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28 Aug 2024

Watch Maren Morris Sing ‘Kiss the Sky’ From ‘The Wild Robot’

When Maren Morris began working on music for The Wild Robot, the animated adaptation of the beloved best-selling middle-school-aimed book by Peter Brown, all she had to do was put on her mom hat. 

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“I was so emotionally moved by this story as a mother. Writing the songs for this film was such an honor because it made me feel even closer to my son, especially when I’m touring and sometimes have to be far away from him,” she tells Billboard. “The entire Wild Robot team has been so supportive of the creation of these songs and I’m so excited for the world to see this film.”

The movie tells of a shipwrecked robot, Roz, who lands on an uninhabited island and learns how to build relationships with the animals there, including an orphaned gosling, Brightbill, whom Roz adopts and watches become independent. 

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Morris, who is mom to 4-year old Hayes, sings and co-wrote  “Kiss the Sky,”  which plays over a pivotal scene in the film. The uplifting song and video premiere below and show Roz helping Brightbill fulfill his destiny by teaching him to fly.  DreamWorks Animation will release the film Sept. 27, while Back Lot Music will put out the soundtrack, which features a score by Kris Bowers, the same day. 

“When we were approached to write the song for the flight scene in The Wild Robot we understood how pivotal the moment was in the film,” says co-writer Michael Pollack, who penned “Kiss the Sky” with Morris, Ali Tamposi, Delacey, Stefan Johnson and Jordan K. Johnson. “The scene is literally Brightbill learning how to fly and eventually taking flight, but also metaphorically felt like a lifting off point to the back half of the movie. It was important for the song itself to feel uplifting and have triumphant elements but at the same time it had to evoke the struggles Brightbill was enduring at this point in the story. In a way the melodic arc of the song mirrors the actions of a bird taking flight, as it rises from section to section, ultimately soaring in the post-chorus.”

Morris also penned the end-title song, “Even When I’m Not,” with the same co-writer (with additional writing by Isaiah Tejada).  Both songs were produced by The Monsters & Strangerz production team and Tejada. Kris Bowers handled orchestration and served as the movie’s composer.

The Wild Robot stars Academy Award winner Lupita Nyong’o as Roz; Emmy and Golden Globe nominee Pedro Pascal) as fox Fink; Emmy winner Catherine O’Hara as opossum Pinktail; Oscar nominee Bill Nighy as goose Longneck; Kit Connor as Brightbill and Oscar nominee Stephanie Hsu as robot Vontra.

28 Aug 2024

Spotify Is Bringing Artists Home Again With homegrown presents concert series

Spotify is bringing its homegrown playlist to life as it launches the homegrown presents concert series with Dylan Gossett and Wyatt Flores. 

Gossett kicks off the series with a Sept. 8 concert in his hometown of Austin, Texas, while Flores follows with an Oct. 7 show in Stillwater, Oklahoma. More concerts will take place in the coming months. Free tickets will be dispersed via email through Spotify’s Top Listeners program.

The homegrown playlist caters to the next generation of country listeners, featuring acoustic-oriented artists like Gossett, Flores, Zach Bryan, Ella Langley, Lainey Wilson and Noah Kahan. The artists share an authenticity, according to Spotify, but aren’t limited to traditional country genre lines.

“homegrown is all about authentic connections to music, celebrating your roots, and never forgetting where you came from,” says Claire Heinichen, Spotify’s editor of country music. “Tying these songs and artists to the places that made them felt like the perfect way to bring fans in to experience the playlist in real life. We’re so excited to celebrate the official launch of homegrown with Dylan & Wyatt and can’t wait for fans to see all we have in store!”

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“As an Austin native, it feels special to be able to bring my fans together in a place that’s had such a deep impact on my songwriting,” Gossett tells Billboard. “I’m thankful to Spotify homegrown for making it possible.”

Gossett is signed to Big Loud Texas, Miranda Lambert and Jon Randall’s Big Loud imprint, and Mercury Records. His breakthrough song “Coal” has been certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America. 

Flores, who is signed to Island Records and made his Grand Ole Opry debut earlier this year, added, “Stillwater is where it all started for me. It’s the home of Red Dirt. To be releasing my debut album, Welcome to the Plains, about my search for home and who I am in the much larger world I’ve found myself in; I can’t think of a better time to go back to Stillwater. It means the world to me to have Spotify’s homegrown presents help me tell that story.”

