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30 Apr 2024

How Rich the Kid Went From Being Dropped by RCA to Topping the Hot 100 on Ye’s ‘Carnival’

Rich the Kid isn’t much of a blackjack player or one to be firing up bets on FanDuel, but he believes every decision in life is a gamble — which doubles as the title of his upcoming LP.

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The Queen-born rapper bet on himself when taking a flight to Saudia Arabia for the first time last year to meet up with Ye and Ty Dolla $ign, where the origins of “Carnival” began to take place.

Rich cooked up the slippery chorus and his verse in what he estimates took about “15 to 20 minutes, tops.” The early version of the track eventually got into Kanye’s hands, which he turned into a chanting stadium anthem, with additions from Ty Dolla $ign and Playboi Carti.

Trending on Billboard

“Carnival” hit the ground running as an immediate Vultures 1 fan-favorite when landing on streaming services on Feb. 10. Without much playlisting or radio play, “Carnival” chugged along and finally pushed through to reach the apex on the March 16 Billboard Hot 100, giving Rich The Kid his first No. 1 hit.

“So many people counted you out and down-talking you — to go from that to No. 1, you can’t script it,” he tells Billboard with a smile on his face.

Just a few months prior to “Carnival,” Rich the Kid was down on his luck, as his RCA Records label dropped him and he began plotting his next move.

The single was a full-circle moment for Rich the Kid, who met Kanye two years ago, and says Ye texted him about how people continued to tell him that Rich was a genius. Their universes finally aligned under unlikely circumstances, and the collaboration led to West’s first Hot 100 No. 1 since guesting on Katy Perry’s “ET” in 2011.

RTK will look to carry his momentum into Life’s a Gamble, his first solo album since 2020. Ye has continued to work with Rich since they returned to Los Angeles, as the Vultures duo of West and Ty Dolla $ign will serve as Gamble‘s executive producers.

During his visit to Billboard earlier in April, Rich played album cuts such as “Bandman,” which will serve as the lead single, dropping on May 10. He’s got more heat in the stash, as he teased another possible banger titled “Gimme a Minute,” featuring Peso Pluma and another superstar guest.

Life’s a Gamble is slated to arrive in June, and it will be a busy affair, with co-stars including Ye, Ty Dolla $ign, Chief Keef, BIA, Rob49 and Migos rappers Quavo, Offset and even a posthumous contribution from Takeoff.

Check out the rest of our interview here, as Rich speaks on the magic phone that connected him with Frank Ocean, Vultures 2, “Carnival” and more.

Life’s a Gamble. Talk to me about where your headspace is when naming the album that.

I feel like everything in life’s a gamble. You walk out the front door, you could get hit by a bus. Everything’s a gamble. I’ve took wins and losses with my career and I felt it was a perfect title. I didn’t think twice about it.

Was there a certain gamble in your career that you think paid off?

Just investing in myself and my career. Even to the little things – getting CDs pressed up and handing out mixtapes. I used to have to take the bus from my grandmother’s house from Marietta to get to Atlanta. I had to take the bus to the train station to get to Atlanta. I didn’t have money so I had to take chances investing in myself. To now going to record with Ye and Ty [Dolla $ign] in Saudi [Arabia]. Got a flight and a taxi from the airport. It’s the same hustle.          

What was Ye and Ty [Dolla $ign]’s involvement as executive producers on the project?

The project was almost already done. Ye and Ty been helping me with tweaking the beats. Tuning and making everything perfect. We just been tweaking and making everything perfect – perfecting the sound. That’s something me and Ye got in common. I’ve always wanted to perfect the sound or make the next sound. I feel like that’s what we’re doing. When I go in the studio and I heard beats, I try to go off what I know is the next level. This hasn’t been done before. This is the new sound. I try to elevate it. We been in the studio day-in-day working [in L.A.] on music.

“Carnival” hits No. 1 on the Hot 100 – how did that come together? Take me back to cooking the song up.

I’m independent. It’s kinda like three months before “Carnival” came out, me and my label wasn’t on the same page and [RCA] let me go. What a blessing! It was a big moment for me too.

I had a show in Dubai. Ty was like, “We in f–king Saudi.” I’m like, “S–t, I’m an hour away.” And I had an off day before another show. I’m like, “F–k it, off day I’m gonna go to f–king Saudi.” It was kinda different. I never been out there. You can’t smoke out there. You can’t drink but I think you can drink now they passed it after we left. Like what the f–k, why didn’t they have that when we was there? I got out there at the airport they said I needed a visa. I was like, “How the f–k I need a visa?” They like, “You could buy it right here.”

It was me and my boy. We took a taxi cab about an hour and 15 minutes out. Pulled up to a resort type of thing. It was dope. We get out there. The first night Ye and Ty played me Vultures 1. I was like, “Yeah, this is hard.” Second day, I got woken up early around 11 or 10 and we had a set-up in the room. Me and Ty was recording. I was looking for beats and [TheLabCook] sent me a bunch of beats to my phone and I was going through them. 

When I heard “Carnival,” I just felt, “Oh yeah, this is the one. This is a new-age rage rock star s–t. This is the one.” I pulled it up and after I did my part. I did the chorus first, then the verse. I probably did it in 15 minutes – 20 minutes tops. Ty was in the room while I was recording. I played it back after I took my headphones off. Then Ty got on there. Ye didn’t get on it right away. I left and Ty hit me up before they had the Vegas listening like, “Ye said he wants you on the album. What song do you think we should put on there?” At the time, it was called ‘Honor Roll’ and another song we had did. I was like, “S–t, let’s put ‘Honor Roll’ on there.’” It had that energy. Ye added a lot of production [and] the chants. 

One thing I always think back to, two years ago when I first met Ye, he like “Yo, people are telling me you’re a genius.” He texted me this two years ago. Ye’s a genius. So it’s like two geniuses together. He did the production and picking the chants and I picked the beat. [We] joined forces. [Playboi] Carti got on it two days after Vegas. When I first heard it, I knew it was gonna be No. 1. I was like, “This is a No. 1 song.” I was telling my team that. 

Let’s talk about that road to No. 1 on the Hot 100. Not much playlisting or any radio push, it was really the people. What do you remember about pushing “Carnival” to get to No. 1?

Both [Ye and I] being independent and No. 1 is crazy. It’s crazy, because people was asking me why I’m going so hard. “That’s not even your song.” I’m like, “What you mean? I’m on the song.” I feel it’s just as much my song as everyone on the song. It’s my first No. 1, Carti’s first No. 1, Ye’s first since ‘07 and Ty’s second No. 1. We really made history with one song. Largest streaming song of 2024 as of right now. That’s crazy!

Rich The Kid

Rich The Kid

Courtesy of Helio PR

Elliott Wilson said you were the luckiest dude on the planet after that. I was like, “How could you say that?” 

It’s kinda weird. I think he should’ve said something like, “Damn, we watched Rich work for so many years and grind so hard from the bottom. So many collaborations, he’s a young GOAT. Salute him!” Instead, he’s like, “He’s lucky.” What the f–k kind of s–t is that? Keep doing your thing. He too old to be hating on young guys like me. I feel like it’s more No. 1s to come. More No. 1s this year, plural. 

What’s your best memories of “Carnival” rising and just traveling with Ye and the team?

We was in Milan and the energy was insane. Blow the top off the roof. After we performed, we were backstage and they’re still singing “Carnival.” Loud as f–k. I’m like, “What’s going on?” Pulling out, my car was surrounded by fans and I jumped on top of the sprinter and they started singing “Carnival” a cappella. Knowing it’s coming too. I was telling people it’s coming. I’m on the way! Y’all see my track record. Just because I was plotting for a minute doesn’t mean I wasn’t working. This album too, it’s gonna be slapping them in the face. 

What did you think about Ye’s comeback?

I feel like I call myself the comeback kid. I did a comeback and Ye did a comeback. Perfect timing. We did it. 

Vultures 2, is the “Motion” record with you, NBA YoungBoy and Takeoff gonna be on there? You played that for [Ye]?

Yeah, just like that. We were cooking up and working on V2 and I was like, “I think I got something.” Takeoff said something about Ye on the song. 


https://youtube.com/watch?v=SjyAz4s9xK0&version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent

What else do you got lined up for the rest of the year?

