The sky’s the limit for Coldplay and BTS, as their collaborative new single “My Universe” debuts at No. 1 on both the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts.
Plus, Elton John and Dua Lipa’s “Cold Heart (Pnau Remix)” reaches the Global Excl. U.S. top 10, climbing 11-9.
Billboard’s two global charts (the latest of which are dated Oct. 9) began in September 2020 and rank songs based on streaming and sales activity culled from more than 200 territories around the world, as compiled by MRC Data. The Billboard Global 200 is inclusive of worldwide data and the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart comprises data from territories excluding the U.S.
Chart ranks are based on a weighted formula incorporating official-only streams on both subscription and ad-supported tiers of audio and video music services, as well as download sales, the latter of which reflect purchases from full-service digital music retailers from around the world, with sales from direct-to-consumer (D2C) sites excluded from the charts’ calculations.
‘Universe’ Rules the World
Britain’s Coldplay and South Korea’s BTS blast off at No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200 with “My Universe.” Released Sept. 24, the single, sung mostly in English with some lyrics in Korean, starts with 95.4 million streams and 142,400 downloads sold worldwide in the Sept. 24-30 tracking week. It’s BTS’ record-extending sixth leader on the list and Coldplay’s first over the chart’s year-plus archives.
The Kid LAROI and Justin Bieber’s “Stay” slips to No. 2 on the Global 200 after nine weeks on top, the most for any song so far. The track drew 106.2 million streams (down 8%) and sold 17,200 downloads (down 17%) and, notably, pushes its unprecedented run to eight consecutive weeks with over 100 million global streams, after tallying 115.6 million (Oct. 2), 115.7 million (Sept. 25), 119.8 million (Sept. 18), 125.7 million (Sept. 11), 124.9 million (Sept. 4), 123.7 million (Aug. 28) and 108.5 million (Aug. 21).
Lil Nas X and Jack Harlow’s “Industry Baby” backtracks to No. 3 on the Global 200, from its No. 2 high.
Nigeria’s CKay surges 8-4 on the Global 200 with “Love Nwantiti (Ah Ah Ah).” In its third week on the chart, the Afrobeat song sports gains of 36% to 68.9 million streams and 76% to 4,500 sold worldwide. It’s the first entry by an artist from Africa to hit the top five (after becoming the first such top 10) on the chart.
Rounding out the Global 200’s top five, Ed Sheeran’s “Bad Habits” drops 3-5, following a week at No. 1.
Collabs Likewise Top Two on Global Excl. U.S.; John & Lipa Hit Top 10
Coldplay and BTS’ “My Universe” bounds onto the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart at No. 1 with 84.4 million streams and 90,500 downloads sold in territories outside the U.S. in the Sept. 24-30 tracking week. BTS earns its fifth No. 1 on the tally and Coldplay achieves its first.
The Kid LAROI and Justin Bieber’s “Stay” descends to No. 2 after seven weeks atop the Global Excl. U.S. chart, with 84.2 million streams (down 8%) and 8,800 sold (down 13%).
CKay’s “Love Nwantiti (Ah Ah Ah)” rises 4-3 for a new high on the Global Excl. U.S. ranking; Ed Sheeran’s “Bad Habits” dips 3-4, after five weeks at No. 1; and Lil Nas X and Jack Harlow’s “Industry Baby” retreats to No. 5 from its No. 2 best.
Elsewhere in the Global Excl. U.S. chart’s top 10, Elton John and Dua Lipa’s “Cold Heart (Pnau Remix)” ascends to the tier, climbing 11-9 with 25.9 million streams (up 10%) and 17,900 sold (up 1%) beyond the U.S. John logs his first top on the ranking and Lipa lands her third.
In the mash-up, John sings part of his 1990 hit “Sacrifice” and Lipa reprises his 1972 classic “Rocket Man,” as well as his 1983 single “Kiss the Bride” (while the single’s coda interpolates John’s 1976 track “Where’s the Shoorah?”) Joining the two British stars, Australian trio Pnau sports co-writing and co-production credit on “Cold Heart.”
The Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts (dated Oct. 9) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (Oct. 5). For both charts, the top 100 titles are available to all readers on Billboard.com, while the complete 200-title rankings are visible on Billboard Pro, Billboard’s subscription-based service. For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.
Additional reporting by Eric Frankenberg
