USA
Billboard Report (excerpt)
'I'm The Problem' rules Billboard 200 for seventh week
Tuesday, July 8, 2025
by Keith Caulfield & Gary Trust, Los Angeles

Morgan Wallen's I’m the Problem rules the Billboard 200 albums chart (dated July 12) for a seventh consecutive, and total, week. The set earned 173,000 equivalent album units in the United

States in the week ending July 3 — down a scant 3% compared to the previous week. The album opened at No. 1 on the May 31 chart. With 173,000 units earned, Problem lands the largest total for an album in its seventh week on the chart since Adele’s 25 earned 194,000 in its seventh week nearly a decade ago (on the Jan. 23, 2016-dated chart). Of I’m the Problem’s 173,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending July 3, SEA units comprise 164,000 (down 3%, equaling 215 million on-demand official streams of the set’s songs — it leads Top Streaming Albums for a seventh week), album sales comprise 7,500 (up 2% — it falls 7-11 on Top Album Sales) and TEA units comprise 1,500 (up 6%). Lorde achieves her fourth top 10 album on the Billboard 200 as her latest studio project, Virgin, debuts at No. 2. All four of her top 10s have also debuted inside the top five (as Virgin follows Solar Power, with a No. 5 debut and peak, 2021; Melodrama, No. 1, 2017,

and Pure Heroine, No. 3, 2013). Virgin bows with 71,000 equivalent album units earned. Of that sum, album sales comprise 42,000 (it debuts at No. 1 on Top Album Sales), SEA units comprise 29,000 (equaling 37.07 million on-demand official streams of the set’s songs — it debuts at No. 6 on Top Streaming Albums) and TEA units comprise a negligible sum. Virgin’s first-week sales were aided by its availability across eight vinyl variants (including two signed editions), a standard CD and a digital download. All versions contained the same tracklist. Lorde’s vinyl sales added up to 31,000 — her best week ever on vinyl. The KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack surges 8-3 on the Billboard 200 in its second week on the chart — earning 62,000 equivalent album units (up 97%). Of that sum, SEA units comprise 56,000 (up 108%, equaling 77.42 million on-demand official streams of the set’s songs — it jumps 10-2 on Top Streaming Albums), album sales comprise 4,500 (up 31%, it’s pushed down 18-22 on Top Album Sales) and TEA units comprise 1,500 (up 24%). The set’s haul of 77.42 million streams for its songs is the largest streaming week for a soundtrack in nearly two years, since the Barbie soundtrack claimed 79.32 million on the Aug. 19, 2023-dated chart (its third week on the chart). With KPop Demon Hunters’ 8-3 climb on the Billboard 200, it becomes the highest-charting soundtrack of 2025, and the highest-charting soundtrack to an animated film since Encanto spent nine weeks at No. 1 in 2022. (Previously among soundtracks in 2025, Wicked reached a No. 4 high in January, after debuting and peaking at No. 2 in December 2024.) Katseye claims its first top 10 album on the Billboard 200 with the No. 4 debut of its second project, Beautiful Chaos. The pop group’s five-song set opens with 44,000 equivalent album units earned. Of that sum, album sales comprise 30,000 (it debuts at No. 2 on Top Album Sales), SEA units comprise 14,000 (equaling 21.36 million on-demand official streams of the set’s songs; it bows at No. 47 on Top Streaming Albums) and TEA units comprise a negligible sum. Karol G’s Tropicoqueta falls 3-5 on the Billboard 200 in its second week (40,000 equivalent album units earned; down 29%), Wallen’s chart-topping One Thing at a Time is pushed down 5-6 (nearly 40,000; up 7%) and SZA’s former No. 1 SOS descends 4-7 (39,000; down 17%). Playboi Carti’s former leader MUSIC jumps 28-8 with 35,000 (up 83%), following its release on vinyl (pressed on two variants). The album sold 16,500 copies in the tracking week (up 12,593%), largely from vinyl purchases. Sabrina Carpenter’s chart-topping Short n’ Sweet slides 6-9 on the Billboard 200 with 33,000 equivalent album units earned (down 5%). Russ closes out the top 10 with the No. 10 debut of his latest album, W!LD, entering at No. 10 with 32,000 equivalent album units earned. The set marks his fourth top 10-charted effort. Of the new album’s 32,000 units, album sales comprise 25,000 (it debuts at No. 3 on Top Album Sales), SEA units comprise 7,000 (equaling 9.15 million on-demand official streams of the set’s songs) and TEA units comprise a negligible sum. Alex Warren’s “Ordinary” rolls on atop the Billboard Hot 100, as his first leader on the chart notches a fifth week at No. 1. “Ordinary,” on Atlantic Records, tallied 20.2 million official streams (up 2% week-over-week), 69.7 million radio airplay audience impressions (up 9%) and 7,000 sold (up 3%) in the United States June 27-July 3. “Ordinary” holds at No. 2 on the Streaming Songs chart, following four weeks at the summit; adds a third week at No. 1 on Radio Songs; and rebounds 2-1 for an eighth week atop Digital Song Sales. Morgan Wallen’s “What I Want,” featuring Tate McRae, is steady at No. 2 on the Hot 100, after it debuted in May as Wallen’s fourth No. 1 and McRae’s first. It claims a sixth week atop Streaming Songs (22.8 million, up 2%). Wallen follows on the Hot 100 with two No. 2-peaking hits: “Just in Case,” which lifts 4-3, and “I’m the Problem,” which holds at No. 5. Wallen rings up his fifth week in 2025 with at least three songs in the top five simultaneously — tying Kendrick Lamar for the most weeks with three or more concurrent top five hits in a single year among soloists, with Lamar also having earned three such weeks this year. Among all acts, only the Beatles in 1964 achieved more such frames (eight). Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” buzzes 7-4 on the Hot 100, following its record-tying 19 weeks at No. 1 beginning last July. Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s “Luther” repeats at No. 6 after 13 weeks atop the Hot 100 beginning in March. Sabrina Carpenter’s “Manchild” drops 3-7 on the Hot 100, after it debuted as her second No. 1, and first chart-topping debut, three weeks earlier. Teddy Swims’ “Lose Control,” which led the Hot 100 for a week in March 2024, and became the year’s No. 1 song, ascends 9-8. It adds a record-extending 68th week in the top 10 and a record-furthering 98th week on the chart overall. Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ “Die With a Smile” slips 8-9 on the Hot 100 after five weeks at No. 1 beginning in January. Already the longest-charting song in the top 10 ever by a woman artist — 45 weeks — it surpasses The Kid LAROI and Justin Bieber’s “Stay,” in 2021-22, for the longest such stay for a collaboration. Overall, only “Lose Control,” “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” (60 weeks) and The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” (57) have spent more time in the top 10. Rounding out the Hot 100’s top 10, Chappell Roan’s “Pink Pony Club” rides back into the tier (11-10), after it reached No. 4. Also notably, while Alex Warren’s “Ordinary” is the week’s top-selling download, Chappell Roan’s “The Giver” is the week’s top-selling song overall, with 57,000 in sales, up from a negligible sum, after vinyl copies, which account for nearly all the song’s sales in the tracking week, were shipped to consumers.

