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Normani announces her debut album ‘Dopamine’ is on the way. Lady Gaga teases her Fortnite Festival performance. Selena Gomez shares her single “Love On” and meets a fan who is fighting cancer. Billboard explains Ice Spice’s meteoric rise on the Billboard charts. Bobby Caldwell’s “What You Won’t Do For Love” tops the TikTok Billboard Top 50. And more!
Tetris Kelly
Normani’s new album, Gaga is in Fortnite, and Selena makes a fan’s dream come true. We reveal who’s on top of the TikTok charts, explain Women in Music honoree Ice Spice’s success and run down some of the R&B and hip-hop artists you should know this year. It’s Thursday, February 22nd, I’m Tetris and this is Billboard News. With everything we have in the show today, we are still getting you started with the good stuff, which is the news. Here’s three stories you should know today. Normani’s first album finally has a name. Normani shared a song snippet, the cover art and the title of her first album ‘Dopamine.’ Fans brought up an old tweet from almost six years ago, where Normani said ‘I have my album title y’all.’ But don’t worry: She’s in on the joke, sharing a link to the new project on the website WheresTheDamnAlbum.com I’m glad she’s having fun with it because we weren’t, but I have a feeling it’s gonna be well worth the wait.
Watch the full video above!
To celebrate Black History Month, Billboard is highlighting R&B and hip-hop artists you should know like Tyla, FLO and Cash Cobain.
Tetris Kelly
An Afrobeats queen, a sampling king and a girl group that makes you want to stand in your mirror and sing. This Black History Month, Billboard and Bose are celebrating by highlighting some of the most influential black artists and executives in music. So pop in a pair of Bose Ultra Open earbuds and learn about the major players who bring your favorite music to life. This is Billboard’s Hip-Hop and R&B Artists to Watch in 2024.
Tetris Kelly
Rap was built on the art of sampling, and Bronx-born rapper and producer Cash Cobain has been dubbed the sample god. He sampled everything from the theme song to ‘Moesha’ to the Plain White T’s 2006 Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper “Hey There Delilah” and he’s just getting started.
Tyla
You know, I always hoped. I believed in the song. I loved it. And I always knew that it was going to do well because of just my feeling, but what it did, I did not expect this at all.
Tetris Kelly
“Water” was one of the biggest smashes of the last year and earned Tyla a Grammy at the 66th annual awards. The South African singer’s catchy self-styled, pop piano sound will fill her upcoming debut album and first headlining tour in March. Tyla is posed to make an even bigger imprint for herself and African music. Girl group FLO is playing the long game. R&B die-hards may recognize the trio from 2022’s viral “Cardboard Box,” but they scored their biggest break yet with the Missy Elliott-assisted “Fly Girl.” The trio won the Rising Star Award at the BRITs, and after spending 2023 developing their live show and forthcoming debut LP, this UK girl group could very well become a household name.
For the full list of 15, head over to Billboard.com.
Bobby Caldwell’s classic “What You Won’t Do for Love” zooms in at No. 1 on the TikTok Billboard Top 50 chart dated Feb. 24 following a new, largely food-based trend on the platform.
Tetris Kelly
A new leader and two fresh new faces — we’ve got a batch of new bops in the top 10.
Tetris Kelly
Bobby Caldwell’s “What You Won’t Do for Love” is being used to show off food and other things you love. The 1979 hit owns the top spot on the TikTok Billboard Top 50 for the chart posting February 22nd.
Tetris Kelly
Thanks to the Super Bowl, Usher, Lil Jon and Ludacris’ “Yeah” jumps all the way up to No. 3. And at No. 9 is Grimes’ “Oblivion.” There’s no specific trend the songs are attached to; users just like making content with the track.
Tetris Kelly
Every Thursday, Billboard will bring you the verified list of the hottest songs on TikTok by monitoring music discovery and engagement on the platform in the United States. To find the TikTok Billboard Top 50 each week, users can simply go to any sound detail page and tap the top right button to access the charts page.
