Awards
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The inaugural People’s Choice Country Awards have arrived! Lainey Wilson, HARDY, Kelsea Ballerini, Lady A, Brothers Osborne and more country stars hit the red carpet outside Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry House. Little Big Town were also in the house, as the night’s first performers and hosts. Ahead of the show, LBT’s Phillip Sweet told Billboard […]
Bad Bunny is ready to sing a new song live on Oct. 5 for the first time, when he takes the stage at the 2023 Billboard Latin Music Awards.
Billboard and Telemundo announced Thursday (Sept. 28) that the Puerto Rican superstar will be part of the ceremony at the Watsco Center in Coral Gables, Florida. The show will be broadcast live on Telemundo and simultaneously on the Spanish entertainment cable network Universo, on Peacock and on the Telemundo app. Throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, it will be available on Telemundo Internacional.
They didn’t specify what song Bad Bunny will be performing, but it says in a press release that the hitmaker “will set the stage on fire at the 2023 Billboard Latin Music Awards with a worldwide premiere.” His most recent release is the reggaetón banger “Un Preview,” which just came out Monday.
The singer of “Tití Me Preguntó” and “Me Porto Bonito,” a 15-time finalist at this year’s Latin Billboards, joins a stellar list of artists confirmed to sing at the gala, including Calibre 50, Chiquis, Eddy Lover, El Alfa, Eladio Carrión, Farruko, Grupo Frontera, Justin Quiles, La Factoría, Los Ángeles Azules, Manuel Turizo, Marc Anthony, Marshmello, Olga Tañón, Los Sebastianes, Myke Towers, Nicki Nicole, Pepe Aguilar, Peso Pluma, Sky Rompiendo, Sofía Reyes, Tini, Ximena Sariñana, Yandel and Yng Lvcas.
Mexican music sensation Peso Pluma leads the list of finalists with 21 nods across 15 categories, including Artist of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, Global 200 Latin Artist of the Year and Top Latin Album of the Year. His collaboration with Eslabon Armado, “Ella Baila Sola,” is up for six awards, including Hot Latin Song of the Year, Global 200 Latin Song of the Year and Sales Song of the Year. And his hit with Yng Lvcas, “La Bebe,” competes in five categories, including Hot Latin Song of the Year and Latin Rhythm Song of the Year.
Following Peso Pluma are Bad Bunny and Grupo Frontera with 15 nods each, including four together for their collab “un X100to,” while Karol G has 13, and Shakira and Fuerza Regida have 12 each. See the complete list of finalists here.
Among the special honorees, Los Ángeles Azules will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Latin Billboard Music Awards 2023, while Ivy Queen will be recognized with the Icon Award. Colombian superstar Karol G will be honored with the Spirit of Hope Award in recognition of her commitment to civic, community and humanitarian causes through her Con Cora Foundation.
As has been the case for more than 20 years, the Billboard Latin Music Awards coincide with Billboard’s annual Latin Music Week, the single largest and most important gathering of the Latin music industry, taking place Oct. 2-6. The event will feature panels, conversations and workshops at the Faena Forum and exclusive performances and fan experiences throughout the week in Miami. Shakira, Myke Towers, Vico C, Grupo Frontera, Peso Pluma, Nicki Nicole, RBD and many more are confirmed to participate.
Purchase tickets to the 2023 Billboard Latin Music Week here.
For the first time ever, viewers will be able to watch a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony live without being there in the flesh. On Thursday (Sept. 28) morning, the Rock Hall announced that the 2023 ceremony will be streaming live on Disney+ at 8 p.m. ET when it takes over Brooklyn’s Barclays Center on Nov. 3. In past years, an edited version of each Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony aired on HBO several weeks following the in-person event; now, that edited broadcast of highlights will air on ABC come Jan. 1, 2024, from 8-11 p.m. ET.
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That news also came with the first announcement of who we can expect to take the stage at the Class of 2023 induction. Of the new inductees, Sheryl Crow, Missy Elliott, Chaka Khan and Willie Nelson have been revealed as performers at the Nov. 3 event. Additionally, special guests Brandi Carlile, Dave Matthews, H.E.R., Chris Stapleton, St. Vincent and New Edition will also take the stage.
The Class of 2023 also includes Kate Bush, the late George Michael, Rage Against the Machine and The Spinners in the performers category. Additionally, DJ Kool Herc, Link Wray, Al Kooper, Bernie Taupin and Don Cornelius will be inducted.
“This historic live stream on Disney+ and special on ABC is a testament to the diverse sounds and enduring power of rock and roll,” said John Sykes, chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, in a press release. “Over the last three decades, the annual live Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction has become music’s highest honor, celebrating the artists who’ve defined generations and changed music forever.”
