Awards
Page: 124
02/26/2024
No song in Eilish’s lifetime has achieved this double victory, and none has achieved it since Finneas was 18 months old.
02/26/2024
Melissa McCarthy was fangirling over Billie Eilish at the 2024 Screen Actors Guild Awards.
While presenting the award for outstanding performance by a female actor in a comedy series to Ayo Edebiri (The Bear), the Little Mermaid actress, 53, hilariously asked the pop star, 22, to sign her face with a permanent marker.
Prior to the autographing, McCarthy reminded Eilish that the pair had already met several times prior to the SAG Awards, which streamed live on Netflix from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on Saturday (Feb. 24).
“I actually met you in utero because your mom was my first improv teacher,” McCarthy said excitedly, referring to Maggie Baird. “Guess who she was pregnant with? It was you!”
“Wow, OK,” Eilish responded. “That’s a lot.”
Trending on Billboard
McCarthy then asked the “Bad Guy” singer if she would sign her shiny colored gown. “I’m just trying to be more present in making memories and I’m trying for more YOLO-ing and less FOMO-ing,” McCarthy said.
When Eilish politely declined, the actress made an even more bizarre request: to sign her face instead. The singer agreed and proceeded to scribble her signature on McCarthy’s forehead with a black Sharpie.
As the actress attempted to ask more questions about her brother Finneas’ songwriting process, Eilish covered her mouth and attempted to contain her laughter.
“So, when you and Finneas are putting down sick tracks or hot, hot beats…,” McCarthy’s began to ask. “I think that’s better,” the singer replied while holding her hand over McCarthy’s mouth.
The big winners at the SAG Awards included Cillian Murphy (Oppenheimer) and Lily Gladstone (Killers of the Flower Moon), who took home outstanding performance by a male and female actor in a leading role, respectively. Both won in what were seen as close races with Paul Giamatti (The Holdovers) and Emma Stone (Poor Things), respectively.
Watch Eilish and McCarthy at the 2024 SAG Awards below.
[embedded content]
Barbra Streisand accepted the Life Achievement Award at the 2024 Screen Actors Guild Awards on Saturday (Feb. 24) with a warm and personal speech in which she talked about her 70-year love affair with movies – a passion which began as a way to escape a drab upbringing in Brooklyn.
The award was a highlight of the 30th annual SAG Awards, which were presented at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles – where, presenter Jennifer Aniston told us, Streisand performed her first major concert in 1963. Unmentioned was the fact that Streisand won three Grammy Awards at the Shrine in the 1970s and 1980s. Bradley Cooper also helped present the award.
“I remember dreaming of being an actress as a teenager sitting in my bed in Brooklyn with a pint of coffee ice cream and a movie magazine,” Streisand said. “Sometimes after school, I’d go to the Astor Theater next door to Erasmus High School where they showed foreign films in black-and-white.
Trending on Billboard
“And then one Saturday, I vividly remember going to the Loew’s theater and buying a 25-cent ticket and walking into the middle of Guys and Dolls and oh my God – everything was so beautiful up on that screen – the colors, the sets, unlike our apartment where my mother covered everything with plastic. And then I saw the most beautiful actor, Marlon Brando. It was my first crush. He was so real, so believable and I wanted to be the one he fell in love with, not Jean Simmons. That make-believe world was much more pleasant than anything I was experiencing.”
Streisand was 13 when Guys and Dolls premiered in November 1955 and had such a powerful effect on her dreams and imagination. There was just one problem, as Streisand explained in her speech.
“I wanted to be in the movies even though I knew I didn’t look like the other women on screen. My mother said you better learn to type, but I didn’t listen, and somehow, some way – thank God, it all came true.”
Indeed, many have credited Streisand with expanding the idea of what a movie star could look like.
