Awards
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The 2025 Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 2, one week earlier than the 2024 show, which was held on Sunday, March 10. And here’s good news for East Coasters who liked this year’s earlier starting time for the Oscars: The 2025 show will again begin at 7 p.m. ET.
The 2024 show clocked in at 3 hours 22 minutes, which means East Coasters were able to watch the full show and still turn in at a reasonable hour. In years past, millions of East Coast film fans had to choose between sticking around for the announcement of best picture and getting to bed before midnight.
The show will again be held at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood, its home since 2002 (except for the pandemic-era show in 2021, when it was held at Union Station in Los Angeles).
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Nominations will be announced on Jan. 17, 2025 – just five days after nominations-round voting closes. Most awards shows take longer between the close of voting and the announcement of the nominations. The Oscars’ approach allows voters more time to see eligible films and make informed choices. (The Oscars take a bit more time to tally final-round ballots, which are due Feb. 18, 2025 — 12 days before the big show.)
This will be the second year that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will have Representation and Inclusion Standards (for which the Academy uses the acronym RAISE) to be eligible in the best picture category. As the Academy notes, these standards “are designed to encourage equitable representation on and off screen to better reflect the diverse global population.”
Thursday, Nov. 14 is the final day to submit a confidential Inclusion Standards form. Last year, the Academy required that producers meet at least two of these four standards: on-screen representation, themes and narratives; creative leadership and project team; industry access and opportunities; and audience development. (Read a detailed summary of the RAISE standards on the Academy’s site.)
Below are key dates for the 2024 Oscars season. (The Academy cautions that all dates are subject to change.)
Thursday, Nov. 14: General entry, best picture, RAISE submission deadline
Sunday, Nov. 17: Governors Awards
Monday, Dec. 9: Preliminary voting begins 9 a.m. PT
Friday, Dec. 13: Preliminary voting ends 5 p.m. PT
Tuesday, Dec. 17: Oscars shortlists announcement
Tuesday, Dec. 31: Eligibility period ends
Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025: Nominations voting begins 9 a.m. PT
Sunday, Jan. 12, 2005: Nominations voting ends 5 p.m. PT
Friday: Jan. 17, 2005: Nominations announcement
Monday, Feb. 10, 2005: Oscars Nominees Luncheon
Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025: Finals voting begins 9 a.m. PT
Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025: Finals voting ends 5 p.m. PT
Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025: Scientific and Technical Awards
Sunday, March 2, 2025: 97th Oscars
Music talent agents Michael Gorfaine and Sam Schwartz were honored at the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra’s (LACO) 2024 Gala Celebration on Saturday (April 6) at the Skirball Cultural Center’s Ahmanson Ballroom in Los Angeles. The agents, co-founders of Gorfaine/Schwartz, received the LACO Hollywood Ally Award.
In accepting his award, Gorfaine said, “John Williams shared something with me that I believe should be a guiding principle: ‘Be in service to music.’ It’s our responsibility to support the wonderful musicians who play, the talented composers who write, and the dedicated teachers who teach.”
For more than 40 years, Gorfaine and Schwartz have represented top composers, songwriters, music supervisors and record producers working in film, TV and video games.
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The event raised a record-breaking $1 million to benefit LACO’s artistic and educational initiatives. Highlights included a concert with LACO artists led by music director Jaime Martín.
Film composer James Newton Howard, who was honored by LACO in 2022, was the honorary chair. In addition to Williams and Howard, others in attendance included composers Glen Ballard, Sean Callery, John Debney, Harry Gregson-Williams, Corky Hale, Steve Jablonsky, Julia Newman, Thomas Newman, Mike Post, Theodore Shapiro, Alan Silvestri, Michael Skloff, Mike Stoller and Brian Tyler; and industry executives Spring Aspers, Paul Broucek, Alex Hodges, Tom MacDougall, Tracy McKnight, Alison Smith and Randy Spendlove.
Brigitta B. Troy and Alden Lawrence served as event chairs. Peggy Falcon and Anne Grausam were event committee co-chairs.
Shaheen and Anil Nanji, longtime LACO advocates, community leaders and philanthropists, received the LACO Heartstrings Award.
For information on LACO, visit LACO.org.
