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The Last Dinner Party Wins BBC Sound of 2024 Poll

The Last Dinner Party comes first in the BBC Radio 1’s Sound of 2024, an annual poll that tips-off the next big thing in music.

Based in London, the indie rock-pop quintet — Abigail Morris (vocals), Georgia Davies (bass), Lizzie Mayland (guitar), Aurora Nishevci (keys) and Emily Roberts (lead guitar) — captured the buzz on both sides of the Atlantic last year, thanks in part to “Nothing Matters,” their breakthrough debut single.

“Nothing Matters” was a legitimate alternative radio hit in the United States, cracking the top 10 (peaking at No. 8) on Billboard’s Adult Alternative Airplay chart dated Sept. 23.

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Along the way, the band performed at Glastonbury Festival 2023, opened for the Rolling Stones in London’s Hyde Park, embarked on their first North American tour, and headlined a show at London’s Roundhouse.

“We are overjoyed to have won BBC Radio 1’s Sound Of Award for 2024,” the bandmates enthuse in a statement. “We predict amazing things happening in music this year and it is truly an honor to even be a part of it. BBC Radio has championed us and so many other young artists from the start of their careers, we still can’t believe it every time we hear one of our songs being played.”

If 2023 was the warmup, 2024 should be the payoff.

New track “Caesar on a TV Screen” turns up on Billboard’s latest Friday Music Guide, ahead of the release next month of the band’s full-length debut Prelude to Ecstasy.

The Last Dinner Party was selected by a panel of over 140 industry experts and artists, including Olivia Rodrigo, Declan McKenna, Chase & Status, Mahalia and others.

It’s a rare double for the newcomers; they’ve already collected this year’s BRITs Rising Star Award, a result that raises expectations for the five-piece to fever pitch.  

With the Corporation’s coveted award, the Last Dinner Party joins the likes of previous winners Adele, Sam Smith, Haim, Ellie Goulding, Sigrid and last year’s champion, Flo.

“Every artist who has been nominated or won over the years is such a powerhouse, it humbles us to join their ranks,” the band continues in a statement. “Thank you to guitar music for never dying. Bands are back, baby.”

Honorable mention this year goes to Olivia Dean, Peggy Gou, Tyla and Elmiene, who respectively complete the BBC’s top 5 list of acts to watch.

The top five acts for Sound of 2024:

  1. The Last Dinner Party
  2. Olivia Dean
  3. Peggy Gou
  4. Tyla
  5. Elmiene

Lewis Capaldi’s ‘Broken By Desire To Be Heavenly Sent’ Flies to No. 1 In U.K.

Lewis Capaldi enjoys a heavenly ascent on the U.K. chart where his sophomore album returns to the summit.

The Scottish singer and songwriter bags the first No. 1 of 2024 with Broken By Desire To Be Heavenly Sent (EMI), up 72-1, an album that topped the national chart for two consecutive weeks following its release in 2023.

Its new chart wings grew out of a surprise “special edition,” which includes five previously-unreleased cuts, available on new physical and digital formats.

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The love extends to Capaldi’s chart-topping debut LP Divinely Uninspired To A Hellish Extent, which improves 46-28. Divinely Uninspired has logged 10 weeks at No. 1 since its release in 2019.

The 27-year-old artist gave fans an update and some insights into his own battles, by way of a lengthy — and positive — New Year’s Eve message in which he pointed out an improvement in his overall health. “I’m currently taking some time off to focus on my health and wellbeing and it’s been going great,” he explained. He’s still not ready to step back into the spotlight, some six months after he announced a hiatus from touring.

Meanwhile, Taylor Swift’s former leader 1989 (Taylor’s Version) holds at No. 2 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart, published Friday, Jan. 5, and is the best-placed of Swift’s seven LPs inside the top 40. Further down the list is 2022’s Midnights (No. 8), 2020’s folklore (No. 9), 2017’s reputation (No. 12), 2019’s Lover (No. 13), 2020’s evermore (No. 24) and the original 2014 recording of 1989 (No. 40). According to data published last week by the Official Charts Company, 1989 (Taylor’s Version) was the U.K.’s best-selling LP on vinyl in 2023.

Completing the top 3 on the latest tally is The Weeknd’s career retrospective, The Highlights (Republic Records/XO), while ABBA’s jewel, Gold: Greatest Hits (Polydor), lifts 5-4, its highest position since 2008. Gold extends it all-time record to 1,131 weeks on the chart.

Finally, Vermont, U.S.-born singer and songwriter Noah Kahan enjoys a new peak with his third studio album Stick Season (Island), up 8-3. The title track from it leads the Official U.K. Singles Chart for the first time.

