Midweek Music Update

 for 28th August, 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 all 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 past month or so). Because they are so new, it might take an additional few weeks for them to work their way onto my chart.

Although I mention the total number of views for each video below, songs selections are based on their YouTube views from the past seven days only.

Hot New Track:
This week's Hot New Track is "Prophet" by lesbian American singer King Princess. In her last appearance on the LGBT chart, she made it all the way to the Top Ten with her video for "Pussy Is God" (peaking at #6 in January). As I write this, King Princess's latest clip has 512,965 views on YouTube. In the past week alone, this video has gained an additional 49,761 views (an increase of 10.93% from the previous week).

Fresh New Releases:
The first Fresh New Release this week is "Tiny Love" by gay English singer Mika. His real name is Mica Penniman, but he changed the letter 'c' to a 'k" because he was frustrated with how often people mispronounced it. Mika was born in Lebanon, spent his early childhood years in France, and moved to London at the age of 10. He's already spent seven weeks on the LGBT chart with "Ice Cream", which made it all the way to #1 but has slipped back to #14 this week. Mika's latest video currently has 830,637 views on YouTube.

The second Fresh New Release this week is "Something About You" by straight English musician/songwriter Elderbrook and straight English quartet Rudimental. Normally, straight acts aren't eligible for the LGBT chart on their own -- not unless they've collaborated with an LGBT act or they've included some LGBT-related content in the video and/or the lyrics. In this case, it's the video's content that qualifies it for the LGBT chart. Both artists have collaborated with LGBT acts in the past (including Clean Bandit, Anne-Marie, Jess Glynne, and MNEK). Rudimental has also performed at multiple Pride festivals in the UK. "Something About You" has also been featured on multiple gay blogs in North America. The clip now has 2,297,035 views on YouTube.

The third and final Fresh New Release this week is "I Been Born Again" by gay American rap collective Brockhampton. Although they've changed their lineup from time to time, the band now includes 13 members who all identify as gay. Originally formed in Texas by rappers Kevin Abstract and Matt Champion, the group is now based in California. They scored multiple hits on the LGBT chart in 2018 (with 4 tracks making it onto my special Year-End Chart -- "Rental", "Boogie", "1998 Truman", and "1997 Diana"), but they have not had a track on the LGBT chart yet this year. The video for "I Been Born Again" looks like it's poised to break through onto the Top 50 chart soon, and it currently has 1,243,987 views on YouTube.

That's it for another edition of the 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 an excellent week!