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Earlier this year, J. Cole made his intentions loud and clear on Lil Durk’s “All My Life”: “Lately, I just wanna show up and body some sh-t.” To his credit, Cole has been living up to his word, treating the rap circuit like a demolition derby. A proven features savant, this is familiar territory for […]
Doja Cat is purring along as “Paint The Town Red” (via RCA/Sony) climbs all the way to No. 1 in Australia.
The U.S. artist nabs her first leader in the land Down Under, as “Paint The Town Red” completes the leap 6-1 in its third week, eclipsing the No. 2 peak for her previous best, “Kiss Me More” featuring SZA, which hit No. 2 in 2020.
Luke Combs is currently on the road in Australia, and his fans reward him with bumps on the latest ARIA Charts, published Friday, Aug. 8. The U.S. country star’s cover of “Fast Car” (Columbia/Sony) motors 8-2, for a new peak position. “Fast Car” previously parked at No. 3 in June, topping Tracy Chapman’s original, which maxed-out at No. 4 in 1988.
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Several Combs tracks are on the up, including “The Kind Of Love We Make” (up 21-16) in its 62nd week on the chart, for a new peak; “When It Rains It Pours” (31-24); and “Beautiful Crazy” (39-34).
Completing the podium on the ARIA Singles Chart is Dave and Central Cee’s former leader “Sprinter” (Virgin Music Australia/Universal), down 2-3.
Over on the ARIA Albums Chart, Genesis Owusu, the Canberra, Australia-raised talent, secures a top 10 start and a new career high for his sophomore album, Struggler (AWAL).
Struggler bows at No. 4, besting the No. 27 peak for 2021’s Smiling With No Teeth, an album that snagged almost every award possible in these parts, including the Australian Music Prize, ARIA Awards, AIR Awards and more. Smiling With No Teeth peaked at No. 27 on the official, national tally.
Hozier returns with Unreal Unearth (Columbia/Sony), the Irish singer and songwriter’s third studio album. It’s new at No. 13, and follows the No. 3 peak for his debut, self-titled LP from 2014 and the No. 8 best for its followup, Wasteland, Baby from 2019.
Also new to the chart are albums by one-time ARIA male artist of the year Dan Sultan (Dan Sultan at No. 15 via Liberation/Universal), celebrated Aussie singer and songwriter Gretta Ray (Positive Spin at No. 17 via EMI) and K-pop boy band NCT Dream (ISTJ – The 3rd Album new at No. 20 via Universal).
At the top of the tally, Barbie The Album (Atlantic/Warner) lifts 2-1, ahead of Taylor Swift’s Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) (via Universal) and the Weeknd’s The Highlights (Universal), respectively.
Blinks, the wait is finally over! BLACKPINK officially released its new single, “The Girls,” on Friday (Aug. 25). The track is available on all streaming platforms.
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“The Girls” and its accompanying music video was first only available to people who played The Game, BLACKPINK’s latest mobile app and foray into the world of gaming. (In The Game, players can become BLACKPINK’s music producer and have a hand in the girls’ career and daily schedules in addition to customizing the members’ outfits, managing their own agency, playing puzzles and more in BLACKPINK world.)
The music video for the track features tiny, cartoon versions of members Lisa, Jisoo, Jennie and Rosé dancing to the track in cute stage outfits, while hitting synchronized choreography.
“Live fast, we do it like that/ And we don’t lie, we born to be mad/ Better come right or never come back/ Don’t mess with the girls, with the girls, with the girls/ Stop sign, we’re burnin’ it down/ Better watch out, we comin’ in loud/ Bang, bang, just playin’ around/ Don’t mess with the girls, with the girls, with the girls,” the powerhouse quartet sings on the song’s high energy chorus.
“The Girls” serves as BLACKPINK’s first offering as a group since the release of their second studio album, Born Pink. The set spent 13 weeks and peaked at No. 1 on the all genre Billboard 200 chart, while the album’s two singles, “Pink Venom” and Shut Down,” peaked at Nos. 22 and 25 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Listen to “The Girls” below.