I did a full Latin project. My DJ is Dominican. We been working nonstop the last two or three years recording music with different artists and places. I say some things in Spanish. It’s a lot of the biggest Latin artists in the game on there. J. Balvin, for sure. Arcangel, Peso Pluma. Yovngchimi. I was immersing myself in the culture. It’s not like I was like, “I’m gonna do a Latin album one day.” I was tapping in with people. 

What do you think about this civil war breaking out in rap right now?

I think a lot of the old heads love it. It’s competition. That’s what I been hearing from the OGs. They love the competition of it. 

Do you think that’s lost with the new generation?

I don’t think it’s all the way lost. We got n—as dissing each other all the time. 

Last time we spoke [in 2020], people were talking about your lost Frank Ocean collaboration. Was that actually true?

My phone somehow was uploaded with someone’s contacts. Magic contact book. I have everybody you could imagine’s phone number. Executives, artists, restaurant owners, singers, rappers. 

You got Dua Lipa’s phone number?

Nah, I don’t got Dua Lipa. That’s how I got on that FaceTime with Frank Ocean. When I got the contacts I was like, “What the f–k’s going on?” I started typing in people’s names. Frank Ocean, damn! You could also go to another time I FaceTimed Ye a couple years back. It was the same way. I FaceTimed him and he picked up the phone looking like, “What the f–k is this?” I screenshotted it and posted it [to social media]. To this day, I don’t know how the contact thing happened. I had Rihanna’s number too. 

Did you try hitting Rihanna up?

Yeah, this was three years ago. She didn’t pick up. I texted her saying I was trying to work… I got my first record deal off of that. When I was leaving [Quality Control], I had to pay $500,000 for the buyout, and at the time, I didn’t have $5,000. I had to make something happen, bro. I didn’t know what I was gonna do. I was like, “Let’s go to the magic contact list.” I started typing in record labels from A-Z. A lot of people didn’t answer. Then I typed in Interscope and I called every Interscope person. One person picked up and they was like, “What’s up?” I explained, “I’m Rich the Kid and I got some songs and I’m trying to get signed.” I had a project ready. He’s like, “Bet, come to Interscope this day.” Bet. 

I come to Interscope and I’m playing music for somebody in the office. I played seven songs. It’s hard. Then I’m thinking the meeting’s over and someone else walk in the room like, “Hey, I’m Manny Smith.” The person I thought I was meeting wasn’t him. It was another A&R. Everything was meant to be. I played the music for Manny and he wanted to make it happen. Interscope bought me out of the deal. I was also signed to 300 Entertainment too. They bought them out. I was able to get paid from the deal. Three months later, I released “New Freezer” with Kendrick [Lamar] from this magic phone.

30 Apr 2024

Willow Reflects on ‘Whip My Hair’ Legacy: ‘My Message Hasn’t Really Changed’

When “Meet Me At Our Spot” went viral a few years ago and eventually peaked at No. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100, Willow collected hordes of new fans. While audience expansion is always welcome, the 23-year-old singer-songwriter first made her Hot 100 debut nearly 15 years ago with “Whip My Hair,” and now, she’s reminiscing on that time with Billboard News ahead of her forthcoming Empathogen album.

“There were a lot of fun things about it,” she muses. “When I was a teenager, I was very like, ‘Uh, no, trauma … there were things that hurt me and things I don’t understand!’ And now, I’m like … obviously, there were things that hurt you and things that you don’t understand, but, overall, my message hasn’t really changed!”

The kid-geared, self-empowerment anthem marked the musical debut of Willow, who was just 10 years old at the time. Co-written by Ronald Jackson and Janae Ratliff and co-produced by Tim Carter and Jukebox & Obanga, “Whip My Hair” played on 2010s party rap, with Willow employing a rap-sung cadence over a mixture of heavy synths and drums. The song reached No. 11 on the Hot 100, becoming the highest charting hit of Willow’s career yet on Billboard’s marquee singles chart. “Whip My Hair” also landed on the Year-End Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs ranking for two consecutive years: 2010 (No. 84) and 2011 (No. 76).

“‘Whip My Hair’ is like, ‘be yourself, live out loud, don’t care what anybody thinks, express yourself!’” Willow explains to Billboard News. “That hasn’t really changed. I really feel like ‘Whip My Hair’ is just a foundation for everything that has come later … It was a lot of fun. I am so grateful — I would never take it back.”

Since “Whip My Hair” lit up the charts, Willow has released five solo studio albums and a collaborative LP with Tyler Cole titled The Anxiety. 2021’s Lately I Feel Everything is her only solo album to hit the Billboard 200 (No. 46), buoyed, in large part, by the success of its Travis Barker-assisted lead single, “Transparent Soul.” Later that year, The Anxiety became the second Billboard 200 entry of Willow’s career, climbing all the way to No. 103 and spending 11 weeks on the chart, her longest running title yet.

With a catalog that ranges from ambient alternative music to hair-raising punk-pop and soulful rock n’ roll, it’s no surprise that Willow continued down the musical path she forged with “Whip My Hair” nearly 15 years ago.

“I’ve tried to run away from it. I’ve tried to be like, ‘No! I’m not a musician, I’m gonna do something else,’ and then, guess what? It just keeps coming back!” she says. “That’s how you know something is really important to you. If it causes you pain and discomfort and you’re still wanting to do it? I trust that inner drive. Even through the discomfort, you’re like, ‘I gotta stick with this.’”

As part of one of the last generations of child stars to rise to fame without TikTok, Willow jokes that “it would probably be lit” if she were 10 years old and releasing “Whip My Hair” today. “I can’t even really imagine it … thinking about it actually kind of interesting!”

Empathogen, the sixth studio album from Willow, hits DSPs on Friday, May 3.

30 Apr 2024

Willow Talks New Album ‘Empathogen,’ Reflects on ‘Whip My Hair’ 10 Years Later & More | Billboard News

Willow talks about her new album Empathogen, how it different from her last album, the vision she had for the two singles “Alone” and “Symptom of Life,” reflects on the virality and success of “Whip My Hair” 10 years later, the success “Meet Me At Our Spot,” how her biggest music influences came from her mom, the potential of collaboration with her brother Jaden Smith and more!

Willow:
And there’s something to learn from that. You know what I’m saying? And it’s beautiful.

Tetris Kelly:
Sometimes you don’t gotta think about it, you just gotta put it out there.

Willow:
I’m gonna remember that this is looking at, I’m gonna remember that. Hey, I’m Willow, and this is Billboard News.

Tetris Kelly:
Hey, it’s Tetris with Billboard News hanging out with someone who doesn’t really need an introduction, but hi, Willow! How are you?

Willow:
Hi, I’m so good, I’m so happy to be here.

Tetris Kelly:
I’m so excited about your new album. It’s out this week — nervous?

Willow:
Oh, my goodness, I don’t think I’ve ever been more excited for a project to come out. I’m just I can’t wait for people to hear it.

Tetris Kelly:
And the title, love that Empathogen. Tell me the inspiration about why you wanted to name the album that?

Willow:
Well, you know, during the time that you know, these songs were kind of coming into being and I was creating this concept for the album, I was learning a lot about indigenous plant medicine. Another, you know name for these molecular compounds. These ancient molecular compounds are called empathogens — empathy and pathogens — pathogens that create empathy when you ingest them. And yeah, I just … I just thought that was a really beautiful explanation of, you know, kind of how I want to walk in the world, how I want to affect the space when I enter the space. And I just thought that was a really cool name.

Watch the full video above!

30 Apr 2024

‘Avengers’ Director Feels Marvel Films Are Flopping Due To Handheld Technology

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Avengers: Endgame poster

Source: Marvel / Disney

It’s no secret that the last few films that Marvel Studios has released have been doing less than stellar numbers at the box office and though many feel that superhero fatigue is the main culprit for the slippage, Avengers: Infinity War directors, Anthony and Joe Russo feel that technology is to blame.

