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Jason Moran plans to blend genres in one of his performances as the Detroit Jazz Festival’s artist-in-residence this year.
“I’m thinking that I have to figure out a way to represent for Detroit’s techno music,” the pianist, bandleader, composer and educator tells Billboard. Moran was named to the prestigious position on Thursday (March 13) following drummer Brian Blade in 2024.
Techno, Moran adds, “has long been a thing I’ve listened to and practiced with sometimes at home. So why not, when you’re in Detroit, really represent it? Maybe myself and another artist can churn away for an hour. It’s the idea of, in an industrial city, drum machine meeting piano — which I think is one of the great machines — and what happens when those two meet in their simplest forms? With volume,” he adds with a laugh.
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Moran says the piece would be an entirely new composition to be premiered at the Labor Day weekend event (Aug. 29-Sept. 1) and then turned into a traveling piece.
Now in its 46th year, the DJF — held mostly outdoors in the city’s downtown — is the world’s largest free-admission jazz festival. Last year’s edition drew more than 300,000 in-person attendees, according to organizers, and a worldwide audience of more than two million via the festival’s free livestream on its website and social media platforms.
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“I think that what makes this (festival) unique is the importance of Detroit as a historic music city for the world,” says Moran, who’s performed at the festival several times, as recently as 2023. “That’s what makes it exciting for me, to be presenting sets of music in a city that’s responsible for a lot of change and possibilities in music.”
In addition to the techno-jazz mashup, Moran — who’s been on the faculty at the New England Conservatory of Music since 2010 — is planning a celebration of Duke Ellington’s 125th birthday, using a big band of younger musicians. “That’s a big one for me,” he says, “just because I get to meet who’s on the ground and get that experience to work with them and push the music the way Ellington did.” He’s also planning a set by the Bandwagon, a trio he co-founded during 2000, along with special guests.
The Houston-born Moran studied at the Manhattan School of Music and began his recording career as part of saxophonist Greg Osby’s band. He released his first solo album, Soundtrack to Human Motion, in 1999 and has released 17 more since. Moran has also scored soundtracks for films such as Selma, Traveling While Black and Aggie, and he’s recorded with Cassandra Wilson, Christian McBride, Ron Miles and others. He was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Scientists in 2022, and in 2023 he received the German Jazz Prize for pianist of the year.
“Jason Moran is a trailblazer in the use of diverse multimedia and theatrical installations to present jazz to audiences in a way that has never been done before,” festival artistic director and CEO Chris Collins said in a statement. “We look forward to his singular craftsmanship and his creative and evolutionary artistry to lead this year’s festival.”
The lineup for the 2025 DJF is expected to be announced April 15 during a special preview event in Detroit, where Moran will perform.
The festival has also put out a call for new works that “bring new perspectives to blending jazz and other musical styles” with an application deadline of April 11. Artist performance submissions are also open, with a deadline of June 1. Applications, as well as festival updates, can be found via detroitjazzfest.org.
Long-time indie music distributor Sam Wesley Phillips passed away in Jackson, Miss., on Feb. 28 after facing multiple health issues over the last few years. He was 74.
Better known to long-time Billboard readers by his nickname, Skip, Phillips worked his entire life, beginning at age 9, for his family company, Select-O-Hits, the 65-year-old independent music distributor based in Memphis. He was the third son of Lucile and Tom Phillips, who, together with Tom’s brother Sam Phillips — the Sun Records founder — started Select-O-Hits in 1960. Tom eventually bought out Sam’s uncle, the elder Sam Phillips, in the early 1970s.
Sam Wesley Phillips began working at Select-O-Hits first as a janitor/stockboy, then a salesman, followed by a role as studio engineer/producer. Sometime in the 1980s, he and his brother Johnny bought out their father, upon which Sam became the president of the company, which is still going strong as a music distributor today.
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Phillips’ family provided the below remembrance to Billboard.
Sam was born February 20, 1951, in Mobile, Alabama, to Lucile and Tom Phillips…Sam always had that mischievous twinkle in his eyes. Whether it was at school or working at the Record Shop on Chelsea, he found ways to enjoy life his way, but no one worked harder during those sixty-five years than he did.
