Awards
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Honoring the Grateful Dead without including co-founder Jerry Garcia, which the Kennedy Centers Honors program is doing this year, would be like honoring Earth, Wind & Fire without including Maurice White. Oh wait – the Kennedy Center did that too, in 2019, when they honored three members of the groundbreaking R&B group, but not its principal architect.
It’s not that the Kennedy Center is unaware of what a crucial role Garcia and White played in those groups. It’s just that they reserve their honors for artists who are living. Garcia died in 1995, 29 years before the group was chosen for the Kennedy Center Honors. White died in 2016, three years before EWF got the nod.
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This year’s Kennedy Center Honors were presented on Sunday Dec. 8 at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C. The show, hosted by Queen Latifah, will air on CBS on Sunday Dec. 22 at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT.
The members of Grateful Dead who are being honored are drummers Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann, bass guitarist Phil Lesh and rhythm guitarist Bobby Weir. Lesh died on Oct. 25, three months after this year’s honorees were announced. (The Kennedy Center allows posthumous inductions if the honorees were selected before they died.)
Two other groups received Kennedy Center Honors without key members who had died by the time the groups were included. The Who was honored in 2008, but without drummer Keith Moon, who died in 1978, or bassist John Entwistle, who died in 2002. Led Zeppelin were honored in 2012, but drummer John Bonham, who died in 1980, was not posthumously included.
The Kennedy Center Honors’ site makes plain that the awards “provide recognition to living individuals (emphasis added) who throughout their lifetimes have made significant contributions to American culture through the performing arts.” (Here’s a link to the site’s list of previous inductees.)
Eagles were selected for the Kennedy Center Honors in 2015, but founding member Glenn Frey was too ill to attend, so the honor was postponed one year. By that time, Frey had died, but the Center included him as a recipient anyway – on the grounds that the group was selected before he died. I’ll take it, but a better reason to honor him would have been that he co-founded the genre-bridging group with Don Henley and it wouldn’t have been what it was without him.
Mercifully, all four members of U2 were alive when the band received the honors in 2022. So were both members of The Nicholas Brothers, a popular dance duo of the 1930s to the 1950s. But if one of them had passed away, should that have precluded them from receiving the honor?
The Beatles, the GOAT of all pop and rock groups, are conspicuous by their absence on the roster of Kennedy Center Honors recipients. Paul McCartney was honored as an individual in 2010. A century from now, people looking over the list of Kennedy Center Honors recipients will find it strange that McCartney was honored but the group in which he did his best and most lasting work was not. Why haven’t they been? John Lennon died in 1980, followed by George Harrison in 2001. Their deaths are tragic losses, but why should those deaths keep the group from receiving an award it undisputably deserves?
Bee Gees were never honored. Instead, Barry Gibb got a solo nod in 2023, after the deaths of his brothers Maurice in 2003 and Robin in 2012. Even Barry Gibb would probably say it would have made more sense for him to be saluted alongside his brothers. Almost all of their successes as recording artists were as a unit.
The Beach Boys were never honored. Instead, Brian Wilson got a solo nod in 2007. He was unquestionably the group’s resident genius, but the quintet was one of the most iconic American groups of all time. Unfortunately, Wilson’s brother Dennis died in 1983, followed by Carl in 1998.
There are a few cases where it’s debatable whether it would have made more sense to honor an individual or the entire group. The Kennedy Center honored R&B great Mavis Staples in 2016. Two other members of The Staple Singers had died by that point – Pops Staples (in 2000) and Cleotha Staples (in 2013). In similar fashion, Gladys Knight was honored in 2022. Two other members of the mighty Gladys Knight & the Pips had died at that point – Edward Patten (in 2005) and William Guest (in 2015). There are arguments to be made on both sides about whether it made more sense to honor Staples and Knight as individuals or with the groups in which they had most of their greatest successes, but the fact that group members had died should not be the deciding factor.
When the Kennedy Center Honors finally get around to The Rolling Stones (and what are they waiting for?) it would be nice if they included drummer Charlie Watts, who died in 2021. Other groups that are (or should be) on their list of future inductees which have both living and dead members include Fleetwood Mac, Chicago, Pink Floyd and Queen.
It’s a sad fact of life that artists die. But with our greatest artists, their work lives on. The Kennedy Center should modify its rules so all key members of groups and duos are honored, whether they’re still living at the time of their inductions or have taken their final earthly bows.
The Kennedy Center Honors has become perhaps the most prestigious honor in American arts and entertainment. Who they choose to honor matters. That’s why they should take a close look at this limiting policy.
If they start to honor group members who have died, should they also change their rules and honor individuals who have died – maybe one per year? I certainly wouldn’t object. They could start with Elvis Presley and Bing Crosby, who died in 1977, the year before the Kennedy Center Honors got underway. And they could catch up to some other great artists they missed, including Prince, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston and Burt Bacharach.
This year’s other honorees, in addition to the Dead, are Bonnie Raitt, jazz musician Arturo Sandoval; director and filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola; and The Apollo, which will receive a special Honors as an iconic American institution.
After earning her fourth Golden Globes nomination on Monday (Dec. 9), Cynthia Erivo is practically “Defying Gravity.”
