NEWS
DJ Snake, Ozuna, Megan Thee Stallion, Lisa of BLACKPINK in "SG"
Courtesy ImageAdele's reign continues on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. and Billboard Global 200 charts, while Swedish House Mafia and The Weeknd fly in with "Moth to a Flame," new in the top 10 of the latter list, dated Nov. 6.
Meanwhile, another all-star collaboration launches just outside the top 10 of each tally: "SG," teaming DJ Snake, Ozuna, Lisa from BLACKPINK and Megan Thee Stallion, debuts at Nos. 13 and 19 on the respective rankings.
"SG" is the latest in a select group of global chart hits to feature acts from four international territories. DJ Snake hails from France, Ozuna from Puerto Rico, Lisa from Thailand (and currently based in South Korea) and Megan Thee Stallion from the U.S. (Puerto Rico and the U.S. are tracked separately for the global charts, give the former's distinct musical identity). Combined, the four artists have 25 prior Global 200 hits to their names.
The track follows 2020's "Relación," a pan-Latin joining of artists from Panama (Sech), Puerto Rico (Daddy Yankee and Farruko), Colombia (J Balvin) and Spain (Rosalía). Perhaps more directly, it looks a lot like "Big," a cross-genre meet-up of the UK's Rita Ora, French producer David Guetta, Kazakhstan's Imanbek and American rapper Gunna.
There's also "Taki Taki," DJ Snake and Ozuna's first collaboration, also featuring Selena Gomez and Cardi B. That track's 2018 release predated Billboard's global charts but proved itself a worthy recipe for success, crowning Hot Latin Songs for 13 weeks and reaching No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100. It has racked up 891 million on-demand audio streams in the U.S. since its release, according to MRC Data.
Comparing the global and U.S. start for "SG, " it debuts at No. 2 on the U.S.-based Hot 100's Bubbling Under chart, and at No. 11 on Hot Latin Songs. Of its 19,000 first-week global sales, 82% were from outside the U.S., compared to the week's average of 46%, according to MRC Data. More dramatically, the song drew 45.3 million streams around the world, 92% from outside the States, well beyond the week's average of 76%.
The greater international chart success so far for "SG" shouldn't be shocking given its co-headline lineup. It follows the aforementioned "Big," which also paced stronger out of the gate around the world, though not as heavily as "SG," with 84% of its streams and 71% of its sales from outside the U.S. (compared to, again the 92% and 82% splits, respectively, for "SG").
Just as rare as acts from four territories on one song, "SG" highlights a particular cultural swath with the pairing of Ozuna and Lisa, bridging the gap between Latin and Korean pop. Bad Bunny raps in Spanish and Japanese on his hit "Yonaguni" and NCT Dream's "Hot Sauce" includes lyrics in English, Korean and Spanish. But "SG" marks the global charts' first collaboration between acts from these opposite corners of the world. Adding European dance via quarterback DJ Snake and hip-hop via Megan Thee Stallion, "SG" makes for one of the most diverse hits of the year.
Taylor Swift believes Nashville has a music scene that stands apart from anywhere else.
The 36 year old singer moved to Nashville, Tennessee, when she was young to chase her dream of becoming a country music star. After being inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame on Monday (26.10.26), Taylor took the opportunity to recognise the city and the talented writers who have helped shape its music scene.
In her acceptance speech, Taylor said: "I believe you really get to master a craft by doing it again and again. That's exactly what the incredible songwriters in this wonderful town do every day."
Taylor also spoke about what makes Nashville such a special place for musicians.
The award winning singer, who ranks among the best selling music artists of all time, said: "You won't find another music community quite like this one. Trust me, I've checked them all."
Taylor also shared how being part of Nashville's songwriting scene had taught her valuable lessons about life and working with others.
She joked: "I've learned to be flexible when your co writer turns up with a hangover, or when they need to spend ages talking about their divorce before we can even get started on a song."
Taylor previously spoke about how Faith Hill and Shania Twain inspired her decision to move to Nashville.
Speaking to Time magazine, the singer said: "I couldn't get enough of watching TV biographies about Faith Hill and Shania Twain, and I realised they had both moved to Nashville to get their careers started. After that, I kept asking, pleading and begging my parents to take me there.
"When I was 11, my mum took my brother and me to Nashville during spring break, and we spent the trip driving around Music Row. She stayed in the car while I rushed into record companies one after another, giving my demo CD to the receptionists. I found it fascinating that so many major record labels were gathered along a single street, often inside little buildings and old houses.
"What really stayed with me was how welcoming people were to newcomers and complete strangers like us. We started visiting Nashville more often, and when I was 13, I received an offer for a development deal from a major record label. That was when my parents finally agreed to leave Pennsylvania and move with me."