According to Variety, the Russo Brothers don’t necessarily believe that comic book fans are simply tired of all the superhero films and shows that we’ve been getting bombarded with for the past few years, but rather how audiences actually take in and consume whatever these film studios churn out. With people living in a digital age where they want everything in whatever manner they’ve become accustomed to, they feel that the old school “lets make plans to go to the movies” isn’t as viable as it was in years past.

Per Variety.

“I think it’s a reflection of the current state of everything. It’s difficult right now, it’s an interesting time,” Joe Russo said. “I think we’re in a transitional period and people don’t know quite yet how they’re going to receive stories moving forward, or what kinds of stories they’re going to want.”

“There’s a big generational divide about how you consume media,” he continued. “There’s a generation that’s used to appointment viewing and going to a theater on a certain date to see something, but it’s aging out. Meanwhile the new generation are ‘I want it now, I want to process it now’, then moving onto the next thing, which they process whilst doing two other things at the same time. You know, it’s a very different moment in time than it’s ever been. And so I think everyone, including Marvel, is experiencing the same thing, this transition. And I think that really is probably what’s at play more than anything else.”

Joe Russo noted that the new generation of moviegoers communicates largely though “memes and headlines with nobody reading past two sentences, so everything’s 100 characters or less – or 10-second videos on social media you swipe through.”

Well, he’s not wrong. But truth be told, the last few Marvel films and shows have had struggle storylines and when you couple that with weak special effects, fans are going to tune out.

Luckily for Marvel, the hype behind Deadpool & Wolverine will almost certainly lead to another billion dollar haul at the box office and if they’re lucky it’ll also help generate interest in the future of the MCU as Deadpool seems like he’s going to be a big part of it’s future going forward. At least that what fans are hoping for as it’s being said that the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe will focus on mutants with the Avengers taking a back seat to the likes of the X-Men in the next few phases.

What do y’all think led to the fall off of comic book movies? Is it superhero fatigue? Online media? Let us know in the comments section below.

30 Apr 2024

‘Hell’s Kitchen’ & ‘Stereophonic’ Lead 2024 Tony Nominations: Full List

A musical, Hell’s Kitchen, and a play, Stereophonic, lead the 2024 Tony nominations, which were announced on Tuesday (April 30) live from Sofitel New York by Tony winners Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Renée Elise Goldsberry. Both productions received 13 nods.

Those two shows were followed in the nominations count by The Outsiders (12), Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club (nine), Appropriate (eight), Merrily We Roll Along and Water for Elephants (seven each), and Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch and Suffs (six each).

The five nominees for best musical are Hell’s Kitchen, Illinoise, The Outsiders, Suffs and Water for Elephants.

Trending on Billboard

The 10 eligible musicals that were passed over for nods as best musical are: Back to the Future: The Musical, Days of Wine and Roses, The Great Gatsby, Harmony, The Heart of Rock and Roll, Here Lies Love, How to Dance in Ohio, Lempicka, The Notebook and Once Upon a One More Time.

The four nominees for best revival of a musical are Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club, which won best musical in 1967; The Who’s Tommy, which was nominated for best musical in 1993; Merrily We Roll Along, which received just one nod in 1982 – original musical score; and Gutenberg! The Musical!, which opened off Broadway in 2006 and on Broadway in 2023.

This is the third time Cabaret has been nominated for best revival of a musical, which puts it in a tie with six other shows for the most nods in this category. It joins Company, Fiddler on the Roof, Guys and Dolls, Gypsy, Peter Pan and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

The New Broadway Cast recording of Merrily We Roll Along — starring Daniel Radcliffe, Jonathan Groff and Lindsay Mendez — entered Billboard’s Cast Albums chart at No. 1 in November 2023 and returned to the top spot in January 2024. All three actors are nominated for Tonys for their performances.

The two eligible revivals that were passed over for nods for revival of a musical are The Wiz and Spamalot. The original productions of those musicals won best musical in 1975 and 2005, respectively.

Will Butler, formerly of Arcade Fire, was nominated in two categories – best original score and best orchestrations – for his work on Stereophonic. Jamestown Revival (Jonathan Clay and Zach Chance) and Justin Levine were nominated in those same two categories for their work on The Outsiders. Shaina Taub was also nominated in two categories – best original score and best book of a musical – for her work on Suffs.

The other nominees for best original score are David Byrne and Fatboy Slim (Here Lies Love) and Adam Guettel (Days of Wine and Roses). Byrne won an Oscar and a Grammy for his work on the score for the 1987 film The Last Emperor.

Former first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton is nominated for best musical as a producer of Suffs. She won a Grammy in 1997 for her audiobook It Takes a Village. Jon B. Platt is nominated in that same category as a producer of Illinoise. LaChanze is nominated for best musical as a producer of The Outsiders and for best play as a producer of Jaja’s African Hair Brading. Taraj P. Henson is also nominated for best play for the latter work.

Eddie Redmayne is nominated for best actor in a musical for his role as the emcee in the revival of Cabaret. He won in the same category at the Olivier Awards in 2022, when the production had its West End revival. Actors from the Cabaret revival were Tony-nominated in all four acting categories. Gayle Rankin is up for best actress. Steven Skybell and Bebe Neuwirth are nominated for their featured roles.

Leslie Odom Jr., who won a Tony in 2016 for best actor in a musical for Hamilton, is nominated for best actor in a play for Purlie Victorious. Kelli O’Hara, who won a Tony for best actress in a musical in 2015 for The King and I, is nominated in that category again for Days of Wine and Roses.

The 2024 American Theatre Wing’s Tony Awards are presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing. The 2023-24 eligibility season began on April 28, 2023, and ended on Thursday, April 25, 2024. Tony Awards in 26 competitive categories will be voted on by 836 designated Tony voters within the theatre community.

The 77th Annual Tony Awards, which will be hosted by Ariana DeBose for the third consecutive year, will air live on both coasts from the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City on Sunday, June 16 (8-11 p.m. ET/5-8 p.m. PT) on CBS and will stream on Paramount+ in the U.S.

The Tony Awards are produced in collaboration with Tony Award Productions, a joint venture of the Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing, and White Cherry Entertainment. Ricky Kirshner and Glenn Weiss are showrunners and executive producers for White Cherry Entertainment, and Weiss will serve as director. Jack Sussman is also an executive producer.

CBS and Pluto TV will present a pre-show, The Tony Awards: Act One, leading into the Tonys. Viewers can access the show on their smart TV, streaming device, mobile app or online by going to Pluto TV and clicking on the “ET” channel. 

Here’s a full list of nominations for the 2024 Tony Awards.

Musicals

Best musical

Hell’s Kitchen;Producers: AK Worldwide Media, Inc., Roc Nation, DML Productions, Mandy Hackett, The Sunshine Group, Julie Yorn, The Jacobs Family, No Guarantees Productions, Front Row Productions, Sharpton Swindal Productions, Grove Entertainment, The Jaime Family, John Gore Organization, Terria Joseph, Andy Nahas, James L. Nederlander, Candy Spelling, Clara Wu Tsai, Universal Music Publishing, Independent Presenters Network, Della Pietra Spark Theatricals, Today Tix ARGU, Score 3 Partners, Aaron Lustbader, The Public Theater, Oskar Eustis, Patrick Willingham

Illinoise;Producers: Orin Wolf, Seaview, John Styles, David Binder, Emily Blavatnik, Susan Rose, ArKtype/Thomas O. Kriegsmann, David F. Schwartz, Patrick Catullo, Jon B. Platt, Diamond & Melvin, Nelson & Tao, Ruth Hendel, Elysabeth Kleinhans, Ted & Mary Jo Shen, Putnam & Thau, Chase & F.K.R., GJJJM Productions, Steve & Leticia Trauber, Tim Forbes, John Gore Organization, James L. Nederlander, Park Avenue Armory, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Nate Koch, TT Partners, Fisher Center at Bard