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Ariana Grande‘s debut album, Yours Truly, is officially 10 years old, and the pop superstar is celebrating the milestone with plenty of gifts for fans. The festivities kicked off on Friday (Aug. 25) with a deluxe digital release of Yours Truly, along with newly recorded live performances of “Honeymoon Avenue” and “Daydreamin’.” Grande also took to […]
Cardi B threatens to sue an X user over Offset AI video and Selena Gomez reacts to an AI version of herself singing The Weeknd’s “Starboy.” Tim McGraw stopped by Billboard News to talk about his new album ‘Standing Room Only,’ country music dominating the charts and more. Blueface was reportedly stabbed during a boxing […]
“DNA,” No. 67, Oct. 14, 2017“Mic Drop,” featuring Desiigner, No. 28, Dec. 16, 2017“Fake Love,” No. 10, June 2, 2018“Idol,” featuring Nicki Minaj, No. 11, Sept. 8, 2018“Waste It on Me” (Steve Aoki featuring BTS), No. 89, Nov. 10, 2018“Make It Right,” featuring Lauv, No. 76, Nov. 2, 2019“Boy With Luv,” featuring Halsey, No. 8, April 27, 2019“Black Swan,” No. 57, Feb. 1, 2020“On,” No. 4, March 7, 2020“Filter,” No. 87, March 7, 2020“My Time,” No. 84, March 7, 2020“Dynamite,” No. 1, Sept. 5, 2020“Savage Love (Laxed – Siren Beat),” with Jawsh 685 & Jason Derulo, No. 1, Oct. 17, 2020“Life Goes On,” No. 1, Dec. 5, 2020“Fly to My Room,” No. 69, Dec. 5, 2020“Blue & Grey,” No. 13, Dec. 5, 2020“Telepathy,” No. 70, Dec. 5, 2020“Dis-ease,” No. 72, Dec. 5, 2020“Stay,” No. 22, Dec. 5, 2020“Film Out,” No. 81, April 17, 2021“Butter,” No. 1, June 5, 2021“Permission To Dance,” No. 1, July 25, 2021“My Universe,” with Coldplay, No. 1, Oct. 9, 2021“Yet To Come,” No. 13, June 25, 2022“Run BTS,” No. 73, June 25, 2022“Bad Decisions,” with Benny Blanco & Snoop Dogg, No. 10, Aug. 20, 2022“Take Two,” No. 48, June 24, 2023
SYDNEY, Australia — A new chapter unfolds for Australia’s music community with the activation of Creative Australia, the centerpiece of the federal government’s National Cultural Policy, Revive, which its architects hope will turn Australia into a music powerhouse.
On Thursday (Aug. 24), as the Creative Australia Act 2023 came into effect, federal minister for the arts Tony Burke officially unveiled Creative Australia and its new board, led by chairman Robert Morgan and deputy chair Wesley Enoch.
Creative Australia is an expanded and modernized Australia Council for the Arts which, Burke says, “will bring the drive, direction and vision that Australian artists have been calling out for.”
The government agency’s CEO Adrian Collette will chair the newly-appointed Music Australia council, an eight-strong board of artists and music industry experts, which includes legendary concerts promoter Michael Chugg and was unveiled earlier in the week.
“Pleasingly,” comments Evelyn Richardson, CEO of Live Performance Australia, “Creative Australia comes to life with the restoration of funding that was lost under the previous government’s budget cuts in 2014, as well as new initiatives such as Music Australia and Creative Workplaces.”
To fully “realize its ambition and promise,” she continues, “it will be important that current and future governments are committed to greater investment in our cultural and creative industries through Creative Australia.”
The music industry has long advocated for a new body to help Australia’s commercial music sector reach new heights at home and abroad.
When Anthony Albanese’s center-left Labor government was formed in 2022, ending the nine-year administration of the center-right Liberal Party, hope turned to action.
In the months that followed the federal election, Burke welcomed key representative bodies of the Australian contemporary music industry leaders to consult on the policy, from which Revive was shaped.
In January, prime minister Albanese presented Revive to the industry and the public, and with it, the promise of a new Music Australia, a reimagined national music development agency that would support and invest in the development of Australian contemporary music.
The 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.
The establishment of Music Australia is a “landmark moment for Australia’s music industry,” says Dean Ormston, CEO of APRA AMCOS. “It represents for the first time in the nation’s history that we have had a long-term commitment from government to work in partnership with industry to make Australia a music powerhouse,” he adds.
“We look forward to working with Music Australia chair and Creative Australia CEO Adrian Collette and the rest of the council to fully realize the cultural, economic and social benefits of a vibrant, healthy and sustainable music industry accessible to all Australians, and the world.”
The Creative Australia Bill, which lays the legal framework for the existence of Music Australia, passed parliament and was enshrined into law in June. Today’s development was a formality, but an important one.
“Now it all comes down to execution,” comments ARIA and PPCA CEO Annabelle Herd. “Now is the time to think big, consult wide, and deliver the solutions that Australian recording artists and industry professionals deserve; restoring the infrastructure to help them achieve sustainable careers at home and providing a greater platform for them to reach new audiences by cutting through an increasingly saturated market.”
Australia’s contemporary music industry, she continues, “is an incredible incubator for world-class talent. But for the world to discover that talent, we need the right strategic support and investment. There’s no time to waste.”
Work is “already underway” to establish Music Australia and Creative Workplaces within Creative Australia, reads a statement from the Creative Australia office.
In 2024, the inaugural First Nations-led board will be established, building on the Australia Council’s 50-year history of investment in First Nations Arts and Culture. And in 2025, Writers Australia will be established.
Read the full National Cultural Policy here.
