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CMA Fest 2023 came to a close Sunday night (June 11) at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, celebrating its milestone 50th anniversary with a stacked lineup of some of country music’s brightest stars across multiple decades, demonstrating the enduring impact of the genre on generations of fans. The lineup featured one of the best-selling groups in […]
Australian comedian Barry Humphries, internationally renowned for his over-the-top stage persona Dame Edna Everage, is posthumously awarded a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) as part of the King’s Birthday Honours celebrations.
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Humphries, who died last month, aged 89, was saluted with the highest honor for “eminent service to the arts” as a comedian, actor, author, satirist and entertainer, and for “the promotion of Australian culture, and as a patron of organisations”. Just six ACs were awarded, from a total list of 1,191 Australians recognized for their achievements.
A law school dropout, Humphries found major success as an actor, writer and entertainer in Britain in the 1970s, both with his Dame Edna creation, the grotesque cultural attache Sir Les Patterson, and others characters. He remained an active entertainer, touring Britain last year with his one-man show The Man Behind the Mask.
The late funnyman leads recipients from the fields of entertainment and music, which includes soprano Marina Prior, who was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia (OAM) for her “significant service to musical theatre as a singer and performer.”
Also, Dead Can Dance co-founder Lisa Gerrard was appointed Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for “service to the performing arts through music.”
The honors roll marks the first time birthday salutes were awarded on behalf of King Charles, following his coronation in May.
The awards were established in 1975 by Queen Elizabeth II of England and the commonwealth states, which include Australia, in recognition of special achievements by the country’s citizens. Until now, they’ve been known as Queen’s Birthday Honours.
“Recipients have made substantial contributions and had a significant impact at the local, national or international level,” reads a statement from the Governor-General. “Some are volunteers, others have had a remarkable impact in professional roles – many have done both. They are all inspiring and their service is valued by us all.”
Dave and Central Cee’s “Sprinter” (via Live Yours/Neighbourhood) does just like its namesake, as it bolts to the U.K. No. 1 in record-setting fashion.
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The hip-hop collaboration scores the biggest streaming week ever for a rap song in the U.K., the Official Charts Company reports, for Dave’s third leader and Central Cee’s first.
The outright leader at the midweek point, “Sprinter” races to 108,200 chart sales, according to the charts compiler, for the biggest opening of 2023. That sum includes 13.4 million streams, for the biggest-ever week for a rap single, beating Stormzy’s “Vossi Bop” which accumulated 12.7 million streams in one cycle back in May 2019.
That’s the biggest opening week for streams since Adele’s “Easy On Me” posted 24 million plays in its first seven days in October 2021.
Previously, Dave hit the summit with 2018’s “Funky Friday” with Fredo and in 2022 with “Starlight,” while Central Cee’s previous best was a No. 2 peak for 2022’s “Doja.”
“Sprinter” also nabs a piece of chart history in Australia, by coming the first U.K. rap single to debut at No. 1 on the ARIA Chart.
It’s one of three top 20 U.K. debuts from Dave and Central Cee’s surprise EP drop, Split Decision, as “Trojan Horse” gallops to No. 14 and “UK Rap” is new at No. 17.
Meanwhile, Sweden’s 2023 Eurovision champ Loreen taps a well of energy on the Official U.K. Singles Chart, published Friday, June 9, as “Tattoo” (Polydor) bounces 10-7 in its fourth week on the tally, while Rudimental improves 11-8 with “Dancing Is Healing” (Room Two) featuring Charlotte Plank and Vibe Chemistry, for the British drum & bass act’s first top 10 single in five years.
Kylie Minogue is within a whisker of the top 10 with her comeback track “Padam Padam” (BMG). The Aussie pop princess’ electro-pop cut lifts 23-12 for her highest-charting single in the U.K. since “Higher with Taio Cruz” went to No. 8 in 2011.
The queen of pop, Madonna, bags a 72nd top 40 appearance with “Popular” (Republic Records/XO), her collaboration with the Weeknd and Playboi Carti. Lifted from HBO’s The Idol, the new cut bows at No. 21 for Madonna’s highest-charting U.K. single since “Celebration” reached No. 3 in 2009. It’s the Weeknd’s 34th top 40 appearance, and Playboi’s second.
Finally, Dundee, Scotland DJ Hannah Laing and vocalist RoRo has the biggest gainer in the U.K. with “Good Love” (WUGD), up 63-22.
