
Just in time for fall, The Neighbourhood have hit a big milestone: The California rock band has joined YouTube’s Billion Views Club with their 2012 alternative hit “Sweater Weather.”
The Jesse Rutherford-fronted band released “Sweater Weather” as the lead single from their 2013 debut studio album, I Love You. The album peaked at No. 25 on the Billboard 200, while the track reached No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100. A previous indie music video was released alongside the song when it dropped, but that version was unlisted after they signed with Columbia Records.
The official music video was uploaded to YouTube in March 2013, during the era of Tumblr aesthetics, at a moment when “indie sleaze” and soft-grunge subcultures were found on the platform.
The track’s milestone lands The Neighbourhood among other record-holders including Bad Bunny — who is in the lead globally with 20 music videos with more than 1 billion views — as well as J Balvin, who is the artist with the second-most entries. PSY’s “Gangnam Style” was the first video to ever reach 1 billion views on the platform in 2012.
Following its initial release, “Sweater Weather” later became an anthem for LGBTQIA+ groups because of lyrics such as “One love, two mouths/ One love, one house.” The track experienced a resurgence in 2020 when TikTok users turned the song into code language for the queer community, and various creators used it to come out as bisexual to their followers on the platform. The popularity of “Sweater Weather” that year and its use on the platform brought a streaming resurgence that led to it debuting on the Billboard Global 200 more than eight years after its release, scaling the list for four weeks before peaking at No. 134 on the chart dated Nov. 7, 2020.
Sabrina Carpenter‘s “Taste” music video was already cinematic and jaw-dropping, and apparently, its storyline even extends to its props, with one of its most memorable ones having a Sabrina-inspired name.
Jenna Ortega, who starred opposite of Carpenter in the bloody, campy 2024 video, recently revealed a behind-the-scenes detail about the chainsaw she wielded near the end of the video. According to the actress, the prop had a name that referenced Carpenter, although she couldn’t quite recall the exact name.
“I think the chainsaw had some crazy name and reference to Sabrina as well. It was called like the Espresso 3000 or something,” Ortega told Esquire.
The name would be a fitting nod to Carpenter’s hit “Espresso,” which kicked off the pop star’s blockbuster Short n’ Sweet era in the spring of 2024. The chainsaw itself gets interesting screen time in the “Taste” video, which sees Ortega and Carpenter repeatedly trying to kill each other in increasingly elaborate fashion. Ortega said the chainsaw sequence was her favorite part to film, calling it “really camp and fun” and noting that the pair had “nice little outfits” for the scene.
Despite how elaborate the finished video looks, Ortega said there wasn’t actually much time to prepare for the shoot. She revealed that she found out she would be involved only days beforehand and said much of the action wasn’t choreographed in advance.
“Nothing about that music video was choreographed,” Ortega said. “Like we were just running around. We had no time to prep or really talk about it.”
“Taste,” released as the third single from Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet, became one of the album’s biggest hits, reaching No. 2 on the Hot 100 and spending multiple weeks in the chart’s top 10. Meanwhile, the accompanying video helped establish the song’s darkly comic visual identity, with Carpenter and Ortega battling through a series of increasingly gruesome encounters.
Watch the full interview with Ortega below.
The soulful pop ballad that remains the signature hit for musician/actress Vanessa Williams could have ended up sounding completely different.
The singer recently shared that she was actually the third artist that was offered “Save the Best for Last,” the romantic ballad that would go on to become her highest-charting Billboard Hot 100 hit.
Williams revealed this fact during her appearance on Jesse Tyler Ferguson’s Dinner’s on Me podcast, explaining that the song had first been sent to fellow musician Bette Midler, who ultimately declined, before it was offered to powerhouse Barbra Streisand.
“They gave it to Bette Midler, who passed,” Williams said. “They gave it to Streisand, and she passed. And I was, like, third one up.”
Williams eventually selected the song for her second studio album, The Comfort Zone, released in 1991. “Save the Best for Last” was the album’s third single, quickly becoming a staple song in Williams’ music career and earning two Grammy nominations, including for record of the year. The song spent five weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100, giving Williams her first — and, to date, only — chart-topper. It also became one of the biggest hits of 1992, a year that included such smashes like Sir Mix-a-Lot‘s “Baby Got Back” and Whitney Houston‘s “I Will Always Love You,” finishing at No. 4 on the year-end Hot 100.
Williams also told Ferguson about another major pop hit she wished had come her way: Amy Grant’s “Baby Baby,” which topped the Hot 100 for two weeks in 1991. Williams said she would have loved to record that song, but it was never brought to her because of an apparent oversight.