Sam met his high school sweetheart and love of his life, Debby, at Frayser High School in 1967. Debby and Sam were married in 1969 and were the loving parents to five children, Tiffany (Tommy) Couch of Jackson, MS, Lesle (Matthew) Heinz of Memphis, Ashlee Phillips (Will Brewer) of Memphis, Courtney (Stephen) Smith of Frisco, TX and Wes (Lauren) Phillips of Memphis.
Sam lived his life with humor, kindness, strength, honesty, a passionate love for music and even more passionate love for his family. He was most happy in a home filled with his family laughing and loving loudly; his children and grandchildren were his greatest treasures.
Sam was preceded in death by his wife Debby, his son Wes, his parents and brother Tom. Left to cherish his memory in addition to his daughters are his siblings Johnny (Sandra) Phillips, Melinda Snipes, Irene Barg, Kathy (Harry) Gordon; Jennifer (Brad) Cullison; grandchildren John Thomas (Jordan) and Peyton Couch; Carter (Meghan) and Sam Heinz; Coby and Presley Bennett; Ethan and Aidan Phillips; Addison, Graham and Sadie Smith and Liam and Eden Cullison, his great granddaughter Vivian, loving cousins, nieces, nephews, sister-in-law, brother-in-law and too many friends to count.
We will miss his laugh and his kind, funny, strong spirit every single day but are thankful knowing that he’s now at peace, with no more pain and with his one true love, Debby, and their son, Wes.
The family requests that memorials in his honor be made to Wounded Warrior Project.
Karol G and Universal Music Group (UMG) are facing a copyright infringement lawsuit over a track from the Colombian superstar’s chart-topping album Mañana Será Bonito. In a case filed in Miami federal court, producers Ocean Vibes (Jack Hernandez) and Alfr3d Beats (Dick Alfredo Caballero Rodriguez) say the singer and her co-writers stole key elements of […]
Singer-songwriter YU-KA traveled to Sweden to work with local creators and co-write the songs on her newly released five-song EP, Wild Nights. With songs like “Feel Like This,” the ending theme to part 1 of the Netflix series Beastars‘ final season, the EP has a mellow electronic sound evocative of northern Europe, and YU-KA’s delicate singing voice and expressiveness are in full bloom. She talked with Billboard Japan at length about how her time in Sweden stimulated and inspired her, and how she put those feelings into her music.
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Your new EP, Wild Nights, came out six months after your previous EP, Sunshade. Were the songs on the albums written around the same time?
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I didn’t write the lyrics or put the finishing touches on the songs until after Sunshade‘s release, but I made the actual demos for all of the songs in Sweden last summer. I was there for a little under a week, and while there I wrote a lot of different songs with different writers. The songs on Wild Nights come from the songs I wrote there. The speed with which the Swedish writers worked, and their way of thinking, was a little different than Japanese artists. Even the way they chose sounds was totally different, so it was an extremely stimulating experience.
Actually having gone to Sweden, did you find that it had a unique atmosphere of its own?
In Japan, everything gets lumped together as “Western music,” but the music in Sweden has a different feel than American or British music. Also, even though Sweden and Japan are very far away geographically, the character of the Swedish people is a good fit in many ways for that of the Japanese people. I felt a strange link between the countries. The artists I co-wrote with have also written songs for other Japanese artists, so they had connections with J-pop. I felt an unexpected affinity throughout the songwriting process.
What is the concept behind Wild Nights?
When writing the lyrics afterward, I wanted to make the theme for the EP “night.” Ever since my debut, I’ve been writing and releasing music, so I decided to stop for a second and think about my own artistry and my own strengths. I realized that, in the duality of light and dark, I tended toward the dark side. Other musicians and my vocal coaches often describe my voice as having a “shadowy” feel. Also, a lot of the songs I wrote a long time ago, on my own, were dark songs. So that’s why I decided to make the theme of the EP “night.” The title Wild Nights comes from a poem by Emily Dickinson. I found out about her in university, where I was majoring in English literature. When I was struggling with the decision of whether or not to become a singer, I was inspired by her poetry, and I decided to give music my all. “Wild nights” refers to stormy nights, and I thought that fit perfectly with the EP’s image, so I chose it as the title.
