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06 Dec 2022

Kanye West Calls on Jewish People to ‘Forgive Hitler’ in Interview With Proud Boys Founder

Kanye West has fired off another round of antisemitic comments, this time saying in an interview with Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes that Jewish people need to “forgive Hitler.”

In a 45-minute interview titled “Saving Ye” posted to the alt-right website Censored.TV, McInnes and the artist now known as Ye debated the latter’s recent bout of hate speech aimed at the Jewish community. But the Yeezy founder simply doubled down on his stance even harder.

“Jewish people can’t tell me who I can love and who I can’t love,” he said in the discussion, moderated by far-right personality and West’s recent companion Nick Fuentes, who is a Holocaust denier and has been labeled as a white supremacist by the Anti-Defamation League. “You can’t force your pain on everyone else,” he continued, according to Rolling Stone.

“Jewish people — forgive Hitler today,” he added. “Let it go. Let it go. Stop trying to force it on other people.”

McInnes, who in 2016 established the right-wing extremist group Proud Boys after leaving VICE Media Company, which he co-founded, says at the beginning of the video that he set up the interview to try to “prevent Ye West from becoming an antisemite or a Nazi.” The interview comes just days after the “Donda” musician praised Hitler and said he loves Nazis on Alex Jones’ far-right show InfoWars in a moment so disturbing, even President Joe Biden issued a statement condemning antisemitism and Holocaust denialism.

“I just want to make a few things clear: The Holocaust happened. Hitler was a demonic figure. And instead of giving it a platform, our political leaders should be calling out and rejecting antisemitism wherever it hides,” the president tweeted on Dec. 2. “Silence is complicity.’

06 Dec 2022

Chartbreaker: How Rosa Linn Scored a Global Smash After Hitting an Emotional Low

Three years ago, Rosa Linn was writing songs in her free time and dreaming of a career in music. But she never expected a performance at a local village festival in her native Armenia would be her ticket to stardom.

Her standout delivery of an original rock song, backed by her band of friends, floored talent scouts in the crowd from record label Nvak Collective. Soon after, the team invited her to attend the company’s upcoming songwriting camp for women. “We really recognize the fact that talent is equally distributed — but opportunity isn’t,” says Tamar Kaprelian, Nvak Collective co-founder and Rosa Linn’s manager since last July, when the rising singer-songwriter also signed to the label.

Kaprelian says that while Rosa Linn was more introverted than the other songwriters at the camp, her personality beamed through the lyrics she wrote independently after songwriting lessons. When Rosa Linn returned to class one day, she presented the first verse of a folksy pop song about hopelessly ruminating over a romantic interest. That early draft became “Snap,” the global crossover hit that has catapulted her career and led to her first Billboard No. 1.

Inspired by her “first real love” in 2017 during her time as an exchange student in the United States, Rosa Linn returned home to Armenia feeling hung up. “I wrote about my readjustment process and mental state,” the 22-year-old says. “It was a very hard period for me. It’s just about life, and I think that’s why people relate to it.” Adds Kaprelian: “She came in with those deep lyrics, and I was like, ‘There’s something special here.’ ”

Over the next two-and-a-half years Rosa Linn fleshed out the rest of the song ahead of its official release this March. She says that the final product is “very close” to the original demo, and includes vocals she cut in a hotel room, as well as her own guitar playing, “even though I’m not the greatest guitar player. That’s why the song has a vulnerable feeling. It’s honest and not perfect.”

Kaprelian sent the track to local radio stations, but was determined to get the song noticed on a larger level, eventually submitting it as an applicant to represent Armenia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2022. Rosa Linn was ultimately chosen for the televised music competition this May (besting a finalist entry submitted by one of her friends), where she performed “Snap” to 161 million people across Europe. She placed 20th.

“We really saw it as a steppingstone,” Kaprelian reflects. “When she didn’t rank well, we could have been like, ‘We tried. Let’s move on to another song.’ Instead, we decided to double down on ‘Snap’ and I know that it might not have seemed smart, but we really went hard in the TikTok strategy.”

Rosa Linn, Tamar Kaprelian

Rosa Linn (left) and Tamar Kaprelian photographed on November 11, 2022 in Malibu, Calif.

Martha Galvan

Turns out it was the smartest thing they could have done. Rosa Linn began “experimenting” with different videos on the platform, including acoustic performances, remixes and POV-style clips showing the behind-the-scenes action at Eurovision. And after a fan-made, sped-up version of the track was uploaded to TikTok, “Snap” began to go viral.

