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13 Dec 2024

In Canada: TikTok Fights Order to Shut Down Operations in Canada, Plus L’histoire s’écrit sur Spotify

TikTok is taking the Canadian government to court.

Last month, the popular social media app was ordered by the federal government to “wind down” its operations in Canada following a national security review.

“We will challenge this order in court,” TikTok said at the time.

Now, the company is following through on the promise. TikTok Canada has filed notice of application for judicial review, which is an official legal challenge to the decision.

“This order would eliminate the jobs and livelihoods of our hundreds of dedicated local employees – who support the community of more than 14 million monthly Canadian users on TikTok, including businesses, advertisers, creators, and initiatives developed especially for Canada,” the company wrote on its official website. “We believe it’s in the best interest of Canadians to find a meaningful solution and ensure that a local team remains in place, alongside the TikTok platform.”

Trending on Billboard

TikTok posted the whole legal filing on its website, which you can read here. The document breaks down the order of events, suggesting TikTok cooperated with the security review but was surprised by the abrupt announcement.

The company is requesting a court date to challenge the decision in Vancouver, B.C., one of the two locations of its offices. The other is in Toronto.

The filing calls the order “grossly disproportionate” and says it “will result in the termination of hundreds of employees in Canada and the potential termination of over 250,000 contracts with Canadian-based advertisers.”

The legal filing also focuses on the impact to those creators who use the platform, stating that the order “will cause the destruction of significant economic opportunities and intangible benefits to Canadian creators, artists and businesses, and the Canadian cultural community more broadly.”

The federal government made the decision to shut down TikTok’s Canadian operations following a review of its Chinese parent company ByteDance Ltd., calling the operation “injurious to national security.” Canadian users would still be able to use and access TikTok, but the company would be forced to close its offices in Canada.

The filing follows a new law in the United States that would require ByteDance to divest TikTok by January 19, 2025 or face a ban in the country. – Richard Trapunski

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Charlotte Day Wilson to Play Special Orchestral Concert in Toronto in 2025

Charlotte Day Wilson is preparing for a hometown concert that she calls “a dream opportunity.”

On Feb. 28, 2025, the Grammy nominated R&B/soul singer-songwriter will play a Red Bull Symphonic concert with members of the the Symphonic Orchestra at Roy Thomson Hall, the home of the acclaimed Toronto Symphony Orchestra.

Charlotte Day

Charlotte Day

Emily Lipson

Tickets go on sale Friday, December 13, 2024 at redbull.ca/symphonic.

Previous editions of Red Bull Symphonic in Atlanta and Los Angeles have featured Rick Ross and Metro Boomin, plus special guests including John Legend, Swae Lee and more.

It will be the first orchestral concert for Wilson, and she’s approaching it as a full vision of her current state as a musician.

“I want people to come away from it understanding the musical makeup that I have and of my sense of self within music,” Charlotte Day Wilson tells Billboard Canada over Zoom from her apartment in Toronto.

She’s still in her early 30s, but Wilson has been recording and performing for well over a decade. With two albums and multiple EPs, she has a full body of work to play from, and she’s excited to rethink it in a new context.

Her 2024 album, Cyan Blue, has been nominated for a Grammy for Best Engineered Album, and though Jack Rochon was the primary engineer, Wilson says the two of them made everything in the room together as “an exchange of two people producing and engineering and writing all in tandem.”

Charlotte Day Wilson’s soulful voice and songwriting chops have become a secret weapon for many renowned musicians. She’s performed and collaborated with Kaytranada, Daniel Caesar, Mustafa, BadBadNotGood and Nelly Furtado, and one of her songs was even sampled by Drake.

The Grammy recognition and the ability to do a full-scale orchestral concert feels like a mark of wider recognition in a field that can often include a lot of isolation. It also feels like a “maturing moment,” she says, which fits her mindset right now.