The image of your previous EP, Sunshade, was that of being out in the sun, so the new EP’s title stands in contrast.
The theme of Sunshade was “J-pop.” The songs I wrote in Sweden had a sound that was more like Western music, so before releasing them, I wanted to make an album that embodied my J-pop side. That was Sunshade. That’s also why the lyrics are relatively straightforward, while the lyrics on Wild Nights are a bit more aggressive and wild. In that sense, too, I think the two EPs present a contrast.
“Feel Like This” is the ending theme of part 1 of the Netflix series Beastars final season. Since it’s a tie-up, you’d expect it to go in a J-pop direction, but instead you took a bold approach, going with all-English lyrics.
The anime’s production team asked me to use English lyrics, and I thought it was a good idea. It’s evidence of the fact that anime is watched around the world. I was really happy that they picked me to write the ending theme. When I wrote the song, in Sweden, my vision was to pair it with English lyrics, so I think it was easier to write the lyrics in English than if I’d tried to write them in Japanese. I like lyrics that tie into the work the song is being used for, so I had fun writing them.
Beastars is set in a school, and it’s a love story, but it’s also enjoyable because of its takes on social issues like discrimination and its exploration of identity. What did you focus on when you wrote the lyrics?
The main character, a wolf, is in love with a rabbit, who’s a herbivore. In the natural world, their relationship would be predator and prey, but there’s a romance element, which is one of the key features of the anime. I think that contrast between reason and instinct is really important. The whole anime is a metaphorical depiction of problems in human society, and I think there are themes that apply to everyone. For example, think of what you want to do as being “instinct” and what you have to do as being “reason.” There are a lot of people who sacrifice what they want to do for what they have to do. It’s important not to let your instinct run rampant, but if you go overboard in ignoring your own desires, you’ll eventually come apart at the seams. I’ve felt that in my own life, so I based the lyrics on that idea. The lyrics use the contrast between certain expressions in English, and there’s a sense of playfulness that runs throughout.
I wrote the song “1-2-3” [also on the album] with David (Fremberg), who also worked on “Feel Like This.” Originally, we were just working on “Feel Like This,” but then we realized that if we kept focusing on this one song alone, we wouldn’t be able to come up with anything good. Instead, we figured we should play around with something else for a while and then come back to “Feel Like This.” And that’s how “1-2-3” came to be. We wrote “Feel Like This” and “1-2-3” in a single day.
The new EP has a good balance of English and Japanese lyrics. The last song, “Silent Parade,” is in Japanese, so the message and intent come through really strong.
There’s been a lot going on in the world recently, and perhaps because of that, the sight of people taking a position and asserting themselves has stuck with me. Asserting yourself is an impressive feat, you know. But if you think about it, being a singer-songwriter is similar, in a way. Singer-songwriters start out on their own, but they’re able to keep on making music thanks to the relationships they develop with all kinds of other people, like listeners or staff members. As they go on, that line of people becomes even longer. The question is whether, when you start out as in this silent parade, all by yourself, you can imagine all the people that will one day join in. Whether you can trust that to happen. That’s why it’s “Silent” and not “Alone.” I wanted to encourage people who step forward. They may feel like they’re alone, but when people have their sights set on the future and they keep pushing forward, they’re walking at the front of a long line of the people who will one day join them. When I started out, I thought I was all on my own, but now, as YU-KA, I’m surrounded by staff members and people who support me. Writing the song, I was struck once again by just how precious their presence is, and it made me want to make the YU-KA parade an even bigger one.
This interview by Hiroko Goto first appeared on Billboard Japan.
Lady Gaga’s Mayhem has stormed to No. 1 on the U.K.’s Official Albums Chart to give the pop icon her fifth chart-topper (March 14).
The new LP now joins The Fame (2009), Born This Way (2010), Artpop (2013) and Chromatica (2020) as No. 1 hits in the U.K. 2018’s A Star Is Born film soundtrack also hit the top spot on upon release, but is credited as a cast recording, according to the Official Charts Company.
