Author: djfrosty
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“I wasn’t about to make the same album twice,” Taylor Swift once mused of the process of crafting LPs. “I wanted to challenge myself. “I tend to write for the entire two-year process,” Swift said ahead of the arrival of 1989. From her self-titled debut in 2006 through 1989 in 2014, Swift released her first […]
Flavor Flav and Guy Fieri‘s Flavortown are a match made in heaven. The Public Enemy rapper is set to perform at Fieri’s third annual Flavortown Tailgate ahead of the 2025 Super Bowl in New Orleans, La., on Feb. 9 from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. local time. The event is free for all fans of […]
Even though he’s been teasing his upcoming solo Bully album, Ye — formerly known as Kanye West — still has some promo left for his Vultures 2 collab album with Ty Dolla $ign. Ye and Ty stuck with the AI theme as they released the abstract “530” visual on Wednesday night (Jan. 8). While the […]
Morgan Wallen’s blockbuster country collection Dangerous: The Double Album rules as the No. 1 album of the first 25 years of the 21st century, as it crowns Billboard’s Top Billboard 200 Albums of the 21st Century chart. The 200-position ranking recaps performance on the weekly Billboard 200 albums chart from the start of 2000 through the end of 2024.
After debuting at No. 1 on the weekly list dated Jan. 23, 2021, Dangerous: The Double Album remained on top through the chart dated March 27, 2021, becoming the first album to spend its first 10 weeks at No. 1 since 1987, when Whitney Houston’s Whitney logged all 11 of its weeks in the lead from its debut.
Dangerous: The Double Album, Wallen’s second-full length, has continued to rack up chart feats since its buzzy arrival. When it reached its 86th week in the Billboard 200’s top 10 in September 2022, it surpassed Peter, Paul and Mary’s self-titled set (85 weeks in 1962-64) for the most time spent in the tier among albums by individual acts since the chart began publishing on a regular weekly basis in March 1956.
Through the Dec. 28, 2024-dated Billboard 200 (the final week tabulated for the 21st century charts), Dangerous: The Double Album compiled 158 weeks in the top 10. Only one album has logged more weeks in the region: the original cast recording of My Fair Lady, with 173 in 1956-60.
Meanwhile, Wallen claims two of the top 10 titles on the Top Billboard 200 Albums of the 21st Century chart, as his third studio set, and most recent release, One Thing at a Time, ranks at No. 6. Plus, his debut full-length, If I Know Me, places on the Top Billboard 200 Albums of the 21st Century chart at No. 159.
Below, run down the leading titles on Billboard’s Top Billboard 200 Albums of the 21st Century chart. Also browse highlights of Billboard’s Top Artists of the 21st Century chart and the entire 100-position ranking in Billboard’s charts menu and check back tomorrow (Jan. 10) for the premiere of Billboard’s Top Hot 100 Songs of the 21st Century chart.
Billboard’s Top Artists, Top Billboard 200 Albums and Top Hot 100 Songs of the 21st Century recaps reflect performance on weekly charts dated Jan. 1, 2000, through Dec. 28, 2024. The Top Artists category ranks the best-performing acts in that span based on activity on the Billboard 200 and Billboard Hot 100. (Titles released prior to mid-1999 are excluded, although such entries that appeared on the Billboard 200 or Hot 100 in that span contribute to the calculation of the Top Artists chart.)
Lady Gaga, The Fame
Lyndsay Cruz, who has served as executive director of the Academy of Country Music’s Lifting Lives philanthropic arm since 2019, has stepped down.
The shift comes as the organization seeks a director based in Nashville. The Academy moved its headquarters from Los Angeles to Nashville in December 2022. Cruz, who is looking for other opportunities, lives in Los Angeles with her family where the Academy had been based.
“I am so proud of the work that my team and I accomplished during my time at ACM Lifting Lives. With a focus on health-related initiatives, we were able to help the country music industry through the COVID-19 pandemic and the continuing mental health crisis, all while working to remove the stigma around mental health struggles,” said Cruz, who was on Billboard’s Country Power Players list in 2022 and 2023 and on Billboard’s Women in Music list in 2023.
