Pochette de l'album Thriller (1982)
This week, a forty-three-year-old record climbed higher than it ever has on the American charts, South Korea kept up its relentless pace of comebacks, and France welcomed back one of its most distinctive voices. Between catalogue hits revived by the big screen, auteur pop and sheer international firepower, here are ten tracks that defined the past seven days — and what they say, taken together, about the state of music in this particular mid-November week.
“Thriller” — Michael Jackson
Riding the success of the biopic “Michael,” which has topped $900 million worldwide and overtaken “Bohemian Rhapsody” as the highest-grossing music film of all time, “Thriller” jumped eighteen spots on the Billboard Hot 100 this week to land at number two, an all-time high for a song released in 1982. The track never climbed that far back when it first came out. A useful reminder that today’s charts are won in the catalogue aisle too, and that a hit film remains one of the surest ways to push an old classic back up them.
“Ya Hit” — Future feat. Drake, Travis Scott & Loe Shimmy
Future brought together two longtime collaborators, Drake and Travis Scott, alongside rising Florida rapper Loe Shimmy for this surprise release on November 6. Sexyy Red’s ad-libs add extra heat to a track that drew as much attention for its four-star lineup as for how well it works: a massive, club-ready hook and a beat that doesn’t try to reinvent the posse-cut formula so much as push it to its limit. The kind of reunion that proves these three names can still blow up a record within hours, even with careers that don’t always run on the same track.
“Looks Can Kill” — IVE
On this new single, girl group IVE take on a superhero alter ego and have been racking up Korean TV appearances since the song’s release in late October. The video, which blends superhero-movie visuals with the polished staging Starship Entertainment is known for, hit number one on YouTube’s worldwide music trending chart the moment it went live, further proof that IVE remain one of the steadiest-performing fourth-generation K-pop acts, turning every comeback into a commercial event.
“REDRED” — CORTIS
The HYBE-formed boy band is still racking up views on this track, released earlier this year, which is now closing in on three hundred million streams. A sign the momentum hasn’t slowed almost seven months after release, the video — partly self-shot by the group’s five members before the official version was filmed — remains one of the most talked-about clips of the week across Asia. CORTIS made its name by putting its own members behind the camera from day one, and “REDRED” is the clearest proof of how far that bet has paid off.
“Boogie Woogie” — NCT DREAM
To mark ten years together, NCT DREAM revived 1970s disco for this upbeat single, taken from the album “Dream After Dream,” released November 9. Built on modern synths layered over a resolutely retro groove, the track comes with a video that turns the group’s everyday life into one big celebration. A confident pop bet, and a way of marking a decade together without leaning on heavy nostalgia, for a group still finding ways to reinvent itself after the departure of one of its longtime members.
“Rendez-vous avec toi” — Christine and the Queens
The first preview of an album due next spring, this single marks Christine and the Queens’ return after several years away from new music. The song exists in two versions, French and English — “Rendez-vous in your arms” for English-speaking audiences — and the video, shot in Paris, returns to the stripped-down choreography that built the artist’s reputation. A quiet comeback, with no forced big statement, that hints at an album built to last rather than one chasing a chart-ready lead single.
“Oh No” — Rema
Released by Nigerian star Rema as an unapologetic nightlife anthem, this track has just entered the Official Nigeria Top 100 at number two, several weeks after its September release. That delayed climb confirms Rema’s standing as one of Afrobeats’ steadiest hitmakers, someone who can keep a song alive over time rather than relying solely on first-week impact. The track follows “TEA,” another recent win for the artist.
“Miss U II (Nriri)” — FOLA
On this sequel to one of his best-loved songs, Nigerian singer FOLA has spent several consecutive weeks atop local charts. A restrained track, far from Afrobeats’ usual dancefloor tempos, built around a melancholy melody and lyrics about longing — the kind of ballad that confirms FOLA’s distinct place in the Lagos scene, somewhere between West African pop and R&B sensibility. His label, Dangbana Republik, has made the song one of its big end-of-year pushes.