The triumph follows a flurry of activity on release week from the U.S. star, which included pulling double duty on Saturday Night Live March 8, and the announcement of tour dates in Singapore and Mexico over the coming months. She’s also set to play a huge free concert in Brazil on Rio de Janeiro’s iconic Copacabana Beach on May 3.
Two singles from the record, “Die With a Smile” and “Abracadabra,” have peaked at No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, on the U.K.’s Official Singles Chart during the album’s rollout.
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Speaking to Billboard’s Stephen Daw, Lady Gaga discussed the carefree approach to making Mayhem and defying industry expectations. “I do think that I felt a lot of pressure, over the years, to prove myself as a musician,” she said. “And that sometimes stopped me from having fun. So, I tried to have a lot of fun making this record.”
Elsewhere on this week’s charts, Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet falls one place to No. 2 as her U.K. and Ireland tour comes to a close, while her 2022 LP Emails I Can’t Send rises 27 spots to No. 40, the first time the album has made it into the top 40.
BLACKPINK member JENNIE’s debut solo album, Ruby, finishes the week at No. 3, and is the highest charting solo LP by any of the group’s members. ROSÉ’s 2024 record, rosie, finished at No. 4, and LISA’s recent Alter Ego peaked at No. 20.
Tate McRae’s So Close To What rises two places to No. 4, and Sam Fender’s People Watching stays strong for a third consecutive week in the top five, ending the week at No. 5.
Chappell Roan’s “Pink Pony Club” has twirled its way to a second week at No. 1 on the U.K.’s Official Singles Chart (March 14). The song first hit the top spot last week, almost five years after its initial release in 2020 and more than 18 months on from the release of her debut album, […]
New Music Latin is a compilation of the best new Latin songs and albums recommended by Billboard Latin and Billboard Español editors. Check out this week’s picks below.
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Eslabon Armado, Vibras de Noche II (Armado Records/Interscope Capital)
Eslabon Armado is so back. Staying true to its sad sierreño roots, the moody tracks that put the group at the forefront of música mexicana, Vibras de Noche II further solidifies its mainstay. As is tradition, since having a major breakthrough in 2020, Eslabon — led by frontman and songwriter Pedro Tovar — released its yearly album, and this one is extra special. It’s a follow up to the Vibras de Noche LP from five years ago, which spent 11 weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Regional Mexican Albums chart. Part two is just as emotional, as Tovar navigates love, heartbreak and solitude — themes that have powered most of his songs.
The 15-song set (plus an intro and outro) opens with “Sad Intro,” setting the mood for what’s to come. “How’s your situation now, Pedro?” a woman’s voice asks. “Honestly, it hasn’t gotten better/ I still think about her and I don’t know what to do,” Tovar responds. The 22-year-old then wounds through songs — powered by prickly guitars — like “Te Odio,” unleashing stirring emotions about love and loss, and “Otras 24 Horas,” where he gets nostalgic about the past. “Why don’t you look at me like before?/ At the beginning you wanted my kisses and laid on my chest,” he wails. In “El Alegre,” Tovar changes the tune, going from complete heartbreak to realizing it’s time to move on. Surprisingly, the only collaboration on this album is with Macario Martinez (“Esa Noche”), the viral folk singer from Mexico who went from street cleaner to hitmaker earlier this year. — GRISELDA FLORES
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Anitta, “Larissa” (Republic Records/Universal Music Latino)
Throughout her career, Anitta has distinguished herself in the music world as a strong, determined woman. But in “Larissa” – a song from her recently released documentary Larissa: The Other Side of Anitta – the Brazilian superstar allows herself to show a more vulnerable side while singing about a relationship between two people who aren’t afraid to be themselves in front of each other. “We’re polar opposites, but I’m betting on this between us/ That we’re both here, that’s no coincidence,” the trilingual artist sings in Spanish.