When the Academy of Country Music Awards nominations were revealed on Tuesday morning (April 9), “Tennessee Orange” hitmaker Megan Moroney scored six nominations, including new female artist of the year and female artist of the year, making her the leading female artist nominee heading into the awards show on May 16 (she ties with Morgan Wallen for six nominations, while only Luke Combs has more nominations this year, with eight).
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“I was still in bed, because I just got back from the CMT Music Awards, so I started seeing my phone blowing up with the news,” she tells Billboard of learning of her ACM Awards nominations. “It’s crazy to me that I’m nominated for new female artist and female artist at the same time — I didn’t even know you could do that, so I think that was the most surprising.”
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Meanwhile, she also earns nominations in the visual media of the year and music event of the year categories, for “Can’t Break Up Now,” which she collaborated on with country group Old Dominion. That’s in addition to her nominations as both writer and artist for her college football-framed, star-crossed romance single “Tennessee Orange” in the song of the year category. She wrote “Tennessee Orange” with Ben Williams, David Fanning and Paul Jenkins.
“I’m also really proud of the song of the year, because I care so much about my songwriting and my songwriter friends,” Moroney says. “I think it’s all just insane. It is a dream to be nominated and to be the top female nominated this year, I’m just like, ‘What the heck?’”
These six nominations are a testament to the rocket ride the Georgia-born singer-songwriter has been on since she began releasing songs such as “Hair Salon” and “Wonder.” But it was “Tennessee Orange” that went viral in 2022 and Moroney was quickly signed to Sony Music Nashville/Columbia Records. Currently, Moroney has two songs in the top 25 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart: “Can’t Break Up Now” and her own “I’m Not Pretty.” Her headlining Lucky 2.0 tour launches next month, while this spring and summer will also find Moroney playing stadiums, in support of Kenny Chesney’s Sun Down 2024 Tour, as well as a performance at massive country music festival Stagecoach. In September, Moroney will make the trek overseas for a 15-show headlining Georgia Girl tour in the U.K. and Europe.
All of it serves as evidence of the success of an artist who has managed to blend eye-catching, Southern-soaked glamour with live shows that have an intimate, confessional feel, and songs that poetically expose a spectrum of deep-seated emotions and musings.
Moroney says she’s grateful for the ACM Awards nominations, knowing that they are voted on by her industry peers. “I feel very embraced by the country music community, and that is the cherry on top,” she says. “My fans have been so supportive and showed up for me. So that the industry would recognize what we’re building together, it means a lot to me. And it’s reassuring to know that the songs that I’m writing and all the work that my team and I are putting in every day is paying off.”
The upcoming Academy of Country Music Awards will air on May 16 via Prime Video, streaming live across more than 240 countries and territories from the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas. Moroney hasn’t yet given too much thought just yet to how she will celebrate if she takes home some one or more ACM Awards trophies, saying, “I’m just taking it all in today. But I think I would definitely celebrate with some tequila or something. My songwriter friends are going to be there and just getting to hang out with everyone that I don’t always get to see when I’m on the road is just such a treat.”
Building on the momentum of her 2023 debut studio album Lucky, Moroney recently began letting fans in on new music, including “No Caller ID” and “28th of June,” seeding an impending new album release.
“The album is 98%, maybe 99% done. I’m just kind of tweaking the mixes and stuff,” she tells Billboard. “There are no drastic changes in sound, but I do think the happy songs are happier and the sad songs are sadder. I think it’s a great look into the last year of my life and my songwriting.”
Though she says there are no straightforward collaborations on the album, she does hint, “I do have someone pretty cool singing some background vocals on one of the songs.”
Though her career is still on the ascent, Moroney has some big, sparkling dreams for expanding her empire: “I hope I’ll have a bar on Broadway, and I would love my own boot line, since I’m obsessed with boots, as everyone knows. That is definitely on my radar. I’m still in a building period right now with my career, but it’s something I think about and something we’re trying to plan for.”
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Beyoncé and Taylor Swift will probably find themselves going head-to-head in one or more categories when the nominations for the 67th annual Grammy Awards are announced later this year. Beyoncé is a lock to be nominated for album of the year for March’s Cowboy Carter. Swift is also likely to be nominated in that category […]
As the final nominations for the 2024 Academy of Country Music Awards were announced Tuesday morning (April 9), there were the usual number of expected names, as well as a handful of surprises and snubs.