28 Aug 2024

Yes, Chappell Roan Is ‘Busy Writing’ New Music — No, It Does Not Have a Release Date Yet

With seven singles on the Billboard Hot 100 and her debut album occupying the No. 2 slot on the Billboard 200, Chappell Roan‘s music has never been more relevant. Now, fans are finding out when they might expect to hear new music from the singer.

In an interview with Music Business Worldwide, Roan’s manager Nick Bobetsky revealed that the singer is currently “busy writing” new songs, and talked about when fans might be able to hear some of the star’s new work. “I do think that we’re likely going to embrace a very similar plan that we did for this album, which is that when she finishes a song she loves, we put our heads together and quickly work to get that music out,” he said. “That’s what we did with ‘Good Luck, Babe!’”

Describing Roan as an “album artist,” Bobetsky said that high demand from fans doesn’t necessarily mean a full album is coming soon. “It’s partly a question of when the fans are asking for an album, and we have a lot of insight into that sort of thing,” he said. “I think right now Chappell wants to feel free to put music out when it’s ready and when she’s excited about letting people hear it. And I think that’s what the fans want as well.”

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Fans got their first tease of a new Chappell Roan song during the star’s head-turning set at Governors Ball 2024. Performing an unreleased track titled “Subway,” Roan changed into a taxi cab-inspired outfit and delivered the heartbroken ballad to an audience of screaming fans.

Recently, Roan has spoken out about inappropriate, “predatory” interactions she’s had with people in public, asking her fans not to harass her when she’s not performing. “When I’m on stage, when I’m performing, when I’m in drag, when I’m at a work event, when I’m doing press … I am at work. Any other circumstance, I am not in work mode,” she wrote in a note posted to her Instagram. “I don’t agree with the notion that I owe a mutual exchange of energy, time, or attention to people I do not know, do not trust, or who creep me out — just because they’re expressing admiration.”

In his MBW interview, Bobetsky also reflected on Roan’s rapid rise to fame, explaining that the singer’s success, in part, comes from the way she works with her fans. “The success hasn’t taken her away from her core fans, she’s taken them with her; they are part of it,” he said. “And it’s part of our core strategy. It’s not ‘Let’s do everything, let’s maximize every ounce of the success that’s currently happening’; that’s not the point.”

28 Aug 2024

Clams Casino On His Favorite A$AP Rocky Collaboration, & Why The Kid LAROI’s ‘Nights Like This’ was Years in the Making

Clams Casino doesn’t believe in the age-old adage of having to finish what you start — at least in a single recording session. Born Michael Volpe (no relation to the New York Yankees shortstop and fellow New Jersey native Anthony Volpe), he rose to prominence serving as the sonic architect behind a majority of A$AP Rocky’s seminal 2011 Live. Love. A$AP mixtape, which ushered in a new era of NYC rap and kicked off the A$AP Mob frontman’s Harlem Renaissance.

But nearly 15 years later, Volpe’s atmospheric beats has continue to leave an impact on the next generation of artists. Being a fan of his work with Rocky, Clams Casino was already on The Kid LAROI’s radar when a mutual collaborator, Billy Walsh, connected the producer to the Australian musician when he was just 17 years old. Though nothing came of the initial studio session link-up, a year-and-a-half later, Clams Casino cooked up another intoxicating beat that he felt matched the vibe LAROI was looking for, and he turned out to be right.

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“I hadn’t spoken to LAROI in a long time and I just had a feeling,” he tells Billboard. “I sent him that one and he immediately responded that he loved it and went right in, recorded it on his own and sent it back in like a day.

“He used the MP3 I sent him as-is,” he continues. What came out was pretty much the original demo, which is cool about.” That result is the euphoric “Nights Like This,” which ended up landing on The Kid LAROI‘s debut album, The First Time, last November. And while it didn’t take off immediately, the track would slow-burn to success with the help of TikTok and break through in July on the Billboard Hot 100, where it has remained for the summer and currently sits at No. 67 in its ninth week on the chart.

The 37-year-old producer and LAROI then continued their magic with “Nights Like This Pt 2,” a heart-racing second installment that on The First Time‘s deluxe edition, released in August.

Below, Clams Casino breaks down all things surrounding “Nights Like This,” what stood out to him about The Kid LAROI and working with A$AP Rocky throughout his career.

How did “Nights Like This” come together? How did you originally get onto The Kid LAROI’s radar?

