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15 Nov 2022

Harry Styles, Beyoncé, Adele & More Land 2023 Grammy Nominations in Big Four Categories

The Recording Academy revealed the nominations for the 65th annual Grammy Awards on Tuesday (Nov. 15) via a livestream on live.Grammy.com and on the Academy’s Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok channels.

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They announced all 91 categories on the livestream, including the Big Four categories – song of the year, record of the year, best new artist and album of the year.

Here are the nominees in each of the Big Four categories – together with our instant analysis.

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

Award to Artist(s) and to Featured Artist(s), Songwriter(s) of new material, Producer(s), Recording Engineer(s), Mixer(s) and Mastering Engineer(s).

Voyage, ABBA
Benny Andersson, producer; Benny Andersson & Bernard LOhr, engineers/mixers; Benny Andersson & Bjorn Ulvaeus, songwriters; Bjorn Engelmann, mastering engineer

30, Adele
Shawn Everett, Ludwig Goransson, Inflo, Tobias Jesso, Jr., Greg Kurstin, Max Martin, Joey Pecoraro & Shellback, producers; Julian Burg, Steve Churchyard, Tom Elmhirst, Shawn Everett, Serban Ghenea, Sam Holland, Michael Ilbert, Inflo, Greg Kurstin, Riley Mackin & Lasse Marten, engineers/mixers; Adele Adkins, Ludwig Goransson, Dean Josiah Cover, Tobias Jesso, Jr., Greg Kurstin, Max Martin & Shellback, songwriters; Randy Merrill, mastering engineer

Un Verano Sin Ti, Bad BunnyRauw Alejandro, Buscabulla, Chencho Corleone, Jhay Cortez, Tony Dize, Bomba Estereo & The Marias, featured artists; Demy & Clipz, Elikai, HAZE, La Paciencia, Cheo Legendary, MAG, MagicEnElBeat, Mora, Jota Rosa, Subelo Neo & Tainy, producers; Josh Gudwin & Roberto Rosado, engineers/mixers; Raul Alejandro Ocasio Ruiz, Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, Raquel Berrios, Joshua Conway, Mick Coogan, Orlando Javier Valle Vega, Jesus Nieves Cortes, Luis Del Valle, Marcos Masis, Gabriel Mora, Elena Rose, Liliana Margarita Saumet & Maria Zardoya, songwriters; Colin Leonard, mastering engineer

RENAISSANCE, Beyonce
Beam, Grace Jones & Terns, featured artists; Jameil Aossey, Bah, Beam, Beyonce, Bloodpop, Boi-lDa, Cadenza, AI Cres, Mike Dean, Honey Dijon, Kelman Duran, Harry Edwards, Terius “The-Dream” Gesteelde-Diamant, Ivor Guest, Guiltybeatz, Hit-Boy, Jens Christian Isaksen, Leven Kali, Lil Ju, MeLo-X, No I.D., NovaWav, Chris Penny, P2J, Rissi, SlaO, Raphael Saadiq, Neenyo, Skrillex, Luke Solomon, Christopher “Tricky” Stewart, Jahaan Sweet, Syd, Sevn Thomas, Sol Was & Stuart White, producers; Chi Coney, Russell Graham, Guiltybeatz, Brandon Harding, Hotae Alexander Jang, Chris McLaughlin, Delroy “Phatta” Pottinger, Andrea Roberts, Steve Rusch, Jabbar Stevens & Stuart White, engineers/mixers; Denisia “@Biu June” Andrews, Danielle Balbuena, Tyshane Thompson, Kevin Marquis Bellrnon, Sydney Bennett, Beyonce, Jerel Black, Michael Thcker, Atia Boggs p/k/a Ink, Dustin Bowie, David Debrandon Brown, S. Carter, Nija Charles, Sabrina Claudio, Solomon Fagenson Cole, Brittany “@Chi_Coney” Coney, Alexander Guy Cook, Lavar Coppin, Almando Cresso, Mike Dean, Saliou Diagne, Darius Dixson, Jocelyn Donald, Jordan Douglas, Aubrey Drake Graham, Kelman Duran, Terius “The-Dream” Gesteelde-Diamant, Dave Giles II, Derrick Carrington Gray, Nick Green, Larry Griffin Jr, Ronald Banful, Dave Hamelin, Aviel Calev Hirschfield, Chauncey Hollis, Jr., Ariowa Irosogie, Leven Kali, Ricky Lawson, Tizita Makuria, Julian Martrel Mason, Daniel Memmi, Cherdericka Nichols, Ernest “No I.D.” Wilson, Temilade Openiyi, Patrick Paige II From The Internet, Jimi Stephen Payton, Christopher Lawrence Penny, Michael Pollack, Richard Isong, Honey Redmond, Derek Renfroe, Andrew Richardson, Morten Ristorp, Nile Rodgers, Oliver Rodigan, Freddie Ross, Raphael Saadiq, Matthew Samuels, Sean Seaton, Skrillex, Corece Smith, Luke Francis Matthew Solomon, Jabbar Stevens, Christopher A. Stewart, Jahaan Sweet, Rupert Thomas, Jr. & Jesse Wilson, songwriters; Colin Leonard, mastering engineer

Good Morning Gorgeous (Deluxe), Mary J. Blige
DJ Khaled, Dave East, Fabolous, Fivio Foreign, Griselda, H.E.R., Jadakiss, Moneybagg Yo, Ne-Yo, Anderson .Paak, Rerny Ma & Usher, featured artists; Alissia, Tarik Azzouz, Bengineer, Blacka Din Me, Roget Chahayed, Cool & Dre, Ben Billions, DJ Cassidy, DJ Khaled, D’Mile, Wonda, Bongo Bytheway, H.E.R., Hostile Beats, Eric Hudson, London On Da Track, Leon Michels, Nova Wav, Anderson.Paak, Sl!Mwav, Streetrunner, Swizz Beatz & J White Did It, producers; Derek Ali, Ben Chang, Luis Bordeaux, Bryce Bordone, Lauren D’Elia, Chris Galland, Serban Ghenea, Akeel Henry, Jaycen Joshua, Pat Kelly, Jhair Lazo, Sharnele Mackie, Manny Marroquin, Dave Medrano, Ari Morris, Parks, Juan Pefia, Ben Sedano, Kev Spencer, Julio Ulloa & Jodie Grayson Williams, engineers/mixers; Alissia Beneviste, Denisia “Blu June” Andrews, Archer, Bianca Atterberry, Tarik Azzouz, Mary J. Blige, David Brewster, David Brown, Shawn Butler, Roget Chahayed, Ant Clemons, Brittany “Chi” Coney, Kasseern Dean, Benjamin  Diehl, DJ Cassidy, Jocelyn Donald, Jerry Duplessis, Uforo Ebong, Demst Emile II, John Jackson, Adriana Flores, Gabriella Wilson, Shawn Hibbler, Charles A. Hinshaw, Jamie Hurton, Eric Hudson, Jason Phillips, Khaled Khaled, London  Holmes, Andre “Dre” Christopher Lyon, Reminisce Mackie, Leon Michels, Jerome Monroe, Jr., Kim Owens, Brandon Anderson, Jerernie “Benny The Butcher” Pennick, Bryan Ponce, Demond “Conway The Machine” Price, Peter Skellem, Shaffer Smith, Nicholas Warwar, Deforrest Taylor, Tiara Thomas, Marcello “Cool” Valenzano, Alvin “Westside Gunn” Worthy, Anthony Jerrnaine White & Leon Youngblood, songwriters