Luke Combs leads all nominees with eight nods, and should he win entertainer of the year, he will clinch the Triple Crown Award — bestowed upon acts who, in addition to having won entertainer, have also taken home the trophy for new artist and artist in their eligible categories. Only a handful of artists have snagged the Triple Crown, including Chris Stapleton, Miranda Lambert, Jason Aldean, Carrie Underwood and Kenny Chesney.
Both Megan Moroney and Morgan Wallen received six nominations, with Cody Johnson, Chris Stapleton and Lainey Wilson garnering five nods each.
Tracy Chapman joins the first-timers’ club, scoring her first nod for writing song of the year nominee “Fast Car,” performed by Combs. Another first time nominee is Morgane Stapleton, who is nominated as a producer on her husband Chris Stapleton’s album, Higher, which received an album of the year nod.
The eligibility period for nominations runs Jan. 1, 2023-December 31, 2023, which means fans will have to wait another year to see if current Country Albums chart topper Cowboy Carter from Beyoncé is nominated, since the crossover set was released in March.
The ACM Awards will stream live across 240+ countries and territories on Prime Video on May 16 at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT/5 p.m. PT from Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas. Here is a look at some of the year’s notable surprises and snubs.
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Snub: Zach Bryan
Luke Combs leads the nominations for the 2024 Academy of Country Music Awards with eight nods, including entertainer of the year, male artist of the year, album of the year, song of the year, and single of the year.
Megan Moroney and Morgan Wallen are next in line with six nods each. That makes Moroney the year’s most-nominated woman. She is vying for both female artist of the year and new female artist of the year.
Wallen ties Combs for receiving nods in the most categories, including album of the year for One Thing at a Time, which spent 19 weeks at No. 1 on the all-genre Billboard 200 chart, setting a new record for a country album. Wallen is also nominated for single of the year for “Last Night,” which is the longest-running No. 1 solo song in the history of the Billboard Hot 100 with 16 weeks on top. Wallen is also nominated for male artist of the year, which he won last year for the first time.
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Cody Johnson, Chris Stapleton and Lainey Wilson received five nominations each, followed by Jelly Roll and Jordan Davis with four nods each and Kelsea Ballerini and Zach Bryan with three nods each.
The Academy of Country Music (ACM) and Dick Clark Productions (DCP) announced nominations for the 59th Academy of Country Music Awards on The Bobby Bones Show on Tuesday (April 9).
First-time nominee Jelly Roll’s four nods include entertainer of the year. The last artist to be nominated for entertainer of the year as part of his first set of nominations was Billy Ray Cyrus in 1992, the same year he gained fame for his smash hit “Achy Breaky Heart.”
Combs and Wilson are nominees for entertainer of the year. A win by either artist will clinch the ACM’s Triple Crown Award, which consists of an entertainer of the year win, plus wins in an act’s respective new artist and artist categories. Past ACM Triple Crown Award recipients include Chris Stapleton, Miranda Lambert, Jason Aldean, Carrie Underwood and Kenny Chesney.
Several acts extended long streaks of nominations in their categories.
Little Big Town receives its 18th nomination for group of the year, which ties Alabama for the most nods in the category. Little Big Town has been nominated in the category every year since 2005, with the exception of 2011.
Brothers Osborne is nominated for duo of the year for the 10th year in a row. The pair has won the award four times, including last year.
Stapleton received his ninth consecutive nomination for male artist of the year, an award he has won three times in the past. Stapleton is also nominated for entertainer of the year, which he won for the first time last year.
Old Dominion is nominated for group of the year for the ninth consecutive year. The group has taken home the award every year for the last six years. Old Dominion is also the year’s only group or duo to receive multiple nominations. They are also nominated for music event of the year.
Kacey Musgraves receives her eighth nomination for female artist of the year. She won the award in 2018, the same year she won album of the year for Golden Hour.
Ballerini is nominated for female artist of the year for the seventh time. She’s also nominated for album of the year for the first time for Rolling Up the Welcome Mat (For Good).
This is the fifth year in a row that Combs has been nominated for both male artist of the year and entertainer of the year.
This is the first time since 2018 that the new duo/group category will be presented at the ACM Awards. The nominees are Neon Union, Restless Road and Tigirlily Gold.
