Billboard

09 Dec 2024

Bing Crosby Returns to Billboard 200 Top 10 for First Time in 64 Years With ‘Ultimate Christmas’ Album

The legendary Bing Crosby is back in the top 10 on the Billboard 200 albums chart for the first time in nearly 64 years, as his new holiday compilation Ultimate Christmas climbs 18-9 on the chart dated Dec. 14.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

The entertainer, who died in 1977, was last in the top 10 on the Billboard 200 with his classic Merry Christmas album, which ranked at No. 9 on the Dec. 31, 1960-dated chart. It had previously spent a week at No. 1 on Jan. 6, 1958-dated chart.

Merry Christmas became the second holiday album to top the Billboard 200, following its launch as a regularly published weekly chart in March 1956. Elvis Presley’s Elvis’ Christmas Album was the first chart-topping holiday set, as it topped the chart for three weeks in December 1957, moved aside for Crosby for a week and then returned to No. 1 for one more week in January 1958.

Trending on Billboard

Ultimate Christmas is available as 14-song standard album, an expanded 28-song edition, and a deluxe 58-song version. All versions of the album contain such classic Holiday 100-charting tunes from Crosby as “White Christmas” (featuring The Ken Darby Singers and John Scott Trotter and His Orchestra), “It’s Beginning To Look a Lot Like Christmas,” “Do You Hear What I Hear?,” “Mele Kalikimaka” (with The Andrews Sisters) and “Silent Night” (featuring John Scott Trotter and His Orchestra and Max Terr’s Mixed Chorus).

In the tracking week ending Dec. 5, as reflected on the Dec. 14-dated Billboard 200 chart, Ultimate Christmas earned 50,000 equivalent album units in the week ending (up 59%). Of that sum, SEA units comprise 46,000 (up 62%; equaling 61.37 million on-demand official streams of the set’s tracks; it jumps 16-6 on Top Streaming Albums).

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. The new Dec. 14, 2024-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard’s website on Tuesday, Dec. 10. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.

09 Dec 2024

Ariana Grande’s Acting & Musical Success Set Her Up for ‘Wicked’ | Billboard Explains

Ariana Grande unveiled her newest role as Glinda in ‘Wicked’ not too long ago, and we’re running through her acting and singing career that helped set her up for this huge milestone. From starring on Broadway to scoring No. 1s on the Hot 100 & Billboard 200, keep watching to see Ariana Grande’s journey to ‘Wicked!’

Narrator:

Ariana Grande was born to be Glinda. The superstar may be known for her insane vocal range, and she’s stepping into the iconic role of Glinda the Good Witch in Jon M. Chu’s film adaptation of ‘Wicked.’ But who is Ariana? What’s her story? And how did she land a role in one of the biggest movies of the year? This is Billboard Explains: Ariana Grande’s Journey to ‘Wicked.’

Born in Boca Raton, Florida, Ariana’s passion for singing and musical theater started at a young age. Growing up, she starred in numerous theater productions, including the leading role in a children’s production of ‘Annie.’ At 15, she was chosen from thousands of hopefuls to play the role of Charlotte in the Broadway musical ‘13,’ and made the move from Florida to New York in 2008.Fast forward to the early 2010s when Ariana made her big TV debut on the Nickelodeon series ‘Victorious,’ starring as Cat Valentine. The show ran for four seasons and turned into the popular spin-off ‘Sam & Cat.’ During this time, Ariana landed her Billboard chart debut with the ‘Victorious’ song “Give It Up,” which debuted at No. 3 on Kid Digital Song Sales. Ariana also started uploading covers to YouTube and soon caught the attention of Republic Records president Monte Lipman. He signed Ari to the label in August 2011.

Keep watching for more!

09 Dec 2024

Post Malone Is No. 9 on Billboard’s Top 10 Artists of 2024 | Billboard News

Post Malone snags the No. 9 spot on Billboard’s list of the Top 10 Artists of 2024. Keep watching to see how Post stole the year with his summer tune!

Tetris Kelly:

We’re counting down the year’s biggest acts on Billboard’s Top Artists chart for 2024 and at No. 9? It’s Post Malone! The country crooner had a chart-topping 2024. ‘F-1 Trillion’ became Post Malone’s third No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 and first No. 1 on the Top Country Albums chart and his hit collaboration with Morgan Wallen “I Had Some Help” was not only a No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, but the track also won Billboard’s Song of the Summer chart race for 2024. If you want more chart-topping artists, don’t forget to watch our Billboard Music Awards Pre-Show Special on December 12! And keep it locked for the main show on Thursday, Dec. 12, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Fox and Fire TV channels and on-demand on Paramount+.