During Cruz’s tenure, Lifting Lives raised more than $6 million. More than $4 million was disbursed from Lifting Lives’ COVID-19 fund to over 2,000 people in 42 states. Lifting Lives’ mental health fund, which was created as COVID-19 waned, has handed out $400,000 in grants to individuals and organizations that prioritize mental health support for those working in the country music industry.
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“It was only with the help of the passionate people in the industry who are willing to give back that we were able to raise and distribute over $6 million during my time leading ACM Lifting Lives. We had artists like Lainey Wilson, Morgan Wallen, Jelly Roll, Luke Bryan, and so many others step up to help when they knew others needed it,” Cruz said. “Some of the moments that stick out in my head over the past few years include our Covid fund, mental health focus, music therapy programs and mostly, the industry and artists stepping up to support Lifting Lives with their time and resources. Jelly Roll and Lainey Wilson singing ‘Save Me’ at the ACM Awards in 2023 inspired by ACM Lifting Lives mental health related work was one of the top highlights of my time with the organization.”
Cruz says she hopes to continue to work in philanthropy as she believes deeply in the mission of such organizations as Lifting Lives — as both executive director and someone who needed help.
“As I leave my post, I want to reiterate how important the support for organizations like this is, and for individuals going through struggles,” Cruz says. “The mental health crisis is so prevalent, especially in the entertainment and music industries, and I’m proof of that. I’ve had recent struggles with mental health, having to step away from my role for a moment to take care of myself and give permission to feel. It’s been life-changing to get a handle on my own life and focus on what’s really important, and I will continue to do that moving forward, and help others with their struggles.”
The Academy has not yet begun its search for her replacement.
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If not knowing how to read a room was a person, it would be Meek Mill. In the midst of celebrities sending their thoughts and prayers to everyone in Los Angeles being effected by the wildfire, it was the king of Philly’s turn. Meek stated, “Prayers to la I never knew about fire trauma until my house caught on fire…. I was smelling fire in my sleep jumping up for 3 years… I didnt know that type of trauma existed, so I was just dealing with it as a kid!”
Although his heart was in the right place, some people were not feeling that tweet. Users online felt like the rapper was trying to somehow make this tragedy in Los Angeles about him and was insensitive to those going through it. Meek Mill has been getting clowned by internet trolls for a minute now. From some wild tweets he’s posted over the years, to taking an L when he lost a bet to Michael Rubin and had to bunny hop on the court—he’s been the punchline for a lot of jokes. People love to troll him, and they don’t let up. But Meek keeps his head up, sometimes laughing it off or staying quiet. Even though he’s always the butt of jokes, he still stays strong, showing that no matter what they say, he’s not going anywhere.
Check out some reactions of Meek Mill’s California wildfire tweets below.
First things first. There are (officially) no wedding bells, wedding plans or even an engagement announcement from Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. The couple have been making headlines for the past year for their very public, globe-hopping romance, but despite the persistent rumors, as far as anyone knows they are still just dating.
That didn’t stop a caller on Travis and his brother Jason Kelce’s New Heights podcast this week from trying to Trojan Horse some news out of Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis by asking the siblings how they feel about fall weddings. The caller, William, said he and his girlfriend talked about getting married in the fall, but he unequivocally told her “good luck with that, I’m gonna be at a football game.”
“Ridiculous,” Jason laughed. “Sounds like this marriage is gonna work out great!”
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Travis — who has gotten used to all manner of back door efforts to get him to talk about the couple’s relationship — countered with a very diplomatic answer. “I actually don’t know people who’ve gotten married in the fall,” he said on Wednesday’s (Jan. 8) episode. “My friends always do it in the summer.” Jason noted that “we can’t go usually,” when it comes to nuptials that take place as the NFL season is heating up as the leaves fall.
Travis agreed, counseling the couple to find a weekend when their preferred team is not playing a good team. “Also, if you really do have a problem with that, maybe it’s in her best interest to not have it in the fall so that she knows you’re invested in the anniversary every time it comes around,” he said diplomatically.
He added that the brothers really have no say on the matter, adding that he’s seen weddings in “f–kin’ February… [and] everywhere but the fall. So I’m not sure if the fall is a good wedding season.” Married father of four — with another on the way — Jason also noted that William can record the game because, “there are certain things that are more important than football and if the wedding is not more important than football, we got some bigger issues here.”
