When The Weeknd and Ariana Grande started teasing their new “Save Your Tears” remix last week, fans of both artists already knew it would be a perfect fit.
The duo linked up early in their careers, on Grande’s second studio album My Everything, for the Billboard Hot 100 No. 7-peaking hit “Love Me Harder” in 2014. Then just last year, The Weeknd popped up on Grande’s latest album, Positions, for “Off the Table,” which is a top 40 Hot 100 hit without even being released as a single (yet). Now, Grande brings her ethereal vocals to a remix of “Save Your Tears” — already a top five Hot 100 hit for The Weeknd, but sure to get a boost from the pop star’s presence.
On the new Billboard Pop Shop Podcast (listen below), we talk about the pair’s musical history, how remixes can give songs new life, and whether The Weeknd will score his third Hot 100 chart-topper from 2020’s After Hours thanks to the Ari feature.
Also on the show, we’ve got chart news about the star-studded hip-hop album Slime Language 2 from Young Thug’s Young Stoner Life record label debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, country star Eric Church bringing the first of a three-part-album series to the top 10, and how Polo G’s “Rapstar” holds at No. 1 on the Hot 100 for a second week. Plus, we discuss Katie’s front-row seat to Dua Lipa headlining the Elton John AIDS Foundation’s virtual Oscars viewing party.
The Billboard Pop Shop Podcast is your one-stop shop for all things pop on Billboard’s weekly charts. You can always count on a lively discussion about the latest pop news, fun chart stats and stories, new music, and guest interviews with music stars and folks from the world of pop. Casual pop fans and chart junkies can hear Billboard’s deputy editor, digital, Katie Atkinson and senior director of Billboard charts Keith Caulfield every week on the podcast, which can be streamed on Billboard.com or downloaded in Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast provider. (Click here to listen to the previous edition of the show on Billboard.com.)
