New ‘Hunger Games’ Movie Spurs Streaming Gains for New Olivia Rodrigo Song and Classic James Newton Howard Folk Ballad

22 November, 2023

Welcome to Billboard Pro’s Trending Up column, where we take a closer look at the songs, artists, curiosities and trends that have caught the music industry’s attention. Some have come out of nowhere, others have taken months to catch on, and all of them could become ubiquitous in the blink of a TikTok clip.

This week: A new release in the Hunger Games franchise leads to gains for soundtrack hits old and new, while a new TikTok challenge gives a not-that-old JID hit a second crack at the charts, Drake fans celebrate a deep cut’s title day and more.

The Streams Are Ever in Their Favor: ‘Hunger Games’ Songs Surge Following Prequel Release

Last weekend, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes topped the box office with a $100 million international gross following its Nov. 17 bow in multiplexes. The arrival of the prequel film, which is set 64 years before the events of the original Hunger Games, had fans turning back toward songs old and new that have been associated with the franchise, and volunteering as tribute as they pressed play on streaming platforms.

“Can’t Catch Me Now,” the Olivia Rodrigo soundtrack single released on Nov. 3, may have dropped 25 spots to No. 81 in its second week on the Billboard Hot 100 this week, but early streaming returns for this week suggest a rebound in conjunction with the film release. “Catch” earned 4.26 million official on-demand U.S. streams in the first four days of the Songbirds & Snakes theatrical run (Nov. 17-20) — a 43% increase from its streaming total from the previous Friday-to-Monday tracking period, according to Luminate.

Meanwhile, “The Hanging Tree,” the James Newton Howard song that was performed by Jennifer Lawrence in 2014’s The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 — and is revived in Songbirds & Snakes as “Lucy Gray’s Version,” as performed by Rachel Zegler — also experienced a streaming resurgence. “The Hanging Tree” earned 344,000 streams over the first four days of the film’s run, up 58% from 217,000 streams from the prior Friday-to-Monday tracking period. – JASON LIPSHUTZ

JID’s “Surround Sound” Solidifies Sleeper Hit Status With Substantial Streaming Gains

Last year, JID’s third studio album, The Forever Story, brought him loads of acclaim and his highest Billboard 200 peak to date (No. 12). “Surround Sound,” the set’s Baby Tate- and 21 Savage-featuring lead single peaked at No. 90 during its initial run on the Hot 100 – the lowest-peaking of JID’s five career hits on the ranking. Nonetheless, that could change thanks to a viral TikTok trend that has resulted in material gains across streaming platforms.

According to Luminate, “Surround Sound” has earned over 3.9 million U.S. on-demand streams during the period of November 10-16; that’s a whopping 48.3% increase from 2.68 million streams during Nov. 3-9. In turn, that Nov. 3-9 figure is a 27.2% increase from just over 2.1 million streams during the period of October 27 to Nov. 2. The boost in streams is mainly thanks to the viral Ceiling Challenge on TikTok, where users tape their phone to the ceiling, hit record, and then post a clip of that overhead shot. Normally, the video uses the portion of the track that lets the sample of Aretha Franklin’s “One Step Ahead” play to soundtrack the camera set-up process, and once the beat drops, they proceed to do their thing for the camera. With users opting for both wholesome and risqué versions of the challenge, the official “Surround Sound” TikTok sound has been used in over 175,800 posts and counting.

No ‘Wondering’ Here: Red Clay Strays Score Chart Hit Thanks to TikTok

While The Red Clay Strays have spent a long time supporting other major country acts on tour, from Brothers Osborne to Dierks Bentley to Eric Church, the Alabama group may finally be scoring a mainstream moment of its own. “Wondering Why,” the group’s soulful waltz from last year’s album Moment of Truth, has gone viral on TikTok, as users have been picked up on the line “She keeps on loving me/ Loves me the way I am” and deployed it in a variety of wistful clips.

“Wondering Why” has earned The Red Clay Strays their first Billboard chart appearance, as the song debuts at No. 33 on Hot Rock & Alternative Songs. And after scoring 2 million U.S. on-demand streams during the week ending Nov. 16, “Wondering Why” could be in for an even bigger total the following week, as the track earned 1.89 million streams from Nov. 17-20, according to Luminate. – JL

Ocean Alley Score Globe-Traversing Crossover Hit Five Years After Initial Release

Five years ago, Aussie rockers Ocean Alley scored a career-defining hit with “Confidence,” the third single from their sophomore studio album Chiarascuro (2018). The track climbed to No. 9 in Australia, earned a platinum certification in the territory, and reigned atop the 2018 Triple J Hottest 100.

Clips of live performances of “Confidence” have gained ample traction on the band’s official TikTok page for years, but a slightly pitched-up and sped-up version of the song used in the band’s Nov. 2 TikTok commemorating two sold-out Brisbane shows has catapulted “Confidence” into the hearts and minds of millions of new listeners. According to Luminate, “Confidence” has collected over 1.9 million U.S. on-demand streams during the period of Nov. 10-16; that’s an eye-popping 182% increase from 700,000 streams during Nov. 3-9. In turn, that Nov. 3-9 figure is a 433.7% increase from just over 131,000 streams during the period of Oct. 27 to Nov. 2.

Ocean Alley has smartly latched onto the song’s unexpected second wining, using their TikTok comment section to confirm to fans that they’re working on getting a sped-up version on DSPs. Furthermore, the band has been posting clips of old interviews and performances of the song – one of which went viral due to how similar lead singer Baden Donegal looks to both Jordan Peele and Bad Bunny. On TikTok, the official “Confidence” sound is featured in just under 2,000 posts, but the sound connected to the sped-up version boasts over 43,800 posts. The source of that sound is Jun. 15 TikTok by user @alyx ⭐️🎧, which features a fancam of One Direction alum Zayn. In posts using “Confidence,” the main attraction to the song is split between genuine interest and a “behind every boy/girl with impeccable music taste” trend.

Thanks to its viral moment, “Confidence” has already topped the Viral 50 – USA Spotify chart, and there seems to be plenty of room for the song to continue to grow Stateside. – KD

Season’s Gainings: Drake Fans Flash Back to “November 18th”

Even with a total of 30 new Drake songs to feast on between new album For All the Dogs and its Scary Hours deluxe reissue, the Drizzy faithful can’t help but go a little retro around this time of year. “November 18th,” a DJ Screw-sampling fan favorite from the 6 God’s classic 2009 mixtape So Far Gone, sees the superstar rapper paying tribute to both Houston and the life-chanigng date he first flew to H-Town to meet eventual mentor Lil Wayne. With that date passing on the calendar on Saturday, streaming audiences were apparently interested in a little homage of their own: According to Luminate, the song racked up nearly 121,000 official on-demand U.S. streams that day – up 160% from the previous Saturday. – ANDREW UNTERBERGER