“It’s something I think about a lot as an artist,” she says. “In an industry that is ruthlessly obsessed with youth, how do we graduate into a next chapter of life and still maintain our integrity and relevance. That’s something I think about all the time, and it’s something I want to approach really deliberately.” – R.T.

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Patrick Watson’s ‘Je te laisserai des mots’ Becomes First French-Language Song To Hit A Billion Spotify Streams

Canadian singer-songwriter Patrick Watson has made history on Spotify.

His 2010 song “Je te laisserai des mots” is now the first French-language song to hit a billion streams on the platform.

The song, a wistful composition led by piano and strings, was first written for the 2009 film Mères et Filles.

Listeners clearly agreed that the song has a cinematic quality: it went viral in 2021 and 2022, used by thousands of TikTokers — including Justin Bieber — to soundtrack serene or sad moments in their own lives during Covid restrictions.

Watson joins Bieber and other Canadian artists like Drake, Tate McRae, Alessia Cara and Shawn Mendes in Spotify’s Billions Club. Most of the other Canadian members are major label signees with a pop-oriented sound, which makes Watson — an acclaimed indie singer-songwriter represented by Montreal’s Secret City Records — a more unusual entry into the club.

 “Je te laisserai des mots” was the most-streamed French language track both in Canada and globally this year on Spotify, while the veteran songwriter and producer is the No. 6 most popular Québécois artist on Spotify this year in Canada. He finishes alongside Quebec legends Les Cowboys Fringants and Celine Dion, pop star Charlotte Cardin and rappers Souldia and Enima.

Spotify notes that since 2019, listening to music in French has jumped by 94% on the app — which means after Watson, another Billions Club French-language song could only be a matter of time. – Rosie Long Decter

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Music Business Year In Review

13 Dec 2024

Billboard & Vibe Staffers React to Allegations Made Against Jay-Z | Billboard Unfiltered

In today’s the 25th episode of Billboard Unfiltered, Billboard staffers Kyle Denis and Carl Lamarre are joined by Vibe‘s Regina Cho and Amber Corinne. Together, they dissect Billboard’s 10 Hottest Female Rappers of 2024, discuss who fell off the list, share their personal favorites and explain why each rapper earned her ranking. They also react to Jay-Z’s assault allegations, his response and more.

Carl Lamarre:
I wouldn’t be surprised if he goes from 10 to one. 

Kyle Denis:
Oh, you’re predicting it?

Regina Cho:
I personally feel like the girlies were kind of just like, “OK the boys are fighting. I want to have fun. Like pack it up, like, please. Where’s Latto? Where’s Glo? Let’s go on tour, let’s wear our cheetah prints.”

Amber Corinne:
I do think that Jay-Z might have known that this was coming and that’s why the response was so quick. I do believe it might’ve been prepared already.

Carl Lamarre:
Yo , yo, yo. What’s going on, y’all? Welcome to a fresh episode of Billboard Unfiltered, No. 25! What it do? What it do? It may look a little different because we fired some cads, but we got some fresh superstars. Brother Kyle is still in the building.

Kyle Denis:
I try to stay in the building.

Regina Cho:
You kept the job.

Carl Lamarre:
I’m still here. But no, we have two amazing superstars representing Vibe magazine. To my left, Ms. Amber Corrine, news staff writer, a beast all across. Make sure y’all see her interviews with the Rhythm + Flow cast.

Amber Corinne:
Go watch that.

Carl Lamarre:
Ms. Latto, Luda, DJ Khaled. We have … can I say an award winning? Can I do that?

Regina Cho:
Oh my goodness, I was not prepared for this.

Carl Lamarre:
An award winning podcast. She is also the associate news editor for Vibe magazine, Ms. Regina Cho. 

Regina Cho:
Hello Carl, look at us podding together!

Keep watching for more!

13 Dec 2024

Taylor Swift’s ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ Holds Court Atop the U.K. Albums Chart

Taylor Swift continues her reign over the Official U.K. Albums Chart with The Tortured Poets Department, as the record lands its 10th non-consecutive week at No. 1.

