Awards
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H.E.R. has joined the producing team of Here Lies Love ahead of the long-gestating musical’s Broadway debut this summer.
Here Lies Love tells the story of Imelda Marcos’ rise to power and subsequent fall at the hands of the Philippine People Power Revolution. David Byrne came up with the concept and lyrics for the show, and teamed with Fatboy Slim on the music.
H.E.R. – who was born to a Filipino-American mother and an African-American father – said in a statement, “Filipinos are a global people. We come in all colors and build bridges across cultures. I am beyond excited to produce my first Broadway musical and forge a unique and meaningful partnership with Here Lies Love.”
On learning that H.E.R. had joined the producing team, Byrne said in a statement, “Thrilled to have H.E.R. as part of the team. See you dancing at the revolution!”
Another of the show’s producers, Lea Salonga, said in a statement, “On behalf of our binational producing team, we welcome Gabi [H.E.R., who was born Gabriella Wilson] to the Here Lies Love team with open arms! I am a huge fan of her genre-defying and multifaceted artistry, and it’s empowering to welcome another Filipino artist to our ranks. Together, we are throwing the biggest party Broadway has ever seen – and everyone is invited!”
Salonga, who was born in Manila, won a Tony in 1991 for best actress in a musical for Miss Saigon. She is set to join the cast of Here Lies Love in a five-week guest engagement from July 11-Aug. 13.
The musical begins preview performances Saturday, June 17, ahead of an official opening night on Thursday, July 20.
Here Lies Love has had a long road to Broadway. The property originated 13 years ago as a studio album by Byrne and Fatboy Slim. The double-length album debuted and peaked at No. 96 on the Billboard 200 in April 2010. The theatrical show made its world premiere at The Public Theater in New York in 2013, returned to The Public in 2014-15, debuted at London’s Royal National Theatre in 2014, and opened at Seattle Repertory Theatre in 2017.
At the risk of getting ahead of ourselves, if Here Lies Love were to win best musical at the 77th annual Tony Awards in June 2024, H.E.R. would become an EGOT. Not only that, but she would become, at 26, the youngest EGOT by more than a decade. The youngest EGOT to date is composer Robert Lopez, who secured EGOT status at age 39 in 2014.
H.E.R. would not be the first person to EGOT by winning a Tony as part of a platoon of producers. Jennifer Hudson secured EGOT status by winning a Tony as one of dozens of producers of A Strange Loop, which won best musical in June 2022.
H.E.R. (who is now 25) has won five Grammys, including song of the year for “I Can’t Breathe,” an Oscar for “Fight for You” from Judas and the Black Messiah and a Children’s and Family Emmy Award last year for We the People, which won as outstanding short form program.
David Byrne’s American Utopia won a Special Tony Award in 2020. (That show also began life as a studio album.) Byrne previously won both an Oscar and a Grammy for scoring The Last Emperor with Cong Su and Ryuichi Sakamoto.
Fatboy Slim won the 2001 Grammy for best short form music video for “Weapon of Choice,” featuring Bootsy Collins.
Here Lies Love will play at The Broadway Theatre, one of the few Broadway theaters that is physically on Broadway. The floor space will be transformed into a dance club environment, where some audience members will stand and move with the actors, and others will watch from seats located around the theatre.
As previously announced, Jose Llana and Conrad Ricamora will recreate their original roles as Ferdinand Marcos (Imelda’s husband and the 10th president of the Philippines) and Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino (a Philippine senator, opposition leader and the Marcoses’ primary critic), respectively. Additional casting will be announced soon.
The show was developed and directed by Tony Award winner Alex Timbers, with choreography by Annie-B Parson and additional music by Tom Gandey and J Pardo.
The creative team for Here Lies Love also includes three-time Tony Award nominee David Korins (scenic design), Tony Award winner Clint Ramos (costume design), Tony Award winner Justin Townsend (lighting design), M.L. Dogg & Cody Spencer (sound design), and three-time Tony Award nominee Peter Nigrini (projection design), with casting by Tara Rubin CSA, Xavier Rubiano CSA, Gail Quintos and general management by Foresight Theatrical.
