A new rule change means new artists are hitting the top 10.
JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
Thanks to some newly implemented rules, there’s a surge of fresh faces in the top 10 Billboard charts. NPR Music’s Stephen Thompson has our report.
STEPHEN THOMPSON, BYLINE: A few weeks ago, Billboard made it easier to remove declining songs from its Hot 100 singles chart. In a flash, moldy old hits by Teddy Swims, Benson Boone and Lady Gaga dropped off the chart.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “DIE WITH A SMILE”)
LADY GAGA AND BRUNO MARS: (Singing) And die with a smile.
THOMPSON: The rule change was meant to freshen up the Hot 100 and make room for new faces. But the effects of the change have been obscured by the success of two blockbuster albums. Taylor Swift’s “The Life Of A Showgirl” and the soundtrack to “KPop Demon Hunters” still account for 19 of the top 40 songs. Now their grip on the Hot 100 is starting to loosen. Those albums’ hit singles hold down the top two spots, but the deep cuts have been sliding out of the top 10. Between that and the rules changes, we’re finally seeing some new faces. In the past two weeks, three artists have entered the top 10 for the first time in their careers. The English singer Olivia Dean, is at No. 5 with her breakout hit, “Man I Need.”
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “MAN I NEED”)
OLIVIA DEAN: (Singing) Talk to me. Talk to me. Be the man that I need, baby. Talk to me. Talk to me. Be the man that I need, need, need.
THOMPSON: Leon Thomas is at No. 10 with his sleeper sensation, “Mutt.”
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “MUTT”)
LEON THOMAS III: (Singing) She said, take your time. What’s the rush? Oh. I said, baby, I’m a dog. I’m a mutt. I’m a dog. I’m a mutt.
THOMPSON: And this week, Kehlani joins them, as “Folded” leaps to No. 7 on the strength of a series of remixes.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “FOLDED”)
KEHLANI: (Singing) I’ll let your body decide if this is good enough for you. Already folding it for you. Already folding up for you.
THOMPSON: Before the rules change, just six acts had experienced their first top 10 single in 2025, and two of those are fictional groups from “KPop Demon Hunters.” The others are Alex Warren, Doche, BigXthaPlug and Ravyn Lenae. Another rising star looks primed to join them in the top 10 soon. “Back To Friends,” a breakout hit for the Gen Z singer-songwriter Sombr, just jumped to No. 12.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “BACK TO FRIENDS”)
SOMBR: (Singing) How can we go back to being friends when we just shared a bed?
THOMPSON: Stephen Thompson, NPR Music.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “BACK TO FRIENDS”)
SOMBR: (Singing) How can you look at me and pretend I’m someone you’ve never met? It was last December. You were layin’ on my chest. I still remember.
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