Billboard Pro’s Trending Up newsletter highlights various factors that drive surges in music streaming, from unexpected controversies to highly anticipated album releases and popular television show finales. Recent weeks have showcased a dynamic landscape where headlines, memorial services, new music, and media synchs significantly impact artists’ catalog performance.

One of the most striking examples involves alt-pop artist D4vd,whose streams more than doubled following disturbing headlines. After a dead body was identified in a car reportedly registered to the singer-songwriter, his catalog collectively earned 30.3 million official on-demand U.S. streams between September 18-22. This represents a substantial increase from the 13.8 million streams recorded in the previous five-day period.

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His viral hit “Romantic Homicide,” which previously reached No. 33 on the Hot 100, saw an impressive 224% gain, rising from 2.9 million to 9.4 million streams. Although no charges have been brought against D4vd, the news prompted the cancellation of multiple tour dates, yet paradoxically fueled a significant bump in his streaming numbers as the tragic story developed.

Meanwhile, contemporary Christian music performers experienced notable catalog gains after participating in a memorial service for conservative media figure Charlie Kirk.The service, held on September 21 at State Farm Stadium, featured prominent artists paying tribute to Kirk’s Christian faith. Brandon Lake, a leading name in contemporary Christian music, collected over 4.3 million official on-demand U.S. streams the day after the service (September 22), a 29% increase from the prior Monday. His performance of “Gratitude” saw a 76% gain, reaching 909,000 streams. Other performers, including Cody Carnes, Kari Jobe, and Chris Tomlin, also recorded increases of 7%, 27%, and 30% respectively. Additionally, Lee Greenwood’sclassic “God Bless the U.S.A.” saw a nearly 13% boost in streams.

In the realm of mainstream hip-hop, Cardi B’s long-awaited sophomore album, “Am I the Drama?”, made a significant splash. Released on September 19, the album garnered 78.3 million official on-demand U.S. streams in its first three days. The new release also revitalized her Grammy-winning debut, “Invasion of Privacy,” which saw a 31% increase in streams during the release weekend (September 19-21), collecting 4.15 million streams compared to the previous weekend’s 3.17 million. Furthermore, Cardi B’s use of samples boosted the original tracks: 4 Non Blonde’s “What’s Up,” sampled in “What’s Going On,” saw a 7% lift to over 981,000 streams, while Janet Jackson’s “The Pleasure Principle,” featured in “Principal,” surged 30% to 52,000 streams.

Finally, the series finale of Amazon Prime’s romantic coming-of-age drama “The Summer I Turned Pretty” served as a powerful music synch driver. The third and final season, renowned for its extensive musical integration (with 104 songs in the season), concluded on September 17. The finale’s 11 synchs led to major streaming bumps for featured songs. Belgian artist Angele’s “Ta Reine” saw an astounding 1,130% increase in U.S. streams (to 130,000) in the five days following the episode. Noah Kahan’s “Everywhere, Everything” and Phoebe Bridgers’ “Scott Street” also rose by 45% and 79%, respectively.

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Unsurprisingly, Taylor Swift, a musical cornerstone of the show, experienced the largest gains. Her “Out of the Woods (Taylor’s Version)” from 1989 gained 184% to 961,000 streams, and “Dress” from Reputation surged by 666% to 3.4 million total streams after being featured in a dramatic scene. Fans can anticipate a franchise-concluding feature-length film, ensuring the show’s musical legacy continues.