09 Dec 2024

Kendrick Lamar Is No. 10 on Billboard’s Top 10 Artists of 2024 | Billboard News

To round out 2024, we’re launching our list of the top 10 artists of 2024. At No. 10, we have Kendrick Lamar. Keep watching to see how he took over the year and how he landed at No. 10!

Tetris Kelly:

We’re counting down the year’s biggest acts on Billboard’s Top Artists chart for 2024, and at No. 10? Kendrick Lamar! The West Coast native has had a huge 2024. His hit diss track “Not Like Us” broke the record for the most weeks at No. 1 on the Hot Rap Songs chart, with 25 weeks in the top spot. During the 2024 chart year, four of Lamar’s previous albums – ‘Good Kid, M.A.A.D City,’ ‘To Pimp a Butterfly,’ ‘DAMN.’ and ‘Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers’ – all spent time on the Billboard 200, with ‘Good Kid’ and ‘DAMN.’ both getting back into the top 20. And speaking of chart-topping artists, don’t forget to tune in to our Billboard Music Award Pre-Show special on December 12! And stay tuned for the main show on Thursday, Dec. 12 at 8:00 PM ET/PT on FOX and Fire TV channels, and on-demand on Paramount+.

09 Dec 2024

Fidel of Grupo Marca Registrada Plays ‘Fishing for Answers’ | Billboard

Fidel Oswaldo Castro from Grupo Marca Registrada shares the moment he knew his life changed, his fears and more!

Fidel Oswaldo Castro:

Hello, how are you friends? I am your friend from the Marca Registrada Group, and on this occasion we are going to play ‘Fishing for Answers’ with Billboard. What is your biggest fear? My biggest fear, really, is losing my family. I think it’s my biggest fear, personally and musically, to run out of ideas. Second question: What is your favorite vacation destination? I think Cancun, Mexico. If you were to make a movie about your life, who would play you? What a good question, isn’t it? There are quite a few very good actors. Let me think about it. I believe Adam Sandler. Adam Sandler would represent my life. 

Producer:

It’s a comedy?

Fidel Oswaldo Castro:

Yes, it’s a comedy of my life, really. When was the first time in your career that you thought: “I made it”? The first time I thought I made it was when I filled my first stadium, my first arenas, such as the Toyota Arena in California, among others, some of which are bull rings in Mexico. And when I heard my music in all the streets, of which great artists began to notice me and my talent. That was the first time. 

09 Dec 2024

Jay-Z Responds to Being Accused in Civil Lawsuit of Assaulting 13-Year-Old Girl Alongside Diddy | Billboard News

Jay-Z has been accused in a civil lawsuit of raping a 13-year old girl alongside Diddy in 2000, and the rapper has responded to the accusations. Keep watching for the full details on the case and Jay-Z’s response.

Tetris Kelly:

Jay-Z accused of assault? In a complaint filed in New York federal court, the unnamed Jane Doe has added Jay-Z as a defendant in the civil lawsuit allegedly along with Sean “Diddy” Combs at an MTV Video Music Awards afterparty back in 2000, according to a civil lawsuit filed in federal court on Sunday. Lawyer for the plaintiff Tony Buzbee claims that after the alleged victim was driven to the afterparty and forced to sign a non-disclosure agreement, she was given a drink that made her feel “woozy” and “light headed.” When she went into a bedroom to lie down, Buzbee claims she was assaulted by the two stars while a third female celebrity looked on. The music icon has strongly denied the allegations against him. Calling the lawsuit a “blackmail attempt” aimed at securing a settlement, he called Buzbee a “fraud,” a “deplorable human” and an “ambulance chaser in a cheap suit.” Jay released a statement Sunday evening addressing the lawsuit:

“You have made a terrible error in judgment thinking that all ‘celebrities’ are the same, I’m not from your world. I’m a young man who made it out of the projects of Brooklyn. We don’t play these types of games. We have very strict codes and honor. We protect children, you seem to exploit people for personal gain.”

Keep watching for more.

09 Dec 2024

BBMAs Performer Shaboozey Talks Travel in Interview Presented by Marriott Bonvoy | Billboard

Billboard Music Awards performer ‪Shaboozey spoke about all things travel during an interview at W Hollywood. Don’t miss out on the Billboard Music Awards presented by ‪Marriott Bonvoy this Thursday, and stay tuned for more updates on this year’s show!