The Outsiders;Producers: The Araca Group, American Zoetrope, Olympus Theatricals, Sue Gilad & Larry Rogowsky, Angelina Jolie, Betsy Dollinger, Jonathan & Michelle Clay, Cristina Marie Vivenzio, The Shubert Organization, LaChanze & Marylee Fairbanks, Debra Martin Chase, Sony Music Masterworks, Jamestown Revival Theater, Jennifer & Jonathan Allan Soros, Tanninger Entertainment, Tamlyn Brooke Shusterman, Geffen Playhouse/Howard Tenenbaum/Linda B. Rubin, Kevin Ryan, Mistry Theatrical Ventures, Galt & Irvin Productions, Tulsa Clarks, Paul & Margaret Liljenquist, Bob & Claire Patterson, Voltron Global Media, James L. Nederlander, Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures, The John Gore Organization, Independent Presenters Network, Stephen Lindsay & Brett Sirota, Jeffrey Finn, Playhouse Square, Sue Marks, Indelible InK, Lionheart Productions, The Broadway Investor’s Club, Starhawk Productions, Distant Rumble, Green Leaf Partnership, Michael & Elizabeth Venuti, Leslie Kavanaugh, Deborah & Dave Smith, Belle Productions, Chas & Jen Grossman, Miranda & Sahra Esmonde-White, Rungnapa & Jim Teague, Michael & Molly Schroeder, Casey & Chelsea Baugh, James L. Flautt, Jon L. Morris, Becky Winkler, William Moran Hickey, Jr. & William Horan Hickey, III, Oddly Specific Productions, Melissa Chamberlain & Michael McCartney, Rachel Weinstein, Wavelength Productions, Rob O’Neill & Shane Snow, Eric Stine, Cornice Productions, La Jolla Playhouse

Suffs;Producers: Jill Furman, Rachel Sussman, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Malala Yousafzai, Roy Furman, Allison Rubler, Cue to Cue Productions, Sandy Robertson, Kevin Ryan & Diane Scott Carter, Renee Ring & Paul Zofnass, Walport Productions, Judith Teel Davis & Joe Carroll, Tom D’Angora & Michael D’Angora, Louise Gund, Erica Lynn Schwartz, Stone Arch Theatricals/Mayer Productions, Xan Weiser/Matters of the Art, Nothing Ventured Productions, Christin Brecher, Chutzpah Productions, Morgan Steward, 16 Sunset Productions, The Broadway Investor’s Club, Ari Conte, Rose Maxi, Jennifer Friedland, David Carroll, Julie E. Cohen, The Garelicks, Ruth Ann Harnisch, Meena Harris, John Gore Organization, Laura Lonergan, Sally Martin, Peter May, The Mehiels, Nederlander Presentations, Brian Spector, Candy Spelling, Ed Walson, Zuckerberg/Segal, Needle Productions/Oddly Specific Productions, Alissandra Aronow/Wandi Productions, Craig Balsam/Jennifer Kroman, Burkhardt Jones Productions/Adam Cohen, Vibecke Dahle Dellapolla/Samantha Squeri, Funroe Productions/Kim Khoury, Sheri Clark Henriksen/Robert Tichio, Michelle Noh/Todd B. Rubin, Nick Padgett/Vasi Laurence

Water for Elephants; Producers: Peter Schneider, Jennifer Costello, Grove Entertainment, Frank Marshall, Isaac Robert Hurwitz, Seth A. Goldstein, Jane Bergère, Elizabeth Armstrong, Jason M. Brady, Carl & Jennifer Pasbjerg, Erica Rotstein & Crista Marie Jackson, Jana Bezdek & Jen Hoguet, John H. Tyson, Rich Entertainment Group, Jeremiah J. Harris, John Gore Organization, Jeff & Shannon Fallick, Patti & Mike Sullivan, Rodney Rigby, Larry Lelli, Bonnie Feld, Yonge Street Theatricals, Larry J. Kroll, The Shubert Organization, Nederlander Presentations, Nancy Gibbs, Jack Lane, Amy & PJ Lampi, Gwen Arment & Vasi Laurence, Mark Parkman Fairview Productions, Nothing Ventured Productions, Pam Hurst-Della Pietra & Stephen Pietra, Steven Spielberg & Kate Capshaw, The Glasshouse USA, Willette & Manny Klausner, John Paterakis, Hope Tschopik Schneider, Patty Baker, The Burcaws & Q’d Up Productions, Crescent Road, Cynthia Stroum, Sally Jacobs & Warren Baker, Tawnia Knox & Stuart Snyder, Madison Wells Live & Takonkiet Viravan, Terry H. Morgenthaler, Pamela Moschetti, Gabrielle Palitz & Fahs Productions, The Roehl Family & Chema Verduzco, Shapiro Jensen Schroeder, Tre Amici Productions, We Eat Dreams Productions, Rachel Weinstein, Maik Klokow, Margot Astrachan, Mehr-BB Entertainment

Best revival of a musical

Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club; Producers: ATG Productions, Underbelly, Gavin Kalin Productions, Hunter Arnold, Smith & Brant Theatricals, Wessex Grove, Julie Boardman, Tom Smedes, Peter Stern, Heather Shields, Caiola Productions, Kate Cannova, Adam Blanshay Productions & Nicolas Talar, Aleri Entertainment, Alex Levy Productions, Bunny Rabbit Productions, D’Angora Padgett Productions, Cyrene Esposito, David Treatman, Eddie Redmayne, The Array IV, Bad Robot Live, BlueJay Productions, Grace Street Creative Group, Iocane Productions, Jim Kierstead, Marco Santarelli, Tokyo Broadcasting System Television, George Waud, Yonge Street Theatricals, Federman Koenigsberg Productions/Sara Beth Zivitz, Tina Marie Casamento/Jennifer Johns, M. Kilburg Reedy/Tilman Kemmler, Greenspan Proffer/Kat Kit 4, Patty Baker/Matthew Christopher Pietras, Broadway Strategic Return Fund/Red Mountain Theatre Company, Evan Coles/The Cohn Sisters, Nolan Doran/Fakston Productions, Epic Theatricals/Jeffrey Grove, Jessica Goldman Foung/Andrew Paradis, William Frisbie Tilted Marguerite Steed Hoffman/Willette & Manny Klausner, Vasi Laurence/Stephen C Byrd, Brian & Dayna Lee/City Cowboy Productions, Maybe This Time/3D Productions, Nothing Ventured Productions/Theatre Producers of Color, Perfectly Marvelous/Catherine Schreiber & Co, Second Act/Freedom Theatricals, SSP Holdings/Todd & Bronwyn Bradley, Two Ladies/Nicole Eisenberg, Ilana Waldenberg/W Stage Productions, The Wolf Pack/Burnt Umber Productions, The Shubert Organization

Gutenberg! The Musical!; Producers: Ambassador Theatre Group, Patrick Catullo, Bad Robot Live, Seth A. Goldstein, Isaac Robert Hurwitz, Runyonland Productions, Elizabeth Armstrong, Timothy Bloom, Larry Lelli, Alchemation, The Council, Crescent Road, Wendy Federman, Marcia Goldberg, Hariton deRoy, LD Entertainment, James L. Nederlander, Al Nocciolino, Spencer Ross, Independent Presenters Network, Medley Houlihan/Score 3 Partners, Tryptyk Studios/Iris Smith, Jonathan Demar/Griffin Dohr, Andrew Diamond/Alexander Donnelly, Futurehome Productions/Koenigsberg Subhedar, Roy Gabay/Nicole Eisenberg, Jessica R. Jenen/Linda B. Rubin, Daniel Powell/Amplify Pictures, Jeremy Wein/Walport Productions, Kristin Caskey, Mike Isaacson, Bee Carrozzini

Merrily We Roll Along; Producers: Sonia Friedman Productions, David Babani, Patrick Catullo, Jeff Romley, Debbie Bisno, Lang Entertainment Group, OHenry Productions, Winkler & Smalberg, Stephanie P. McClelland, Timothy Bloom, Creative Partners Productions, Eastern Standard Time, Fakston Productions, Marc David Levine, No Guarantees, Ted & Mary Jo Shen, Gilad Rogowsky, Playing Field, Key to the City Productions, Richard Batchelder/Trunfio Ryan, FineWomen Productions/Henry R. Muñoz, III, Thomas Swayne/Lamar Richardson, Abrams Corr/Mary Maggio, Osh Ashruf/Brenner-Ivey, Craig Balsam/PBL Productions, deRoy DiMauro Productions/Medley Houlihan, Andrew Diamond/Katler-Solomon Productions, Dodge Hall Productions/Carl Moellenberg, Friedman Simpson/Vernon Stuckelman, William Frisbie/J.J. Powell, Robert Greenblatt/Jonathan Littman, Cleveland O’Neal, III/Tom Tuft, Roth-Manella Productions/Seaview, New York Theatre Workshop