Ariana Grande is gearing up to release her new album ‘Eternal Sunshine.’ The singer has revealed a few song titles and has been announced as a musical guest on ‘SNL’ next month. Nicki Minaj has invited comedian and actor Katt Williams on tour. Questlove defends Sexyy Red after she is announced to perform at the 2024 Roots Picni. Beyoncé’s “Texas Hold ‘Em” debuts at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs Chart making her the first woman to have topped both the Hot Country Songs and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts since October 1958. We go behind the video with LE SSERAFIM. And more!
Tetris Kelly
Ariana Grande’s ‘Eternal Sunshine’ era is almost here. Nicki tries to bring the funny to Gag City, QuestLove got Sexyy Red’s back and Beyoncé breaks the charts yet again and explain WIM’s Group Of The Year NewJeans’ success. Plus we highlight some amazing black women making moves in the music industry. Happy Wednesday music lovers I’m Tetris, this is Billboard News and we have all your music tea sip on February 21. I’m so excited to talk about some of my fave K-Pop groups. But before we get to that we must talk news starting with Ms. “Yes, And ?” Ariana Grande is set to take the ‘SNL’ stage after revealing some of her new tracklist.
Tetris Kelly
A Hot 100 No. 1, a remix with Mariah and an ‘SNL’ performance announcement. Ariana’s next era isn’t even officially here and she’s already dominating. For those that can’t wait to hear the track names before ‘Eternal Sunshine’ drops on March 8th. Ariana revealed them, kind of censoring the titles with beeps. And if you love “Yes And ?” Ariana says there’s even better track to come comparing the new track to “Thank U Next.”
Tetris Kelly
Which tracks are you most excited to hear? And what do you think the next single will be? Let us know in the comments.
Watch the full video above!
For Black History Month, Billboard is celebrating by highlighting some of the greatest Black executives in music, and today we’re celebrating MVD publicists Massah David and Miatta Johnson.
The sibling duo, who are repping Liberia, founded the boutique creative agency MVD Inc. with the goal of amplifying Black storytelling, and they do it by producing and creating some of the most imaginative music industry events. You would recognize their notable work with Kanye West during some of his biggest listening parties and more. Their events always highlight the excellence in Black culture as shown when they produced the Recording Academy’s Black Music Collective ceremony at Resorts World Las Vegas, where they honored John Legend and more. In just this year, the events saw them create beauty on Grammy weekend with stars packing in the elaborate soiree that was honoring Lenny Kravitz, Mariah Carey and more.
The pair has said, “Culture is our pulse and keeps us inspired.” And you inspire us, which is why this month we honor you!
Narrator:
NewJeans is just getting started on the Billboard charts, but the K-pop group has made quite an entrance, and that’s why they are Billboard‘s Women in Music Group of the Year. This is Billboard Explains NewJeans’ fast rise on the charts.
In just a few short years, the girl group has dominated the Billboard charts with five songs on the Hot 100, all in 2023, including “Super Shy,” which peaked at No. 48, and “ETA” at No. 81 on the chart. They have also made a steady climb up the Billboard global 200 with three top 10 hits: “Super Shy,” “Ditto” and “OMG.”
And if that’s not enough, they charted a No.1 album on the Billboard 200 with their second EP Get Up. NewJeans has proven that they are here for the long haul and earned their group of the year honor.
Ayra Starr talks about the international success of her song “Rush,” becoming the youngest African female artist to surpass 100 million views on YouTube, getting her first Grammy nomination, her aspiration to be a teenage pop star, the growth of popularity of the Afrobeats genre and where she sees the future of the genre going and more!
Ayra Starr
I wasn’t here two years ago, now I’m doing an interview with Billboard.
Rania Aniftos
Fresh off the Grammys, girl.
Ayra Starr
Hello, I’m Ayra Starr and you’re watching Billboard News.
Rania Aniftos
Hey everybody, its Rania Aniftos with Billboard News and I am so excited. We have the Afrobeats queen herself in the studio today, Ayra Starr.