Streisand gave much credit to William Wyler, who directed her first film, Funny Girl, and Harry Stradling, who was Wyler’s cinematographer. Wyler was 65 when Funny Girl was filmed in 1967. Stradling was 66. They were at an age, and in an era, where many men in their positions would have resented a 25-year-old newcomer to film who was brimming with ideas. But, according to Streisand, they were open to her input in a way that she appreciates now more than ever.
“These two men were extraordinary,” she said. “They had no problem with a young woman who had opinions. I could suggest ideas for a scene to Willi and try various lighting effects with Harry and they never ever put me down. Looking back, they were really ahead of their time and that was fantastic and it set the tone for my whole career.”
Streisand also spoke about how acting, and researching roles and preparing for films, has been her education.
“I never went to college,” she said. “I always thought acting was my education. In trying to understand the character, to have to do research, immerse yourself in the period. The whole process was fascinating to me. How do you tell the story? How does the camera serve the actors in telling that story?”
Streisand understands the appeal of movies: “For a couple of hours, people can sit in a theater and escape their own troubles.”
She also is a student of film history. “I can’t help but think back to the people who built this industry. Ironically, they were also escaping their own troubles.”
She mentioned Samuel Goldwyn, Louis B. Mayer and the Warner Brothers, all of whom had changed their names to be less ethnic-sounding. “They were all fleeing the prejudice they faced in Eastern Europe simply because of their religion. And they were dreamers too, like all of us here tonight. And now I dream of a world where such prejudice is thing of the past.” The last line, amid a troubling rise in antisemitic rhetoric, drew sustained applause.
Near the end of her speech, Streisand spoke of a 2022 French film she had recently seen, Une Belle Course (Driving Madeleine), which moved her deeply. The film stars an actress in her 90s, Line Renaud (“so there’s still hope for us girls,” she said). “It was so moving and insightful,” she said. “…It reminded me over again of how much I love film.”
Streisand has said that she became a singer because she couldn’t get a job as an actress. For all the success she has had as a singer, acting seems to be her first love. “It’s really a privilege to be part of this profession,” she said at one point.
She concluded her remarks by noting: “I’d like to thank SAG-AFTRA for this fabulous honor and say to my fellow actors and directors, I’ve loved working with you and inhabiting that magical world of the movies with you. And most of all, I want to thank you for giving me so much joy – just watching all of you on the screen. Thank you for that.”
A film package preceded Streisand’s arrival on stage that showed many of her top film moments – as well as a memorable surprise cameo in a “Coffee Talk” sketch on Saturday Night Live in 1992. The highlight reel included many great musical moments, such as “Don’t Rain on My Parade” from Funny Girl, “The Way We Were” from that film and “Evergreen” from the 1976 version of A Star Is Born.
Cooper, who directed the 2018 remake of A Star Is Born, was generous to help introduce Streisand. In 2021, Streisand threw some shade at his remake, saying it was too close to the rock’n’roll update in which she starred to be considered a fresh and original take on the perennial property.
A fair number of Streisand’s co-stars and colleagues had previously received the SAG Life Achievement Award, which underscores how far and wide her reach extends. Walter Pidgeon, who played Flo Ziegfeld in Funny Girl, was honored in 1975. Gene Kelly, the legendary song-and-dance man who directed her second film, Hello, Dolly!, was feted in 1989. Robert Redford, her co-star in the classic romantic drama The Way We Were, was honored in 1996. Robert DeNiro, her co-star in the best-forgotten Meet the Fockers and Little Fockers, received the salute in 2020.
This year’s SAG Awards streamed live on Netflix starting at 8 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT. Here’s a complete list of winners.
Oppenheimer and Barbie are duking it out once more at the 2024 Screen Actors Guild Awards, where both megahits have four nominations, more than any other film. The 30th annual SAG Awards is streaming live on Netflix on Saturday (Feb. 24) at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT from the Shrine Auditorium & Expo Hall in Los Angeles.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Idris Elba is set to open the show. Jennifer Aniston is set to present the Life Achievement Award to Barbra Streisand.