In These Silent Days, Brandi CarlileLucius, featured artist; Dave Cobb & Shooter Jennings, producers; Brandon Bell, Dave Cobb, Torn Elrnhirst, Michael Harris & Shooter Jennings, engineers/mixers; Brandi Carlile, Dave Cobb, Phil Hanseroth & Tim Hanseroth, songwriters; Pete Lyman, mastering engineer

Music of the Spheres, Coldplay
BTS, Jacob Collier, Selena Gomez & We Are KING, featured artists; Jacob Collier, Daniel Green, Oscar Holter, Jon Hopkins, Max Martin, Metro Boomin, Kang Hyo-Won, Bill Rahko, Bart Schoudel, Rik Simpson, Paris Strother & We Are KING, producers; Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Will Champion, Jacob Collier, The Dream Team, Duncan Fuller, Serban Ghenea, Daniel Green, John Hanes, Jon Hopkins, Michael I!bert, Max Martin, Bill Rahko, Bart Schoudel, Rik Simpson & Paris Strother, engineers/mixers; Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Denise Carite, Will Champion, Jacob Collier, Derek Dixie, Sam Faison, Stephen Fry, Daniel Green, Oscar Holter, Jon Hopkins, Jung Ho-Seok, Chris Martin, Max Martin, John Metcalfe, Leland Tyler Wayne, Bill Rahko, Kim Narn-Joon, Jesse Rogg, Davide Rossi, Rik Simpson, Amber Strother, Paris Strother, Min Yoon-Gi, Federico Vindver & Olivia Waithe, songwriters; Randy Merrill, mastering engineer

Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, Kendrick  Lamar
Baby Keem, Blxst, Sam Dew, Ghostface Killah, Beth Gibbons, Kodak Black, Tanna Leone, Taylour Paige, Amanda Reifer, Sampha & Summer Walker, featured artists; The Alchemist, Baby Keem, Craig Balrnoris, Beach Noise, Bekon, Boi-lda, Cardo, Dahi, DJ Khalil, The Donuts, FNZ, Frano, Sergiu Gherrnan, Emile Haynie, J.LBS, Mario Luciano, Tyler Mehlenbacher, OKLAMA, Rascal, Sounwave, Jahaan Sweet, Tae Beast, Duval Timothy & Pharrell Williams, producers; Derek Ali, Matt Anthony, Beach Noise, Rob Bisel, David Bishop, Troy Bourgeois, Andrew Boyd, Ray Charles Brown Jr., Derek Garcia, Chad Gordon, James Hunt, Johnny Kosich, Manny Marroquin, Erwing Olivares, Raymond J Scavo III, Matt Schaeffer, Cyrus Taghipour, Johnathan Turner & Joe Visciano, engineers/mixers; KhalilAbdul-Rahman, Hykeem Carter, Craig Balrnoris, Beach Noise, Daniel Tannenbaum, Daniel Tannenbaum, Stephen Lee Bruner, Matthew Burdette, Isaac John De Boni, Sam Dew, Anthony Dixon, Victor Ekpo, Sergiu Gherrnan, Dennis Coles, Beth Gibbons, Frano Huett, StuartJohnson, Bill K. Kapri, Jake Kosich, JohnnyKosich, Daniel Krieger, Kendrick Lamar, Ronald LaTour, Mario Luciano, Daniel Alan Maman, Timothy Maxey, Tyler Mehlenbacher, Michael John Mule, D. Natche, OKLAMA, Jason Pounds, Rascal, Amanda Reifer, Matthew Samuels, Avante Santana, Matt Schaeffer, Sampha Sisay, Mark Spears, Homer Steinweiss, Jahaan Akil Sweet, Donte Lamar Perkins, Duval Timothy, Summer Walker & Pharrell Williams, songwriters;Michelle Mancini, mastering engineer

Special, Lizzo
Benny Blanco, Quelle Chris, Daoud, Omer Fedi, ILYA, Kid Harpoon, Ian Kirkpatrick,  Max Martin, Nate Mercereau, The Monsters & Strangerz, Phoelix, Ricky Reed, Mark Ronson, Blake Slatkin & Pop Wansel, producers; Benny Blanco, Bryce Bordone, Jeff Chestek, Jacob Ferguson, Serban Ghenea, Jeremy Hatcher, Andrew Hey, Sam Holland, ILYA, Stefan Johnson, Jens Jungkurth, Patrick Kehrier, Ian Kirkpatrick, Damien Lewis, Bill Malina, Manny Marroquin & Ricky Reed, engineers/mixers; Amy Allen, Daoud Anthony, Jonathan Bellion, Benjamin Levin, Thomas Brenneck, Christian Devivo, Omer Fedi, Eric Frederic, Ilya Salrnanzadeh, Melissa Jefferson, Jordan K Johnson, Stefan Johnson, Kid Harpoon, Ian Kirkpatrick, Savan Kotecha, Max Martin, Nate Mercereau, Leon Michels, Nick Movshon, Michael Neil, Michael Pollack, Mark Ronson, Blake Slatkin, Peter Svensson, Gavin Chris Tennille, Theron Makiel Thomas, Andrew Wansel & Emily Warren, songwriters; Michelle Mancini, mastering engineer

Harry’s House, Harry Styles
Tyler Johnson, Kid Harpoon & Sammy Witte, producers; Jeremy Hatcher, Oli Jacobs, Nick Lobel, Spike Stent & Sammy Witte, engineers/mixers; Amy Allen, Tobias Jesso, Jr., Tyler Johnson, Kid Harpoon, Mitch Rowland, Harry Styles & Sammy Witte, songwriters; Randy Merrill, mastering engineer

Analysis:

Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti is the first Spanish-language album to receive an album of the year nomination. Latin crossover pioneer José Feliciano was nominated in 1968 for Feliciano!, but his album consisted of English-language tracks. Related factoid: Un Verano Sin Ti is the first album to receive album of the year nods at both the Grammys and the Latin Grammys.