Other first-time artist nominees include Kassi Ashton, Tyler Childers, Ashley Cooke, Hannah Ellis, Flatland Cavalry, Jelly Roll, Kameron Marlowe, Kylie Morgan and Conner Smith.
The single of the year and visual media of the year categories will both have first-time winners in those categories this year, as there are no previous winners nominated in either category.
The eligibility period for the 59th Academy of Country Music Awards was Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 2023, which explains the absence of such albums as Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter and Musgraves’ Deeper Well. They will be eligible next year.
In some cases, an artist may receive more than one nomination per category, if they are also credited as a producer, director or songwriter.
Awards are voted on by members of the Academy of Country Music, which boasts a record-high membership this year of more than 5,000 members.
The 59th Academy of Country Music Awards is produced by Dick Clark Productions. Raj Kapoor is executive producer and showrunner, with Patrick Menton as co-executive producer. Damon Whiteside serves as executive producer for the Academy of Country Music, and Barry Adelman serves as executive producer for DCP. John Saade serves as consulting producer for Amazon MGM Studios.
The ACM Awards, which bills itself as “Country Music’s Party of the Year,” will stream live exclusively for a global audience on Prime Video on Thursday, May 16, at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT/5 p.m. PT from Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas. The full rebroadcast will be available directly following the stream on Prime Video and also the next day for free on Amazon Freevee and the Amazon Music app.
A limited number of tickets to the 59th ACM Awards are available for purchase on SeatGeek.
The following is the full list of nominees for the Main Awards, Studio Recording Awards, and Industry Awards categories:
Entertainer of the year
Kane Brown
Luke Combs
Jelly Roll
Cody Johnson
Chris Stapleton
Morgan Wallen
Lainey Wilson
Female artist of the year
Kelsea Ballerini
Ashley McBryde
Megan Moroney
Kacey Musgraves
Lainey Wilson
Male artist of the year
Luke Combs
Jelly Roll
Cody Johnson
Chris Stapleton
Morgan Wallen
Duo of the year
Brooks & Dunn
Brothers Osborne
Dan + Shay
Maddie & Tae
The War And Treaty
Group of the year
Flatland Cavalry
Lady A
Little Big Town
Old Dominion
Zac Brown Band
New female artist of the year
Kassi Ashton
Ashley Cooke
Hannah Ellis
Kylie Morgan
Megan Moroney
New male artist of the year
ERNEST
Kameron Marlowe
Dylan Scott
Conner Smith
Nate Smith
New duo or group of the year
Neon Union
Restless Road
Tigirlily Gold
Album of the year
[Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)]
Gettin’ Old – Luke Combs; Producer: Chip Matthews, Jonathan Singleton, Luke Combs; Record Company-Label: River House Artists / Columbia Nashville
Higher – Chris Stapleton; Producer: Chris Stapleton, Dave Cobb, Morgane Stapleton; Record Company-Label: Mercury Nashville
Leather – Cody Johnson; Producers: Trent Willmon; Record Company-Label: CoJo Music LLC / Warner Music Nashville LLC
One Thing at a Time – Morgan Wallen; Producers: Joey Moi, Cameron Montgomery, Charlie Handsome, Jacob Durrett; Record Company-Label: Big Loud Records / Republic Records / Mercury Records
Rolling Up the Welcome Mat (For Good) – Kelsea Ballerini; Producers: Kelsea Ballerini, Alysa Vanderheym; Record Company-Label: Black River Entertainment
Single of the year
[Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)]
“Burn It Down” – Parker McCollum; Producer: Jon Randall; Record Company-Label: MCA Nashville
“Fast Car” – Luke Combs; Producers: Luke Combs, Chip Matthews, Jonathan Singleton; Record Company-Label: River House Artists / Columbia Nashville
“Last Night” – Morgan Wallen; Producer: Joey Moi, Charlie Handsome; Record Company-Label: Big Loud Records / Republic Records / Mercury Records
“Need a Favor” – Jelly Roll; Producer: Austin Nivarel; Record Company-Label: Stoney Creek Records / BMG Nashville
“Next Thing You Know” – Jordan Davis; Producer: Paul DiGiovanni; Record Company-Label: MCA Nashville
Song of the year
[Awarded to Songwriter(s)/Publisher(s)/Artist(s)]
“Fast Car” – Luke Combs; Songwriters: Tracy Chapman; Publishers: Purple Rabbit
“Heart Like a Truck” – Lainey Wilson; Songwriters: Dallas Wilson, Lainey Wilson, Trannie Anderson; Publishers: Sony / ATV Countryside; Songs of Riser House; Songs of Wild Cat Well Music
“Next Thing You Know” – Jordan Davis; Songwriters: Chase McGill, Greylan James, Jordan Davis, Josh Osborne; Publishers: Family Farm Songs; Hold On Can I Get A Number 1 Music; Songs of Universal Inc.