Billie Eilish, a cast member of Swarm, is set to present, as are such notables as America Ferrera (Barbie) and Danielle Brooks (The Color Purple). Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway and Emily Blunt will reunite to present an award 18 years after the release of their comedy classic, The Devil Wears Prada.
Trending on Billboard
Succession is this year’s top TV nominee. The HBO series is nominated for five awards – best drama ensemble plus individual acting nods to its stars Brian Cox, Kieran Culkin, Matthew Macfadyen and Sarah Snook.
The nominees for best film ensemble – the closest thing at the SAG Awards to the Oscar for best picture – are American Fiction, Barbie, The Color Purple, Killers of the Flower Moon and Oppenheimer.
The awards are voted on by SAG-AFTRA’s membership of 119,515 eligible voters, the largest voting body on the awards circuit. Final voting opened on Wednesday, Jan. 17, and closed at noon PT on Friday, Feb. 23. So, votes were still coming in less than 30 hours before the first awards were presented. There is a much longer lag time between the close of voting and the announcement of the winners at other award shows.
The 30th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards is executive produced by Jon Brockett and Silent House Productions. This marks the show’s live debut on Netflix. Last year’s ceremony was broadcast on Netflix’s YouTube page.
Here’s the complete list of nominees for the 2024 Screen Actors Guild Awards, with winners marked as they are announced.
Motion Pictures
Outstanding performance by a male actor in a leading role
Bradley Cooper – Maestro
Colman Domingo – Rustin
Paul Giamatti – The Holdovers
Cillian Murphy – Oppenheimer
Jeffrey Wright – American Fiction
Outstanding performance by a female actor in a leading role
Annette Bening – Nyad
Lily Gladstone – Killers of the Flower Moon
Carey Mulligan – Maestro
Margot Robbie – Barbie
Emma Stone – Poor Things
Outstanding performance by a male actor in a supporting role
Sterling K. Brown – American Fiction
Willem Dafoe – Poor Things
Robert De Niro – Killers of the Flower Moon
Robert Downey Jr. – Oppenheimer
Ryan Gosling – Barbie
Outstanding performance by a female actor in a supporting role
Emily Blunt – Oppenheimer
Danielle Brooks – The Color Purple
Penélope Cruz – Ferrari
Jodie Foster – Nyad
Da’vine Joy Randolph – The Holdovers
Outstanding performance by a cast in a motion picture
American Fiction — Erika Alexander, Adam Brody, Sterling K. Brown, Keith David, John Ortiz, Issa Rae, Tracee Ellis Ross, Leslie Uggams, Jeffrey Wright
Barbie — Michael Cera, Will Ferrell, America Ferrera, Ryan Gosling, Ariana Greenblatt, Kate Mckinnon, Helen Mirren, Rhea Perlman, Issa Rae, Margot Robbie
The Color Purple — Halle Bailey, Fantasia Barrino, Jon Batiste, Danielle Brooks, Ciara, Colman Domingo, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Louis Gossett, Jr., Corey Hawkins, Taraji P. Henson, Phylicia Pearl Mpasi, H.E.R.
