bbnews
Page: 117
Tones And I, Dom Dolla, Peach PRC and the Teskey Brothers were among the winners Tuesday night (March 26) at the 2024 Shure Rolling Stone Australia Awards, while Crowded House snagged the second-ever “icon” honor.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Formed out of the embers of New Zealand alternative-rock favorites Split Enz, Crowded House are members of the ARIA Hall of Fame, inducted back in 2016 in recognition of a career which has yielded more than 15 million album sales, 13 ARIA Awards, a BRIT Award, and an MTV VMA.Frontman Neil Finn was on hand to collect the RS award and perform an acoustic mini set. “Thank you Rolling Stone for making us into an icon,” he told the 800 guests gathered at The Ivy in central Sydney. “I’m not sure what that truly means, but I think it means you need to go to Mecca and buy some makeup, so I’ve done that. I’d like to thank all the band members of Crowded House, so I’m representing for them, they send their love. For everybody, thank you so much for honoring us in this fashion.”The Kiwi bandleader gave the industry audience a taste of things to come when he slung the guitar for a preview of Gravity Stairs, the eighth and latest Crowded House album, due out May 31 through BMG.Tones And I can’t stop winning. The one-time busker recently notched three billion streams on Spotify for “Dance Monkey,” becoming the first solo female artist to hit that milestone, and she opened for Pink on the record-smashing 20-stadium Summer Carnival tour of Australia, a jaunt that shifted more than 900,000 tickets, according to Live Nation. On Tuesday, Tones beat out the likes of Tame Impala, Kylie Minogue and Troye Sivan to score the global award, a category voted on by Rolling Stone’s international editorial teams.“Wow,” enthused Tones (real name Toni Watson), “this is an incredible award to win, up against such an icon in Kylie Minogue who helped pave the way for women in pop music on a global scale.”Adelaide singer-songwriter Peach PRC won best single with “Perfect For You,” Rolling Stone Australia cover stars the Teskey Brothers took home best record with their ARIA Chart No. 1 The Winding Way, and EDM star Dom Dolla snagged best new artist. Performers on the night included Angus & Julia Stone, who are readying the release of their sixth studio album Cape Forestier on May 10, through BMG. Rolling Stone AU/NZ is published by The Brag Media, part of The Vinyl Group. “We are continually inspired by Australian artists, their stories, and their music, and we are so proud to support them with such a special night dedicated to celebrating their art,” comments editor-in-chief Poppy Reid.
The fourth annual awards welcomed multiple new and returning sponsors this year, with headline partner Shure back for 2024, alongside American Apparel, JMC Academy and Largo Brewing.2024 Shure Rolling Stone Australia Awards Winners:Rolling Stone Icon AwardCrowded House (WINNER)Best SinglePeach PRC – “Perfect For You” (WINNER)Dom Dolla ft. MK – “Rhyme Dust”Budjerah – “Therapy”Amy Shark – “Can I Shower At Yours”Fisher ft Kita Alexander – “Atmosphere”Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers – “I Used to be Fun”Lime Cordiale – “Colin”Tkay Maidza ft. Flume – “Silent Assassin”Best New ArtistDom Dolla – (WINNER)Royel Otis Oliver CroninThe RionsTeen Jesus and the Jean TeasersGrentperezBlusherOld MervsBest RecordThe Teskey Brothers – The Winding Way (WINNER)Teenage Dads – Midnight DrivingG Flip – DRUMMERThe Amity Affliction – Not Without My GhostsTroye Sivan – Something to Give Each OtherBrad Cox – AcresDope Lemon – KimosabèPeach PRC – Manic Dream PixieRolling Stone Global AwardTones And I – (WINNER)Kylie MinogueTroye SivanThe Teskey BrothersDom DollaDMA’SFisherVacationsTame Impala
Trending on Billboard
YouTuber and Twitch streamer Kai Cenat tries to shoot his shot at rising Afrobeats artist Tyla, by asking her on a date. Jisoo and Jackson Wang are starring in a new ad for Cartier. Lisa is spotted at the Thailand vs. Korea 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifier game. Tomorrow x Together release the track list […]
Billboard teamed up with Smirnoff Smash Vodka Soda to bring some fun to Austin, Texas, at SXSW. Tetris Kelly:From pickleball to custom cocktails, the merging of the unexpected took place when Smirnoff Smash Vodka Soda took over Billboard’s South by Southwest festivities. Fans of music, tech and more came together in Austin, Texas, for the […]
Elbow turns up the volume with Audio Vertigo, the leader on the midweek U.K. chart.
Audio Vertigo is the Bury, England band’s 10th studio album. And if it holds its position, the collection will give Guy Garvey and Co. their fourth U.K. leader after 2014’s The Take Off And Landing Of Everything, 2017’s Little Fictions and 2019’s Giants Of All Sizes.