The Foos fought all the way to the finishing line, as But Here We Are (via Columbia) wins a tight U.K. chart race.
Foo Fighters’ 11th and latest studio album becomes their sixth leader in the U.K., racking up 44,500 chart units during the latest cycle.
But Here We Are follows One By One (2002), Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace (2007), Wasting Light (2011), Concrete And Gold (2017) and their most recent effort, 2021’s Medicine At Midnight, by marching to the top of the Official U.K. Albums Chart.
Dave Grohl and Co. are currently on the road supporting the new LP, recorded in the wake of the sudden death last year of drummer Taylor Hawkins. Brits will likely have to wait until 2024 for their tune to catch the Foos in action.
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But Here We Are manages to overturn a deficit at the halfway point, to deny Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds another crown with Council Skies (Sour Mash).
The legendary British rocker starts at No. 2 with Council Birds, ending a record-owning streak of 10 studio albums dating back nearly three decades. Gallagher’s unbroken run included all seven albums with Oasis and the previous three with High Flying Birds.
Council Skies, which enjoyed a late push from a digital exclusives campaign powered by Serenade, and finishes the chart week as the best-seller on wax, is Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds fifth top 5 title on the Official Chart.
Further down the list, published Friday, June 9, Sophie Ellis-Bextor bags her fifth U.K. top 10, as HANA (Cooking Vinyl) bows at No. 8, while another veteran British pop artist, Louise, just misses out on a top tier berth with Greatest Hits (BMG), new at No. 11.
Finally, Bob Dylan lands a 67th career top 40 entry with Shadow Kingdom (Sony Music CG). The new album, a collection of studio recordings of the songs that appeared in the master songwriter’s 2021 streaming special, starts at No. 14 on the U.K. survey.
Just days after the Foo Fighters announced another stadium lap of Australia, the rock legends land at No. 1 with their new album, But Here We Are (via RCA/Sony).
The Foos’ 11th studio LP becomes their ninth leader on the ARIA Chart, following One By One (2002), In Your Honor (2005), Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace (2007), Greatest Hits (2009), Wasting Light (2011), Sonic Highways (2014), Concrete And Gold (2017), and their most recent LP, 2021’s Medicine At Midnight.
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Earlier in the week, the Foos confirmed a major jaunt in November and December of this year, produced by Frontier Touring.
Coming in at No. 2 on the national albums survey is Stray Kids, new at No. 2 with 5-Star (ING). It’s the K-pop act’s third charted release in Australia following Noeasy, which peaked at No. 14 in 2021; and the EP Maxident, with a No. 4 peak in 2022. Stray Kids has an Aussie connection; band mates Bang Chan and Felix both hail from these parts.
Completing an all-new top three is Metro Boomin Presents Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse (Republic/Universal). Metro Boomin’s Spidey soundtrack, which features guest appearances from Swae Lee, Future, Nas, 21 Savage, Lil Wayne, ASAP Rocky, James Blake and 2 Chainz, is new at No. 3.
Further down the list, homegrown punk-rock trio DZ Deathrays bags a fifth top 50 appearance with R.I.F.F. (Orchard). It’s new at No. 8, for the award-winning act’s third stint in the top 10, following Bloody Lovely (No. 4 in 2018) and Positive Rising: Part 2 (No. 4 in 2021).
Over on the ARIA Singles Chart, Dave and Central Cee are the top sprinters as the British hip-hop artists team up for a fresh No. 1.
“Sprinter” (via Virgin Music Australia/Universal) races to the summit, becoming the first U.K. hip-hop single to debut at the top, and ending the eight-week reign of Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” (Republic/Universal), down 1-2.
The first U.K. rap single to scale the Australian chart mountain was Russ Millions and Tion Wayne’s “Body,” completing a six-week climb in May 2021.
“Sprinter” is the first Australian chart leader for both acts. Dave’s previous best in Australia was No. 8 for 2022’s “Starlight,” and Central Cee’s top effort was 2022’s “Doja,” which reached No. 3. Based on midweek sales and streaming data published by the Official Charts Company, “Sprinter” is also on track for the U.K. No. 1.
Meanwhile, Dua Lipa’s shimmies into the Australian top 20 with “Dance The Night” (Atlantic/Warner), lifted from the soundtrack to the forthcoming Barbie movie. “Dance” rises 22-14 for the Brit’s 12th top 20 hit in Australia, ARIA reports. It’s some way from contesting her biggest career hit here, her collaboration with Elton John on “Cold Heart,” remixed by homegrown electronic trio PNAU, which logged 10 weeks at No. 1 in 2021 and 2022.