Clams Casino: It was a few years in the making. LAROI first reached out to me online when he was like 17. He was in the studio working with a mutual collaborator, Billy Walsh — I think he played him some of my stuff, and they were brainstorming and brought me out to [Los Angeles]. LAROI knew a lot of the music that I had done. Later on, he told me he was a big fan of the [A$AP] Rocky stuff. I went out to L.A. and we met up in the studio and we talked and played some stuff, but nothing really came out of that first time we met up. I kept it in the back of my mind.

I think it was a year-and-a-half later, and I was at my own studio in New York making beats. That [beat] came up, and I just thought this was the one to send to him. This is kind of what they were talking about what they wanted [during the initial session] and the sound they were referencing. I just sent that one beat. He was excited about it. I had a feeling this was the one and it worked out. Once it happened, it was quick, but the roots were a long time in the making.

Do you remember actually cooking up that specific beat before getting it into his hands?

I had the melodic stuff sitting around a little bit. I knew it was a special one. I didn’t really know what to do with it. I had half of the beat kind of put away. I was like, “When the time is right, I’ll come back to it.” I don’t do full things in one sitting. A lot of stuff, I’ll come back to it months or years later. I messed around trying to do a different arrangement, and I think he was just stuck on the original demo. There was something about it; he kept going back to that. He was right about it. I tried some other things out, but he just wanted that original version, which is cool looking back on it. 

What stands out about his artistry?

What’s exciting for me when I hear his music is that he has a very unique sense of melody — his delivery and his vocals. There’s something melodically that just feels like he’s delivering in the tones of his voice [with] a genuine feeling and it connects with his music because of that. 

“Nights Like This” was teased back in 2022 and released in November. What do you think about its slow burn onto the charts? 

It spread around very organically and I think that’s the best way it could happen. There was like zero push from the label at the beginning — they thought, like, “This is a little interlude or something.” I don’t think anyone took it seriously. From the beginning, I knew it was a really special thing and he did too. He was really excited about it. We had the freedom to do exactly what me and him wanted to do. People really connected with that. 

Was there a moment you realized the record was taking off, and saw the fan reaction really moving?

I started seeing headlines, and all of a sudden, it was getting jumps in streams. I started seeing things online with people saying it was going crazy on TikTok. It just slowly started building. That’s how it really happened. I’m glad everyone’s hearing it now and they got around to it because that’s how I felt about it when it came out. I was happy and really excited and proud of that. Even just for it to come out in the first place I was happy, but I’m glad it got to that point. I always knew it was special. I’m glad it really connected with everybody else.

How did this lead into “Nights Like This Pt 2”?

The beginning of that idea came from something I made for myself. An instrumental solo project — that was the first thing when I was starting on my own new stuff. When I was listening back, I was going to save it for myself, and I was like, “Something about it feels like this should be the part two.” This was in March or earlier this year. So, a few months after the first was released. I sent LAROI not the full beat or anything, but melody stuff and it was a start.

He loved it, and he immediately started teasing it online. Ten minutes after I sent it to him, he was on Twitter saying, “Part two coming!” I was laughing about that — he was real excited about it. There was a little bit of back-and-forth after that. Him and [co-producer] Dopamine recorded it and did some other production and sent it back to me. We sent it back a few times. Dopamine did a lot of work on it and we went back a few times. We got it finished up.

When did The First Time track “Strangers (Interlude)” come into play?

I actually didn’t know about that. I had no idea about that until the album came out. They had done that on their own. I felt like it set up [“Nights Like This”] really nicely. I love how it sounds sequenced on the album. It’s a clip from “Nights Like This” — just the intro to it and filtered out a little and a little skit on it.

Is there more to come from you guys?

Yeah, it feels like we’re just starting to figure it out. We’re both really excited. I’m like such a fan of his music and I’m happy that I’m able to bring what I bring to it. It just makes sense and it’s a beautiful thing. I’m always working on more that I want to send to him and we got some other stuff that we’re going to keep going [at] hopefully. 

Outside of those collabs, what else are you working on?

I’ve been working on different stuff, like getting into scoring things. I worked on some original music for an independent movie that premiered at Cannes a few months ago. [It’s called] It Doesn’t Matter and the director is Josh Mond. I’ll definitely be doing more of that. In the meantime, I really have been having fun getting in with a lot of young producers and young people I’m inspired by. A lot of them have been inspired by me since they were younger, and now they’re coming up doing their own thing. It’s really crazy. I just been having fun getting in with all these new guys and seeing what happens. Producers [like] Evilgiane, who did the Earl Sweatshirt song recently. [I] been working with other guys like Ok. I did some stuff on the JT album with Aire Atlantica. I’m always experimenting and having fun doing stuff I haven’t done before. That’s what keeps me going. 