Additional creative team members include J. Oconer Navarro (music director), Billy Bustamante (assistant director), Renée Albulario (assistant choreographer), Bobby Garcia (casting consultant/Philippines), Gregory T. Livoti (production stage manager), and Ryan Gohsman and Sheryl Polancos (assistant stage managers). Giselle “G” Töngi is the show’s cultural and community liaison.
Here Lies Love is produced by Hal Luftig, Patrick Catullo, Diana DiMenna and Plate Spinner Productions, Clint Ramos, and Jose Antonio Vargas, with Aaron Lustbader serving as executive producer.
They are joined by Salonga, H.E.R., Bobby Garcia, Giselle “G” Töngi, Celia Kaleialoha Kenney, Girlie Rodis, Miranda Gohh, Rob Laqui, Georgina Pazcoguin, Don Michael H. Mendoza, Adam Hyndman, Yasuhiro Kawana, Triptyk Studios, Shira Friedman, James L. Nederlander, Kevin Connor, Patrick Trettenero, Elizabeth Armstrong, Cathy Dantchik, Wendy Federman/Suzanne Niedland, Luke Katler/Ryan Solomon, Laura Ivey/Janet Brenner, and Hunter Arnold/TBD Theatricals.
Tickets are on sale now at Telecharge.com or by phone at 212-239-6200. The Broadway Theatre box office will open on Saturday, May 20.
Actress Jennifer Coolidge is slated to receive the Comedic Genius Award at the 2023 MTV Movie & TV Awards. Drew Barrymore is set to host the show, which airs live on Sunday, May 7 at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
Coolidge will become the sixth recipient of the award, following Will Ferrell (2013), Kevin Hart (2015), Melissa McCarthy (2016), Sacha Baron Cohen (2021) and Jack Black (2022). The award “honors actors who have made incomparable contributions to the world of comedy, providing a major influence through their work and transforming the genre at large,” according to MTV.
Coolidge is nominated in two competitive categories at this year’s show. She is up for best comedic performance for the rom-com Shotgun Wedding, in which she starred opposite Jennifer Lopez, and most frightened performance her portrayal of the wealthy, unstable, and oblivious Tanya McQuoid in HBO’s The White Lotus. The latter performance has brought her several awards, including her first Primetime Emmy last year for outstanding supporting actress in a limited or anthology series or movie.
Coolidge, 61, has been a Hollywood mainstay ever since playing Stifler’s mom in the 1999 comedy classic American Pie. She is well-known for her role as the love-starved beautician Paulette in the Legally Blonde franchise opposite Reese Witherspoon, and for her frequent collaborations with director Christopher Guest in Best In Show (2000), A Mighty Wind (2003) and For Your Consideration (2006).
The actress and comedienne recently starred in Ryan Murphy’s Netflix series The Watcher opposite Naomi Watts, and in Netflix’s family adventure We Have a Ghost opposite David Harbour. She has also made scene-stealing appearances in A Cinderella Story opposite Hilary Duff, and Promising Young Woman opposite Carey Mulligan.
Bet you didn’t know: She is a sixth cousin twice removed of Calvin (“Silent Cal”) Coolidge, who served as U.S. President from 1923-29.
Executive producers of the 2023 MTV Movie & TV Awards include MTV’s Bruce Gillmer, Wendy Plaut and Vanessa Whitewolf along with Den of Thieves’ Jesse Ignjatovic and Barb Bialkowski. Jackie Barba and Alicia Portugal are executives in charge of production; Lisa Lauricella and Mike Ostolaza serve as music talent executives.
Posty delivers once again, this time setting a swag of RIAA records and announcing a new greatest hits compilation.