Billie Eilish Wins Best Original Song, Taylor Swift & Selena Gomez Show-Stopping Looks & More | Billboard News

Billie Eilish wins best original song for the second time for “What I Was Made For” from the Barbie movie, Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez walk the red carpet in show-stopping gowns, Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig accept the first ever Cinematic and Box Office Achievement at the 2024 Golden Globes.

Tetris Kelly
The 81st Golden Globes were a night to remember. Musicians showed up in full force from rock stars to pop stars, producers and multi-hyphenateS. Inside the Beverly Hilton, the cameras love nominees and besties Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez who sat next to costar Meryl Streep. Selena seem surprised her name when they announced Best Actress in a TV Series Musical or Comedy but seems super excited when Ayo Edebiri won the trophy. Andra Day and Jon Batiste hilariously presented Best Original Song

Tetris Kelly
Which Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas won for “What I Was Made For” from ‘Barbi’e

Tetris Kelly
Barbie also took home the first ever award and was cinematic and box office achievement.

Tetris Kelly 1:19
For everything Golden Globes hits a Billboard.com

‘Saltburn’ Sends Sophie Ellis-Bextor Dancing Into the U.K. Top 10

More than two decades after Sophie Ellis-Bextor unleashed “Murder On The Dancefloor,” her pop monster returns to the U.K. top 10 – thanks to Saltburn.

The tune rebounds to No. 8 on the Official U.K. Singles Chart, published last Friday, Jan. 5, its first appearance in the top tier for more than 22 years. During the seven-day chart cycle, “Murder” collected more than 2.2 million streams for its best-ever streaming week in the U.K., the Official Charts Company confirms.

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There’s no mystery to its fresh legs. “Murder On The Dancefloor” (via Polydor) is synced to a prominent scene in Emerald Fennell’s Saltburn, a dark comedy that has erupted on Amazon Prime Video.

“Murder” is one of Ellis-Bextor’s six solo U.K. top 10 hits, peaking at No. 2 back in 2001. The daughter of a popular TV star Janet Ellis and director and producer Robin Bextor, Ellis-Bextor’s breakthrough came with Spiller’s 2000 club cut “Groovejet (If This Ain’t Love),” on which she was the uncredited vocalist. The track went to No. 1 on the Official Chart. Ellis-Bextor has also accumulated five U.K. top 10 albums.

Ellis-Bextor isn’t the only artist to benefit from the Saltburn effect. Mason and Princess Superstar’s 2006 single “Perfect (Exceeder)” (via Armada) reenters the top 40 on the Official Singles Chart for the first time in 17 years, appearing at No. 40. Following its release, the single reached No. 3.

As the Christmas songs are swept from the chart for another year, a raft of singles vault up the tally.

As expected, Noah Kahan’s “Stick Season” (Republic Records) completes its first summit climb in its 14th week, vaulting 10-1.

Meanwhile, Jack Harlow’s “Lovin On Me” rebounds 27-2 (up 27-2 via Atlantic); Casso, Raye and D-Block Europe’s “Prada” (Ministry of Sound) bounces 73-3; Tate McRae’s “Greedy” (Ministry of Sound) returns 37-4 and Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer” (EMI) is up 96-5.

Snubs and Surprises at the 2024 Golden Globes

Many of awards at the 2024 Golden Globes went exactly as expected. From the moment the new award for cinematic and box office achievement was announced, it was a foregone conclusion that Barbie would win. (Some Swifties thought Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour might pull an upset, but it was not to be.)

Likewise, no one was surprised that Billie Eilish and Finneas won the award for best original song for their contribution to Barbie, “What Was I Made For?” The hypnotic ballad is on the Oscar shortlist and is the front-winner to win that award on March 10. Eilish and Finneas won the Globe two years ago for writing the title song from the James Bond film No Time to Die and went on to win in the Oscar as well.

But, as always, there were some snubs and surprises along the way. Poor Things bested Barbie for best motion picture – musical or comedy, which means if the Globes had not added the new cinematic and box office achievement award, Barbie would have won just one Globe.

Oppenheimer won five Globes, the most by any film since La La Land swept seven awards seven years ago. Barbie, Poor Things, Anatomy of a Fall and The Holdovers each won two.

The top winner on the TV side was HBO’s Succession, with four awards, followed by FX’s The Bear and Netflix’s Beef, with three awards each.

Emmy-winning producing duo Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner of White Cherry Entertainment served as executive-producing showrunners of the 2024 Golden Globes. Weiss also directed.

Penske Media Corporation, Billboard’s parent company, is a part-owner of dick clark productions and has a partnership with Eldridge.

This Golden Globe Winner Used His Speech As a Chance to Meet Bruce Springsteen

The Golden Globes are always a bit looser than most awards show – after all, there’s an open bar. So it was only fitting that at the 2024 Golden Globes on Sunday (Jan. 7) night at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif., one winner took his acceptance speech as a chance for a little human touch with an iconic rocker.