“The Painter” – Cody Johnson; Songwriters: Benjy Davis, Kat Higgins, Ryan Larkins; Publishers: Big Music Machine; BMG Platinum Songs US; Nashblonde Music; Pompano Run Music; Songs for Ellie May; Sony / ATV Tree Publishing; Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Group; Well That Was Awkward Music
“Tennessee Orange” – Megan Moroney; Songwriters: Ben Williams, David Fanning, Megan Moroney, Paul Jenkins; Publishers: 33 Creative; Bone Bone Creative; Sony / ATV Tree Publishing
Music event of the year
[Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)]
“Can’t Break Up Now” – Old Dominion, Megan Moroney; Producers: Brad Tursi, Geoff Sprung, Matthew Ramsey, Trevor Rosen, Whit Sellers, Ross Copperman, Kristian Bush; Record Company-Label: Three Up Three Down, LLC / Columbia Nashville
“Different ‘Round Here” – Riley Green (Ft. Luke Combs); Producer: Dann Huff; Record Company-Label: BMLG Records
“I Remember Everything” – Zach Bryan (feat. Kacey Musgraves); Producer: Zach Bryan; Record Company-Label: Belting Bronco Records / Warner Records, Inc
“Man Made a Bar” – Morgan Wallen (feat. Eric Church); Producer: Joey Moi; Record Company-Label: Big Loud Records / Mercury Records / Republic Records
“Save Me” – Jelly Roll (with Lainey Wilson); Producers: Zach Crowell, David Ray Stevens; Record Company-Label: Stoney Creek Records / BMG Nashville
Visual media of the year
[Awarded to Producer(s)/Director(s)/Artist(s)]
“Burn It Down” – Parker McCollum; Producers: Christen Pinkston &Wesley Stebbins-Perry; Director: Dustin Haney
“Human” – Cody Johnson; Producer: Christen Pinkston &Wesley Stebbins-Perry; Director: Dustin Haney
“In Your Love” – Tyler Childers; Producer: Kacie Barton, Whitney Wolanin, Nicholas Robespierre, Ian Thorton, Silas House; Director: Bryan Schlam
“Next Thing You Know” – Jordan Davis; Producer: Jamie Stratakis; Director: Running Bear (Stephen Kinigopoulos, Alexa Stone)
“Tennessee Orange – Megan Moroney; Producer: Lauren Starr, Saul Levitz, Laura Burhenn; Director: Jason Lester
Songwriter of the year
Jessie Jo Dillon
Ashley Gorley
Hillary Lindsey
Chase McGill
Josh Thompson
Artist-songwriter of the year
Zach Bryan
ERNEST
HARDY
Chris Stapleton
Morgan Wallen
The 2024 ACM Studio Recording Awards and Industry Awards will be presented to recipients at the 17th Academy of Country Music Honors, a special event held annually in August in Nashville.