Coinciding with the end of her 21-month long Eras Tour last weekend (Dec. 8), the album remains the songwriter’s longest-running chart-topper in the U.K., the Official Charts Company reports, eclipsing 2022’s Midnights, which sat at the summit for five non-consecutive weeks.

Swift’s previous tour opener Sabrina Carpenter, meanwhile, earns her second U.K. top 10 on the chart this week with Fruitcake. Touching down at No. 5, the festive EP makes its Official Albums Chart debut a year on from release and follows Carpenter’s Netflix special, A Nonsense Christmas. The 25-year-old’s sixth record Short n’ Sweet, meanwhile, continues to be a top 10 mainstay, remaining at No. 2 this week.

The pop girls continue to nab new chart achievements elsewhere: ROSÉ becomes the first K-pop female solo act to secure a U.K. top five with her debut solo LP, rosie (No. 4). She has previously appeared in the top five as part of BLACKPINK, who hit the top spot with 2022’s Born Pink.

Hozier’s Unreal Unearth returns to the top 40 thanks to the release of its deluxe edition, Unreal Unearth: Unending (No. 23), plus the recent announcement that he has been booked to headline Reading & Leeds festival next year alongside Travis Scott, Chappell Roan and Bring Me the Horizon. 

There’s also been a surge of momentum behind Coldplay’s 10th full-length effort, Moon Music. It previously topped the chart for one week in October, and has now scaled 29 places week-on-week to arrive at No. 13. The band bagged best rock act at the Billboard Music Awards Thursday (Dec. 12) and performed its song “All My Love” during the telecast.

See the full Official Albums Chart here.

13 Dec 2024

Wham!’s ‘Last Christmas’ Returns to No. 1 on U.K. Singles Chart

The race is on for the U.K’s Official Christmas No. 1, and with a week to go, Wham! is set to be the contender to beat as the duo’s 1984 hit “Last Christmas” has landed at No. 1 on the Official Singles Chart on Friday (Dec. 13). 

The duo, made up of Andrew Ridgeley and the late George Michael, are now at No. 1 for an eighth non-consecutive week in just four years; “Last Christmas” first reached the summit of the charts in 2021.

The song also bagged the coveted Christmas No. 1 spot for the first time in 2023, having been beaten to it in 1984 by Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” LadBaby – the moniker for YouTube influencer Mark Hoyle – holds the record for number of Christmas chart-toppers with five different songs hitting No. 1 between 2018 and 2022, beating The Beatles’ previous record of four.

Wham! saw off a number of other festive classics, and is in pole position ahead of the announcement of Christmas No. 1 in the U.K. on Dec. 20.

Among the other contenders are Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” (No. 3), Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” (No. 5), and Tom Grennan’s new Amazon Music exclusive “It Can’t Be Christmas” (No. 6).

Speaking to the Bedford Independent earlier this week, Grennan said it felt “crazy” to be going up against “a band and artist that I’ve always loved and admired.” He added: “I was really conscious of not writing a cheesy Christmas song. It would have been so easy to have done that, but I wanted to put out the best I could possibly do.”

Gracie Abrams sees her five-week reign at No. 1 with “That’s So True” come to an end, placing at No. 2. A further slew of Yuletide-themed tracks make appearances elsewhere in the top 40, including Bobby Helms’ “Jingle Bell Rock” (No. 7), Ariana Grande’s “Santa Tell Me” (No. 9) and Laufey’s “Christmas Magic,” (No. 20).

British vocalist Lola Young breaks into the top 20 for the first time with “Messy” (No. 11) following a rise of 24 places week-on-week. Speaking to Billboard U.K. last month, the 23-year-old discussed the slow-burn success of the single and why she believes it has connected with fans. “I choose to give realness and truth. I’ve got a bit of a belly out, I f–king swear a bunch and I have fun,” she said. “And that’s what people are resonating with.”

