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The Billboard Music Awards are around the corner, and we have the roundup on all the finalists. From Taylor Swift to Jung Kook, keep watching to see who made it into the finals!

Tetris Kelly:

Billboard Music Awards time is here! We have the date of our big event along with a list of the top finalists including a battle of Kpop heavyweights all here with Billboard News. Zach Bryan leads the 2024 BBMA finalists. He is up for 18 awards. Taylor Swift, the most decorated female BBMAs artist of all time, is a finalist in 16 categories with 17 total entries. And top global Kpop artists sees a face-off between ENHYPEN, Jimin, TXT, Stray Kids, and Jung Kook. The 2024 BBMAs hosted by Michelle Buteau are set to air on Dec. 12 at 8:00 PM ET/PT. You’ll find the show on FOX and Fire TV channels, on-demand on Paramount+, with performances also rolling out across Billboard.com, and our socials. We’ll see you there!

SZA surprised fans and friends with her announcement of a new album before the year ends. Keep watching to see how she announced her new music!

Tetris Kelly:
While appearing on Kai Cenat’s livestream, Grammy winner and “Kill Bill” singer SZA teased that she will be dropping a new album, Lana, before the end of 2024. 

SZA:
It will be out before the year is over.

Tetris Kelly:
The announcement of the album dropping this year was not only a surprise to fans, but to Kai and Lizzo, who was also a guest with SZA on the stream.

Lizzo:
Ayeeee…

Kai Cenat:
New album drop!

Tetris Kelly:
It looks like SZA isn’t taking another five-year gap between projects as she had done with CTRL in 2017 and SOS in 2022. If SZA’s album drops this year, it wouldn’t be the first time she dropped an album late in the fourth quarter. The R&B singer released her second LP, SOS, right before the end of the year on Dec. 9, 2022. An album that debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and broke the record for the biggest streaming week for an R&B album. She also was recently featured on label mate Kendrick Lamar’s latest LP, GNX, so SZA is clearly ending the year on a high.

Stay tuned for more here at Billboard News.

Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” ties a Hot 100 record.

Tetris Kelly:
History is made on this week’s chart, and we have the details. This is the Billboard Hot 100 top 10 for the week, dated Nov. 30. Morgan Wallen is still at 10, as is Benson at No. 9. Sabrina at No. 8, Post and Morgan holding at seven, and Gracie Abrams at six. “Espresso” falls to number five, while Teddy Swims moves up to four. Billie Eilish is locked in at three. Gaga and Bruno are still at No. 2. And at 19 weeks, tying the record for longest running No. 1 track in the Hot 100 history is Shaboozey.

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Diplo & Switch of Major Lazer sit down and share everything you need to know about the group. From first meeting to picking out their name, to creating ‘Guns Don’t Kill People… Lazers Do,’ the duo share stories about their time together, their journey over the last 15 years and more!

Katie Bain:

I’m here with Diplo and Switch. We’re here to talk about the 15 year anniversary of the seminal major laser album, ‘Guns Don’t Kill People… Lazers Do.’ To start, how are you guys feeling about it being 15 years ago now, what does that bring up for you? 

Diplo:

Well, we’re old now. We’ve been doing it- 

Switch:

We’re slower. 

Diplo:

It’s crazy that we actually have been still having our careers 15 years and still like loving music, and we’re still the same kind of creative people. I think me and Dave have known each other for so long, and it’s cool to still be friends and come together and be able to work and share ideas and to come from that world. So it’s it’s cool that we can keep doing it. 

Switch:

Yeah? It’s true. Actually, Jamaica, out of anywhere in the world, is kind of like, every time you go there, there’s something new to pick up on or buy. Do you know what I mean? It feels brand new every time you go there. 

Do you guys remember the first time that you met? 

Diplo:

It was at Fabric wasn’t it? 

Switch 

Yeah, London, yeah. London. 

Diplo:

I think I told the story recently, but Dave could correct me if I was wrong. We both played Fabric. It was like, he was a resident there, and he was like in a house room.

Keep watching for more!

Kendrick Lamar surprised fans on Nov. 22 by dropping his new album, GNX. Keep watching to hear some of his new tracks and how the rapper dropped it!

Tetris Kelly:
He gave us no warning! Kendrick Lamar just surprise released new album GNX, and we have the details in this week’s Music You Should Know. The rap icon started with a teaser video that got fans excited, but then immediately followed up with the 12-track GNX album. The album has SZA joining her former TDE buddy on “Luther,” while Dot bounces off a sample of Debbie Deb’s “When I Hear Music” for “Squabble Up.” It’s been a big year for the “Not Like Us” rapper, and next year is even bigger. Kendrick is taking the stage at the Super Bowl in 2025 and grabbed seven nominations at next year’s Grammy ceremony. GNX is available now.

Cody Johnson’s producer Trent Willmon said “kicking shaboozey” during his acceptance speech at the 2024 CMA Awards. Keep watching to see what he said, how Shaboozey responded and more.

Tetris Kelly:
Shaboozey is keeping it classy after some online believe he was shaded at the CMAs. It was by country star Cody Johnson’s producer Trent Willmon during the acceptance speech for album of the year.

Trent Willmon:
This is for a cowboy who’s been kicking shaboozey for a lot of years, y’all.

Tetris Kelly:
Not one to take things to heart, Shaboozey took to X with a selfie and a caption that read, “Ain’t nobody kicking me!”

Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” has sat atop the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 for 18 nonconsecutive weeks. He’s currently one week away from setting a new record and has also made history as the first Black man to top the Hot Country Songs chart and the top 100. Though fans are saying he was snubbed at the CMAs, he’s still in the award hunt this season, as he’s nominated for five Grammys in 2025, for best country song, best country solo performance and song of the year. Shaboozey is also up for best new artist and for best melodic rap performance for his collaboration with Beyoncé and Linda Martell on “Spaghetti.” So as they say, it’s on to the next one. The “good news” is we’re looking forward to seeing Shaboozey at the Grammys on Feb. 2. Billboard reached out to reps for both Johnson and Willmon for comment. Stay tuned for music news here at Billboard.