Entertainment
How Tate McRae Scored a Career-Best Debut With ‘So Close To What’
In the current music industry, not many artists are allowed the time and space to grow and develop across multiple projects on the way to the top. But Tate McRae’s rise over the past few years has been an exception.
Since first making waves on the Hot 100 with breakout single “You Broke Me First,” which reached No. 17 in 2020, she’s released a trio of albums that have each climbed higher than the last: 2022’s I Used to Think I Could Fly, which reached No. 13; 2023’s Think Later, which hit No. 4; and, this week, her latest album So Close To What, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 177,000 equivalent album units, by far the biggest week of her career and her first No. 1.
It’s been a steady rise for the Canadian singer, whose 2022 single “Greedy” reached No. 3 on the Hot 100 and who has landed 21 songs on the chart to date. But this project was different. “This wasn’t just about one hit, it was about a superstar artist with an exploding global fan base ready to devour every song on the album top to bottom,” says RCA Records senior vp of commercial partnerships and release planning Jordan Blaugrund. “So it was no surprise to us when nearly the whole album was on the Hot 100 chart after the album was released.”
With So Close To What’s chart-topping debut week, and its contention for a second week atop the chart next week, Blaugrund is Billboard’s Executive of the Week. Here, he explains what went into the rollout of the project and how McRae is able to speak directly to her fans: “Tate has been consistently in front of her fans on tour and online since her last album, so we knew we had an even larger fan base to rally.”
This week, Tate McRae’s So Close To What debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 177,000 equivalent album units, her first No. 1 album. What key decision did you make to help make that happen?
I can’t stress enough how much of a team effort this was. Both at RCA and with Full Stop Management — every department, every person, worked together to elevate this campaign. A lot of us have been working with Tate since before her first album so there’s a ton of passion behind her artist development story that continues to unfold. For So Close To What, we wanted to build on her prior albums with a multifaceted, fan-centric campaign. This started months in advance with incredible music and creative that helped inform the vision we were bringing to life. We knew Tate’s fans were going to be along for the ride, so we got to work creating the ideal release strategy and product offerings to engage them along the way.
The album also sold 71,000 copies, debuting at No. 1 on the Top Albums Sales chart, her biggest sales week of her career. What was the sales strategy around the album?
I never take for granted that we have amazing support from our streaming partners. They’ve all been with us from day one of her journey and we couldn’t have achieved these results without them. They were our first stop in setting up this album campaign and have so much love for Tate. But we also knew that if we were going to take this album to the next level we wanted to expand into the physical world as well. From the very first conversation we worked to position the direct-to-consumer and retail campaign as a superstar-level global opportunity. We had an incredibly ambitious product assortment, first and foremost centered around Tate’s own artist store that would be a destination for her fans throughout the campaign. Waves of products were launched there including multiple vinyl variants, signed items and other collectible packages. We extended that strategy to our retail partners with IRL activations across the country and exclusive vinyl variants that fans could collect across different stores.
How did you guys roll this project out differently from her last one, which debuted at No. 4?
Our ambitions were bigger on every level. Tate has been consistently in front of her fans on tour and online since her last album, so we knew we had an even larger fan base to rally. We’ve been focused on building her first party data strategy during that time to be able to activate fans directly. Of course Tate is a master of social media, and that will always be a key channel for her, but being able to complement that with direct fan communication is immensely powerful.
The last album had her Hot 100 No. 3-peaking smash “Greedy,” but this album blew it out of the water by more than 100,000 units despite not having a hit that big. What work did your team put in to achieve that?
The streaming numbers were impressive from the start and each song released prior to the album was one of the biggest debuts of her career. The cadence of song releases was purposeful to bring the fans along as we built into the album. This wasn’t just about one hit, it was about a superstar artist with an exploding global fan base ready to devour every song on the album top to bottom. So it was no surprise to us when nearly the whole album was on the Hot 100 chart after the album was released.
Her first album hit the top 15; second album hit the top five; and this one hit No. 1. How have you helped build her profile over the years to get to this point?
An incredible team effort with Tate and her management team and a labor of love for everyone at RCA. So many people doing A-plus work across marketing, digital, creative, A&R, commercial, international, release planning, press and more. It’s so much more gratifying to see these results as a team because we did it together. And all this when Tate is only 21 — think about the rare company that puts her in. It’s an unbelievable achievement and this is only the beginning.
What really moves the needle for an artist in 2025?
Focus on your fans. Have a point of view and a story to tell. Be authentic. Build a collaborative team that supports and challenges you. Stay consistent. And of course, always incredible music and creative.
Last Week’s Executive: Viña Executive Director Daniel Merino
Myke Towers and Quevedo propel “Soleo” to the top of Billboard’s Latin Airplay chart as the song jumps a spot to No. 1 on the list dated Aug. 9.
Their first collab, “Soleao” (which translates to “sunny” in English), was released May 20 on One World International/Warner Records/Warner Latina. It leads the way in its ninth chart week, after an 11% growth in audience impressions, to 9.1 million, across U.S. panel-contributing Latin radio stations in the tracking week of July 25-31, according to Luminate.
Towers claims his 15th Latin Airplay champ, and third consecutively of 2025, after one-week rulers “Otra Noche,” featuring Darell (February), and “Degenere,” featuring Benny Blanco (May).