With three newly certified records, Post Malone establishes a new mark for the most RIAA Diamond-certified singles from any artist, with eight.
According to a statement issued today (April 20) from Universal Music Group, a member of RIAA, “Circles,” “Better Now,” and “I Fall Apart” cross the diamond threshold, which is awarded to those tracks which have accumulated 10 million certified units.
Malone busts the previous record owned by Bruno Mars, with six. Also, the rapper and singer is tied for the highest platinum-certified single of all-time with “Sunflower,” featuring Swae Lee, which hits 17-times platinum.
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The inaugural Diamond milestone was awarded for Elton John’s “Something About The Way You Look Tonight / Candle In The Wind 1997″ and, to date, remains a relatively rare accomplishment. In February of this year, Halsey’s “Without Me” was recognized as the 100th single to receive Diamond status.
Meanwhile, to celebrate his latest feats, Malone and Republic Records sets The Diamond Collection, a hits compilation carrying all his Diamond-certified singles, plus his latest release, the pop-leaning “Chemical.”
“Chemical,” the first track from Malone’s forthcoming fifth studio album, is set to debut just outside the U.K. top 10, at No. 11, based on midweek data published by the Official Charts Company.
“It’s so hard,” Post previously told Billboard of his musical journey in his February 2022 cover story. “You lose a lot of the artist nowadays because a lot of people have so many genius ideas, but you lose a lot of that through everything that might happen with the business side — and you lose a little bit of yourself. Every time you change your art and your way of thinking for someone else’s, that takes a little piece of yourself off every time. I feel like I’m trying to rebuild.”
Posty’s fourth and most recent studio album Twelve Carat Toothache, arrived in 2022 and bowed at No. 2 on the Billboard 200. His previous collections Hollywood’s Bleeding (from 2019) and Beerbongs & Bentleys (2018) both went to No. 1 on the all-genres chart.
Spanning nine tracks, The Diamond Collection is slated to drop April 21.
See the tracklist below.
The Diamond Collection Tracklisting:
1. White Iverson
2. Congratulations (feat. Quavo)
3. I Fall Apart
4. Rockstar (feat. 21 Savage)
5. Psycho (feat. Ty Dolla $ign)
6. Better Now
7. Sunflower (with Swae Lee)
8. Circles
9. Chemical
Missy Elliott; vocal trio SWV; disco and R&B star Evelyn “Champagne” King; R&B/soul singer Jeffrey Osborne; and gospel trailblazers The Hawkins Family are the 2023 honorees at the Black Music Honors. Singer and actress LeToya Luckett and actor DeRay Davis are set to co-host the show, which will be taped live at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre in Atlanta on Thursday, May 19.
The two-hour special will premiere on the Stellar Network on June 3 and will air in national broadcast syndication from Saturday, June 10 to Sunday, July 2. The show will also air on Bounce TV on June 19.
“Black music is the heartbeat of our culture, and the honorees for this year’s Black Music Honors represent the soul of American music,” founder and executive producer Don Jackson said in a statement. “We pay homage to the musical innovators who have paved the way for future generations. Our tribute performances not only celebrate the honorees of yesterday, but also showcase the influence and impact of their iconic sounds and styles on today’s artists with a beautiful symbiosis of past and present.”
Jennifer J. Jackson will serve as producer and executive in charge of production of the eighth annual Black Music Honors, with Michael A. Johnson serving as producer and director. Tickets for the live taping will be available on Friday, April 21 at the organization’s website or on Ticketmaster.
Elliott is a four-time Grammy winner. In 2019, she became the first female rapper to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the first female rapper to receive the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award at the VMAs.
Tramaine Hawkins of the legendary Hawkins family has won two Grammys. SWV and Osborne are both past Grammy nominees.
Black Music Honors is an annual event that acknowledges artists who have made significant contributions to African American culture and American music worldwide. The celebration of Black musical excellence was known as Celebrate the Soul of American Music from 1990 to 1993. In 2016, it was revived under the new name to tie into Black Music Month. Black Music Honors is produced by Chicago-based production company Central City Productions, which was founded in 1970 by Jackson.