The Who’s Tommy; Producers: Stephen Gabriel, Ira Pittelman, Sue Gilad & Larry Rogowsky, Mary Maggio & Scott Abrams, Tom Tuft and Glenn Fuhrman, Batman Harris/Elliott Cornelious, Laura Matalon/Spencer Waller, Richard Winkler, Sheldon Stone, Firemused Productions/Stone Arch Theatricals, LeonoffFedermanWolosky Productions/Koenigsberg Batchelder, Roy Putrino/Narang Moran, Rich Martino, Aged in Wood/Lee Sachs, Paul and Margaret Liljenquist, R & R Productions, Marla McNally Phillips, Merrie Robin, O’Neill Snow, Work Light Productions, Nederlander Presentations, Independent Presenters Network, John Gore Organization, Palomino Performing Arts, Wavelength Productions, Robert Nederlander, Jr., Botwin Ignal Dawson, Jamie deRoy, Betsy Dollinger, Stacey Woolf Feinberg, Gold Weinstein, Tyce Green, Jenen Rubin, Jim Kierstead, Marco Santarelli, Nancy Timmers, Thomas B. McGrath, Olympus Theatricals, Goodman Theatre

Best performance by an actor in a leading role in a musical

Brody Grant, The Outsiders
Jonathan Groff, Merrily We Roll Along
Dorian Harewood, The Notebook
Brian d’Arcy James, Days of Wine and Roses
Eddie Redmayne, Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club

Best performance by an actress in a leading role in a musical

Eden Espinosa, Lempicka
Maleah Joi Moon, Hell’s Kitchen
Kelli O’Hara, Days of Wine and Roses
Maryann Plunkett, The Notebook
Gayle Rankin, Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club

Best performance by an actor in a featured role in a musical

Roger Bart, Back to the Future: The Musical
Joshua Boone, The Outsiders
Brandon Victor Dixon, Hell’s Kitchen
Sky Lakota-Lynch, The Outsiders
Daniel Radcliffe, Merrily We Roll Along
Steven Skybell, Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club


Best performance by an actress in a featured role in a musical

Shoshana Bean, Hell’s Kitchen
Amber Iman, Lempicka
Nikki M. James, Suffs
Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer, Monty Python’s Spamalot
Kecia Lewis, Hell’s Kitchen
Lindsay Mendez, Merrily We Roll Along
Bebe Neuwirth, Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club

Best direction of a musical

Maria Friedman, Merrily We Roll Along
Michael Greif, Hell’s Kitchen
Leigh Silverman, Suffs
Jessica Stone, Water for Elephants
Danya Taymor, The Outsiders

Best original score (music and/or lyrics) written for the theatre

Days of Wine and Roses; Music & Lyrics: Adam Guettel
Here Lies Love; Music: David Byrne and Fatboy Slim; Lyrics: David Byrne
The Outsiders; Music & Lyrics: Jamestown Revival (Jonathan Clay and Zach Chance) and Justin Levine
Stereophonic; Music & Lyrics: Will Butler
Suffs; Music & Lyrics: Shaina Taub

Best orchestrations

Timo Andres, Illinoise
Will Butler and Justin Craig, Stereophonic
Justin Levine, Matt Hinkley and Jamestown Revival (Jonathan Clay and Zach Chance), The Outsiders
Tom Kitt and Adam Blackstone, Hell’s Kitchen
Jonathan Tunick, Merrily We Roll Along

Best choreography

Annie-B Parson, Here Lies Love
Camille A. Brown, Hell’s Kitchen
Rick Kuperman and Jeff Kuperman, The Outsiders
Justin Peck, Illinoise
Jesse Robb and Shana Carroll, Water for Elephants

Best book of a musical

Hell’s Kitchen; Kristoffer Diaz
The Notebook; Bekah Brunstetter
The Outsiders; Adam Rapp and Justin Levine
Suffs; Shaina Taub
Water for Elephants; Rick Elice

Best scenic design of a musical

AMP featuring Tatiana Kahvegian, The Outsiders
Robert Brill and Peter Nigrini, Hell’s Kitchen
Takeshi Kata, Water for Elephants
David Korins, Here Lies Love
Riccardo Hernández and Peter Nigrini, Lempicka
Tim Hatley and Finn Ross, Back To The Future: The Musical
Tom Scutt, Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club

Best costume design of a musical

Dede Ayite, Hell’s Kitchen
Linda Cho, The Great Gatsby
David Israel Reynoso, Water for Elephants
Tom Scutt, Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club
Paul Tazewell, Suffs

Best lighting design of a musical

Brandon Stirling Baker, Illinoise
Isabella Byrd, Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club
Natasha Katz, Hell’s Kitchen
Bradley King and David Bengali, Water for Elephants
Brian MacDevitt and Hana S. Kim, The Outsiders

Best sound design of a musical

M.L. Dogg and Cody Spencer, Here Lies Love
Kai Harada, Merrily We Roll Along
Nick Lidster for Autograph, Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club
Gareth Owen, Hell’s Kitchen
Cody Spencer, The Outsiders

Plays

Best play

Jaja’s African Hair Braiding; Author: Jocelyn Bioh; Producers: Manhattan Theatre Club, Lynne Meadow, Chris Jennings, Madison Wells Live, LaChanze, Taraji P. Henson

Mary Jane; Author: Amy Herzog; Producers: Manhattan Theatre Club, Lynne Meadow, Chris Jennings

Mother Play; Author: Paula Vogel; Producers: Second Stage Theater, Carole Rothman, Lisa Lawer Post, Salman and Vienn Al-Rashid, Courtney Lederer and Mark Thierfelder, Jerry and Roz Meyer, Alix L.L. Ritchie, Jayne Baron Sherman

Prayer for the French Republic; Author: Joshua Harmon; Producers: Manhattan Theatre Club, Lynne Meadow, Chris Jennings

Stereophonic; Author: David Adjmi; Producers: Sue Wagner, John Johnson, Seaview, Sonia Friedman Productions, Linden Productions, Ashley Melone, Nick Mills, Jillian Robbins, Stella La Rue, Alex Levy & David Aron, Dori Berinstein, James Bolosh, Burnt Umber Productions, The Cohn Sisters, Cathy Dantchik, Alexander R. Donnelly, Emerald Drive, Federman Koenigsberg, Dann Fink, Ruth Hendel, Larry Hirschhorn, Jenen Rubin, John Gore Organization, Willette & Manny Klausner, LAMF Protozoa, Katrina McCann, Stephanie P. McClelland, No Guarantees, Marissa Palley & Daniel Aron, Anna Schafer, Soto Namoff Productions, Sean Walsh, Bruce & Peggy Wanta, Hillary Wyatt, deRoy Howard, Winkler & Smalberg, 42nd.club, Craig Balsam, Concord Theatricals, Creative Partners Productions, Jonathan Demar, Douglas Denoff, DJD Productions, Echo Lake Entertainment, Faliro House, FilmNation Entertainment, Roy Gabay, GFour Productions, Candy Kosow Gold, Wes Grantom, Rachel Bendit & Mark Bernstein, Playwrights Horizons, Adam Greenfield, Leslie Marcus, Carol Fishman

Best revival of a play

Appropriate; Author: Branden Jacobs-Jenkins; Producers: Second Stage Theater, Carole Rothman, Lisa Lawer Post, Ambassador Theatre Group, Amanda Dubois, Annapurna Theatre, Bad Robot Live

An Enemy of the People; Author: Amy Herzog; Producers: Seaview, Patrick Catullo, Plan B, Roth-Manella Productions, Eric & Marsi Gardiner, John Gore Organization, James L. Nederlander, Jon B. Platt, Atekwana Hutton, Bob Boyett, Chris & Ashlee Clarke, Cohen-Demar Productions, Andrew Diamond, GI6 Productions, Sony Music Masterworks, Triptyk Studios, Trunfio Ryan, Kate Cannova, DJL Productions

Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch; Producers: Jeffrey Richards, Hunter Arnold, Leslie Odom, Jr., Louise Gund, Bob Boyett, Curt Cronin, John Joseph, Willette and Manny Klausner, Brenda Boone, Salman Moudhy Al-Rashid, Creative Partners Productions, Irene Gandy, Kayla Greenspan, Mark and David Golub Productions, Kenny Leon, John Gore Organization, W3 Productions, Morwin Schmookler, Van Kaplan, Ken Greiner, Patrick W. Jones, Nicolette Robinson, National Black Theatre, Alan Alda, LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Samuel L. Jackson, Phylicia Rashad, Nnamdi Asomugha, Kerry Washington, The Shubert Organization

Best performance by an actor in a leading role in a play

William Jackson Harper, Uncle Vanya
Leslie Odom, Jr., Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch
Liev Schreiber, Doubt: A Parable
Jeremy Strong, An Enemy of the People
Michael Stuhlbarg, Patriots

Best performance by an actress in a leading role in a play

Betsy Aidem, Prayer for the French Republic
Jessica Lange, Mother Play
Rachel McAdams, Mary Jane
Sarah Paulson, Appropriate
Amy Ryan, Doubt: A Parable

Best performance by an actor in a featured role in a play

Will Brill, Stereophonic
Eli Gelb, Stereophonic
Jim Parsons, Mother Play
Tom Pecinka, Stereophonic
Corey Stoll, Appropriate

Best performance by an actress in a featured role in a play

Quincy Tyler Bernstine, Doubt: A Parable
Juliana Canfield, Stereophonic
Celia Keenan-Bolger, Mother Play
Sarah Pidgeon, Stereophonic
Kara Young, Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch

Best direction of a play

Daniel Aukin, Stereophonic
Anne Kauffman, Mary Jane
Kenny Leon, Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch
Lila Neugebauer, Appropriate
Whitney White, Jaja’s African Hair Braiding

Best scenic design of a play

dots, Appropriate
dots, An Enemy of the People
Derek McLane, Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch
David Zinn, Jaja’s African Hair Braiding
David Zinn, Stereophonic

Best costume design of a play

Dede Ayite, Appropriate
Dede Ayite, Jaja’s African Hair Braiding
Enver Chakartash, Stereophonic
Emilio Sosa, Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch
David Zinn, An Enemy of the People

Best lighting design of a play

Isabella Byrd, An Enemy of the People
Amith Chandrashaker, Prayer for the French Republic
Jiyoun Chang, Stereophonic
Jane Cox, Appropriate
Natasha Katz, Grey House

Best sound design of a play

Justin Ellington and Stefania Bulbarella, Jaja’s African Hair Braiding
Leah Gelpe, Mary Jane
Tom Gibbons, Grey House
Bray Poor and Will Pickens, Appropriate
Ryan Rumery, Stereophonic

30 Apr 2024

Aubrey O’Day Claims The Diddler’s Kind Gesture of Giving Back Her Publishing Rights Was An Attempt To Buy Her Silence

HipHopWired Featured Video

Aubrey O'Day Accuses Diddy of Trying To Silence Her

Source: John Lamparski / Getty / Aubrey O’Day

Diddy, aka The Diddler, made headlines when he returned the publishing rights to his former Bad Boy artists. Former Danity Kane member is now claiming his kind gesture was very empty.

TMZ exclusively reports that, according to O’Day, Diddy tried to buy her silence by giving back her publishing rights, which were also essentially worthless.

O’Day made these recent claims during an interview for the celebrity gossip’s upcoming Tubi documentary, The Downfall of Diddy. The documentary focuses on the media mogul’s life after the raids on his homes and the ensuing federal investigation.

Per TMZ:

AOD provided some fascinating insight — including the fact she knew what was up back in September … when Puff gave all his old artists the rights to their music. The seemingly generous move came with lots of strings attached, according to Aubrey.

You’ll recall … Diddy made a big announcement at the time, saying all the old Bad Boy artists were gonna get what was theirs … as it was the right and noble thing to do, etc.

However, behind the scenes … Aubrey claims Diddy wanted the artists to sign NDAs as part of the deal, which would’ve muzzled them from speaking on their experiences at Bad Boy.



According to the celebrity gossip site, O’Day didn’t want any part of Diddy’s “generosity” because she valued her ability to speak, mainly because of everything Diddy is currently being accused of after Cassie opened floodgates with her allegations that they both ultimately settled.

TMZ reports that before the “Me & U” singer aired Diddy, O’Day was one of the first and only people to call out her former boss for years.

Diddy’s Team Is Calling C A P On O’Day’s Claims

Sources close to the embattled music mogul called C A P on O’Day’s claims, telling the website, “Aubrey O’Day got her big break because Diddy and Bad Boy cast her in their show with her group, Danity Kane. Last year, when he reassigned his portion of the publishing to Bad Boy artists, an unprecedented move within the industry and which he did not have to do, not all artists signed an NDA, contrary to what she claims.”

30 Apr 2024

Watch Kelly Clarkson Once Again Forget Her Own Song While Going Up Against Anne Hathaway

In 2022, Anne Hathaway bested Kelly Clarkson in a hilarious, mega-viral clip from The Kelly Clarkson Show, with the actress belting out “Since U Been Gone” before the singer could even recognize her own song in a game of “Name That Tune.” Two years later, it’s happening all over again.

While stopping by the talk show Tuesday (April 30) to promote the upcoming Prime Video film The Idea of You — in which she costars alongside Nick Galitzine — Hathaway once again went head to head with Clarkson, this time for a round of “Pop Pop Quiz.” But a new clip from the episode begins with the stressed Academy Award-winner saying, “Oh no, it’s happening again!” as the inaugural American Idol champ jokes, “Anne Hathaway is never invited back!”

“I’m just kidding, this is actually becoming a shtick for our show,” Clarkson adds as Hathaway laughs.

Trending on Billboard

The two women were then shown an incomplete snippet of lyrics from the three-time Grammy winner’s 2011 smash “Stronger,” which Clarkson beat the Princess Diaries star to filling in the blanks — before completely mis-identifying the track, not realizing that it was one of her own songs. “That’s Christina Aguilera,” she said, not realizing her error until after a break in the show.

The clip then cuts to Clarkson sitting alone, addressing the camera. “You’ll notice, America, if you know my catalog at all — ’cause I don’t — I thought I was singing a Christina Aguilera song, ‘Fighter,’” she tells viewers. “It’s one of those days. Anne Hathaway is my kryptonite, it’s fine.”

At another point in the episode, Hathaway opened up about becoming friends with Galitzine on set of The Idea of You, which becomes available for streaming Thursday (May 2). Knowing that her costar was “about to become really, really big,” she told Clarkson that she made up a rap to help new fans remember how to pronounce his name.

“Nick Galitzine, Nick Galitzine, he’s got a face for a magazine,” she demonstrated. “But he’s more than just a beauty queen, can’t wait to hear everybody scream for Nick Galitzine.”

Watch Anne Hathaway best Kelly Clarkson for the second time above, and check out her rap for Nick Galitzine below.



Check your local TV listings to see when The Kelly Clarkson Show airs in your area.

30 Apr 2024

UMG’s Regional Mexican Label Fonovisa-Disa Appoints Ana Martinez as U.S. GM

Fonovisa-Disa, Universal Music Group‘s regional Mexican label, has appointed Ana Martinez to U.S. GM. Based in Los Angeles, Martinez, a 19-year music industry veteran, will report directly to Antonio Silva, MD of Fonovisa-Disa for the United States and Mexico.

“The legacy that Fonovisa has historically created, mainly across Mexican music, has been the inspiration and reference for entire generations, and will continue to build long into the future,” Martinez said in a statement. “With the current moment in Latin music, it is exciting for me to join a company and team of this nature, to herald a new era for this historic label, where our music continues to elevate, leaving its mark on history and culture, not only across Latin music, but also globally.”