Lamar’s Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers is his fourth studio album to be nominated for album of the year, which puts him in a tie with Ye (a.k.a. Kanye West) as the rapper with the most nods in this category (as a lead artist). And unlike Ye, Lamar’s nominations are for four consecutive studio albums. Furthermore, Lamar is the first artist from any genre to be nominated with four consecutive studio albums since Billy Joel (1979-83).

Beyoncé is the first woman of color to receive four album of the year nominations (as a lead artist). She had been tied with Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston and H.E.R. with three nods each in the category.

Coldplay received its third album of the year nomination for Music of the Spheres. Coldplay is one of just five pop or rock groups or duos to receive three or more nominations in that category. The Beatles lead with five, followed by U2 with four, and Steely Dan and Radiohead, also with three. Moreover, this is Coldplay’s second album of the year nomination in the past three years. The veteran band is one of just two artists – along with Swift – to receive two album of the year nods in the first three years of the 2020s.

Five of these album of the year nominees (ABBA, Adele, Coldplay, Lizzo and Styles) are also nominated for best pop vocal album. The other five albums are also nominated in five far-flung album categories – Bad Bunny (best música urbana album), Beyoncé (best dance/electronic album), Blige (best R&B album), Carlile (best Americana album) and Lamar (best rap album).

Mastering engineer Randy Merrill received three album of the year nods, for his work on Adele’s 30, Coldplay’s Music of the Spheres and Styles’ Harry’s House.

Previously announced:

BEST NEW ARTIST

This category recognizes an artist whose eligibility-year release(s) achieved a breakthrough into the public consciousness and notably impacted the musical landscape.

Nominees:

Anitta

Omar Apollo

DOMi & JD Beck

Muni Long

Samara Joy

Latto 

Måneskin

Tobe Nwigwe

Molly Tuttle

Wet Leg

Analysis:

There are many surprises in this category, and many surprising omissions. Lainey Wilson, the CMA winner for new artist of the year, is missing. So are Dove Cameron, who won best new artist at the MTV Video Music Awards in August, and GloRilla, who won best breakthrough hip-hop artist at the BET Hip Hop Awards in October.

Other acts that were entered and eligible but not nominated include Em Beihold, Breland, Zach Bryan, Becky G, GAYLE, Conan Gray, Joji, Tate McRae, Lauren Spencer-Smith, Rina Sawayama and Bailey Zimmerman.

Four nominees were born outside of the U.S. — Anitta (Brazil), Måneskin (Italy), Wet Leg (Britain), and Domi Louna, the keyboardist in DOMi & JD Beck (France).

There are three groups or duos (DOMi & JD Beck, Måneskin and Wet Leg), the highest number in a decade. The 2012 nominees included Alabama Shakes, fun. and The Lumineers.

Previously announced:

RECORD OF THE YEAR

Award to the Artist and to the Producer(s), Recording Engineer(s) and/or Mixer(s) and mastering engineer(s), if other than the artist.

Nominees:

“Don’t Shut Me Down,” ABBA
Benny Andersson, producer; Benny Andersson & Bernard Lohr, engineers/mixers; Bjorn Engelmann, mastering engineer

“Easy on Me,” Adele
Greg Kurstin, producer; Julian Burg, Torn Elmhirst & Greg Kurstin, engineers/mixers; Randy Merrill, mastering engineer

“BREAK MY SOUL,” Beyoncé
Beyoncé, Terius “The-Dream” Gesteelde-Diarnant, Jens Christian Isaksen & Christopher “Tricky” Stewart, producers; Brandon Harding, Chris McLaughlin & Stuart White, engineers/mixers; Colin Leonard, mastering engineer

“Good Morning Gorgeous,” Mary J. Blige
D’Mile & H.E.R., producers; Bryce Bordone, Serban Ghenea & Pat Kelly, engineers/mixers

“You and Me on the Rock,” Brandi Carlile feat. Lucius
Dave Cobb & Shooter Jennings, producers; Brandon Bell, Torn Elrnhirst & Michael Harris, engineers/mixers; Pete Lyman, mastering engineer

“Woman,” Doja Cat
Crate Classics, Linden Jay, Aynzli Jones & Yeti Beats, producers; Jesse Ray Ernster & Rian Lewis, engineers/mixers; Mike Bozzi, mastering engineer

“Bad Habit,” Steve Lacy
Steve Lacy, producer; Neal Pogue & Karl Wingate, engineers/mixers; Mike Bozzi, mastering engineer

“The Heart Part 5,” Kendrick Lamar
Beach Noise, producer; Beach Noise, Rob Bisel, Ray Charles Brown Jr., James Hunt, Johnny Kosich, Matt Schaeffer & Johnathan Thrner, engineers/mixers; Michelle Mancini, mastering engineer

“About Damn Time,” Lizzo
Ricky Reed & Blake Slatkin, producers; Patrick Kehrier, Bill Malina & Manny Marroquin, engineers/mixers; Michelle Mancini, mastering engineer

“As It Was,” Harry Styles
Tyler Johnson & Kid Harpoon, producers; Jeremy Hatcher & Spike Stent, engineers/mixers; Randy Merrill, mastering engineer

Analysis:

This is Beyoncé’s eighth career nod for record of the year, which is more than any other artist in Grammy history. She had been tied with Frank Sinatra for that record with seven nods each.

This is the fourth nomination in the category for Adele; the third for Carlile, Doja Cat and Lamar; the second for ABBA, Blige and Lizzo; and the first for Lacy, Styles and Lucius, Carlisle’s featured artist on “You and Me on the Rock.”

Just one collaboration is in the running for record of the year, the lowest number in five years.

Doja is just the third female artist to receive record of the year nods three years running. She was nominated in this marquee category for “Say So” (2020) and “Kiss Me More” (featuring SZA, 2021). She made it this year with “Woman,” which enables her to tie Roberta Flack (1972-74) and Billie Eilish (2019-21) as the only female artists to appear in this category in three consecutive years.

Five of the 10 nominated singles reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, but two others – ABBA’s “Don’t Shut Me Down” and the Carlile/Lucius collab “You and Me on the Rock” — have yet to crack the chart.

Previously announced:

SONG OF THE YEAR

A Songwriter(s) Award. A song is eligible if it was first released or if it first achieved prominence during the Eligibility Year. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.