In a series of posts to her Instagram Stories, Erivo celebrated her nomination for the 2024 Golden Globes, along with the many nominations for her smash-hit film Wicked. “Now that my feet are hovering off the ground, I cannot even come close to properly expressing what this moment means to me,” she wrote under a photo of herself as Elphaba. “Not just because of this individual nomination, but because I get to watch as this project and my @wickedmovie family are celebrated, too.”
The actress/singer was nominated on Monday for best performance by a female actor in a motion picture – musical or comedy for her role as Elphaba in Wicked. Erivo’s co-star Ariana Grande also received a nomination in the supporting role category for her work as Glinda on the film, while the film itself was nominated for best motion picture — musical or comedy.
“Being a part of this project has been a dream come true, and playing Elphaba, a woman who speaks to everyone who has ever felt like they don’t belong and lets them know they have the power to defy gravity, has been the honor of a lifetime,” Erivo continued.
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The actress shared special praise for the film’s director Jon M. Chu — who Erivo thanked for his “wonderful dedication to this work,” and his “care for each one of us on your set” — and for Grande, who she called her “little sister” in a post. “I’m so proud of you. You’re so deserving of this moment, and I’m glad I get to share the seconds and the moments and the days and the years with you,” she wrote. “This journey has been so unbelievably special, and I believe it is the company we have kept together that has made it as special as it has been and will continue to be.”
In one final post on her Stories, Erivo shared a special shoutout to the other women nominated in her category — Amy Adams, Karla Sofía Gascón, Mikey Madison, Demi Moore and Zendaya. “Being named alongside you powerhouses is one of the truest honors of them all,” she wrote. “I can’t wait to be in a room celebrating you all!!”
The new posts come just after Grande herself shared her own thoughts on being nominated, saying that she was “floored and honored to be recognized by members of the @goldenglobes” for the annual ceremony.
Ariana Grande and Wicked were very popular among the Golden Globes voters this year, something the 31-year-old singer-actress celebrated with a heartfelt message on her Instagram Stories on Monday (Dec. 9).
Sharing a post highlighting her own best supporting actress nod — which the Golden Globes announced earlier that morning along with the rest of its 2025 nominations — Grande began, “oh my goodness oh my goodness.”
“I am floored and honored to be recognized by members of the @goldenglobes,” she continued. “crying (of course) … It’s impossible to find my words, but I am simply so deeply grateful for this acknowledgement.”
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In addition to the R.E.M. Beauty founder’s recognition in the best supporting actress category — which she shares with Emilia Pérez‘s Selena Gomez and Zoe Saldana, The Brutalist‘s Felicity Jones, The Substance‘s Margaret Qualley and Conclave‘s Isabella Rossellini — Wicked also took home nominations for best motion picture, musical or comedy, and cinematic box office achievement. Co-leading lady Cynthia Erivo is also up for best performance by a female actor in a motion picture, musical or comedy, which Grande shouted out in her post.
“Congratulations to my brilliant, dear sister @cynthiaerivo, and all of our Ozian family on this celebration of our work,” she concluded. “I can’t possibly express my gratitution.”
The first wave of awards recognition comes shortly after Jon M. Chu’s Wicked premiered in theaters on Nov. 22. In the couple of weeks since, the project’s soundtrack album has debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 — the highest ever debut for a big-screen adaptation of a stage musical on the chart — and the film has become the highest grossing movie ever at the domestic box office based on a Broadway musical.
Grande’s performance as Glinda in the film has been specifically recognized by other institutions as well, including the Palm Springs International Film Awards — which is set to award her with the Rising Star Award — and the Astra Awards, which recently crowned her best supporting actress in a tie with Saldana. Of the latter recognition, the “Yes, And?” musician wrote on her Story on Monday, “thank you so so so much for this honor.”
“and yes, @zoesaldana we did it :’) !” she added. “i’m so grateful to share this with you.”
Stray Kids are set to perform at the 2024 Billboard Music Awards. They join fellow K-pop stars SEVENTEEN, as well as Teddy Swims, Tyla, Coldplay, Jelly Roll and Megan Moroney, who were previously announced as performers on the show.
Hosted by actress and comedian Michelle Buteau, the 2024 BBMAs presented by Marriott Bonvoy is set to air on Thursday, Dec. 12, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on FOX and Fire TV Channels, and on-demand on Paramount+, with performances also rolling out across Billboard.com and via @BBMAs and @Billboard social channels.
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Stray Kids are finalists for four awards at the BBMAs – top duo/group, top global K-pop artist and two bids for top K-pop album – ROCK-STAR and ATE.
In August, ATE became Stray Kids’ fifth No. 1 on the Billboard 200. That month, they also landed their highest-charting single to date on the Billboard Hot 100 – “Chk Chk Boom,” which reached No. 49. Stray Kids’ previous No. 1 albums or EPs were Stray Kids Mini Album: Oddinary, Maxident, 5-Star and ROCK-STAR.
As previously announced, Zach Bryan, Taylor Swift, Morgan Wallen and Sabrina Carpenter are the leading finalists for the 2024 Billboard Music Awards.
This marks the show’s return to FOX, which carried the show from its 1990 inaugural broadcast through 2006. In addition, Paramount+ will provide on-demand streaming of the show, while the free Fire TV Channels app will provide one-click access to fans using Amazon devices (Fire TV smart TVs and streaming media players and Fire Tablets).