Bass player of the year
Tony Lucido
Steve Mackey
Lex Price
Jimmie Lee Sloas
Craig Young
Drummer of the year
Fred Eltringham
Evan Hutchings
Greg Morrow
Jerry Roe
Nir Z
Acoustic guitar player of the year
Todd Lombardo
Danny Rader
Bryan Sutton
Ilya Toshinskiy
Charlie Worsham
Piano/keyboards player of the year
Jim “Moose” Brown
David Dorn
Charlie Judge
Billy Justineau
Alex Wright
Specialty instrument player of the year
Dan Dugmore
Paul Franklin
Josh Matheny
Justin Schipper
Bryan Sutton
Electric guitar player of the year
Tom Bukovac
Kris Donegan
Jedd Hughes
Rob McNelley
Sol Philcox-Littlefield
Audio engineer of the year
Drew Bollman
Jeff Braun
Jim Cooley
Jason Hall
Buckley Miller
F. Reid Shippen
Producer of the year
Charlie Handsome
Dann Huff
Joey Moi
Jon Randall
Derek Wells
Casino of the year – theater
Choctaw Grand Theater – Durant, OK
Deadwood Mountain Grand – Deadwood, SD
Foxwoods Resort Casino – Mashantucket, CT
Lucas Oil Live at WinStar World Casino and Resort – Thackerville, OK
Resorts World Theatre at Resorts World Las Vegas – Las Vegas, NV
Casino of the year – arena
Golden Nugget Lake Charles – Lake Charles, LA
Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena – Atlantic City, NJ
Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre – St. Louis, MO
Mohegan Sun Arena – Uncasville, CT
Mystic Lake Casino Showroom – Prior Lake, MN
Festival of the year
Carolina Country Music Fest – Myrtle Beach, SC
CMC Rocks – Ipswich, Queensland
Crash My Playa – Riviera Cancun, Mexico
Tortuga Music Festival – Fort Lauderdale, FL
Windy City Smokeout – Chicago, IL
Fair/rodeo of the year
Auburn Rodeo – Opelika, AL
Cheyenne Frontier Days – Cheyenne, WY
Iowa State Fair – Des Moines, IA
Minnesota State Fair – Falcon Heights, MN
San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo – San Antonio, TX
Club of the year
8 Seconds Saloon – Indianapolis, IN
Billy Bob’s Texas – Fort Worth, TX
Georgia Theatre – Athens, GA
Joe’s Live – Rosemont, IL
Mission Ballroom – Denver, CO
Theater of the year
Beacon Theatre – New York, NY
The Franklin Theatre – Franklin, TN
Moody Theater – Austin, TX
Ryman Auditorium – Nashville, TN
Tabernacle – Atlanta, GA
Outdoor venue of the year
Ascend Amphitheater – Nashville, TN
Red Rocks Amphitheatre – Morrison, CO
Saint Augustine Amphitheatre – St. Augustine, FL
Santa Barbara Bowl – Santa Barbara, CA
The Wharf Amphitheater – Orange Beach, AL
Arena of the year
Bridgestone Arena – Nashville, TN
Dickies Arena – Fort Worth, TX
Hertz Arena – Estero, FL
KFC Yum! Center – Louisville, KY
T-Mobile Center – Kansas City, MO
Don Romeo talent buyer of the year
Gil Cunningham
Andrew Fortin
Nicole More
Stacy Vee
Ed Warm
Promoter of the year
Jered Johnson
Patrick McDill
Brian O’Connell
Aaron Spalding
Adam Weiser
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The Libertines are on target for the U.K. albums chart title, their first in 20 years.
Based on midweek sales and streaming data tallied by the Official Charts Company, the critically adored indie-rock outfit takes the lead with All Quiet On The Eastern Esplanade (via EMI), their fourth studio album.
The British act, comprising Carl Barât, Pete Doherty, John Hassall and Gary Powell, opened their chart account with their celebrated 2002 debut Up The Bracket (peaking at No. 35), then, following a tide of glowing features in the music press, hit No. 1 with their eponymously-titled sophomore album from 2004. Their 2015 comeback album, Anthems For Doomed Youth, also cracked the top 10, peaking at No. 3.
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All Quiet On The Eastern Esplanade leads an all-new top 4 on the chart blast.
Coming in at No. 2 on the midweek tally is British band The K’s debut LP I Wonder If The World Knows? (LAB), while U.S. singer and songwriter Conan Gray is predicted to complete the podium with Found Heaven (Island), which features production from Swedish maestro Max Martin. It’s new at No. 3 on the Official Chart Update.
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Meanwhile, British indie rock veterans Feeder is targeting an 11th top 10 appearance with Black/Red (Big Teeth), new at No. 4 on the chart blast, while U.S. blues-rockers the Black Keys’ could snag a sixth U.K. top 10 with their 12th record Ohio Players (Nonesuch), new at No. 6 on the chart blast.
J. Cole has been in the headlines of late. The U.S. rapper and songwriter surprise-dropped Might Delete Later (Interscope) last week, which included a Kendrick Lamar diss track, “7 Minute Drill,” a track he promptly apologized for. Might Delete Later might start at No. 7, based on midweek data, and should collect a third top 10 for Cole following 2018’s KOD (No. 2) and 2021’s The Off-Season (No. 2).
