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Interviewing an artist of Angham’s caliber presents a unique challenge and a thrill, merging anticipation with the weight of her legacy. Angham is, after all, a towering figure in Arabic music, an extraordinary voice whose career bridges the classical foundations of Arabic song with its modern evolution over two dozen studio albums. This was not just an interview – it was an exploration into the journey of authentic art that has shaped contemporary Arabic music.
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As expectations filled the air, they quickly dissipated when Angham appeared in white, radiating a captivating smile. Angham takes in all opinions and comments with a calm demeanor, soothing the room’s tension. When she begins to speak, the atmosphere transforms: her words reflect a powerful personality, expressing complex ideas with simplicity and an undeniable charm that enchants her audience.
There’s no doubt that Angham has emerged as one of Egypt’s most impactful modern voices. Her journey began in the late 1980s, nurtured by her father, the renowned musician Mohamed Ali Suleiman, whose guidance and influence helped unlock her early talent. With training in music and piano, she developed a solid foundation in the musical arts, initially singing traditional Tarab (classical Arabic music) pieces that bore her father’s distinct artistic signature, such as the album Ila Ana (Except Me), in parallel with her collaborations with classical composers of Khaleeji music such as Talal Maddah, Suleiman Al Mulla and Sami Ihsan. Yet, in the late 1990s, after professionally parting ways with her father, Angham redefined her path.
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She embraced a modern style closer to Arab pop and reached a major milestone with the 2001 album Leih Sebtaha (Why Did You Leave Her?), marking her first collaboration with composer Tarek Madkour and Sherif Taj. The early 2000s also saw Angham experimenting with Latin pop, in the release of one of her most prominent hits, “Sidi Wasalak” (Why Aren’t You With Me?), and with it she established her new artistic identity, which she continued to grow and develop while absorbing new musical trends, and integrating them into the context of her own musical experience and identity. Through these works, she expanded her reach to a broader audience, solidifying her status as a central figure in the Arab music scene and maintaining her role as a bridge between Arabic music’s rich history and its present.
While it is difficult to pin any one of Angham’s albums over the other, another massive success for Angham was her album Hala Khassa Gdean (A Very Special Case) with hit songs “Ya Retak Fahemny” (I Wish You Understood Me), where we hear her nuance for emotional complexities of love develop more with each work, in addition to her vocal delivery and performance. With 29 studio albums under her belt, Angham’s prolific body of work has found a home in the hearts of her listeners year after year, where she has come to be known for her unique ability to sing a range of emotional experiences found in each stage of love.
Billboard Arabia’s conversation for the October cover began with her latest album, Tigi Neseeb (Let’s Leave). Each song, a journey into the depths of emotion, allowed Angham to share pieces of herself and the untold stories embedded within the lyrics. She describes the album as a story, explaining, “This album is like a story with a beginning and an end. It’s filled with stories of people and situations – very real and relatable. What ties it all together is the music, the expressive kind I resonate with.”
Angham’s musical expertise shines through as she discusses her talent for weaving stories from real-life experiences — narratives that listeners might recognize from their own daily lives or even feel personally connected to. She notes, “The album is like a drama; it’s as if you’re witnessing the stories of many people around you. Sometimes, you see yourself in the narrative, or you recognize two or three others whose stories you’re familiar with. It’s that simple, yet it’s a core reason for my success.” Angham unveils that the key to her songs’ success and uniqueness lies in her deep connection with her audience and the relatable stories they share. Each song she performs embodies a sense of authenticity, forging a personal bond between the music and the listener, as though she shares in the daily experiences.
She approached her latest album, Tigi Neseeb, not as a fixed blueprint but as a dynamic journey filled with transformations and experiences. “I wouldn’t lie to you and say I knew exactly what I was going to do; the album developed gradually, with changes in lyrics and musical arrangements. There was a plan, but it evolved for the better.”
After discussing her latest album, Angham elaborates on her artistic choices and musical collaborations. With dozens of albums under her belt, she articulates her philosophy regarding song selection, highlighting the stage’s pivotal role in her decisions: “I’m always focused on how a song will translate on stage; my choices are guided by this aspect because the stage is my essence. My concert is my soul.” Angham expressed her enthusiasm for direct audience interaction, an essential element in her creative process. “When I choose a song and its arrangement, I consider how it will start, end, and engage the audience; I’ll re-record as many as two or three times to reach that perfect ending that commands applause.”
For Tigi Neseeb, Angham maintained a thoughtful balance between longtime collaborators and fresh names she worked with for the first time. She sustained her successful collaborations with producer Tarek Madkour and lyricist Amir Teima, with whom she’s worked for over 20 years, crediting these long-standing collaborations with upholding her distinctive musical identity. At the same time, she brought in new, unexpected collaborations. In her conversation with Billboard Arabia, Angham highlights the album’s surprise: collaborating with Akram Hosny, initially an Egyptian comedian, who contributed songs like “Khalik Ma’aha” (Stay With Her) and the title track.
Angham
Sharbel Boumansour/Billboard Arabia
On her album, Angham also introduced new vocabulary into her piece with lyricist Mostafa Hadouta, whose background in mahraganat music added a fresh layer to the song “Mowafaqa” (l Agree). Unpacking the album’s rich collaborations, she also praises three poets she worked with for the first time on Tigi Neseeb, including Hala El Zayat, whose song “Howa Enta Meen” (Who Are You Anyway) achieved remarkable success, landing in the No. 9 position on Billboard Arab Hot 100. Tigi Neseeb’s performance on the Billboard Arabia charts proves its remarkable success, with 10 out of 12 songs finding a home on Billboard Arabia’s Hot 100.
But Angham isn’t just a singer, performer and classically trained musician — she is also a businesswoman. In her interview, she unveils her most ambitious endeavor to date: her own production company, Sowt Masr (The Sound of Egypt), which launched with its debut album, Tigi Neseeb. Established between 2014 and 2015, the company initially aimed to produce her personal projects, yet Angham’s vision extends far beyond her own artistic ambitions. She expresses, “Deep down, I aspire to nurture new voices, and with time, I will make that happen.” Angham emphasizes that her role as a producer is not merely to finance projects but to guide emerging talent on the right path. Her insight highlights a transformative view of the producer’s role – one that encompasses organizing and creatively directing rather than just providing funding.