The BBMAs will celebrate music’s greatest achievements with exclusive original performances, artist interviews, and award celebrations taking place from global locations and in the midst of sold-out tours. Shaboozey will deliver a special performance from W Hollywood, part of the Marriott Bonvoy portfolio. Additional performers and special guests will be announced soon.
The BBMAs honors the year’s biggest artists, albums, songs, producers and songwriters across multiple genres, as determined by year-end performance metrics on the Billboard charts. The eligibility dates for this year’s awards are aligned with Billboard’s Year-End Charts tracking period, which measures music consumption from the charts dated Oct. 28, 2023 through Oct. 19, 2024.
The Billboard Music Awards are produced by Dick Clark Productions, which is owned by Penske Media Corporation. PMC is also the parent company of Billboard.
The show is presented by Marriott Bonvoy, Marriott International’s travel program and portfolio of more than 30 hotel brands. For more information, visit MarriottBonvoy.com
Selena Gomez has a lot to celebrate. In addition to receiving a Golden Globe nomination for best supporting actress on Monday (Dec. 9), the 32-year-old singer-actress also has two friends up for the same category — Emilia Pérez costar Zoe Saldaña and fellow pop star Ariana Grande — whom she cheered on in a post […]
Selena Gomez and Ariana Grande are used to competing on the Billboard Hot 100. But now they’re squaring off against each other at the 2025 Golden Globe Awards as well. Gomez and Grande are both nominated for best performance by a female actor in a supporting role in any motion picture for their roles in Emilia Pérez and Wicked, respectively. Gomez has a second nomination for best performance by a female actor in a TV series, musical or comedy for Only Murders in the Building.
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Other music stars who got nods in the nominations announced on Monday morning (Dec. 9) include: Miley Cyrus, Maren Morris and Robbie Williams, all nominated for best original song – motion picture; Donald Glover, who has released music as Childish Gambino, for best performance by a male actor in a TV series, drama, for Mr. and Mrs. Smith; and Zendaya, best performance by a female actor in a motion picture, musical or comedy for Challengers.
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Cynthia Erivo is nominated for best performance by a female actor in a motion picture – musical or comedy for her as Elphaba role in Wicked. Timothée Chalamet is nominated for best performance by a male actor in a motion picture – drama for his performance as Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown. Edward Norton is nominated in the supporting actor category for his performance as Pete Seeger in that same film.
Clément Ducol and Camille have three nominations in the music categories for their work on Emilia Pérez. They are nominated for best original score and have two of the best original song nominees— “El Mal” and “Mi Camino.” They cowrote the former song with the film’s director/writer, Jacques Audiard.
Nine Inch Nails‘ Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross have two nominations in the music categories. They are nominated for best original score for Challengers and best original song for “Compress / Repress” which they wrote for that film with the film’s director, Luca Guadagnino.
Emilia Pérez was the most-nominated motion picture, with 10 nods, followed by The Brutalist (seven), Conclave (six), and Anora and The Substance (five each).
The Bear was the most-nominated TV show with five nods, followed by Only Murders in the Building and Shōgun (four each). Netflix was the top distributor for both film and TV. It had 13 nominations on the film side, followed by A24 with 12. It has 23 nominations on the TV side, followed by HBO/Max, with 14.
Actors Mindy Kaling and Morris Chestnut presented the nominees for the 2025 Golden Globes on Monday morning and the 82nd Annual Golden Globes will air live on Sunday, Jan. 5, at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET on CBS and stream on Paramount+ in the U.S. The show will be held at its usual home, the Grand Ballroom of the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California.
This will be the second year the Globes have presented the cinematic and box office achievement category. The nominees are Alien: Romulus, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Deadpool & Wolverine, Gladiator II, Inside Out 2, Twisters, Wicked and The Wild Robot. In its first year, the award went to Barbie over such rivals as Oppenheimer and Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour.
The Golden Globe Awards, which likes to call itself “Hollywood’s Party of the Year,” is the first major awards show of the season. It’s also the world’s largest awards show to celebrate the best of both film and television.
Comedian Nikki Glaser is set to host the show for the first time. Viola Davis and Ted Danson have been named as recipients of the Cecil B. DeMille Award and the Carol Burnett Award, respectively. They will be recognized on the Golden Globes telecast. In addition, they will be feted at a separate gala dinner on Friday, Jan. 3, also at the Beverly Hilton. This marks the first time that the Golden Globes will host a special evening dedicated to the recipients of these two honorary awards.
Multi-Emmy Award-winning producing duo Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner of White Cherry Entertainment will return as executive producing showrunners for the 82nd Golden Globes. Dick Clark Productions will produce the show.