More than 30 artists are set to perform at the 2023 Latin American Music Awards, which will take place live on Thursday, April 20, from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Airing for the first time on Univision, the lineup includes sets by Mexican pop star Danna Paola, Becky G — who last weekend made her debut billing at Coachella — and newcomers Grupo Frontera, who on Monday dropped “un x100to,” their collaboration with Bad Bunny.
Anuel AA will perform “Más Rica Que Ayer”; newlyweds Guaynaa and Lele Pons will perform a medley that includes their latest collab, “Abajito”; Myke Towers is set to sing his newest track, “Mi Droga”; and Prince Royce will surprise viewers with an unreleased song. Additionally, Spanish newcomer Bad Gyal and Regional Mexican crooner Eden Muñoz will make their Latin AMAs debut. The former will deliver her single “Chulo,” and the latter will offer his viral solo hit “Chale!”
Nominations for the 2023 awards — based on streaming, sales, radio airplay, tours and even social media interactions data provided by Billboard and Luminate during the eligibility period (Feb. 12, 2022, through Feb. 4, 2023) — are led by Bad Bunny with 11 nominations. He’s followed by Becky G and Daddy Yankee, each with nine nominations. Carlos Vives and Pepe Aguilar will be recognized as 2023 Latin AMAs Legacy honorees.
Below, vote for the performance you’re most excited to see on Thursday at the Latin AMAs:
Get tickets to the first-ever #BBMujeresLatinas on May 6 in Miami: billboardmujeresenlamusica.com
The 2023 Latin American Music Awards are just hours away, airing for the first time on the Univision Network for the first time since its debut on Oct. 8, 2015, on Telemundo.
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Set to take place live on Thursday, April 20, from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, the Latin AMAs has confirmed more than 30 performers who will take center stage, including newcomers Grupo Frontera, Peso Pluma, Young Miko and Ryan Castro.
Nominations for the 2023 awards — based on streaming, sales, radio airplay, tours and even social media interactions data provided by Billboard and Luminate during the eligibility period (Feb. 12, 2022, through Feb. 4, 2023) — are led by Bad Bunny with 11 nominations. He’s followed by Becky G and Daddy Yankee, each with nine nominations.
How to Watch
Both the pre-show — “Noche de Estrellas” (starting at 7 p.m. ET)– and the Latin AMAs (8 p.m. ET) will simulcast on Univision, UNIMÁS and Galavisión. Also, only the pre-show will be available to stream on ViX.
Here are all the performers set to take center stage:
Ángela Aguilar
Anuel AA
Becky G
Bad Gyal
Banda El Recodo
Blessd
Carin Leon
Carlos Vives
Chesca
Dalex
Danna Paola
David Bisbal
DJ Luian
Grupo Frontera
Guaynaa
Jesse y Joy
Justin Quiles
Lele Pons
Lenny Tavarez
Lil Jon
Lyanno
Mambo Kingz
Manuel Turizo
Myke Towers
Natti Natasha
Olga Tañón
Omar Courtz
Pepe Aguilar
Peso Pluma
Pitbull
Prince Royce
Rubén Blades
Ryan Castro
Vikina
Wisin
Young Miko
Zacarías Ferreíra
Harry Styles and Kid Harpoon are each nominated for three 2023 Ivors, as are Cleopatra Nikolic and Dean “Inflo” Josiah Cover, making them this year’s most honored songwriters.
The Ivors Academy announced the nominations for The Ivors 2023 with Amazon Music on Tuesday (April 18). The awards recognize outstanding British and Irish songwriters and composers across nine categories.
Styles and Harpoon are nominated for songwriter of the year with Amazon Music. They are also nominated in two categories for co-writing Styles’ global smash “As It Was” with Tyler Johnson – best song musically and lyrically and PRS for music most performed work.