Looking ahead, Angham was unequivocal about her commitment to continuous innovation. “As I speak, I’m actively engaged in new projects. Music constantly flows through my mind, inspired by the words I hear and read, along with new songs and fresh collaborations,” she shared. Her boundless ambition drives her to enhance her artistic repertoire through collaborations with new composers and artists who can add their flair to her work.
Angham is not just an artist; she embodies a modern classic Arabic voice and serves as a vital link between musical generations. With her album Tigi Neseeb, its diverse collaborations and her production venture, Sowt Masr, she demonstrates her remarkable ability to adapt and innovate while remaining true to her artistic roots. The interview concluded on an inspiring note, envisioning a bright future not only for Angham but also for emerging artists who may find her label Sowt Masr a springboard to new horizons in the music industry. As she continues to pave the way, Angham’s legacy promises to illuminate a path for the next wave of talent and Arabic music at large.
Angham
Sharbel Boumansour/Billboard Arabia
Seventeen years before Justice brought a boundary-smashing stage setup to the Outdoor Stage at Coachella 2024, they were just two young producers from France wondering if their work would ever translate into a real career in live music.
For the duo — Xavier de Rosnay and Gaspard Augé — the answer became a definitive oui after their 2007 debut performance at Coachella, which was also their first ever live performance.
Now, the two are looking back on their four Coachella performances — which happened at the fest in 2007, 2012, 2017 and 2024 — in new mini-documentary produced by the festival. The eight-minute visual, titled …And Justice for All: Coachella Edition, is comprised of archival footage and new interviews with Justice, their team and a few of the many people who helped put the show together at Coachella 2024 this past April.
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“I remember after we played our first set we felt so relieved,” de Rosnay says of the duo’s 2007 set in the doc, “because we had spent the four previous years thinking, ‘Maybe we are just meant to make remixes and not even albums,’ and then here we were in the desert thinking, ‘Well, maybe we are actually a real band.’”
The doc puts a special focus on duo’s 2024 performance on Coachella’s Outdoor Stage. Justice and their creative team spent six months working with seven computer scientists to make the show, which they’ve toured the world with over the last six months. The doc features an interview with the group’s longtime technical director Manu Mouton.
The documentary was directed by photographer and filmmaker Connor Brashier, who’s worked on projects with artists including Shawn Mendes, Niall Horan and Kygo. The film was produced by Goldenvoice’s Ike Adler, Mikhail Mehra and David Prince as part of a new initiative at Coachella focused on creating original content.
“As this piece became to come together, I quickly realized I was making this for my younger, nerdy self, who dug for hours and hours trying to find out more about the people and processes behind the iconic Justice shows both past and present,” Brashier tells Billboard. “I hope someone out there is as giddy as I was to see a few of these monumental Coachella performances in HD and meet a small portion of the magician-like talents who played a part in putting them all on.”
Watch the mini-documentary below:
With two new singles — “Natural” and “Space and Pussy” — gaining traction, Kiana Ledé is ready to deliver even more to her fans. The L.A.-based singer stopped by Billboard‘s NYC office for an episode of Billboard Gaming, just in time for the release of her Cut Ties album arrival on Friday (Nov. 1).
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In Cut Ties, Kiana Ledé delves deeply into the complexities of anxious and avoidant attachment styles, reflecting on the ways relationships can offer both comfort and pain, shaping one’s emotional responses over time. The album invites listeners to experience a journey through love’s emotional spectrum—from the security and closeness of a relationship’s early stages to the eventual sense of detachment and heartbreak that may follow.
We faced off with the singer-songwriter in several rounds of Mario Kart while discussing the inspiration behind her album, her love for Halloween and High School Musical and more.
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You just dropped two new singles, “Natural” and “Space and Pussy.” Can you dive into the themes of self-assurance and womanhood? What’s the inspiration for those tracks?
Ooh, “Space and Pussy” and “Natural.” I mean, I think they’re pretty opposite of each other, just because “Natural” is about feeling so comfortable with the person that you’re with that you would do anything—wink wink—with them.
And then “Space and Pussy” is like, I gave you my p—y, and I gave you space, and, like, what more could anybody ask for? And you’re stupid because you f—ked it up. They’re pretty opposite, but they both have to do with p—y, I guess.
Is that a surrounding theme for the album?
P—y?
Yeah.
[Laughs.] Yeah, I mean, I feel like p—y is like a theme of my life.
And why is that?
I just think p—y is beautiful. I think my p—y is beautiful. I think other people’s p—ies are beautiful. P—y, in general, is just a beautiful part of life. It gives us life, you know?
You also recently dropped a visualizer for “Natural”. What was the creative process for that?
I wanted to do something, like, kind of spooky because, obviously, spooky is my favorite genre—horror is my favorite genre. I love spooky season. But also, one of my first acting jobs was Zoe in Scream [the show], and, spoiler alert, I die in Scream. And I loved dying — it was so fun — and I wanted to either be the villain or die again and bring that back. Eventually, I want to write my own horror movie, and I want to, like, I don’t know, just… it’s something that I’m really passionate about.
So, the “Natural” video, I was like, “Why don’t I just get back into the horror bag?” because I know people are going to be excited to see me doing horror stuff again too.
Music is meant to be experienced, and everyone interprets songs and albums differently. But with this album specifically, what message, idea, or theme do you want your listeners to take away?
I think I want them to listen to the story. This album is really a story. It’s a message about how great things can go horribly wrong. I think something really important to take away is the story of me finding out who I need to keep in my life and who doesn’t deserve to be in it quicker than I have in the past, and hopefully that inspires other people to do the same.
I heard this album is also inspired by like your passion for Halloween, is that correct?
Yeah, I love Halloween.
How has loving Halloween influenced this album?
I mean, obviously, it was perfect timing because it’s spooky season.
I made that something that was a part of what we were doing because I wanted to be able to celebrate. Like, for me, there are only two holidays every year: my birthday and Halloween. And so, I take it very seriously. I was excited to potentially release an album on Halloween.