Of course, Williams’ music career goes beyond “Save the Best for Last.” She scored additional Hot 100 hits with songs including “The Comfort Zone,” “Colors of the Wind” from Disney’s Pocahontas, “The Sweetest Days” and “Love Is,” while simultaneously building a major acting career with roles in Desperate Housewives, Ugly Betty and films including Shaft.
Watch the full episode with Williams and Ferguson below.
Not every hit gets all the way to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, but some legendary songs have gotten as close as possible to the top spot, peaking at No. 2.
This week, Billboard rounded up our staff picks for the 100 best songs to peak at No. 2 on the Hot 100, celebrating the earworm hits that came agonizingly close to the top of the chart. Now, we want to know which one is your favorite.
The poll includes our top 10 standout No. 2 hits, which span decades and genres, including Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” and Prince and the Revolution’s “Purple Rain” to Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance” and Missy Elliott‘s “Work It.” (If your favorite No. 2 hit isn’t among the options, there’s an “Other” field that allows you to freely write in your pick.)
The songs on the ballot represent just a portion of the many memorable hits that have fallen just one spot short of the Hot 100 summit. From songs that became defining moments for their artists to tracks that have endured for generations, the history of No. 2 hits is filled with records that remain just as culturally significant as chart-toppers.
Billboard has explored the phenomenon from several angles over the years, including just how three artists were able to score No. 2 Hot 100 hits without “doing anything on the songs,” and how 12 artists managed to reach No. 2 on the Hot 100 with their first hit, but unfortunately never happened to land on the chart again.
You can check out our full list of best No. 2 hits to see which songs made the staff’s cut.
Now it’s your turn: Which song is the best No. 2 hit of all time? Vote in the poll below, and let us know if there’s another No. 2 hit that deserves a spot on the list.
Vote in our poll below:
Role Model covered Olivia Rodrigo’s “Maggots for Brains” as part of his set at the BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge on Tuesday (Aug. 11), but the singer born Tucker Pillsbury seemingly wasn’t feeling too confident after his performance.
Ahead of the cover going live on YouTube, Role Model posted a message to his Instagram Story in an attempt to get ahead of his expected critics. “I covered olivia for BBC and im just gonna get ahead of the comments and let you know i botched it,” he wrote with two heart-eyes emojis.
Instead of tweaking Rodrigo’s lyrics, Role Model leaned into the pop star’s yearning for a long-distance lover on the You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love track. Fans in the YouTube video’s comments section seemingly expected worse based on his “botched” warning, and lent their stamps of approval. “Came from his Instagram Story. Not botched actually,” one commenter wrote.
During his Live Lounge stop, Role Model also performed “High Hopes 3000” and “Harmony” from his Chuck Timely & The Hourglass album, which arrived on Aug. 7.
“Maggots for Brains” is from Rodrigo’s most recent album, which arrived in June and topped the Billboard 200 with 485,000 total album-equivalent units earned. The song has so far peaked at No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Role Model isn’t the first to attempt a Rodrigo song in the Live Lounge this year: Sienna Spiro covered “Less” during her BBC Radio 1 stop in July.
Watch Role Model’s “Maggots for Brains” cover below.
The Jonas Brothers are heading to Australia.
While the continent doubles as the title of a track from the trio’s 2007 sophomore album, the NFL announced on Wednesday (Aug. 12) that the JoBros will headline the halftime show at the NFL Melbourne Game on Sept. 10.
The NFC West clash between the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers will serve as the first-ever regular season NFL game to take place in Australia. Kick-off is set for 8:35 p.m. ET (10:35 a.m. AEST, Sept. 11) at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, and the match-up will broadcast exclusively on Netflix.
“We couldn’t be more excited to perform at halftime during the NFL’s first-ever regular season game in Australia,” the Jonas Brothers said in a statement. “Playing at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground in front of such passionate Australian fans is an incredible honor. We can’t wait to be part of this historic moment and celebrate with everyone in the stadium and watching around the world.”
In addition to Netflix, the entire halftime show performance will be broadcast live in Australia on Seven Network.
Australian fans can celebrate the league’s return with the NFL Kickoff Festival slated for Sept. 10 through Sept. 12 at Melbourne Park, where a watch party will be hosted for the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots Super Bowl rematch.
“Bringing the first-ever NFL regular season game to Australia is a landmark moment for the league, and we are committed to creating an entertainment experience that reflects the scale and significance of the occasion,” said Tim Tubito, who serves as the senior director of global game presentation and entertainment at the NFL. “The Jonas Brothers are global entertainers whose music connects across generations, making them the ideal artists to help us celebrate this historic game in Melbourne. We look forward to delivering a memorable halftime performance for our fans in Australia and those watching around the world.”
It’s not the first NFL halftime show from the Jonas Brothers: The New Jersey natives previously performed on Thanksgiving in 2022 in Dallas when the Cowboys defeated the New York Giants. The Grammy-nominated siblings also performed during the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft in Kansas City.
