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Avril Lavigne won the fan-voted Fan Choice Award for the fourth time at the 2023 Juno Awards on Monday (March 13). And she reminded fans why they love her with her deft handling of a topless stage-crasher.
When Lavigne was introducing a performance by AP Dhillon, the first Punjabi artist to perform at the Junos, a topless woman appeared on the stage behind her. According to a CBC News report, a message written on her back appeared to read “SAVE THE GREEN BELT” — an apparent reference to a controversial development plan by the Ontario government.
Lavigne turned around and told her to “get the f— off,” and the protester left the stage.
The moment recalled the most famous stage-crashing incident at a music awards show, when a stage crasher with the words Soy Bomb scrawled on his chest was able to get on stage at the 40th Annual Grammy Awards at Radio City Music Hall in New York in 1998. He gyrated while Bob Dylan was performing “Love Sick.” Dylan endured the strange moment stoically and just kept on playing.
Lavigne, by contrast, put the woman in her place. When she later won the Fan Choice Award, Lavigne joked about her take-charge attitude. “Now nobody try anything this time. I’ll f— a b—- up.”
Marvel star Simon Liu (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings), who hosted the show for the second year, praised Lavigne for “handling that topless lady like a champion.”
The 52nd Annual Juno Awards were held at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta. Just five competitive awards were presented on the two-hour show. More than 40 awards had been presented at the Juno Opening Night Awards on Saturday (March 11), which allowed the Monday telecast to focus on performances by Tenille Townes, Alexisonfire, Aysanabee, Jessie Reyez, Tate McRae, AP Dhillon, Banx & Ranx, Preston Pablo and Rêve, as well as a 50th anniversary to hip-hop which focused on Canadian hip-hop talent.
The Weeknd won five awards over the course of the two nights. These five awards bring The Weeknd’s total of Juno Awards to 22, which puts him in second place on the all-time Juno leaderboard. Anne Murray continues to lead all artists with 25 Junos.
Abel Tesfaye won four of those awards at the Juno Opening Night Awards, which was livestreamed from the Edmonton Convention Centre. On the live telecast, he won one more award — album of the year for FM Dawn. It was his third win in the category, following Beauty Behind the Madness and After Hours. But he wasn’t on hand to accept his honor, which led to ringing boos from the audience.
The Weeknd has famously been on the outs with the Grammys since the annual ceremony gave him a grand total of zero nominations in the year of “Blinding Lights,” one of the biggest and best singles of recent years. But the Junos have showered him with awards. It’s easy to see why the audience felt he was disrespecting them by not showing up.
The Weeknd has yet to win the Fan Choice Award. Lavigne, by contrast, is one of only three artists to win it four or more times. Justin Bieber leads with five wins in the category. Shawn Mendes has also won it four times. (Either Lavigne or Mendes has won the award in each of the last seven years.)
Toronto singer Jessie Reyez won the first award of the night, contemporary R&B recording of the year for her 2022 album Yessie. The Weeknd had won the award in each of the last two years.
Nickelback was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. Actor Ryan Reynolds called the band “the pride of Alberta” during a pre-taped segment, which was followed by an onstage introduction from Edmonton Oilers hockey player Connor McDavid.
The band closed the show with a performance with included such global hits as “Rockstar” and “How You Remind Me.”
Rappers Haviah Mighty and Kardinal Offishall introduced a 50th anniversary tribute to hip-hop in Canada.
“One of my favourite MCs went on to be the world’s favorite,” said Kardinal Offishall, referring to Drake. “The world would not look the same if it wasn’t for the unprecedented talent, influence and vision of [a man] like Drake. He continued to open doors and help focus the world’s attention on our thriving hip hop scene.”
Kardinal Offishall is best known in the U.S. for his 2008 single “Dangerous” (featuring Akon), a top five single on the Billboard Hot 100.
Maestro Fresh-Wes, who won the first Juno for rap album of the year (1991’s Symphony in Effect), announced this year’s winner, TOBi’s Shall I Continue?
Here are the nominees in the categories that were presented on the live telecast, with winners checked.
Here’s our report on the winners from Saturday’s Opening Night Juno Awards.