Best motion picture – drama
The Brutalist (A24)
A Complete Unknown (Searchlight Pictures)
Conclave (Focus Features)
Dune: Part Two (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Nickel Boys (Orion Pictures / Amazon MGM Studios)
September 5 (Paramount Pictures)
Best motion picture – musical or comedy
Anora (Neon)
Challengers (Amazon MGM Studios)
Emilia Pérez (Netflix)
A Real Pain (Searchlight Pictures)
The Substance (Mubi)
Wicked (Universal Pictures)
Best original score – motion picture
Volker Bertelmann (Conclave)
Daniel Blumberg (The Brutalist)
Kris Bowers (The Wild Robot)
Clément Ducol, Camille (Emilia Pérez)
Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross (Challengers)
Hans Zimmer (Dune: Part Two)
Best original song – motion picture
“Beautiful That Way” –– The Last Showgirl; Music & Lyrics By: Andrew Wyatt, Miley Cyrus, Lykke Zachrisson
“Compress / Repress” –– Challengers; Music & Lyrics By: Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, Luca Guadagnino
“El Mal” –– Emilia Pérez; Music & Lyrics By: Clément Ducol, Camille, Jacques Audiard
“Forbidden Road” –– Better Man; Music & Lyrics By: Robbie Williams, Freddy Wexler, Sacha Skarbek
“Kiss The Sky” –– The Wild Robot; Music & Lyrics By: Delacey, Jordan K. Johnson, Stefan Johnson, Maren Morris, Michael Pollack, Ali Tamposi
“Mi Camino” –– Emilia Pérez; Music & Lyrics By: Clément Ducol, Camille
Best motion picture – animated
Flow (Sideshow / Janus Films)
Inside Out 2 (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Memoir of a Snail (IFC Films)
Moana 2 (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl (Netflix)
The Wild Robot (Universal Pictures)
Cinematic and box office achievement
Alien: Romulus (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Deadpool & Wolverine (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Gladiator II (Paramount Pictures)
Inside Out 2 (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Twisters (Universal Pictures)
Wicked (Universal Pictures)
The Wild Robot (Universal Pictures)
Best motion picture – non-English language
All We Imagine as Light (Sideshow / Janus Films) – Usa / France / India
Emilia Pérez (Netflix) – France
The Girl With the Needle (Mubi) – Poland / Sweden / Denmark
I’m Still Here (Sony Pictures Classics) – Brazil
The Seed of the Sacred Fig (Neon) – Usa / Germany
Vermiglio (Sideshow / Janus Films) – Italy
Best performance by a female actor in a motion picture – drama
Pamela Anderson (The Last Showgirl)
Angelina Jolie (Maria)
Nicole Kidman (Babygirl)
Tilda Swinton (The Room Next Door)
Fernanda Torres (I’m Still Here)
Kate Winslet (Lee)
Best performance by a male actor in a motion picture – drama
Adrien Brody (The Brutalist)
Timothée Chalamet (A Complete Unknown)
Daniel Craig (Queer)
Colman Domingo (Sing Sing)
Ralph Fiennes (Conclave)
Sebastian Stan (The Apprentice)
Best performance by a female actor in a motion picture – musical or comedy
Amy Adams (Nightbitch)
Cynthia Erivo (Wicked)
Karla Sofía Gascón (Emilia Pérez)
Mikey Madison (Anora)
Demi Moore (The Substance)
Zendaya (Challengers)
Best performance by a male actor in a motion picture – musical or comedy
Jesse Eisenberg (A Real Pain)
Hugh Grant (Heretic)
Gabriel Labelle (Saturday Night)
Jesse Plemons (Kinds of Kindness)
Glen Powell (Hit Man)
Sebastian Stan (A Different Man)
Best performance by a female actor in a supporting role in any motion picture
Selena Gomez (Emilia Pérez)
Ariana Grande (Wicked)
Felicity Jones (The Brutalist)
Margaret Qualley (The Substance)
Isabella Rossellini (Conclave)
Zoe Saldaña (Emilia Pérez)
Best performance by a male actor in a supporting role in any motion picture
Yura Borisov (Anora)
Kieran Culkin (A Real Pain)
Edward Norton (A Complete Unknown)
Guy Pearce (The Brutalist)
Jeremy Strong (The Apprentice)
Denzel Washington (Gladiator II)
Best director – motion picture
Jacques Audiard (Emilia Pérez)
Sean Baker (Anora)
Edward Berger (Conclave)
Brady Corbet (The Brutalist)
Coralie Fargeat (The Substance)
Payal Kapadia (All We Imagine as Light)
Best screenplay – motion picture
Jacques Audiard (Emilia Pérez)
Sean Baker (Anora)
Brady Corbet, Mona Fastvold (The Brutalist)
Jesse Eisenberg (A Real Pain)
Coralie Fargeat (The Substance)
Peter Straughan (Conclave)
Best television series – drama
The Day of the Jackal (Peacock)
The Diplomat (Netflix)
Mr. & Mrs. Smith (Prime Video)
Shōgun (FX/Hulu)
Slow Horses (Apple TV+)
Squid Game (Netflix)
Best television series – musical or comedy
Abbott Elementary (ABC)
The Bear (FX/Hulu)
The Gentlemen (Netflix)
Hacks (HBO | Max)
Nobody Wants This (Netflix)
Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)
Best television limited series, anthology series or motion picture made for television
Baby Reindeer (Netflix)
Disclaimer (Apple TV+)
Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story (Netflix)
The Penguin (HBO | Max)
Ripley (Netflix)
True Detective: Night Country (HBO | Max)
Best performance by a female actor in a television series – drama
Kathy Bates (Matlock)
Emma D’arcy (House of the Dragon)
Maya Erskine (Mr. & Mrs. Smith)
Keira Knightley (Black Doves)
Keri Russell (The Diplomat)
Anna Sawai (Shōgun)
Best performance by a male actor in a television series – drama
Donald Glover (Mr. & Mrs. Smith)
Jake Gyllenhaal (Presumed Innocent)
Gary Oldman (Slow Horses)
Eddie Redmayne (The Day of the Jackal)
Hiroyuki Sanada (Shōgun)
