Taylor Swift's Lack of AMAs Announcement Still Results in ‘Reputation' Bump
Welcome to Billboard Pro's newsletter, where we take a closer look at the songs, artists, curiosities and trends that have caught the music industry's attention. Some have come out of nowhere, others have taken months to catch on, and all of them could become ubiquitous in the blink of a TikTok clip. This week: Taylor Swift's most controversial album gets a bump in anticipation of an announcement that never materialized, Young Jeezy and Akon's classic teamup gets an unlikely meme boost and an odd cover of a Sly Stone classic drives listeners back to the original.
Taylor Swift's 'Reputation' for Surprises Precedes Her on Streaming
More from Billboard
The Amity Affliction Cover Turnstile's 'Holiday' for 'Like a Version'
Mariah Carey Celebrates 20 Years of 'The Emancipation of Mimi': Stream It Now
Miley Cyrus' New Album 'Something Beautiful' This Way Comes: Stream It Now
If you were watching the American Music Awards on Monday night (May 26), chances are pretty good you had your eyes peeled and ears open for a certain revelation from a certain pop superstar. Swifties had flooded the internet in recent weeks with predictions of a Taylor Swift Memorial Day Miracle – an appearance at the awards, most likely accompanied by an announcement of a new release, perhaps the long-awaited Reputation (Taylor's Version) re-recording.
Unfortunately for the Swifties, the AMAs came and went without any appearances, announcements or drops from their fav. But hope clearly sprang eternal in the days leading up to the awards, at least on streaming: The 15 tracks on Reputation racked up a combined 11.3 million official on-demand U.S. streams across the first four days of this tracking week (May 23-26), ahead of the awards – a 14% gain from the equivalent period the prior, according to Luminate. And that bump was of course highest on Memorial Day, as the album racked up 2.4 million total streams on that day alone, a 29% gain from the prior Monday.
'Soul Survivor' was the breakout crossover hit 20 years ago for the rapper then known as Young Jeezy, as the Akon-assisted banger lifted to No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and helped establish his Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101 as one of the year's biggest rap albums. Two decades later, the street anthem is once again delighting music fans, though through a relatively unlikely conduit: a TikTok meme about dating gaffes.
Tiktoker Hadley (@localyerbafein) stroke viral paydirt last week (May 21) when she shared a video that captured the story of a guy – presumably one she was seeing, or at least considering seeing – responding to her interest in law with a question about her watching the TV show Suits. The video ends with footage of Hadley serving as a courtroom attorney, with the caption 'holy fckin airball' – all, of course, set to 'Soul Survivor.' The clip quickly spread through the app, racking up 10 million views and 1.8 million likes, and inspiring a number of other users to share their own he-shoots, he-doesn't-score stories, with Akon and Jeezy again serving as the soundtrack.
Consequently, the track exploded on streaming towards the end of last week. For the tracking week ending May 22, 'Soul Survivor' amassed over 3 million official on-demand U.S. streams, according to Luminate – fully doubling its stream count from the prior week – and it should be headed for an even bigger tally this week, as TikTok keeps putting up one 'holy fckin airball' after another.
In 2017, two greats of popular music – pop icon Cher and rap legend Future – teamed up for an unlikely collab cover of Sly & The Family's soul-pop classic 'Everyday People.' Their rendition was featured in a Gap commercial that showcased the star pair meeting up on a staircase on an otherwise-blank set to discuss how Cher can't get the 1969 Hot 100-topper out of her head, leading to her crooning the song over a trappy beat. Meanwhile, Future attempts to fill in with harmonies and ad libs – in a mixture that, unsurprisingly, feels slightly less than organic.
The awkward commercial has recently begun to recirculate around the internet, resulting in pairs of TikTokers recreating the visual in endearing clips gently poking at the stilted chemistry of the original. The Cher & Future 'Everyday People' is not currently available in full on DSPs, but of course the Family Stone original is there for the streaming – and folks have been evidently charmed enough by the improbable cover to revisit (or check out) the original. According to Luminate, over the first four days of this tracking week (May 23-26), 'Everyday People' is up to 309,000 official on-demand U.S. streams from 256,000 over the same period in the prior week, a gain of 21%.
In this week's example of never knowing where a breakout hit might come from in 2025, we have Scottish dance producer Sam Gellaitry. His song 'Assumptions,' from the 2021 EP IV, has begun to percolate on streaming over the past month, thanks to the Russian dancer Руслан Айдаев, now known to the internet as Blue Shirt Guy – who has been a meme of some degree for years already for his full-bodied dance moves, shot from behind.
Recent viral videos have paired the clip with Gellaitry's throbbing electro-pop instrumental, resulting in it going nuts on TikTok all over again – with many of the app's finest donning their best blue shirts and filming themselves shaking it from behind. Consequently, the four-year-old 'Assumpstions' has risen to the top of Gellaitry's Spotify page, and is now racking up over 2.2 million official on-demand U.S. streams a week, up 142% from three weeks earlier, according to Luminate.