Nominees:

“abcdefu”
Sara Davis, GAYLE & Dave Pittenger, songwriters (GAYLE)

“About Damn Time”
Melissa “Lizzo” Jefferson, Eric Frederic, Blake Slatkin & Theron Makiel Thomas, songwriters (Lizzo)

“All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (The Short Film)”
 Liz Rose & Taylor Swift, songwriters (Taylor Swift)

“As It Was”
Tyler Johnson, Kid Harpoon & Harry Styles, songwriters (Harry Styles)

“Bad Habit”
Matthew Castellanos, Brittany Foushee, Diana Gordon, John Carroll Kirby & Steve Lacy, songwriters (Steve Lacy)

“BREAK MY SOUL”
 Beyoncé, S. Carter, Terius “The-Dream” Gesteelde-Diamant & Christopher A. Stewart, songwriters (Beyoncé)

“Easy on Me”
 Adele Adkins & Greg Kurstin, songwriters (Adele)

“GOD DID”
Tarik Azzouz, E.Blackmon, Khaled Khaled, F. LeBlanc, Shawn Carter, John Stephens, Dwayne Carter, William Roberts & Nicholas Warwar, songwriters (DJ Khaled Featuring  Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, John Legend & Fridayy)

“The Heart Part 5”
Jake Kosich, Johnny Kosich, Kendrick Lamar & Matt Schaeffer, songwriters (Kendrick Lamar)

“Just Like That”
Bonnie Raitt, songwriter (Bonnie Raitt)

Analysis:

Swift ties the all-time record for most song of the year nods (six) with the nomination of the expanded version of “All Too Well.” Paul McCartney and Lionel Richie had long been the songwriters with the most song of the year nods. They now have company.

Raitt lands her first song of the year nomination for “Just Like That,” which she wrote by herself. It’s the first song written by a solitary songwriter to be nominated in this category since Swift’s “Lover” two years ago.

At the other extreme, nine songwriters are credited as co-writers of DJ Khaled’s “GOD DID.” That’s not quite a record. Eleven songwriters joined forces to create Justin Bieber’s jam “Peaches,” a nominee last year. “GOD DID” is in a tie with Beyoncé’s “Black Parade” as the song of the year nominee with the second-most credited songwriters.

“GOD DID” and “The Heart Part 5” are both also nominated for best rap song.

15 Nov 2022

Miko Marks, Rissi Palmer Set Co-Headlining Tour

Miko Marks and Rissi Palmer will hit the road next year on a co-headlining tour that launches in Washington, D.C. on May 3, 2023.

The concerts will feature acoustic performances from Marks and Palmer in addition to duets and the two pairing up on their upcoming song “I’m Still Here,” which they played together onstage at the Grand Ole Opry in August.

“Working with Rissi on tour is definitely one of the highlights of my journey in music,” Marks said in a statement. “I have always loved her music and now I get to be on tour with her. We have grown to be close friends over the years and this moment has been a long time coming.”

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“Miko has been an inspiration and a friend for a long time. Her talent is second to none and it’s an honor to be sharing a stage with her,” Palmer added. “The audience can expect a lot of laughter, a lot of good, new music, stories, and a great show.”

Marks released her debut album, Freeway Bound, in 2005, while Palmer issued her self-titled debut two years later. In 2019, Palmer released the album Revival, and a year later, launched her Apple Music radio show Color Me Country with Rissi Palmer, which provides a platform to give a voice to artists of color. In 2021, Marks released her first album of music in 13 years, Our Country. She followed with the EP Race Records and the album Feel Like Going Home.

Tickets for the shows will go on sale beginning Nov. 18 at both Marks’ and Palmer’s websites.

See the full list of tour dates below:

May 3 – Washington, D.C. @ Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage Series

May 4 – Old Saybrook, CT @ The Katharine Hepburn Cultural Center

May 5 – Brownfield, ME @ Stone Mountain Arts Center

May 6 – Boston, MA @ City Winery Haymarket

May 7 – New York, NY @ City Winery – The Loft

May 10 – Philadelphia, PA @ World Cafe Live

May 11 – Durham, NC @ The Pinhook

May 13 – Atlanta, GA @ Eddie’s Attic

15 Nov 2022

Taylor Swift Holds Atop Billboard Artist 100, Sparked by ‘Anti-Hero’ Sales Surge

Taylor Swift continues her record run at No. 1 on the Billboard Artist 100 chart (dated Nov. 19), as she spends a record extending 53rd week at the summit.

Swift leads thanks to the continued success of her newest LP Midnights, which ranks at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 with 299,000 equivalent album units earned, according to Luminate. The album spent its first two weeks at No. 1, having debuted 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 charts nine total albums on the latest Billboard 200, the most among all acts this week. After Midnights, she appears with Folklore (No. 19), Red (Taylor’s Version) (No. 23), Lover (No. 25), 1989 (No. 35), Evermore (No. 50), reputation (No. 70), Fearless (Taylor’s Version) (No. 105) and Speak Now (No. 124).

Swift also tallies 18 of Midnights‘ 20 songs (from the set’s standard version and “3am Edition”) on the latest Billboard Hot 100, led by “Anti-Hero,” which logs a third week at No. 1. The song sold 327,000 downloads – up 1,793% – Nov. 4-10, sparked by seven new remixes made available for purchase during the tracking week. The sum is the greatest for a song in a single week in over five years, since her own “Look What You Made Me Do” bounded in with 353,000 (Sept. 16, 2017).

Here’s a recap of Swift’s haul on the Nov. 19-dated Hot 100. All 20 tracks from Midnights ranked on the chart the previous two weeks; in the set’s debut frame (Nov. 5), Swift made history as the first artist to claim the entire top 10 in a single week.

Rank, Title:
No. 1, “Anti-Hero”
No. 23, “Lavender Haze”
No. 30, “Midnight Rain”
No. 33, “Bejeweled”
No. 36, “Maroon”
No. 39, “Karma”
No. 40, “Snow on the Beach” feat. Lana Del Rey
No. 42, “You’re On Your Own, Kid”
No. 51, “Vigilante Shit”
No. 56, “Question…?”
No. 65, “Mastermind”
No. 67, “Labyrinth”
No. 71, “Sweet Nothing”
No. 76, “Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve”
No. 85, “Bigger Than the Whole Sky”
No. 87, “The Great War”
No. 90, “Paris”
No. 98, “High Infidelity”

Drake and 21 Savage rank at Nos. 2 and 3 on the Artist 100, respectively, as their new collaborative LP Her Loss launches at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 (404,000 units). The set starts as Drake’s 12th No. 1 album, the third-most in the chart’s history, and 21 Savage’s third.