Billy Bob Thornton (Landman)
Best performance by a female actor in a television series – musical or comedy
Kristen Bell (Nobody Wants This)
Quinta Brunson (Abbott Elementary)
Ayo Edebiri (The Bear)
Selena Gomez (Only Murders in the Building)
Kathryn Hahn (Agatha All Along)
Jean Smart (Hacks)
Best performance by a male actor in a television series – musical or comedy
Adam Brody (Nobody Wants This)
Ted Danson (A Man on the Inside)
Steve Martin (Only Murders in the Building)
Jason Segel (Shrinking)
Martin Short (Only Murders in the Building)
Jeremy Allen White (The Bear)
Best performance by a female actor in a limited series, anthology series, or a motion picture made for television
Cate Blanchett (Disclaimer)
Jodie Foster (True Detective: Night Country)
Cristin Milioti (The Penguin)
Sofía Vergara (Griselda)
Naomi Watts (Feud: Capote Vs. The Swans)
Kate Winslet (The Regime)
Best performance by a male actor in a limited series, anthology series, or a motion picture made for television
Colin Farrell (The Penguin)
Richard Gadd (Baby Reindeer)
Kevin Kline (Disclaimer)
Cooper Koch (Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story)
Ewan Mcgregor (A Gentleman in Moscow)
Andrew Scott (Ripley)
Best performance by a female actor in a supporting role on television
Liza Colón-Zayas (The Bear)
Hannah Einbinder (Hacks)
Dakota Fanning (Ripley)
Jessica Gunning (Baby Reindeer)
Allison Janney (The Diplomat)
Kali Reis (True Detective: Night Country)
Best performance by a male actor in a supporting role on television
Tadanobu Asano (Shōgun)
Javier Bardem (Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story)
Harrison Ford (Shrinking)
Jack Lowden (Slow Horses)
Diego Luna (La Máquina)
Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Bear)
Best performance in stand-up comedy on television
Jamie Foxx (Jamie Foxx: What Had Happened Was)
Nikki Glaser (Nikki Glaser: Someday You’ll Die)
Seth Meyers (Seth Meyers: Dad Man Walking)
Adam Sandler (Adam Sandler: Love You)
Ali Wong (Ali Wong: Single Lady)
Ramy Youssef (Ramy Youssef: More Feelings)
The Golden Globes are produced by Dick Clark Productions, which is owned by Penske Media Corporation. PMC is also the parent company of Billboard.
Brandi Carlile’s solo career is going pretty well by any measure, but she has a dream about expanding into her own supergroup, she revealed to Billboard on the red carpet at Washington, D.C.’s Kennedy Center Honors on Sunday night (Dec. 8), where she helped honor Bonnie Raitt. “I’ve got this plan — I’ve been hitting […]
Shakedown Street wound its way to the nation’s capital on Sunday (Dec. 8) as counterculture mingled with high arts culture at the 47th Kennedy Center Honors, where legendary rockers the Grateful Dead; blues rock songstress and guitarist Bonnie Raitt; acclaimed filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola; and jazz trumpeter, pianist and composer Arturo Sandoval were inducted.
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In a first, the Honors this year inducted a venue, Harlem’s fabled The Apollo, in celebration of nine decades of the theater championing Black artists and culture.
The gala continues to elevate its unique mashup of celebrities, politicians and arts patrons—fun fact: former speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi is still in possession of a button from a late-‘80s Dead show—and the outgoing Administration was out in full force. President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden, and Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff received extended applause.
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Musical star power included Brandi Carlile, Sheryl Crow, Maggie Rogers, Dave Matthews, Queen Latifah, Leon Bridges, James Taylor, Emmylou Harris, Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks, Don Was, Sturgill Simpson, The War and Treaty, Jackson Browne, Trombone Shorty, Doug E Fresh, Raye, Grace VanderWaal and Keb Mo.
Non-musical talent was equally sparkling. Robert DeNiro, Martin Scorsese, George Lucas, Al Pacino and Laurence Fishburne were among those who feted Coppola, while Letterman, Miles Teller and Chloe Sevigny shared their personal connections to the Dead. Julia Louis Dreyfus celebrated Raitt, and Dave Chappelle paid hilarious homage to The Apollo.
Bonnie RaittWinner of 13 Grammys, including a best song award in 2023 when her soul-stirring “And Just Like That” beat out songs by Beyonce and Harry Styles among others, Raitt was lauded as much for her activism as for her vocals and killer moves on the slide guitar.
“As you get older you reflect on how you got where you got and that’s not just in your career but life, and I attribute a lot to Bonnie,” Crow shared with Billboard before the show.
She recounted seeing Raitt perform for the first time and buying her first guitar the next day. “When you’re a 17-year-old girl and you play piano, and you go see Bonnie Raitt and she’s ripping and she’s fronting a guy band and she’s singing truth… I would never have picked up a guitar or seen myself being out front had it not been for her,” Crowe said.
Raitt’s work in social justice has been a north star for Carlile, among so many others. “I’ve lucky enough to get talk to Bonnie for hours and hours about activism and the ways we get to carry ourselves as musicians and artists,” she said on the red carpet.