Killers of the Flower Moon — Tantoo Cardinal, Robert De Niro, Leonardo DiCaprio, Brendan Fraser, Lily Gladstone, John Lithgow, Jesse Plemons
Oppenheimer — Casey Affleck, Emily Blunt, Kenneth Branagh, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., Josh Hartnett, Rami Malek, Cillian Murphy, Florence Pugh
Television
Outstanding performance by a male actor in a television movie or limited series
Matt Bomer – Fellow Travelers
Jon Hamm – Fargo
David Oyelowo – Lawmen: Bass Reeves
Tony Shalhoub – Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie
Steven Yeun – Beef
Outstanding performance by a female actor in a television movie or limited series
Uzo Aduba – Painkiller
Kathryn Hahn – Tiny Beautiful Things
Brie Larson – Lessons in Chemistry
Bel Powley – A Small Light
Ali Wong – Beef
Outstanding performance by a male actor in a drama series
Brian Cox – Succession
Billy Crudup – The Morning Show
Kieran Culkin – Succession
Matthew Macfadyen – Succession
Pedro Pascal – The Last of Us
Outstanding performance by a female actor in a drama series
Jennifer Aniston – The Morning Show
Elizabeth Debicki – The Crown
Bella Ramsey – The Last of Us
Keri Russell – The Diplomat
Sarah Snook – Succession
Outstanding performance by a male actor in a comedy series
Brett Goldstein – Ted Lasso
Bill Hader – Barry
Ebon Moss-Bachrach – The Bear
Jason Sudeikis – Ted Lasso
Jeremy Allen White – The Bear
Outstanding performance by a female actor in a comedy series
Alex Borstein – The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Rachel Brosnahan – The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Quinta Brunson – Abbott Elementary
Ayo Edebiri – The Bear
Hannah Waddingham – Ted Lasso
Outstanding performance by an ensemble in a drama series
The Crown — Khalid Abdalla, Sebastian Blunt, Bertie Carvel, Salim Daw, Elizabeth Debicki, Luther Ford, Claudia Harrison, Lesley Manville, Ed McVey, James Murray, Jonathan Pryce, Imelda Staunton, Marcia Warren, Dominic West, Olivia Williams
The Gilded Age — Ben Ahlers, Ashlie Atkinson, Christine Baranski, Denée Benton, Nicole Brydon Bloom, Michael Cerveris, Carrie Coon, Kelley Curran, Taissa Farmiga, David Furr, Jack Gilpin, Ward Horton, Louisa Jacobson, Simon Jones, Sullivan Jones, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Nathan Lane, Matilda Lawler, Robert Sean Leonard, Audra McDonald, Debra Monk, Donna Murphy, Kristine Nielsen, Cynthia Nixon, Kelli O’Hara, Patrick Page, Harry Richardson, Taylor Richardson, Blake Ritson, Jeremy Shamos, Douglas Sills, Morgan Spector, John Douglas Thompson, Erin Wilhelmi
The Last of Us — Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey
The Morning Show — Jennifer Aniston, Nicole Beharie, Shari Belafonte, Nestor Carbonell, Billy Crudup, Mark Duplass, Jon Hamm, Theo Iyer, Hannah Leder, Greta Lee, Julianna Margulies, Tig Notaro, Karen Pittman, Reese Witherspoon
Succession — Nicholas Braun, Juliana Canfield, Brian Cox, Kieran Culkin, Dagmara Dominczyk, Peter Friedman, Justine Lupe, Matthew MacFadyen, Arian Moayed, Scott Nicholson, David Rasche, Alan Ruck, Alexander Skarsgård, J. Smith-Cameron, Sarah Snook, Fisher Stevens, Jeremy Strong, Zoë Winters
Outstanding performance by an ensemble in a comedy series
Abbott Elementary — Quinta Brunson, William Stanford Davis, Janelle James, Chris Perfetti, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Lisa Ann Walter, Tyler James Williams
Barry — Anthony Carrigan, Sarah Goldberg, Zachary Golinger, Bill Hader, Andre Hyland, Fred Melamed, Charles Parnell, Stephen Root, Tobie Windham, Henry Winkler, Robert Wisdom
The Bear — Lionel Boyce, Jose Cervantes Jr., Liza Colón-Zayas, Ayo Edebiri , Abby Elliott, Richard Esteras, Edwin Lee Gibson, Molly Gordon, Corey Hendrix, Matty Matheson, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Oliver Platt, Jeremy Allen White
Only Murders in the Building — Gerald Caesar, Michael Cyril Creighton, Linda Emond, Selena Gomez, Allison Guinn, Steve Martin, Ashley Park, Don Darryl Rivera, Paul Rudd, Jeremy Shamos, Martin Short, Meryl Streep, Wesley Taylor, Jason Veasey, Jesse Williams
Ted Lasso — Annette Badland, Kola Bokinni, Edyta Budnik, Adam Colborne, Phil Dunster, Cristo Fernández, Kevin “Kg” Garry, Brett Goldstein, Billy Harris, Anthony Head, Brendan Hunt, Toheeb Jimoh, James Lance, Nick Mohammed, Jason Sudeikis, Jeremy Swift, Juno Temple, Hannah Waddingham, Bronson Webb, Katy Wix
Stunt Ensembles
Outstanding action performance by a stunt ensemble in a motion picture
Barbie
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
John Wick: Chapter 4
WINNER: Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One
Outstanding action performance by a stunt ensemble in a television series
Ahsoka
Barry
Beef
WINNER: The Last of Us
The Mandalorian
Less than three weeks after winning the Grammy for best bluegrass album for City of Gold, Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway won album of the year for that same Nonesuch release at the 2024 International Folk Music Awards. The awards were presented at the Westin Crown Center Hotel in Kansas City, Missouri, on Wednesday (Feb. 21), which was the first day of the Folk Alliance International (FAI) Conference. The event, now in its 36th year, continues through Sunday (Feb. 25).