Martinez previously spearheaded strategy and relations as part of Amazon Music’s global Latin team, where she carried out global campaigns for the likes of Bad Bunny, Karol G and Shakira, as well as multi-platform Amazon livestreams, including Maluma‘s concert from Medellín in 2022, ”Medallo En El Mapa.” Prior to Amazon, she spent seven years at Universal Music México, joining the company as label manager of Anglo repertoire before landing the role of marketing director.

Trending on Billboard

“I am very excited about the integration of Ana Martínez to the team, her experience across different fields of the industry complements our business vision and strategy for the Fonovisa-Disa roster,” added Silva. “I fully trust that her ability to foster success across projects will further strengthen our vision of generating global hits for Mexican music in the future.”

Martinez’s appointment comes just months after Alfredo Delgadillo was appointed as president/CEO of Universal Music México. Of Martinez’s return to Universal Music Group, Delgadillo said: “Ana is always connected and thinking ahead of the market and this, together with her extensive experience across the Latin music industry from independent labels, booking and production of concerts, artist management, her time in specialized magazines and most recently in her position at Amazon Music, will further nourish our ecosystem and help Fonovisa-Disa to maintain its position as the leader of Mexican music in the world.”

30 Apr 2024

Taylor Swift Breaks a Pair of Streaming Songs Chart Records With ‘The Tortured Poets Department’

Taylor Swift breaks a pair of records on Billboard’s Streaming Songs chart dated May 4 with music from new album The Tortured Poets Department.

She becomes the first act to occupy the entire top 15 of the Streaming Songs list, and she also appears on the ranking with 31 different songs – the most in one week by any act. (Streaming Songs’ inaugural chart was published in 2013.)

She leads the survey with “Fortnight,” featuring Post Malone. The song bows at No. 1 with 76.2 million official U.S. streams accrued April 19-25, according to Luminate.

It’s Swift’s ninth No. 1 and first since “Is It Over Now? (Taylor’s Version) [From the Vault],” which crowned the tally for two weeks last November. She first reigned with “Shake It Off” in 2014.

With nine No. 1s, Swift puts some distance between herself and Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber for the second-most rulers in the chart’s history.

Most No. 1s, Streaming Songs

  • 20, Drake
  • 9, Taylor Swift
  • 6, Ariana Grande
  • 6, Justin Bieber
  • 5, Travis Scott

As for featured artist Post Malone, it’s his third Streaming Songs leader and first since 2019, following “Sunflower (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse)” with Swae Lee.

“Fortnight” is followed by “Down Bad,” which ranks at No. 2 with 50.1 million streams. Swift occupies the entire top 15, down to “I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can),” via 28.1 million streams.

Grabbing the top 15 breaks a record previously held by Drake, who snagged the top 14 of the Sept. 18, 2021, ranking via songs from his album Certified Lover Boy.

The entirety of The Tortured Poets Department – 31 songs in all – also makes the chart, down to “Robin,” which debuts at No. 44 with 12.5 million streams. That’s also a record; the mark for most songs on a single Streaming Songs survey had previously gone to Morgan Wallen, who occupied 30 of the 50 positions on the March 18, 2023, list with music from the set One Thing at a Time.

Concurrently, as previously reported, “Fortnight” debuts at No. 1 on the multimetric Billboard Hot 100, taking the top 14 in the process. The Tortured Poets Department also debuts atop the Billboard 200.

30 Apr 2024

Myke Towers Goes Into ‘Black Panther’ Mode

Myke Towers was just a child when he saw the future. On his way to school in Río Piedras, Puerto Rico, he had his first real-life glimpse of Tego Calderón, the Black rapper who at the time was one of the island’s — and Latin music’s — biggest stars. 

“I was a little kid with a backpack, and he was in a huge Cadillac,” Towers recalls. “When you see that in real life, you don’t forget. Tego saw just another kid. But for me — on my way to school — that was a Kodak moment. You get it? It was, ‘Wow, if Tego did it, how can I do it my way?’ ” 

That chance encounter set in motion the way Towers saw himself: as a Puerto Rican act whose core is rap but who also sings reggaetón; who collaborates prolifically but releases mostly solo albums; who is notoriously private but identifies strongly as a Black artist. And now, following the huge success of his 2023 hit “Lala,” and with the backing of Warner Music, as a Latin urban artist who is willing to experiment to gain global success. 

Trending on Billboard

On April 25, Towers released “Adivino,” the focus track from his upcoming album, La Pantera Negra, due out likely at the end of May. Featuring Bad Bunny, “Adivino” is dance banger with a subtle reggaetón beat built over padded synths; it’s ear candy with pop leanings, as “Lala” was, but it’s also romantic and wistful and unexpected in its downtempo breaks. 

It’s an auspicious kickoff for La Pantera Negra (The Black Panther) — an album Towers says goes back “to what I like to do musically, and to what people liked about my essence from the beginning, when they got to know me and said, ‘This kid has the goods.’ ” 

Its single notwithstanding, La Pantera Negra is mostly a solo effort, and “a priority for the entire company,” says Warner Music Latin America president Alejandro Duque, who has plans to support the album beyond traditional Latin music markets and into places like Europe, where Towers is touring this summer. 

“Latin music’s influence and global impact are undeniable. But Myke’s versatile flow and magnetic presence go beyond the confines of any single language or culture,” adds Max Lousada, CEO of recorded music for Warner Music Group, who was heavily involved in signing Towers to a global distribution deal with Warner Music Latina and Warner Records in 2021. “He effortlessly experiments with new sounds and pushes the boundaries of artistic expression. We’re proud to support Myke’s journey as he continues to make his mark with original music that is exciting fans around the world.” 

La Pantera Negra is the follow-up to 2023’s La Vida Es Una, which in turn spawned global hit “Lala,” a chill, downtempo dance track with a reggaetón beat that was a departure from Towers’ more urban fare. Given the extraordinary success of “Lala” — it hit No. 1 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart — Towers’ 1.8 billion on demand streams in the United States alone, according to Luminate, and his more than 44 million Spotify listeners (making him No. 61 on the platform), expectations are high for the set. 

But Towers is looking straight ahead. 

“Obviously, I know there’s [a lot going on], but I try to make it just another day at the office,” he says. “Because that’s how I did these songs. Another day at the office. I’m not looking for the hit, nor losing my focus. I always try to stay on the same wavelength.” 

Myke Towers, Billboard Cover Shoot, Billboard Español

Myke Towers photographed April 11, 2024 at House Of Hits Recording Studio in Miami.

Natalia Aguilera

Towers is chatting and playing new music inside a black SUV that’s driving slowly through Miami’s Design District on a Thursday night. It’s 10 p.m., shops are shuttered, and there are few people out. But Towers, notoriously private, wanted a private space, and this is it. Still, there’s a cluster of people inside: his driver and trainer in the front seat, his publicist and security in the back, and Towers and myself in the middle. 

Like so many Puerto Rican urban artists, Towers — who tonight is dressed in a light blue track suit — likes traveling in packs. But unlike many, he can truly compartmentalize and command those around him. Later, he will tell me that when he’s working in the studio, “Everyone has to behave like we’re on a spaceship; focused on the project at hand, no distractions.” 

Which explains why tonight it’s quiet inside the SUV as he pulls out a good bottle of Caymus Cabernet (“I heard you like wine,” he says) from his backpack, pours it into small plastic wine glasses he shares with his publicist and I before playing a few tracks from La Pantera Negra. 

Aside from Towers’ collaboration with Bunny, their first since “Puesto Pa’ Guerrial” in 2020, there’s a collab with Peso Pluma, “who I really like how he understands reggaetón,” Towers says. “Obviously it’s a Mexican representation, but reggaetón style, which he does well.” 

Other new names in the mix include Benny Blanco, who produced one of the strongest tracks on the set, a remix of a classic 1990s American pop/folk track that speaks to Towers’ respect for the past; every one of his albums includes a look back. 

But overwhelmingly, La Pantera Negra is a return to Towers’ origins, literally, musically and figuratively. 

“There was a legendary person in my neighborhood [Quintana, in Río Piedras] who had several panthers as pets. One escaped and it was a mess. So I said, ‘I’m from here. I’m the black panther of Quintana,’ ” Towers recalls. 

But it’s also impossible to ignore the symbolism of the “Black Panther” moniker and all it conveys, which is why Towers waited to use the name at a time when he truly embodied it. 