Further, Towers adds to his satchel of wins as he accomplishes a third trio of No. 1s in a single year. Rewind to 2021, when (after landing two early chart-toppers, for that matter) the Puerto Rican delivered a streak of three straight No. 1s: “Bandido,” with Juhn; “Pareja del Año,” with Sebastián Yatra; and “Bésame,” with Luis Fonsi, that June, August and November, respectively. In 2024, Towers replicated the success with another trio of consecutive No. 1s: “Borracho y Loco,” with Yandel; “La Falda”; and “La Capi,” between that February and May.
Meanwhile, Quevedo makes a comeback to No. 1 on Latin Airplay. He previously led, for four weeks, with “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 52,” with Bizarrap, in 2022.
Beyond its Latin Airplay coronation, “Soleao” likewise lifts 2-1 on Latin Pop Airplay. There, Towers tallies a third No. 1 and Quevedo, his first. Further, the song adds a second week atop Latin Rhythm Airplay.
Banda Carnaval Ignites Regional Mexican Airplay: Elsewhere on the Latin charts, Banda Carnaval secures its eighth No. 1 on Regional Mexican Airplay, and second of the year, as “Ya La Hice” bounds 9-1 with 6.6 million audience impressions, up 47%, in the tracking week. The act’s “Pude” led for a week in March.
“We are deeply grateful to our fans for taking ‘Ya La Hice’ to No. 1 on Billboard’s Regional Mexican Airplay chart,” Banda Carnaval tells Billboard. “This song represents a very special moment for us, and seeing it connect with people in this way fills us with pride and emotion. Thank you to everyone who has made it their own, to the composers for this great story, and to our team who continues to believe in our music. Let’s go all the way with Síganme Tirando!”
“Ya La Hice” earns Greatest Gainer honors, awarded to the song with the largest week-over-week increase in impressions at the format. Leading the charge during the tracking period are Univision stations, with standout support from KSCA-FM Los Angeles, KLNO-FM Dallas, and WOJO-FM Chicago.
Entertainment
Ice Cube’s ‘War of the Worlds’ Film Has a 0% Rating on ‘Rotten Tomatoes’ & Cube’s Son Is Weighing In
Ice Cube‘s latest movie is off to a slow start on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. According to 15 critics (and counting), War of the Worlds so far has a zero percent rating on the Tomatometer scale, while thousands of moviegoers have given it at 14 percent rating on the Popcornmeter.
One review in particular, from Variety‘s Peter Debruge knocked the film for essentially doubling as a commercial for Amazon, writing, “Even with a Prime subscription, you have to sit through two minutes of ads to watch 90 more of what amounts to a feature-length commercial for all things Amazon,” while another from The Telegraph‘s Ed Power wasn’t really into all the screen time Cube got, saying, “It is silly, shoddy and features far too much of rapper-turned-leading man Ice Cube staring at a computer screen while looking as if he’s working through a reasonably urgent digestive ailment.”
An adaptation of H. G. Wells’ classic 1898 novel The War of the Worlds, this version is an Amazon Prime production directed by Rich Lee and also starring Eva Longoria. Cube plays Will Radford, a surveillance expert at the Department of Homeland Security, and most of the movie takes place on his computer screen as he deals with a hacker and an alien invasion while trying to keep his family out of harm’s way.
The synopsis on Prime Video reads as follows: “A gargantuan invasion is coming with this fresh take on the legendary novel of the same name. Renowned actress Eva Longoria is joined by iconic rapper and actor Ice Cube, along with Michael O’Neill and Iman Benson, for a thrilling out-of-this-world adventure that is filled with present-day themes of technology, surveillance, and privacy.”
Cube’s son, actor O’Shea Jackson Jr., replied to a tweet on X of a video clip from the movie in which an Amazon Prime delivery person tells Cube’s character to cop a USB from Amazon, so he can deliver it via Prime Air with a drone. “I truly can’t believe this adaptation of War Of The Worlds is actually a real film with a real budget and Ice Cube is actually in it,” a fan posted, with Jackson replying that the movie was “Shot during the pandemic. Released 5 years later.”
Billboard has reached out to Ice Cube’s team for comment.
Entertainment
Cara Lewis Group Hires Ashley Ventura, Who Will Bring Bhad Bhabie & More to the Agency
Cara Lewis Group (CLG) has hired agent Ashley Ventura, who will bring her clients to the independent agency.
“CLG is an obvious fit for her talents,” said founder/CEO Cara Lewis in a statement. “The entire Cara Lewis Group team is thrilled to have her as a valued addition. We look forward to continuing our mantra of artist development, creating stars and long lasting careers.”
Ventura has worked as an agent in the hip-hop and R&B space for more than five years, previously working at MAC Agency. A press release announcing her hire described her as a “proven” leader and “one of the newest, most exciting agents in the industry.”
“I’m thrilled to be joining the Cara Lewis Group and to continue pushing culture forward alongside such a respected team,” added Ventura. “This new chapter marks an exciting step in my journey, and I’m looking forward to building with incredible artists and creating what’s next.”
Ventura will be bringing a number of talented artists to the CLG roster, including hip-hop icon French Montana and reality TV star and rapper Bhad Bhabie. Her other clients include Atlanta rapper Anycia, Bay Swag, Bktherula, Gashi, K Camp and Kentheman, all of whom are following her to CLG.
CLG’s roster currently includes Eminem, Travis Scott, Khalid, Don Toliver, Clipse, The Roots, Russ, Jill Scott, Ludacris, Ice Spice, BIA and Erykah Badu. Lewis is one of the most successful independent agents in hip-hop, having spent more than 20 years at William Morris as a partner, where she built the urban-pop division before joining CAA’s music department.
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