Tuttle, who won in the same category last year for Crooked Tree, accepted her award remotely, saying, “I feel so lucky to be part of this folk music community. I draw so much inspiration from the folk tradition when I was writing this album. I imagined these songs being played by folks around the campfire. Music really is my City of Gold.”
Trending on Billboard
Billy Strings won entertainer of the year. “I’m incredibly honored,” he said. “The fact that my name even comes up in conversation with the other nominees just blows my mind. I made so many great friends at FAI in 2013-14 when I was ripping showcases and pickin’ all up and down them hallways and hotel rooms. I’d like to say thanks to Folk Alliance for giving us artists a place to come together and make lifelong friends, showcase our music, bump elbows, meet the right people, and start to grow our careers in an organic and natural way.”
Strings, who won a Grammy for best bluegrass album three years ago, has spent nearly a year atop Billboard’s Bluegrass Albums chart combining the runs of three of his albums – Home (25 weeks at No. 1), Renewal (nine weeks) and Me/And/Dad (16 weeks). In addition, all three albums received Grammy nominations for best bluegrass album. Home won.
“Workin’ on a World,” written and performed by Iris Dement, won the International Folk Music Award for song of the year.
Tracy Chapman, whose 1988 song “Fast Car” became a pop and country smash in 2023 for Luke Combs, received a lifetime achievement award. Joy Clark performed Chapman’s “Give Me One Reason” in tribute.
Other lifetime achievement award recipients were the late Chilean songwriter and activist Víctor Jara and McCabe’s Guitar Shop in Santa Monica, California, which has been hosting concerts in Southern California for more than 50 years.
Alynda Segarra of Hurray for the Riff Raff received The People’s Voice Award, which is presented to an individual who “unabashedly embraces social and political commentary in their creative work and public careers.”
“I started writing songs as a way to have power in this world,” Segarra said in accepting the award. “I started a band to create a family. Since my first days playing music on the street in New Orleans, I’ve turned to the mysteries of songwriting to document, honor, and defend the people on the outskirts of society. Folk music drew me in because it tells the truth, it disgraces the warmongers, and it defends the innocent. It’s been enlivening to watch folk music become more visibly queer and radical.”
The Rising Tide Award went to Guatemalan songwriter, vocalist and activist Sara Curruchich, who is the first musician to use the Kaqchikel language of her people in popular music for an international audience.
“Being the first Maya singer-songwriter to be recognized with this prestigious award is a dream come true,” Curruchich said in accepting her award. “This award not only represents a personal achievement but is also a step and a testament to the diversity and richness that we, as indigenous artists, bring.”
The Clearwater Award, presented to a festival that prioritizes environmental stewardship and demonstrates public leadership in sustainable event production, went to LEAF Global Arts Festival.
The Spirit of Folk Awards went to Lead Belly Estate’s Terika Dean; Amanda Rheaume, an artist from the Métis Nation of Ontario, Canada; Jim Fleming, founder of the booking agency Fleming Artists; and FAI’s conference director Jerod Rivers.
