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It’s the season of giving, and BTS‘ V is gifting ARMY with his cover of “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas.”
His take on the seasonal classic arrived on Friday (Dec. 23). In the accompanying video shared on YouTube, the singer croons deeply into a microphone while casually dressed in an oversized hoodie.
Midway through the song, he pulls up the hood to cover his head and enthusiastically sings, “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas,” emphasizing his words with small pumps of his fists. “Soon the bells will start/ And the thing that’ll make ’em ring is the carol that you sing/ Right within your heart.” When he finishes that verse, he picks up his adorable pup and snuggles him close before the pooch gives V a few sweet licks on his nose.
“It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” has been covered by numerous artists. The 1951 version by Perry Como and the Fontane Sisters with Mitchell Ayers and His Orchestra became a hit, peaking at No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2020. Another beloved take is Bing Crosby’s take from the same year is another popular cover.
Last Christmas, V also offered up a holiday tune — solo single “Christmas Tree.” The cover earned him his first solo No. 1 on a Billboard chart, landing him atop the Emerging Artists chart dated Jan. 8. The song also debuted at No. 79 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it his first solo entry on the all-genre tally. As for the Holiday 100 chart, it launched at No. 55.
Watch V’s cover of “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” above.
Lil Wayne is in the mood to spread Christmas cheer.
On Sunday, the “A Milli” rapper teamed up with Young Money Entertainment president Mack Maine and invited 150 children from their New Orleans hometown for some fun at Dave & Buster’s for “A Very Weezy Christmas,” which included a special visit from Santa and gifts from Wilson Sporting Goods for the lucky children in attendance.
The rapper shared a series of photos to Instagram from the wholesome outing, which features several of the kids happily posing alongside Santa and showing off their gifts. “This Christmas @mackmaine4president & I wanted to give some future hall of famers the gift of game w/ the help of @Wilson,” Wayne wrote. “Making sure they received the necessary resources so they could enjoy all the benefits of being a top tier athlete was very important to us! #HappyHolidays #WeezyChristmas.”
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“Whether it’s learning about sportsmanship, teamwork, or just using the field as a way to escape everyday stresses, we wanted to make sure these kids get to experience impactful moments,” Wayne added in a press release.
Holidays aside, Lil Wayne achieved a major achievement just before the end of the year: His 2008 hit “Lollipop,” which appeared on Tha Carter III and topped the Billboard Hot 100 for five weeks, just achieved diamond status. The hip-hop hitmaker shared a video of him opening up his special plaque to commemorate the milestone and told his fand and followers via instagram that he “appreciate[s] every single one of you.”
See photos from Lil Wayne’s Christmas surprise here.
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‘Tis the season to get sexy. Lizzo took to Instagram over the weekend (Dec. 10) to share her spicy take on a popular holiday character.
“100% THAT GRINCH,” she captioned a video in which she’s dressed as The Grinch, rocking a green wig and matching smokey eye, along with a bondage-style jumpsuit, with fur and chains all down the bodice. In the clip, she twerks along to the chorus of Shelby Swain’s “Mrs. Grinch,” in which she raps, “I’m a bad b—-, Mrs. Grinch / I’m a real one, I don’t f— with them / All wrapped up in designer, from n—-s I don’t got time for / Mrs. Grinch, Mrs. Grinch.” Swain also created Lizzo’s hair look for the Grinch transformation.
Lizzo is set to step in for previously announced performers Yeah Yeah Yeahs on next weekend’s Saturday Night Live as the final musical guest of 2022, as the band had to cancel because guitarist Nick Zinner is still recovering after contracting pneumonia last month. When the “About Damn Time” singer joins host Austin Butler on the Dec. 17 episode, it will mark the third time the pop-rap star has performed on the show.
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“SURPRISE,” Lizzo wrote on her Instagram on Dec. 11 announcing the news. In April, the three-time Grammy winner pulled double duty on Saturday Night Live, hosting and performing the self-love anthem “Special” and “About Damn Time.”
