Rema “Calm Down” released

Calm Down Rema with Selena Gomez

Writer(s): Divine Ikubor, Andre Vibez, Michael Hunter (see lyrics here) Released: February 11, 2022; remix with Selena Gomez: August 25, 2022 First Charted: September 7, 2022 Peak: 3 BB, 110 BA, 14 RR, 7 AC, 12 A40, 3 UK, 19 CN, 11 AU (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 5.0 US, 1.8 UK, 9.27 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 1802.08 video, 2120.92 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Afrobeat singer/songwriter and rapper Divine Ikubor (stage name Rema) was born in 2000 in Nigeria. He first gained recognition in 2019 with the song “Dumebi.” He signed a deal with the record label Jonzing World that same year. After two EPs, he released his first studio album, Rave & Roses, in 2022. After the lead single, “Calm Down,” was remixed with Selena Gomez, it became his first chart entry on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #3. It was her ninth top-ten hit. “Calm Down” is now regarded as the biggest Afrobeat song of all time. WK Rolling Stone said Rema “is the kind of singer who savors simple pop pleasures with a track that’s appropriately warm, bright, and captivating.” WK Rema said the song “is all about the events that led me to finding love at the time.” WK He said he met a girl dressed in yellow at a party. Her friends were being stuck up and Rema told the girl, “Yo, just calm down. Let’s have a chat.” SF He said they talked and danced but she wanted to stay with her friends. Nonetheless, the two stayed in touch and hit it off. On the remix with Selena Gomez, she assumed the perspective of Rema’s love interest. SF Vanguard writer Adegboyega Remmy Adeleye said that Gomez “complements Rema’s vibe perfectly, maintaining the same energy as the original release.” WK Rema said that while some artists have an egotistical attitude that anything they contribute would be “dope…she wanted to know if I resonated with whatever she did on it – and I did. I loved it.” SF Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Rema DMDB encyclopedia entry for Selena Gomez SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia First posted 3/24/2024; last updated 10/16/2024.

BTS “Butter” debuted at #1

Butter BTS

Writer(s): Jenna Andrews, Rob Grimaldi, Stephen Kirk, RM, Alex Bilowitz, Sebastian Garcia, Ron Perry (see lyrics here) Released: May 21, 2021 First Charted: May 29, 2021 Peak: 110 BB, 118 DG, 25 AC, 14 A40, 3 UK, 2 CN, 6 AU (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 2.0 US, 0.4 UK, 6.44 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 2091.10 video, 1295.66 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: South Korean boy band BTS formed in 2010. They consist of Jin, Sugar, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook. They released their first album, 2 Cool 4 Skool, in 2013. Four years later, they crossed into the global market and led a Korean Wave when their single “Mic Drop” became the first from a Korean group to be certified gold in the U.S. From 2018 to 2022, they landed four #1s on the Billboard album chart. “Butter” was the group’s second English-language single but fourth to top the Billboard Hot 100. It made them the fastest act since Justin Timberlake to achieve four #1’s when it became their fourth chart topper in less than nine months. WK It debuted atop the chart and spent a whopping ten weeks there. It reached the top 10 in more than thirty countries worldwide. The song’s 11 million streams in its first day on Spotify set a record. WK The video set records for reaching 10 million views in its first thirteen minutes and 100 million views in the first 24 hours. WK Forbes called the song an “infectious disco-pop track.” WK NME’s Rhian Daly called it “a clean and crisp piece of dance pop that’s undeniably cool without sacrificing immediacy or memorable hooks.” WK Stereogum’s Tom Breihan said it was “a full-on retro disco strutter, a song built for parties.” WK Band member RM said it came about because they group felt they needed another summer song in light of the Covid-19 pandemic. WK They received a demo of the song that was already very good and they didn’t need to do much to it. SF Member J-Hope said he thought the song showed more of the individual members’ charms than “Dynamite.” WK Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for BTS SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia First posted 3/24/2024; last updated 10/14/2024.

