‘Wuthering Heights’ Leads to Big Streaming Totals for Charli xcx & Gains for Kate Bush

Welcome to Billboard Pro’s Trending Up newsletter, 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: The new Wuthering Heights leads to big streaming totals for soundtrack singer-songwriter Charli xcx and an early Wuthering wailer, while Bella Kay steps into viral stardom and the All-American Halftime Show performers see gains.

Charli XCX and Kate Bush Reach Streaming ‘Heights’ Following Debut of Emerald Fennell-Directed Movie

The new Emerald Fennell-directed adaptation of Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights is a minted box office hit, topping the domestic box office over the weekend and making over $80 million globally. Playing some part in the movie’s success is undoubtedly the accompanying Wuthering Heights album recorded by pop star Charli xcx — 12 new tracks inspired by the film, including previously released cuts like “Chains of Love,” “Wall of Sound” and the John Cale-featuring “House.” 

Those 12 songs have gotten off to a good start on streaming, racking up a combined 4.8 million official on-demand U.S. streams (according to early data provided by Luminate) on Feb. 13, the day of both the album’s and movie’s release. That number fell the next couple days, but has rebounded in the following days as the movie’s reach has grown, climbing back from 3.0 million streams on Feb. 15 to 3.7 million on Feb. 17, a 26% rebound. The set is led by “Chains of Love,” which has racked up 2.9 million streams across the first five days (Feb.13-17) of the Wuthering Heights release.

Meanwhile, a different (but not totally unrelated) “Wuthering Heights” is also benefitting from the movie’s popularity. Kate Bush’s 1978 classic of the same name, a No. 1 hit on the UK’s Official Singles Chart, has garnered 560,000 streams over that same five-day period, while gaining in streams every day — from 75,000 on Friday to 163,000 on Tuesday. And with a clip of Heights star Margot Robbie getting into the spirit by doing Bush’s famous dance from the song’s music video earlier in the week, expect those streams to keep rising in the days to come.  – ANDREW UNTERBERGER

Bella Kay Is Helping Fans Be Honest About Their Insecurities — And Scoring A Streaming Hit in the Process 

After scoring some buzz with “The Sick” last year, Bella Kay has already stumbled into a rising hit with her first release of 2026. Titled “Iloveitiloveitiloveit,” Kay first started teasing the angsty, guitar-driven pop track with a Dec. 3 TikTok post highlighting the beginning of the chorus, which has proven to be the most magnetic section of the song. She shared several snippets of the song (each amassing tens of thousands of views and likes) throughout December, culminating in its wide release on Jan. 11. 

According to Luminate, “iloveit” earned 1.46 million official on-demand U.S. streams in its second week of availability (Jan. 16-22). That number ballooned by 65% the following week (Jan. 23-29) to 2.42 million official streams, and another 31% the week after (Jan. 30-Feb. 5) to over 3.19 million official streams. By the week of Feb. 6-12, Kay’s track scored 3.75 million official streams, cementing a 156% increase in streaming activity over the past three weeks. 

“iloveit” is chiefly concerned with the internal conflict and turmoil that comes from desiring something you know will ultimately destroy you. Naturally, TikTok users felt an emotional connection with the track, using the chorus to highlight their own personal examples of that sentiment. The official “iloveit” TikTok sound boasts over 128,000 posts. With more music on the way, Bella Kay has solid momentum brewing for the rest of the year. — KYLE DENIS 

Turning Point ‘All-American Halftime Halftime Show’ Performers Rise in Streams and Sales Following Super Bowl Sunday

Billboard reported earlier this week that attention from Kid Rock’s performance at Turning Point USA’s contentious alternative ‘All-American Halftime Show’ during halftime of Super Bowl LX on Feb. 8 helped his cover of Cody Johnson’s “‘Til You Can’t” become his first Billboard Hot 100 hit since 2015, debuting at No. 69. Though that was the biggest bump for any of the performers following the conservative protest concert, each of them saw modest gains in streams and big hikes in sales for the week. 

Even removing the sales and streams from his new “‘Til You Can’t” rendition, Kid Rock’s catalog saw gains of 47% in official U.S.on-demand streams (from just over 8 million to just under 12 million) and 647% in digital song sales (1,000 to 8,000) between the tracking weeks of Jan. 30-Feb. 5 and Feb. 6-12, according to Luminate. Meanwhile, Gabby Barrett rose 27% in streams (to 5.5 million) and 1,628% in sales (to 9,000), Brantley Gilbert was up 18% in streams (9.1 million) and 1,204% in sales (4,000) and Lee Brice was up 11% in streams (10 million) and up 905% in sales (5,000). 

Though the bumps are sizable, they obviously pale in comparison to the gains posted by the official Super Bowl LX halftime headliner, Bad Bunny. Over the same period, Bad Bunny rose 125% in streams (to 494 million) and 332% in sales (to 57,000), while posting 18 different songs on the Hot 100, including the new No. 1 on the chart, “DtMF.” — AU

Juvenile Mounts a Comeback — And People Want Megan Thee Stallion Along for the Ride 

Juvenile hasn’t hit the Hot 100 in over two decades, but given the recent buzz of his new “B.B.B.” single, he could very well make a grand return. The Southern rap icon dropped his Genesisthegawd-assisted new single on Jan. 23, and the track has quickly left social media enamored with its head-banging production and the nimble flow of both MCs. In addition to millennials celebrating one of their defining MCs returning with a certified banger, people have been enjoying “B.B.B.” so much that they’re fan-casting remixes, and practically everyone is naming Megan Thee Stallion. 

In its first full week of release, “B.B.B.” earned just over 250,000 official on-demand U.S. streams. That figure exploded by 380% to over 1.21 million official streams the following week (Jan. 30-Feb. 5), and further 88% the week after (Feb. 6-12) to over 2.28 million official streams. In just two weeks, streaming activity for “B.B.B.” jumped a whopping 807%. The official “B.B.B.” TikTok sound has already amassed over 11,000 clips, an impressive showing for an artist (and general fanbase) that far pre-dates the app’s existence. 

With Megan confirming that she’s back in the studio, it appears her take on “B.B.B.” is imminent, which would only further boost the song streaming. And between Clipse’s chart triumphs last year and T.I.’s return to the Hot 100 top 50 this year, now seems to be the perfect time for veteran MCs launching new material. — KD