See the full rundown of the Official Singles Chart here.

13 Dec 2024

‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ Dances Its Way to Streaming: Here’s How to Watch the Lady Gaga Film Online

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Joker: Folie à Deux, Todd Phillips’ sequel to the 2019 blockbuster Joker starring Joaquin Phoenix, is how available to stream on Max. Phoenix reprises his Oscar-winning role as Arthur Fleck/Joker alongside Lady Gaga‘s Harley Quinn for a music-heavy second installment of the Joker adaptation.

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Learn how to stream Joker 2: Folie à Deux below.

Here’s How to Stream Joker: Folie à Deux

Ready to dive back into the world of Todd Phillips’ Joker? Subscribe to Max to watch Joker: Folie à Deux available to stream on Friday (Dec. 13). Starting at $9.99/month with ads or $16.99/month without ads, subscribers gain access to a vast library of binge-worthy originals, must-watch movies and family-friendly programs from Warner Bros. Discovery. Sign up on Max.com or through Amazon Prime Video here.

For visual connoisseurs, the streaming service also offers an ultimate ad-free tier with programming in crispy 4K Ultra HD for $20.99 per month.

Subscribe now to stream hit shows like Penguin, House of the Dragon, The White Lotus, Euphoria, The Last of Us and other movies and original content on Max. You’ll also find music documentaries and biopics such as Elvis, Amy, Juice WRLD: Into the Abyss, and the TV series Rap Sh!t.

Want even more content? Max also offers streaming bundles with Hulu and Disney+ starting at $16.99/month. Sign up here to watch Joker 2 online in addition to all of Hulu’s on-demand content.

Set two years after the original film, Joker: Folie à Deux finds Fleck incarcerated in Arkham Asylum, awaiting trial for murder. As he struggles with dual identity and newfound fame as the villainous DC character, Fleck meets the love of his life Harley Quinn (Gaga). The two plot an escape from Arkham as they descend into madness in this moody crime drama filled with eye-catching musical numbers.

The cast also stars Oscar nominees Brendan Gleeson and Catherine Keener, alongside Zazie Beetz, reprising her role from the first movie.

Watch the trailer for Joker: Folie à Deux below.

13 Dec 2024

Offset Entices the Women Around Him in Lavish ‘Swing My Way’ Video: Watch

Offset is closing out 2024 on a high note with the arrival of his woozy single “Swing My Way” on Friday (Dec. 13). The Turbo-produced track hit streaming services alongside an accompanying opulent music video, which is directed by Kid Art.

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Shot in Brooklyn and Miami, Offset enlists supermodel Anok Yai as his love interest in the “Swing My Way” visual as he looks to entice her to join him for the night.

“That p—y got power, baby, I take her to shop in Milan,” he raps in a nod to Gunna’s “P Power” track. “How them n—-s be biting it’s something to see/ We get on a private/ She gettin’ excited to go to the beach.”

Offset flexes his fashion prowess with a voguish taste while also showing off his fleet of Tesla Cybertrucks and pricy collection of flashy jewelry.

Earlier this year, Offset teamed up with Gunna for “Style Rare.” He’s kept busy throughout 2024 with guest appearances on Juice WRLD’s final posthumous album The Party Never Ends cut “Celebrate,” as well as Blxst’s “Risk Taker” and Killer Mike’s “Exit 9.”

It was a busy campaign for Set, who trekked across North America on tour in support of his Set It Off solo album in 2023. Cardi B and the Migos rapper also welcomed baby No. 3 over the summer, but the couple is going their separate ways, as Cardi filed for divorce once again.

“Slowly but surely, everybody gotta go their separate ways,” she said in October. “My kids gotta get used to that, ‘No, you’re not going to come home every single day and your dad is gonna be here.’ Slowly, but surely.”

Watch Offset’s “Swing My Way” video below.