This year will mark the first induction ceremony since Rock Hall co-founder Jann Wenner was removed from the foundation’s board of directors by a near-unanimous vote. The Rolling Stone founder was widely lambasted following an interview with The New York Times about his book The Masters, which didn’t include interviews with women or Black artists. When pressed on this by the Times, he replied that women were not “as articulate enough on this intellectual level” about rock music and added that Black artists “just didn’t articulate at that level.” Since then, Wenner apologized in a statement, saying, “In my interview with The New York Times, I made comments that diminished the contributions, genius, and impact of Black and women artists and I apologize wholeheartedly for those remarks.”
Singers Vanessa Amorosi, Toni Watson, and Kate Ceberano were in the winner’s circle Wednesday night (Sept. 27) at the 2023 Australian Women In Music Awards (AWMA), held in Brisbane.
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Amorosi, who has lived in Los Angeles for the past 13 years, returned to home soil for this year’s event, at which she performed a new work from her forthcoming eighth album, Memphis Love, slated for release Nov. 17, and collected the inspiration award.
Meanwhile, Watson, the one-time busker who led the charts in 30 countries with “Dance Monkey,” recognized as one of the five most-streamed songs on Spotify (with 2.9 billion plays), scored the songwriter award. Watson solely wrote “Dance Monkey,” and is currently abroad working on her sophomore album, expected to drop in 2024.
“I genuinely think Australia has some of the best songwriters in the world,” she said via a pre-taped acceptance speech. “We write some of the best music with integrity and a lot of heart. I say that wherever I go.” There are “more women coming out and expressing themselves, we’ve got so many amazing artists coming up, so many exciting female coming out of the Australia music industry. It’s truly an honor to be someone helping pave the way.”
Established in 2018, AWMA shines a light on accomplishments of women across all areas of Australia’s music industry.
Other winners at The Tivoli included Vika & Linda (artistic excellence), Ashli (emerging artist), and soul singer Renee Geyer was posthumously inducted into the AWMA Honour Roll, alongside Judy Stone.
In a first, all three nominees for the lifetime achievement award went home with the prize, presented to a female artist or musician who has made an outstanding artistic contribution to the field of recording and/or live performance during her lifetime. Ceberano, Clare Moore and Jeannie Lewis jointly accepted the honor.
“I’ve been up for many awards in my life, and I’ve never really gotten any of them. I couldn’t be more proud,” remarked Ceberano, a legend in these parts who has been at the top of the game since the 1980s, initially as a singer with The Models and I’m Talking, before embarking on a successful solo career.
The triumvirate on stage, she quipped, were the “last of the Mohicans,” and “of a generation, it seems, that came through before social media and we weren’t being watched while we were doing what we were doing. And we still did it.”
During proceedings, Tony Burke MP, minister for the arts, made a pledge to support the AWMA’s cause. “I’ve never understood why so much in the system has made it so hard,” he explained in a pre-recorded bit. “I want to make sure that your careers are just as easy to prosper as it is for men in the industry. I don’t know why its harder to get radio play, why its hard to get festival lineups, I don’t know why its been harder for fundamentals, like just having a safe workplace. But I want you to know you have a government determined to fix this,” he said, pointing to the creation of Creative Australia, formed through the National Cultural Policy.
Organizers handed out 23 AWMAS to some of the industry’s “most accomplished and emerging female artists, musicians and music practitioners,” with winners decided by a 37-member music industry panel.
The AWMA caps a two-day conference and live music program, and is supported by the Queensland government.
“AWMA is calling on the industry to adopt gender equality as a core music industry value as a matter of priority, significant policy change needs to occur at both state and federal level to ensure women form an equitable part of the industry,” comments AWMA executive producer and program director Vicki Gordon. “Gender bias can only be addressed by prioritizing inclusivity and representation as core music values.”
Performers included Dami Im, Vika & Linda, Hot Brown Honey, and an all-star rendition of AC/DC’s “It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘N’ Roll),” featuring Amorosi and the Bull sisters on lead vocals, and Sarah McLeod on lead guitar.
Check out all the AWMAs winners.