Best of Billboard
Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1
Four Decades of 'Madonna': A Look Back at the Queen of Pop's Debut Album on the Charts
Chart Rewind: In 1990, Madonna Was in 'Vogue' Atop the Hot 100
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Refinery29
43 minutes ago
- Refinery29
‘Team Conrad' Or ‘Team Jeremiah'? Your Choice Might Reflect Your Relationship Style
The Summer I Turned Pretty has completely overtaken my TikTok feed, with countless people arguing over who the main character Isabel 'Belly' Conklin (Lola Tung) should end up with. If you haven't seen the show, the nostalgic teen drama centres around Belly and her dramatic love triangle. It's a bit complicated, because she's trying to choose between brothers: Conrad Fisher (Christopher Briney) and Jeremiah Fisher (Gavin Casalegno). They also happen to be lifelong family friends, and spend every summer together. Is it a recipe for disaster? Absolutely. But does it make for binge-worthy TV? You bet. The series, based on Jenny Han's books of the same name, has captured the attention of all age groups. Case in point: I'm a millennial who has been married for 11 years, yet I'm incredibly invested in what happens to these characters. There's something comforting about being transported back to summer, where you no longer have to worry about bills, the state of the world, or finding a place to live. However, being so removed from that part of my life where I was discovering love for the first time makes me view the show through a different lens. I started to get curious about whether my age, stage in life or what I value in relationships had anything to do with my opinion. With this in mind, I spoke to multiple experts about relationship styles, how watching relationships on TV can affect young people, and what being Team Conrad or Team Jeremiah could say about your relationship habits. If you need a quick refresher before The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3, let me give you the basics. Conrad is the eldest of the two Fisher brothers, and he's your typical broody and mysterious heartthrob. Belly had a crush on Conrad her entire life, and everybody knew it. Jeremiah has always been one of Belly's best friends, and he's much more outgoing and tends to value communication. During Season 1, Belly kissed both of the brothers before deciding to pursue a relationship with Conrad, crushing Jeremiah. In Season 2, we found out that Conrad broke Belly's heart after he withdrew when his mother was dying from cancer, and she eventually reconnected with Jeremiah. We'll see which brother Belly chooses when The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3 drops on July 16. Dr Joyce Yu, Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer at Consent Labs tells Refinery29 Australia it's important not to assume what you see on screen is 'normal or okay'. As we know, there are many unhealthy relationships that become romanticised on screen (we're looking at you, Blair Waldorf and Chuck Bass), so we should all approach TV with critical thinking. 'It's completely okay to enjoy media and TV shows, because they're often designed for escapism. But the key is being able to engage critically too: asking yourself whether what's portrayed reflects a healthy relationship in real life,' Yu says. 'One way to assess whether a relationship on screen is healthy is by assessing the power dynamics. Check whether there are elements that give someone more power. This could be their age, position in the workplace or social hierarchy, or professional role.' Yu also warns that 'respectful communication and consent' is key, and says TV shows often can portray jealousy as love. One easy way to test if a relationship you're invested in is healthy is to ask a simple question: 'If this scenario happened in real life to my friend, would I think it was healthy or problematic?' Team Conrad Psychologist Carly Dober tells Refinery29 Australia that those who are firmly in the Team Conrad camp could simply be attracted to him physically (hello, it's Christopher Briney), or that you could enjoy the 'bad boy archetype' or the 'push and pull dynamic'. 'This might mean that this kind of relationship is more of what you're looking for [or] it might mean that this feels familiar to you,' she explains. Conrad tends to be unpredictable — from leaving Belly in tears at prom to calling her a 'brat' and a 'mistake' — which feels cruel, but in the real world, can be familiar to many people. Those feelings of 'butterflies' that you can get in your stomach when you're in a relationship? They're not always a good sign. 'Unpredictability can cause anxiety, which can cause the sensation of butterflies in your stomach. This can be misattributed to excitement and novelty, whereas for most healthy and sustaining relationships, there will be clear communication and expectations, and that sensation will dissipate as you get to know and trust one another,' Dober says. Being Team Connie also doesn't necessarily mean you want this type of relationship in your own life, but perhaps you're craving something completely different from what you usually experience. TV is a great way to rot on the couch and tune out for a while, after all! '[Viewers] might just be enjoying the drama as an escape from their own lives. We often find that if people are questioned about how much they would like to be in a relationship like the one on screen, they would not want to at all,' Dober says. Team Jeremiah If you're Team Jeremiah, Dober says you may be 'attracted to stability and dependability', and he ticks the boxes for what you're looking for. 'It might mean that you admire his personal traits or how he talks to people on the show. It might mean that you're attracted to this kind of person anyway… or are interested in these traits in future partners,' Dober says. There's also a possibility you have been 'burned' in a relationship before, and recognise it's time to try something new. 'People might come to find familiarity with the volatility of some relationships. This doesn't mean that they want this or like this, it just might be the only thing that they understand. For many people, being 'burned' will encourage them to find something different,' she explains. Some viewers may root for a character demonstrating 'stability and dependability' because they're at a different stage of their life, and their priorities around long-term commitment have changed. Dober says this comes as a result of maturity and knowing "what it takes to have a sustaining and healthy relationship work". While she says the show is obviously entertainment, it can also reflect what people "are looking for in that stage of their lives, too". There are arguments for both Team Conrad and Team Jeremiah, and if you wade into fan debates online, you'll quickly realise how passionate everybody can be. Your views can be coloured by past relationships, what you're looking for in your personal life, or maybe you're just attracted to the actors playing the characters on screen. Perhaps being Team Conrad or Team Jeremiah isn't so black and white as I first thought.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Taylor Swift's Bodyguard Let Travis Kelce Make 'This' Sweet Gesture During Their Summer Date Night in N.Y.C.
