This Day in Top 40 History: April 15
With fun music festivals such as Coachella, Taylor Swift’s iconic Eras Tour, and Bad Bunny’s feverishly sold-out shows, April 15 marks a significant day in the history of Top 40…
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – SEPTEMBER 04: Bad Bunny performs onstage during 2022 Made In America at Benjamin Franklin Parkway on September 04, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Roc Nation)
With fun music festivals such as Coachella, Taylor Swift's iconic Eras Tour, and Bad Bunny's feverishly sold-out shows, April 15 marks a significant day in the history of Top 40 music.
Breakthrough Hits and Milestones
On April 15, 2022, the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival kicked off in the deserts of Southern California after a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19 restrictions. A year later, another star performed:
- 2022: Headliners at Coachella on April 15 included Harry Styles, Lil Baby, and Phoebe Bridgers. King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, Baby Keem, and Damian Lazarus were among the supporting artists who performed.
- 2023: Grammy Award-winning pop superstar Taylor Swift performed in Tampa, Florida, during The Eras Tour. During these series of concerts, Swift sold out stadiums globally, created a community of "Swifties," and became one of the highest-paid performers of her generation.
Cultural Milestones
April 15 has seen musicians stand together to support racial equality and Bad Bunny break a Tickmaster sales record:
- 2016: Musicians from various genres, including Alicia Keys, Nicki Minaj, Chance the Rapper, and DJ Khaled, met with then-President Barack Obama to discuss ways to continue the administration's My Brother's Keeper initiative. This program was designed to support schemes that help young men of color address the imbalances created by racial injustice.
- 2022: Bad Bunny's El Último Tour del Mundo 2022 became the fastest-selling tour since 2018, according to Ticketmaster.
Notable Recordings and Performances
These April 15 performances were remarkable:
- 1972: Roberta Flack's "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" started a six-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart. Flack died on February 24, 2025, in New York.
- 2024: Pop singer SZA performed at Spark Arena in Auckland, New Zealand, to support her album SOS. SZA is best known for her hits "Kill Bill" and "Snooze."
Industry Changes and Challenges
Some pop stars faced legal troubles on April 15:
- 1996: Disgraced pop star Rob Pilatus from Milli Vanilli was sentenced to 90 days in jail and 180 days of drug rehabilitation for assault charges. Milli Vanilli were stripped of their Grammy Award for Best New Artist after admitting they never sang on their album "Girl You Know It's True" and only lip-synced.
- 2003: The Wilhelmina Artists agency sued pop diva Beyonce, claiming the artist did not fulfill her obligations for her cosmetic endorsement of L'Oreal. Beyonce defended herself, refusing to pay the commission originally brokered, and there were no further comments from the artist or her representative.
Spring and summer music festivals, big concerts, and intimate shows bring joy to fans and unite music lovers, even during challenging times. Top 40 artists keep the music industry and community alive with new recordings and memorable performances.