Did you work on A$AP Rocky’s upcoming album?

We did work [on Don’t Be Dumb]. I don’t know what’s going to be used or not. It always seems up in the air until the last minute. We definitely had some things in the works. I don’t know what’s going to be released or not.

Can you speak to Rocky’s influence and his enduring legacy as a 2010s rap titan?

I’m just happy to be part of his story and the ride of his career. Seeing it from the beginning when we first met to where he’s at it now, it’s an amazing story. Remembering where it started and seeing where he’s at now, it’s awesome. I’m just happy to be able to see some of that and some of the behind-the-scenes things. 

What do you think makes him special as an artist?

Overall, he has a clear sense of vision for everything. All aspects of it. The music, visuals and everything else. He’s always developing and sharpening that. I don’t really know what it is, but he’s got it.

Do you have a favorite collaboration over the years?

All of the first mixtape stuff [Live. Love. A$AP] is super important to me. That whole time, we weren’t really working in the studio. I was sending stuff, but then I’d come meet up with him every couple weeks and he’d play me what he did, but he was recording it [on his own]. The first song we officially did together was “Wassup.” Then we did “Bass” and “Palace” and all that stuff. It was happening one at a time over the spring and the summer leading up to the mixtape. I didn’t know what was going on, but I knew something good was happening. Those songs are really special. There was an energy there that something was happening. For me, it was exciting and I didn’t know what was going to happen, and we just kept following it. 

For me, I think I gotta go “LVL.”

That was a little bit after the mixtape. That’s another special one doubling down on the sound that we started. That’s when it went from this internet mixtape thing to a major label and we were doubling down on the sound like, “This is what we’re doing.” That’s one of my favorites too.

A version of this story appears in the Aug. 24, 2024, issue of Billboard.

28 Aug 2024

Musicians Who Have Jumped From the Stage to the Screen: Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift & More

Though they may have started as musicians, many of the world’s biggest stars have also adapted their performance abilities for the screen.

Some simply dabble in Hollywood, dipping their toes into acting as a hobby or making cameos in projects to boost a cast list with their star power. Others take it as seriously as they do their music, making it an equal or greater focus of their careers in the long run.

And for a few triple-threat A-listers, the mediums go hand in hand. Take Lady Gaga, for instance, whose film roles – Ally in 2018’s A Star Is Born, Harley Quinn in 2024’s Joker: Folie à Deux – have required her to flex her singing and piano-playing skills while delivering emotional, dynamic performances in character. Taylor Swift sang and danced in the 2019 screen adaptation of Cats alongside her castmates, as well as penned an original tune for the project alongside Andrew Lloyd Webber. Beyoncé and Jennifer Hudson both served up stunning vocals for 2006’s Dreamgirls movie-musical, while Prince’s self-directed 1984 flick Purple Rain went hand-in-hand with his iconic album of the same name.

No matter how lengthy or prestigious the credits on their IMDb pages are, however, it’s true that musicians are often naturally suited for acting in front of a camera. Both art forms involve charisma, presentation and the ability to thrive under the spotlight – so it’s no wonder why so many big names in music have been able to successfully cross over into the film and TV spaces.

Keep reading to see photos of stars who’ve proven they can do it all, plus some of their biggest roles, below.

28 Aug 2024

Mötley Crüe Guitarist John 5 & His Dog Team Up With PETA for ‘Always Adopt! Never Buy’ Campaign

Back in the day, when Mötley Crüe rolled into town, it wasn’t unusual to hear about their rowdy antics. But these days the group — whose original members are all in their early to mid-60s — are more likely to bring their pups on the road than toss TVs out of windows.

The proof is in newest member guitarist John 5’s campaign promoting pet adoption in collaboration with PETA, which the non-profit organization is sharing with Billboard first.

In a video starring John’s adorable adopted hairless Chinese crested mix rescue Churro, the rocker strikes a series of poses with the so-ugly-he’s-adorable dog, whose spiky mohawk looks like a rock-star affectation, but is actually all natural. “It just sticks up like that,” John says in the 90-second clip in which he tells the tale of how Churro was found near death in a box in the San Bernardino desert.