TikTok Juno Fan Choice
WINNER: Avril Lavigne, Warner
Lauren Spencer-Smith, Island/Republic*Universal
MacKenzie Porter, Big Loud*Independent
Preston Pablo, 31 East*Universal
Rêve, 31 East*Universal
Shawn Mendes, Island*Universal
Tate McRae, RCA*Sony
The Reklaws, Starseed*Independent
The Weeknd, XO*Universal
Tyler Shaw, Sony
Album of the year
Who Hurt You?, Ali Gatie, Warner
Love Sux, Avril Lavigne, Warner
Demons Protected by Angels, NAV, XO*Universal
i used to think i could fly, Tate McRae, RCA*Sony
WINNER: Dawn FM, The Weeknd, XO*Universal
Breakthrough artist of the year
Dax, Columbia*Sony
Devon Cole, Arista*Sony
WINNER: Preston Pablo, 31 East*Universal
RealestK, Columbia*Sony
Rêve, 31 East*Universal
Rap album/EP of the year
GONZO, Boslen, Capitol*Universal
Retrospected (Acoustic), Classified, Halflife*Universal
The Fleur Print Vol. 2, Jazz Cartier, Petal Garden*Believe
Demons Protected by Angels, NAV, XO*Universal
WINNER: Shall I Continue?, TOBi, RCA
Contemporary R&B recording of the year
“When Flowers Bloom,” Adria Kain, ArtHaus*Warner
“If I Get Caught,” dvsn, OVO
“No Longer in the Suburbs,” Dylan Sinclair, Five Stone*The Orchard
WINNER: “Yessie,” Jessie Reyez, Island*Universal
“WTF,” Savannah Ré, Universal
Canadian Music Hall of Fame Inductee Award
Nickelback
MusiCounts Teacher of the Year Award
Jewel Casselman, Lakewood School, Winnipeg
Garth Brooks put forth a call for unity to radio programmers at Country Radio Seminar during a Monday (March 13) session, asking them to use their platform for good.
“How divided is this nation right now and who on the planet has a single voice to cover this entire nation? You do,” he said, in a session moderated by CRS executive director RJ Curtis. “Think about what you say when you open your mouth on those airwaves. Think about the music you play. Do the people listening to your station feel better about the future than they did [before]?”
He continued with a dire warning if cooler, more unified heads don’t prevail. “You’ve got a big voice. This country needs a big voice spreading the most important thing and that’s love. People, I’m telling you, with the Internet, people, if it keeps going the way it is civil war is waiting for this country again. It will be here before your children grow up,” he said. “Those are real voices behind those real microphones talking to those real people [at radio]. Unify them. Find that common ground. Amplify our similarities instead of our differences.”
He also gave programmers a tough love pep talk as terrestrial radio finds itself competing streaming.
“You guys have convinced yourselves for some reason you are the victim of streaming. You have convinced yourself that your time is coming to an end,” he said. “People, I am promising you radio’s time is not coming to an end. What radio has that streaming will never have is discovery. I can’t ask for anything new on Alexa. Alexa doesn’t know how to play anything new. You guys get to play it all and we get to hear if first through you.”
He then went on to tell an anecdote that flies in the face of the popularity of on-demand listening about turning to terrestrial radio while working on his truck and, as the hours go by, hearing a new song repeatedly that he grows fonder of each time he hears it until it becomes his favorite song. “If I had the option of going ‘next,’ I would never have heard the song. That’s a gift you have. Do not take it lightly,” he said. “You guys will forever be discovery. That’s the coolest part of this business.”
The purpose for Brooks’ appearance was to tout the Garth Brooks “No Fences” Award, which was announced in November and will be handed out at CRS starting in 2024. The award will honor someone in the country music community who has “defied traditional standards and practices, positively changed the face of the industry, and established higher standards for measuring success,” as well as raised country music’s profile on a national level for a sustained duration.
Curtis and Brooks looked back to the superstar’s first visit to CRS in February 1989, when his first single, “Much Too Young (to Feel This Damn Old),” was struggling at radio. Brooks and his team, including managers Bob Doyle and Pam Lewis, roamed the halls greeting programmers and handing out buttons, now collector’s items, with the song title on them.