So, the whole year is Halloween except for my birthday. Then it’s my birthday, and the rest of the year is Halloween. I love spooky. I grew up watching horror movies and having horror movie marathons with my sister and my dad and just always being drawn to darker things in general in life.
I just love things that people don’t really like to talk about. It interests me. I follow Creepy.org on Twitter, and I’m just really drawn to things that are scary or that people don’t want to talk about. It just excites me. So, I was excited to bring a little bit of that into this album and the visual part.
I’m not used to having a good idea for the visual creative part of the album because I’m not a very visual person. But once I added that aspect of horror and brought that spookiness into it, I was like, “Oh, I got this. Boom, boom, boom. This is what we’re doing.”
So, did that idea also influence the cover?
I’m a huge Pinterest person. I love Pinterest. So, I had a Pinterest board, and I was just putting together different things that are kind of on the darker side that have to do with the themes of the songs on the album. And ropes were one, especially because “Cut Ties” — we also have another song called “Too Many Strings.” And sometimes relationships can be scary, you know?
I know I’ve been in all these relationships in my life, so we took the ropes to show, “I am stuck in this situation, but I’m about to cut the s—t. Don’t worry about it; I’ll be good.”
You recently went independent — why?
I think I was just ready for something different. I’ve been in label situations, major label situations, since I was 15,14,15. And I was ready to just be able to make more of my own choices. And I really came into this new era of having freedom. So now I just really fully have all the freedom.
Do you think this album represents freedom in a sense?
Yeah, I would say so. I mean, even in the album, I’m breaking loose from the person in the relationship and from friendships that I’ve had that I’ve just needed to cut ties with earlier on than I did. So, yeah, I guess it represents the freedom that I have to choose.
Going independent is a big step for any artist. What challenges have you faced since?
Honestly, I don’t feel like I’ve felt a lot of challenges. Because I didn’t have as much control before, I didn’t feel as much pressure on making certain decisions. But I wish I did make more decisions. Now I can make all the decisions; I have to. It’s overwhelming, almost. Like, I really have to get this right, and if I fall on a sword, it’s going to be my own sword.
So, if things go wrong, it’s all on you — there’s no one else to blame. How do you manage that pressure?
There’s definitely times where I feel that pressure, but I feel like my team is just so supportive, and I’m very big on teamwork. We all are moving as a unit together every single step of the way. So I definitely feel some of that pressure sometimes in my most vulnerable moments, but I think I just feel so much like a team that it feels like we’re all helping this machine work for us.
All in this together? Like High School Musical?
Exactly. Do you know the dance?
[We do a quick version on the dance in our sets.]
That’s good! That was good!
My mom actually bought High School Musical 2 on DVD and I had the soundtrack, but I don’t have it anymore.
Yes, you do. [Smiles.]
I don’t.
You know you do.
I don’t, my mom probably has it. I do love High School Musical, I really do.
High School Musical is the best. I used to want to be Gabriela so bad.
You’ve recently been on tour with Jhené Aiko, and now you’re heading out again for the third leg. How’s the experience been so far?
It’s been so much fun. I mean, she’s amazing. I’m obsessed with her. She’s my favorite artist in the world. So, it’s been a lot of fun just to be able to be on the same stage as her.
And also, she is such an amazing person, you know? There are a lot of experiences we’ve had in the industry where the people that you respect unfortunately aren’t the coolest people, you know?
I can relate.
And she’s really f—king cool. We go to the green rooms every day, and there’s rose petals and confetti and glitter at our door.
And she’s so genuine and sweet. So, I’m having a lot of fun. The chaos is so much fun. Yeah, everyone’s pretty great. I think that’s what makes a tour experience good or not—not even necessarily the show itself, but the people. So, it’s been fun. But the fans have been awesome. Her fans are great.
Sometimes they be fighting during random songs, though. I get so confused. There are these things I’d seen on Twitter, like, when we were on tour, and they were like, “How are you fighting after a Jhené Aiko concert?” And I’m literally, like, same. Like, how do you do that?
It’s so soothing.Yeah. But they found a way.
As you head into the third leg of the tour, will there be any changes to your performance, or will it stay mostly the same? What can fans look forward to this time around?
I might add a song, a new song.
From the album?
Yeah, I might add a new one; who knows?
Getting back into the album, what’s your favorite song?
My favorite song? That’s hard. Maybe “Out of Luck?” Maybe — no, no, that’s a lie. “Too Many Strings?” No, “The Truth.” I don’t know; that’s hard.
Are they all your babies?
Yeah, I always have a hard time with that question because I also think it depends on the mood.
Like the day, the hour, the time.
Yeah, right now I feel like I’m kind of in a bad b—ch, maybe a little bit in a bad mood earlier kind of mood. So, I think the bad b—ch would come out today. “Out of Luck” is me.
I like “Burn It Up.”
Oh, you like that one?
Yes, I like “Burn It Up.” I don’t know if it’s the beat or like the message I just like when I hear it, it makes me feel good. You know?
Yeah, I love that. “Burn It Up” is good. That’s definitely a psycho song, for sure.
With over a billion streams, your music keeps evolving, but how do you stay true to your original self before the fame, before the honor, before the glory? How do you evolve, but still stay true to you?
I think, honestly, one of the things that has been a blessing and a curse is having imposter syndrome.
Having imposter syndrome is really crazy and shitty sometimes, but also, like, it weirdly does keep me grounded. I know that every time somebody listens to my music or a fan comes up to me and they’re like, “Oh my god, are you da da da da da da?” and they freak out, I have no idea why they’re freaking out. It probably sounds dumb, but I literally will be like, “Why are you?” This is crazy that they’re freaking out.
Like, I’m just chillin’ here… I’ll literally be like, “Who are they freaking out about? Who’s behind me?” [Laughs.] Because it doesn’t make sense to me. It doesn’t click in my head for some reason. So, that’s one of the things that I think is like a weird way to stay grounded because I just appreciate it every time; I just don’t expect it.
