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a day ago
- Entertainment
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How Big a Deal for Sabrina Carpenter Is ‘Manchild' Debuting at No. 1?
It's a highly static week in the Billboard Hot 100's top 10 — with one very notable exception, courtesy of pop superstar Sabrina Carpenter. Helped by an excellent start on streaming, an action-packed music video and a good amount of physical sales on vinyl, Carpenter's new single 'Manchild' bows atop the Hot 100 this week, marking Carpenter's second No. 1 (after 2024's 'Please Please Please') and first debut atop the chart. Below it, each of last week's top nine on the Hot 100 dutifully move down one spot to make room for it. More from Billboard Young Singer Wins Over 'AGT' Judges With Ed Sheeran Cover Ozzy Osbourne's DNA Will Be Sold in Limited Edition Liquid Death Cans Kneecap Launch London Billboard Takeover Ahead of 'Witch-Hunt' Court Appearance How big a deal is the No. 1 bow for Carpenter? And how long do we anticipate 'Manchild' lasting on top? Billboard staffers answer these questions and more below. 1. 'Manchild' debuts at No. 1, becoming Sabrina Carpenter's second No. 1 and first to debut atop the chart. On a scale from 1-10, how big a deal would you rate this achievement for her? Christopher Claxton: I'd rate this a 9. Debuting at No. 1 is a major milestone — and has been anything but stupid, slow or useless. Sabrina's fan engagement has been steadily growing since she dropped Emails I Can't Send in 2023, and her continued chart success proves her rising mainstream appeal and streaming power. This is a huge step forward, and Carpenter clearly knows it: 'I can't tell you how much this means to me!!!!' she wrote on her Instagram Story, sharing Billboard's post announcing her No. 1. The fact that this marks her second No. 1 and her first to debut at the top shows real momentum in her career — and it's clear Sabrina Carpenter is a star. Hannah Dailey: I'd say 8. It's obviously very exciting, but not at all unexpected for her considering how far she's come over the past year. Kyle Denis: Maybe around 7. It's kind of wild to call a No. 1 Hot 100 debut a footnote, but it does feel as such in a year that found Sabrina wrapping up her Short N' Sweet victory lap with her first two Grammy wins and an arena tour extension. While I doubt 'Manchild' commands the same cultural gravity as the first three SNS singles when it's all said and done, this No. 1 debut definitely confirms Carpenter is not a one-era wonder. Her commercial pull as a Main Pop Girl™ is solidified; she's at that post-2018 Ariana Grande phase where all she has to do is blink and a No. 1 hit is practically guaranteed. Jason Lipshutz: An 8. Regardless of how high this new single had debuted on the Hot 100, Sabrina Carpenter would still be an A-list pop artist with plenty of interest in her upcoming music; as a relatively new superstar, however, Carpenter had only scored top 10 hits from one album, last year's Short n' Sweet, and hadn't proven that her commercial power would transcend that project. Now she has: with 'Manchild' debuting atop the Hot 100, Carpenter has maintained her momentum from her breakthrough 2024, kicking off a quick-turn new era in the strongest possible fashion. She didn't need a No. 1 debut — but a No. 1 debut is really, really good for her. Andrew Unterberger: An 8.5. If you haven't noticed, we don't have a lot of songs debuting at No. 1 these days — 'Manchild' is just the third this year, after Travis Scott's '4×4' and Morgan Wallen's Tate McRae-featuring 'What I Want,' and the first from an artist who's never done that before. It's another big level-up for Sabrina Carpenter, in an 18-month period with more such level-ups than we can still really count. 2. 'Manchild' debuts atop of what is otherwise a static top 10 – with every one of last week's top nine sliding down one spot to make room for it on top. On another scale of 1-10, how much would you say the top 10 could use its infusion of new blood? Christopher Claxton: I'd give it an 8 out of 10 — the top 10 definitely needed some fresh energy. Stagnation starts to feel predictable, and the charts have been looking the same for far too long. Fresh entries keep things exciting, and artists might need to start rethinking their rollout strategies and how they're engaging with their fanbases in order to break through. Sabrina Carpenter's debut at No. 1 isn't just a personal win — it's a win for all of us. We finally get to see some real movement and a shake-up in the Hot 100. Hannah Dailey: I guess I'll give it a 10. I think everyone is still waiting for the undisputed song of the summer to present itself, so any new contender entering the chat is exciting. Kyle Denis: 10. Desperately. Please. I'm begging. Let's get 'Mutt' and 'Love Me Not' in there. 