The Village People’s new single “Disco Star” debuts on a Billboard chart in the same week that founding member Carl Willis passes away. HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 26: (L-R) Nicholas Manelick, James Kwong, Javier Perez, Victor Willis, Jeffrey James Lippold, and James Logan of Village People attend the 91st anniversary of the Hollywood Christmas Parade, supporting Marine Toys For Tots on November 26, 2023 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images for Associated Television International)
Getty Images for Associated Television International
On June 29, disco hitmaker and Village People co-founder and frontman Victor Willis passed away. The singer died only about a day before what would have been his seventh-fifth birthday today (July 1).
Willis had been with the band for decades, and he co-wrote many of the act’s most successful singles, including “Go West,” “In the Navy” and, of course, the inescapable “Y.M.C.A.” This week, the Village People score a new hit on a Billboard chart, and it’s highly likely that the group does so shortly before several career-defining wins become bestsellers again in the wake of Willis’ passing.
Village People Return With “Disco Star”
The Village People return to the Adult Contemporary chart this time around with the track “Disco Star.” The cut opens at No. 28 on Billboard‘s list of the most successful tunes, ranked based on total number of audience impressions via radio stations in the United States that play the softer side of pop music.
Village People Score a Fourth Career Radio Hit
“Disco Star” earns the Village People a fourth career trip to the Adult Contemporary chart. Amazingly, it’s only been about a year and a half since the troupe last hit the list with a new song. In October 2024, “Goddess of Love” debuted, and by mid-November, it had climbed to No. 20.
Village People First Arrived on the Chart in 2020
All four of the songs by the Village People that have landed on the Adult Contemporary chart have done so this decade. The band first appeared on the tally in May 2020 with “If You Believe.” That cut spent two frames on the list and peaked at No. 25.
In December 2022, “Magic Christmas,” an obviously seasonal and perfectly-timed release, hit the radio rundown. “Magic Christmas” would peak at No. 13, missing out on – by only a few spaces – becoming the first top 10 for the Village People on the chart dated December 24 of that year.
Village People Claim the Lowest Debut This Week
Only three songs debut on the Adult Contemporary chart this week, and new arrivals occupy just 10% of all available real estate. The Village People claim the lowest-peaking of the bunch. Ella Langley’s “Be Her” and “Somewhere in the Night” by The Grimm kick off their time on the register at Nos. 24 and 27, respectively.
Another two tracks that did not make space on the list just last week, but which have appeared previously, are back on the Adult Contemporary chart. Alex Warren’s “Fever Dream” lands on the list for only the fourth time, and it establishes a new high point of No. 29 as it bounds back onto the ranking. Ariana Grande’s “Hate That I Made You Love Me,” which debuted at No. 14 and then vanished, reenters the tally at No. 30, in last place.
Village People Released Block Party Days Ago
The Village People released a new compilation just last month, titled Block Party: Village People. The six-song collection features fan favorites like “Y.M.C.A.” and “In the Navy,” but notably, not “Disco Star.”