Based on sales and streaming data captured at the midweek point, the British alternative rock outfit holds off Future and Metro Boomin’s collaborative collection, We Don’t Trust You. It’s at No. 2 on the midweek chart, and should become Future’s fourth and Metro Boomin’s third U.K. top 10 album. Three tracks from it are aiming for top 20 debuts on the national singles survey.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Veteran Scottish alt-rock act the Jesus and Mary Chain could snag a career-best with Glasgow Eyes. It’s forecast to complete an all-new top 3, at No. 3, for the group’s third top 10 title.
Following the release of a deluxe edition, Olivia Rodrigo’s former leader GUTS should spill into the top 10 once again. It’s up 15-4 on the chart blast. The LP, which originally logged a single week at No. 1 in 2023, should yield the week’s highest new Official Singles Chart entry, with “Obsessed” predicted to bow at No. 6. The “Spilled” version of GUTS includes five more songs, including a new cut, “So American”; the other four songs were the “secret” tracks that appeared on a variety of GUTS vinyl releases: “Obsessed,” “Scared of My Guitar,” “Stranger” and “Girl I’ve Always Been”.
Trending on Billboard
Finally, new titles from Starsailor (Where The Wild Things Grow), Fletcher (In Search Of The Antidote) and The Staves (All Now) are cruising for top 10 berths, while LPs from Waxahatchee (Tigers Blood at No. 12), a project led by Alabama-born singer-songwriter Katie Crutchfield, and Gossip (Real Power at No. 18) could bag top 20 debuts.
All will be revealed when the Official Charts are published late Friday, March 29.
Another beautiful week is unfolding for Benson Boone in the U.K., where his global hit “Beautiful Things” (via Warner Records) is on track for a second week at No. 1.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
The Washington-born singer-songwriter’s breakthrough song has led both of Billboard’s Global singles tallies and, for the first time, lifted to No. 1 in the U.K. last week.
Based on early sales and streaming data published by the Official Charts Company, “Beautiful Things” should nail another cycle at the top in the U.K.
Thanks to the release of the deluxe GUTS (spilled) edition, Olivia Rodrigo should bag the highest new entry with “Obsessed.” It’s new at No. 6 on the chart blast, and should give the U.S. pop phenomenon her 12th U.K. top 10 single.
Trending on Billboard
Rodrigo has set several U.K. chart records in her young career. When her debut album SOUR hit No. 1 on the U.K.’s Official Chart in May 2021 in the same week her single “Good 4 U” led the national singles survey, she became, at 18 years and 3 months, the youngest solo artist to snag the U.K. chart double.
Along the way, SOUR set the U.K. mark record for the most first-week streams for a debut album, and, in June 2021, Rodrigo became the first female solo artist to land three simultaneous U.K. top 5 singles: “Good 4 U,” “Déjà vu” and “Traitor.” SOUR logged five total weeks at No. 1, and GUTS completed one week at the top.
Meanwhile, Future and Metro Boomin’s collaborative LP We Don’t Trust You should drop the maximum three tracks into the U.K. singles chart, all impacting the top 20. Based on early predictions, “Like That” is poised to enter at No. 7, “Type Shit” could start at No. 11 and the title track could bow at No. 14.
Finally, Irish singer-songwriter Hozier is targeting a No. 16 with his new song, “Too Sweet.” It’s on target for a No. 16 start.
All will be revealed when the Official Charts are published late Friday, March 29.
For the fifth consecutive year, Australia’s recorded music industry posted growth in 2023 – all thanks to streaming and Aussies’ love of wax.
According to wholesale data published by ARIA, the nation’s record market lifted by 10.9% to A$676 million ($442 million), powered by subscriptions to music streaming brands.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
That rate of growth for Australia, a top 10 market, the IFPI confirms in its newly-published Global Music Report, is in line with international trends.
Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, Tidal, and the full slate of subscription platforms now generate 69% of the industry’s total value, or $467.6 million ($305 million), up by 13.9% year-on-year, reports ARIA, the labels trade association.
Trending on Billboard
Also reporting gains for 2023 is the space for ad-supported streaming models, up 15.3% jump to $68.3 million ($44 million).
All digital products combined, including downloads and video streams, account for a sum upwards of A$616.1 million ($403 million), a 12% year-on-year lift. In other words, more than 90 cents in the record industry’s dollar is generated by digital.
Vinyl albums are an ongoing sweet spot, posting gains of 14.1% to A$42.1 million ($27 million), a sum more than twice that of the dwindling market for CD albums (A$17 million or $11 million, down 16%), for decades the record industry’s diesel engine. The rate of growth for vinyl, however, appears to be slowing.
An overall strong market report is masking a problem that Australia’s music community is trying desperately to crack — how to break more homegrown in Australia and abroad?