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When it was revealed that Poor Things nabbed the award for best motion picture – musical or comedy, a team of people behind the film, including star/producer Emma Stone and director/producer Yorgos Lanthimos, took the stage. Stone had spoken earlier that night when she won the award for best performance by a female actor in a motion picture – musical or comedy and chose to abdicate her acceptance speech slot as one of the film’s producers, forcing the Greek director to take the mic.

Considering the unconventional film is about a young woman (played by Stone) attempting to get the most out of life regardless of social expectations, it was perhaps inevitable that Lanthimos threw polite protocol to the wind at the Globes and used his moment in the spotlight to satiate his hungry heart.

“I just wanted to speak to Bruce Springsteen the whole night,” Lanthimos said as he grabbed the mic. “We have the same birthday – the 23rd of September!” As Stone and the Poor Things cast and crew laughed behind him, the camera cut to Springsteen flashing a thumbs up from his table. (Springsteen was a 2024 Golden Globe nominee for writing “Addicted to Romance” for She Came to Me, which was up for best original song but lost to Billie Eilish O’Connell and Finneas O’Connell’s “What Was I Made For?” from the blockbuster Barbie film.)

“He’s been my hero since I grew up,” Lanthimos explained. “Anyway, I’m wasting my time.”

Lanthimos went on to thank Searchlight Pictures for making the film, his cast and his crew (“Emma, she’s the best,” he said), but couldn’t walk away without one more shout-out to the Boss. “Thank you, Bruce Springsteen, for making me grew up [sic] the way I did.”

When social conventions said “sit down,” Yorgos stood up. Growin’ up.

The Golden Globes are produced and owned by dick clark productions. Penske Media Corporation, Billboard’s parent company, is a part-owner of dick clark productions and has a partnership with Eldridge.

Billie Eilish & Finneas and More Record-Setters at the 2024 Golden Globes

“Barbenheimer,” which broke records at the box-office last summer, also dominated the 2024 Golden Globe Awards, which were presented at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Sunday (Jan. 7).

Oppenheimer won five Globes, the most by any film since La La Land swept seven awards seven years ago. Barbie won two (fewer than expected) – best original song and in the new cinematic and box office achievement category. In the latter category, it beat Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, which some had thought might be an upset winner.

“What Was I Made For?,” the Barbie ballad by Billie Eilish and Finneas, won best original song, defeating two other songs from Barbie, “Dance the Night” and “I’m Just Ken.” It’s the sibling pair’s second Globe in three years, which constitutes the fastest repeat trip to the podium in this category since Benj Pasek and Justin Paul won back-to-back awards in the category with “City of Stars” from La La Land (which they composed with Justin Hurwitz) in 2017 and “This Is Me” from The Greatest Showman in 2018.

Eilish is just the fourth woman to win twice in the category, following Carole Bayer Sager, Marilyn Bergman and Diane Warren.

“What Was I Made For?,” which Barbie director Greta Gerwig has called the film’s “heart” song, is considered the front-runner to win the Academy Award for best original song. The Oscar nominations will be announced on Jan. 23.

Ludwig Göransson won best original score for Oppenheimer. It’s his first Globe win, following nominations in this category for Black Panther and Tenet and a best original song nod for co-writing “Lift Me Up” from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Göransson is the first Swedish composer to win for best original score. Göransson is considered the front-runner to win the Academy Award for best original score on March 10.

The top winner on the TV side was HBO’s Succession, with four awards, followed by FX’s The Bear and Netflix’s Beef, with three awards each.

Past Lives went 0-5 for the night, the biggest shutout by any film. On the TV side, Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building had the biggest shutout, also going 0-5 on the night.

Penske Media Corporation, Billboard‘s parent company, is a part-owner of dick clark productions and has a partnership with Eldridge

Golden Globes 2024 Photos: Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez, Jennifer Lopez & More

The 2024 awards season kicked off Sunday (Jan. 7) with the 81st Golden Globe Awards held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. The ceremony, produced by dick clark productions, was hosted by comedian Jo Koy, with not only Hollywood’s brightest stars in attendance, but also numerous musicians who were nominated for their musical contributions to film.

Among them were Taylor Swift, who received a nod for Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour in the cinematic and box office achievement category (she lost to blockbuster Barbie); Selena Gomez, who was nominated for her portrayal of podcaster Mabel Mora in Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building (The Bear‘s Ayo Edebiri won); Dua Lipa, who was a presenter and was also nominated for her Barbie contribution “Dance the Night”; Jennifer Lopez, who was there with husband Ben Affleck; and more.