More than one million videos were uploaded to the platform using the quicker, pitched-up version of “Snap,” with users showing everything from favorite recipes to sweet moments with their pets, as well as participating in a wholesome trend in which people highlighted the “color palette” of their hair, skin and eyes. Its popularity on TikTok pushed “Snap” up the Billboard charts, leading to its Billboard Hot 100 debut at No. 97 on the Sept. 3-dated chart. It has since reached a No. 82 high and spent seven weeks at No. 1 on Adult Alternative Airplay. “After [seeing the song do well], that’s when I knew it was real,” Rosa Linn says. “‘Snap’ gave me the best and most productive year of my life.”

It also led to a major-label deal with Columbia Records, which Rosa Linn signed in August. The label has already set the artist up with top songwriters and producers, including a recent session in Los Angeles with Diane Warren and Dan Wilson. In late October, she released her follow-up single “WDIA (Would Do It Again)” with fellow Eurovision star Duncan Laurence — and then capped the month with her late-night television debut on The Late Late Show with James Corden. Rosa Linn is now in the process of curating her sound to represent her artistry, with hopes of releasing a debut studio album. “I’m very picky,” she says, noting she has no timeline in mind for her full-length. “I wrote a lot of songs in the past three years, but none of them got released because [then] I would write another and it was better. This period is me growing as a songwriter and trying to improve.”

“I’m always going to stay personal and honest,” she continues. “My music is a representation of what I’ve gone through. Coming from Armenia and now living my dream is unbelievable.”

Rosa Linn

Rosa Linn photographed on November 11, 2022 in Malibu, Calif.

Martha Galvan

A version of this story will appear in the Dec. 10, 2022, issue of Billboard.

06 Dec 2022

Taylor Swift Extends Record Atop Artist 100 Chart, Michael Buble & Fleetwood Mac Return to Top 10

Taylor Swift logs a record-extending 56th week at No. 1 on the Billboard Artist 100 chart (dated Dec. 10), continuing her run as the top musical act in the United States.

Her reign can largely be attributed to the continued success of her album Midnights, which logs a fifth week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart with 151,000 equivalent album units earned in the Nov. 25-Dec. 1 tracking week, according to Luminate. The set debuted atop the Nov. 5 chart with 1.578 million units, the largest one-week total since the opening frame of Adele’s 25 in December 2015 (3.482 million).

Swift scores nine albums on the latest Billboard 200, the most among all acts. After Midnights, she appears with Folklore (No. 15), Red (Taylor’s Version) (No. 22), Lover (No. 29), Evermore (No. 36), 1989 (No. 51), Fearless (Taylor’s Version) (No. 68), Reputation (No. 88), and Speak Now (No. 175).

Swift also lands nine songs from Midnights on the Billboard Hot 100, led by “Anti-Hero,” which tallies a sixth week at No. 1.

Here’s a recap of Swift’s songs on the latest, Dec. 10-dated Hot 100. After “Anti-Hero,” she charts with new radio single “Lavender Haze,” which pushes 36-26 on the Adult Pop Airplay chart and 31-28 on Pop Airplay. “Anti-Hero” leads the former tally for a second week and rises to No. 2 on the latter.

Rank, Title:

  • No. 1, “Anti-Hero”
  • No. 52, “Lavender Haze”
  • No. 70, “Bejeweled”
  • No. 71, “Midnight Rain”
  • No. 73, “Maroon”
  • No. 78, “Karma”
  • No. 80, “You’re On Your Own, Kid”
  • No. 83, “Snow on the Beach,” feat. Lana Del Rey
  • No. 97, “Vigilante Shit”

Swift has now spent six weeks at No. 1 on the Artist 100 in 2022, tying The Weeknd for the second-most after Bad Bunny (eight).

Elsewhere on the Artist 100, Michael Bublé bounds 14-7 largely powered by his 2011 album Christmas. The set jumps 10-4 on the Billboard 200 (47,000 units; up 55%), while its track “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas,” his version of Meredith Willson’s 1951 classic, re-enters the Hot 100 at No. 29.

Plus, Fleetwood Mac vaults 41-8 on the Artist 100, having made gains following the death of member Christine McVie on Nov. 30. The group’s seminal 1977 album Rumours climbs 32-20 on the Billboard 200 (23,000 units; up 25%), while the group’s Greatest Hits – with half its 16 songs written by McVie – re-enters at No. 98. The band’s classics “Everywhere” (from 1987’s Tango in the Night) and “Songbird” (from Rumours) — both written and sung by McVie — also rank on the Digital Song Sales chart at Nos. 14 (up from No. 38) and 26 (debut), respectively. The former had been surging thanks to its synch in a Chevrolet commercial.