And then I think the other way is I’m very close with my family, and I’m best friends with some of the people I work with. I’m also best friends with somebody who I’ve known since third grade. She’s been my best friend since third grade. So, it’s just kind of a reminder to me that if she still loves me, I’m the same person… Because I know if I were to f—k around and change up, she would not be f—king with me, you know? So having those people in your life that are your constants from when you were a child, it’s like, you know that that core you is still there.
Yeah, like it reminds you of where you came from.
Yeah, exactly. So, it’s great. I love that.
Do you think you’re underrated?
It’s so funny; I don’t feel like I’m underrated. I think people say that I’m underrated. I feel like it’s kind of a weird thing to say just because I know my fans rate me, you know? I think they mean it as a compliment, obviously, when they say you’re underrated. To me, it’s like what the great Marcel the Shell said: “compared to what?” Like, compared to what? Because I feel like I’ve done—like, yes, I’ve been in this s—t for twelve years, probably closer to thirteen at this point, and it’s been a long ass time.
Do I feel like I am where I thought I would be when I was a kid? No, not necessarily. But also, I think I have certain expectations that people don’t probably know about, you know? I have my own goals. I think people expect that if they love you and your music is great and you’re a great person.
So from what they can see, they assume that you should be — or you want to be — like Beyoncé, you know? Or close to that. And that’s just not where I want to be. So while I appreciate people saying that, because really what they’re saying is more people should know about you because your music is so great.
I really am happy with where I’m at. Obviously, I would love to make more money [laughs] and have more people hear my music, but it’s really also about just making people feel something. And I’ve had to learn to get the love back for music, and it’s not like fully there yet, but I think people weirdly — and I don’t want to sound ungrateful — but people saying things like “underrated” takes away that love a little bit when I hear it.
But I do see that it’s a good thing, and I’m grateful that people say it.
I feel like when it comes to being an underrated artist it’s like, “You’re a great artist, but why don’t more people know about you?” Or “Why isn’t your name brought up in conversations about the top three, top five, or even top 20?” It’s not to think about “what am I doing wrong?” but to think “hmm why aren’t I being mentioned?” You know what I’m saying?
Yeah, I think maybe that’s what it is. Maybe I’m just projecting because when people say that, I’m automatically thinking, “Am I doing something wrong? Am I not where people see me or where people think I should be?” Does that make sense?
Yeah, getting into the top three, who would you say is in your top three?
Ooh. That’s hard. I would say Jhené, Sinéad [Harnett], and Destin [Conrad]. I just threw two of my friends in there because they’re f—king incredible. I mean, Destin is an incredible songwriter. He’s so f—king talented.
And then Sinéad is one of the most amazing singers I’ve ever heard in my life. I get so mad at her when she sings in front of me because I’m like, “How the f—k can you…”
Sound like that.
Yeah, like, how do you do it? Her runs are so clean, and she’s so funny and genuine. So, yeah, I’m gonna put them up there in my top three. And then Jhené for obvious reasons.
Speaking of Jhené, collaboration coming soon? Got any tracks lined up?
We’ll have to see.
The people are asking.
People will get an answer when I give them an answer. [Laughs.]
Are you a rap fan at all?
To be honest, I don’t really listen to music.
So what do you do when you’re traveling?
Play Township on my phone, listen to audiobooks, listen to spooky podcasts. I watch a lot of shows cause it’s really comforting for me to just have something on in the background. But, yeah, I don’t really feel like it.
I feel like a lot of artists say that. They’re like, “No, we don’t listen to music. We just exist.” I don’t know, for me, I’m walking somewhere, headphones in. I’m going to work, headphones in. I’m working, headphones are in…
That’s so nice.
How do y’all live and not have your headphones in?
I don’t know; I feel like when you do it for a job, it’s like anything, you know? Like a chef probably doesn’t want to come home and cook, and that’s the first thing that they do when they get off work. I feel like it’s partially that. I think also just a lot of bad, bad f—king experiences in the industry.
I just don’t want to be reminded of certain things or certain people just by listening to, like, a f—king playlist on Spotify, you know? I’d rather just have my own fresh ideas. I think that’s another part of it.
You feel like playing tracks influences you in a way?
Maybe. I don’t even want it to be a question, I think. But, yeah, I don’t listen to music at all. Most of the time when I’m listening to music — this is not even to be like conceited — I’m listening to my own music, but it’s my music that I just made because I want to make sure that I love it, you know?
Music for me is very attached to experiences and emotion. If you go to a concert, you either love the album or you hate the album, and so listening to music kind of does that same thing for me.
Like, I want to listen to the album and hear the stories that I’ve been through and kind of relive that for a second, just to laugh at it or just see that some art came out of it, you know?
Why did you stray away from acting?
I actually didn’t really stray away. I think it was just that there was so much going on with music at the time that it just made more sense than going out for roles that were just not really suited to me at the time— not really what I wanted to do. I’m looking forward to acting again, but by the time I was ready to get back into acting, the whole world shut down, and then there was a strike, and like, you know, I just wasn’t very lucky when it came to that time of my acting career. But I’m excited to get back into it.
So we’re going to see you on the screen? The silver screen or a TV screen?
We’ll find out. I’ll take either one.
Tyler, the Creator threatened to bring back the “old” him at his “30 Minutes of Chromakopia” mini-concert in Boston on Halloween (Oct. 31) while talking about his ire at Taylor Swift fans. The rapper lashed out at what he deemed an attempt by Swifties to “cancel” him recently over old lyrics after he momentarily took […]
SEVENTEEN scores its sixth No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart (dated Nov. 2) as SPILL THE FEELS enters atop the list with 64,000 copies sold in the U.S. in the week ending Oct. 24, according to Luminate. All six of the group’s leaders have come since 2021, and the act now ties TOMORROW X TOGETHER for the second-most No. 1s in the 2020s decade. Only Taylor Swift, with eight No. 1s since 2020, has more chart-toppers this decade.
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Also in the top 10 of the new Top Album Sales chart, rapper Yeat nabs his biggest sales week ever with the No. 2 debut of Lyfestyle, Tom Petty and the Heartbreaker’s reissue of Long After Dark arrives at No. 6, Kylie Minogue’s Tension II starts at No. 7, Jerry Cantrell’s I Want Blood bows at No. 8 and Dan + Shay kick off the holiday season with It’s Officially Christmas: The Double Album entering at No. 10.