Newly minted Folk Radio Hall of Famers include Folk Alley’s Linda Fahey; roots music and folk expert Jan Vanderhorst, host of “Just Us Folk,” Mountain Stage founder Larry Groce; Bob Sherman, whose “Woody’s Children” show graced New York City’s airwaves for nearly 55 years; and Celtic music ambassador Brian O’Donovan.
Other performances included The Steel Wheels (also the house band), Kaia Kater singing Odetta’s “Moving It On”; Latin Grammy winner Mireya Ramos singing Victor Jara’s “Manifiesto,” which was first released in 1974, shortly after Jara’s death; and Willie Watson and Malena Cadiz (McCabe’s tribute).
NPR Music and World Cafe live-streamed the awards show.
In a sad sign of the times, a moment of silence was observed at the outset of the evening to acknowledge the shooting that happened across the street at last week’s Super Bowl victory celebration event in Kansas City.
Folk Alliance International interim director Jennifer Roe announced from the stage that next year’s conference will take place Feb. 19-23, 2025, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada at the Queens Elizabeth Hotel, where John Lennon and Yoko Ono recorded “Give Peace a Chance.”
Here are the finalists for the Best of 2023 awards, with winners marked:
Album of the year
Amatssou – Tinariwen (Wedge Records)
WINNER: City of Gold – Molly Tuttle and Golden Highway (Nonesuch)
False Lankum – Lankum (Rough Trade)
Stand in the Joy – William Prince (Six Shooter Records)
Welcome to Whatever – Rainbow Girls (self-release)
Artist of the year
WINNER: Billy Strings
Digging Roots
Gaby Moreno
Nickel Creek
Madi Diaz
Song of the Year
“Changes,” written by Joy Oladokun & Dan Wilson, performed by Joy Oladokun
“Keep It on a Burner,” written and performed by Margo Cilker
“Tears Run Dry,” written by Abraham Alexander, Ian Barter, Leo Stannard, performed by Abraham Alexander
“The Returner,” written by Allison Russell, Drew Lindsay, & JT Nero, performed by Allison Russell
WINNER: “Workin’ on a World,” written and performed by Iris Dement
Some of the biggest names in Latin music gathered on Thursday (Feb. 22) at the Kaseya Center in Miami for the 36th annual Premio Lo Nuestro Awards, many of them donning their best for the occasion. Black was the color of choice for several artists, including Anitta, Emilia, GALE and Gloria Trevi, as well as […]
There may have been more than 20 performances at the 2024 Premio Lo Nuestro on Thursday (Feb. 22), but a handful truly stood out. A show mainly centered on performances, the three special awards honorees, Don Omar, Olga Tañón and Ana Bárbara, gave the best performances of the night. Proving why he was this year’s […]
Ana Bárbara stunned in a majestic mariachi baby blue outfit that sparkled gloriously — with a proper charro hat — on Thursday (Feb. 22) for her performance at the 36th annual Premio Lo Nuestro.
Flanked by a mariachi ensemble equipped with trumpets, violins, and a guitarrón, the Mexican superstar sang her heart out, singing back-to-back hits such as “No Es Brujería,” “Lo Busqué” briefly joined by Carin León, “Loca,” and “Me Asusta Pero Me Gusta.”
Impressively, Bárbara changed about four times: a baby pink cowgirl sparkly outfit, a vintage yellow ensemble with fringes, and one piece that sported a bull on her chest with horns. The star worked the dance floor like no other, even doing the splits at one point, along with her troupe of dancers amid the occasional pyrotechnics.
Trending on Billboard
Following her energetic and visually stunning set, the regional Mexican music icon was awarded with the Premio La Trayectoria (Lifetime Achievement Award) by another legend in the genre, Pepe Aguilar, for her extraordinary trajectory and legacy.