The holiday season is upon us, and one song has stood the test of time throughout the festive months.
José Feliciano‘s “Feliz Navidad,” originally released in 1970, celebrates the most wonderful time of the year in both English and Spanish. The repeating chorus, “Feliz Navidad / Próspero año y felicidad,” means “Merry Christmas, a prosperous year and happiness.”
If you need a guide to follow along with José Feliciano’s “Feliz Navidad,” find the lyrics below:
Feliz NavidadFeliz NavidadFeliz NavidadPróspero año y felicidad
Feliz NavidadFeliz NavidadFeliz NavidadPróspero año y felicidad
I wanna wish you a Merry ChristmasI wanna wish you a Merry ChristmasI wanna wish you a Merry ChristmasFrom the bottom of my heart
I wanna wish you a Merry ChristmasI wanna wish you a Merry ChristmasI wanna wish you a Merry ChristmasFrom the bottom of my heart
Feliz NavidadFeliz NavidadFeliz NavidadPróspero año y felicidad
Feliz NavidadFeliz NavidadFeliz NavidadPróspero año y felicidad
I wanna wish you a Merry ChristmasI wanna wish you a Merry ChristmasI wanna wish you a Merry ChristmasFrom the bottom of my heart
I wanna wish you a Merry ChristmasI wanna wish you a Merry ChristmasI wanna wish you a Merry ChristmasFrom the bottom of my heart
Feliz NavidadFeliz NavidadFeliz NavidadPróspero año y felicidad
Feliz NavidadFeliz NavidadFeliz NavidadPróspero año y felicidad
I wanna wish you a Merry ChristmasI wanna wish you a Merry ChristmasI wanna wish you a Merry ChristmasFrom the bottom of my heart
I wanna wish you a Merry ChristmasI wanna wish you a Merry ChristmasI wanna wish you a Merry ChristmasFrom the bottom of my heart
Feliz NavidadFeliz NavidadFeliz NavidadPróspero año y felicidad
Lyrics licensed & provided by LyricFind
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Songtrust Ave
Written by: Jose Feliciano
Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2023, presented by ABC and dick clark productions, returns to Puerto Rico for its second annual Spanish-language countdown, Billboard can exclusively announce today (Dec. 8).
La Isla del Encanto will host the coveted New Year’s celebration at the DISTRITO T-Mobile in the Puerto Rico Convention Center, with the night’s first countdown kicking off at 11 p.m. ET on December 31st. Puerto Rican actress and producer Roselyn Sanchez returns as co-host and the Boricua superstar Farruko has been confirmed to perform a medley of hits.
“We will have an enchanting night and are so very pleased to share our beautiful Island and welcome 2023 with a bang!” Sanchez said in a press statement. “What a blessing to be a part of the New Year’s Rockin’ Eve tradition from my home island of Puerto Rico that represents and means so much!” Farruko added.
Last year’s inaugural Spanish-language countdown from Puerto Rico coincided with the celebration of the 500th anniversary of San Juan’s founding and featured global Reggaeton star Daddy Yankee with a hometown performance in his native San Juan.
“We are very excited to again host Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve on our Island to lead the countdown in welcoming 2023. Puerto Rico’s participation in this high-caliber event celebration will allow us to continue projecting to the world everything we have to offer as we head into our peak tourism season,” said Pedro Pierluisi, Governor of Puerto Rico. “We will again be front and center on national television to promote Puerto Rico’s beauty, culture and attractions and continue driving our booming tourism industry and economic development”
Sanchez and Farruko join the previously-announced lineup, which includes 18-time host Ryan Seacrest and co-hosts Liza Koshy, Jessie James Decker, Ciara, Billy Porter, and D-Nice, as well as artists Aly & AJ, Armani White, Bailey Zimmerman, Ben Platt, Betty Who, Billy Porter, Ciara, Dove Cameron, Finneas, Fitz & The Tantrums, Halle Bailey, Lauren Spencer Smith, Maddie & Tae, Nicky Youre, Shaggy, TXT, and Wiz Khalifa.
Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2023 airs live on Saturday (Dec. 31) starting at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
Sabrina Carpenter is bringing the heat to the holiday season with a spicy new remix of her Emails I Can’t Send fan-favorite, “Nonsense.”
In “A Nonsense Christmas,” the 23-year-old pop star switches up the goofy lyrics to take on a more festive, flirty spin. Think I only want you under my mistletoe / I might change your contact to ’Has a huge North Pole’ / You said you like my stockings better on the floor / Boy, I’ve been a bad girl, I guess I’m getting coal,” she sings in the opening verse, later noting in the chorus that “Lookin’ at you got me thinkin’ Christmas.”
“y’all made me do this,” Carpenter tweeted announcing the single on Wednesday (Dec. 7). “‘A Nonsense Christmas‘ is out now on all streaming platforms happy hoelidays!!”
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Last month, the star revealed to Billboard on the American Music Awards red carpet that the original version of “Nonsense” was the “most fun” song to write. “It’s just the silliest song,” she continued of the track, “and when we were writing it, I was like, ‘It’s never gonna be put out.’ … At first I was like, ‘It doesn’t make sense with the album,’ and then I kind of realized that there’s a lot of dual feelings to heartbreak and grieving and moving on, and it can happy and sad and confident and insecure. So yeah, that’s one of my favorites too.”
Emails I Can’t Send as a whole peaked at No. 23 on the Billboard 200 upon its release, giving Carpenter the highest chart entry of her career.
Listen to “A Nonsense Christmas” below.
Billboard expands its charts offering by introducing the Holiday 100 Songwriters and Holiday 100 Producers charts (dated Dec. 3), based on weekly activity on the seasonal Holiday 100.
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The Holiday 100 chart ranks the top seasonal songs of all eras via the same formula used for the Billboard Hot 100, blending streaming, airplay and sales data, and runs during the holiday season (December-January). The Holiday 100 Songwriters and Producers charts will run during the same seasonal period as the Holiday 100.
Billboard’s weekly songwriter and producer charts are based on total points accrued by a songwriter and producer, respectively, for each attributed song that appears on a specific chart. The Holiday 100 Songwriters and Producers charts join Billboard’s 26 other songwriter and producer rankings, covering all “Hot”-named genre charts. These encompass the Hot 100 and the country, R&B/hip-hop, R&B, rap, rock & alternative, rock, alternative, hard rock, Latin, Christian, gospel and dance/electronic genres.
On the inaugural Holiday 100 Songwriters chart, Johnny Marks (who died in 1985 at age 75) rules thanks to seven songwriting credits on the Holiday 100. His seven placements encompass multiple recordings of “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” (which leads his haul at No. 2), “A Holly Jolly Christmas” and “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.”
Here’s a look at all seven of Marks’ songwriting credits on the latest Holiday 100:
Rank, Artist Billing, Title (co-writers in addition to Marks)No. 2, Brenda Lee, “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”No. 4, Burl Ives, “A Holly Jolly Christmas”No. 17, Gene Autry, “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”No. 27, Chuck Berry, “Run Rudolph Run” (Marvin Brodie)No. 40, Burl Ives, “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”No. 44, Michael Bublé, “Holly Jolly Christmas”No. 82, LeAnn Rimes, “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”
Thanks to holiday hits annually re-entering the Hot 100, Marks has also topped the all-genre Hot 100 Songwriters chart in each of the past three years, dating to the launch of Billboard’s songwriter and producer charts in 2019.
Rounding out the top five on Holiday 100 Songwriters, Meredith Willson places at No. 2, thanks to four charting versions of “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas”; George Michael follows at No. 3, thanks to Wham!’s “Last Christmas”; Irving Berlin ranks at No. 4, via “White Christmas” and “Happy Holiday/The Holiday Season”; and Mariah Carey starts at No. 5 powered by “All I Want for Christmas Is You.”