“Don’t make my friends have to not go,” Travis said about autumn wedding planning. “Don’t make my friends choose whether or not they’ll have to sell their tickets that week.” In his finest advice, retired Eagles Super Bowl winner Jason said that there are many things more important than football, and “not arguing with your wife is high up there.”
There was, of course, plenty of actual football talk as well, with the brothers setting up this weekend’s first round of NFL playoff games and answering another burning, intimate, “not dumb” question from a caller about their equipment. A woman who rang noted that after watching football with her family she had a query only the siblings could answer: “what happened to the jockstrap?”
“I don’t think you boys wear ’em anymore,” she said as Travis and Jason looked, well, dumb-founded. “You just see everything hangin’ and movin’ and runnin’ and, oh my goodness, oh my goodness!”
“Not as aware as this woman about what’s going on with the genitals throughout the game,” Travis said. “But watch the game for whatever you watch the game for. I’m not here to judge.” Three-time Super Bowl champ Travis will have some time to ponder that some more this weekend thanks to the first-round bye the Chiefs have because of their top seeding in the AFC. Their first game in a bid to be the first NFL team to win three Super Bowls in a row will take place on either January 18 or 19.
Check out the Kelce’s answer about fall weddings below.
Sony Music Publishing Nashville has renewed its publishing agreement with GRAMMY-winning country singer/songwriter Lainey Wilson. Also a CMA and ACM Entertainer of the Year winner, Wilson is one of the most popular voices in Nashville today with hits like “Watermelon Moonshine,” “Heart Like A Truck” and collaborations with other top talents like Cole Swindell, Jelly Roll and HARDY. Wilson is also known for her role on the hit Paramount + series Yellowstone.
Warner Chappell Music Benelux has signed Australian DJ CYRIL. One of Australia’s fast rising stars in electronic music, CYRIL hit the scene as an instant sensation with 2023’s “Sumblin’ In.” He continued the momentum in 2024 with a remix of Disturbed’s “Sound of Silence.”
Kobalt has signed a global publishing deal with acclaimed Mexican folk artist Kevin Kaarl. From Meoqui, Chihuahua, Mexico, the 24-year-old artist and songwriter already has three albums out to date, and he has done it all independently. Now, Kaarl is putting the finishing touches on his fourth album Ultra Sodade, expected to release later this year.
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Concord Music Publishing has signed Justin Donahue to a global co-publishing agreement. Professionally known as Jung Youth, the singer/songwriter/producer’s deal will include his full catalog and all future works. Over the last few years, Jung Youth has established himself through credits on tracks like NCT 127m Tomee Prott, CHERUB, Social Club Misfits Devon Again and Snow Wife, and he also has his own solo artist project dating back to 2017.
Splice is launching the country music genre in its Create AI tool, which allows producers, songwriters and instrumentalists to easily search for samples among Splices multi-million track catalog to use in their original songs. This tool also uses AI to create stacks of samples from the Splice library that work well together, allowing creatives to kick start the songwriting process in a new, user-friendly way. While AI is used to aid in searching and pairing up sounds, all the samples available in Splice Country (and in Splice overall) are human made. Splice Country samples include performances from Nashville musicians like Devin Malone (Jelly Roll, Carrie Underwood) and Kate L. Malone (Sam Hunt, Emma White)
Story House Collective has launched a joint venture with Essential Music Publishing. As part of the partnership announcement, the two companies have jointly signed songwriter and producer Matt Armstrong, best known for working with Christian hitmakers like Casting Crowns, Passion, Bethel Music, Chris Tomlin and more.
Warner Chappell Music and Ned Cameron have signed Nashville-based talent HALLIE to a global publishing agreement. HALLIE’s work as a producer and songwriter spans many genres, including pop, country, rock, hip-hop, k-pop and more. “I’m thrilled and honored to begin this journey,” she says of the new deal.
Centricity Music has signed Rachel Purcell to an exclusive record and publishing deal. From Muscle Shoals, Ala., Purcell has seen success as an artist, recording under her maiden name, Rachel Wammack, but she is ready to reintroduce herself — this time as a faith-based artist and songwriter. Now that she is fully stepping into the realm of Christian songwriting, she says it has all felt “very divine… The songs would finish themselves before I could even get it all out.”