“My music has always been about strength, right? Mainly feminine strength. But, talking about this track and also the film, I feel like I discovered a new type of strength by allowing myself to be fragile, to fail and to make mistakes,” Anitta says in a press release. Written by the artist herself alongside Essa Gante, Daniel Sobrino, and producer Caleb Calloway, “Larissa” incorporates elements of drum and bass and reggaetón. The music video, featuring footage of Anitta au naturel in various settings and stages of her life, creates a refreshing and lively collage. — SIGAL RATNER-ARIAS
FloyyMenor feat. J Balvin, “BANSHEE” (FloyyMenor/United Masters)
At the Billboard Latin Music Awards last October, where he won Global 200 Latin song of the year for “Gata Only,” FloyyMenor revealed that a collaboration with J Balvin was in the works. Five months later, the pair drop “BANSHEE” — named after one of the popular sports cars in Grand Theft Auto. Produced by the Chilean breakthrough star and co-written with the Colombian global sensation, the full-fledged reggaetón song is backed by similar catchy synth melodies that made “Gata Only” such a contagious track. Lyrically, and also following the same formula of Floyy’s No. 1 Billboard hit with Cris MJ, “BANSHEE” is about flirting and desiring a girl. “Everything she uploads, I give it a like/ You’re beautiful,” sings Balvin in the opening verse. Meanwhile Floyy chants in the chorus: “Call me at night to show up where you are / Tell your boyfriend, bye.” — JESSICA ROIZ
Joyce Santana, Nada Personal (Rimas Entertainment)
A masterclass in defiance and vulnerability, Nada Personal sees Joyce Santana turning wounds into weaponry and introspection into potential anthems. The album opens with “El Gigante de Carolina” and trembles with ancestral echoes. Produced by Nostra, it feels stripped to its emotional core, evoking Puerto Rico’s tribal essence while he raps unflinching personal truths — painting himself as a mythic figure, borrowing from the giant Felipe Birriel. “Esto es hecho en Puerto Rico pero pa’l mundo entero,” he spits. “Omertá” follows, a Tainy-produced composition that thrives on reggaetón’s pulse and shifts into an eerily whimsical synth melody.
Collaborations abound throughout the record — Feid brings seduction to the reggaetón-steeped “Ferxxoko,” while Yandel joins for “Crisis,” a guitar-laden lament of emotional wreckage, wrapped in tropical warmth. Yet Joyce’s poetic grit always takes center stage, especially on “De la Casa,” where he lunges confidently into rap reggaetón, unearthing his hometown ethos, or the menacing trap song “MJM,” alongside Álvaro Díaz. It’s the self-produced outro track “Nada Personal,” though, that feels like the peak: “Yo no rapeo, yo lo que hago es manifestar,” he declares, as the production morphs mid-beat, mirroring his unpredictable essence. With 17 tracks, the album burns with fire, ambition and a refusal to look away from life’s darker corners. — ISABELA RAYGOZA
Majo Aguilar, “Piel Azteca” (Fonovisa/Universal Music México)
Singer-songwriter Majo Aguilar delivers an anthem of Mexican pride for all her paisanos, offering a message of resilience at a time when the immigrant community in the U.S. has been directly impacted by the Trump administration’s callous policies. In the joyous norteña, rooted in the traditional sounds of mariachi, Aguilar sings about a community and culture that, while it has endured hardships, remains unbreakable. She honors the beauty of her heritage, standing against those who aim to diminish its value. The music video includes a poignant contribution by the Ballet de Monterrey. — G.F.
Caifanes, “Y Caíste” (Caifanes)
Marking the legendary Mexican rock band’s fourth single since returning to the stage in 2011 after a 16-year hiatus, “Y Caíste” is a powerful, dark, and timeless track that tells the story of a character who has seen better days, and must now find a way back on track. With electrifying guitars, the rock track becomes a very personal dialogue about the passage of time and graciously accepting life’s consequences. Written by singer-songwriter Saúl Hernández, the song was recorded in January at London Bridge Studios in Seattle and produced by Howard Willing. The single’s artwork was created by renowned Mexican designer Alejandro Magallanes. — NATALIA CANO
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The details and entries for all 62 categories in the inaugural Music Awards Japan, set for May 21 and 22 in Kyoto, have been announced. Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO) has been named the Symbol of Music Awards Japan 2025, the act that personifies the spirit of this year’s MAJ.