The Artist 100 measures artist activity across key metrics of music consumption, blending album and track sales, radio airplay and streaming to provide a weekly multi-dimensional ranking of artist popularity.

06 Dec 2022

American Artists Harmed in Europe Due to Broadcaster Exploitation in the U.S. (Guest Op-Ed)

Whenever I tell someone that recording artists aren’t paid when their songs are played on AM/FM radio, they are surprised. Yet, it’s true: not a single performer has ever been paid a performance royalty by American broadcasters for analog radio.

Unfortunately, that’s only half the story. When U.S. broadcasters, including iHeartMedia, Audacy, Cumulus Media, and others, refuse to pay for AM/FM radio plays, it is a double whammy. First, it denies thousands of hard-working Americans the full ability to make a living from their craft.

Second, this denial is used as an excuse by many countries around the world to withhold payments to U.S. artists when their music is played overseas. European countries typically pay royalties to foreign artists, but some use U.S. broadcasters’ refusal to pay for AM/FM radio plays as an excuse for denying those royalties to American artists. Given that American music is the most popular in the world, this amounts to hundreds of millions of dollars in lost income for American creators – every year.

Think that’s bad? It gets even worse. Some countries (such as France) do collect royalties on behalf of Americans, but that money never gets to the rightful recipients in the United States. Instead, they divert it towards their local artists or to fund local “cultural” programs. SoundExchange and others are currently in French courts trying to remedy this egregious practice.

Fortunately, some progress is being made. In 2020, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled that all artists, regardless of nationality, should be paid when their music is played in Europe. They cite a principle called “National Treatment,” in which a country must treat foreigners with the same laws they treat their own citizens. It’s an important principle: imagine if the United States denied a foreign national the right to a fair trial simply because their home country doesn’t provide those protections.

In reaction to the ECJ decision, France and others are seeking to limit its impact so they can keep diverting royalties away from American artists for their own cultural funds. The Fair Trade of Music coalition is fighting to ensure that Europe does the right thing and treats artists equally, regardless of nationality.

This battle to protect American interests in Europe has been fought for a while, but the problem could be solved instantly if Congress passed the American Music Fairness Act, legislation to finally grant recording artists a performance right for AM/FM. The notion of paying artists for radio play already exists in the rest of the world and also exists in the U.S. for streaming services (such as Spotify or Sirius XM). The fact that the House Judiciary Committee is expected to consider the legislation on Wednesday is a sign that it’s gaining momentum as Congress completes its work. The legislation lays out a fair approach: it requires billion-dollar corporations to pay their fair share for music. It also protects small broadcasters and college radio stations that would have to pay (at most) only $500 a year (less than $2 per day). The smallest of broadcasters are capped at $10 a year.

Corporate broadcasters argue that a “mutually beneficial relationship” exists between AM/FM radio and music creators. Yet their actions belie that claim, as they spend millions to fight this legislation and avoid sharing the billions of dollars they make in advertising from music. In the past year, the NAB and iHeartMedia have spent over $11 million in lobbying alone. Broadcasters are even using their own federally-granted airwaves to run ads opposing the legislation while ignoring calls to give artists equal time to run their own ads. I guess it’s too dangerous for listeners to hear both sides of the story.

It’s important for Congress to act now. The House Judiciary Committee is considering the bill this week. With the passage of the American Music Fairness Act, artists would finally get paid for their music being played on AM/FM radio in the U.S., and it would remove the excuse for other countries to withhold their royalties from Americans. By recognizing the value of their work here at home, the United States can unlock hundreds of millions of overseas dollars for artists.

Most importantly, it’s simply the right thing to do.

Michael Huppe is president and CEO of SoundExchange.

06 Dec 2022

Ed Sheeran Sold More Concert Tickets This Year Than Any Other Act

Back on the road after a three-year break following his record-breaking The Divide Tour, Ed Sheeran tops the year-end Top Ticket Sales chart after playing to more than 3 million fans in Europe in 2022.

This is not the first time that Ed Sheeran has won a year-end Boxscore trophy. The Divide Tour made him the first artist to repeat atop Billboard’s annual Top Tours ranking, winning the gold in 2018 and 2019. The first of those two victories was the biggest year-end total in Boxscore history, with $429.5 million. Further, that tour ended in 2019 with the highest gross and biggest attendance of any tour ever, at $776.4 million and 8.88 million tickets.

Now back with The Mathematics Tour, Sheeran winds up at No. 3 on the 2022 Top Tours chart with $246.3 million. But separated from gross revenue, his current tour is No. 1 on the Top Ticket Sales chart, ranking the top tours by total cumulative attendance. According to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore, Sheeran moved 3,047,696 tickets in the 2022 tracking period.