Lil Nas X “Montero (Call Me by Your Name)” debuted a #1

Montero (Call Me by Your Name) Lil Nas X

Writer(s): Montero Hill, Denzel Baptiste, David Biral, Omer Fedi (see lyrics here) Released: March 26, 2021 First Charted: April 10, 2021 Peak: 11 BB, 11 DG, 12 ST, 12 RR, 17 A40, 15 UK, 11 CN, 12 AU (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 6.0 US, 1.2 UK, 10.65 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 1035.72 video, 1966.46 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Montero Lamar Hill, professionally known as Lil Nas X, was born in Georgia in 1999. He rose to fame in 2019 when his song “Old Town Road” spent 19 weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100, the longest-running #1 in the history of the chart. His double-platinum, #2 EP 7 followed, giving him another top-ten hit with “Panini.” He released his first album, Montero, in 2021. It reached #2 and went platinum. The first single, “Montero (Call Me by Your Name),” was one of two #1 songs from the album (the other was “Industry Baby”) and one of three top-tens (“That’s What I Want,” #8). The title of the song was inspired by the 2017 movie Call Me by Your Name, which Lil Nas X said was one of the first gay films he watched, explain, “I thought the theme was so dope, like calling somebody by your own name is love, keeping the love between you two.” BI The artist came out as gay in 2019 while “Old Town Road” was launching him to stardom. He said “Montero” was about a man who he fell in love with who was, as Lil Nas X saw it, still unhappy because he was living in the closet. BI The song also dealt with the pressures Lil Nas X faced “as a member of the LGBTQ+ community” and with fame. BI He said it was “the most real and the most vulnerable he’d ever been on a song.” BI The song and video received praise from some liberal commentators but backlash from conservative figures. The “sexually charged music video…depicts Lil Nas X in a number of biblically-inspired scenes, including the artist riding a stripper pole to Hell, and giving a lap dance to Satan.” WK Resources: BI Business Insider (3/31/2021). “Lil Nas X revealed the meaning behind ‘Montero (Call Me by Your Name)’ in a new YouTube video” by Moises Mendez II WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 1/16/2024; last updated 10/13/2024.

Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion debut at #1 with “WAP”

WAP Cardi B & Megan Thee Stallion

Writer(s): Cardi B, Megan Pete, Austin Owens, James Foye III, Frank Rodriguez, Jorden Thorpe (see lyrics here) Released: August 7, 2020 First Charted: August 22, 2020 Peak: 14 BB, 12 DG, 110 ST, 110 RB, 13 UK, 14 CN, 16 AU, 28 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 8.0 US, 1.2 UK, 11.2 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 1097.67 video, 1369.63 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Cardi B had already topped the Billboard Hot 100 with “Bodak Yellow (Money Moves” (2017), “I Like It” (2018), and “Up” (2020) when she paired with Megan Thee Stallion for her fourth #1. The latter was born Megan Jovan Ruth Pete in Texas in 1995. She had also been part of the rap game since 2017, experiencing her first big success with “Hot Girl Summer” (#11 BB, 2019). She had her first chart-topping success earlier in 2020 with a remix of “Savage” that paired her with Beyoncé. Pairing these two American rappers together was a no-brainer. Not surprisingly, it was the first female collaboration to debut atop the Billboard Hot 100. The song was fueled by heavy bass and drum beats and a sample from 1993’s “Whores in This House” by DJ Frank Ski. Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion rap about “how they want to be pleased by men, specifically referencing numerous sexual practices” WK and “exchanging dirty talk about their lady parts.” SF Some praised the song for “its sex-positive message and for empowering women.” WK Pitchfork’s Lakin Starling called it “a nasty-ass rap bop, bursting with the personality of two of rap’s most congenial household names.” WK The New York Times’ Jon Caramanica said it was “an event record that transcends the event itself.” WK NPR’s Taylor Crumpton said it was “an already iconic song about women sexuality.” WK There were also conservative pundits who criticized the song for sexually explicit lyrics. The New York Times’ Ben Sisario said it “is almost certainly the most explicit song” SF to top the Hot 100. A clean radio version of the song made changes to the song, such as substituting the hook “wet-ass pussy” (the title is an acronym for “Wet-Ass Pussy”) with “wet and gushy.” WK Cardi B explained that the video used the censored version because “even YouTube was like ‘Hold on…that song might be too nasty.’” SF Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Cardi B DMDB encyclopedia entry for Megan Thee Stallion SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia First posted 1/16/2024; last updated 10/13/2024.