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Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart ranks the top-selling albums of the week based only on traditional album sales. The chart’s history dates back to May 25, 1991, the first week Billboard began tabulating charts with electronically monitored piece count information from SoundScan, now Luminate. Pure album sales were the sole measurement utilized by the Billboard 200 albums chart through the list dated Dec. 6, 2014, after which that chart switched to a methodology that blends album sales with track equivalent album units and streaming equivalent album units.
SPILL THE FEELS’ sales were bolstered by its availability across 17 CD variants, each containing collectible branded paper ephemera (such as photocards, posters, lyric books and stickers, some randomized). Of the set’s 64,000 copies sold, 99% were CDs and the remaining sales were digital downloads.
Yeat logs his biggest sales week ever as Lyfestyle bows at No. 2 with 60,000 sold. Lyfestyle’s first-week sales were bolstered by its availability across many variants, exclusively sold through the artist’s webstore. Lyfestyle’s opening-week sales actually exceed the cumulative sales of the rapper’s entire album catalog before this past week. Until Lyfestyle’s release, his catalog of albums had sold a combined 35,000 copies.
Jelly Roll’s Beautifully Broken dips 1-3 in its second week (33,000; down 71%), Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet is steady at No. 4 (11,000; down 17%) and Chappell Roan’s The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess falls 3-5 (nearly 11,000; down 26%).
Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers’ Long After Dark, first released in 1982, makes its debut on Top Album Sales at No. 6, following its deluxe remastered reissue on Nov. 18. In the tracking week, the album – with all versions, new and old, combined – sold 10,000 copies. The reissue was available in multiple permutations, including a deluxe digital download, two vinyl variants, and two CD/Blu-ray audio combo editions (most inclusive of additional unearthed bonus tracks).
Kylie Minogue’s Tension II starts at No. 7 on Top Album Sales with 9,000 copies sold. It’s the sequel set to her 2023 release Tension. The new album was issued in four CD variants, four vinyl editions, two download editions and a cassette tape.
Jerry Cantrell’s I Want Blood bows at No. 8 with nearly 9,000 sold, marking his best sales week as a soloist since 2002. It’s also his first top 10-charting effort as a solo artist on the ranking. The set was available across five vinyl variants, three CD editions and a download.
Charli XCX’s Brat falls 2-9 with almost 9,000 sold (down 82%).
Rounding out the top 10 on the new Top Album Sales chart is the debut of Dan + Shay’s It’s Officially Christmas: The Double Album at No. 10 with 6,000 sold. It’s the first holiday release from the duo – and the first seasonal effort to reach the top 10 on Top Album Sales in 2024. The set was issued in two vinyl variants, two CD variants and a digital download.
Cazzu is clearing things up and speaking for the first time about Christian Nodal and Ángela Aguilar‘s relationship. In an interview with Argentina’s PLP, the singer and rapper said she found out about Nodal and Aguilar “like everyone else did, through social media and the press,” Cazzu shared.
The Argentine hitmaker’s words come just a few weeks after Aguilar sat down with ABC News, during which she spoke out about how her relationship was set into motion over the summer when the couple tied the knot in July — two months after the 25-year-old Nodal announced his breakup from Argentine rapper Cazzu, with whom he shares a daughter. During the interview, the regional Mexican star said categorically, “No one’s heart got broken. We have a clear consciousness. We’re all OK, we’re all happy, we’re adults.”
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Now, Cazzu is speaking for herself, and setting the record straight. “I was not aware they had a previous relationship,” she explained. “When he left me, he left me for a different reason. I even asked if there was someone else and he said no. I found out about their relationship like everyone else did, through same media and the press, I was obviously surprised because I had met her. I thought it wasn’t true, but it turned out that it was.”
When Nodal and Aguilar confirmed in June they were a couple, Aguilar told HOLA! magazine that theirs was “not a new relationship; it’s continuation of a story that life made us pause so we could grow and miss each other.”
Cazzu goes on to explain that she didn’t do anything at that moment because “there was nothing to do. I’m not going to ask anyone to stay in my life who doesn’t want to be part of my life — I just accepted it.”
The “Mucha Data” singer said she was almost “obligated” to speak on the matter after “shots were fired,” and she was spoken for on different occasions.
“For me this is such a private subject, so painful that I would have liked to never say anything, but my integrity as a person is being questioned. I would never be part of such a twisted plan as the one suggested, and they also talked about my feelings — someone who does not know me, who does not know what I went through. They said that no one’s heart was broken and that no one suffered — I suffered a lot and more than one heart was broken. It was a painful process. I handled it with respect above all because I have a daughter who has a father who will always be her father, but I want to set an example for her that when things cross a line, you have to set limits.”
She added, “The only one authorized to talk about my emotional situation is me. Do not lie about me, do not talk about my feelings, do not talk about me anymore, please. I would like to be in peace, just as I let things happen in peace.”
Following Cazzu’s interview going viral on social media, Nodal reiterated on Instagram Live that “there was no infidelity” and that he had a “clear consciousness.”
Watch Cazzu’s interview below:
Billboard’s Friday Music Guide serves as a handy guide to this Friday’s most essential releases — the key music that everyone will be talking about today, and that will be dominating playlists this weekend and beyond.
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This week, Lil Uzi Vert blasts off to a new world, The Weeknd gets edgy with Anitta, and Shawn Mendes hoists up a “Heart of Gold.” Check out all of this week’s picks below:
Lil Uzi Vert, Eternal Atake 2
Eternal Atake arrived in 2020 as a breathless amalgamation of Lil Uzi Vert’s elastic flows and forward-thinking ideas, a rap enigma blooming into a superstar; its sequel, which follows last year’s Pink Tape, harkens back to its predecessor at times — “Chill Bae” belongs alongside his older melodic masterworks — but also forges ahead with more tumbling bars, spaced-out beats and braggadocio.