13 Dec 2024

Watch All the 2024 Billboard Music Awards Performances

From Linkin Park 2.0’s BBMA debut to Teddy Swims, Jelly Roll, Coldplay, Fuerzo Regida and Stray Kids, we’ve got all of Thursday night’s (Dec. 12) sets here for you.

Jelly Roll

Jelly Roll at the 2024 Billboard Music Awards at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan.

Scott Legato

Thursday night’s (Dec. 12) 2024 Billboard Music Awards was a glittering showcase for the artists who lit up our playlists, and the charts, all year. From the rebooted, 2.0 version of Linkin Park to K-pop superstars Stray Kids and SEVENTEEN, country stars Jelly Roll, Shaboozey and Megan Moroney, R&B singers Tyla and Teddy Swims and Coldplay, the night had a bit of everything for everybody.

And, of course, a whole lot for Taylor Swift, who did not perform, but did become the winningest act in the show’s history when she took home 10 more awards, including top artist. Just behind her were Zach Bryan with five, Morgan Wallen with four and four artists with three each: Shaboozey, Bad Bunny, Drake and Elevation Worship.

If you missed any of the performances, or want to re-live them one more time, check out all the 2024 BBMA sets below.

The Billboard Music Awards are produced by Dick Clark Productions, which is owned by Penske Media Corporation. PMC is also the parent company of Billboard.

13 Dec 2024

25 Best Christmas Hip-Hop Songs: Critic’s Picks

Get into the holiday spirit with some classics from Run-D.M.C. and Eazy-E, among many more.

Chance The Rapper and Darryl McDaniels

Chance The Rapper and Darryl McDaniels during the “Jingle Barack” sketch on December 17, 2016 — (Photo by: Caroline De Quesada/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images)

Caroline De Quesada/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images

Christmas and hip-hop have enjoyed plenty of overlap over the years as rappers have thrown on the Santa Claus suit and helped get fans in the holiday spirit.

While some of the tradition’s patina has faded since artists have moved away from Christmas-themed albums and holiday classic covers, plenty of rappers have dabbled in the Kris Kringle section at various times throughout their careers.

From Kanye West’s “Christmas in Harlem” to Run D.M.C.’s “Christmas in Hollis” and DMX’s “Rudolph The Rednose Reindeer” remix, there’s something for just about every type of rap fan out there looking to sprinkle in some cheer to their holiday playlist.

Now it’s not all sleigh bells and stocking stuffers as some artists’ reality had them finding coal under the Christmas tree and they let their holiday frustration be heard on wax. Some of the tracks aren’t exactly going to be memorialized in the hip-hop hall of fame either.

There’s still clearly an appetite for Christmas music as Mariah Carey seemingly defrosts every holiday season. “All I Want for Christmas” first topped the Billboard Hot 100 in 2019 and returned to No. 1 on this week’s Hot 100 chart 30 years after its original arrival way back in 1994. It’s essentially holiday gospel at this point for all ages.

“It’s something that I look forward to all year,” the Queen of Christmas told The New York Times. “Maybe people think it’s something that I put on, but it’s really my favorite time of year.”

Pour up some egg nog and launch your streaming service of choice while running through our top 25 Christmas hip-hop songs below, presented alphabetically by artist.

13 Dec 2024

Friday Music Guide: New Music From Stray Kids, Bossman Dlow, Snoop Dogg & More

Billboard’s Friday Music Guide serves as a handy guide to this Friday’s most essential releases — the key music that everyone will be talking about today, and that will be dominating playlists this weekend and beyond. 

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This week, Stray Kids earn another victory lap, Bossman Dlow keeps rising and Snoop Dogg links back up with an old friend. Check out all of this week’s picks below:

Stray Kids, Hop 

Five months after scoring another No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 with Ate, and one day after taking home the 2024 Billboard Music Award for Top Global K-Pop Artist, Stray Kids’ dominant run continues with Hop, which is highlighted by a sound branded as “SKZHOP” — the group’s personalized riff on hip-hop — and starts rolling with opener “Walkin on Water,” packing in ample record scratches and chest-thumping rhymes in two-and-a-half minutes.