Ayra Starr
Hello!
Rania Aniftos
Welcome to the studio.
Ayra Starr
Thank you for having me. I’m excited.
Rania Aniftos
You were just nominated for your first-ever Grammy nomination. How did that feel?
Ayra Starr
Amazing. I had a great time at the Grammys. All the parties even before the Grammys, I was just like, oh, like, I’m at the Grammys. You can see me at the red carpets. I was having a good time. Let me tell you.
Rania Aniftos
Was there something that surprised you over the course of the week that you were like, I was expecting this, but this happened instead.
Ayra Starr
To be honest like anytime I come to LA, I’m always like indoors and never do anything and people like people know me, but people don’t really know me. They know my music, but they don’t know me. This time, every room I walked into: Ayra Starr! I was fangirling over the people who are fangirling over me, like, “You know me!” And it was the best thing.
Watch the full video above!
With her dreamy pop songs and sky-high whistle tones, Ariana Grande has drawn comparisons to Mariah Carey since her music debut back in 2013. Of course, in the decade-plus since, Grande has made a massive, marquee name for herself — so it’s a bit of a full-circle moment that the two chart-topping divas have joined forces on the just-released remix of Grande’s “Yes, And?” single.
On the new Billboard Pop Shop Podcast, Katie & Keith are talking about why the remix makes so much sense, from the two artists’ longtime admiration for one another to the songs early-’90s-referencing production making sense for Carey’s early-’90s origin.
Listen to the podcast below:
Also on the show, we’ve got chart news on how Beyoncé, Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign shake up the charts in a big way, courtesy of their latest releases, and how Usher nabs his highest-charting album on the Billboard 200 in over a decade with his new album Coming Home. Plus, we’re also talking about Dua Lipa’s new “Training Season” single and video, two weeks after she live-debuted the song as part of a Grammys medley.
The Billboard Pop Shop Podcast is your one-stop shop for all things pop on Billboard‘s weekly charts. You can always count on a lively discussion about the latest pop news, fun chart stats and stories, new music, and guest interviews with music stars and folks from the world of pop. Casual pop fans and chart junkies can hear Billboard‘s executive digital director, West Coast, Katie Atkinson and Billboard’s managing director, charts and data operations, Keith Caulfield every week on the podcast, which can be streamed on Billboard.com or downloaded in Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast provider. (Click here to listen to the previous edition of the show on Billboard.com.)
After less than a week, Bob Marley: One Love is already one of the top-grossing biopics of a musician in domestic box-office history. The film, which stars Kingsley Ben-Adir as reggae legend Bob Marley, has grossed $52 million in the U.S. and Canada.
Here are the 25 top-grossing biopics of musicians in terms of domestic box office. These films cover a remarkably wide range of genres. Pop/rock artists are the focus of seven of the 25 films, followed by R&B (five); rap and traditional pop (three each); country and classical (two each); and Latin, contemporary Christian and reggae (one each).
Biopics of four of the 10 artists who comprised the inaugural induction class at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame dot this list. In addition to Elvis Presley, there are biopics here of James Brown, Ray Charles and Buddy Holly.
If you want to dig deeper into Marley, we have a story about how the film brought the 1976 Smile Jamaica Concert and Exodus recording sessions to the big screen.
Methodology: Boxofficemojo.com maintains lists of top-grossing films searchable by dozens of “genre keywords.” Under “music,” we extracted biopics, which we define as films in which actors portray the musicians. Five of the biopics listed here aren’t listed under music on the boxofficemojo.com site, so we manually inserted them, using box-office figures found elsewhere on the site.
We didn’t include some high-grossing films about real-life music personalities because they’re not biopics in the traditional sense. These include The Sound of Music (which tells the story of Maria von Trapp and the Trapp Family Singers); Green Book (pianist and composer Don Shirley); Florence Foster Jenkins (heiress and amateur soprano by that name); and Music of the Heart (violinist and music educator Roberta Guaspari).