2023 Australian Women in Music Awards winners:
Studio ProductionRobyn Lee Payne
Artistic ExcellenceVika & Linda
Diversity in MusicCerisa Benjamin
Music JournalistJane Gazzo
Excellence in Classical MusicCelia Craig
Emerging ArtistAshli
Creative LeadershipClaire Edwardes
Inaugural ARIA Executive Leader Game ChangerEmily Collins
Inaugural Women in Heavy MusicEmmy Mack
Lifetime AchievementKate CeberanoClare MooreJeannie Lewis
Tina Arena Special ImpactOana Gilbert (posthumous)
Honour RollJudy StoneRenée Geyer (posthumous)
Music LeadershipMarianna Annas
FilmmakerTriana Hernandez
Live Production TouringJenny Moon
Live Creative ProductionNaomi Price
Music PhotographerMia Mala McDonald
HumanitarianAlison Hams
SongwriterToni Watson (Tones & I)
Inspiration AwardVanessa Amorosi
Hitmaking vocal group Little Big Town will host the inaugural, fan-voted People’s Choice Country Awards when it premieres on tomorrow (Sept. 28) on NBC and Peacock from Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry House.
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“It’s going to feel like a really good party, but also a feeling of coming back home — connecting with the past and the present and all those things I think we are kind of missing and needing right now,” LBT member Phillip Sweet tells Billboard via Zoom.
“We are lucky enough to be Grand Ole Opry members, so we will be the gatekeepers of the Grand Ole Opry stage that night,” LBT member Kimberly Schlapman adds of the group’s 2014 induction into Grand Ole Opry membership. While this will mark the first People’s Choice Country Awards to be held on the Grand Ole Opry House stage, the Opry House has a venerable history of awards shows, previously serving as the home to the CMA Awards ceremony from 1974 (when Johnny Cash served as host of the show) through 2004.
Though the People’s Choice Awards began in 1975, and has regularly honored country artists in its all-genre ceremony, this marks the first time they have launched a specifically country music-centered awards show.
Little Big Town will guide a show whose slate of nominees includes Morgan Wallen (11 nominations), Luke Combs and HARDY (nine nominations each), Jelly Roll (eight nominations), Lainey Wilson (seven nominations), Zach Bryan and Kane Brown (six nominations each) and Megan Moroney (five nominations).
Blake Shelton, Kane Brown, Toby Keith, HARDY, Jelly Roll, Dan+Shay, Kelsea Ballerini, Carly Pearce and Little Big Town are among the evening’s performers. Shelton will honor Toby Keith with the Country Music Icon award, while Wynonna Judd will be honored with the Country Champion award, saluting her longtime commitment to social causes and philanthropy.
Little Big Town’s breakthrough 2005 single “Boondocks” first demonstrated the quartet’s show-stopping vocal power, as well as its enviable artistic range. Together, Little Big Town’s Karen Fairchild, Schlapman, Sweet and Jimi Westbrook are capable of delivering Fleetwood Mac-inspired rock harmonies, light-hearted pop-country fare and sultry ballads such as “Girl Crush.” They’ve earned three Grammys and have been named the CMA Awards’ vocal group of the year six times. They also won a People’s Choice Award trophy for favorite country group in 2017.
The People’s Country Choice Awards’ inaugural moment comes as country music has experienced an elite year on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100, with artists like Morgan Wallen, Luke Combs, Jason Aldean and Zach Bryan surging to the upper echelons of the chart.
“It’s a unique situation, the fact that we’re the ones that connect the dots with fans and bring all this history together with the modern age of where country music is at the top of the charts right now,” Sweet says. “To see the unbelievable level of superstars we have in our genre that are just ruling all of music and it’s a special night, we jumped at the opportunity to be a part of it. We love hosting. We always have so much fun.”
“You look at a song like ‘Fast Car’ that Tracy Chapman wrote,” Fairchild says. “I love the original and I love Luke [Combs]’s version, and seeing such a lyrically substantive song. I love that Luke didn’t change any of the lyrics, and I think it was something his father had played for him growing up. So to watch that be at the top of the Billboard charts along with a lot of other country people right now is pretty epic.
“I also think it speaks to how people listen to music today,” Fairchild continues. “They’ll go to a Lil Baby show or a SZA show, then see Morgan Wallen, or Kane Brown, or Kelsea Ballerini. It’s the way people are streaming, listening and spending their money on shows.”
Given the precedent in country music of longtime hosting gigs held by artists including Vince Gill (who hosted the CMA Awards from 1992 to 2003), Reba McEntire (who hosted the ACM Awards 16 times), and the duo of Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley (who co-hosted the CMA Awards for 11 years), Little Big Town’s members say they would be open to a similar long-running gig — and they’ve appreciated the work done by their fellow artists who have held hosting roles.
“The longest stretch we hosted was probably a four- or five year-run of CMA Fest. It’s fun to get into a rhythm with writers and a network that wants to do fun things,” Fairchild says. “Luke [Bryan], Dolly, Reba, they’ve all been great hosts; it’s a lot to live up to.”