Styles indirectly factors into a fourth nomination this year. He starred in the film Don’t Worry Darling, which netted a nomination for best original film score for composer John Powell.
“Inflo” and Nikolic are competing with “As It Was” for best song musically and lyrically as the co-writers of SAULT’s hit “Stronger.” They are also nominated twice for best album, for their work on Little Simz’s No Thank You alongside Little Simz and SAULT’s 11 alongside Jamar McNaughton and Jack Peñate.
In the PRS for music most performed work category, Ed Sheeran makes history as “Bad Habits” is nominated again after winning the award last year. He is the first artist to achieve this feat in this category. Sheeran’s follow-up hit “Shivers” is also nominated in the category this year.
Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” is nominated in that same category 37 years after the track was nominated for best contemporary song. The song experienced a global resurgence after being featured in the hit TV series Stranger Things.
A total of 72 individual songwriters and composers received Ivor Novello nominations this year, with 54% of those being nominated for the first time.
The songwriter of the year with Amazon Music category recognizes British or Irish songwriters or songwriting teams for outstanding bodies of commercially successful songs released in 2022. This year’s nominees are Florence Welch (Florence + the Machine), the only individual songwriter nominated in the category this year; Styles & Harpoon; Rhian Teasdale & Hester Chambers (Wet Leg); George Daniel & Matty Healy (The 1975); and Central Cee & Young Chencs.
Knucks receives two nominations for best contemporary song, for his track “Leon the Professional” with co-writers Venna and Toshifumi Hinata and for his feature on Kojey Radical’s “Payback,” which also credits Swindle.
British duo The Flight (consisting of Joe Henson and Alexis Smith) received two nominations for best original video game score. They are nominated for composing the Batman-inspired Gotham Knights and for co-composing the critically acclaimed Horizon Forbidden West, alongside Joris de Man and Oleksa Lozowchuk.
Since its inception in 2020, the rising star award with Amazon Music has championed Britain and Ireland’s most promising songwriting talents. This year’s nominees are Cat Burns, Ines Dunn, tendai, venbee and Victoria Canal. Previous winners are Mysie, Willow Kayne and Naomi Kimpenu.
Tom Gray, chair of The Ivors Academy, said in a statement, “The music nominated for an Ivor Novello this year is testament to the power and range of British and Irish songwriting and screen composing. It’s a superlative list and on behalf of The Ivors Academy, I’m delighted to congratulate every writer nominated for their craft and achievements.”
Winners will be revealed at The Ivors with Amazon Music at Grosvenor House in London on Thursday May 18.
As previously announced, Sting will become a Fellow of the Ivors Academy, the highest honor the Academy bestows. Ivor Novello Awards will also be presented for the outstanding song collection, special international award, visionary award with Amazon Music and PRS for music icon award.