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About 3,000 entries were announced, with 256 songs up for Song of the Year, 167 artists in Artist of the Year, 171 albums in Album of the Year, 61 artists in New Artist of the Year, 100 songs in Top Global Hit from Japan and 24 songs in Best Song Asia.
Voting is currently underway among artists and creatives nominated for an award, plus media-related and other music industry professionals from Japan and overseas. The nominees will be announced on Thursday, April 17, and the award winners will be revealed at the ceremony set for May 21 and 22. All of the entries can be viewed on the official MAJ website, and Spotify is currently celebrating the entries with its “museum” playlist. Fans can check out playlists for each category on various streaming platforms including d Hits, Amazon Music Unlimited and Apple Music.
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Atarashii Gakko! took to the stage at the event in Tokyo announcing this year’s entries. The four-member group is slated to perform at the music event called matsuri ’25: Japanese Music Experience Los Angeles on Mar. 16 with Ado and YOASOBI, an event by the Culture and Entertainment Industry Promotion Association (CEIPA) that organizes MAJ.
In addition to the main categories mentioned above, MAJ has a total of 62 categories including: International Special Awards — awarded to songs that have won an award for Best Song or an equivalent prize in music awards in six countries — linked to award events in South Korea, China, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam; the award for Largest Live Audience honoring Japanese artists who attracted the largest crowds in shows; and the Honorary Award in Music Technology, which celebrates Japanese music-tech professionals who have contributed to the music industry on a global scale.
Fans can participate in the selection process for the following five categories: through Spotify’s voting function for the Best of Listeners’ Choice awards for Domestic Song and lnternational Song powered by the streaming platform; the Special Award: Karaoke for J-pop and Enka / Kayōkyoku powered by DAM & JOYSOUND honoring songs sung the most at karaoke; and for the Special Award: USEN Request Oshi-Katsu Request Artist of the Year powered by USEN honoring the song requested the most on the USEN Oshi-Katsu Request Ranking.
Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO) has been named the Symbol of Music Awards Japan 2025, the act symbolizing the guiding principle that MAJ aims to achieve. The trio consisting of Haruomi Hosono and the late musicians Ryuichi Sakamoto and Yukihiro Takahashi formed in 1978, sparking a techno-pop craze in Japan and successfully touring internationally. The group was chosen as this year’s Symbol for the way they transcend borders and eras, showing a future that the MAJ strives to aim for. A YMO tribute concert will take place at the Kyoto International Conference Center on May 20, with performing artists and other details announced later.
International Special Awards: This category was established by CEIPA, the organizer of MAJ, in collaboration with music awards and their organizers in six countries: South Korea, China, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam. It recognizes songs that have won the award for Best Song or an equivalent prize at music awards in the six countries. The top executives of the music awards in each country, or those nominated by the top executives, will participate in MAJ as overseas voting members. The category aims to connect the countries of the Pacific Rim through music, such as by realizing collaborations between artists from various countries through the collaborations between music awards.
Largest Live Audience: This award honors the artist who attracted the largest number of people to their shows. Based on the research data of the Live Entertainment Research Committee — a group of organizations and companies that surveys the size of the domestic live entertainment market, instances of overseas expansion, etc., and compiles an annual report — the artist who attracted the largest number of people to their live performances in Japan in 2024 will be awarded. This award celebrates the activities of artists who have energized the live music scene that has been on the road to recovery since the end of the pandemic.
Best Radio-Break Song: Radio DJs/personalities, directors and producers from 99 radio stations across Japan, who are at the forefront of the music scene and in direct contact with listeners, will vote as special radio voting members. This category will select songs with innovative appeal that update the music scene through a professional perspective, based on the music airplay data compiled by radiko.
Overseas Voting Members (partial list):Lucian Grainge (Chairman and CEO, Universal Music Group)Rob Stringer (Chairman, Sony Music Group)Robert Kyncl (CEO, Warner Music Group)Lyor Cohen (YouTube & Google Global Head of Music)Annette Barrett (President, IMPF)Hannah Karp (Editorial Director, Billboard)Ellen Lu (Vice President of Regional Festivals at Goldenvoice)Alex Norström (Co-President and Chief Business Officer at Spotify)
