SwitchOTR achieve new peaks, with the former previously peaking at No.8 five weeks ago, and the latter at No.10 seven weeks ago. The SwitchOTR track’s new blossoming is partly due to the release of a new mix substituting Loski, Bandokay & Izzpot for A1 & J1, which is performing like Omicron to the original’s Delta. Without ACR, Shivers would be No.1 with consumption of 40,879 units. The highest of three bona fide Top 10 newcomers is We Don’t Talk About Bruno. Rocketing 66-4 (24,858 sales), the track – credited to Adassa, Stephanie Beatriz, Mauro Castillo, Rhezy Feliz, Carolina Gaitan & Diane Guerrero – is taken from the new Disney computer-animated musical fantasy comedy Encanto. The soundtrack album is No.1 on the compilation chart. No.13 six weeks ago before its chart voyage was disrupted by Christmas, Do It To It surges 43-9 (22,303 sales) for Acraze feat Cherish. Completing this week’s Top 10, Peru vaults from its debut position of No.28 to No.6 (23,342 sales) for Fireboy DML and Ed Sheeran. It is the first hit for 25-year-old Nigerian Fireboy DML, and the 35th Top 10 hit for Sheeran. Singles consumption is down 9.70% week-on-week at 21,604,117 units – 15.50% above same week 2021 consumption of 18,704,722 units. Paid-for sales are down 11.03% week-on-week at 333,529 – 17.08% below same week 2021 sales of 402,219. Ed Sheeran’s = is No.1 for the second week in a row, and third week in all but in a flat New Year market it does so on consumption of just 17,499 units – the lowest for a No.1 for 14 weeks. With 6,384 sales on CD, 548 on vinyl, four on cassette, 1,909 on digital downloads and 8,654 from sales-equivalent streams in the week, = has now spent 10 weeks on the chart, all in the top three, with consumption of 449,994 units. That puts it 17.48% ahead of same stage consumption of 383,027 copies of Sheeran’s last album, No.6 Collaborations Project – but far adrift of his best 10 week tally of 1,784,441 set by ÷ in 2017. ÷ has been resurgent recently, and having jumped 30-11 last week, it returns to the Top 10 after a gap of 12 weeks climbing to No.8 (4,395 sales). Returning to the current chart, the triplicity is completed by Adele’s 30 (2-2, 13,662 sales) and ABBA’s Voyage (4-3, 6,633 sales). The three biggest sellers of 2021, these albums have occupied the top three berths for four of the last five weeks, their oligopolistic triopoly being disrupted only by Michael Buble’s Christmas when it was No.3 last week. However, like the six other Christmas-themed albums in the Top 75 last week, Buble’s disc has now exited the chart. Seven weeks after debuting at No.4, Little Mix’s Between Us compilation returns to its peak, advancing 5-4 (6,078 sales); and six weeks after debuting at No.6, D Block Europe’s Home Alone 2 also matches its best, improving 7-6 (5,007 sales). The Weeknd’s The Highlights (18-9, 4,142 sales) and Fleetwood Mac’s 50 Years – Don’t Stop (15-10, 4,006 sales) re-enter the Top 10 after absences of 26 weeks and 24 weeks, respectively. The rest of the Top 10: Sour (6-5, 5,431 sales) by Olivia Rodrigo, Diamonds (9-7, 4,464 sales) by Elton John. Overall album sales recover 2.27% week-on-week to 1,887,015 – 24.26% above same week 2021 sales of 1,518,593. Physical product accounted for 284,887 sales, 15.10% of the total.