Sheeran played 63 shows between Dec. 13, 2021, and Sept. 25, 2022, averaging out to 48,376 tickets per night. But that is a misleading number, as the first 11 of those shows were “rehearsal” dates, setting the British singer-songwriter in small clubs and theaters in London and Dublin. Those shows ranged from 357 tickets at Dublin’s Whelans on April 19 to 5,230 tickets at London’s Royal Albert Hall on March 27. All 11 shows combined to 16,810; even at the top of that range, he was still selling less than 15% of the year’s average.

Removing those rehearsal shows from the equation, the picture of The Mathematics Tour comes into focus. Sheeran’s 52 “proper” tour dates in 2022 paced 58,287 tickets.

Almost every market – each one except for Helsinki, Finland – required multiple shows. Sheeran mostly played double-header weekends, moving from city to city and maximizing audiences with Friday and Saturday shows. He topped off with a five-show run at London’s Wembley Stadium, moving 420,269 tickets.

And while there is no attendance-based chart for Boxscores, the Wembley streak does have the highest attendance total of any engagement this year, beating Coldplay’s four shows at Paris’ Stade de France by more than 100,000 tickets.

Elsewhere, Sheeran broke the 200,000 threshold with four shows at Manchester’s Etihad Stadium and Munich’s Olympiastadion.

These numbers are huge, but even compared to his record-setting predecessor, The Mathematics Tour is ahead of schedule. The Divide Tour included three European legs in 2017, 2018 and 2019. Those runs averaged 14,321 tickets (the 2017 leg was in arenas), 54,485 and 51,898, respectively. Sheeran’s ’22 stadium pace is 7% in front of Divide’s strongest year, setting him up quite well as he prepares to leave his home base.

The Mathematics Tour is scheduled for 12 shows in Australia in February and March, followed by 24 shows in North America throughout the summer. Whether or not Sheeran can match (or even approach) The Divide Tour’s three-year total may be entirely up to him. Fans showed up in droves to his European shows, but the expanse of his pre-pandemic tour was so huge. And not only did the tour last, it went wide, including shows in Asia, South America and South Africa. If Mathematics routing remains modest, it will be difficult to triple the tour’s current totals.

Based on his scheduled 36 shows in 2023, The Mathematics Tour should pick up another 1.5 million to 1.75 million tickets as it approaches the 5 million mark. Should more dates be added, the sky’s the limit.

06 Dec 2022

Here’s the Date of the 2023 NAACP Image Awards

The 54th NAACP Image Awards will broadcast live on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023, at 8 p.m. (live ET/PT on delay) on BET from the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, Calif. Nominees will be announced on Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023. Online voting opens on that date and extends through Friday, Feb. 10, 2023.

This will mark the first in-person Image Awards since the show was hosted in February 2020, also at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium.

The host has not been announced. Black-ish star Anthony Anderson hosted the last nine NAACP Image Awards, but several previous hosts or co-hosts came from the world of music, including Whitney Houston, Patti LaBelle, Vanessa Williams, Mariah Carey, Diana Ross and LL Cool J.

Jennifer Hudson was named entertainer of the year at last year’s show. Jazmine Sullivan and Anthony Hamilton won outstanding female and male artist, respectively. Sullivan’s Heaux Tales took outstanding album. Saweetie took outstanding new artist.

The 54th NAACP Image Awards will include three new categories within the motion picture, television + streaming categories — outstanding hairstyling, outstanding make-up and outstanding costume design.

“Throughout the past year, we’ve witnessed Black artists showcasing our history and uplifting values of progressive change, while redefining genres and bringing our stories to the forefront of entertainment in so many innovative ways,” Derrick Johnson, president and CEO of the NAACP, said in a statement. “Black voices are necessary to continually inspire audiences around the world. We’re proud to once again provide a platform that both elevates and celebrates these voices through the 54th NAACP Image Awards.”

“BET is extremely proud to continue our long-standing partnership with the NAACP and magnify their endeavors to honor the incredible contributions made by the Black community,” added BET president and CEO Scott Mills. “We’re looking forward to celebrating Black excellence at next year’s Image Awards on all of our platforms, honoring those who help tell our diverse stories in powerful ways.”

06 Dec 2022

Omar Jose Cardona Flies High With Dramatic Celine Dion ‘My Heart Will Go On’ Cover on ‘The Voice’

Omar Jose Carona earned an enthusiastic standing ovation from The Voice coaches on Monday night (Dec. 5) when the former Orlando theme park singer soared above the competition by taking on one of the biggest, trickiest pop songs in the karaoke handbook.