“I think Vince [Gill] was incredible. He had such a relaxed feeling at the CMAs for so many years,” Fairchild says. “And I thought Brad and Carrie were always so funny with their delivery as hosts.”Westbrook notes that as much fun as fans are having in the main Opry House, artists just might be having even more fun backstage: “It’s always so special seeing everyone and that’s where we have the most fun, great memories.”
Among the artists the group is looking forward to reconnecting with is Blake Shelton. “We haven’t seen him in a long time. And Wy [Wynonna],” Schlapman says.
“And Kelsea [Ballerini]’s performances lately have just been blowing my mind. It’s always exciting to see what she will come up with. And I kind of already know what she’s going to do,” Fairchild adds with a coy smile.
Sweet is excited to see Jelly Roll: “He’s such a sweet guy and I met him a few months back, and he’s having such a huge moment,” he says.
Following its hosting duties, coming up for Little Big Town is collaboration with “My Boy” hitmaker Elvie Shane, although they were scant on details. “We cut an incredible song, and hopefully fans will get to hear that soon,” Fairchild says.
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It’s almost time to lasso yourself onto your couch and tune into the very first People’s Choice Country Awards 2023. The inaugural event is set to occur on Thursday (Sept. 28) with a slew of performances by some of country music’s biggest names including Blake Shelton, Jelly Roll, Dan + Shay and more.
The show will be aired on NBC and Peacock at 8 p.m. ET, which you means you have a few streaming options to choose from to tune into. Our suggestion? Peacock gives you instant access to NBC’s library of programming along with a slew of exclusive offerings such as live sports.
For two hours, country stars will gather together with Little Big Town as the host for the night.
Keep reading to learn how to watch the award show as well as what to expect when the big night arrives.
How to Watch the People’s Choice Country Awards 2023
The inaugural event will air on NBC and Peacock at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday (Sept. 28). Cable users can tune in wherever NBC airs — just check with your cable provider to see what channel it’s on.
If you don’t have cable, Peacock is livestreaming the event, and subscribers can watch it by logging into their account for no additional cost.
Don’t have a subscription? Peacock offers a couple plans at an affordable cost starting with the Peacock Premium plan for $5.99/month, which includes some ads, access to the full Peacock library including NBC and Bravo shows, movies and originals. Live sports and events are also included as well as over 50 channels. The Premium Plus plan is $11.99/month and includes everything in the Premium plan with no ads, local 24/7 NBC channels and the ability to download content to watch offline.
Peacock $5.99/month
Besides the award show, you’ll have access to Peacock Originals in addition to sports, NBC and Bravo shows such as Based on a True Story, Bupkis, Mrs. Davis, Poker Face, Bel-Air, Poker Face, Yellowstone, The Real Housewives: Ultimate Girls Trip, Vanderpump Rules, Queens Court, The Traitors, The Best Man: The Final Chapters, Sick and more.
Looking for more ways to save? Live channel streamers may have access to promos and free trials that’ll save you money and give you access to the award show. Philo, Hulu + Live TV and Sling TV all have the NBC channel along with hundreds of other live TV offerings.
Artists Performing at the People’s Choice Country Awards
Pop some popcorn and get pumped for performances by Shelton, Carly Pearce, Dan + Shay, HARDY, Jelly Roll, Kane Brown, Kelsea Ballerini, Little Big Town, Toby Keith and Wynonna Judd.
Judd is also set to be honored with the Country Champion Award for her decades-long music career and work in the community with organizations such as the Wounded Warrior Project and Habitat for Humanity.
Among other special honorees, Keith will be presented with the Country Icon Award followed by a speech from Shelton.
The pieces are falling into place for the inaugural People’s Choice Country Awards, which will air Thursday, Sept. 28, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC and Peacock.
Little Big Town will host the show, which will be held at the fabled Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville. Brothers Osborne will present the Country Champion award to Wynonna Judd. Blake Shelton will present the Country Icon award to Toby Keith.
Little Big Town, Wynonna, Keith and Shelton are all set to perform on the show, as are Carly Pearce, Dan + Shay, HARDY, Jelly Roll, Kane Brown and Kelsea Ballerini.
Additional presenters who will take the stage to reveal winners of the fan-voted awards include Dustin Lynch, Hunter Hayes, Jessie James Decker, Kristin Cavallari, Lady A and Mickey Guyton.