'Am I Okay?' too. Hell, I'll even take 'Blue Strips.' Jason Lipshutz: A 7. Sure, 'Manchild' and 'What I Want,' the Morgan Wallen-Tate McRae team-up that topped the Hot 100 three weeks ago, are both new hits that will likely receive plenty of pop radio play and millions of streams as summertime wears on. Outside of those two singles and Jessie Murph's 'Blue Strips' at No. 18, every other song in this week's top 20 has been on the chart for double-digit weeks. Just as 'Manchild' kicks off a new Carpenter era, the song that started her last one, 'Espresso,' is still at No. 17 on the Hot 100! Here's to hoping that we get some more new tunes to shake up the upper tier of the chart over the next month. Andrew Unterberger: Gotta be at least a 9. If 'Manchild' falls out of the top 10 before 'Lose Control,' 'Die With a Smile' or 'Beautiful Things,' it'll be a 10. 3. The new song is thought to be the advance single from Sabrina Carpenter's recently announced summer album . Does the song take her in any particularly exciting or interesting new directions to you, or is it more a consolidation of established strengths? Christopher Claxton: 'Manchild' is clever and catchy, but it feels more like a continuation of Sabrina Carpenter's current lane than a bold new chapter. She's leaning into what works with Jack Antonoff, but I'm hoping she pivots more fully into pure pop on Man's Best Friend, in the vein of tracks like 'Nonsense' and 'Feather.' There's still a hint of country in the delivery of 'Manchild' that feels like a leftover from her Short n' Sweet era — and at this point, she's more than ready to leave that behind. Hannah Dailey: Honestly, I don't think 'Manchild' shows us any side to Sabrina that we haven't seen before. From its flippant tone to its country influences and tongue-in-cheek lyrical themes, everything about 'Manchild' feels like a strong continuation of what she was honing on Short n' Sweet – which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Kyle Denis: 'Manchild' definitely feels like a purposeful extension of SNS's country-lite pop sound, which isn't particularly exciting or interesting, but probably necessary. Not to bring up Grande again, but 'Manchild' feels like a spiritual sibling of 'Focus,' the 2015 Hot 100 top 10 that initially served as the lead single for 2016's Dangerous Woman LP. While I highly doubt 'Manchild' faces the same fate as 'Focus,' it certainly feels like Carpenter is consciously retreading tried-and-true ground before offering something more markedly difficult on Man's Best Friend – much like 'Focus' reheated Grande's 'Problem' nachos. Jason Lipshutz: Whereas Short n' Sweet hits like 'Espresso' and 'Taste' offered up danceable pop, the single that Carpenter released in between them, 'Please Please Please,' was defined by a singular amalgamation of country, synth-pop, alternative and even disco. 'Manchild' functions similarly as a sonic gumbo — part '80s synths, part country-fried guitar, part modern pop hooks, and all imbued with Carpenter's quick-drip wit. Her ability to synthesize different styles, while still maintaining her sense of self, is part of the reason why Carpenter has broken through as a singer and songwriter. I can't wait to see how else she pulls that trick off on Man's Best Friend. Andrew Unterberger: The evolution to me is less in the song than in the music video, which feels like a continuation of the sort of surreal party videos that Diane Martel did for Miley Cyrus in the mid-'10s. It's Carpenter's best yet and feels like a new part of her superstar identity being unlocked. 4. Considering we're not even a year removed from her LP and that songs from that album era are still populating the Billboard Hot 100, some might have wondered if this was a little soon for Carpenter to launch an entirely new album campaign. Does the initial 'Manchild' success refute any such notions, or is it still way too early to make any judgments there? Christopher Claxton: It's a fair question. 