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The Weeknd feat. Anitta, “São Paulo”
“São Paulo,” the high-wattage new team-up between The Weeknd and Anitta, immediately justifies its Halloween release: within the opening minute, a sinister synth arrangement prod at Abel Tesfaye as he gasps out, “Every time I try to run, you put your curse all over me.” Soon, “São Paulo” widens its stance and shape-shifts, offering throbbing percussion and Latin flourishes while never dropping its eeriest undertones.
Shawn Mendes, “Heart of Gold”
“Heart of Gold” is the moment in which Shawn Mendes’ sonic pivot to rootsy folk-rock catches up to his natural songwriting ability: a grief-stricken reflection on a friend he couldn’t help in time, the single boasts a myriad of moving images as well as the strongest hook of Mendes’ latest era.
The Cure, Songs of a Lost World
With Songs of a Lost World, the Cure’s first studio album in a whopping 16 years, Robert Smith and co. have offered the ideal project for longtime fans: a no-dust-detected presentation of the goth-rock greats’ classic sound, but with interesting new wrinkles, including the sweeping, 10-minute epic “Endsong” to close out the new affair.
Champion, Skrillex, Four Tet & Naisha, “Talk to Me”
Any time that Skrillex and Four Tet’s names appear together on a new track, the dance world is going to pay attention — and sure enough, “Talk to Me,” a new collaboration with British producer Champion and singer-songwriter Naisha, represents a squiggly autumnal banger, with streamlined instrumentation that dismisses the notion of a too-crowded studio.
Future & Travis Scott, “South of France (Remix)”
Future’s victory lap is not done: after triumphing with his pair of Metro Boomin albums, We Don’t Trust You and We Still Don’t Trust You, and then serving up solo revelry on Mixtape Pluto, the latter project’s “South of France” has received a remix featuring Travis Scott, with both A-listers gliding over the burbling beat.
Megan Moroney, Blue Christmas… Duh
A few months after returning with Am I Okay?, Megan Moroney is quickly back to ring in the start of the holiday season with Blue Christmas… Duh, a three-song EP featuring a pair of originals from the country star (the delicious “All I Want for Christmas is a Cowboy” and heartfelt “Christmas Morning”), as well as, duh, a cover of “Blue Christmas.”
Editor’s Pick: Ethel Cain, “Punish”
If Preacher’s Daughter, Ethel Cain’s superb 2022 album, toyed with the ideas of pop structure and classic American iconography, “Punish” suggests that she’s prepared to explode all expectations for her next move: a nearly 7-minute drone song that starts with fragile beauty and builds up to eardrum-rattling noise, “Punish” showcases Cain’s talent while legitimately surprising the listeners — always a good thing.
Jennifer Lopez introduced Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris at a rally in Las Vegas on Thursday night (Oct. 31), imploring the audience to take a hard look at the stark differences between the sitting Vice President and twice impeached former President Donald Trump.
“At Madison Square Garden, he reminded us who he really is and how he really feels,” Lopez said of Trump in reference to his rally at MSG on Sunday in which a comedian told a succession of racist and sexist jokes, including one in which he referred to Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage.”
“It wasn’t just Puerto Ricans who were offended that day, OK? It was every Latino in this country, it was humanity and anyone of decent character,” said Lopez, who endorsed Harris this week. The offensive comment from the comedian who also made an off-color joke about the O.J. Simpson murders tied to Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift, set up more than a dozen other opening speakers who warmed up the crowd for Trump with equally offensive comments. One referred to Democrats as “degenerates… low-lives [and] Jew-haters,” while fired Fox News host Tucker Carlson purposely misstated Harris’ heritage by calling her the “first Samoan Malaysian low IQ, former California prosecutor to ever be elected President.”
The Puerto Rico slur, in particular, drove endorsements for Harris from Lopez, as well as P.R. natives Bad Bunny, Ricky Martin and Luis Fonsi. Nicky Jam, who was born in Massachusetts to a P.R.-native father, withdrew his previous endorsement of Trump to throw in with the Harris/Walz campaign amid the wave of anger over the slur about the U.S. territory whose 3.2 million residents are U.S. citizens, but who cannot vote in elections. Lopez stressed that she was not on stage supporting Harris at the event in the crucial swing state “to trash anyone or bring them down.”
But with just days before Tuesday’s (Nov. 5) election, the singer explained, “I know what that can feel like and I wouldn’t do it to my worst enemy, or even when facing the biggest adversary I think America has internally ever had,” in reference to convicted felon Trump, who has vowed to use the engines of presidential power to take vengeance on his political enemies if re-elected. “But over Kamala Harris’ entire career, she has proven to us who she is. She has shown up for us every day, for the people. And it’s time for us to show up for her.”
Lopez noted that her parents were born in Puerto Rico and moved to New York before she was born, saying, “We are Americans. I am a mother. I am a sister. I am an actor and an entertainer and I like Hollywood endings. I like when the good guy, or in this case the good girl, wins. And with an understanding of our past and a faith in our future, I will be casting my ballot for Kamala Harris for president of the United States proudly.”
She also added, “You can’t even spell American without ‘Rican.”
Pollsters continue to call the contest between Harris and former reality TV host Trump a toss-up, which might also explain why Harris invited Lopez and Mexican rock band Maná — who performed at Thursday’s rally — to join her in a state where Latinos represent around 30% of the population; across the country an estimated 36.2 million Latinos are eligible to vote this year. Earlier in the day, Los Tigres del Norte performed at a Harris rally in Phoenix.
While Lopez and Harris were encouraging people to vote, Trump staged a stunt in Green Bay, WI in which he dressed up like a garbage collector in an orange vest and drove in circles on an airport tarmac in a Trump-branded garbage truck. His campaign said it was in an effort to call attention to a video of President Biden saying “the only garbage I see floating out there is his supporter,” which the White House later clarified was a reference to the other speakers at Trump’s rally.
“His demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it’s un-American. It’s totally contrary to everything we’ve done, everything we’ve been,” Biden added.
Check out video and photos of Lopez at the Harris campaign below.
NBC will be ringing in the holiday season with A Motown Christmas. Hosted by Smokey Robinson and Halle Bailey, the two-hour special will feature Motown legends and contemporary stars performing more than 25 of the label’s timeless hits as well as holiday favorites. A Motown Christmas will air Dec. 11 (9 p.m. ET/PT) on NBC and the next day on Peacock.