The PCCAs will be held just four days before voting opens for the 2023 Country Music Association Awards, where several of these performers are nominees. Jelly Roll has five CMA nominations; HARDY has four. Pearce and Ballerini are competing for female vocalist of the year at the CMAs. Dan + Shay is up for vocal duo of the year. Little Big Town is up for vocal group of the year. Brown is vying for musical event of the year, where he is competing with three other PCCA performers – Jelly Roll, HARDY and Pearce. Can a strong performance on one awards show boost your chances of winning on another show? Let’s just say it can’t hurt. It seems likely that a large swath of the country music community will either attend or watch the show.
Voting for the CMA Awards extends from Monday, Oct. 2, through Friday, Oct. 27
Voting for the PCCAs is now closed. Morgan Wallen is the leading nominee with 11 nods, followed by Luke Combs and HARDY, with nine each.
The People’s Choice Country Awards is produced by Den of Thieves. Jesse Ignjatovic, Evan Prager and Barb Bialkowski will executive produce, along with RAC Clark as executive producer and showrunner.
Backstage Live: People’s Choice Country Awards, a livestream featuring red-carpet arrivals, backstage chats and other behind-the-scenes coverage, will air on Peacock, PCA Twitter, NBC Twitter/Facebook/YouTube, TODAY All Day/Twitter, E! News Twitter/Facebook/YouTube/E! Online, Access Twitter/YouTube, and Circle social platforms.
These projects are touted as an example of collaboration resulting from NBCUniversal’s equity investment in Opry Entertainment Group alongside Atairos, which was finalized last year.
Here are all the performers and presenters for the inaugural People’s Choice Country Awards.
Performers
Blake Shelton
Carly Pearce
Dan + Shay
HARDY
Jelly Roll
Kane Brown
Kelsea Ballerini
Little Big Town
Toby Keith
Wynonna
Presenters
Adam Doleac
Blake Shelton
Brothers Osborne
Carly Pearce
Chris Young
Dustin Lynch
Gabby Barrett
Hunter Hayes
Jessie James Decker
Josh Ross
Kameron Marlowe
Kristin Cavallari
Lady A
Lauren Alaina
Leanne Morgan
Mickey Guyton
Nikki Garcia
Scotty McCreery
The War and Treaty
The motto of the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) is “It All Begins With a Song.” But on Tuesday evening (Sept. 26), Tim McGraw told the audience of music industry denizens and country music fans gathered at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville that he wanted to briefly amend that statement.
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“It all begins with the songwriter,” McGraw said.
Since 1967, NSAI has worked in service of songwriters at all stages of their careers and across various musical genres, working to advocate for songwriters’ rights. It was those songcrafters — and those who support songwriters — who were honored on Tuesday evening, during the sixth annual Nashville Songwriter Awards.
Chief among them was songwriter-producer (and 2011 Country Music Hall of Fame inductee) Bobby Braddock, who was saluted with the Kris Kristofferson Lifetime Achievement Award. Braddock, of course, is a co-writer on George Jones’ signature hit, the ballad often lauded as the best country song ever made: “He Stopped Loving Her Today.” (“Stopped” was powerful enough to win the CMA Award for song of the year honor twice, in 1980 and 1981.) Braddock got his start performing as part of Marty Robbins’ road band, and earned his first hit as a songwriter with Robbins’ 1965 hit “While You’re Dancing.” Demonstrating the breadth of his influence, Braddock has earned chart-toppers in five different decades.
Braddock’s considerable gifts to country music also include Tammy Wynette’s “D-I-V-O-R-C-E” and the Wynette-Jones duets “Golden Ring” and “(We’re Not) The Jet Set,” all of which were performed Tuesday evening by Jimmy Yeary (wearing a shirt Jones had owned) and Sonya Isaacs in honor of Braddock. Other songs in his sterling catalog include T.G. Sheppard’s “I Feel Like Loving You Again,” John Anderson’s “Would You Catch a Falling Star,” Bill Anderson’s “Peanuts and Diamonds,” Lacy J. Dalton’s “Hard Times” and Billy Currington’s “People are Crazy.”
Or, as Garth Brooks put it more succinctly while honoring Braddock on the Ryman stage, “Bobby Braddock is country music.”
Blake Shelton honored Braddock by performing “He Stopped Loving Her Today,” but also offered his gratitude to Braddock for being a champion for Shelton’s own career. “Bobby Braddock is the guy that found me when I was just a kid here in Nashville trying to make it,” Shelton told the audience. “He took me under his wing, literally took me around Music Row, got me a record deal, produced my first three albums. He’s literally the reason that I am standing here tonight.”
Tracy Lawrence performed his Braddock-penned 1996 hit “Time Marches On,” while Toby Keith offered a mighty-voiced rendition of his 2001 hit “I Wanna Talk About Me,” which Braddock also wrote. “This lyric to me is an epitome of country music; it’s a work of art,” Lawrence said of “Time Marches On.”
