Billboard Dance Chart Upstarts: BONNIE X CLYDE, Kedr Livanskiy & Helynt
Each week, Billboard Dance looks at songs & albums rising on Billboard's dance charts.
BONNIE X CLYDE, “The Good Life”
Los Angeles-based vocalist-producer duo BONNIE X CLYDE (Paige Lopynski and Daniel Litman) celebrates its first chart appearance, bowing at No. 35 on Billboard‘s Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart (dated May 18) with “The Good Life.” The track sports airplay on core-dance affiliates including Music Choice’s Dance/EDM channel, iHeartRadio’s Evolution network (as monitored on WFLZ-HD Tampa, Florida) and SiriusXM’s BPM, according to Nielsen Music.
The act tells Billboard, “Money and material things are not what it’s all about, and not why we wrote this song. People assume that one day there will be this moment in their lives where they’ve ‘made it,’ but that’s false. The lyric, ‘I’m just looking for a good time, but I can’t do it by myself, if we could have it all for one night, yeah, that’s the good life,’ embodies the spirit of this song. What’s most important is living in the moment with the ones you love. That is where you’ll find your ‘good life.’ ”
Kedr Livanskiy, Your Need
Moscow-based Kedr Livanskiy (real name Yana Kedrina) scores her first Billboard top 10, starting at No. 6 on Dance/Electronic Album Sales with Your Need. It’s the electronic producer’s second charted set, following Ariadna (No. 16, 2017). With vocals in Russian, Need also notches a No. 11 debut on World Albums, marking Livanskiy’s initial appearance on the list.
“The music I make depends heavily on what mood I’m in,” the artist tells Billboard. “It totally conveys the vibe of my spirit. This album has a strong spirit, stronger than before. I was feeling really inspired by many ideas and bursting with energy. It’s a celebration of life and a rebirth. It’s also directly connected to my physical state, not only emotional.”
“The album is more primal, physical and rhythmic, but it does have a depth to it,” Livanskiy continues. “The remaining songs have more of a subconscious, archetypal concept. The beat moves your body and you feel something ancient awaken inside. It’s about the affirmation of life, a fighter’s spirit and, if you will, a little audacity and courage. The album is like a chapter of life. It’s a story that illustrates different scenarios and moods that our mythical hero experiences, living in an urban jungle, from lost love to bad trip on the dancefloor, from euphoria to deep introspection. Our hero sometimes feels bold, lost or devastated, but also tender and full, like all of us at some point in life. The ending is joyful and bright.”
Helynt, Mario & Chill
Italian synthwave producer Helynt heralds his first Billboard chart action, debuting at No. 5 on Dance/Electronic Album Sales with Mario & Chill. The playful set pays tribute to Nintendo’s iconic Super Mario Bros. video game series, with themes of games such as Mario Kart, Super Mario World, Mario 64 and more reworked into progressive electronic tracks.