Here are the 25 biopics of music stars with the highest domestic (defined as U.S. and Canada) grosses:
Domestic gross: $14.4 million
Gary Busey received an Oscar nomination for best actor for playing the highly original singer/songwriter who died at age 22 in a 1959 plane crash. Joe Renzetti won an Oscar for best adaptation score. The soundtrack reached No. 86 on the Billboard 200.
Domestic gross: $23.7 million
Naomi Ackie starred in this film, which was directed by Kasi Lemmons. Stanley Tucci co-starred as Clive Davis, who signed Houston to Arista Records in 1983 when she was just 19. Davis oversaw her tremendous rise but was unable to prevent her tragic fall. The film is titled after Houston’s 1987 single that topped Billboard’s 2023 list of The 500 Best Pop Songs: Staff List.
Domestic gross: $24.3 million
Jennifer Hudson played Aretha Franklin in this biopic, which tracked her rise from singing in her father’s church’s choir to her unquestioned status as the Queen of Soul. The soundtrack reached No. 151 on the Billboard 200.
Domestic gross: $24.3 million
Renée Zellweger won an Oscar for best actress for playing Judy Garland in this biopic. The irony: Garland never won a competitive Oscar, despite two nominations, one in the same category in which Zellweger won. Judy wasn’t a standard biopic, but a look at the last year of her life, when she arrived in London in the winter of 1968 to perform a series of sold-out concerts.
Domestic gross: $30.7 million
The late, great Chadwick Boseman starred as James Brown in this biopic, which was directed by Tate Taylor and produced by Taylor, Brian Grazer, Mick Jagger and Victoria Pearman. Viola Davis, Craig Robinson and Octavia Spencer had supporting roles. The film soundtrack reached No. 61 on the Billboard 200.
Domestic gross: $34.4 million
Val Kilmer starred as The Doors’ charismatic lead singer Jim Morrison in this film that was directed by Oliver Stone, who also co-wrote the screenplay. The film also starred Kyle MacLachlan as keyboardist Ray Manzarek, Frank Whaley as lead guitarist Robby Krieger and Kevin Dillon as drummer John Densmore. The film followed Morrison from his days as a UCLA film student to his untimely death in Paris at age 27 in 1971. The film shared its title with the title of The Doors’ classic 1967 debut album. The soundtrack reached No. 8 on the Billboard 200.
Domestic gross: $35.3 million
Rising star Jennifer Lopez starred as Tejano music star Selena, who rose from cult status to performing at the Houston Astrodome. The film includes her shocking murder at age 23 at the hands of former fan club president Yolanda Saldívar. The soundtrack reached No. 7 on the Billboard 200.
Domestic gross: $35.9 million
Geoffrey Rush won an Oscar for best actor for playing pianist David Helfgott, who suffered a mental breakdown and spent years in institutions. The film was nominated for seven Oscars, including best picture. The soundtrack reached No. 59 on the Billboard 200.
Domestic gross: $36.8 million
Jamal Woolard starred as Christopher Wallace (a.k.a. The Notorious B.I.G.) in this biopic. After rising to the top of the rap music world, Biggie was shot to death at age 24 in 1997. Angela Bassett, Derek Luke and Anthony Mackie also starred in the film. The soundtrack reached No. 4 on the Billboard 200.
Domestic gross: $39 million
This was the less-celebrated, but still popular, sequel to 1968’s Funny Girl. Barbra Streisand reprised her Oscar-winning role as Fanny Brice and James Caan played showman Billy Rose. The film spawned an Oscar-nominated song, “How Lucky Can You Get.” The film soundtrack reached No. 6 on the Billboard 200.
Domestic gross: $39.1 million
Angela Bassett received an Oscar nomination for best actress for playing the indominable Tina Turner in this biopic. Laurence Fishburne received an Oscar nod for best actor for playing her abusive husband Ike Turner. The film drew its title from Turner’s biggest hit, which topped the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks in 1984 and won Grammys for record and song of the year. The film soundtrack reached No. 17 on the Billboard 200.