Next week, the Jonas Brothers will wrap up their Jonas20: Greetings From Your Hometown Tour with three concerts at New York’s Madison Square Garden, on Aug. 20, 21 and 22. They’re also bringing their Hey Jonas! podcast to Hulu and Disney+ starting Friday.
The NFL’s global expansion will continue this season with games in London, Madrid, Mexico City, Munich, Paris and Rio De Janeiro.
Find more details about the Jonas Brothers’ NFL halftime show performance below.
Rod Stewart has called off upcoming dates on his North American One Last Time farewell tour after undergoing a routine coronary stent procedure.
The 81-year-old singer was scheduled to perform at Ohio’s Riverbend Music Center last Sunday (Aug. 9), but cancelled the show at the last minute, citing an “unforeseen but minor medical procedure,” as per a press statement.
Stewart went on to cancel his remaining tour dates after the procedure. He was set to perform at Morton Amphitheater in Kansas City, Missouri this weekend (Aug. 15), heading to Las Vegas on Aug. 18 for a performance at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace, followed by gigs in Minnesota, Illinois, Colorado, plus a run of shows in Mexico (Sept. 9-13).
In a separate statement issued to Rolling Stone, his representatives said the singer was “doing well.” It continued: “On the advice of his doctors, he will take the next four weeks to recuperate and regain full fitness before returning to the stage. Unfortunately, this means he will be unable to continue his current tour dates.”
In his own message posted to Instagram on Tuesday (Aug. 11), Stewart assured fans that he was “already feeling better and very much on the mend”. He said that while he was “deeply disappointed to miss these shows,” he looked forward to returning to playing live in the future.
Speaking to TalkSport earlier in the year, Stewart alluded to wrapping up touring duties and “that’ll probably be it” on the road for him after he completes a to-be-announced U.K. tour in 2027. “Then I’m touring the U.K. next year, doing The O2, and that’ll probably be it, I think,” he continued. “I’ll have to do something new, come on your show more often, maybe.”
Stewart has been touring for over 60 years as both a solo act and as a member of British rock band the Faces, alongside the Jeff Beck Group. He has been on the road with his One Last Time trek since 2024, which has encompassed a Legends slot on the Pyramid Stage that same summer, for which he was joined by Ronnie Wood, Mick Hucknall and Lulu.
His catalogue has also produced multiple hits on the Billboard Hot 100, including four chart-toppers throughout the 1970s: “Tonight’s the Night (Gonna Be Alright),” “Maggie May,” “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?” and “All for Love,” his 1994 collaboration with Sting and Bryan Adams.
Fifty, Fiddy. Boo Boo. All these have been, at some point, nicknames for Curtis Jackson.
Fortunately, Boo Boo never quite took off, the hip-hop star told Jimmy Fallon on Tuesday night (Aug. 11) when he stopped by NBC’s The Tonight Show.
Jackson, or Fifty as he’s happy to be called, revealed his unfortunate old nickname while going a few rounds on his new TV series, and philanthropic ventures. The Queens rapper has just returned from the United Kingdom, where Starz‘s new drama Fightland was filmed.
A drama that enters the ring of professional boxing and London’s criminal underbelly, Fightland is Jackson’s first U.K.-based production through G-Unit Film & Television.
“I was able to get some guys to work on it. I was using my juice card, know what I mean, calling up people,” he tells Fallon. The series has been in development since 2022, premiered July 31, and stars Howard Charles as a former heavyweight champion who, after a lengthy stint behind bars, returns to prize fighting with revenge on his mind.
Damione Macedon and Raphael Jackson Jr. (Power, Genius: MLK/X) are showrunners, writers and executive producers, while Daniel Fajemisin-Duncan and Marlon Smith serve as writers and EPs.
Jackson and Starz have a longstanding relationship; he’s an executive producer of the Power franchise, BMF and the unscripted The BMF Documentary: Blowing Money Fast. But there’s one genre he hasn’t cracked. Comedy. “I want to do a scripted comedy show,” he tells Fallon. Naturally, the talkshow host put his hand up.
The New York hip-hop heavyweight, who scored four No. 1s on the Billboard Hot 100 in the 2000s, including a nine-week reign with 2003’s “In Da Club,” is also the proud owner of green thumbs.
Jackson recounted the opening of the Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson Community Garden in the South Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, a green space inspired by Bette Midler’s New York Restoration Project and his G-Unity Foundation. “When I realized what they did,” he said of the project to transform a neglected lot into an outdoor learning space, “I wanted to do that in my neighborhood.”
Watch the interview below.
Blake Bergere would much rather fill hearts and minds with his music than flip burgers. That’s what’s at stake for the singing hopeful, who along with his childhood friend Nick Lorenz is chasing the dream on NBC’s America’s Got Talent.