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Tackling Celine Dion‘s Titanic ballad “My Heart Will Go On,” Cardona began his performance in a whispery falsetto, showing off his poise and stagecraft by easing into the song’s swell as the string section behind him added a sense of majesty. Wearing a glittering black jacket, the 33-year-old cruise ship veteran capped the soaring segment by hitting a gigantic, elongated “on” as fireworks rained down behind himand coach John Legend jumped to his feet.

Host Carson Daly said it was worthy of the the season finale for the show’s 22nd season and panelist Gwen Stefani said the performance was so scary good it couldn’t be real. “I’m pretty sure he was lip-synching on that one,” she joked. “There no way that was real.” Her husband had to agree, adding, “All across America right now old men are getting up off their easy chair and picking up their toupee.”

In advance of next week’s finale, the night also featured Team Camila Cabello’s Morgan Myles singing Lady Gaga’s “Always Remember Us This Way,” Team Blake’s bodie sing Halsey’s “Without Me,” Bryce Leatherwood take on Justin Moore’s “If Heaven Wasn’t So Far Away” and teenager Brayden Lape cover Brett Young’s “In Case You Didn’t Know.” Team Legend’s powerhouse Kim Cruse ripped “Summertime” from George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess and Parijita Bastola took on Sia’s “Unstoppable” while Team Gwen’s Justin Aaron sang Cynthia Erivo’s “Stand Up.” The top 8 also teamed up for Whitney Houston duets to promote the upcoming Houston biopic, I Wanna Dance With Somebody, which premieres on USA on Dec. 23.

Watch Cardona’s appearance below.

06 Dec 2022

Beyoncé Features Fans in ‘Hive Certified’ ‘Break My Soul’ Video to Celebrate Going Platinum: Watch

The Beyhive has listened to “Break My Soul” enough for it to officially reach Platinum status, and now Beyoncé is returning the love. To celebrate the milestone of Renaissance‘s splash-making lead single, the 41-year-old superstar dropped a “Hive Certified” music video Tuesday (Dec. 6) featuring clips of fans strutting their stuff to the track.

The new video opens with a hilarious clip of one fan tricking his mom and sister by saying he doesn’t like “Beyonce’s new song.” “Get out of here before I break your soul,” the fan’s mom angrily replies, while his sister stares in disbelief.

Then, videos of Beyhive members of all ages and all corners of the internet dancing solo, in pairs and in groups to “Break My Soul” cut in and out. Some boogie in kitchens, some on top of beds, some outdoors on rooftops and some at their work desks.

“BREAK MY SOUL is Certified Platinum,” reads the video’s description. “Thank you so much for all the love and for releasing the wiggle.”

According to the RIAA, the single reached the one million units milestone mark on Nov. 30.

“Break My Soul” was first released back in June, heralding the impending arrival of Bey’s highly, highly anticipated Renaissance album, which dropped the following month. It peaked atop the Billboard Hot 100 and maintained its reign there for two weeks, marking the Houston native’s eighth career No. 1.

The house-inspired track receive almost instant critical acclaim upon its release, and in November, it snagged 2023 Grammy nominations for record of the year, song of the year and best dance/electronic recording.

Watch Beyoncé’s Hive Certified “Break My Soul” video below:

06 Dec 2022

The 50 Best Albums of 2022: Staff List

While every year of the streaming era — maybe every year of the post-Napster era — has brought with it concerns about the health of the full-album format, 2022 ended up making a pretty convincing argument that the LP could still be just as vital in the culture as it was during Tower Records’ heyday. Huge stars came through with enormous albums this past year, dominating discussion, drawing rave reviews, changing careers, and (in at least one or two cases) putting up numbers that previously seemed close to impossible at this point in pop history. (And thanks to a renewed interest in CD packaging and the continued growth of the vinyl market, fans were spending money on actual physical copies of many of these albums, a practice that seemed to be going nearly extinct not that long ago.)

But it wasn’t just the already-big going (and getting) bigger in 2022. Some new and still-rising artists found their voices in unexpected and thrilling ways, scoring breakout hits and connecting with new audiences. Some veteran artists continued to hone their trademark craft, making satisfying and well-received comebacks that made us wish they hadn’t left us for so long beforehand. And some of our preeminent hitmakers continued to evolve and challenge audiences with unexpected shifts in their sound and vision, resulting in returns that were less commercially explosive but even more artistically rewarding.

Here are our 50 favorite albums from this year — sets which both made us nostalgic for the format’s past, and excited about its future.