Domestic gross: $44.9 million
Demetrius Shipp Jr. starred as Tupac Shakur in this film, with Jamal Woolard reprising his role as Christopher “The Notorious B.I.G.” Wallace from Notorious. Shipp’s father worked on music videos with 2Pac, who was shot to death in 1996 at age 25. The film drew its title from 2Pac’s 1996 double-disc album, his second to top the Billboard 200.
Domestic gross: $47 million
Clint Eastwood directed and co-produced this film adaptation of the blockbuster stage musical, which opened on Broadway in 2005. The biopic about The Four Seasons starred John Lloyd Young as Frankie Valli, Erich Bergen as Bob Gaudio, Michael Lomenda as Nick Massi and Vincent Piazza as Tommy DeVito. The film didn’t get nearly as much awards love as the stage musical did. The musical won four Tony Awards including best musical and best actor in a musical for Young. The film didn’t land a single Oscar nod. Valli and Gaudio served as executive producers of the film. The soundtrack reached No. 15 on the Billboard 200.
Domestic gross: $51. 6 million
Tom Hulce received an Oscar nomination for best actor for playing Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, but lost to F. Murray Abraham, who had the showier role as Antonio Salieri, who was insanely jealous of Mozart’s talent. The film received 11 Oscar nominations and won eight awards, including best picture and best director for Miloš Forman. Peter Shaffer also won best adapted screenplay for adapting his stage play, which had won five Tony Awards in 1981. The double-disc soundtrack, credited to conductor/arranger Neville Marriner, reached No. 56 on the Billboard 200 and won a Grammy for best classical album.
Domestic gross: $52 million
“First he changed music. Then he changed the world” is the tagline for this film, which was directed and co-written by Reinaldo Marcus Green. It is based on the life of reggae legend Bob Marley, from his rise to fame in the mid-1970s up until his death in 1981. The film stars Kingsley Ben-Adir as Marley, with Lashana Lynch as his wife Rita Marley and James Norton as Island Records founder Chris Blackwell.
Domestic gross: $52.2 million
Barbra Streisand won an Oscar for her motion picture debut in which she played Fanny Brice, a top star of the vaudeville era. “My Man” and “I’d Rather Be Blue,” both featured in Funny Girl, were hits for Brice in the 1920s. Streisand won best actress in a tie (still the only one in the history of the category) with Katharine Hepburn, who won for The Lion in Winter. “Hello, gorgeous,” Streisand began her speech, before graciously adding: “And I’m very honored to be in such magnificent company as Katharine Hepburn.” Funny Girl received eight nominations, including best picture. The film soundtrack reached No. 12 on the Billboard 200 and spent more than two years on the chart.
Domestic gross: $54.2 million
Lou Diamond Phillips starred as Chicano music star Ritchie Valens who died at age 17 in a plane crash that also claimed the lives of Buddy Holly and The Big Bopper. The film is titled after a Mexican folk song, which Valens completely transformed with his rock and roll rendition in 1958. Valens’ version reached No. 22 on the Hot 100 in 1959. (It was not his biggest hit. That was “Donna,” which reached No. 2.) The film soundtrack, credited to Los Lobos, topped the Billboard 200 for two weeks in 1987. Los Lobos’ zesty recording of “La Bamba” topped the Hot 100 for three weeks and received Grammy nominations for record and song of the year.
Domestic gross: $67.2 million
Sissy Spacek won an Oscar for best actress for playing country queen Loretta Lynn. The film received seven Oscar nominations, including best picture. Tommy Lee Jones, Beverly D’Angelo and Levon Helm had supporting roles. Ernest Tubb, Roy Acuff, and Minnie Pearl made cameo appearances as themselves. The film was based on a 1976 biography of Lynn by George Vecsey also titled Coal Miner’s Daughter. Both the book and the film drew their titles from Lynn’s signature hit, which reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Singles chart (as it was called then) in December 1970. The soundtrack reached No. 40 on the Billboard 200.