“It’s something I’ve been called before, but I had to believe it. When you’re the protagonist of something, you don’t really see what’s going on until others do. That happened to me.” 

La Pantera Negra, the album, kicks off with the eponymous track that describes where Towers is now and how he feels: powerful. “I feel we’re in a good moment, we have staying power. I can give people something they’re not used to, but it also helps me because when I go back to my essence, you feel the contrast.” 

And after “Lala,” which was a musical departure for Towers, “La Pantera Negra goes back to my essence.”

Myke Towers, Billboard Cover Shoot, Billboard Español

Myke Towers photographed April 11, 2024 at House Of Hits Recording Studio in Miami.

Natalia Aguilera

But what exactly is Towers’ essence? Musically, it’s clear. He navigates between reggaetón and rap — although he clearly prefers the latter — with clear influences from Puerto Rican hip-hop pioneers like Daddy Yankee and Calderón as well as commercially successful rappers like Jay-Z and Drake, with his albums alternately focusing more on one style than the other. 

From a personal standpoint, Towers is more enigmatic. Tall and lanky — his muscles defined thanks to a yearlong new workout regime — he comes across as reserved and polite, using a self-effacing brilliant smile as a shield, but still conveying the assuredness of someone who has done a lot of self-reflection. 

Unlike many of his counterparts — who post constantly on Instagram and TikTok about their personal lives, prowess and riches (the plane, the watch, the car) — Towers is famously private. His Instagram account, where he has 12.1 million followers, is devoid of personal content, save for the occasional workout photo, and he rarely and reluctantly speaks about childhood sweetheart Ashley Gonzalez, the mother of his son, Shawn Lucas. Now 4 years old, Shawn (named after Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter), who Towers holds as a baby on the cover of his 2020 album, Easy Money Baby, made a rare appearance onstage at his father’s show at Miami’s Kaseya Center last fall. Beyond that, questions in that area are politely deflected. 

“Just say he’s growing quickly,” Towers finally musters, looking away with that smile. “That’s separate from what I do,” he adds. “That’s my life. I have my social media because it’s a tool. But otherwise, I want people to listen to my music and just imagine what I’m like.” 

Michael Anthony Torres Monge is now 30 years old, no longer the baby-faced rapper who dazzled in 2018 and 2019 with a seemingly never-ending string of hits featuring a rotating cast of collaborators that was a who’s who of reggaetón. 

It was all a prelude to his second album, Easy Money Baby — which included only solo tracks save for a single collaboration with Farruko. Released on Puerto Rican indie Whiteworld Music, it debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart in February 2020 and established a blueprint for Towers’ future output: His singles would be collabs from all sides of the music spectrum — they’ve ranged from Becky G and Sebastián Yatra to Jay Wheeler and Quevedo — but his albums would largely be solo efforts. 

Exactly a year later, Towers and Whiteworld signed their global distribution deal with Warner Records and Warner Latina that was brokered between Warner’s Latin department along with Lousada and Warner Records co-chairmen Aaron Bay-Schuck and Tom Corson, with the latter calling it at the time “one of our most important signings of the past year.” 

Today, the Warner pact, a distribution deal with full services, has been extended, but Towers’ masters still belong to him and his original co-managers, Orlando “Jova” Cepeda and José “Tito” Reyes, co-owners of Whiteworld. The two signed Towers in 2018, buying his contract from another independent label. 

“He was like an ugly duckling, vastly underestimated; quiet, humble, the opposite of the genre. But we saw the originality in him. His voice was different from anybody else’s,” Cepeda told Billboard at the time. He adds today: “I told him he was a star.” 

Myke Towers, Billboard Cover Shoot, Billboard Español

Myke Towers photographed April 11, 2024 at Soho Beach House in Miami.

Natalia Aguilera

Towers, born in Río Piedras, the cradle of reggaetón, fell in love with making music thanks to his grandmother, who owned a karaoke machine and was constantly practicing in her little home studio. 

“I think that’s where I learned to write songs,” says Towers, who to this day writes most of his songs in notebooks that he never tosses out. 

“The notebook is always with me, in my backpack. I also write on my phone, but anytime I want to develop something, I pick up my notebook. I have 10 years’ worth of notebooks in bags around the house. One of these days, I want people to study them and see what I did in real time and say, ‘Damn, that’s how he wrote this song.’” 

The weight of history has always mattered to Towers, and although he doesn’t constantly reference his Black experience in his songs, he speaks of it often and is aware of the responsibility. 

“People know I’m Black. Everyone says, “‘El negro llegó y rompió’ [“The Black kid came and hit it”],” he says. “We represent both the culture and the world at the same time. It’s not a division, but I have to represent my own.” 

Disciplined in the recording studio and in public, Towers is prolific, consistent and a meticulous songwriter, all traits that have allowed him to stand out and remain relevant in the very crowded field of Puerto Rican urban acts that rose to prominence in the mid-2010s. 

“The way this guy puts a song together is so next level,” says Blanco, who first met and worked with Towers this year. “You blink an eye, and he already has the full song written and recorded. It’s truly spectacular to watch.” 

The connection with Blanco was made by Brandon Silverstein (who previously managed Anitta), who came in to co-manage Towers with Cepeda last year, specifically to help in the Anglo space. 

Soon after Silverstein came in, “Lala” exploded. 

By then, Towers had numerous hits on the Billboard charts; he has 51 career entries on Hot Latin Songs, with 10 top 10s, and 11 No. 1s on Latin Airplay, for example. With La Vida Es Una, he captured his third straight top 10 on the Top Latin Albums chart when the set debuted at No. 9 in April 2023. Then, unexpectedly, “Lala,” track No. 22 out of 23 on the album, began to rise. 

“‘Lala’ is that stroke of luck you don’t expect. I knew many artists have that moment in their careers, but it hadn’t come for me,” Towers says. In fact, “Lala” wasn’t even going to appear on the album. The track, which Towers originally began working on two years prior, had been made in bits and pieces, and at one point, wasn’t even slotted to be on the album. 

“Finally, they convinced me to include it. I can’t say I realized how big it was. Many times, you get carried by your instinct, but in this case, my instinct didn’t speak to me.” 

But everything else did. 

While “Lala” was not the album’s focus track, almost immediately, “It began to trend,” Duque says, particularly on TikTok. “With a hit, reaction can vary, but with ‘Lala,’ every little thing we did got huge jumps. So, we went full throttle,” he says. 

“Lala” climbed steadily, and by July, it hit No. 1 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart and No. 3 on the Billboard Global 200, both milestones for Towers. 

Cepeda firmly believes that releasing “lots of music” is essential to Towers’ success: “Artists lose steam because they don’t release new music [for their fans],” he says, then quips, “If you don’t take care of your wife at home, someone else will.” 

And so, before the year was out, Towers released a second studio album, LVEU: Vive la tuya…No La Mía, a sort of part two to La Vida Es Una that included another mega-hit, “La Falda,” which topped the Latin Airplay chart. 

Then, Towers reset. After playing his last concert of the year, he disconnected completely from his music and spent over a month between Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic with his family and his “friends who are like family to me, who are next to me even if I’m not doing music, who don’t even want to take photos with me because I’m one of them,” he says. “That’s what keeps me grounded. And I’ve also learned to be alone, too, to connect with oneself and with your essence, and then come back. I have my breaks where I plant, and my breaks where I harvest.” 

These are the periods Towers describes as “out of the music scene. When I take off my superhero cape.” 

Now, he’s coming back as a superhero, almost literally. 

“I even studied how panthers attack,” Towers says. “I had been toying with the panther concept for a while, but now we started the year like this and everything we do will be under that roof.” 

Towers will be playing the festival circuit this summer in Europe but will start with his first sold-out date at Madrid’s Wiznik Center on May 21. By then, La Pantera Negra will be in full swing after the release of “Adivino.” 

“We’ll be working every single separately, of course, but with the storyline of the album and black panther,” Duque says, noting that Towers is enormously popular in Spain, Italy and Portugal. “It’s a very broad album. Myke is not only an urban artist, and our goal is to grow his audience to the max.” 

Myke Towers, Billboard Cover Shoot, Billboard Español