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“If was in there a few more hours he wouldn’t have made it,” John continues. “It’s heartbreaking to even think about. We had to get Churro — there were no ifs, ands, or buts. We were lucky enough to adopt him, and he’s just the best … We literally can’t go anywhere without him — he’s always with us. He’s just a part of the family.”

These days, John tells Billboard, it’s Churro who rips things up when the band hits the road. “When we’re on tour, it’s really  a lot of fun. [Singer] Vince [Neil] has dogs, [drummer] Tommy [Lee] and [wife] Brittany [Furlan] have dogs, and now we’re bringing Churro,” he says. “It’s like a non-stop party after the show. Speaking of trashing hotel rooms, these [dogs] are the ones that do it.”

The campaign video is part of a push to urge animal lovers to adopt dogs and cats from shelters and to never buy animals from pet shops or breeders, “which churn out litter-after-litter of puppies and kittens into a world already bursting at the seams with homeless ones,” according to PETA. The organization also notes that there are around 70 million homeless dogs and cats in the U.S. at any given time.

PETA shared in a press release that Churro’s story highlights the fact that “virtually any breed of dog can be found in a shelter or through a breed-specific rescue group,” warning that some shelters have policies they say warehouse dogs for months, or years while turning away some animals, leaving the most vulnerable ones with nowhere to go. “That’s why PETA urges shelters to accept all animals in need, advises guardians to have their animal companions spayed or neutered, and asks everyone to adopt animals instead of buying them from breeders or pet stores.”

“It’s so important to adopt, because you see these helpless animals in there and they just want to be loved,” John 5 says in the video. “You can see it in their face. When you adopt, it will enrich your life so much.”

The guitarist joins other celebrities who’ve teamed with PETA to promote pet adoption in the past, including John Stamos, Kathy Griffin, Ron Perlman, Tom Hardy and Cristin Milloti, among others.

John 5 will launch his 2024 Strung Out solo tour on Sunday (Sept. 1) at City Winery in Boston, and he appears on the Crüe’s upcoming Cancelled EP (out Oct. 4), which features the band’s amped-up cover of the Beastie Boys’ “Fight for Your Right.”

Watch John 5’s “Adopt! Never Buy” video below.

28 Aug 2024

Alejandro Sanz Added to 2024 Billboard Latin Music Week Lineup

International music icon Alejandro Sanz will join the lineup of legendary talent at the 2024 Billboard Latin Music Week. Billboard announced Wednesday (Aug. 28) that the four-time Grammy and 22-time Latin Grammy-winning Spanish superstar will sit down for an exclusive Icon Q&A.

Sanz joins a star-studded lineup for the five-day event, featuring exclusive panels, conversations and performances by Latin music’s biggest stars. Previously announced participants include Bad Gyal, Belinda, Camila Fernández, Chiquis, DANNA, Danny Ocean, Dei V, Domelipa, Eslabon Armado, Fat Joe, Gloria Estefan, J Balvin, JOP, Keityn, Kunno, Lele Pons, Luis Alfonso, Lupita Infante, Majo Aguilar, María Becerra, Marko, Mau y Ricky, Mon Laferte, N.O.R.E., Omar Courtz, Paola Jara, Peso Pluma, Pipe Bueno, Sophia Talamas, Yahritza y Su Esencia, Yeison Jiménez, Yeri Mua and Zhamira Zambrano, with more to be announced in the coming weeks. 

“It’s an honor to welcome Alejandro as he prepares to release new music,” says Leila Cobo, Billboard’s Chief Content Officer for Latin and Español, in a press release. “We pride ourselves in being a home for artists where they can speak creatively and openly, and we can’t wait to hear what Alejandro has to say.” 

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Sanz’s Icon Q&A marks his return to Latin Music Week after he sat for an exclusive conversation in 2003.

From his debut in 1991 with Viviendo Deprisa to his album of the year Latin Grammy-nominated latest studio album SANZ, released in December 2021, Alejandro Sanz has established himself as one of the most well-known and influential artists around the world. With more than 25 million records sold, all his albums have obtained multi-platinum status in Spain, Latin America and the United States.

Throughout his career, Sanz has collaborated with renowned artists from all over the world, from Alicia Keys to Shakira, Destiny’s Child, Laura Pausini, Ivete Sangalo, Juanes, Juan Luis Guerra, Marc Anthony and many more. Among his latest releases are “NASA” with Camilo; “La Despedida,” included in the soundtrack of the movie Bullet Train; and “Yo Soy” with Eros Ramazzotti. He recently obtained his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and was honored by his hometown of Andalucía with the city’s highest distinction, a medal with the title of “Favorite Son.”