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In addition to Robinson, the lineup of Motown legends who will be performing includes Gladys Knight, Martha Reeves & the Vandellas and the Temptations. Besides Bailey, the contemporary stars also sharing the stage are Ashanti, Andra Day, BeBe Winans, Jamie Foxx, JoJo, Jordin Sparks, mgk, October London and Pentatonix.
Among the special’s musical highlights: a selection of chart-topping hits such as “My Girl,” “Tears of a Clown” and “ABC”; tributes to Diana Ross and The Supremes, Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder; a new rendition of “Last Christmas” by mgk; a salute to Motown founder Berry Gordy by Day and a world exclusive performance from the Broadway company MJ the Musical
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In a statement, NBCUniversal Entertainment’s executive vp of live events & specials Jen Neal said, “Motown’s timeless hits have played as a soundtrack for American families for the last six decades. NBC is honored to spotlight the iconic legacy of Motown with a festive celebration for the holiday season.”
A Motown Christmas is executive produced by actress/director/choreographer Debbie Allen and former Motown Productions president Suzanne de Passe and Madison Jones of De Passe Jones Entertainment. Leading production of the telecast is SpringHill; musical director is Rickey Minor.
“We’re excited to usher in the holiday spirit by bringing nostalgic performances and fresh renditions of Motown hits to homes across the world,” said SpringHill CCO Jamal Henderson. In the same announcement release, de Passe added, “I’m delighted to join Debbie Allen, SpringHill and NBC to bring Motown music, great artists and warm, family feelings together in a grand celebration of Christmas.”
Noted Allen, “I’m thrilled to be back in the saddle with Motown and Suzanne de Passe to bring to the world this much-needed holiday family special. The music of Motown has always been magical, and we are going to sing and dance everyone into Christmas joy!”
Prior to A Motown Christmas, NBC has aired two Motown television specials: Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever and Motown Returns to the Apollo. Each won the Emmy Award for outstanding music or comedy program.
Jamey Johnson is alive and well. That is more than evident on Midnight Gasoline, the acclaimed singer-songwriter’s first new solo studio album in 14 years, out Nov. 8.
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However, the 10-time Grammy nominee is the first to admit he was guided by the spirits of those who have passed while making the set. There’s Toby Keith, whose death spurred him to return to the studio. Then there’s Tony Joe White, who he was writing “Saturday Night in New Orleans” with when the “Poke Salad Annie” writer died (he finished the song years later with Chris Stapleton). Then Johnson recorded the album at Cash Cabin, Johnny and June Cash’s former studio now run by their son, musician/producer John Carter Cash.
Earlier this year, Johnson recorded 30 songs over three weeks at Cash Cabin, so dedicated to the effort that he slept outside the studio in his bus. The 12-track Midnight Gasoline will be the first in a number of albums called the Cash Cabin Series coming through Warner Music Nashville in conjunction with his own Big Gassed Records.
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Over Zoom in his first interview about the new album, Johnson stresses that he’s been busy touring and writing since he released his last solo album, 2010’s The Guitar Song, but also admits that while he never stopped writing completely, his output was often severely limited as he replenished his creativity. “I didn’t write unless I absolutely had to write. And that was taking a page out of Roger Miller’s book,” he says. “Roger told Willie [Nelson] years ago that if you’re not writing, it’s because your well is empty, and you need to go out there and live some and fill up your well. And that’s what Willie told me. I think it just took me a long time to get my well full.”
Johnson’s well has provided country music with some of its most resonant music over the last few decades. Johnson, considered one of the most significant country songwriters and vocalists of the last generation, is one of only two songwriters to win two song of the year awards in the same year from the Academy of Country Music and the Country Music Association — the other being one of his musical heroes, the late Kris Kristofferson. (Johnson won for “Give It Away” in 2007 and “In Color” in 2009.)
Johnson, who is on Life is a Carnival: The Last Waltz Tour ‘24 with musicians Don Was, Ryan Bingham, Lukas Nelson, Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench celebrating the music of The Band, talked to Billboard before he flew from Nashville for a date in Omaha.
Johnson is as eloquent in conversation as he is in song, giving thoughtful, reflective answers. He spoke candidly about his hard-won sobriety, what he thinks about the new generation of artists and why he and Keith had unfinished business.
You’ve been touring a lot the last several years. How did that inform your writing and getting back in the studio?
There’s the songwriter that just watches people and studies. There’s a part of that you get standing on the center of that stage, looking out over the faces and seeing how they react to certain messages or certain lines that enhances you as a songwriter. So, when you get that kind of positive feedback as a songwriter just off of the faces, you tend to go back in the writing room and you want to write something that draws a similar reaction or at least it feeds you to say that as a songwriter you’re headed in a correct direction or in the desirable direction.
The album’s emotional centerpiece is “One More Time,” about the deep longing to hold a lost loved one again and playing God to make that happen. What inspired it?
I wrote it with good buddy of mine, Rob Hatch, and Ernest. The inspiration behind that [was] in a short amount of time in my life I had a lot of death to deal with. It was very close friends, mentors, legends in the business, people that I was close to, people that I had benefited by knowing in a very heartfelt way, people that I owe a lot of my success to, people that I loved. And when they’re gone, you can’t help it— you dream of the day when you get to see them again. This song basically says. why would l feel this way unless there’s a time I can see you? If I were the Creator, I would create these things in such a way that I’ll always get you back one more time.
It was your first time writing with Ernest. You’re usually writing with your contemporaries more than the next generation.
We did a charity golf tournament together. It’s one that I do every year with George Strait. Ernest came to be my partner this year. And one thing I’ve learned about Ernest is he is quick-witted beyond belief. His mind’s always working. He and I were absolutely miserable golfers together, but we had the most fun out there doing it. That speaks volumes about somebody: how well can you keep your head up, keep your spirits up and have fun even while you’re losing on a golf course. You would have never thought we were losing, we looked like a couple of champions out there having the time of our life [Laughs.]