As an artist, Joy Huerta says she likes a good challenge. So when the producers of Broadway‘s upcoming adaptation of Real Women Have Curves reached out to her in early 2020 to see if she could write the songs for the musical, she was swept off her feet.
“I said, ‘For sure!’,” the Grammy Award-winning singer of Mexican pop duo Jesse & Joy — who had never composed music for theater before — tells Billboard Español. “I saw [the 2002 movie] and said, ‘I love the idea, of course, let’s do it.’ I think it was the weekend before we went into lockdown.” She adds: “You dream of challenges, but you don’t know what those challenges are going to look like.”
Five years later, Real Women Have Curves: The Musical is finally giving a glimpse of Huerta’s work ahead of its spring Broadway opening. First, the production released an acoustic performance video of “If I Were A Bird” three weeks ago, in which she sings with fellow Mexican actor and singer Aline Mayagoitia. Now, on Thursday (Jan. 9), arrives “Flying Away,” which Huerta — who is not part of the cast — performs in the clip accompanied by Nadia DiGiallonardo, Rich Mercurio and Yair Evnine. “They gave up so much so I could have more/ And if I don’t go what was all of it for,” say part of the lyrics.
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“’Flying Away’ is a song of longing of this teenage girl becoming a woman, who is growing up in a double culture [as the daughter of Latin American immigrants.] She’s becoming her own person while she’s trying to discover who she wants to be, who she is supposed to be, and who her family need her to be,” Huerta explains. “It’s a big struggle for her, and I think she doesn’t wanna let anyone down, but she ultimately has to think about her, without forgetting about her family. ‘Flying Away’ is that type of song about, how can I spread my wings, how can I fly, how can I be who I was born to be without leaving everyone behind.”
Additionally, fans can stream four demo tracks from the show, including “Make It Work,” “Flying Away,” “Daydream,” and “Real Women Have Curves,” all performed by Huerta, here. All songs were written by the Mexican star along with composer/lyricist Benjamin Velez, whom she calls “a very talented guy.”
Known for Hot Latin Songs hits including “Corre!”, “Me Soltaste” and “Ecos de Amor” as part of Jesse & Joy, the duo she shares with her brother, Huerta — who could relate to the story as the Mexican daughter of an American mother — has enjoyed learning the craft of writing songs for a different form of art in this project.
“Also understanding in what way you are telling the story, because the way I tell stories is in 3 minutes. Here, I especially had time to strike a certain nerve, knowing that what I did or said was going to have a domino effect half an hour, 45 minutes later,” she says enthusiastically. “And that’s been phenomenal because for me now writing songs for Jesse & Joy, knowing what I know after five years of working on this project, it’s been fascinating — it’s like I’m stealing little tricks from different sides for both worlds, and it’s been quite fun.”
Based on the play by Josefina López and the HBO’s movie adaptation, Real Women Have Curves: The Musical is set in East L.A. in 1987 and follows 18-year-old Ana García, a daughter of immigrants who struggles between her ambitions of going to college and the desire of her mother for her to get married, have children, and oversee the small, rundown family-owned textile factory. The 2002 movie, directed by Patricia Cardoso, put a young America Ferrera on the map.
Now Huerta hopes the show helps people see real immigrants in a different light.
“Something that’s really affected me with this story is that all these issues that were happening in the 80s are still happening today, and you would think no, it’s 2025, so many things have changed, it should be easier, and it’s not,” the artist says, wiping tears from her eyes.
“I have dual citizenship, I feel very privileged, but it is very difficult for those who are going to live right now in this new change of government,” she adds. “One of the reasons I’m very excited about this play is that I feel like, whenever you try and tell the story through a family perspective, a family point of view, I feel like maybe we can stop looking at our differences and we can start looking at each other as people. And when that happens, I think change really starts happening.”
As for her aspirations not only to write but also to perform on Broadway, Huerta would love to do it one day, but right now she is enjoying the ride behind the scenes. “I would definitely love to do it at some point. I would also love writing more for musicals,” she says. “This has been such a rewarding and such a beautiful experience.”