'Manchild' has seen quick success, but that doesn't necessarily mean it wasn't too soon to launch a new album rollout. Sabrina Carpenter is clearly striking while the iron's hot — and so far, it's working. She's everywhere right now, fresh off major collaborations with Dunkin', Fortnite and more. The momentum she's built over the past year hasn't slowed down, and while Short n' Sweet is still producing Hot 100 hits, it seems like she's aiming to add even more to that list. The real question is whether introducing new tracks will push her older songs off the charts — or if she'll simply claim even more spots. You could view this new rollout in two ways: either it's premature, or it's a savvy move that leverages her current visibility and cultural relevance. Right now, I'd say it's the latter, but ultimately, it's too early to make a definitive call: Whether 'Manchild' is just a flashpoint or the beginning of a sustained new era depends on what follows. But all signs point to Sabrina understanding the moment — and running with it. Hannah Dailey: I personally would have liked to see her take more time to develop a more solidified next chapter and evolve artistically before launching a new album, but I do agree with her when she says there's no real reason to slow down if the inspiration is still flowing. My only holdup is that 'Manchild' is so Short n' Sweet-coded – it would truly fit so effortlessly on the tracklist – which could dampen Man's Best Friend's chances of standing out on its own and cast it more as a Short n' Sweet Part 2. But is that such a bad fate if the success of 'Manchild' is any indication of the numbers MBF will pull regardless? Perhaps not. Kyle Denis: I would say it's not too soon for a new SC album campaign – and the initial 'Manchild' success backs me up. While SNS was a massive album era, it feels finished. We got three gargantuan singles, several tracks had quasi-viral moments across socials, and she's currently on a break before the final leg of her accompanying tour. Between the 'Manchild' success and the already mind-numbing discourse inspired by the Man's Best Friend album artwork, I think people have genuinely – and gladly – bought into a new Sabrina Carpenter album campaign. Jason Lipshutz: Carpenter coming back so quickly is a stroke of brilliance for an artist trying to establish herself as one of the defining pop voices of the 2020s. Instead of taking a break in 2025 and resting on her laurels following the Short n' Sweet success, Carpenter has come roaring back with a new hit for the summer, a new album for the fall and (hopefully) plenty of follow-up singles to take her into 2026. Her ambition and release strategy reminds me a bit of her pal Taylor Swift, who, every time you think she's going to take a breather, has instead stomped on the gas pedal, and gotten even bigger. Andrew Unterberger: It's definitely still a risk — even with the early success of 'Manchild,' and the fact that it doesn't look to be falling apart in its second week. It still comes down to whether she can bring enough new on this album era to not feel like she's repeating herself or spinning her wheels. But if she can do that, the potential upside is enormous: Becoming one of the biggest pop stars in the world in your breakout year and then matching (or even topping) that in year two is the kind of stuff that legendary careers are built from. 5. Make a prediction: How many total weeks will 'Manchild' spend atop the Hot 100? Christopher Claxton: I give it 3-5 weeks. Hannah Dailey: It's splashy, catchy and taking off on TikTok – all good signs that 'Manchild' will spend at least two weeks at the top, maybe even more. My official prediction is four. Kyle Denis: Less than five total weeks. Or maybe forever since the top 10 is so relentlessly stagnant. Jason Lipshutz: Let's say 4. 'Manchild' is competing with songs like 'Ordinary,' 'Luther' and 'Die With a Smile' that have a lot more radio buy-in… but as Carpenter proved last year, she can dominate at radio, too! As 'Manchild' grows across platforms, I think it'll ultimately log a nonconsecutive month at No. 1. Andrew Unterberger: I'll say two. But I think it'll stay in the top 10 for a very long time. Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Hotline TNT's Will Anderson Talks New York Band's Growing Success: ‘I Feel Like I'm About to Blow Your Minds'
Hotline TNT has become synonymous with the burgeoning music scene in the Queens neighborhood of Ridgewood, New York. But for the indie-rock band's latest album, Raspberry Moon, it decamped far from the city to Appleton, Wisconsin. 'It was a full circle for a lot of reasons,' frontman and onetime Wisconsinite Will Anderson tells Billboard from his Ridgewood home, his pet chihuahua perched on his bed behind him. 