Finally, a string of recording are poised for top 40 berths. Among them, releases from Khruangbin (A LA SALA at No. 8 via Dead Oceans), Vampire Weekend (Only God Was Above Us at No. 9 via Columbia), Bob Vylan (Humble As The Sun at No. 11), Benson Boone (Fireworks & Rollerblades at No. 16 via Warner Records), Hawkwind (Stories From Time And Space at No. 20 via Cherry Red), Palace (Ultrasound at No. 22 via Fiction), Bryson Tiller (Bryson Tiller at No. 28 via Relentless), and Cock Sparrer (Hand On Heart at No. 33 via Cherry Red).
All will be revealed when the Official U.K. Albums Chart is published late Friday, April 12.
Kelsea Ballerini took the stage at the 2024 CMT Music Awards on Sunday night (April 7) to perform her throwback hit, “Love Me Like You Mean It,” but not everyone was a fan of her bold fashion choice. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The 30-year-old country […]
Maren Morris was nominated for performance of the year with Hozier for their 2023 duet on his song “Take Me to Church” from CMT Crossroads at Sunday night’s (April 7) 2024 CMT Awards. But in a pair of Instagram Story videos posted earlier in the day the 33-year-old “The Bones” singer told fans she would […]
You don’t want to miss Elton John & Bernie Taupin: The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, which will air in primetime on PBS stations nationwide on Monday (April 8). (Check local listings.)
The two-hour special was taped during a tribute concert at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. on March 20. Billboard had a (lucky) correspondent in the room, who filed this report.
The success of the show is a tribute to the quality and range of the songs written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin, of course, and also to smart production choices by Ken Ehrlich, who executive produced and wrote the show. Ehrlich, who oversaw the annual Grammy telecast for 40 years, incorporated talk segments with both songwriters, as well as Elton’s long-time music director Davey Johnstone; past Gershwin Prize recipients Sir Paul McCartney (the only previous British honoree), Carole King, Stevie Wonder and Emilio & Gloria Estefan; and Robert Hilburn, the former Los Angeles Times pop music critic whose rave review of Elton’s 1970 show at the Troubadour in L.A. gave the singer a big boost.
Those talk segments provide much context and insight. In one, Elton said how much American music has always meant to him. “Thank you, America, for the music you’ve given us all over the world. It’s an incredible legacy that you have – all the wonderful blues, the jazz, classical, all the songs the Gershwin brothers [George and Ira] wrote. It’s just incredible. … I’m so proud to be British and to be here in America to receive this award, because all my heroes were American.”
Elton also put his music with Bernie in the context of the Great American Songbook. “We write songs that we hope will last. And our songs have lasted – and so have the Gershwins, Rodgers & Hammerstein, all those wonderful people. The Cole Porters of the world. They wrote classic songs, and once you write a classic that people love, it never goes away.”
Elton’s band backed the various artists, leading Elton to say “This is the first time in my life where I have sat in the audience and listened to my band. And I know they’re good, but they’re amazing!” He also paid the ultimate tribute to his partner. “He gives me the lyrics and then I write the song. Without the lyrics, I’d be working in any record store in the world.”
Elton John and Bernie Taupin: The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song is a co-production of WETA Washington, D.C.; Ken Ehrlich Productions, Inc.; and the Library of Congress. It will be available via broadcast and streaming on PBS.org and the PBS App.
An end title card dedicated the show to Tony Bennett, the 2017 Gershwin Prize recipient, who died in July at 96. The show honoring Bennett and last year’s show honoring Joni Mitchell both received Primetime Emmy nods. This show also deserves Emmy consideration.
All but one of the 14 songs performed on the show appeared on Billboard’s 2022 ranking The 75 Best Elton John Songs: Staff List, which was keyed to the star’s 75th birthday that year. If you missed it, here it is. Read it before or after the show, but not during. You don’t want to miss a moment.
Here are all the performances on the show ranked from least to most memorable. (Three artists performed multiple songs. We listed their songs together.) No shade to the performers who aren’t ranked high: The competition for “best of the night” honors was fierce. And how can Elton not be No. 1 on his own tribute? We’ve all heard him sing his songs many times, so there was no element of surprise there like there was with the top three selections.
Charlie Puth, “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” (1974)