Record Of The Month
'Back To Friends' became the breakout hit of the 20-year-old American singer / songwriter
Shane Michael Boose, known professionally as Sombr. The song entered many charts
around the world after going viral on the video-sharing app Tik Tok.

United Kingdom
Music Week Report (excerpt)
Lewis Capaldi storms at number one
Monday, July 7, 2025
by Alan Jones, London
 
After his surprise set on Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage last Friday (June 27), Lewis Capaldi makes a similarly triumphant return to No.1 with comeback single, Survive. Opening atop the chart on consumption of 68,414 units – the highest consumption for a No.1 for nine weeks - Survive is 28-year-old

Glaswegian Capaldi’s sixth chart-topper –- the most for any Scot apart from Calvin Harris (11, although only two solo) - and was released simultaneously in three CD editions, which attracted 25,415 sales, with the remainder of its tally coming from 7,849 digital downloads and 35,150 sales-equivalent streams. It is the third single by Capaldi to debut at No.1 – emulating 2022’s Forget Me and 2023’s Wish You The Best – and provides his 12th week at No.1 since his chart career began in 2019. It secures the highest first week sale of any single in 2025, and the highest of Capaldi’s career, replacing 2022 smash Forget Me (56,882 sales). Capaldi’s most popular song, Someone You Loved - which spent seven weeks at No.1 and has staggering to-date consumption of 6,081,852 units making it the third biggest hit of the 21st century – also returns to the chart.     Ranked 51st (8,745 ACR-adjusted sales, 16,349 unadjusted sales), it appears in the Top 75 for the