Finally, the Queen of Pop makes a long overdue appearance in the top tier. “Popular” (Universal) by the Weekend, Playboi Carti and Madonna debuts at No. 24 on the ARIA Singles Chart, published June 9. The last time Madonna appeared in the top 30 was in 2012, when “Give Me All Your Luvin’” with Nicki Minaj and M.I.A reached No. 25.
Today (June 9), Janelle Monae swims back into the limelight with Age of Pleasure, her first album in five years.
The predecessor to her 2018 acclaimed effort Dirty Computers is 14 tracks deep and includes features from Grace Jones, CKay, Amaarae, Doechii, and more. Her single, “Lipstick Lover,” remains a sticky summer jam that sparked conversation since its release last month.
“That song, ‘Lipstick Lover,’ I’m like, ‘Why didn’t I write this song years ago?’ Because if you know me … Today, I don’t have on any red lipstick, but I’m always in red lipstick. And there have been so many instances where I’ve made out with somebody at a party, and it’s dark,” she said in her interview with Zane Lowe following the song’s release. “Nobody notices it. But when the lights come on, whoever I’ve made out with, lipstick all over their face. And then I’ve also been on the receiving end of a human … who’s so attractive. … Or I’ll get home, and I’m like, ‘Oh my God. I have lipstick all over my face.’ And I’ve also been the ‘Lipstick Lover’ where … you know exactly who I kissed.”
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Monae also explained to Lowe how the songs from her new album came from honesty.
“All the songs were written from such an honest space,” she began. “And what I’m super excited about with The Age of Pleasure. The Age of Pleasure is that … Listen, I’ve had my age of depression. I’ve had my age of anxiety. I’ve had my age of struggle. And again, it’s not like life is pleasurable every single day, but I think I have actively just sought out … How do I create a space for myself? How do I redirect my mind on how I’m thinking about things? How do I realize that right now, in this present moment, moments that we’ll never get back, this is where you need to find your pleasure? This is your moment. Don’t let it get confused that five minutes later, we’re going to try to go into doing something different. And again, this is just my experience where I’m at; even though, despite what I may be going through, there’s going to be a moment where this bad moment, I won’t even be around to even discuss it. I won’t.”
Stream Age of Pleasure below.
Niall Horan is welcoming you to The Show. The crooner unveiled his much-anticipated third studio album on Friday (June 9). “This album is a piece of work I’m so proud of and now it’s time to pass it over to you to go and make it your own,” Horan wrote on Instagram when announcing the album […]
The 2023 Heat Latin Music Awards (Premios Heat)—which recognizes renowned and up-and-coming artists who are making a buzz in the Caribbean and Latin American regions—aired live from Cap Cana in The Dominican Republic on Thursday (June 8), and featured many memorable moments.
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Karol G, Feid, and Bad Bunny led the nominations with six each, followed by five-time nominee El Alfa. Romeo Santos and Bizarrap each scooped four nominations.
The big winner of the night was Karol G, who took home the coveted song of the year award for “Provenza.”
But beyond awarding the best urban artist, the best new artist, the best music video, and the best collaboration, to name a few categories, Premios Heat captured star-studded performances, special awards and tributes, and memorable speeches.
Below, check out some of the best highlights from the eighth edition of the Heat Latin Music Awards:
1. Hottest Song of the Moment: On the Premios Heat carpet, Billboard asked artists to share the hottest song of the moment and the answers ranged from perreo to pop. Reggaeton veteran Maldy said the song he can’t stop listening to — and dedicates to his wife — is YNG LVCAS and Peso Pluma’s “La Bebe (Remix).” Mau y Ricky gave Billboard an exclusive and sang a snippet of their upcoming collaboration with Argentine newcomer La Joaqui. Also, LAGOS crooned us with Lasso’s “Ojos Marrones,” which he helped compose.
2. Jay Wheeler’s in Love: The Puerto Rican artist, who’s making the rounds with his single “Pacto,” arrived at the Premios Heat with his wife and Venezuelan singer Zhamira Zambrano. It was a special night for the newlyweds as they not only took center stage to perform their pop ballad “Dicelo” but Wheeler also nabbed the award for best artist north region. “Don’t be afraid to fall in love because it’s beautiful. I’m married and I’m very happy,” he said during his acceptance speech.