“I was maybe 17 years old at a Bonnie Raitt concert when a ‘No Nukes’ guitar pick landed on the toe of my shoe, and I picked that up and I found out what she meant by that. I carry all of her messages forward. The work she’s done for Indigenous people, for women’s rights… she’s so outspoken and so musically powerful. Everything she says is backed by a thunderstorm of conviction.”
On stage and accompanied on piano by Crow, Carlile delivered an earnest rendition of “I Can’t Make You Love Me,” while Emmylou Harris and Dave Mathews stirred the heartstrings with their take on “Angel From Montgomery,” on which Raitt famously dueted with songwriter John Prine. Julia Louis Dreyfus praised Raitt’s authenticity, noting: “You know it’s Bonnie. It’s all red hair and no bullshit.” Jackson Browne, who noted his friend of 50 years “never stopped growing and expanding herself and her impulses as an artist,” before joining Crow, James Taylor and Arnold McCuller to croon “Nick of Time,” the title track from Raitt’s 1990 album that took home a Grammy album of the year.
Arturo SandovalSandoval, renowned for blending Afro-Cuban jazz, bebop and straight-ahead jazz, performed in 1990 at the Honors tribute to his mentor Dizzy Gillespie. He embraced his turn in the spotlight by treating his fellow honorees and other guests at the White House dinner the evening before the gala with a spicy rendition of “God Bless America.” And well-wishers including Andy Garcia, Debbie Allen, Chris Botti and Cimafunk returned the favor on stage.
Fellow Cuban-born Garcia, who played Sandoval in the 2000 docudrama “For Love or Country,” peppered Sandoval’s string of accomplishments—winning four Grammys, five Latin Grammys and a Presidential Medal of Freedom, among them—with personal narratives: “He let me play in his band, but only if I brought the sandwiches.”
Allen described her relationship with Sandoval as a “lifelong creative marriage” that began at the Kennedy Center in 1996, and Botti described Sandoval as “the trumpet master” before he put his own trumpet stylings to a stirring version of Charlie Chaplin’s “Smile.”
The ApolloThe Apollo served as the launching pad for artists including Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight, Luther Vandross and Lauryn Hill, and Queen Latifah brought the audience through its decades of evolution.
Husband and wife duo The War and Treaty performed a gorgeous medley of hits by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, while Savion Glover performed a high-spirited tap dance routine.
Comedian Chappelle recounted his first, horrifying experience performing at Amateur Night after winning a contest when he was just 15. “Everybody started booing. It was like I was outside my body watching,” he said, before waxing sincere. “My favorite part of freedom is art. The Apollo theater is a church where we could talk like ourselves, to ourselves.”
Francis Ford CoppolaCoppola’s segment was, in a word, legendary. The tribute to the five-time Oscar winner, whose anthology includes The Godfather trilogy, Apocalypse Now, American Graffiti and Patton, brought out Hollywood heavy-hitters Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino, Martin Scorsese, George Lucas, and Laurence Fishburne.
His sister Talia Shire, nephew Jason Schwartzman and granddaughter Gia Coppola also shared tributes and Grace VanderWaal, who appears in Coppola’s new film Megalopolis, performed a raspy, rousing version of “The Impossible Dream.”
Pacino mixed heart and humor, noting Coppola continues to break the cardinal rule in Hollywood: never invest in your own films. “For Apocalypse Now, he put up his house, with his wife and three kids in it. I know, I was there,” he quipped.
Noting without Coppola he wouldn’t have his career, DeNiro—whom the filmmaker cast in “The Godfather: Part II”—said, “And it’s not just me. Francis generously brings all of us into his family, into his world, into his dreams. And what dreams they are. Beautiful. Epic. Impossible.”
After sharing a few funny anecdotes, Scorsese compared his friend to visionary early pioneers of cinema because “he reinvents, he has the same spirit they had and constantly, time and time again, film after film and decade after decade, he reinvents, always expanding into new territory.”
The Grateful DeadAt 60 years and still truckin’, the Grateful Dead—whose original members Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann and Bobby Weir were in attendance—is mythological in its organic cultivation of community and the live show experience.
“The Grateful Dead was a dance band, and people like to dance and in those days there weren’t a lot of people dancing so that’s where the community started and the music just moved from there,” Hart told Billboard. “And we grew with the music.”
Weir broke it down like this: “We had no plan, we had no itinerary. We were just playing; that’s all we’ve ever done. Our entire agenda has been, Let’s make some more music.”
Pre-show, Maggie Rogers shared how her stint playing with Dead & Company in 2019 at Madison Square Garden completely changed her touring routine. “Before, I was playing basically the same set every night—and there’s a beautiful meditation in that repetition—but since then, I have my whole catalog on fridge magnets on the bus and we’re constituting a new set list every night. They showed me what it’s like to relax into the continence of your own musicianship.”
The presence of guitarist, songwriter and vocalist Jerry Garcia, who died in 1995, and bass player Phil Lesh, who died in October, was palpable throughout the evening. Lesh’s son Graham said pre-show his father had been excited when he learned about the band’s induction and “it was a great chance for the band to connect and revel in how much of an honor this was. It’s kind-of a big wow, what they accomplished.”
Graham Lesh was part of a stellar jam band that also included Don Was and Sturgill Simpson, backing four tunes that got some in the house up on their feet. Rogers and Leon Bridges dueted on “Fire on the Mountain,” Simpson sung “Ripple,” Matthews and Tedeschi grooved through “Sugaree,” and then all came together for show closer “Not Fade Away,” a nod to the band’s use of the Buddy Holly paean to enduring love to wrap countless shows.