Where the IFPI’s GMR is flush with case studies on the success of Afrobeats, Latin music, K-pop, and blockbuster acts from North America and the U.K., acts from the land Down Under aren’t stealing the limelight.
“While Australia remains the 10th largest music market in the world – and Aussies clearly love music,” comments ARIA CEO Annabelle Herd, “it remains harder than ever for our local artists to reach these audiences.”
ARIA’s end-of-year charts “paint a clear picture of this,” notes Herd, with only four Australian albums impacting the top 100 for 2023, led by INXS‘ hits collection The Very Best (at No. 58), and three singles, none of which were released during the reporting period. The best-placed Australian artist on the year-end singles tally was The Kid Laroi with his 2021 Justin Bieber collaboration, “Stay.”
“Achieving cut-through becomes increasingly difficult for artists as the growth rate of subscription and ad supported streaming models continues to increase year on year,” notes Herd, “while nearly all other growth rates have eased compared to 2022.”
The Albanese federal government listened to the industry’s dilemmas, and, in 2023, activated Creative Australia, the centerpiece of the federal National Cultural Policy, Revive, which its architects hope will turn Australia into a music powerhouse.
Among the government’s promises is the launch of Music Australia, a reimagined national music development agency that would support and invest in the development of Australian contemporary music, and now led by founding director Millie Millgate. The Music Australia Council, effectively the Music Australia board, includes legendary concert promoter Michael Chugg and Future Classics founder and CEO Nathan McLay.
The government’s National Cultural Policy is an ambitious year-long action plan, structured around five interconnected pillars and underpinned by a commitment for new, additional investment totaling A$286 million (US$202 million) — record levels of arts funding. Music Australia alone is funded to the tune of A$69 million ($44 million) over four years.
“We are fortunate that compared to other major global markets, our growth rates paint a favorable picture for the future of music in Australia,” adds Herd. “Music is valuable, it is popular and it is growing. We look forward to working with the industry and government to ensure that message is heard and that value is increasingly used to support our incredible local talent.”
Read more here.
It’s Monday, March 25th and we run down all the Taylor Swift news! Shakira reveals she wants to collaborate with the “Cruel Summer” singer, while The Eras Tour opener, Sabrina Carpenter, reflects on her tour experience with her. Taylor Swift’s boyfriend Travis Kelce is in talks to host ‘Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?’ Kendrick Lamar sparked a lot of conversation online after taking some pointed shots at Drake with his surprise feature on Future and Metro Boomin’s track “Like What” off their new album ‘We Don’t Trust You.’ The Canadian rapper has seemingly responded to being called out at his concert in Florida. Billboard reveals a new No. 1 on the Hot 100. Brazilian pop star Luísa Sonza talks about the importance of therapy. Tems reveals 5 things you didn’t know about her music and more!
Tetris KellyDrake turns the drama with him J.Cole and Kendrick Lamar up a notch. Well, Taylor Swift after learn Spanish for a new collab, as Sabrina carpenter thanks her and her boyfriend, maybe getting a new job. We got a friend on top of the Billboard Hot 100 and he pops in to talk to us. And we rewind back to women and music to hang backstage with Luísa Sonza and Tems.
Tetris KellyWelcome back to Billboard News. I’m Tetris Kelly is Monday, March 25th. And it’s a whole new week of news, but this first story is the latest in a long lasting feud.
DrakeI got my fckin head up high, my back straight, I’m ten fcking toes down.
Tetris KellyDrake seems to address Kendrick Lamar continuing the long standing feud.
DrakeThere’s not a ngga on this earth that could fck with me in my life.
Tetris KellyDrake had this to say it is recent concert and the internet is assuming he’s talking about Kendrick Lamar in the viral video.
Tetris KellyOn Friday Kendrick called out Drake and J. Cole on Future and Metro Boomin ‘s new track “Like That.”
Tetris KellyThat’s Kendrick Lamar addressing Drake and J. Cole song “First Person Shooter.” Where J. Cole tried to claim the three rappers are the best in the game, but this beef is over a decade old back in 2013 Kendrick had this to say on Big Sean’s “Control.”
Tetris KellyBack then Drake told Billboard, “It just sounded like an ambitious thought to me. That’s all it was. I know good and well that Kendrick is not murdering me at all in any platform. So when that day presents itself, I guess we can revisit the topic.”
Tetris KellyWell, it looks like we’ve come full circle, Drake.
Watch the full video above!
Tetris Kelly:With a new track from Cardi B and a battle between two Warner Brothers, will anybody be able to unseat Ariana’s latest No. 1? Last time I talked to you, you were at No. 8 on the Hot 100, and now No. 4. Teddy Swims:Look at us. We’re going all the way. Tetris Kelly:This […]
American Idol saved one of the best for last — Julia Gagnon.