Upon handing her the award, Aguilar said: “Ana, for three decades, you have carried high the traditions of our flag. Your voice became anthems and I am honored to say that you are part of my family…. For me it is an honor to present you with the award.”
Teary-eyed as the crowd chanted her name, Bárbara replied: “You left me speechless, a brother of life, thank you my Pepe. They are just as dear your family to me. In this blessed thank you for having us.”
She continued: “I remember the little girl fighting for her dreams until she became a woman, but above all a mother, the mother who has fought unreachably. Beautiful children for society, and that mother’s heart is the one who receives this blessed award of Premio Lo Nuestro. Thanks to the team, to my husband, to my Gero representing. Thank you for being here, this is for Mexican women, for Mexican music and Mexican women, may they continue to be bigger and stronger!
On Wednesday, Ana Bárbara shared insights with Billboard during rehearsals into her meticulous preparation for the anticipated performance. “We sat down as a team and asked ourselves what we wanted to share in terms of emotions, in terms of rhythm and songs,” she noted. “After thinking about it a lot, they chose one from each era that was written by different composers […] and came up with that cocktail of songs that will take us to different dimensions.”
Celebrating three decades of unparalleled influence in regional Mexican music and Latin pop, Bárbara’s journey is marked by hits a ton of hits that have earned her the title of La Reina Grupera (or the Queen of Grupero Music). Throughout her prolific career, that dates back since the mid ’90s, the San Luis Potosí native has not only captured hearts but also shaped the regional style, earning her a special place in Latin music history.
¡Azúcar! The eternal voice of Celia Cruz sounds more modern than ever in a new “collaboration” with Gente de Zona, and no, it wasn’t done with artificial intelligence. “Celia,” which the Cuban duo premiered on Thursday (Feb. 22) live at the 2024 Premio Lo Nuestro ceremony, uses original recordings from the Queen of Salsa to create an infectious medley with two of her songs: “Ella Tiene Fuego” and “La Negra Tiene Tumbao.”
“That woman seems from another planet/ The way she moves is not natural/ Men can’t stand her resistance/ and one after another they come and go,” begins Alexander Delgado, the deeper voice of Gente de Zona, before giving way to the Cuban music legend. “She has spent the night testings and testing/ And now none of them want to dance, dance,” Cruz sings with such a contemporary sound, it feels like she was right there with them in the studio.
Trending on Billboard
“This was something we had in mind for a long time,” Delgado told Billboard Español prior to the premiere. “When we arrived in this country it was a dream we had, but unfortunately she was no longer alive,” added Randy Malcom, the other half of the six-time Latin Grammy-winning duo, explaining that after a decade in the U.S., their priority was to make that dream come true for their upcoming album, DEMASIADO, which they plan to release between March and April.
Released under Magnus Music, “Celia” was produced by Angel “Pututi” Arce, Dale Pututi, and Malcom, and recorded in the latter’s studio about seven months ago. The project, which includes a new additional verse in “Ella Tiene Fuego,” had the full support and approval of Cruz’s estate executor, Omer Pardillo Cid, who helped them get the masters from Sony Music.
“When I heard the original voices, without any processing, I said, ‘That’s why she’s the queen’. It was something perfect, it was incredible to feel how she sang, her breathing,” recalled Malcom with excitement. “Once we started mixing our voices with hers, it was something magical. It was something we dreamt of so much that we really enjoyed it.”
The release of “Celia” coincides with a series of milestones. Not only does it come months after the 20th anniversary of Cruz’s 2003 death, but also a year ahead of both the 25th anniversary of Gente de Zona’s debut and what would have been Cruz’s 100th birthday.
“I am a believer that things happen, that God’s timing is perfect. I think this was the moment for this song, and we are super excited about it,” said Delgado. “What impresses me most about the song is that you see Celia today, you see Celia 2024 — and it really excites us, it’s a very beautiful thing.”
In a statement, Pardillo Cid said that “Celia would be very happy to know that, even two decades after her physical departure, her cheerful and contagious spirit, in addition to her musical excellence continues to inspire young artists like Gente de Zona.”