Plus, Joji re-enters the Artist 100 at No. 5, nearly matching his No. 4 peak, thanks to his new album Smithereens. The LP arrives at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 (57,000 units), marking his third top 10.

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.

15 Nov 2022

Jisoo Reacts to Lisa Simpson Being a BLACKPINK Fan: ‘Is This Real?’

Lisa Simpson is officially a BlackPink fan — and according to one of the band’s members, the feeling is mutual. After the famed spiky-headed eternal pre-tween revealed she’s a hardcore Blink on Sunday’s (Nov. 13) episode of The Simpsons, Jisoo took to Instagram stories to share her excitement.

The BlackPink tribute came during a scene where Homer Simpson and his daughter sit in the car and he tries to guess what kind of music his jazz-loving daughter wants to listen to. “I like K-pop, dad,” Lisa says. Homer then cues up BlackPink’s “Lovesick Girls” and joins the rest of the characters in the car in singing the lyrics, nailing even the Korean-language parts.

After the episode aired, Jisoo posted a clip of the scene on her story and wrote: “Gahhh! Is this real? Oh yeah!”

The 27-year-old singer is currently touring North America with the other three ladies of BlackPink — Lisa, Rosé and Jennie — in support of their September sophomore record, Born Pink. The Billboard 200 No. 1 album came two years after the band’s full-length debut, The Album, on which Lisa Simpson’s jam, “Lovesick Girls,” was a single along with “How You Like That” and “Ice Cream” feat. Selena Gomez.

BlackPink is just the latest in a long history of artists to receive a shoutout from the longest running primetime scripted show ever, now in its 34th season. Though only time will tell if the girl group gets to make a cameo on the show in the future, The Simpsons is famous for inviting big name musicians to guest on an episode and lend their voices to animated versions of themselves; recent appearances include The Weeknd, who starred in a season 33 storyline, and Billie Eilish and Finneas, who bonded with Lisa over music in a Disney + standalone special.

See the Simpsons scene Jisoo reacted to below:

15 Nov 2022

Makin’ Tracks: Tenille Arts’ ‘Jealous of Myself’ Is a Moody Masterpiece With a Classic Misdirection

On Jan. 14, songwriter Emily Weisband posted a TikTok video of a new song and asked her followers to play publisher and suggest who should record it. The responses brought a string of worthy targets: Maren Morris, Kelsea Ballerini, Camila Cabello, Lauren Daigle, Demi Lovato and Danielle Bradbery, among others.

Additionally, Tenille Arts offered her own ideas about whom Weisband should have sing it: “Ummm, you. Or me. Lol”

Weisband didn’t know it at the time, but Arts — despite the “Lol” — was very serious about “Jealous of Myself.” “That melody was stuck in my head the minute that I heard it,” Arts says. “I kept going back and watching that TikTok over and over again.”

“Jealous of Myself ” became her newest single when Dreamcatcher Artists released it to country radio via PlayMPE on Oct. 14, exactly nine months after Arts first heard the TikTok.

The song’s actual birth came a day prior to its TikTok debut, when Weisband and Old Dominion’s Trevor Rosen met Big Loud writer John Byron in an upstairs writing room at his publisher’s offices. Byron went into the appointment with an agenda. He had previously lost an eight-year relationship, and he had also recently discovered that his ex had started seeing a man from Colorado who was now moving to Nashville to be near her. Byron was bummed, and his disappointment led to that “Jealous of Myself” title.

“I was very jealous of him,” concedes Byron, “but I was definitely more jealous of me when I did have her. So when I thought of the title, I wrote it down.”

He also held it for that Jan. 13 appointment with Weisband, believing she could provide a woman’s perspective for the idea’s inherent vulnerability. It got a positive response when he introduced it, and while they continued winding through other potential titles, they kept coming back to “Jealous.”

Initially, Byron and Rosen mapped out a musical direction on guitar. “We were trying to just start somewhere with some chords,” Rosen recalls. “But then at one point, Emily walked over — he had a piano sitting there — and she just sat down and started playing. It’s incredible how when she just starts singing whatever comes off the top of her head, we’re like, ‘Oh, my God. That’s it.’ It was magical.”

At some point, they came up with the full hook, “I’m jealous of myself when I had you,” and they determined to make it a mystery for the first-time listener by creating a storyline that would sound initially as if the new girlfriend was the target of the jealousy.

Rosen landed on the opening line, “She’s a little bit younger,” which established a path for the story. “That is such a good misdirection,” says Rosen. “It sounds like it’s a younger girl, but it’s the picture of ‘me’ when I was younger. So everything else sort of started to fall in around that.”

The mystery, and the jealousy, fits in a surprisingly melancholy musical package — surprising, since the bulk of Weisband’s chord progression is major chords, but the flow feels more moody, like a minor key.

“I tend to play different voicings of major chords, so sometimes they’ll sound a little more like longing than just the basic major chord,” she says. “There’ll be like one little note off in the chord that kind of makes it feel a little more dissonant because [I think] the full range of human experience is like this bittersweet, tension thing.”

The melody followed in bittersweet suit. In the pre-chorus, it hangs on the seventh note of the key, one that begs for resolution. But it simultaneously falls in the middle of the chord, literally creating heartbreaking dissonance with two of the three notes in the triad.

Byron played piano for a piano-vocal demo at the end of the session, with Weisband delivering a smoky vocal on the floor, hunched over a microphone she clutched with both hands.

“When Emily sings, she does whatever she needs to get into the real emotion,” says Byron. “She gets down on her knees and starts wearing into this song, and it’s just breaking my heart because the title is already near and dear to me. And so she’s ripping my heart out.”

They determined that it needed an extra diversion after the second chorus, so Weisband added a soaring vocal section on the fly. When it was completed, Weisband was anxious to have people hear “Jealous.”

“Writing songs, to me, has been my healer throughout my life, and that’s why I do it,” she says. “If it’s my healer to write it, then it’s going to heal somebody else who listens to it, you know? I kind of feel that way about every sad song I get to be a part of writing; it’s absolutely a part of the healing.”

Once Arts heard it on TikTok the next day, her team reached out to the writers, and a few weeks later, she enlisted producer Nathan Chapman (Taylor Swift, Keith Urban), who had produced three tracks on her 2021 album, Girl to Girl.

“One of my favorite things that he said to me last time we were working together was to sing the verses like you were telling a story and then to sing the choruses like you’re a singer,” she recalls. “The amount of emotion that he was able to get out of my vocals in the past, I just knew that he was going to be able to pull that out of me.”