Celebrating its 35th anniversary, Billboard Latin Music Week will take place Oct. 14-18 at The Fillmore Miami Beach at the Jackie Gleason Theater. Tickets are available for purchase here.

Billboard Latin Music Week will coincide with the Billboard Latin Music Awards, which will air on Telemundo. Latin Music Week tickets will not include access to the awards show this year. Instead, Billboard will host a special 35th-year anniversary celebration on the evening of Oct. 18, where INSIDER badge holders will receive exclusive invitations to this star-studded event.

For more information on Billboard Latin Music Week, updates on the schedule and more exciting announcements, visit BillboardLatinMusicWeek.com.

Alejandro Sanz for Billboard Latin Music Week

28 Aug 2024

More ‘Praise’: Elevation Worship’s Latest Hit Logs 25th Week Atop Hot Christian Songs Chart

Elevation Worship’s “Praise,” featuring Brandon Lake, Chris Brown and Chandler Moore, reaches a milestone 25th week at No. 1 on Billboard’s streaming-, airplay- and sales-based Hot Christian Songs survey (dated Aug. 31).

“Praise,” co-penned by Elevation Worship frontman Brown with Lake and Moore, as well as Pat Barrett, Cody Carnes and Steven Furtick, becomes just the sixth title to have dominated Hot Christian Songs for 25 frames or more over the survey’s 21-year history.

When “Praise” initially topped Hot Christian Songs in March, Brown told Billboard, “We’re blown away by what God has done with ‘Praise,’ and we’re thankful for everyone who has streamed, tuned in and shared the song. We hope it is a great reminder of all the reasons to praise God not just for what He’s done, but for who He is.”

“Praise” drew 13.8 million airplay audience impressions and 3.4 million official U.S. streams and sold 1,000 Aug.16-22, according to Luminate.

Here’s a look at the longest-leading Hot Christian Songs No. 1s:

132 weeks, “You Say,” Lauren Daigle, beginning in July 2018

61 weeks, “Oceans (Where Feet May Fail),” Hillsong United, beginning in June 2013

37 weeks, “What a Beautiful Name,” Hillsong Worship, beginning in February 2017

28 weeks, weeks, “Gratitude,” Brandon Lake, beginning in February 2023

26 weeks, “Something in the Water,” Carrie Underwood, beginning in October 2014

25 weeks (to date), “Praise,” Elevation Worship, Brandon Lake, Chris Brown, Chandler Moore, beginning in July 2024

Dillard Has a ‘Hold On’ Radio

Singer-songwriter Ricky Dillard scores his fourth Gospel Airplay No. 1 with “Hold On.” The song advanced by 10% in plays during the tracking week.

“Hold On,” which Dillard wrote with Duane C. Shipley and produced with Zeke Listenbee and Quadrius Salters, is his third straight No. 1, after “All of My Help” led for a week in July 2022 and “Release,” featuring Tiff Joy, ruled for a week in August 2020.

Dillard, and his choir, New G, first commanded Gospel Airplay with “Amazing Light,” for 30 weeks starting in July 2014, the chart’s second-longest command, after Marvin Sapp’s “Never Would Have Made It” (46 weeks starting in August 2007).

28 Aug 2024

UC Santa Cruz’s Quarry Amphitheater Gears Up for First Concert Since Extensive Renovation

On any given day, visitors to the University of California, Santa Cruz’s sprawling campus might stumble upon a grove of towering 150-foot-tall coastland redwood trees, a nesting white-tailed hawk, a handful of trailside yellow banana slugs or a full production concert attended by 2,800 music fans.

The latter would be courtesy of the historic on-campus Quarry Amphitheater, a natural limestone amphitheater that fell into disrepair in the 2000s and reopened in 2017 following a two-phase, $8 million capital improvement plan — before shutting down again due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, the Quarry is officially relaunching as a concert venue on Oct. 12 with Kevin Morby Presents: This Is A Festival featuring Morby (formerly of Babies and Woods); singer-songwriter Jessica Pratt; Trevor Powers’ experimental-pop project Youth Lagoon; prolific Parisian-born drummer, composer and producer 3; beloved indie-rocker Ben Kweller; and rising hip-hop and alt-rock group Blackstarkids. Chris Black and Jason Stewart from the popular culture podcast How Long Gone will serve as emcees for the evening.

