Midweek Music Update

 for 8th May, 2019

                                                                                                                         
The Midweek Music Update (published on Wednesdays) is intended to give you a "sneak peek" at some new music that hasn't made my chart yet. It's comprised of two sections: the Hot New Track and the Fresh New Releases.

Each week, I'll choose one video for the Hot New Track -- one song that is certain to make my chart & playlist next weekend (based on the points it's earned so far).

The Fresh New Releases are two or three videos that appear likely to enter my chart in the near future (based on YouTube views alone). All of the songs in this 2nd section will be relatively recent (i.e., released in the last month or so). Because they are so new, it might take an additional 2-3 weeks to make their way onto my chart.

Hot New Track:
This week's Hot New Track is "Rainbow" by American country singer Kacey Musgraves. Kacey has been an ally and supporter of the LGBT community since the very beginning of her career, and recently appeared as a guest judge on RuPaul's Drag Race. She's made it clear in interviews that she intended this song to be a message of hope, acceptance, and encouragement to her queer fans. One scene in the video shows a young boy applying makeup, then his parents arguing at the dinner table as Kacey sings to him, "There's always been a rainbow hangin' over your head". As I write this, the video has 7,729,009 views on YouTube. In the past week alone, it's gained another 310,629 views (an increase of 4.26% from the previous week).

Fresh New Releases:
The first Fresh New Release this week is "Me!" from American singers Taylor Swift & Brendon Urie. Taylor Swift is not an LGBT artist, but Brendon Urie (who's appeared on my chart before, along with his band Panic! At The Disco) came out as pansexual in 2018. The video currently has 150,583,314 views on YouTube.

The second Fresh New Release this week is "Maybe I'm Afraid" by American alt-rock trio Lovelytheband. Although this group is not an LGBT act, the video is eligible for my chart because of its LGBT-related content. The clip tells the story of a young man who struggles to accept his own sexuality, eventually coming to terms with it in the end. The video has 581,523 views on YouTube.

That's it for another Midweek Music Update. Make sure to come back on Saturday or Sunday for the latest Top 50 chart & playlist. Until then, I hope you all have a great week!