Here’s a complete list of The Ivors 2023 nominations:
Songwriter of the year with Amazon Music
Central Cee and Young Chencs
Florence Welch
Harry Styles and Kid Harpoon
Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers
George Daniel and Matty Healy
Best contemporary song
“Cold Summer”; written by Wesley Joseph and Leon Vynehall; performed by Wesley Joseph
“Escapism”; written by 070 Shake, RAYE and Mike Sabath; performed by RAYE & 070 Shake
“Hide & Seek”; written by Owen Cutts, P2J, PRGRSHN and Stormzy; performed by Stormzy
“Leon the Professional”; written by Knucks, Venna and Toshifumi Hinata; performed by Knucks
“Payback”; written by Knucks, Kojey Radical and Swindle; performed by Kojey Radical feat. Knucks
Best song musically and lyrically
“As It Was”; written by Kid Harpoon, Tyler Johnson and Harry Styles; performed by Harry Styles
“Best Day of My Life”; written by Laurie Blundell and Tom Odell; performed by Tom Odell
“Complex”; written by Katie Gregson-Macleod; performed by Katie Gregson-Macleod
“King”; written by Jack Antonoff and Florence Welch; performed by Florence + The Machine
“Stronger”; written by Dean “Inflo” Josiah Cover and Cleopatra Nikolic; performed by SAULT
PRS for music most performed work
“As It Was”; written by Kid Harpoon, Tyler Johnson and Harry Styles; performed by Harry Styles
“Bad Habits”; written by FRED, Johnny McDaid and Ed Sheeran; performed by Ed Sheeran
“Heat Waves”; written by Dave Bayley; performed by Glass Animals
“Running Up That Hill”; written by Kate Bush; performed by Kate Bush
“Shivers”; written by Johnny McDaid, Kal Lavelle, Steve Mac and Ed Sheeran; performed by Ed Sheeran
Best album
11; written by Dean “Inflo” Josiah Cover, Jamar McNaughton, Cleopatra Nikolic and Jack Peñate; performed by SAULT
No Thank You; written by Dean “Inflo” Josiah Cover, Little Simz and Cleopatra Nikolic; performed by Little Simz
Skinty Fia; written by Grian Chatten, Thomas Coll, Conor Curley, Conor Deegan and Carlos O’Connell; performed by Fontaines D.C.
Some Nights I Dream of Doors; written by Barney Lister and Obongjayar; performed by Obongjayar
The Car; written by Alex Turner; performed by Arctic Monkeys
Best original film score
Avatar: The Way of Water; composed by Simon Franglen
Death on the Nile; composed by Patrick Doyle
Don’t Worry Darling; composed by John Powell
Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris; composed by Rael Jones
The Electrical Life of Louis Wain; composed by Arthur Sharpe
Best television soundtrack
Bad Sisters; composed by PJ Harvey and Tim Phillips
Elizabeth: The Unseen Queen; composed by David Schweitzer
The Midwich Cuckoos; composed by Hannah Peel
The Responder; composed by Matthew Herbert
The Thief, His Wife and the Canoe; composed by Harry Escott and Ben Pearson
Best original video game score
Gotham Knights; composed by The Flight
Horizon Forbidden West; composed by Joris de Man, Oleksa Lozowchuk and The Flight
Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope; composed by Gareth Coker, Grant Kirkhope and Yoko Shimomura
Rising star award with Amazon Music
Cat Burns
Ines Dunn
tendai
venbee
Victoria Canal
Dolly Parton and Garth Brooks, hosts of the upcoming Academy of Country Music Awards, star in a fun and playful promotional video for the 2023 ACMs that was released on Tuesday (April 18). The 45-second spot, titled “First Time,” plays off the fact that Parton is an experienced host and this is Brooks’ first time as a host.
The scene takes place in Parton’s dressing room. Parton asks, “Are you ready for our big night?”
“Yeah, I’m a little nervous to be honest,” Brooks responds. “First time and all.”
Parton seeks to reassure her skittish partner by saying “Oh, don’t be nervous, I’m going to be right here with you.”
Brooks asks, “You’ve done this before, right?”
Parton responds, “Oh, I’ve done this before. Plenty of times – plenty of people.”
This, of course, makes Brooks even more nervous. “Really?”
“And I personally am going to make this the best night of your life,” Parton promises.
After a beat, Brooks asks, “We’re talking about hosting the ACM award show, right?”
Parton and Brooks handle the script’s comic double-entendres like the pros they are. The spot concludes with Parton saying, “If you have any problem, you just look at me.”
“Yes ma’am,” Brooks responds.
“Up here,” Parton reminds him.
The 58th Academy of Country Music Awards, dubbed “country music’s party of the year,” will stream live exclusively for a global audience on Prime Video on Thursday, May 11 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT from the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas.
Established in 1966, the ACM Awards is the longest-running country music awards show. The show made history in 2022 as the first major awards ceremony to exclusively livestream, in partnership with Prime Video.
Watch the promotional video below.