Done+Dusted returned for a third year as executive producer, in association with ROK Productions. The special will air on Dec. 22 on CBS and stream on Paramount+.
Megan Moroney is set to perform at the 2024 Billboard Music Awards. The rising country star joins SEVENTEEN, Teddy Swims, Tyla, Coldplay and Jelly Roll, who were previously announced as performers on the show.
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Hosted by actress and comedian Michelle Buteau, the 2024 BBMAs presented by Marriott Bonvoy is set to air on Thursday, Dec. 12, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on FOX and Fire TV Channels, and on-demand on Paramount+, with performances also rolling out across Billboard.com and via @BBMAs and @Billboard social channels.
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Moroney, whose performance is Carnival Cruise-branded, is a finalist for top country female artist at the BBMAs. She won new female artist of the year at the ACM Awards in May and new artist of the year at the CMA Awards last month. Her sophomore album, Am I Okay?, reached No. 3 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart and No. 9 on the all-genre Billboard 200. The title track made the top 20 on Hot Country Songs.
As previously announced, Zach Bryan, Taylor Swift, Morgan Wallen and Sabrina Carpenter are the leading finalists for the 2024 Billboard Music Awards.
This marks the show’s return to FOX, which carried the show from its 1990 inaugural broadcast through 2006. In addition, Paramount+ will provide on-demand streaming of the show, while the free Fire TV Channels app will provide one-click access to fans using Amazon devices (Fire TV smart TVs and streaming media players and Fire Tablets).
The BBMAs will celebrate music’s greatest achievements with exclusive original performances, artist interviews, and award celebrations taking place from global locations and in the midst of sold-out tours. Shaboozey will deliver a special performance from W Hollywood, part of the Marriott Bonvoy portfolio. Additional performers and special guests will be announced soon.
The BBMAs honors the year’s biggest artists, albums, songs, producers and songwriters across multiple genres, as determined by year-end performance metrics on the Billboard charts. The eligibility dates for this year’s awards are aligned with Billboard’s Year-End Charts tracking period, which measures music consumption from the charts dated Oct. 28, 2023 through Oct. 19, 2024.
The Billboard Music Awards are produced by Dick Clark Productions, which is owned by Penske Media Corporation. PMC is also the parent company of Billboard.
The show is presented by Marriott Bonvoy, Marriott International’s travel program and portfolio of more than 30 hotel brands. For more information, visit MarriottBonvoy.com.
In this year’s producer of the year, non-classical category, there is one notable absence — Jack Antonoff, who would have been nominated for his sixth consecutive year — and one welcome addition: R&B producer-musician Alissia, who becomes just the ninth woman (or team of women) in the history of the category to receive a nomination. Had Antonoff been nominated and won, he would have set a record as the only consecutive four-peat in the 50-year history of the award. Meanwhile, a woman has yet to take home the trophy.
The 2025 nominees also include superproducer Daniel Nigro, “Not Like Us” hit-maker Mustard and veteran producers Dernst “D’Mile” Emile II and Ian Fitchuk. Of the five, Alissia, Mustard and Fitchuk are first-time nominees in this category. Below, all five nominees reflect on being nominated.
Alissia
Alissia
Caleb and Gladys
Of your nominations, why is producer of the year so special?
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I’ve worked so many years to really perfect my craft as a musician and then later as a producer, and just to be nominated as a producer of the year, it’s huge. It’s like all the endless sessions, late nights and nonstop working just really reminded me that, man, hard work pays off. And it was so crazy to me because my biggest inspiration as a producer passed away that week, Quincy Jones. So it was such an emotional week. He was such an inspiration for me to start arranging strings and everything. So [my nomination is] representing a lot more than just me.
You join a small class of women who have been nominated in this category. What extra significance or pressure does that add?
It’s very humbling to be the ninth woman ever being nominated in this category alongside some of my favorites like Janet Jackson, Mariah Carey and all these ladies who’ve really worked hard to pave the way for me to be nominated in this category. I don’t take that for granted. I see this as a big milestone for women producers in general. What really made me the most happy and emotional is that I started receiving so many DMs from young girls, producers and musicians and just women in general. It really warmed my heart up. It’s a big deal.
What would an ideal Grammy night celebration look like?
I have a party series called Boogie Nights. It’s going to be so much fun. I want to celebrate with everyone, and also celebrate everyone else because I saw so many of my friends that got nominated too. The goal of Boogie Nights is to connect artists and creatives with each other to hopefully, maybe, spark a collaboration or whatever comes naturally. It’s also just to have fun. So Los Angeles is the perfect place and the Grammys are the perfect time.
Dernst “D’Mile” Emile II
D’Mile
Monhand Mathurin
How did you find out and react to being nominated for producer of the year, non-classical?
This is my third year in a row being nominated. And to be honest, the first time we even tried and I got nominated, I was happy with that. I was like, “OK, I did it.” And then last year, I almost didn’t even bother trying to get my name submitted. But funny enough, Victoria Monét’s manager [Rachelle Jean-Louis] basically made me do it. And then this year, in a way, was similar. I was indifferent about if we should try or not — and I’m glad we did. I’m always just happy to be recognized… Of course, if I win, that would be amazing. But it was a good year for everybody.