“The Quarry is such an incredible space and in looking to the future of the venue, we wanted to create a replica that looks like the original but holds its own with any other modern venue,” said Quarry Amphitheater GM Jose Reyes-Olivas, who works on behalf of UCSC and previously booked and helped produce the Stern Grove music festival in San Francisco.

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Last month, the Quarry hosted a screening of which Reyes-Olivas says was “rebuilt…from the ground up,” has added a new load-bearing roof system, lighting trusses and motorized rigging. The venue doesn’t have a PA system; tours bring their own sound or rely on third-party backline companies for amplification, which Reyes-Olivas points out is also the case at nearby Berkeley, Calif.’s Greek Theater and the Mountain Winery in Saratoga, Calif.

Once viewed as a stopover for touring bands between the Bay Area and L.A., California’s Central Coast has since become an important music market on its own. Oakland company Ineffable manages a number of venues in Santa Cruz and coastal towns like Ventura and Monterey, while nearby Stanford University reopened its 8,000-capacity Frost Amphitheater in 2021.

The Quarry — which technically reopened last month with a special screening of the 1984 Talking Heads concert documentary Stop Making Sense — has agreed to a preferred booking agreement with Bay Area indie concert promoter Noise Pop Industries, though Reyes-Olivas tells Billboard the venue is an open facility available to qualifying concert promoters. Noise Pop, which was founded in 1993 as a $5 club night boasting a five-band bill inside San Francisco’s Kennel Club — now known as The Independent — has since grown into one of the Bay’s premier indie promoters, booking hundreds of bands at dozens of venues each year and serving as one of California’s best-known music showcases.

When it came to booking the Quarry, Morby “was definitely on the shortlist,” says Noise Pop CEO Michelle Swing. “We’re really big fans of Kevin and everything that he does…so we reached out to his team about curating a full day at the Quarry and he loved the idea.”

She added, “I think what’s fantastic is that the university is really investing in finding ways to bring more shows to the Quarry by bringing down costs and invested in the venue even further. We’re partnering with them to find the right shows that make sense for Santa Cruz music fans.”

Tickets for Kevin Morby Presents: This Is A Festival are on sale now via QuarryAmphitheater.com.

28 Aug 2024

Xavi Takes ‘“#OOTD’ to No. 1 on Regional Mexican Airplay

It’s a third win for breakout singer-songwriter Xavi, as he achieves his third No. 1 on Billboard’s Regional Mexican Airplay chart with latest single “#OOTD,” as the song speeds 6-1 to lead the Aug. 31-dated ranking.

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For those not familiar with the term, ‘#OOTD’ stands for ‘outfit of the day,’ often used by Instagram and TikTok influencers sharing fashion content on those social apps –the subject matter of the song released June 29 on Interscope/ICLG.

The sierreño guitar-powered “#OOTD” leads Regional Mexican Airplay after a 43% vault to 6.7 million audience impressions, earned in the U.S. during the Aug. 16-22 tracking week according to Luminate.

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Thanks to that 43% surge, “#OOTD” wins the Greatest Gainer honors of the week, awarded weekly to the song with the largest gain in audience among the 40-deep title tally. That audience swell arrives from Univision stations WOJO-FM (Chicago), KSCA-FM (Los Angeles) and KLNO-FM (Dallas) during the tracking period.

“#OOTD” awards Mexican-American Xavi his third No. 1 on Regional Mexican Airplay among four career visits, all just within six months. The 19-year-old, who quickly became a force in the genre, set foot on the survey with “La Diabla,” for one week in charge in February. The latter also claims the longest-leading honors on the multi-metric Hot Latin Songs in 2024, along with FloyyMenor and Cris Mj’s “Gata Only,” both of which dominated for 14 weeks this year. “Corazón de Piedra” followed as Xavi’s second Regional Mexican Airplay chart-topper, ruling for two weeks between May and June. The No. 20-peaking “La Víctima” (March) rounds up his four total entries on the tally.

Elsewhere, the gain in audience propels “#OOTD” to a 14-3 surge on the overall Latin Airplay chart, for an equal peak as his last top 10 through “Corazón De Piedra’ (No. 3 high in June).

Thanks to its radio haul, “#OOTD” joins “Corazón” on Hot Latin Songs, where it also pushes 39-30.