ss: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; display: inline !important; float: none;"> 160th time in total but the first time for 65 weeks. Survive shifted more copies on CD than any single in a week since X Factor 2014 winner Ben Haenow’s coronation single, Something I Need, sold 47,001 copies (all on CD) as it debuted at No.1 that December, 550 weeks ago. Capaldi’s coronation is tough on Dior, which holds at No.2 on consumption of 42,554 units – a 1.71% increase week-on-week – despite overcoming former incumbent, Manchild, which slips 1-3 (41,256 sales) for Sabrina Carpenter. Sapphire returns to the Top 10 for Ed Sheeran, bouncing 12-9 (27,427 sales) to match its original peak. The rest of the Top 10: Love Me Not (3-4, 37,995 sales) by Ravyn Lenae, Pink Pony Club (5-5, 30,972 sales) by Chappell Roan, Victory Lap (4-6, 30,547 sales) by Fred Again, Skepta & PlaqueBoyMax, Blessings (8-7, 27,814 sales) by Calvin Harris feat. Clementine Douglas, Ordinary (9-8, 27,677 sales) by Alex Warren and Family Matters (10-10, 26,672 sales) by Skye Douglas. Overall singles consumption is down 0.26% week-on-week at 30,823,160 units, 7.62% above same week 2024 consumption of 28,641,799 units. Paid-for sales are up 19.13% week-on-week at 345,874, 6.15% above same week 2024 sales of 325,826. Simultaneously surpassing the peaks of her previous long-players Pure Heroine (No.4, 2013), Melodrama (No.5, 2017) and Solar Power (No.2, 2021), while maintaining her pace of one release every four years, singer/songwriter Lorde’s fourth album, Virgin, debuts atop the chart on consumption of 18,848 units (3,302 CDs, 8,676 vinyl albums, 433 digital downloads and 6,437 sales-equivalent streams). Effecting the 29th change of leadership of the chart in as many weeks, it arrives at the summit more than 11 years after her debut smash Royals topped the singles chart, and secures her highest yet first week sale, beating her previous best of 18,294, as set by Pure Heroine, which is, by some distance, her most-consumed album with a to-date tally of 478,559 units. For the first time in chart history, there are simultaneous debuts for three albums by artists over 75-years-old – each very different. Leading the way, Tracks II: The Lost Albums (No.2, 9,444 sales) is the follow-up to the similarly-themed Tracks (No.50, 1998) and gathers together 83 previously unissued tracks from seven unissued albums recorded between 1983 and 2018 by Bruce Springsteen, delivering the 75-year-old’s 42nd Top 75 and 24th Top 10 album. Released to coincide with his performance in Glastonbury’s Legends slot last Sunday (29 June), Rod Stewart’s new career-encompassing compilation, Ultimate Hits, debuts at No.5 (7,824 sales), becoming his 40th Top 10 and 52nd Top 75 album. Completing the triumvirate, The Secret Of Life: Partners Volume 2 is a companion release to the 2014 No.2 success Partners by Barbra Streisand and finds Babs, now 83, accompanied by the likes of Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan, Sting and more contemporary stars like Hozier, Laufey and Sam Smith. Debuting at No.40 (3,124 sales), it is Streisand’s 16th Top 10 and 37th Top 75 album. Rod Stewart is far from being the only artist to benefit from the Glastonbury effect, with Guts (24-8, 6,374 sales) and Sour (25-11, 5,849 sales) by Olivia Rodrigo; Divinely Uninspired To A Hellish Extent (110-15, 5,166 sales) and Broken By Desire To Be Heavenly Sent (No.30, 3,793 sales) by Lewis Capaldi; Stick Season (15-10, 6,054 sales) by Noah Kahan; Jagged Little Pill (No.39, 3,124 sales) by Alanis Morrissette; and My 21st Century Blues (No.65, 2,410 sales) by Raye all receiving substantial uplifts. Oasis weren’t at Glastonbury but with their Live ’25 reunion tour starting in Cardiff tonight (4 July), Time Flies: 1994-2009 (9-6, 7,381 sales), What’s The Story, Morning Glory (18-14, 5,289 sales) and Definitely Maybe (37-26, 4,109 sales) also perk up. Top 10 titles not mentioned above: Short N’ Sweet (5-3, 8,211 sales) by Sabrina Carpenter, +-=÷× Tour Collection (6-4, 8,109 sales) by Ed Sheeran, 50 Years: Don’t Stop (8-7, 6,817 sales) by Fleetwood Mac and Brat (10-9, 6,184 sales) by Charli XCX. Overall album sales are up 0.12% week-on-week at 2,457,919 units, 5.95% above same week 2024 sales of 2,319,946. Physical product accounts for 256,074 sales, 10.42% of the total.