On Thursday, at the Premio Lo Nuestro award ceremony, the duo known for No. 1 Billboard hits like “Bailando” with Enrique Iglesias and Descemer Bueno and “La gozadera” with Marc Anthony premiered “Celia” in a joyful musical number that included a colorful party, fireworks and dancers in retro outfits inspired by Havana — while images of the iconic Salsa Queen adorned huge screens during the interventions with her voice.
“I want to be remembered as a very joyful, kind of like a jokester, happy person,” Cruz was seen saying with a smile in a video at the beginning of the performance. “A woman who enjoyed her life and what she did with it. A good friend, a good sister, a good wife. And all of it with lots of ¡azúcar!” she finished with her signature shout, which in English means “sugar.”
The same clip opens the music video for “Celia,” directed by Pedro Vásquez and which will debut Friday. It similarly showcases the duo singing amidst dancers against a colorful backdrop — with lots of fire and vintage elements like “almendrones,” as the classic old cars in Cuba are known, and Cruz projected on large screens.
In the meantime, you can stream “Celia” here:
Gente de Zona & Celia Cruz
Courtesy Photo
Gospel legend Dorinda Clark-Cole of The Clark Sisters will receive the Trailblazer of Gospel Award at the 2024 BMI Trailblazers of Gospel Music Awards. The awards will be held at Flourish Atlanta on Thursday, March 28.
Jonathan McReynolds will receive the BMI Champion Award for his artistry and impact on gospel music, marking the first time this accolade has been presented at this ceremony.
The private event will be hosted by BMI president and CEO Mike O’Neill, and Catherine Brewton, BMI vice president, creative, Atlanta. Throughout the ceremony, BMI will recognize the songwriters, producers and music publishers of the past year’s 25 most-performed gospel songs in the U.S.
Trending on Billboard
“The Clark Sisters are among the legends of gospel, and Dorinda’s distinctive jazzy sound lends a unique brilliance to the group,” Brewton said in a statement. “I’m so proud to be honoring her work and highlighting the impact she’s made on the genre and community through her music and evangelism. We’re also paying tribute to one of the most incredible voices in gospel, Jonathan McReynolds, whose music is often referred to as ‘life’ songs, speaking to the hearts of all.”
Clark-Cole and McReynolds are both Grammy winners. With The Clark Sisters, Clark-Cole won two Grammys in 2008 – best traditional gospel album for Live – One Last Time and best gospel performance for “Blessed and Highly Favored.” Earlier this month, The Clark Sisters received a lifetime achievement award from the Recording Academy. McReynolds won a Grammy for best gospel performance/song three years ago for “Movin’ On.”
Clark-Cole, known as the “Rose of Gospel Music,” is a singer-songwriter, talk-show host and evangelist. Born and raised in Detroit, Clark–Cole is the daughter of pioneering choral director Mattie Moss Clark. In addition to her two Grammys, Clark-Cole has won two GMA Dove Awards, three BMI Awards, 13 Stellar Gospel Music Awards and a Lady of Soul Award. The sisters’ lifetime achievement award from the Recording Academy followed a James Cleveland Lifetime Achievement Award at the Stellar Awards in 2020. That same year, The Clark Sisters: The First Ladies of Gospel biopic, produced by Mary J. Blige, Missy Elliott and Queen Latifah, premiered on Lifetime to millions of viewers.
In addition to his Grammy, McReynolds has received four BMI Awards and was named BMI’s Gospel Songwriter of the Year in 2023. He has also been honored at the Stellar Awards and the GMA Dove Awards. He has had seven top five albums on Billboard’s Top Gospel Albums chart, including two that reached No. 1: Life Music: Stage Two (2015) and Make Room (2018). He has also had 10 top 10 hits on Hot Gospel Songs, including “Movin’ On” (a collaboration with Mali Music) and “Not Lucky, I’m Loved.”