How does this year’s class of nominees represent what’s resonating in music today?
I feel like it definitely resonates well. I feel like country music, to start, has had a great year with a whole bunch of artists that are already in the field or that have dabbled in it. Mustard had a great record with “Not Like Us,” so no surprise there. Me and Dan [Nigro] actually have spoken a couple times about it and joked, like, “Maybe next year we’ll go up against each other again.” I’m such a big fan of his and what he’s done with Olivia [Rodrigo] and Chappell [Roan]. I even voted for him the first round, like, “You got to be up there.” Alissia, I know her well. She’s an incredible musician. I was happy to see a female producer. I feel like [the nominees] actually translate well to the past year — all the hard work paying off.
“Die With a Smile” is your fourth song of the year nomination. You’ve won with Bruno Mars before, with “Leave the Door Open.” Are there any similarities between the two hits?
When [“Leave the Door Open”] came out, [it had] the same impact and similar reactions. It just felt like everybody knew it instantly, everybody seemed to love it instantly. So I still can’t tell which one they love more. But I mean, I think because it’s two powerhouses, Lady Gaga and Bruno, on a song like that, I’m sure that helps a lot. Gaga’s fans, The Monsters, and The Hooligans put together? Forget about it.
Ian Fitchuk
Ian Fitchuk
Fairlight Hubbard
What does it mean to be nominated for producer of the year?
It means a lot to be recognized for the work that I’ve put in, not just this year, but kind of my whole career, which at this point has been about 24 years. And I feel like it’s also a celebration of all the people that I get to work with — the engineers, songwriters, producers. I feel like I share that nomination with friends of mine that have made me better at what I do and have put tons of work and time and energy into the projects that I’m associated with.
How does this year’s class of nominees represent what’s resonating in music today?
It’s an awesome representation of where music is — and I’m a fan of everybody else that’s in the category. I’m well aware of the work that they’ve been doing, and I think that it touches on all different genres. I love that it doesn’t feel heavy-handed in one space over another. I think it’s really cool. I love Dernst [“D’Mile”] and Dan and I’m not as familiar with Alissia, but Mustard, my son has made me more aware of him.
You worked on Kacey Musgraves’ Deeper Well and won your first two Grammys for her Golden Hour. Why is that relationship so special?
I would say this about everybody, but being able to record and make music that I would want to listen to is a gift, because I know that this is a hard world to work in and you don’t always get to make things that align with your tastes necessarily. And I like that I’ve been able to be true to who I am with the music that I get to make. To be trusted like that is awesome.
What would an ideal Grammy night celebration look like?
Probably a milkshake and in bed by 10 p.m.
Mustard
Mustard
Kanya Iwana
How did you find out and react to being nominated for producer of the year?
I wasn’t even expecting producer of the year. I was just on some “Not Like Us,” Faith of a Mustard Seed, “Parking Lot” [with Travis Scott], one of those things. I’m just waiting for [the category] to pass, to get to the other s–t, and then [they said], “Mustard” and I was like, “What the f–k?” My thought process wasn’t there. You know, the Grammys is a long time coming for me. I’ve always wanted to be nominated for producer of the year. But I just believe that things happen when God wants them to happen. So I was overly excited and screaming in the house and s–t, running around.
This is also your first nomination for record of the year. Why is “Not Like Us” a worthy contender?
Culturally, man, we did something that woke everybody in music, in the world, up. It’s going to be a piece of history. It’s one of the biggest songs just for the West Coast, and you know, it was really dark over here for a while. It’s more than the dis song part of it. It’s just bringing everybody together. I think everybody feels the West Coast right now. And the Dodgers won, so s–t. I think it helped.
Where’s the craziest place you’ve heard that song so far?
They performed it at my daughter’s school, and it was really crazy. It was the clean version, though, but it was just like, “You guys are doing a dance to this song?” She’s 9, so for me it was just like, “What the f–k?” It’s just some crazy s–t.
What would an ideal Grammy night celebration look like?
If I win producer of the year, I mean, s–t, I might be doing backflips all the way down Figueroa [Street].
Daniel Nigro
Daniel Nigro
Shervin Lainez
How did you find out and react to being nominated for producer of the year, non-classical?
My wife and I were walking our dog the morning of the announcements, so when my manager called and said, “Congratulations!” I responded with “For what!?” I was definitely hoping for a nomination this year but also didn’t want to get my hopes up because you just never know. I’m really excited about how things turned out. To celebrate, we had a very, very small get-together at the studio. We ordered some Papa John’s and had a cake.
This is your second time being nominated in this category, and your third time being nominated for song of the year, record of the year and album of the year. What’s your secret?
I wish there was a secret. I just feel so lucky that I get to work with such incredible artists and songwriters that get nominated. What I’d like to know is if there’s a secret to winning one of those categories, because it hasn’t happened yet.
You’ve also been involved in the debut albums from two best new artist nominees: Olivia Rodrigo and Chappell Roan. What does it mean to be a part of an artist’s career from the start?
I feel very fortunate to have this happen twice for me. I get a lot of joy and satisfaction from being a part of the development process. As someone who once was a recording artist, I try to take the things I learned during those years and help other artists navigate the madness that is the music industry.
This story appears in the Dec. 7, 2024, issue of Billboard.