Music Australia Council:Fred Alale, co-founder and chair of African Music and Cultural Festivals Inc.Lisa Baker, manager of creative cultural development, City of PlayfordDanielle Caruana (Mama Kin), artist and founder/director of The Seed FundMichael Chugg, founder of Chugg EntertainmentPetrina Convey, owner and director of UNITY. MgmtFred Leone, artistNathan McLay, CEO of Future ClassicDr Sophie Payten (Gordi), artist
Australia Council Board of Creative Australia:Adrian Collette AMRobert Morgan (Chair)Wesley Enoch AM (Deputy Chair)Rosheen GarnonStephen FoundChristine Simpson Stokes AMPhilip WatkinsAlexandra DimosCaroline BowditchCourtney StewartKitty TaylorLindy LeeCaroline WoodAmanda Jackes
Songwriters now have a new prize to aim for, one that carries the name of arguably the greatest of them all — Bob Dylan.
The Bob Dylan Center Songwriter Fellowship will be awarded each year to two songwriters, an initiative that identifies, mentors and develops rising talent, doing so with the resources of the Bob Dylan Center in Tulsa, OK.
An initiative of Universal Music Publishing Group and BDC, each Fellowship includes a $40,000 project stipend, public engagement and presentation opportunities, dedicated time in the Bob Dylan Archive to study the legendary artist’s creative process, roundtrip airfare to Tulsa and accommodations, mentorship from the music publishing giant’s songwriters and executives, recording time, and more.
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Joining the initial judges panel are Juliette Armanet, Patty Griffin, John Mellencamp, Carla Morrison and Nas.
The Fellowship is “core to our mission of educating, motivating and inspiring visitors to engage their own capacity as creators,” comment BDC director Steven Jenkins, “and we cannot wait to hear the entries from undiscovered talent around the world.”
Eligible creators from around the globe can submit their work from now through Oct. 18, 2023. To meet the Fellowship criteria, entrants must be 18 years or older and unsigned to a publishing agreement of any kind at the time of the Fellowship start date, May, 1, 2024.
“This is an unprecedented opportunity to connect developing talent with the works of one of the greatest songwriters of all time,” comments UMPG COO Marc Cimino, adding, “we look forward to developing a new group of songwriters in this unique environment.”
The Fellowship, which runs from May 2024 through April 2025, is presented 15 months after the grand opening of the BDC, the museum and archive celebrating the Nobel laureate’s work.
Its 100,000-item collection was acquired in 2016 by the George Kaiser Family Foundation for an estimated $20 million. Visitors get a full-picture of Dylan’s career, including handwritten manuscripts, notebooks and correspondence; films, videos, photographs and artwork; unreleased studio and concert recordings; musical instruments and more.
For further details visit bobdylancenter.com/songwriterfellowship.
John Farnham is cancer-free and feeling like “the luckiest man alive.”
The legendary Australian singer shared the good news to mark the anniversary of a marathon operation to remove a cancerous growth from his mouth.
“It’s been a year since my first surgery and to be honest I’ve lost count as to how many other procedures there’s been since then. I’m sure someone’s kept track of them all — let’s just say, there’s been a few,” he writes in a statement.
“But, I’m home now and I’m a very grateful and happy man.”
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The 74-year-old artist underwent eight weeks of radiation treatment after that initial surgery, and was given the “all clear” from doctors last month.
“It’s only now that I can start to appreciate and comprehend, for myself, how many messages of love and support have been sent to me over the past year,” he adds. “I don’t know what to say, other than thank you so very much. It honestly means the world to me.”
And how did he mark the anniversary of his surgery? By enjoying a pizza — “because I can,” he remarked. “I can’t wait to see what might be next on the menu. Bring on 2024.”
Farnham is one of Australia’s most successful — and most recognizable — recording artists, with hits across five decades.
The greatest of them all is “You’re the Voice,” which led the Australian chart (then the Kent Music Report) and peaked at No. 6 on the Official U.K. Chart. “You’re The Voice” and Men At Work’s “Down Under” are regarded in these parts as the “unofficial” national anthems.
The hit single appeared on 1986’s Whispering Jack, the first record to sell over a million copies in Australia. To this day, Whispering Jack is recognized as the highest-selling Australian album in ARIA history, with more than 1.6 million copies shifted.
Farnham has been saluted with multiple awards and honors, including the 1987 Australian of the Year, he was made Officer of the Order of Australia in 1996, he’s collected 21 ARIA Awards — the most by a solo artist — and inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2003.
When Farnham was admitted to hospital earlier this year to combat a chest infection, fans feared the worst. But the singer, as he has done throughout his recording career, made a strong comeback.
In May of this year, he was the subject of a feature-length documentary, John Farnham: Finding The Voice, released through Sony Pictures, with a companion soundtrack through Wheatley Records / Sony Music Australia. The doc went on to become Australia’s highest-grossing feature-length music documentary of all time, and the LP debuted at No. 2 on the ARIA Chart, for his 20th top 10 appearance.
Oliver Anthony Music topped the Hot 100 this week and we’re taking a look at his rapid rise and his controversial start. Drake’s son Adonis created the cover art for his new album ‘For All The Dogs.’ Flo Rida held a little fan while performing his hit song ‘Low.’ Echosmith siblings Sydney and Noah Sierota […]