Judy Collins, Shelly Peiken, Noelle Scaggs and more were honored at the 2023 She Rocks Awards, which were held at The Ranch in Anaheim, Calif. on Thursday (April 13).
The 11th annual event, sponsored by The Women’s International Music Network (the WiMN), honored the accomplishments of a diverse group of women representing all facets of the music industry.
The event kicked off with a set from Toronto-based band The Beaches. The all-woman quartet won their second Juno Award, rock album of the year, last year for Sisters Not Twins (The Professional Lovers Album).
Laura Whitmore, founder of the Women’s International Music Network and She Rocks co-producer, welcomed those in attendance.
The night proceeded with Legend Award honoree Collins, who quoted Mae West in her acceptance speech and lead the audience in an a cappella rendition of her 1971 hit “Amazing Grace.” Collins has a 59-year span of Grammy nominations. She was nominated for best folk recording in 1964 for her third studio album, Judy Collins #3, and was nominated again last year for best folk album for Spellbound, her 55th album. She won a 1968 Grammy for her hit rendition of Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now.”
Dreaming Out Loud honoree Peiken encouraged the crowd “to not be afraid to grow up.” Peiken is a two-time Grammy nominee, for co-writing Meredith Brooks’ 1997 smash “Bitch” and for best spoken word album for Confessions of a Serial Songwriter.
“I’m just finding my time at this point in my career,” Peiken said. “And there are many more adventures ahead. It’s truly an honor to be in the company of giants past, present and future.”
Powerhouse honoree Scaggs of Fitz & the Tantrums spoke of her inspiration for starting the organization Diversify the Stage (DTS). “I wanted young people to feel like they had a place in the industry,” said Scaggs. “It’s incredible to see our community standing up in ways I never got to see growing up; women are in greater positions of power to build new ways of thinking and actions that are truly moving the needle and bringing confidence to young people who may have felt they didn’t have a place here, or that the glass ceiling could never be broken. It’s important that young people see their reflections in this industry, to have people who share their identities, who have a familiar journey, this is what the DTS mission is, ensuring no human will ever feel dis-included in this space, because they see their reflections, in front and behind the scenes.”
Champion Award honoree, Stacey Ryan, COO of the School of Rock, spoke about the work needed to elevate more women into executive positions, and the importance of organizations like the Women’s International Music Network for mentoring young, up-and-coming women in the music industry. Her award acceptance was followed by an all-female School of Rock Band performing En Vogue’s 1992 smash “Free Your Mind.”
The night culminated with a performance from guitarist Gretchen Menn, She Rocks Inspire Award recipient, who led her band in an original song followed by a rendition of Led Zeppelin’s 1972 classic “Rock and Roll” with fellow Zepparella member Holly West on bass and lead vocals helmed by guest Laura Clapp.
Founded in 2012, the Women’s International Music Network unites women who work within all facets of the music and audio industries. The organization produces the She Rocks podcast, the LIVE: Front & Center web series, WiMN She Rocks Spotlight Showcase Series and the She Rocks Awards, and is founded by music industry veteran Laura B. Whitmore. For more information, go here.
Here’s a complete list of 2023 She Rocks Awards honorees:
Legend Award: Judy Collins, singer/songwriter icon; Grammy-winner and two-time Grammy Hall of Fame inductee
Powerhouse Award: Noelle Scaggs, co-frontperson for Fitz and the Tantrums and founder of Diversify the Stage
Dreaming Out Loud Award: Shelly Peiken, Grammy-nominated songwriter
Tone Setter Award: Mary Spender – guitarist, singer, songwriter and YouTube star
Mad Skills Award: Michelle Bell – vp of creative for Roc Nation
Vision Award: Lisa S. Johnson, photographer and author of 108 Rock Star Guitars and Immortal Axes
Groundbreaker Award: Katherine Wing, vp of marketing for Roland, drummer
Champion Award: Stacey Ryan, chief operating officer for School of Rock
Excellence Award: Helen Culleton, chief operating officer for Audiotonix
Inspire Award: Gretchen Menn, guitarist and founding member of Zepparella
Heart and Soul: Brad Tolinski, former Guitar World editor and author
When the 58th ACM Award nominations were announced yesterday (April 13), HARDY led all artists with seven nods. While the tally may represent work released during the eligibility period, he says they are actually the culmination of years of effort.