“I love country music and I feel fortunate to play a small part in country music,” Braddock said from the podium, as Lawrence, Shelton and Brooks watched. “Long live country music, God bless country music and thank you for this.”
Later in the evening, songwriter exemplar Ashley Gorley earned his seventh songwriter of the year honor, and was feted by Cole Swindell, performing his ACM single and song of the year award-winning hit, “She Had Me at Heads Carolina.” Meanwhile, Russell Dickerson performed “God Gave Me a Girl.”
Morgan Wallen was honored with the songwriter-artist of the year award, for songs including “You Proof” and “Thought You Should Know.” Though Wallen was not in attendance, one of his “Thought You Should Know” co-writers, ACM Awards triple crown winner Miranda Lambert, sent in a video discussing the day Lambert and Nicolle Galyon wrote “Thought You Should Know” with Wallen. “Morgan wanted to write a song about his mama, and he had the two perfect girls in the room that day. There was magic in the air,” Lambert said.
Two of country songwriters’ biggest supporters — the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA) chairman/CEO David Israelite and country star Tim McGraw — were also celebrated. McGraw was honored with the NSAI President’s Keystone Award.
McGraw has earned 29 No. 1 Billboard Country Airplay hits. NSAI president Steve Bogard called him “a touchstone of modern country music,” while Lori McKenna performed a tender rendition of the hit that became one of McGraw’s signature hits, “Humble and Kind,” which also earned McKenna a Grammy for best country song, and earned CMA song of the year honors. Brett Young celebrated Israelite with a rendition of the Leonard Cohen classic, “Hallelujah.”
“Thank you for trusting me with your songs and thank you for this wonderful award. It means so much to me,” McGraw said.
Israelite was honored with the NSAI Advocacy Award, honoring his work in fighting for the songwriters’ and publishers’ rights to fair compensation for their art, including his important work toward passing the Music Modernization Act in 2018. He noted the shared goals and progress of NMPA and NSAI, and the work still to do in the era of A.I. He noted a key line in Jordan Davis’s song “Buy Dirt”: “Do what you love and call it work.”
“A brilliant line,” Israelite said. “I have yet to meet a songwriter who doesn’t live their life doing that–doing what they love and calling it work, and I am so fortunate to say the same.”
The night’s biggest song honor, song of the year, went to Lainey Wilson’s “Heart Like a Truck,” written by Wilson, Dallas Wilson and Trannie Anderson. “Heart Like a Truck” is also currently nominated for both single and song of the year at the forthcoming CMA Awards.
Anderson recalled writing her first songs at age seven, and playing in bands since before she was old enough to drive. “The stars that had to align for something like this to happen is a miracle,” she said, adding, “I will forever be grateful.”
Dallas Wilson is the son of musician and songwriter Lonnie Wilson, known for writing songs including Luke Bryan’s “All My Friends Say” and Rascal Flatts’ “Love You Out Loud.” Dallas honored his father, saying, “I’ve always wanted to be just like you.” He said that it was an incredible to be recognized with the song of the year award, but even more so to be celebrated “with friends you have been writing with for years.” Dallas also noted that Lainey could not be in attendance to accept the song of the year honor, because she was playing a sold-out show at Red Rocks.
It was perhaps McGraw who summed up the evening’s aim best, when he charged songwriters to “keep changing the world with your words and melodies.”
Woven throughout the evening, 22 songwriters were saluted with the coveted “10 Songs I Wish I’d Written” accolade, voted on by NSAI songwriter members to honor the work of their songwriting peers, and acknowledge songs featuring Nashville writers across the spectrum of country, Christian, mainstream Top 40, rock and other genres. Megan Moroney offered up a rendition of her own current CMA song of the year-nominated “Tennessee Orange.” Meanwhile, Renee Blair joined HARDY to perform his Lainey Wilson collaboration “Wait in the Truck,” which is up for multiple awards, including single and song of the year, at the CMAs. Others who took the stage to perform some of the night’s honored songs were Nicolle Galyon, ERNEST, Tony Lane and Emily Shackelton.
