USA Billboard Report (excerpt) SZA scores her first Billboard Hot 100 No.1 Tuesday, April 25, 2023 by Keith Caulfield & Gary Trust, Los Angeles SZA slices her way to her first Billboard Hot 100 No. 1, as “Kill Bill” jumps from No. 4 to the top spot, following eight weeks at its prior No. 2 high. The song reigns following the release of its
remix adding Doja Cat. Here’s a rundown of the Hot 100 coronation for “Kill Bill.” The song is the 1,149th No. 1 since the chart originated in August 1958. It was released on her Top Dawg / RCA Records album SOS, which ranks at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart, after 10 weeks at the summit. “Kill Bill” drew 86.5 million radio airplay audience impressions (down 1%) and 28.3 million streams – up 32% – and sold 5,000 downloads – up 228% – in the April 14-20 tracking week, according to Luminate, as it claims both the Hot 100’s top Streaming Gainer and Sales Gainer awards. Sparking the song’s surge, its remix with Doja Cat arrived April 14. (All versions of the song roll up into one chart listing; Doja Cat is not listed on “Kill Bill” on the Hot 100, as the remix did not account for the majority of the song’s overall consumption during the tracking week.) The track rises 3-2 for a new high on the Radio Songs chart; ascends 4-3 on Streaming Songs, following
four weeks at No. 1; and bounds 36-8, returning to its best rank, on Digital Song Sales. Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” dips to No. 2 on the Hot 100 after three nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1. It adds a sixth frame at No. 1 on Streaming Songs (35.1 million, down 4%), while winning top Airplay Gainer honors on the Hot 100 for a third week in a row (39.9 million, up 16%). The single from Wallen’s album One Thing at a Time, which spends a seventh week atop the Billboard 200, leads the multi-metric Hot Country Songs chart for an 11th week. Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” holds at No. 3 on the Hot 100, after eight weeks at No. 1, beginning upon its debut in January. It posts a 10th week atop Radio Songs (92.7 million in audience, down 1%) – where, since the survey began in December 1990, only 15% of all No. 1s have dominated for double-digit weeks. Ice Spice and Nicki Minaj’s “Princess Diana” debuts at No. 4 on the Hot 100, with 21.8 million streams, 2.4 million in radio audience and 77,000 downloads sold, following the April 14 arrival of its remix with Minaj; the original version of the track was released by Ice Spice solo in January. The song starts as Ice Spice’s second Hot 100 top 10 – her first, “Boy’s a Liar, Pt. 2,” with PinkPantheress, drops 8-10, after reaching No. 3. Minaj achieves her 22nd top 10, extending her record for the most among women rappers. “Princess Diana” opens at No. 1 on Digital Song Sales, where it’s Minaj’s 13th leader, and Ice Spice’s first, and No. 6 on Streaming Songs. (Helping the song’s sales, along with Ice Spice’s solo version and the main [billed as “edited”] version of the duet remix, clean, explicit, extended, sped-up, slowed-down and instrumental versions of the Minaj remix were available for purchase in the tracking week.) Eslabon Armado and Peso Pluma’s “Ella Baila Sola” vaults 10-5 on the Hot 100, led by 31.8 million streams, up 31%. It becomes the first regional Mexican top five hit in the chart’s archives, a week after it became the list’s initial top 10 for the genre. The collaboration tallies a third week at No. 1 on the multi-metric Hot Latin Songs chart. Metro Boomin, The Weeknd and 21 Savage’s “Creepin’ ” slips 5-6 on the Hot 100, after hitting No. 3, and Rema and Selena Gomez’s “Calm Down” descends to No. 7 from its No. 6 high. The latter tops the Billboard U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart for a 34th week, extending the longest rule since the ranking began a year ago (in partnership with music festival and global brand Afro Nation). The Weeknd and Ariana Grande’s “Die for You” backtracks 7-8 on the Hot 100, following a week at No. 1 in March, and Drake’s “Search & Rescue” falls to No. 9, a week after it roared in at No. 2. Morgan Wallen’s One Thing at a Time spends a seventh consecutive and total week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart (dated April 29). Of One Thing at a Time’s 166,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending April 20, SEA units comprise 151,000 (down 5%, equaling 201.71 million on-demand official streams of the set’s 36 songs), album sales comprise 12,000 (up 102% following the release of a new vinyl edition of the set) and TEA units comprise 3,000 (up 7%). Metallica’s new studio album 72 Seasons starts at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, scoring the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band its 12th top 10-charting effort. The set opens with 146,000 equivalent album units earned – the biggest week for any rock or hard rock album since Tool’s Fear Inoculum arrived with 270,000 equivalent album units at No. 1 (Sept. 14, 2019-dated chart). Of 72 Seasons’ 146,000 units earned, album sales comprise 134,000 — it’s the top-selling album of the week, and it bows with the biggest sales week for any rock or hard rock album since Fear Inoculum’s debut with 248,000 sold, SEA units comprise 11,500 (equaling 15.91 million on-demand official streams of the set’s 12 songs) and TEA units comprise 500. SZA’s chart-topping SOS rises 4-3 on the Billboard 200 with 66,000 equivalent album units (up 9%), Taylor Swift’s former No. 1 Midnights falls 3-4 (60,000; up 1%) and Morgan Wallen’s former leader Dangerous: The Double Album rises 6-5 (49,000; up 3%). Luke Combs’ Gettin’ Old bumps 7-6 (43,000; down 7%), Metro Boomin’ chart-topping Heroes & Villains goes up 9-7 (37,000; up 1%) and Bad Bunny’s former No. 1 Un Verano Sin Ti steps 10-8 (36,000; up 5%). Taylor Swift’s chart-topping Lover rises 12-9 (34,000; up 4%) – marking the first week in the top 10 for the set, which debuted at No. 1 in September 2019, in over three years – since the chart dated Feb. 22, 2020. The album has been bumping around the top 20 of the Billboard 200 in the last month, since Swift’s The Eras Tour launched on March 17. It’s moved 35-13-16-15-12-9 in the last six weeks. Melanie Martinez’s Portals rounds out the top 10 of the Billboard 200, falling 5-10 with 33,000 (down 31%).