Taylor Swift's bodyguard allowed Travis Kelce to pull off a romantic gesture as the couple spent a night out in New York City The athlete opened the pop star's car door, a job usually reserved for her security team, before they went to a restaurant on June 20, as seen in fan footage shared online The couple has been spending time together as Kelce trains for the upcoming NFL seasonTaylor Swift's bodyguard allowed Travis Kelce to pull off a romantic gesture as the couple spent a night out in New York City. The pop star and the Kansas City Chiefs tight end, both 35, dined at a Manhattan restaurant on Friday, June 20. As the couple was getting ready to exit their car, Kelce hopped out of the vehicle first and walked around to the other side to open Swift's door, then offering her a hand to help her get out, as seen in fan footage shared online. Swift's bodyguard nodded at Kelce as he went to perform the gesture, which is normally reserved for her security team. The NFL star then helped his girlfriend into the restaurant. Other fan footage captured on June 20 shows Kelce shaking a restaurant employee's hand before exiting the building, as Swift followed closely behind. The couple then paused for a brief moment to grab each other's hands before getting into a car waiting for them. For the night out, Swift wore a light blue tank top with a skirt, while Kelce sported a T-shirt and white shorts. Swift and Kelce's New York City date night took place after the couple was spotted attending Game 4 of the NHL's Stanley Cup Final on June 12. During the event at the Bank Arena in Sunrise, Fla., the "Cruel Summer" musician and her boyfriend watched the matchup between the Florida Panthers and the Edmonton Oilers. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Last month, a source close to Kelce told PEOPLE exclusively that the 'Love Story' singer was spending time in Miami 'to support and spend time' with her beau while he's training for the upcoming NFL season. Another source recently told PEOPLE that Swift is "really looking forward" to getting to attend football games for the 2025-2026 season. "Not just because she loves supporting Travis, but because for the first full season since they started dating, she's not juggling a packed tour schedule,' the insider said. Swift wrapped the final show of her Eras Tour in Vancouver, British Columbia, in December 2024. The historic run, which began in March 2023, spanned five continents and grossed over $2 billion in ticket sales, making it the highest-grossing tour in history. 'This fall will be completely different,' the source said, adding, "The past two seasons were a whirlwind between performing across multiple countries, long flights and trying to squeeze in alone time together wherever possible. It wasn't easy, but they made it work." Read the original article on People
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Mom ignites controversial debate over her ‘insulting' birthday gift: ‘This is just ridiculous'
This mom is taking 'bring your own' to another level. Offering to help clean up at the end of a party is one thing — but bringing your own stash of cleaning supplies as a 'gift' to the party throwers is another. 'This is a kid's birthday party and the last thing I want to do to the parents of the child is to give them some present for the kids that's going to end up in landfill…,' explained a mom in a TikTok video. So what did she bring instead of an actual gift for the birthday kid? A bag full of cleaning products and supplies. '…so you know when you go to a party and everyone wants to help but nobody knows how to help because they don't know where any of the cleaning stuff is…I bring my cleaning rags… Glad Wrap, I like to bring dishwashing fluid…cleaning product — who knows how to find the cleaning products in someone else's house?' the determined mom said. This gesture could be looked at one of two ways — either it's a thoughtful idea or it's intrusive. And the commenters on TikTok were very divided on how they felt about it. 'This is so thoughtful. as a mama, I appreciate this so much,' one person expressed. 'this is pretty weird ngl,' quipped another commenter. 'this is actually a really cool idea,' another comment read. 'What the hell! Who the hell are you to bring cleaning products to a host's house! That's no present. That's insulting to the owner! No one needs your dodgy cleaning or dodgy cleaning products!' argued someone else. Talk about two contrasting views. In a follow-up video to all the controversy, the TikTok mom clarified that she doesn't give her cleaning stash as an actual gift. 'What I gave the kid was more time with their parents, so at the end of the party, the parents don't have to be cleaning up and doing stuff that will take them away from their kids,' she said, defending her decision. Unfortunately, the commenters stuck by their guns as the explanation video didn't sway their opinions. 'Tbh, family do this anyway. Personally I didn't think a child would value this. Parents might. It's not about having to spend money but choosing something a child would love,' someone argued. 'Omg everyone gets you don't give it to the child. You can do all of that and still give the child a present. Sorry, but this is just ridiculous,' another angry commenter wrote.