OneRepublic’s Ryan Tedder had recently mentioned to Chapman that ’80s pop sounds were beginning to feel in vogue again, and when Arts mentioned that she thought “Jealous” needed an ’80s sort of sound, Chapman thought it was an astute read. He had keyboard player Dave Cohen apply an era-appropriate electric piano, and he gave it a slow build.

“A lot of songs in the ’80s kind of bloom like that, and it’s because people’s attention spans were a lot longer,” reasons Chapman. “I thought, ‘If we’re going to be in that world, let’s really unfold the track the way those songs are treated. Let’s not only hit the piano tones and drum sounds, but let’s hit the architecture of how those records are made as well.’ ”

He also chose to record it like a pop song, building it one track at a time with drummer Aaron Sterling, who also programmed a bass part; Cohen; and guitarist Kevin Kadish. Chapman, Arts and Sara Haze added backing vocals, which grew in prominence as the song progressed. And late in the process, Arts and Dreamcatcher founder Jim Mazza visited Chapman’s studio, convincing him at that point to add atmospheric steel guitar to lend a little more country and a little more pain.

“This is one of those songs where it’s like, ‘All right, producer, don’t screw it up,’ ” Chapman says. “ ‘You got a great song. You had a great direction for the artists, and you got a great vocalist who’s going to crush the vocal — don’t screw it up.’ And in this one situation, I don’t think I did.”

Arts debuted “Jealous of Myself” during a CMA Fest performance in June, and fans asked afterward where they could purchase it. It has since become a featured song in the set, and she’s optimistic that it could become a standout on the airwaves, too, once it gets exposed there.

“It’s a true country song to me,” she says. “It’s a story song, it says something new that really hasn’t been out there, and I think Nathan’s production is so different and unique. And that’s been the response that we’ve had from country radio, that it doesn’t sound like anything else out there right now. I hope that’s a good thing and that we can have another No. 1.” 

15 Nov 2022

Rosé Reflects on Auditioning for BLACKPINK: ‘I Was Lucky’ (Exclusive)

Rosé opens up in a new cover story with Mastermind magazine about BLACKPINK‘s world tour, her decision to audition for the K-pop girl group and more.

“For such a crazy time like right now, it has been working during the day, rehearsing in the evening, recording during the night, going home, sleeping and then repeating,” the singer told Mastermind ahead of launching the BORN PINK World Tour, in interview excerpts exclusive to Billboard.

“It has definitely been a handful,” she continued, “but we’re grateful and excited that we’re able to work on our album while preparing to meet and perform these new songs for our BLINKS. Since the pandemic, it has been an awfully long and brutal time for everyone, so we cannot wait to be back performing for so many of our BLINKS, who have been waiting so patiently. I’m excited to finally see the familiar faces.”

During the interview, Rosé also shared how her dad was actually the one to first suggest she attend the YG audition that would ultimately alter the course of her entire life. “My dad always watched me print out lyrics and chords off of his laptop and reach at the top of my lungs over the piano in an attempt to sing Beyoncé’s most heartbreaking, sad songs till midnight,” she reminisced. “So, I guess it wasn’t too bizarre for him to ask me if I wanted to try auditioning at the YG audition that was being held in Australia.

“When I was growing up, there weren’t many opportunities for me to officially dive into music,” the idol added. “So when YG – a company that was home to some of my favorite musicians – was coming to audition near my city, there couldn’t have been a better opportunity for me to reach out and grab on to my dreams. I would like to say that I was lucky – lucky to have a supportive dad who encouraged me to challenge myself and take my chance.”

Rosé and her band mates are currently on the North American leg of their world tour in support of 2022’s Born Pink, which will run through Nov. 19 before heading to Europe and Asia.

See photos from Rosé’s chic, flower-strewn spread in Mastermind below.

Rosé

Rosé on cover of Mastermind Magazine

Tess Ayano for Mastermind Magazine

Rosé

Rosé in Mastermind Magazine

Tess Ayano for Mastermind Magazine

15 Nov 2022

Director Says Selena Gomez’s Mom Can’t Watch Difficult ‘My Mind & Me‘ Doc Yet: ’She’s Not Ready Quite Yet’

If you’ve watched the Selena Gomez documentary, Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me, you know that it delves into some pretty difficult chapters in the 30-year-old singer’s life. From her battle against autoimmune disease lupus to a diagnosis of bipolar disease that sends the singer into a dark place, the Apple TV+ doc directed by Alek Keshishian (Madonna’s Truth or Dare) pulls back the curtain on some challenging passages in Sel’s career.

Keshishian told EW that the he could “feel her authenticity and her vulnerability” during the years-long shoot, a process that was “very difficult” for Gomez’s family to watch, especially her mother, Mandy Teefey. “The complicated feelings of a parent knowing her daughter suffered like that and she wasn’t able to help,” he said of Teefey, who had “huge reservations” about participating in the film at first.

“They’ve healed their relationship and they’re in a really good place but obviously making a documentary or even speaking about it in a sense, it’s like recutting yourself a little bit and having to face that moment again,” the director said of the at-times estranged feelings between mother and daughter. “It was a very delicate discussion and I was so happy and amazed, because Mandy is a really brave woman and she does a lot of work as well to help in the mental health space. And you see where Selena gets that desire to help others and to treat other people as equals, and it all comes from Mandy, in her upbringing. I was just myself and I spoke to her for a while before she agreed to do it. She was nervous on the day, and we just did our best.”

As for whether Teefey has seen the final product, Keshishian said Selena “definitely” has, but the last he heard her mom had not. “Mandy hasn’t felt ready to watch it,” he said. “And she talks about it on a recent podcast she did, where she says she’s not quite ready because of the pain for her of watching what her daughter went through, she’s not ready quite yet to face. But they’re in a beautiful place in their relationship”; Teefey told Jay Shett’s On Purpose podcast this week that she’s not ready to re-live her daughter’s struggles on film because, “It’s going to hurt my stomach and put me in that mindset. I’m going to wish I could go and protect her.”

Gomez, 30, celebrated a very special moment this week when she accepted the 2022 Morton E. Ruderman Award in Inclusion for her work to raise awareness and educate young people about prioritizing mental health. The singer, who delves into her struggles with bipolar disease and mental health issues in My Mind & Me, told People what the award from the Boston-based Ruderman Family Foundation means to her.