Here is the full list of “10 Songs I Wish I’d Written” honorees:
“Anti-Hero”Written by: Jack Antonoff, Taylor Swift (recorded by: Taylor Swift)
“Flower Shops”Written by: Ben Burgess, Mark Holman, Ernest Keith Smith(recorded by: ERNEST feat. Morgan Wallen)
“Give Heaven Some Hell”Written by: Ashley Gorley, Michael Hardy, Ben Johnson, Hunter Phelps (recorded by: HARDY)
“Heart Like a Truck” Written by: Lainey Wilson, Trannie Anderson, Dallas Wilson (recorded by: Lainey Wilson)
“Human”Written by: Tony Lane, Travis Meadows (recorded by: Cody Johnson)
“Tennessee Orange”Written by: David Fanning, Megan Moroney, Paul Jenkins, Ben Williams(recorded by: Megan Moroney)
“Thought You Should Know”Written by: Nicolle Galyon, Miranda Lambert, Morgan Wallen (recorded by: Morgan Wallen)
“wait in the truck”Written by: Renee Blair, Michael Hardy, Hunter Phelps, Jordan Schmidt(recorded by: HARDY feat. Lainey Wilson)
“What He Didn’t Do”Written by: Ashley Gorley, Carly Pearce, Emily Shackelton (recorded by: Carly Pearce)
“You Proof”Written by: Ashley Gorley, Charlie Handsome, Ernest Keith Smith, Morgan Wallen(recorded by: Morgan Wallen)
The 2024 Brit Awards – officially known as the BRIT Awards 2024 with Mastercard – will be held at the O2 Arena in London on Saturday, March 2. That’s three weeks later than the 2023 show, which was held on Feb. 11.
This will be the second year in a row that the show has been held on a Saturday. The 2023 show moved to the weekend for the first time in Brits history. The show will air in primetime on ITV1 and ITVX.
The 2023 ceremony, hosted by comedian Mo Gilligan for the second year in a row, saw Harry Styles sweep the board, winning in all four categories in which he was nominated: British album of the year, British artist of the year, song of the year (“As It Was”) and best pop/R&B act. Harry’s House won British album of the year six days after it won the Grammy for album of the year. It was the first album to win the top album award at both shows since Adele’s 25 in 2016; the first by a male artist since Phil Collins’ No Jacket Required in 1986.
Wet Leg and Beyoncé were double winners on the night. The show featured performances from the likes of Styles, Wet Leg, Sam Smith & Kim Petras, Stormzy and Cat Burns.
Viewing figures for the ITV1 broadcast peaked at just under 4 million on the night — the highest figure in three years — with a 54% share of 16- to 34-year-olds, the highest in a decade. The individual audience share, at 25.7%, was the highest in more than five years.
Damian Christian, managing director and president of promotions at Atlantic Records (part of Warner Music UK), will continue as chair of the Brit Committee for 2024.
“The move to a Saturday night for the first time proved to be a huge success, so I’m delighted we’ll be back in a primetime slot again in March,” Christian said in a statement. “A Saturday night show helped us lock in our most engaged audience ever, and we’ll be looking to build on that base as we connect with even more fans in 2024.”
Sally Wood will stay on as executive producer of the show for Brits TV. Maggie Crowe, BPI’s director of events & charities, will oversee the overall running of the event. Misty Buckley will return to design the set.
Mastercard returns as headline partner of The Brit Awards for the 26th year. The Brits signed three-year renewal deals with Mastercard, ITV (official broadcaster which celebrated 30 years of broadcasting The Brits in 2023), and The O2 arena.
Wet Leg and RAYE & 070 Shake were among the winners at the 2023 AIM Independent Music Awards, which were presented on Tuesday (Sept. 26) by the Association of Independent Music (AIM) at London’s Roundhouse.
Wet Leg won the PPL award for most played new independent artist. The duo also won Grammys on Feb. 5 for best alternative music album for their eponymous debut album and best alternative music performance for “Chaise Longue.” They were also nominated for best new artist.
RAYE and 070 Shake won the AIM Award for best independent track for their global hit “Escapism.” The song reached No. 22 on the Billboard Hot 100 in January.
Shygirl won UK independent breakthrough following a widely praised debut, Nymph, and a series of sold-out shows.
In her first in-person appearance at an awards show since the 2012 Webbys, Björk collected AIM’s publicly-voted award for best live performer, beating Beabadoobee, MUNA and Japan’s kawaii-metal girl band BABYMETAL. Björk has put 14 albums on the Billboard 200, including Volta, which debuted and peaked at No. 9 in 2007.
Best Creative Campaign was won by Partisan Records for Ezra Collective‘s Where I’m Meant to Be campaign, with the newly-crowned Mercury Prize winners collecting the trophy in person.
Avelino, winner of best independent album, joined a celebration marking 50 years of hip-hop.
As previously announced, Dr. Charisse Beaumont, CEO of Black Lives in Music (BLiM), was named Diversity Champion in recognition of her groundbreaking work in creating an inclusive music industry, such as the rollout of BLiM’s voluntary Music Industry Anti-Racism Code.
