Lorde’s A-Leapin’
Sixteen-year-old Lorde (real name Ella Yelich-O’Connor) draws her first ink on a domestic Billboard songs chart, as “Royals” (Lava/Republic) bows on Triple A at No. 28. The song spent three weeks at No. 1 in her native New Zealand in March and April, while parent EP “The Love Club” leapt onto Heatseekers Albums at No. 8 last month. The singer/songwriter signed her deal at 13, took her stage name and penned her debut hit because “I was interested in aristocracy at the time,” she says.
Guinevere’s Top 40 Flight
It makes sense that, as a confessed “Star Trek” fan and gaming geek, pop singer Guinevere would release a video in which she’s in a romantic relationship with a robot. The clip is for her Cirkut-produced “Fly Away,” which is percolating beneath the Mainstream Top 40 chart. The Nuke Town/Tommy Boy single rose to No. 9 on Dance Club Songs in May and has leading support from SiriusXM’s 20 on 20 channel (73 plays last week, according to Nielsen BDS).
Thulin’s ‘Life’ Begins
Swedish singer/songwriter Jonathan Thulin pushes toward his first Christian Songs appearance with “Dead Come to Life” (Dream 012/EMI CMG). Thulin is also a member of pop/rock band Press Play and has released four solo albums, including “The White Room” (2012). His current single from the set features Chilean-born Australian pop singer Charmaine, while the album also includes appearances by Christian pop veteran Rachael Lampa and folk band Elden.
Bonka Bounds To U.S.
Having reached platinum status with debut album “Lo Que Nunca Nos Contamos” in its native Colombia, Tropi-pop duo Bonka makes its way to U.S. airwaves with “A Escondidas” (Latin Hits), featuring Jessi Leon. The track debuts at No. 37 on Latin Pop Airplay, marking the pair’s first Billboard chart appearance. The song logged a 26% increase at the format last week, with WACM Springfield, Mass., leading in spins (33).
(Reporting by Keith Caulfield, Wade Jessen, Amaya Mendizabal and Gary Trust.)