By the time he returned to CRS a year later in 1990 to debut “Friends in Low Places” at a luncheon, he’d scored four top 10s, including No. 1s with “If Tomorrow Never Comes” and “The Dance.”
While much of the conversation was looking back on those early days, Brooks also gave hints at what is coming up for him, including his new Las Vegas residency at Caesars Palace that begins in May.
While he didn’t give a timetable for when his long awaited bar/entertainment space, Friends in Low Places, would open in Nashville, he said he “owed” Nashville the bar for all the town has given him. He also added, “If there was ever a song that described Lower Broadway…,” to strong audience laughter.
He also alluded to another attraction—“it’s not a museum because I’m not dead”—that will house his archives and will feature interactive exhibits, spanning his entire career. “We’re very fortunate that we own every bit of music that we’ve ever played. We own every frame of footage… we own everything we’ve ever done,” he said. In addition to static displays, he brought up that fans will be able to take photos with his record-breaking seven CMA entertainer of the year awards and with his nine diamond RIAA awards, the most of any artist, for sales of 10 million or more for an album or song. “It’s coming, that’s where the archives live,” he said.
Miley Cyrus’ Endless Summer Vacation is about to kick off with a U.K. No. 1.
The U.S. pop star’s eighth studio album takes the lead at the midway point of the chart week, and is unlikely to be overpowered.
According to the Official Charts Company, Endless Summer Vacation (via RCA) nearly doubles the sales of its nearest competitor, Sleaford Mods’ U.K. Grim (Rough Trade), and is set to become her second chart leader.
Cyrus also led the Official U.K. Albums Chart back in 2013 with Bangerz.
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Endless Summer Vacation is, of course, led by “Flowers,” which has reigned over the Official U.K. Singles Chart for the past eight weeks. Based on midweek singles chart data, “Flowers” is on track for a ninth week at the summit, and album track “River” could bow at No. 13.
As it stands, veteran electronic duo Sleaford Mods could nab a fourth U.K. top 10 — and a career best — with U.K. Grim, on track for a No. 2 start.
Further down the list, legendary Northern Irish singer and songwriter Van Morrison could earn a 17th top 10 with Moving On Skiffle (Exile), coming in at No. 5 on the Official Chart Update.
Also, homegrown country duo Ward Thomas is eyeing a No. 6 entry with Music In Madness (WTW Music), their fifth album release.
Finally, South Korean pop act TWICE is eyeing a slice of chart history with Ready To Be (Republic Records). The EP races to No. 7 on the chart blast, a position that would make TWICE just the second K-pop girl group to land a U.K. top 10 album. The first to do so was Blackpink, which made history in September 2022 when Born Pink debuted at No. 1.
All will be revealed when the Official U.K. Albums Chart is published late Friday.
In a tight U.K. race, it’s the Lathums who take the silverware as the Nothing to a Little Bit More (via Island) debuts at No. 1.
The Wigan, England indie rock group is now two-from-two on the U.K. tally, after their 2021 debut How Beautiful Life Can Be also climbed the U.K.’s chart mountain.
“18,000 Lathums strong and we can’t thank you all enough,” reads a post on the band’s Instagram. “With the outright dedication and power of the community that we have amassed, we have managed to clinch a consecutive No. 1 album with our second body of work. This is a statement for all to hear, that the power we hold together through love and compassion can take us anywhere, and that you can never underestimate the power of the common people.”
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After taking the lead at the midweek point, the Lathums’ latest album squeezed home by just 700 chart sales, as slowthai Ugly (Method) finishes in second place.
The British rapper (real name: Tyron Frampton) now has three consecutive U.K. top 10s, including his Mercury Prize-nominated 2019 debut Nothing Great About Britain (No. 9) and his 2021 chart leader Tyron. Ugly was the week’s best-seller on wax, the Official Charts Company reports.
Further down the list, published March 10, Mimi Webb bows at No. 4 with her debut studio album, Amelia (RCA). It’s the Canterbury, England-born singer and songwriter’s second top 10 appearance, following 2021’s Seven Shades of Heartbreak, which reached No. 9.
