Madonna And The Weeknd Are Still Pushing Their Collaboration, Half A Year Later | CPT PPP Coverage

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In mid-2023, Madonna scored an unexpected comeback hit of sorts. The superstar partnered with The Weeknd and hip-hop musician Playboi Carti, and the three produced the single “Popular.” Now, more than half a year after the tune arrived, the three are still working to make it a bigger hit and introduce it to new audiences.

On Friday (January 26), the three musicians released a new EP connected to “Popular.” The five-track collection isn’t filled with all-new music but rather slight reworkings of their collaboration. This isn’t new territory–in fact, it’s a marketing tactic that countless artists have tried before them–and it could work brilliantly.

The Popular EP features the original song, as well as four updated takes on the single. The tracklist includes sped-up, slowed-down, instrumental, and a cappella versions of the global smash.

For charting purposes, Billboard groups all versions of one title into a single entity, so it benefits musicians to release many different takes on the same track, if the goal is to increase consumption and push the tune up the charts. As superfans of The Weeknd, Madonna, and Carti stream and buy any or all five versions of the song, they increase the likelihood that the title will improve its stance on a number of important rankings.

This plan may have the greatest effect on TikTok, where sped-up and slowed-down versions of songs can often flourish. Fans create short videos soundtracked by popular songs, and their creativity is often spurred by options like the ones that this trio just released.

Before the EP arrived, “Popular” was already picking up steam on TikTok, which is where future (or even past) hits are introduced to millions of listeners these days. This week, the collaborative single debuts on Billboard’s TikTok Billboard Top 50, the recently instituted chart that tracks the top-performing titles on the social media platform. With a slew of new versions out now, the cut could climb in the coming frames.

“Popular” was released as a single from The Weeknd’s TV series The Idol in mid-2023. The track outlived the show, which was canceled by HBO after just one short season. The tune reached a number of Billboard charts, including the Hot 100, giving Madonna her first hit on the tally in a number of years.

The single is seemingly mounting something of a comeback after falling off almost every ranking published by Billboard. Earlier this month, the tune reappeared on the Streaming Songs, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, Hot R&B Songs, and R&B/Hip-Hop Streaming Songs charts.

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