Real Women Have Curves: The Musical is produced by Waitress producers Barry and Fran Weissler, and Jack Noseworthy. It has a book by Lisa Loomer with Nell Benjamin, music supervision by Nadia DiGiallonardo, and direction & choreography by Tony and Olivier Award winner Sergio Trujillo. Cast and additional creative team will be announced at a later date.
It arrives on Broadway following its 2023 world premiere at American Repertory Theater (A.R.T) at Harvard University, with previews beginning on Tuesday, April 1, and an opening night set for Sunday, April 27 at the James Earl Jones Theatre (138 West 48thSt). Tickets can be purchased online now at Telecharge.com or by calling 212-239-6200.
Watch Joy Huerta singing “Flying Away” from Broadway’s Real Women Have Curves: The Musical above.
Ed Sheeran has long talked about how vital music education was in his youth, helping him to sort out his feelings and, of course, paving the way for him to become one of the most successful singer/songwriters of the modern era.
Now, the singer is paying it forward with the announcement on Thursday morning (Jan. 9) of the Ed Sheeran Foundation. In an Instagram post announcing the venture, Sheeran explained, “I set up @edsheeranfnd because recently there’s been less and less importance being put on music education. Even when I was in school it was seen as a ‘doss subject’ and not taken seriously. There’s a misconception that it’s ’not a real job’ – when the music industry accounts for 216,000 jobs in so many different fields, and bringing as much as £7.6 billion($9.3 billion dollars) in a year to the UK economy.”
He added, “Not to mention the power our art has worldwide to bring joy to people. It’s something we should be proud of and championing in the UK, not sweeping under the rug and pretending we are just bankers (no offence to bankers obvz). It was incredible for my mental health as a kid, feeling a sense of purpose and achievement, even just learning piano or cello at a young age way before songwriting.”
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Sheeran said the goal of the foundation is to help children learn to play instruments, as well as learn production and songwriting and performance skills and “apprenticeship schemes” to teach them about different skills that could help them enter the music industry. As an example, Sheeran said his operation employs 150 people on tour, all with different skill sets, in addition to those that work with him on the label, management, publishing and promotion side.
“Music is such a key part of our society,” he wrote. “The more I do travelling around and visiting schools and grass roots projects, the more I see there’s passion and inspiring people, who are being undervalued and underserved. I’m hoping this foundation is a start to giving them the support they need to keep going, and show them they are hugely important to us.”
Back in 2019, Sheeran launched the Ed Sheeran Suffolk Music Foundation, aimed at helping young people under 18 living in the Suffolk region of England with “small but useful grants” to help them study or play music.
In the accompany video to the announcement of his latest charitable venture, Sheeran said that music education “shaped who I am,” and that it has given him a sense of purpose and achievement since he was a kid. He noted that he went to a state-funded school, where a supportive teacher gave him the confidence to get on stage and perform.
He said he hatched the idea for the foundation after having a cup of tea with an old music teacher who told him about the poor state of music education. “There are venues getting shut down and there are organizations that do out-of-school music clubs that are getting shut down and I think the foundation’s key is to help those organizations carry on, because they are struggling,” Sheeran said in the video.
At press time no additional information was available about how the Foundation will distribute funds, though on the group’s website it promises to work with “communities, industry and government to make a change in how music is taught across the UK. We want every child to have equal access to express themselves through music and opportunity to pursue a music career.”
The site also says that it will advocate for school-based learning to encourage young musicians, as well as stronger funding and government policies to ensure access to high-quality music education and an investment in schools and grassroots organizations to “help them secure the resources needed for vibrant music programs, from instruments to teacher training.”
The announcement came after Sheeran told Variety in December that following the release of two albums in 2023 — – (Subtract) and Autumn Variations — as well as touring the world for the past two years, he might eschew the typical break he takes after his album/tour cycle because he already has another LP on deck. He said the as-yet-untitled LP is done, with two music videos shot, and plans to shoot two more early this year, as he continues touring in India, China and the Middle East before returning for dates in Europe in the spring and summer.
It feels like I’m getting back into big pop for the first time in a long time,” he said. “It’s quite exciting.”
Check out the announcement video and see the first posts from the Foundation below.