Raised in Cumberland, Maine, the 21-year-old college student has spent time in the school of hard knocks.
Gagnon was born in Guatemala, and put up for adoption as a baby. Childhood in the U.S. was mostly a blast, surrounded by a loving family. But she experienced bullying in school.
“In Maine, not a lot of people look like me. And it was really hard to deal with,” she explained in the pre-recorded spot. It still touches a raw nerve.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Gagnon was always curious about her birth family, and in her late teens embarked on a journey to find them. Her father hired a private investigator, and in 2020 located the youngster’s birth mother, Sara.
“She did let me know that she didn’t want me to go,” Gagnon said, adding that Sara conceded she wasn’t able to provide a better life.
The Idol stage would provide a platform for Gagnon to “do something for” her birth mom. “I felt really helpless, because I can’t go to her in Guatemala. It’s really far. But she’s really proud of my voice. And she wanted to see me do something big.”
Trending on Billboard
For an amateur singer, there are few bigger stages than Idol.
As the final audition for season 22, Gagnon brought out the big guns. The hopeful sang Aretha Franklin’s “Ain’t Not Way,” peppered with high notes, and low, feel, control, power and oozing soul. That big thing, it happened.
Proof of it came when the judges Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie gave a standing ovation.
“Did that come out of your mouth,” Richie remarked. “I am in shock. I grew up with Aretha Franklin. There are certain songs you just don’t sing. Because you can’t touch the original. You just made it not only your song, but you did things that were just beyond. That was amazing. That was absolutely outstanding.”
Bryan was touched by her “amazing falsetto,” and Perry was convinced that she has “several soul singers” inside her.” Not just one. You could go really far. You could be top 10.”
She’s certainly going to Hollywood. Gagnon earned the final Platinum Ticket for the season.
Watch the performance from ABC’s American Idol below.
[embedded content]
With 1987’s “Never Tear Us Apart,” INXS released into the world a love song that resonates to this day, and presented for most of us a first glimpse at the real-life fairytale city that is Prague.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Now, to celebrate the 35th anniversary of its creation, INXS revisits the iconic song and its stunning music video with a streaming time capsule, featuring behind-the-scenes footage, deleted scenes and interviews with the late frontman Michael Hutchence.
Speaking at the top, Andrew Farriss, INXS’ co-songwriter, keyboardist and guitarist, recounts the song’s origins. Those orchestral stabs were initially carved out on guitar, which he played in a “very bluesy type way.” When Hutchence first heard the song, “he laughed,” Farriss explains. “He thought it was funny, because for us it was so different.”
Trending on Billboard
Hutchence changed his mind. He took the demo tape, lived with it, crafted the lyrics and the melody. A hit was born.
Director Richard Lowenstein had shot footage of Prague’s medieval architecture on 8mm black and white film. The juxtaposition of those images and INXS’s sublime song happened by chance. By a moment of serendipity.
The band was in the studio watching the rushes, as the song poured out of the control room. It worked.
The video, which has notched more than 100 million views on YouTube, was filmed in freezing conditions in Czechoslovakia, a world away from the beaches of Sydney.
[embedded content]
“The spirit of the people there is fantastic, that’s what I love, it really makes you appreciate what you have so much,” comments Hutchence in the five-minute behind-the-scenes video, which Billboard exclusively premieres below. The singer loved the country, and its history, though so much has changed in those three-and-a-half decades.
INXS is no longer an active band. Hutchence is no longer with us, dying in 1997 at the age of 37. Then, in November 1989 the Velvet Revolution while led to the end of communist rule in Czechoslovakia. Five years after the shoot, the country was separated into Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Lowenstein’s music video captured a time before the rest of the world caught on. Today, the Czechia capital is a hot-spot for tourists, a destination for stag and hen parties.
“There were numerous hurdles to gain access to film in Prague at that time,” INXS saxophone and guitar player Kirk Pengilly tells Billboard via email. However, “being able to cinematically utilize the city’s beautiful, romantic architecture and landmarks as a backdrop was incredibly special and fitting for this song. Our week-long stay allowed us to fully immerse ourselves in the city’s charm and culture.”
“Never Tear Us Apart” is a gem in INXS’ catalogue, from one of the band’s most successful albums, Kick, which peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200. The third single from Kick, it peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and is one of four tracks from the LP — along with “New Sensation,” “Devil Inside”, and ”Need You Tonight”— to reach the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 (the latter hit No. 1).
Last year, the surviving members of INXS — Garry Gary Beers, Pengilly and brothers Andrew, Jon and Tim Farriss — reunited in central Sydney for a presentation of four billion combined streams. “Never Tear Us Apart” alone has notched up more than 850 million streams across all platforms.
Watch the behind the scenes video below.
[embedded content]