“I am honored to be the recipient of this year’s Morton E. Ruderman Award in Inclusion,” Gomez said in a statement. “Mental Health impacts all of us, and we each have a role to play in ensuring that everyone – regardless of their background – has access to mental health services. I hope by sharing my own story and using my platform, we can empower each other and more young people to address mental health. We know that the stigma associated with mental health has led to silence around the issue. I want to change that, especially for young people. I’ve been open and honest about my own journey with my mental health, and it hasn’t always been easy, but it’s something I’m constantly working on.”

Jay Ruderman, president of the family’s foundation, said in a statement that Gomez “powerfully” embodies the Foundation’s mental health mission, “which continues to take on greater importance amid today’s unprecedented mental health crisis for teens, young adults, and the entire population. Drawing inspiration from her personal journey, Selena has given voice to the struggles of countless individuals who have endured mental health challenges, while working tirelessly to increase access to indispensable mental health resources and programs.”

The singer have found multiple ways to raise mental health awareness and tie charitable donations to her projects recently, including tying donations to her HBO Max cooking show, Selena + Chef, as well as her Rare Beauty brand, whose Rare Impact Fund aims to raise $100 million for mental health services over the next decade.

15 Nov 2022

Maná Set U.S. Leg of ‘México Lindo y Querido’, Talk New Music (Exclusive)

Not many acts can carry out a full-fledged international tour with no new album out. Fewer still can do it twice. But the mighty Maná can. Their 2023 Mexico Lindo y Querido Tour is a testament to their performance prowess, with 19 U.S. dates. The Mexican powerhouse troupe will kick off their trek Feb. 10 in Los Angeles with back-to-back dates at the Kia Forum, followed by stops in Miami, New York, Chicago, and Dallas, and concluding Sept. 23 in Sacramento, CA at Golden 1 Center.

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“Our shows are a big party and a celebration of life,” drummer Alex González tells Billboard Español. “We are excited to continue that celebration and share it with more people across the United States.”

Their upcoming U.S. tour follows their pre-pandemic 2019 jaunt, Rayando El Sol Tour; and more recently their unprecedented run at the L.A. Forum, where they had an exclusive residency that had them playing monthly, with a staggering 12 sold-out shows and 165,000 tickets sold.

“We don’t take this for granted, it’s amazing to feel the love from all our Latinx fans across the world,” says frontman Fher Olvera. “It’s an honor to represent our heritage.”

México Lindo y Querido kicked off in Latin America on June 10 in Tijuana, México, and continued with multiple nights in Medellín, Bogotá, Puerto Rico and, again, México. The five-city run in their native country presented the group to sold-out stadiums with over 150,000 fans, including 60,000 attendees at the Foro Sol in Mexico City.

To celebrate the announcement of their U.S. leg, Maná will host a tour launch party tonight (Nov. 15) at Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay Beach, featuring a special live performance from the band.

With a prolific career that spans over three decades, Maná have built themselves a reputation as one of the world’s most important Latin pop/rock bands. Just look no further than their chart-topping success — which includes ten No. 1s on Hot Latin Songs and eight No. 1s on Top Latin Albums. They’ve earned 19 total Billboard Latin Music Awards; and in 2018, the quartet became the Latin Recording Academy’s Person(s) of the Year, the first band to earn that recognition.

Recently, the “Oye Mi Amor” performers embarked on a duos initiative where Maná enlisted Christian Nodal (“Te Lloré Un Río”), Alejandro Fernández (“Mariposa Traicionera”), Sebastián Yatra (“No Ha Parado de Llover”), and Pablo Alborán (“Rayando El Sol”), among others, and they’re expected to unveil more collaborations soon.

Billboard Español spoke with Fher Olvera and Alex González of Maná about their highly anticipated 2023 tour. Full dates are below. Tickets go on sale Friday, Nov. 18 via Ticketmaster.

Billboard Español: Besides this big tour announcement, what other projects are Maná working on?

Fher Olvera: We are working on finishing our duets project in 2023. It began in 2019, we are revisiting some of the greatest hits, accompanied by renowned and diverse artists. We collaborated with Christian Nodal a few months ago on “Te Llore Un Rio,” which was a huge success in Latin and North America, trending in over 15 countries. [We have] new music coming in 2024. Stay tuned!

You’ve had tremendous success abroad, outside of Mexico, and are much-loved by your devoted fans and the Latin public. What is it like to connect with the Latinx/Latin diaspora outside of Mexico? 

Olvera: This year, we got to go back to Colombia, Puerto Rico and Mexico with our Mexico Lindo y Querido Tour, in addition to spending a lot of time in Los Angeles for La Residencia. It was so exciting to go back to these places after so many years; it had been over five years since we played in Colombia and Puerto Rico, and we got a beautiful welcome from our fans. We don’t take this for granted, it’s amazing to feel the love from all our Latinx fans across the world. It’s an honor to represent our heritage.

Speaking about La Residencia, please  share a few words about your extended residency at Kia Forum in Los Angeles.  

Alex González: Being able to play in L.A. for our residency was very special. It truly is a second home to us, and we are very proud to have broken the record with twelve sold out shows. Every show was special but most of all it was special to share these moments with the people from Los Angeles who have been so kind and loyal to us since we started playing at the Hollywood Palace in 1993. To be here all those years later and breaking records… it’s very special to us.

Maná is one of the most recognizable and successful Latin rock bands in the world, and you draw audiences from all walks of life. How is it performing for such an eclectic crowd? 

González: It’s so awesome to play to crowds made up of different people and cultures, that’s the power of music, it connects with people, even though we sing in Spanish and the majority of our fans are Latinos, it’s awesome to see that crossover. We always try to put on the best show possible because we know how hard it is for many of them to save their hard earned money to go see us. We are always grateful to our fans.

What do you enjoy the most about life on the road? 

González: We’ve been playing together for more than 34 years, we are like a family, and we love being on stage. We are addicted to the adrenaline and that rush that you feel when you are on stage. And to feel all the love and energy back from the fans and the crowd is one of the best feelings in the world.

Any other details you can share about the 2023 tour? Special guests? New song releases?

González: The main thing is our shows are a big party and a celebration of life! We are excited to continue that celebration and share it with more people across the United States. We are adding new songs to the set list, songs that people haven’t heard live in a while. New production, video and audio…. Surely, we will have surprises along the way.