The late Eva Cassidy earns a posthumous top 10 with I Can Only Be Me (Blix Street), a collaboration with the London Symphony Orchestra and Australian-British composer Christopher Willis.
I Can Only Be Me becomes the American singer and songwriter’s sixth top 10 title in the U.K., including No. 1s for the 1998 collection Songbird and 2003’s American Tune, both scaling the chart well after her passing in November 1996, following a battle with cancer.
Finally, De La Soul’s 1989 debut 3 Feet High (Chrysalis) rises to No. 12, a new chart high. The album is reissued following the death last month of founding member Trugoy the Dove, and follows the long-overdue release of the hip-hop pioneers’ catalog on streaming services. 3 Feet High originally peaked at No. 13 back in 1990.
J-Hope has gone where no other BTS member has tread — into the U.K. top 40 as a solo artist.
The K-pop star (real name Jung Ho-seok) makes an impact on the Official U.K. Singles Chart, published March 10, with “On The Street,” his collaboration with U.S. rapper J. Cole.
“On The Street” sneaks into the top 40, at No. 37, for the South Korean artist’s first solo appearance in the top tier, and the first for any single member of BTS.
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He’s not the first to try. Among the K-pop superstars’ solo efforts, Jungkook’s “Stay Alive” (No. 89), Jin’s “The Astronaut” (No. 61) and RM’s “Indigo” (No. 45) all charted, though none entered the top frame, the Official Charts Company reports.
The seven-piece, which has been on hiatus since 2022, has collectively scored nine top 40s on the U.K. singles chart, including four top 10s. And on the albums chart, J-Hope, Jin, Suga, RM, Jimin, V and Jungkook have together landed eight top 40s, including U.K. No. 1s for 2019’s Map of the Soul – Persona and 2020’s Map of the Soul – 7.
“On the Street” is J-Hope’s first new solo song since hopping on “Rush Hour” with Korean R&B singer Crush. He has a string of previously-released standalone efforts, “More” and “Arson,” from his 2022 solo album Jack in the Box; the 2019 standalone collaboration with Becky G, “Chicken Noodle Soup”; and a solo mixtape from 2018, Hope World.
J-Hope has had a busy year outside of his regular duties with the all-conquering BTS. His Disney+ documentary, J-Hope in the Box, is now streaming, he was recent named as ambassador for the luxury brand Louis Vuitton; and last month became the second BTS member, following Jin, to enlist for South Korea’s military military service.
All able-bodied male South Korean citizens must serve in the armed forces for at least 18 months — including the members of BTS — though the length of service may vary. Draft begins in the year they turn 18 but the men may postpone it until age 28. In December 2020, the South Korean National Assembly passed the so-called “BTS law” to allow K-pop entertainers to postpone the service until the age of 30, with a recommendation from the culture minister. In another bonus for ARMY, the lads will be free to participate in “national” events for the “public good,” according to the Korea Times.
Miley Cyrus makes it eight straight weeks atop the U.K. singles chart with “Flowers” (Columbia), an effort that places the U.S. pop star in some esteemed company.
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That two-month reign is the longest since LF SYSTEM’s disco number “Afraid to Feel” managed eight weeks at the chart peak from last summer, and the longest-running No. 1 by a female solo artist since Olivia Rodrigo’s breakthrough hit “drivers license” from 2021, which logged nine weeks at the top. The all-time longest streak by a female solo artist in the U.K. belongs to Tones And I, and her song “Dance Monkey” which led for 11 weeks in 2019.
Cyrus will expect to stick around the U.K. charts for some time yet. Her eighth and latest studio album, Endless Summer Vacation, dropped last Friday, March 10.
With Cyrus locking-up the U.K. singles crown for another week, PinkPantheress enters another cycle in the runner-up spot with “Boy’s a liar” (Warner Records).
The gap between the top two tracks appears to be closing, notes the Official Charts Company, as “Boy’s a liar” lifts its game to lead the U.K. in streams. Just 1,000 chart units separate “Flowers” and “Boy’s a liar.”