He’s just absolutely brilliant. He’s got to be one of the brightest in this younger class of songwriters today. And that’s saying something. He is holding his own with artists like HARDY and Riley Green, Luke Combs. He’s got that high frequency going on. Lainey Wilson, Ella Langley, Megan Moroney, Ashley McBride. I get around these people at the different industry things that we do, and I’m just mesmerized. There’s a reason these kids are on top of the world today, because they’re f–king good.
Another song on here that feels personal is “21 Guns,” a very moving song about being at the graveside of someone who dies in the line of duty, which you performed at PBS’ National Memorial Day Concert this year. As a former Marine, what does it mean to you that you’ve written a song that can be played on these very momentous, somber occasions?
One song could never be enough to properly acknowledge the sacrifice that’s been made by not just men and women in uniform, but also the Gold Star families that are left behind after that sacrifice has been made. It takes a bunch of songs to get to the heart of that subject and I’m glad I’ve got one to add to that mix. My only concern [was] I didn’t want to feel like it was pandering, because for me it comes from a really honest place. I’ve had friends die in combat. I’ve had friends die in the line of duty, whether it’s in combat or on the police force or fire department.
One of the first songs released from the project is Sober. How long you’ve been sober and what prompted that song?
I had my last drink in September 2011. Then I quit smoking pot in 2015. I think that lasted about eight years. Nine years. In that time period, it was all about sobriety. And with a sober mind, I’m able to do things like get a pilot’s license, manage a business, start a product line. I’m sober for the most part, but every now and then, I may still break out a joint if I’m writing or something like that. But I don’t play games with the alcohol. That’s what led me down a dark path of self-destruction back then and I barely survived. Alcohol was an incendiary way of destructing myself. Everything just went up in in flames and you couldn’t put the fire out, you just had to wait for it to all come to ashes and then try to rebuild when you got done. And it seemed to me like I owed myself a better way to live than that.
You recorded 30 songs. What kind of roll out do you see for the rest of the Cash Cabin Series?
We’re gonna keep them coming. I’m not waiting for a specific time period. I’m happy with whatever release [schedule] Warner decides to make. That’s what I’m using the label for. I don’t have a marketing department and I don’t have a bunch of people that that sit around testing the climate to find out when’s the best time to release this or that. I’m happy to let the label make that their contribution.
This is your first album for Warner Music Group. You signed with the label based on your relationship with co-chair/co-president Cris Lacy. What makes that so special?
We’ve known each other since both of us were starting our careers in this business. She was a song plugger. I was a songwriter and at the time, I didn’t even have or want a publishing deal. I was just a rogue writer running around singing demos, and everybody knew my name. We kept up over the years, but there never was an opportunity for us to work together. A couple of years ago she came to me and said, “You have got to start making records again.”
It wasn’t like the only reason she wanted a record was to have something to sell. She wasn’t coming to me from her position of authority at Warner [Music Nashville] Warner is doing fine without me. Chris Lacey is doing fine without me. She just wanted me to do fine, too. She wanted me to be doing better than what I was doing, and she knew that releasing the music was going to make me better. It was going to heal me, and she was right. She had to come and pull me through the motions. Everything that she did for me, I desperately needed it. And at this point, I have nothing but appreciation for her and gratitude for her as a friend coming and helping me through that process.
You’ve really stepped up your social media game recently and posted a really sweet post when Kris Kristofferson died a few weeks ago. You both were in the military and both are considered among the best country songwriters ever. Did you ever get to write together?
Well, especially with those guys I was reluctant to ever mention writing. I didn’t want to. As much as I wanted to as a songwriter, I always felt like it would have dampened the relationship if I seemed like just another handout going, “Hey, please give me some of your time. Please endorse me in this way.” I’d rather just be the friendly face that sits around gobbling up stories that they’re willing to share, so I spent my time around Kris and Merle [Haggard] and Willie [Nelson], just absorbing whatever they were willing to share. Hank Cochran and I even talked about writing, but I benefited more from my time being around him not writing than I would have if I had left there with a catalog of No. 1 hits.
You did write with Toby Keith. What was that like?
Toby Keith had one of the most amazing memories of anybody. I mean, perfect recall on lyrics he hasn’t seen or heard in 34 years. Remembers every chord, remembers every word. He could remember names, faces, conversations, ideas, just an infinite stream of memory. And as a songwriter, he was very picky about phrases he would use. If it didn’t sound like his vernacular, it had to change until it fit right because he wasn’t going to put something in there that didn’t sound the way he would talk… We were working on a song toward the end. I called him up one night and shared a few lines with him, and he added a few lines and we turned around and wrote this whole verse. We laughed a bunch, and it was one of those that I thought, “This is great. There’s gonna come a time I’ll get out to Oklahoma or maybe he and I will meet up somewhere at a golf tournament, but we’ll have some time sit down and finish this thing up.”
He always gave me the feeling that this wasn’t nothing. He was gonna beat this: “You don’t worry about me, pal. I got this” — and that lasted right up until February [when he died of cancer.]. I don’t know what happens with the songs now, but I know some time is probably going to go by, and I might break them back out and revisit them later on. But I think right now, the friends of his that I would consider finishing those songs with are still hurting, and it’s probably not time to start trying to do that just yet.
How did his death affect this album?
The writing was already coming back to me, piece by piece, but I still didn’t have any ambitions on making a record. When Toby passed away, it moved everything into high gear because I realized that that was the end of his discography, that we weren’t getting another Toby Keith record. And that’s what drove me to wanting to finish my own discography. It’s what made me understand that I’m nowhere near done, and so it’s time to get busy. After he passed away, I immediately started talking about this session and started trying to get all the particulars in order. It was time for me to get in the studio again.
Like many songwriters, you strongly feel that you are a conduit for God or a higher power to work through you with your music. How do you honor that gift?
Giving it my best is how I honor the calling. At the end, I don’t have to worry about how it’s being used. That’s up to God. Somebody’s going to hear that song that I would have never known existed and that this person would have never known that I existed except for the fact that my song reached them. When they come looking for me, they want to share that experience and they want to tell me all about it, but what they really want to do is connect with God and say, “God, I got the song you sent me through this bearded weirdo over here.”