'Being back in my home state definitely was part of the appeal.' More from Billboard Young Singer Wins Over 'AGT' Judges With Ed Sheeran Cover Ozzy Osbourne's DNA Will Be Sold in Limited Edition Liquid Death Cans Kneecap Launch London Billboard Takeover Ahead of 'Witch-Hunt' Court Appearance For more than a decade, Anderson, 36, has been something of a transcontinental indie-rock journeyman: After one of his former bands, the Vancouver-based Weed, earned some buzz in the mid-'10s, he kept making music as a hobby in Minneapolis – while he pursued a graduate degree to become a guidance counselor – before eventually landing in New York City shortly before the pandemic began. Anderson had already been releasing music under the Hotline TNT moniker for a couple years, but the project blossomed as live music got back up and running in 2021. Fans quickly gravitated to Hotline TNT's debut album, 2021's Nineteen in Love, and Anderson grew his following by picking up coveted support slots for buzzy indie bands like Snail Mail, Momma and Horsegirl. But when Hotline TNT made its Third Man Records debut with its second album, Cartwheel, in late 2023, it exploded. The set of anthemic shoegaze and power-pop gems earned raves from indie-rock tastemakers and catapulted Hotline TNT to the forefront of the genre – even if Anderson wryly shrugs off the success as 'right place, right time.' Which brings the story back to Appleton. When it came time to make another record, Anderson chased down Amos Pitsch, best known for fronting the punk band Tenement, to record it with him at his studio in the Wisconsin town. And in a first for Hotline TNT, whose studio recordings had previously been the work of Anderson alone, the band's touring quartet made the record together, across two sessions totaling a week. So while Raspberry Moon mostly sounds like the Hotline TNT fans already know and love, it pulses with the energy that only a full band can bring to the studio – and has a smattering of adornments, courtesy of Pitsch, that differentiate it from Hotline's previous work. For Anderson, all these small changes added up. 'If you get into a time machine and change one little thing, it could have ripple effects, you know?' he says. 'That's the whole thing. This is very much a snapshot of what happened in this timeline.' How did coming up with other young bands from the region, like Snail Mail and Momma, help Hotline TNT break out a few years ago? Early on, when we played with Snail Mail and Momma, that was a pretty important cosign that made other people took notice – and this was kind of before even we were on streaming services. You initially released exclusively on YouTube, as one long track. Why? It comes up over and over again: 'Why did you do that?' I push back against the narrative that it wasn't accessible – because it was on YouTube. This is, like, the number one most accessible free platform; you don't have to have an account, anything like that. Yeah, it wasn't presented in the way that people are used to consuming music – like, 'I want my Spotify playlist' or whatever – but it's still there. You can still listen to it anytime you want, for free. The choice was aesthetic more than anything. I wanted to present the album in a way that I had curated, basically, which was 'I want the songs to be listened to in this order.' I kind of liked the idea of making it a little bit harder for people to skip around to their favorite songs. Then you signed with Third Man Records. How have they supported you, with and now ? Well, that was the end of the YouTube strategy. [Laughs.] No, they've been great. As you can probably guess, I was pretty hesitant to have anyone besides myself handling the release strategy – or, I mean, there wasn't really a strategy [before], it was just like, I'm doing things the way I want to do it. Getting involved with, for lack of a better word, music industry people, has been a growing process for me. But, overall, they've made it pretty painless. They let me handle the creative side of things: 'Cool, here's a budget. Go do your thing.' I think it's gone pretty well. I love working with them. I hope we can keep doing it for a long time. You're managed by Rusty Sutton and Libby Webster of The Glow Management, which also represents Wednesday and MJ Lenderman – and in Raspberry Moon's liner notes, you thank 'everybody in the Wendesday and Lenderman extended universe.' When did you start working with Rusty? Right before Cartwheel came out. We met him through playing with Jake [Lenderman] and [Wednesday's] Karly [Hartzman]. We're definitely a different lane than those guys, but hopefully we can carve our own path. When I need Rusty's help, he's there for me. He's guided me through a lot of difficult situations, and I appreciate him a lot. You did a big tour supporting Wednesday in early 2024, right after dropped. How did you adjust to playing bigger rooms? That's been easy for me. Not to toot my own horn, but every time we play a big show, I feel like I thrive in those moments. Especially if we're a support band, I feel like I'm like, 'You guys don't know who we are. I'm