Welcome to the Billboard Pro newsletter. Trending Up , where we take a closer look at the songs, artists, tidbits, and trends that have captured the attention of the music industry. Some came out of nowhere, others took months to become popular, and all can become ubiquitous overnight thanks to a TikTok video. This week: a smash-hit horror film that topped the box office. dominates the streaming world, the 2026 AMAs are bringing a significant boost to winners and performers, and a Michael Jackson-inspired dance trend is elevating the L.A. rapper's fiery hit.
The album "Backrooms" increased the number of plays of little-known songs by The Caretaker and Christopher Saint on streaming platforms.
At just 20 years old, Kane Parsons directed and co-wrote the music for film "Backrooms" , his feature-length directorial debut, based on his 2022 web series of the same name. The film debuted impressively at the top of the global box office, grossing $118 million, marking A24's biggest opening weekend ever. Now, he's bringing some of that magic to the world of streaming. In addition to the soundtrack, the film features well-known, previously forgotten songs like "Ulterior Motives" and "B1 – All That Follows Is True" by The Caretaker—both of which have seen a huge boost in popularity on streaming platforms.
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The song "Ulterior Motives" by British-Canadian musicians Christopher and Philip Booth, which first appeared in a 1986 pornographic film and then gained popularity through then-unheard fragments in 2021, has an online history similar to that of the film. «Backrooms» . After Reddit users pinpointed the fragment's origin to April 2024, the Booth brothers re-recorded the song for their album. Ulterior Motives (The Lost Album) , released later that year under the name Who's Who? & Christopher Saint. Two years later, on April 28, the Booth brothers announced that the original master recording of "Ulterior Motives" had been found, and that by May the song had become the soundtrack to a scene in the film. «Backrooms ».
According to Luminate, Hidden Motives garnered just 17,000 official VOD views in the US in the four days before Behind the Scenes' theatrical release (May 22-25). In the four days following the film's US theatrical release (May 29-June 1), that number increased by a whopping 6,891 VOD views, surpassing the 138,000 official VOD views.
The composition “B1 – All That Follows Is True” is included in the 2016 album by the English ambient musician The Caretaker Everywhere at the End of Time (Stage 1) , also received a significant boost thanks to film "Behind the Scenes"« . Before the film's release (May 22-25), "All That Follows" garnered just over 9,600 official streams. After the film's box office success (May 29-June 1), that number jumped by more than 2,031 TP3T, reaching 29,000 official streams.
While neither of these films is likely to become a true summer hit, the impact Backrooms , of course, undeniable.
The 2026 American Music Awards brought Billy Idol, the Pussycat Dolls, and Keith Urban a surge in streaming engagements.
On Memorial Day (May 25), the American Music Awards delighted audiences with vibrant performances from BTS, Sombré, The Pussycat Dolls, and more, leading to a significant increase in streams for many of the star performers.
Collectively, songs performed at the American Music Awards saw a 7% increase in on-demand streams in the US on May 25-26 compared to the two days leading up to the ceremony (May 23-24), including user-generated content. Twenty One Pilots, who won the award for Best Rock/Alternative Artist, performed "Drag Path," which saw a 40% increase in streams after the broadcast, thanks in part to the release of a video of their AMAs performance. Similarly, Billy Idol, who performed a medley of his hits before accepting the Lifetime Achievement Award, saw a 18% increase for "Dancing With Myself." The song's resurgence was also boosted by the hit Prime Video series. «Off Campus ».
Keith Urban showcased his yacht-rock-era talent with his cover of Seals & Crofts' "Summer Breeze," which saw a 42% increase in US streams after the AMAs. Oscar nominee Teyana Taylor delivered a futuristic version of her Kaytranada collaboration "Open Invite," which saw a 31% increase in streams, while Teddy Swims' "Mr. Know It All" added 27%. Finally, The Pussycat Dolls performed a career-spanning medley (the three of them), which saw a 19% increase in streams after the AMAs for their first single in six years, "Club Song.".
The American Music Awards are produced by Dick Clark Productions, a company owned by Penske Media Eldridge, a joint venture between Eldridge Industries and Penske Media, the parent company of Billboard.
Additional materials provided by Keith Caulfield, Trevor Anderson и Kevin Rutherford .
The Michael Jackson-inspired TikTok dance trend is supported by Sunny 6700's "DYW Dance.".
The Michael Jackson biopic, which revived box office receipts, revived classic hits like "Billie Jean" and breathed new life into obscure songs like "Chicago." Now, the "music fever" is fueling songs that have nothing to do with the King of Pop.
The dance trend, which involves users mimicking Michael Jackson's head movements and dance moves, started in January thanks to this viral video, but the album release «Michael» helped it rapidly spread on TikTok. Users, combining Sunny 6700's "DYW Dance" with old Michael Jackson performance videos and attempting to replicate the choreography themselves, currently feature the official "DYW Dance" soundtrack in nearly 90,000 TikTok posts.
On the week of the film's release «"Michael"» In theaters (April 20-26), The Dance garnered over 36,000 official on-demand screenings in the US, and the following week (April 27-May 3), that number jumped 57% to over 58,000 official screenings. As "Michael Jackson fever" swept a whole new generation and the film continued to dominate the box office, The Dance's screenings steadily increased over the next several weeks, eventually breaking the six-figure mark with over 123,000 official on-demand screenings in the US for the week of May 18-24, an increase of 37% from the previous week (May 11-17). Over the past six weeks, "Dance" has grown by nearly 2,751 TP3T views, surpassing 138,000 official on-demand views in the US for the week of May 25-31.
Whether it's helping artists after their deaths or expanding his own collection of hits, Michael Jackson remains one of the most consistent hit makers in music history.
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