The AIM Independent Music Awards recognize the achievements of independent labels, artists and entrepreneurs that make up the U.K.’s independent music sector.
Here’s a complete list of nominees for the 2023 AIM Awards, with winners marked.
PPL Award for Most Played New Independent Artist
AntsLive (Payday Records, Trademark Records)
John Summit (Off The Grid Records)
Surya Sen (Skint Records)
Vibe Chemistry (DnB Allstars Records)
WINNER: Wet Leg (Domino Records)
Music Entrepreneur of the Year
Alex Brees – Un:hurd
WINNER: Caius Pawson – Young / Space
Jess Kangalee – Good Energy PR
Keturah Cummings – Forward Slash
Yasin El Ashrafi – HQ Familia
Best Boutique Label
Chess Club
Glasgow Underground
Houndstooth
WINNER: Rough Bones
So Young Records
Best Independent Label
Defected Records
Forever Living Originals
WINNER: Hospital Records
One Little Independent
Transgressive
Best Creative Campaign
Because Music (Shygirl – “Nymph”)
Dirty Hit (Rina Sawayama – “Hold the Girl”)
Human Re Sources (RAYE – “My 21st Century Blues”)
Ninja Tune (Young Fathers – “Heavy Heavy”)
WINNER: Partisan Records (Ezra Collective – “Where I’m Meant to Be”)
XL Recordings (Yaeji – “With a Hammer”)
UK Independent Breakthrough
Ezra Collective (Partisan Records)
I.Jordan (Ninja Tune)
Overmono (XL Recordings)
WINNER: Shygirl (Because Music)
Suki Waterhouse (Sub Pop)
Best Independent Track
Connie Constance – “Hurt You” (Play It Again Sam)
ENNY – “Charge It” (FAMM)
Four Tet – “Three Drums” (Text Records)
Makaya McCraven – “Dream Another” (XL Recordings)
Overmono – “Good Lies” (XL Recordings)
WINNER: RAYE, 070 Shake – “Escapism” (Human Re Sources)
Shygirl – “Shlut” (Because Music)
Sudan Archives – “Selfish Soul” (Stones Throw Records)
Yeah Yeah Yeahs – “Spitting Off the Edge of the World” feat. Perfume Genius (Secretly Canadian)
Yves Tumor – “Echolalia” (Warp Records)
Best Independent EP/ Mixtape
Bellah – Adultsville (Base ‘N’ Rebulz X Marathon Music Group)
WINNER: ENNY – We Go Again (FAMM)
Jessica Winter – Limerance (Lucky Number)
Saint Joshua – EP2 (Ditto Music)
yunè pinku – BABYLON IX (PLATOON)
Best Independent Album
WINNER: Avelino – God Save The Streets (More Music Records/ OddChild Music)
Kelela – Raven (Warp Records)
Little Simz – No Thank You (Forever Living Originals)
Nova Twins – Supernova (Marshall Records)
Obongjayar – Some Nights I Dream of Doors (September Recordings)
Oliver Sim – Hideous Bastard (Young)
RAYE – My 21st Century Blues (Human Re Sources)
Rina Sawayama – Hold the Girl (Dirty Hit)
Shygirl – Nymph (Because Music)
Wu-Lu – LOGGERHEAD(Warp Records)
Best Independent Remix
Sega Bodega Remix (One Little Independent) – Björk – “Ovuke” (feat. Shygirl)
Soulwax Remix (Deewee / Because Music) – Charlotte Adigéry & Bolis Pupul – “Cliché”
WINNER: Nu:Tone Remix (Hospital Records) – GLXY – “Butterfly Effect” (feat. Hugh Hardie & Visionobi)
Jamie XX remix (Young) – Oliver Sim – “GMT”
Boys Noize (Secretly Canadian) – Yeah Yeah Yeahs – “Wolf”
One to Watch
Jessica Winter (Lucky Number)
Juice Menace (Supernature)
FLOWEROVLOVE (FAE GRP)
WINNER: Laughta (MDLBEAST)
Master Peace (PMR)
Best Independent Video
Ezra Collective – “No Confusion” ft. Kojey Radical (Partisan Records)
Kelela – “Enough for Love” (Warp Records)
Obongjayar – “I Wish It Was Me (Live)” (September Recordings)
RAYE, 070 Shake – “Escapism” (Human Re Sources)
WINNER: Wesley Joseph – “MONSOON” (EEVILTWINN)
Independent Champion
Jaguar Bingham
WINNER: Resident Music
Cafe OTO
Innovator Award
WINNER: Dan Carey
Best Live Performer
WINNER: Björk (One Little Independent)
Diversity Champion
WINNER: Charisse Beaumont – Black Lives in Music