In our new regular feature “THE WEEKLY,” music critic Seo Seongdeok takes stock of the major currents shaping the music industry each week. Catch up on all the news driving the industry right now, from the biggest moves artists are making to notable new releases, “Billboard” chart highlights, and more.
KATSEYE’s single “Animal” debuts at No. 24 on the Hot 100
KATSEYE’s new single “Animal” debuted at No. 24 on the “Billboard” Hot 100 chart dated August 8. Let’s take a quick look back at their history with the chart. KATSEYE first landed on the Hot 100 last year in May with “Gnarly.” The song debuted at No. 92 and later peaked at 82. Since then, five of their songs in a row, starting with “Gabriela” and most recently with “Animal,” have become Top 40 hits. For debut and peak for those first four? “Gabriela” (94/21), “Internet Girl” (80/29), “PINKY UP” (97/28), and “ICONIC BY MISTAKE” (76/38). “Animal” is the first time KATSEYE’s debuted a song directly in the Top 40. To date, every song the group’s had on the Hot 100 has gone on to climb higher in subsequent weeks. It’ll be interesting to see whether “Animal” can break into the Top 20—for reference, “Gabriela” previously peaked at No. 21.
Over on the Global 200, “Animal” has already surpassed “Gabriela,” where the new single debuted at No. 10. It also debuted at No. 12 on the Global Excl. US chart. Both represent new highs for KATSEYE, and it also marks their first Top 10 on the Global 200. Since “Touch” in September 2024, the group’s now had eight songs on the chart. Their previous peak was “Gabriela,” at No. 16.
Ed Sheeran’s involvement in the songwriting process for “Animal” brought significant attention to the song. Sheeran posted a video of the work in progress on his Instagram, revealing that he’d heard “Gnarly” in Mexico the previous year and proposed working on a song together. He also helped write “Dai Dai,” the official 2026 World Cup theme song performed by Shakira and Burna Boy. “Dai Dai” has held onto No. 1 on the Global 200 chart for four weeks, meaning Sheeran’s name appears twice in the Top 10. His achievements as a songwriter rival those of his own career as a singer, with notable writing credits including BTS’s “Permission to Dance” and Justin Bieber’s “Love Yourself.”
“Billboard” charts: Country sweeps the top
The “Billboard” charts dated August 8 once again proved just how popular country music is. On the “Billboard” 200, Morgan Wallen’s album “I’m The Problem” claimed its 14th week at No. 1. The album debuted in May 2025 and held the top spot for 12 weeks through August. It then added a 13th week at No. 1 this past January, and now a 14th more than a year after its release. In the time since, “Problem” has never dropped out of the Top 10, sitting at No. 3 just last week. Wallen’s already gearing up for his next album cycle, promoting the standalone single “Been By Now.”
Over on the Hot 100, Ella Langley’s song “Choosin’ Texas” logged its 16th week at No. 1, tying it for fourth most weeks with “Last Night” by Wallen, “Despacito” by Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee, and Justin Bieber, and “One Sweet Day” by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men. Currently at No. 2 on the Hot 100 is Wallen’s new single “Been By Now.” The song is the singer’s 20th Top 10 hit and makes him the 28th artist to accomplish the feat, as well as the only country artist to do so. Only two other artists have put 20 or more songs in the Top 10 so far this decade—Drake, with 55, and Taylor Swift, with 45. “Been By Now” also debuted at No. 1 on the Streaming Songs chart.
Country’s taken over more than just No. 1 and 2 on the Hot 100. For the first time ever, the entire Top 5 is country. No. 3 is Swift’s “I Knew It, I Knew You,” No. 4 is Langley and Wallen’s “I Can’t Love You Anymore,” and No. 5 is Stella Lefty’s “Boston.” Country has swept the Top 3 (or 4 or 5) just 10 times in chart history, all since August 2023. That’s largely a reflection of listeners of the genre shifting from albums and radio to streaming. Meanwhile, Langley and Wallen pulled off the rare feat of landing both their solo songs and their duet in the Top 5 at the same time. It’s only the fourth time that’s happened, with the last instance being Bieber and DJ Khaled in 2017.
Charli XCX’s album “Music, Fashion, Film” debuts at No. 3 on the “Billboard” 200
Charli XCX’s new album “Music, Fashion, Film” debuted at No. 3 on the “Billboard” 200. It’s the singer’s fourth Top 10. “MFF” moved 78,000 units in its first week, of which sales accounted for 57,000, putting it at No. 1 on the Top Album Sales chart, a first for Charli. Streams totaled 21.7 million, equivalent to 21,000 units. The singer previously debuted “Wuthering Heights” at No. 8 on the “Billboard” 200 in February. Only three artists have debuted more than one album in the Top 10 this year, and Charli is the only woman among them. Drake swept No. 1 through No. 3 in May with “ICEMAN,” “HABIBTI,” and “MAID OF HONOUR,” while ATEEZ sent parts four and five of their “GOLDEN HOUR” series into the Top 10 in February and July, respectively.
On Charli’s home turf, both “Wuthering Heights” and “MFF” debuted at No. 1 on the UK Official Albums Chart. She’s the first British woman to top the chart with two albums in a single year. That distinction had previously belonged only to British legends like the Beatles, David Bowie, and Elton John, while among women, only American artists such as Taylor Swift and Rihanna had achieved the same.
With the pressure on to put out a follow-up to “BRAT,” “MFF” debuting at No. 3 might seem a little underwhelming at first glance, especially since the earlier album debuted at the same position and sold a similar number of copies. But just as “BRAT” worked less as a collection of individual hits than as an attitude that defined a summer for a whole generation, the new album seeks to do the same but with a different message—that art won’t save us when the world is about to end. What’s more, between the two albums, Charli pivoted from dance to rock and still saw comparable commercial success. You don’t have to have the biggest numbers out there—that can be a message in itself.