Olivia Rodrigo’s Massive ‘Guts’ Streaming Start (And How It’s Helped an Old Miley Single)

13 September, 2023

Welcome to Billboard Pro’s Trending Up column, where we take a closer look at the songs, artists, curiosities and trends that have caught the music industry’s attention. Some have come out of nowhere, others have taken months to catch on, and all of them could become ubiquitous in the blink of a TikTok clip.

This week: Olivia Rodrigo’s album gets off to a roaring start on streaming — while also sending folks back to a Disney-era Miley single — as TikTok helps to resurrect an ’00s Cee Lo hit and make a viral phenomenon out of FamousSally & YB’s debut.

**Olivia Rodrigo’s “Vampire” Sinks Its Teeth into Guts Gains**

When Olivia Rodrigo returned in June with “Vampire,” the sweeping lead single to her sophomore album, she also returned to the top of the Billboard Hot 100, as the song debuted at No. 1 and became her third career chart-topper. “Vampire” has remained in the top 10 of the chart in the weeks since its release, coming in at No. 9 this week — but last week’s release of Guts has sent streams of “Vampire” flying high as listeners play the dramatic single in the context of the full-length, and a return to the top of the Hot 100 may be in play.

In the first four days since Guts was released last Friday (Sept. 8), “Vampire” earned 12.95 million official on-demand U.S. streams, nearly a 97% gain over its streams from the previous Friday-to-Monday tracking period, according to Luminate. “Bad Idea Right?,” the second single from Guts which has thus far peaked at No. 10 on the chart, is lower down the current Hot 100 at No. 26 — but has earned an even greater streaming uptick, to 13.14 million streams from Sept. 8-11 (up 150%).

Of course, the streaming increases of Rodrigo’s two pre-release singles from Guts demonstrate just how many streaming users have checked out one of the most highly anticipated albums of 2023. In the first four days of its release, Guts has earned over 126 million on-demand streams, with album opener “All-American Bitch” and “Get Him Back!” (which just received a new music video and MTV VMAs performance) scoring 12.54 million and 12.27 million streams during that time period, respectively. Guts is streaming so well that fans have revisited Rodrigo’s first album: Sour has earned 15.28 million total streams from Sept. 8-11, up 21% from the previous Friday-to-Monday period. – JASON LIPSHUTZ

An Olivia/Miley Comparison Helps “Start” a Cyrus Streaming Bump

Speaking of Olivia Rodrigo, the release of Guts has seemingly helped out the streaming totals of a song from a different pop superstar with teen Disney ties. Upon the release of Rodrigo’s sophomore album, some social media users pointed out that the hook to “All-American Bitch” recalls the sound of “Start All Over,” the guitar-heavy Miley Cyrus song from her 2007 post-Hannah Montana album, Meet Miley Cyrus.

While the sonic similarities are debatable, enough listeners have checked out (or returned to) the early Cyrus pop-rock track to yield a sizable bump in its weekly streams. In the first four days since Guts was released, “Start All Over” earned 278,000 official on-demand U.S. streams — more than 10 times its streaming total from the previous Friday-to-Monday period (23,000), according to Luminate. As Rodrigo’s Guts prepares to make its chart bow, Cyrus has her own hit in the upper reaches of the Hot 100, as “Used to Be Young” comes in at No. 16 on this week’s Hot 100 chart, one week after a No. 8 debut. – JL

In the Cut With My Twin, Streams Are Rising: FamousSally & YB Score Big With “Wassup Gwayy”

Buoyed by a cheeky finger-pointing shoulder shimmy — which has its own multilayered meme history — FamousSally & YB’s “Wassup Gwayy” has seen an eye-popping surge in streams this month. According to Luminate, the bubbly hip-hop track collected over 394,000 official on-demand U.S. streams between September 1-7, a massive 404.7% increase from just over 78,000 streams four weeks prior from August 11-17.

On TikTok, the official “Wassup Gwayy” sound boasts over 1.1 million videos. The sound specifically highlights the first two lines of the song’s chorus, which find the duo rap-singing “What’s up, Gwayy? In the cut with my twin, we be vibin’/ Classy b—h, but they know I be outside with it.” In virtually every TikTok using the sound, users do a little shoulder shimmy with their pointer fingers and thumbs oriented in the shape of an “L” while they highlight their closest and dearest partners-in-crime. The trend has gotten so popular that a fan even got Drake to participate in it backstage at his It’s All a Blur Tour in Las Vegas, NV (Sept. 2).

According to their official artist pages on streaming services, the self-released “Wassup Gwayy” appears to be the debut single from Famous Sally & YB. Should the song’s streams continue to rise, it could also become their first Billboard chart hit.

“I’ll Be Around” for Two Decades: Dance Trend Spurs Gains for CeeLo Green ‘00s Hit

Regional dances are as American as apple pie, and Baltimore is up next for a turn in the national spotlight. Thanks to the recent TikTok virality of the Baltimore strut, a 19-year-old CeeLo Green song has seen a resurgence on streaming. According to Luminate, the track — which served as a single from 2004’s acclaimed Cee-Lo Green… Is the Soul Machine – earned over 1.36 million official on-demand U.S. streams from Sept. 1-7. That’s a whopping 497% increase from a little over 227,000 streams five weeks prior (Aug. 4-10).

On TikTok, the Timbaland-assisted track has become the go-to sound for users to show off their mastery, or lack thereof, of the effortlessly smooth Baltimore strut. The official “I’ll Be Around” sound currently has over 106,000 posts, with everyone from social media food influencer Keith Lee to the Duke men’s basketball team trying their hand at the dance.

“I’ll Be Around” reached No. 52 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs in 2004; it’s in a six-way tie for his longest-charting song on the ranking (20 weeks). – KD

Season’s Gainings: 9/11 Remembered

This Monday marked the 22nd anniversary of the horrific attacks on September 11th, 2001, an anniversary that always gets those old enough to remember to relive the memories of that terrible day. Those who wanted a soundtrack for their recollections turned in large numbers to a handful of the 9/11-themed country anthems that resounded with many at the time: Alan Jackson’s “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)” gained 351% to 124,000 official on-demand U.S. streams from the previous Monday, according to Luminate, while Darryl Worley’s “Have You Forgotten” rose 414% to 48,000. And Lee Greenwood‘s ‘80s ballad “God Bless the U.S.A.,” which gained new relevance post-9/11, also rose 42% to 72,000 streams. – AU