Domestic gross: $75.3 million
Jamie Foxx won an Oscar for best actor for playing Ray Charles, the genre-bridging musician who lived up to the label “genius.” The film received six Oscar nominations, including best picture. Taylor Hackford directed and co-produced the film, and co-conceived the story. The soundtrack reached No. 9 on the Billboard 200 and won a Grammy for best compilation soundtrack album for motion picture, television or other visual media.
Domestic gross: $83.5 million
Michael Finley starred as Bart Millard, the lead singer of the contemporary Christian band MercyMe. Millard wrote the song about his relationship with his father, played by Dennis Quaid. The song reached No. 71 on the Hot 100 and charted for 18 weeks. At the 2018 Dove Awards, the film, which also starred Trace Adkins and Cloris Leachman, won inspirational film of the year.
Domestic gross: $96.4 million
Taron Egerton won raves for his performance as Elton John, with Jamie Bell playing his collaborator, Bernie Taupin. But the actors were passed over for Oscar nods, while the real thing, Elton and Bernie, won Oscars for best original song for “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again.” The film drew its title from John’s 1972 hit, which reached No. 6 on the Hot 100 – his highest ranking to that point. (Many bigger hits were in his future.) The soundtrack reached No. 50 on the Billboard 200.
Domestic gross: $119.5 million
Joaquin Phoenix received an Oscar nomination for best actor for playing country legend Johnny Cash, while Reese Witherspoon won best actress for playing his wife, country star June Carter Cash. The film received five Oscar nominations. The screenplay, written by James Mangold (who also directed the film) and Gill Dennis, was based on two Cash autobiographies — 1975’s Man in Black: His Own Story in His Own Words and 1997’s Cash: The Autobiography. The film drew its title from Cash’s 1956 hit, “I Walk the Line.” The soundtrack reached No. 9 on the Billboard 200 and won a Grammy for best compilation soundtrack album for motion picture, television or other visual media.
Domestic gross: $151 million
Elvis is Baz Luhrmann’s biopic of Elvis Presley, from his childhood to becoming one of the greatest pop music stars of all time. The film also explores his complex relationship with his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, played by Tom Hanks. In addition to directing the film, Luhrmann co-wrote and co-produced it. This is Luhrmann’s sixth film, following Strictly Ballroom (1992), Romeo + Juliet (1996), Moulin Rouge! (2001), Australia (2008) and The Great Gatsby (2013). On Aug. 23, 2022, Elvis overtook The Great Gatsby to become Luhrmann’s highest-grossing film in the U.S. and Canada.
Domestic gross: $161.2 million
Ice Cube was played by his real-life son, O’Shea Jackson Jr., in this N.W.A biopic, which also starred Corey Hawkins as Dr. Dre, Jason Mitchell as Eazy-E, Neil Brown Jr. as DJ Yella and Aldis Hodge as MC Ren. Paul Giamatti was featured as N.W.A’s manager Jerry Heller. The members of N.W.A were involved in the production of the film, including Ice Cube and Dr. Dre as producers. Eazy-E’s widow, Tomica Woods-Wright, was also a producer, while MC Ren and DJ Yella served as creative consultants. The film drew its title from N.W.A’s debut album, which reached a new peak on the Billboard 200 (No. 4) following the film’s release.
Domestic gross: $216.4 million
Rami Malek won an Oscar for best actor for playing Queen’s charismatic lead singer Freddie Mercury. The film also starred Gwilym Lee as guitarist Brian May, Ben Hardy as drummer Roger Taylor and Joe Mazzello as bassist John Deacon. May and Taylor served as consultants on the film, which focused on the period from the band’s formation in 1970 to their triumphant performance at Live Aid in Wembley Stadium in 1985. The film received five Oscar nominations, including best picture, and won four awards, more than any other film that year. The film drew its title from Queen’s most famous song, which reached No. 9 on the Hot 100 in 1976 and No. 2 in 1992 after it was featured in the box-office smash “Wayne’s World.” The Bohemian Rhapsody soundtrack reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200.