Completing the podium on the latest Official U.K. Singles Chart is the Weeknd’s 2016 release “Die For You” (Republic Records/XO) up 4-3 following the release of a new cut featuring Ariana Grande.
Meanwhile, Cameroonian-American Afrobeats star Libianca lands her first U.K. Top 10 single with “People” (5K), up 11-8.
This highest debut on the latest chart, published March 10, belongs to Nicki Minaj with “Red Ruby Da Sleeze” (Republic Records). It’s new at No. 30 for the Trinidadian rap star’s 41st U.K. top 40 appearance.
And there’s a new entry from BTS’ J-Hope with “On The Street” (BigHit Entertainment), featuring J Cole. It’s new at No. 37, marking the first top 40 appearance by a solo member of BTS.
Finally, honors for the biggest climb goes to rapper Jayo, whose “22” (The Flight Club) explodes 67-32 on the U.K. tally, for the north Londoner’s first top 40 entry.
Lady Gaga was full of surprises when she appeared at the 2023 Oscars, delivering an unexpected performance and offering a helping hand to an unfortunate photographer.
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Proving her Mother Monster instincts are strong, Gaga was first to the scene when, while walking the red carpet, a photog appeared to take a tumble.
Footage shared by Access Hollywood shows the “Poker Face” star taking a sharp left turn for the guest, then heading over to check on his condition. After exchanging some words, Gaga appears to give the man a clean bill of health, adjusts her game face and rejoins the party.
It was just another moment in a big day for Gaga, who wasn’t initially expected to a big part of the Oscars, where her song “Hold My Hand” from Top Gun: Maverick was nominated for best original song.
Earlier, Oscars executive producer and showrunner Glenn Weiss stated that Gaga would not be performing, due to the demands of her co-starring role in the Joker: Folie à Deux, which is currently shooting.
Surprise! Gaga did hit the stage for a stripped-down rendition of the action-film anthem.
“I wrote this song with my friend BloodPop for the film Top Gun: Maverick in my studio basement,” she said at the top of her performance. “It’s deeply personal for me, and I think that we all need each other. We need a lot of love to walk through this life, and we all need a hero sometimes. There’s heroes all around us, in unassuming places, but you might find that you can be your own hero even if you feel broken inside.”
There was another surprise to come when the award went to “Naatu Naatu” from RRR, with music by M. M. Keeravani and lyrics by Chandrabose.
Gaga previously won the Oscar for best original song at the 2019 Academy Awards, for her Hot 100-topping Bradley Cooper duet “Shallow” from A Star Is Born.
Watch Gaga’s red carpet assist below.
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Xscape is currently on a television screen near you! The ’90s girl group — Kandi Burruss, Tameka “Tiny” Harris and Tamika Scott — sat down with Billboard News to detail what fans can expect from their new Bravo television show, SWV & Xscape: The Queens of R&B, which premiered this past weekend.
“The Queens of R&B show, which is SWV and Xscape, it’s showing the ins and outs of our lives personally and collectively and as a group. And we’re trying to do something that we’ve never done with another ’90s group, the SWV girls,” Harris told Gail Mitchell, Billboard executive director of R&B/Hip-Hop. “You’re gonna see a lot of back-and-forth with our own group, and we have moments, and Xscape and SWV are not going to always be getting along. You’ll see a different side of us and everybody on this new Bravo show.”
Scott revealed that she and the rest of the group were initially hesitant to do the show with SWV because friendship does not always translate to a positive working relationship.
“One main reason we were really cautious going into this with our friends … because we know how hard it is with us already. We’ve known each other since we’ve been 15,” she said. “Sometimes it’s hard to do business with friends and family because you have to have different hats. You got to know when to take off the sister hat and put on the boss hat.”
SWV & Xscape: The Queens of R&B premiered Sunday on Bravo. The series will feature five more parts, and will follow both groups as they prepare a joint concert experience.
Watch Xscape’s interview on Billboard News in the video above.
We have exciting new music from Miley Cyrus, Meghan Trainor, and more! deadmau5 and Kaskade talk about their EDM Supergroup Kx5, Glendale, Arizona will get a temporary name change to celebrate Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, Coi Leray takes us behind the scenes of her electric Rolling Loud LA performance, and more!