Bossman Dlow, Dlow Curry 

Few rappers have had bigger breakout years than Bossman Dlow, the Miami rapper whose springy drawl is often applied to tales of effortless success; Dlow Curry, his official debut album, arrives before the end of the year to both reflect on a major 2024 and set the MC up for an even more significant 2025, with assists coming from Ice Spice, Lil Baby and GloRilla and the previously released tracks flowing nicely within this new-school trap opus.

Snoop Dogg, Missionary 

Missionary is billed as the first Snoop Dogg album that’s also a full-length collaboration with Dr. Dre as a producer since Doggystyle 30 years ago, and while the album is a guests-packed, samples-heavy showcase for Snoop with Dre hopping on just a few tracks as a rapper, hearing the West Coast legends and longtime friends link back up with some old cohorts — Eminem and 50 Cent also swing by “Gunz N Smoke” — makes for a satisfying return to a proven formula.

GloRilla with Kehlani, “Xmas Time” 

“This as merry as I’m gettin’, swear to God,” GloRilla spits on “Xmas Time,” a singular holiday single on which Kehlani croons about cold nights and time with family in between Glo’s verses about getting iced out in the winter and figuring out which guys are on her naughty and nice lists; the result is disarmingly sweet, with two mega-talented performers joining forces for a Christmas cut that doesn’t sound like any other.

Fred Again.., Two More Days 

After releasing his album Ten Days in September, Fred Again.. decided that that number simply couldn’t stand before 2024 closed out — so we’ve got Two More Days, a pair of singles (the hypnotic “Light Dark Light” featuring Angie McMahon, and the tropical-tinged “Little Mystery” with John Martyn) that lets the superstar producer shimmy into the new year on a high note.

Editor’s Pick: Olly Alexander, “Archangel” 

As Olly Alexander continues moving through a solo career following his start as the leader of Years & Years, new single “Archangel” is a promising step toward a more established pop identity: the delicate synth-pop and fluffy melodies recall Alexander’s previous heights, but the track contains more danceable vibrancy and lyrical personality than his previous solo oeuvre, and sets up a promising future.

13 Dec 2024

Mariah Carey Cancels 2 More Holiday Tour Shows Due to Flu: ‘I’m Really Devastated’

Mariah Carey is still out of commission as she battles a tough case of the flu, with the superstar announcing Friday (Dec. 13) that she needs to cancel two more shows on her holiday tour as she recovers.

In a message posted to X and Instagram Stories the morning of her slotted performance in New Jersey, Carey wrote, “Newark and Belmont – I wish I had better news but unfortunately I’m still sick and have to cancel the shows tonight and on Sunday.”

“I’m really devastated about it and appreciate your support,” she added. “Love, MC ?”

The “Obsessed” musician had been scheduled to take the stage in Newark Friday, two days after which she would’ve performed in Belmont Park, N.Y. She now has just one show left on the lineup: Dec. 17 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., three days after which she’ll star in a pre-taped special ahead of the NFL’s Christmas Day doubleheader broadcast on Netflix.

The two scrapped shows add to Carey’s previously canceled Dec. 11 performance at PPG Paints Arena, which she pulled out of just hours beforehand. “Pittsburgh, I am sorry to say, I’ve come down with the flu,” she wrote at the time. “It breaks my heart that I unfortunately have to cancel tonight’s show. I love you all so much.”

It’s undoubtedly difficult news for the Queen of Christmas to share. Mimi had been excitedly planning the trek for months prior, telling Entertainment Tonight in early October, “It is going very well. We just finished up working on my setlist, getting the whole stage together, the ensembles, the fits — all of it.”

Carey’s evergreen seasonal hit “All I Want for Christmas Is You” is also back at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 dated Dec. 14, marking the song’s 15th collective week at No. 1 on the chart.

See Carey’s tweet below.