3. Mike Bahia’s Surprise Award: At the eighth edition of Premios Heat, Colombian artist Mike Bahía was surprised with a special award called Lo + Heat for being part of the Heat family since its inauguration in 2015. During his acceptance speech, Bahía expressed that life has been in charge of reminding him not to quit. “Today I realize why life reminds me how beautiful it is to walk with a team. It wouldn’t make sense if I didn’t have someone to share it with. Love and honor your family always,” he said.
4. The New Wave of Latin Acts: The Heat Latin Music Awards is known for not only supporting up-and-coming Latin artists but also offering a platform where their hard work is recognized. Keeping their mission firm, this year’s awards show included a segment where a wave of emerging acts took center stage. They were Mar Rendon, who performed a rock version of Nek’s “Laura No Esta;” Teo (Fanny Lu’s son), who performed a medley of two original songs; Kunno and Dayanara, who performed their collaboration “El Ganado;” Xofi, who performed an infectious bachata; and Elena Rose, who performed “Bayamón.”
5. A Grupo Niche Tribute: Premios Heat celebrated the 43-year trajectory of Grupo Niche for its impact on music with a star-studded tribute. Joining the Colombian salsa group on stage to sing some of their timeless hits were Eddy Herrera, Mike Bahía, Yahaira Plasencia, and Yeison Jimenez. “This award is and will always be for Jairo Varela, creator of this iconic band,” the ensemble said during its acceptance speech.
King Stingray adds another major prize to their growing collection, winning the 2023 Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition with “Milkumana.”
Co-written by bandmates Roy Kellaway and Yirrŋa Gotjiringu Yunupingu, “Milkumana” scores the A$50,000 prize, courtesy of APRA AMCOS, Alberts and Sony Music Publishing — a sum said to be the biggest first-place bounty for any songwriting competition on the planet.
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The Stingers, as they’re affectionately known in these parts, have been riding a wave in recent months.
“Milkumana” won for best song at the 2022 National Indigenous Music Awards, was shortlisted for APRA song of the year 2022, and was nominated for most performed rock work of the year at the most recent edition of the APRA Music Awards, on a night when they closed out proceedings with a cover of Men at Work’s “Down Under,” led by Colin Hay.
Their trophy cabinet includes the 2023 Australian Music Prize, presented earlier this year for the Yolŋu surf rockers’ self-titled debut LP; the Michael Gudinski breakthrough artist award, presented at the 2022 ARIA Awards; and best new artist at the 2022 Rolling Stone Australia Awards.
The winning song “is about leadership and the people we look up to and now, all of a sudden, we’ve become leaders in our community and that concept is just so amazing. We come from a small place and we’re singing about big things,” comments Kellaway. “Thanks so much for the love, we can’t believe it.”
Second place (and the A$10,000 prize) goes to “Ready for the Sky” by Budjerah, co-written by Budjerah with Ainslie Wills, while the Stingers snagged third place (and an additional A$5,000) for “Camp Dog,” written by Kellaway.
Among the winners announced Thursday (June 8) was “Worst Taste In Girls” by Charley, co-written by Charley, Antonio Egizii and David Musumeci, which scoops the the AMPAL emerging songwriter prize (A$5,000), while the inaugural American Songwriter Spotlight Award was presented to Tia P., the Los Angeles hip-hop artist and songwriter who wins the A$1,500 cash prize and a forthcoming feature on the American Songwriter for her song “That Action.”
This year’s competition received 2,950 entries from 45 countries, organizers say. Each entry carries a A$50 fee, which this year raised a total of A$147,500, all of which supports the services of Noro Music Therapy Australia.
Named after the iconic songwriters and founding members of The Easybeats, Harry Vanda and the late George Young, the competition first took place in December 2009, and has since raised nearly A$1.75 million for the charity.
The 2023 judging panel featured artists, producers, media and music industry professionals including reps from The Brag Media, Double J, Jaxsta, Billboard, iHeartRadio, Amazon Music, Universal Music Australia, EMI Music Australia, American Songwriter and more.
Previous winners include Genesis Owusu in 2022, Thelma Plum in 2020, Amy Shark (2018), Gretta Ray (2016), Isabella Manfredi (2013), Kimbra (2011) and Megan Washington (2009).
Visit APRAAMCOS.com.au for more.