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“My first [publishing] deal was in ’14. [I went] four years without a cut. I probably wrote seven or 800 songs that didn’t get touched until I started having success,” he says. “All that is chipping away at your craft and listening to songs you wrote and comparing them to songs that beat those songs out and then being like, ‘OK, back to the drawing board. Let’s do something different.’ I definitely put in the time and the grind and the hours and I guess it’s finally paying off.”
Five of HARDY’s seven nods are for “Wait in the Truck,” his duet with Lainey Wilson: he receives two nods for both artist and producer in the music event of the year category, one for visual media of the year and two for song of the year as the tune’s artist and co-writer. His two other nominations come in the song of the year category as co-writer of Morgan Wallen’s “Sand in My Boots” and in the artist-songwriter of the year field.
He stresses he is thrilled for any nomination but adds the two song of the year nominations mean the most. “I’ve been nominated a few times [in that category], but I haven’t gotten one yet, so I’m honored to two in that category. That’s so cool.” Though HARDY may not have won in that category, he is reigning songwriter of the year winner. This year, the category was split into songwriter of the year and artist-songwriter of the year.
HARDY found out about his nominations yesterday morning (April 13) when he woke up in Minneapolis on his bus on tour with Wallen. “I couldn’t believe it,” he says. “I don’t keep up with it, not because I don’t care. It’s just an out of sight, out of mind kind of thing. I was just in shock.”
His “Wait in the Truck” collaborator, Wilson, is the second most nominated artist with six nominations. HARDY says he thinks he understands why the murder ballad about a stranger who kills the abuser of a woman he has just met has resonated with people. The song rises to No. 4 this week on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart.
“It is the first time in a long time that [the subject] was treated with I guess what you would call seriousness. I’m not knocking any of these songs because they were amazing, but [The Chicks’] ‘Goodbye Earl’ was funny. I guess [Carrie Underwood’s] ‘Two Black Cadillacs’ was the last one that was serious,” he says.
“I don’t think there has really been one in a while in the format, so I think people were maybe pleasantly surprised that here’s something a little bit different and something they’re familiar with, but they hadn’t heard in a long time,” he continues. “It means the world to me to know that a song like that can still survive and exist in country music and can be an actual hit on the radio.”
He also woke up yesterday to a text from Wilson. “She said, ‘Congrats. Let’s take some sh-t home.’ And I was like, ‘Oh my God, this is awesome. We had a little chat about it. It was great,’” he says.
Between HARDY and his tourmates, Wallen, ERNEST and Bailey Zimmerman, they racked up 15 nominations and he expects some celebrating to go on tonight and tomorrow as they play a two-night stand in Milwaukee. “My booking agent and his whole crew are here and basically my entire record label is up here right now, so we’re probably definitely going to have a big cheer to [the nominations] tonight. We’re looking forward to all having a moment together to celebrate.”
HARDY hasn’t really thought about how he’ll celebrate any wins, though getting a new tattoo is always a possibility. Instead, he’s focused on thank you gifts for his “Wait in the Truck’ collaborators for the song’s success even if it doesn’t win. “Lainey is going to get a really nice gift and I think the [co-writers] are going to get something really cool as well,” says HARDY who wrote the song with Hunter Phelps, Jordan Schmidt and Renee Blair.
“I love giving people gifts,” he continues. “I always think about those days where I didn’t have any money or anything to offer other than just ‘thank yous,’ but it’s really special to know I’m now in a place in my career and, to be candid financially, that I can give gifts. It’s like the best thing in the world.”