about to blow your minds. I'm gonna change your night. We're gonna be way louder than the headliner.' If there's heads to convert, that's kind of my favorite setting. I want us to be the headliner, don't get me wrong. But in the meantime, this is how we're gonna play in front of 1,000 people – I have a bit of an antagonist in me that's like, 'You don't think we're gonna be capable, but we are. So, check this out.' Tell me about the decision to record as a full band, rather than on your own. It was just a matter of circumstance, really. It's harder than one might think to find people who are down to tour as much as we do; these four people, including me, were down to do it. They deserve to be a part of every aspect of the band, whether it's recording or songwriting or touring. It's not fair to be like 'Alright, guys, thanks for your work. Now I'm gonna do all the creative stuff with the record.' What do Amos and Tenement mean to you, and what did he add to this record? I met Amos [when he was] playing in a different band, Technicolor Teeth. They were kind of my favorite live band that I had ever seen. I saw them twice, and they blew my mind both times. Tenement I didn't come to till later, but I love all the Tenement records and everything Amos has done. He's got the Midas touch, in my opinion. I wanted to see what happened when he got involved. After we finished tracking everything, I told Amos, 'I want you to go through the whole album and add whatever you hear, on your own.' So a lot of the stuff you hear on this album, we weren't even in the studio. We obviously wrote all the songs and recorded all the guitars and drums and everything, but then, any piano you hear, vibraphone, there's some soaring vocal harmonies – that's all Amos. I kind of wanted him to be like a fifth member of the band for this recording project, and I think he delivered. What's next for Hotline TNT? A lot of touring. Just started demoing for the new album. I know it sounds like, 'Oh, you're already back in the studio?' Like, yeah. I mean, what else are we gonna do? That's the job. It'll take a while for us to have another album, for sure, but I'm already thinking about it and excited about it – but I'm excited to see how this one goes. What's been on Hotline TNT's playlist? Currently, we're all really hooked on this band The Tubs. Really obsessed with both their albums, but the new one [2025's Cotton Crown] especially captured our attention in a major way. We listen to a lot of ML Buch, a lot of Daryl Johns. And then all the classics: Red House Painters, Teenage Fanclub, early My Bloody Valentine. Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Karol G's ‘Tropicoqueta' Tracklist Features Marco Antonio Solis, Greeicy, Manu Chao & More
Karol G has revealed the full tracklist to her fifth studio album, Tropicoqueta, out this Friday (June 20). 'Intense chapters, unexpected twists, endearing characters. This is the official Track Listing for this new story of my life!' the Colombian star captioned her post revealing her new tunes. 'Each song has its own story. Each collaboration has its own reason.' More from Billboard Young Singer Wins Over 'AGT' Judges With Ed Sheeran Cover Ozzy Osbourne's DNA Will Be Sold in Limited Edition Liquid Death Cans Kneecap Launch London Billboard Takeover Ahead of 'Witch-Hunt' Court Appearance The 20-set album kicks off with 'La Reina Presenta' ('The Queen Presents') and wraps with the title track. The previously released 'Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido' and 'Latina Foreva' are part of the set. The former, a sweet merengue that Karol dropped last summer, reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs, Latin Airplay and Tropical Airplay charts. The tracklist reveals she reeled in key collaborators for Tropicoqueta, including Panamanian reggae plena artist Eddy Lover on 'Dile Luna'; Mexican crooner Marco Antonio Solís on 'Coleccionando Heridas'; Colombian pop star Greeicy on 'Amiga Mía'; French-Spanish reggae star Manu Chao on 'Viajando Por El Mundo'; and for a second collaborative effort, Mariah Angeliq on 'FKN Movie.' Notably, track No. 13 is empty, but if fans search for 'Karol G' on Google, they will be led to a clue that hints it could be another collaboration with Feid, following their 2021 'FRIKI.' (Spoiler alert: The screen reads 'canción 13 feat. ????' accompanied by a green heart.) Tropicoqueta is set to be a nostalgic and personal project on which La Bichota recently said she's 'going back to the roots, to the songs I grew up listening to, to the sounds that made me fall in love with music.' See the complete tracklist below: Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