Shaboozey: 

Whenever I go to a new city on tour, I like to stop at the vintage stores. Go shopping. That’s my favorite thing to do, honestly: shopping and eating. Love to find the best food in the area, just trying to see what the city has to offer, you know? Look for dive bars, things like that. Play pool with my friends. Love a new city. That’s like my second home, but I love Nashville. I’ve made a lot of music videos and a lot of songs about Nashville. Just different people I meet, different places I go, different music I hear walking down Broadway or going east and getting a hot chicken sandwich. Nothing beats that. Yeah, it’s really cool. So much, so much culture there, so many friends. I love something that feels like somewhere I could actually live, you know? Living in a separate living room situation, in a bedroom situation. I love a view. Yeah, you can’t beat a view in a hotel room. I love a large room. I’m a large – I’m a big guy, you know, I need a lot of room to just stretch my legs out, you know, like that. See, that works. My dream location to visit: I want to check out Wyoming. I haven’t been to Wyoming yet. I would love to visit Wyoming, Jackson Hole, and I love open spaces. I mean, cities are fun, you know, I love seeing buildings, architecture, but nothing beats being in the open field and it’s quiet, and seeing mountains and watching wildlife. Places with good weather is always a plus.

09 Dec 2024

Ovy on the Drums Teams Up With Valentina Mami for ‘Voces Del Futuro’ Mentorship | Billboard

In partnership with Billboard and Johnnie Walker, Ovy on the Drums reunited with rising star Valentina Mami to reflect on their first meet-up, listen to music and share a toast as part of the Voces del Futuro video series.

Ovy on the Drums:

The truth is that it’s a very great privilege. I feel very lucky to be able to do this and I always remember my first steps in music because they made me, for real. Ovy on the Drums here. I’m with Billboard and Johnnie Walker Blended Scotch Whiskey celebrating and advising the voices of the future. I’m here sharing with new artists to hear a little about their career, share music and give some advice. 

Valentina Mami:

Hey, what’s up? I’m Valentina Mami. And I’m here today with the one and only Ovy on the Drums. Well, I’m very, very excited to share with Ovy. He has a very special space in my heart because he gave me a chance a long time ago. I want to show him how much I have grown in that time. I want to show him that I’ve been able to implement his advice. OMG!

Ovy on the Drums:

How are you? When was the last time we saw each other?

Valentina Mami:

Honestly, seven years ago. 

Ovy on the Drums:

Seven years. Wow. 

Valentina Mami:

I sent you a DM on Instagram, “Hello, I’m a fan. Here’s my music.” I remember you told me, “You have a cool flow. Come to Colombia to work.” And i got on a plane by myself. 

Keep watching for more!

09 Dec 2024

Amirah Opens Up About Living Her Dreams | Billboard x Honda Stage

Watch Amirah talk about manifesting her career with Mustard and what’s to come, exclusively for Billboard and Honda Stage.

Amirah:

I’ve always loved music. I feel like what brought this huge discovery into me wanting to pursue music is my grandfather. He used to play old records all the time. That just really drove me into like, I really want to start singing. How me and Mustard met, I went viral. And I remember, I get this DM it said, “Yo, kid, I’m making chicken fajitas.” And I said, “Yo.” When me and Mustard are in the studio, he treats me like I’m family, almost like sometimes I say, “Hey, I want to make a pop song today.” He’d be like, “Okay, let’s hear it.” My very first time in the studio, we started recording a song that I wrote back in like COVID, and my mom was with me, and she started crying. My mom started crying because my 7-year-old dream, I’m living in it. Like, it’s here.

09 Dec 2024

Billboard Hot 100 Top 10 Countdown for December 14, 2024 | Billboard News

The holiday season is in full swing on the Hot 100.

Tetris Kelly:

It’s time, the holidays have arrived! This is the Billboard Hot 100 Top 10 for the week dated December 14. At 10 is “Holly Jolly Christmas.” Gaga and Bruno are down to nine. As is Shaboozey to No. 8, and last week’s No. 1 to seven. “Luther” is at No. 6. As “Jingle Bell Rock” jingles to five. “tv off” is strong at No. 4. “Last Christmas” hits a new No. 3 high. Brenda Lee is at No. 2. And for its 15th week at No. 1 and for the sixth season in a row, is “All I Want Dor Christmas Is You.” If you want more Billboard, make sure you hit the subscribe button and ring the bell to be notified on all our latest videos.