“México Lindo y Querido” 2023 U.S. Tour Dates:

Feb. 10 – Los Angeles, CA – Kia Forum
Feb. 11 – Los Angeles, CA – Kia Forum
March 17 – San Jose, CA – SAP Center
March 18 – Oakland, CA – Oakland Arena
March 24 – Phoenix, AZ – Footprint Center
March 25 – Phoenix, AZ – Desert Diamond Arena
March 30 – Houston, TX – Toyota Center
April 1 – San Antonio, TX – AT&T Center
April 14 – Miami, FL – FTX Arena
April 15 – Miami, FL – FTX Arena
April 21 – Washington, DC – Capital One Arena
April 22 – New York, NY – UBS Arena
April 28 – Chicago, IL – United Center
April 29 – Chicago, IL – United Center
May 5 – Atlanta, GA – Gas South Arena
May 6 – Greensboro, NC – Greensboro Coliseum
Sep. 8 – Dallas, TX – American Airlines Center
Sep. 17 – Las Vegas, NV – T-Mobile Arena
Sep. 23 – Sacramento, CA – Golden 1 Center

15 Nov 2022

NFL’s Latin Music Playbook Includes J Balvin, Grupo Firme and Mixtapes

It was the Kickoff Concert for the 2022 NFL season, that most American of pastimes. But the songs pulsating from the stage last September were in Spanish, not English, courtesy of J Balvin, the first Latin headliner for the league’s yearly free concert for fans preceding the first regular season game of the year.

Thus kicked off not just the start of this year’s professional football games, but also a new stage of the league’s Latin programming strategy, which seeks to use music to pull in and appeal to a growing Latin fanbase. Building off 2019’s all-Latin Super Bowl Halftime Show with Shakira and Jennifer Lopez — the most-watched Halftime Show ever on YouTube — new initiatives will infuse Latin music into NFL advertising and the entire NFL season. That includes a new Por La Cultura mixtape featuring Yandel, Snow Tha Product, will.i.am, Anthony Ramos, El Alfa and Trueno, among others, with music that will be used in other NFL programming, as well as recruiting superstar band Grupo Firme to perform at the halftime show for its annual Mexico City game on Nov. 21 featuring the Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers.

The NFL’s play to grow its Latin audience — much like other brands’ — is based on demographics data. Latin music’s influence is booming, with music in Spanish making up 6.25% of the total U.S. market from January to July (up from 5.32% at this point last year), according to Luminate’s midyear report. Meanwhile, U.S. Latinos or Hispanics comprised 18.9% of the U.S. population per the 2020 Census, making it the second largest racial group as well as the youngest and fastest growing — up 23% since 2010, compared to 4.3% growth for the rest of the population.

“When I was hired by the NFL, the edict was very clear: We needed to ensure this league is relevant to our fans today, five years from today and 10 years from today,” says Marissa Solís, senior vp of global brand and consumer marketing for the NFL, who came to the league last year after nearly two decades in PepsiCo and Frito Lay. “As I think about the future and making sure this league is relevant today and tomorrow, the first thing I think about is Latinos.”

The NFL has 31 million Latin fans, tying Major League Baseball for the most Latino fans of any sport, Solís says. They’re also young: 53% are under 35 years old, and their numbers are growing twice as fast as those of any other demographic. “Which is interesting because everyone says soccer, soccer, soccer, but no,” says Solís. “And by the way, they tend to be the most avid fans: They’re very loyal, they get behind the teams, they purchase merchandise.”

Have doubts? Check out a Los Angeles Chargers game, says cornerback Michael Davis. “It’s always kind of been the norm to see a large Latino presence at our games,” he says. “Plus the Chargers, in particular, are known for having one of the loudest, most die-hard Latino fanbases in the NFL. If you look up in the stands, you’ll find fans in Charger-ized ponchos, sombreros and lucha libre masks having a blast. Makes me smile every time.”

The NFL’s 31 million Latin fans make up between 17% and 18% of the NFL’s fanbase, a good number that’s comparable to the overall U.S. Census demographics. But league executives think there’s room for growth — and that music can be a driver.

Javier Farfán, cultural strategist for the NLF, was brought into the league in 2019, charged with expanding the Latino fanbase. “The first thing we did in 2019 and 2020,” he says, “was do research and we dived deep into the consumer and realized there were a few passion points that engaged the fan base and music was at the top of it.” says Farfán.

Music in and of itself is obviously not new as a strategy for the NFL — witness the Halftime show — and overall, the focus on music has increased across all genres in recent years, says Seth Dudowsky, head of music for the NFL. But, he adds, “Over the last year or two, Latin music undeniably became a force across pop music.”

The first major indicator, of course, was the 2019 Super Bowl all-Latin show, which to date, remains the most-consumed Super Bowl halftime show on YouTube, according to Dudowsky. The Shakira-JLo co-headliner almost doubles the next closest show with over 250 million views to date, fueled by global viewers beyond the U.S. in Central and South America, too.

Beyond the international appeal, music allows the NFL to reach a core Latin fandom.

Balvin’s performance at the Kickoff game in September, for example, marked the first time a Latin act headlined that series. “Bringing him really helped us target and market Hispanic fans in Southern California,” says Dudowsky, “but [we also knew] his style of music resonates with the overall fan base.”

The NFL has other programs that focus on lesser-known names, as well. A series of commercial spots launched this year featured emerging acts DJ Adoni and Chimbala and “have been extremely well received,” says Farfán, who was previously in Pepsi, Verizon and marketing firm J Wolf Advisors.

The notion of featuring both emerging and A-list artists dovetails into the idea of having “the sounds of Latin music throughout the season,” says Farfán, part of a recently launched campaign called Por La Cultura (For The Culture), that cuts across all programs. Games around the country have included DJ Livia in California, Piso 21 in Miami and Carmen de León in Texas. And the Por La Cultura mixtape, out later this month on Neon 16, features 10 tracks that largely will be featured NFL content, such as Yandel, will.i.am and El Alfa’s “Rómpele” that’s currently being used in an NFL spot that features Anthony Ramos and is running on Spanish and mainstream media. A second TV and digital spot for the Por La Cultura campaign launched Sunday featuring Anthony Ramos’ “Latino Activo.”

“The idea around the mixtape specifically is to incorporate music across everything we do, in ads and in stadium,” says Farfán.

Por La Cultura Mixtake Vol 1.

Por La Cultura Mixtake Vol 1.

Courtesy of NFL

Solís says this is just the start for NFL’s love affair with Latin music — with more plans already in the works for 2023. “We doubled down in 2022, and Latin music is going to be a core part of our 2023 plan,” she says. “You should expect a volume two of that album. You should expect a continued partnership with Latino artists in main events.”

“And at this point, Latin music and Latin culture are undeniably part of the fabric of America and have a right to be on that stage as well as any other genre,” adds Dudowsky. “It’s not just marketing to one fanbase, but representing American culture and what’s relevant for all our fans.”