The musical duo from New Albany, Ohio are competing as Bird & Byron in this 21st season of AGT. Bergere, a vocalist with soul in his chest, and Lorenz, with his effects-laden guitar work and programmed backing instruments, took the less easy route through the competition by way of the Judges’ Callbacks, a new second-chance round for acts that earned “Yes” votes during regular auditions.
On Tuesday night’s episode (Aug. 11), and facing elimination, the pair performed an original number, “By My Side.” For Bergere, progress in AGT is nothing short of a dream opportunity. Back home, he works at a burger restaurant. “There’s a lot on the line here,” he remarks in a package.
So, nerves could be forgiven.
“I think you’re great,” judge Howie Mandel enthused after their performance. “And your music and your voice is so distinctive. But, you know, we’re talking about the showmanship.”
For this week two of Judges’ Callbacks, Mandel and Sofía Vergara received support from guest advisors Nikki Glaser, Lele Pons, and Sebastián Yatra.
Glaser chimed in, sharing with Bergere some advice on leading from the front. “I saw you close your eyes,” the comedian explained. “You didn’t open them again. And I was thinking, man, if he opened his eyes, he’d see we’re all just grooving so hard right now. And you’re scared of seeing something that wasn’t even happening.” She insisted, “be the front man.”
Mandel agreed. “You’re closing us off. Share the vibe. And share the vibe with America.”
The childhood friends would be the last act to learn of their future in the contest.
“Your singing is so good. Your playing is so haunting. It’s really original,” Mandel remarked in his sit-down with the lads. “I think that you guys, regardless of what happens here, are already a success. If it was up to me, I would let you go to the live show.”
After a pregnant pause for effect, and a reminder that, yes, Mandel does have that power. And he waved them through. They’re going to the Live shows, along with the likes of Nene Royal, Cris Sosa, Daniel Alvarez, Kameron Marshall, Brook Lynn and Olivia Befus. Those acts eliminated included Naimana and Daniele, Rynia Kando, Vahtang and Darrell Moten.
The Live Quarterfinals begin Tuesday, Aug. 18 on NBC, and stream the following day on Peacock.
Watch the performance and results videos below.
Olivia Rodrigo takes the pain out of the festival experience with Daisy Chain Fields — the inaugural edition has no overlapping sets.
The pop superstar will headline the all-women fest later this month, the schedule for which has been published (check it out below).
Rodrigo and her “special guests” will perform from 8:40pm-10pm on the Dandelion Stage, her start time giving fans a good 10 minutes to complete the walk from Not For Radio’s set at the Marigold Stage (7:50pm-8.30pm).
Performers on the day include Chappell Roan, Garbage, Doechii, The Breeders, Mitski, Bikini Kill, KATSEYE and others. Those “special guests” include Karen O, Sarah McLachlan and Stevie Nicks.
Daisy Chain Fields will be presented Saturday, Aug. 29 at Great Park in Irvine, Calif. Its founder previously confirmed that 100 percent of the net proceeds would go to charities dedicated to advancing and advocating for women and girls.
“The lineup is truly insane and full of my heroes and friends,” Rodrigo said with the festival announcement in June. “I firmly believe that joy, community, and music can be the drivers of meaningful change and I’m hopeful this festival will be just that.”
Beneficiaries include the organizations Baby2Baby, Black Mamas Matter Alliance, Center for Reproductive Rights, FreeFrom, Jhpiego, Johns Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health, National Domestic Workers Alliance, National Institute for Reproductive Health, National Women’s Law Center and Planned Parenthood.
Four tiers of ticket prices were made available, from $255 (general admission) up to $1,255 (pit viewing). The waitlist is at daisychainfields.com.
The day-long fundraiser is the latest in Rodrigo’s tireless efforts to make the world a better place for women and girls. In 2024, she launched her Fund 4 Good to raise money for reproductive rights, education and actions against domestic violence, later announcing that she had donated more than $2 million to charities through proceeds raised on her Guts World Tour. In 2025, Planned Parenthood presented her with its Catalyst of Change award.
Rodrigo will hunker down for a long stint on the road with her Unraveled Tour, which will visit arenas for multiple night stands in North America, Europe and the United Kingdom this fall and winter beginning with a Sept. 25 show at PeoplesBank Arena in Hartford, Conn, and wrapping up May 10, 2027 at The O2 in London, England.
Those dates come in support of her third studio album, you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love, which opened at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in June, her third consecutive leader after GUTS (in 2023) and SOUR (2021). With Pretty Sad, Rodrigo enjoyed career-best opening weeks in the Unites States, the United Kingdom (where it debuted at No. 1, completing a perfect three-from-three), and elsewhere.

