Lee Gillette (who died in 1981 at age 68) leads the inaugural Holiday 100 Producers chart, thanks to six production credits on the Holiday 100, led by Nat King Cole’s “The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas to You)” at No. 7 and Dean Martin’s “Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow” at No. 9.
Here’s a look at Gillette’s six production credits on the latest Holiday 100:
Rank, Artist Billing, Title (co-producers in addition to Gillette)No. 7, Nat King Cole, “The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas to You)”No. 9, Dean Martin, “Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow”No. 18, Nat King Cole, “Deck the Halls”No. 48, Dean Martin, “Baby, It’s Cold Outside”No. 55, Nat King Cole, “O Come All Ye Faithful”No. 91, Nat King Cole, “Joy to the World”
Rounding out the top five of Holiday 100 Producers, Owen Bradley is No. 2 (“Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” “Jingle Bell Rock”); Robert Mersey, No. 3 (“It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” “Happy Holiday/The Holiday Season,” “Silver Bells,” “Do You Hear What I Hear?” “The First Noel”); Phil Spector, No. 4 (“Sleigh Ride,” “Christmas [Baby Please Come Home],” “Happy Xmas [Was Is Over],” “Winter Wonderland”); and David Foster, No. 5 (multiple covers recorded by Michael Bublé).
Santa’s elves work hard, but Ariana Grande and Kelly Clarkson work harder. On Friday (Dec. 2), the two singers and former Voice coaches released a live recording of their holiday duet “Santa, Can’t You Hear Me,” originally performed last year during Clarkson’s NBC Christmas special.
The new live version of “Santa, Can’t You Hear Me” serves as a follow up to the studio recording featured on Clarkson’s album When Christmas Comes Around…, released in October 2021. Peaking at No. 22 on the Billboard 200, the project marked the three-time Grammy winner’s second holiday record, following 2013’s Wrapped In Red.
The December after When Christmas Comes Around… dropped, Clarkson invited Grande to perform the track with her during her NBC holiday music special, fittingly titled Kelly Clarkson Presents: When Christmas Comes Around. Amy Poehler, Leslie Odom Jr., Jay Leno, Melissa McCarthy and Brett Eldredge were also featured guests on the program, which included several musical performances from the “Stronger” singer.
The audio from this performance is what now serves as the new live edition of “Santa, Can’t You Hear Me.” During the duet last year, Grande and Clarkson wore stunning white and purple gowns, respectively, and sang joyfully together while supported by a shimmering orchestra of string musicians, backup singers, percussionists and brass.
‘Tis the season, and The Wonderful World of Disney: Magical Holiday Celebration is returning to ABC this Sunday (Nov. 27). The Derek and Julianne Hough-hosted event is jam-packed with incredible performances from artists of all genres.
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In a special moment during the night, Run-DMC will perform “Christmas in Hollis” for the first time in nearly two decades, as seen in the exclusive Billboard clip below. The group is introduced by fellow performers The Black Eyed Peas, who will take the stage to deliver renditions of “A Cold Christmas” and “I Gotta Feeling.”
Becky G, Chloe Flower, Ne-Yo, David Foster with Katharine McPhee, Il Volo, Jordin Sparks, Maren Morris, Meghan Trainor and the Hough siblings will also perform at the special, filmed from Walt Disney World Resort in Florida and Disneyland Resort in California, delivering musical mixes of holiday classics and cheerful new hits. The annual show will also highlight heartwarming family stories and offer sneak peeks at what’s new around The Walt Disney Company.
The Wonderful World of Disney: Magical Holiday Celebration will air Sunday (Nov. 27) at 8 p.m. ET on ABC, and be available to stream in full on Hulu and Disney+ the next day.
Check out a sneak peek of Run-DMC’s performance of “Christmas in Hollis” below.