While the music stars did not perform their nominated works at the ceremony, they did hobnob with their fellow celebrities during the show, which was broadcast on CBS and Paramount+. Some moments were shown on TV, while others were captured by photographers, including Swift and Barry star Bill Hader, who posed for a photo together, and Dua Lipa presenting with Elizabeth Banks.

Below, see some of the best photos from the 2024 Golden Globes, from Billie Eilish and Finneas’ win for best original song, to Thirty Seconds to Mars frontman and actor Jared Leto’s chat with Robert Downey Jr., The Bear stars celebrating their wins and more.

Penske Media Corporation, Billboard‘s parent company, is a part-owner of dick clark productions and has a partnership with Eldridge.

Chely Wright Says New York Times Op-Ed Speculating About Taylor Swift’s Sexuality Is ‘Triggering’ and ‘Upsetting’

Chely Wright, who was brought up in the lede of a Jan. 4 op-ed published by the New York Times that speculated about Taylor Swift‘s sexuality, has shared her thoughts after being named in the piece.

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“I was mentioned in the piece, so I’ll weigh in,” country singer Wright wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, Sunday (Jan. 7). “I think it was awful of @nytimes to publish. Triggering for me to read— not because the writer mentioned my nearly ending my life— but seeing a public person’s sexuality being discussed is upsetting.”

The op-ed is based on NYT opinion editor Anna Marks’ theory that Swift could be a closeted queer woman sending subtextual signals about her sexuality in her work. It weaves in discussion about progress that has been made around the LGBTQ community’s rights in the U.S. since the start of Swift’s career.

The piece references Wright’s memoir Like Me: Confessions of a Heartland Country Singer. Wright, who came out as gay in 2010, has shared her personal challenges with going public about her personal life. As she wrote in an essay in 2011, “I didn’t know how to be me in this life that I’d carved out — this gay, Christian, farm girl from Kansas who sang country music. I just didn’t know how to make those pieces fit.”

Marks’ NYT article opens with this sentence: “In 2006, the year Taylor Swift released her first single, a closeted country singer named Chely Wright, then 35, held a 9-millimeter pistol to her mouth.”

Marks wrote, “Queer identity was still taboo enough in mainstream America that speaking about her love for another woman would have spelled the end of a country music career. But in suppressing her identity, Ms. Wright had risked her life. The culture in which Ms. Wright picked up that gun — the same culture in which Ms. Swift first became a star — was stunningly different from today’s.

Since it was published, the NYT 5,000-word piece that goes on to make assumptions at length about Swift’s sexuality has faced criticism across social media for its open speculation about the Midnights singer’s private life and identity.

Wright, who had a No. 1 hit on Billboard‘s Hot Country Songs chart with “Single White Female” in 1999, posted her comment in reply to music writer Chris Willman, agreeing with his take that “this was the least defensible op-ed I can remember ever seeing the NYT run.”

See Wright’s statement below.

Billie Eilish, Finneas Win Golden Globe for Best Original Song: ‘Writing That Song Kind of Saved Me’

Billie Eilish didn’t forget to be happy at the 2024 Golden Globes. The 22-year-old pop star and brother Finneas won the best original song – motion picture trophy for their emotional Barbie ballad “What Was I Made For?” on Sunday (Jan. 7), beating out other music heavyweights for the victory.

The “Happier Than Ever” singer accepted the award with her big brother by her side. “I was not expecting this in this moment Thank you to my brother, Finneas. You are the reason I am who I am,” she began, a big smile on her face, before thanking director/writer Greta Gerwig, star Margot Robbie and more.

The seven-time Grammy winner then got personal. “It was exactly a year ago almost that we were shown the movie and I was very, very miserable and depressed at the time. Writing that song kind of saved me a little bit,” she shared. “A year later and here we are. It’s really surreal. I feel incredibly, incredibly lucky, incredibly lucky and grateful.”

She then addressed all of the stars in the room with her at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles: “You guys scare the living hell out of me — everyone in this room! Thank you so much! This means the world!”

“What Was I Made For?” — which peaked at No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 in August — was nominated alongside fellow Barbie soundtrack tunes “Dance the Night” by Dua Lipa and “I’m Just Ken,” performed by Ryan Gosling and written by Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt. Also receiving nods in the category were Bruce Springsteen’s “Addicted to Romance” from She Came to Me, Jack Black’s “Peaches” from The Super Mario Bros. Movie and Lenny Kravitz’s “Road to Freedom” in Rustin.

Jo Koy hosted the 2024 Golden Globes, which were produced by dick clark productions.

Watch Billie Eilish’s acceptance speech below:

Penske Media Corporation, Billboard‘s parent company, is a part-owner of dick clark productions and has a partnership with Eldridge.