Music
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Nominees: André3000’s New Blue Sun, Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter, Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet, Charli XCX’s BRAT, Jacob Collier’s Djesse Vol. 4, Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft, Chappell Roan’s The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department
Analysis: All of these contenders were nominated in their “genre album” categories except for Collier’s album, which was passed over for a nod for best pop vocal album. That’s not a good sign: No album has won album of the year without at least being nominated in its genre album category since the introduction of genre album categories in the mid-1990s.
Cowboy Carter, which is nominated for best country album, would be the first country album to win album of the year since Kacey Musgraves’ Golden Hour six years ago. BRAT, nominated for best dance/electronic album, would be the first album from that genre to win album of the year since Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories in 2014. New Blue Sun, nominated for best alternative jazz album, would be the first jazz album to win album of the year since Herbie Hancock’s River: The Joni Letters in 2008.
Swift has won four times in this category. She won most recently just last year for Midnights. If she wins again, she’ll become the first five-time winner in this category and just the third act in Grammy history to win back-to-back awards in this category, following Frank Sinatra (1966-67) and Stevie Wonder (1974-75).
Eilish and André 3000 have each won once in this category, André 3000 as a member of OutKast. If he wins, he’ll become the third former member of a group or duo to win for a solo debut album, following George Michael (Faith, 1989) and Lauryn Hill (The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, 1999).
Roan would be the first artist to win for their first studio album since Billie Eilish won five years ago for When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?
Cowboy Carter features a large and diverse cast of featured artists, including pop legends Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder and country greats Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton. Other artists featured on the album include Miley Cyrus, Post Malone, Shaboozey, Jon Batiste, Gary Clark Jr., The-Dream, Rhiannon Giddens, Pharrell, Nile Rodgers and Raphael Saadiq. If those artists, and people in their camps, vote for Cowboy Carter, that could help make the difference in a close race.
On Christmas Day, midway through the final-round voting period (Dec. 12-Jan. 3), Bey headlined the halftime show at a Texans-Ravens NFL game in her hometown of Houston, Texas. This marked the first time she had performed songs from Cowboy Carter in front of a live audience. Millions watched the performance live on Netflix and millions more streamed it afterwards.
This is the second time Swift and Beyoncé have gone head-to-head in this category. In 2010, Swift’s Fearless beat Bey’s I Am…Sasha Fierce. For the record, Bey’s subsequent losses in this category were to Beck, Adele and Harry Styles.
Few consider Cowboy Carter to be Beyoncé’s best album, but she’s overdue for a win in this category. Many would howl if Swift won a record-extending fifth award in this category before Beyoncé won her first. It would probably be in Swift’s best interest to lose this year and to be seen graciously applauding and cheering for Beyoncé. Eight years ago, Adele probably would have been better just off winning record and song of the year for “Hello” (as she did) and losing album of the year to Beyoncé’s Lemonade. When she swept all three awards for the second time, while Bey was passed over for album of the year for the third time, it was an uncomfortable moment – though Adele’s graciousness and generosity in that moment was heartening to see.
If Swift loses on Feb. 2, she just might have dodged a bullet. Would a record-extending fifth win be worth the aggravation of a thousand pieces saying “Beyoncé was robbed – again”?
Prediction: Beyoncé, Cowboy Carter
In July, Jamaica’s most influential living artist walked out of a Kingston prison after 13 years, drove straight to his mother’s house for a tearful reunion over steamed fish and okra — and dove immediately into preparations for Freedom Street: his first performance since his release, and the biggest concert the country would see in nearly 50 years.
Locked up for the murder of Clive “Lizard” Williams, Vybz Kartel went away as a 35-year-old man at the height of his career with seven children, two of whom would make their own musical debuts in 2014. But even behind bars, he never stopped making music — managing to secretly record and release five projects that would reach the top 10 of Billboard’s Reggae Albums chart.
“Being in prison, you can’t feel sorry for yourself. I didn’t have time to do that. I had kids to feed. I had family to take care of. I had health issues, too,” Kartel tells Billboard in a private room at Downsound Records, the live-entertainment producer behind Freedom Street, in Kingston. “There was no time to be weak. You just fight the case and do the right thing.”
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Now, just days before Freedom Street — his New Year’s Eve show that will draw over 35,000 people to Kingston’s National Stadium — Kartel tells me he’s been holding daily three-hour rehearsals to ensure a “Taylor Swift- or Madonna-style” show while he records a new album at several studios, including one his children built for him while he was away. As I follow the Teacha around Kingston over the course of a sunny December day, fans of all ages stop him to profess their love and grovel for selfies — and if they aren’t trying to get his attention, they keep their eyes glued to him and hum whatever song of his comes to their minds.
It’s no exaggeration to say that Vybz Kartel is the most influential Jamaican recording artist since Bob Marley. But understanding Kartel’s singular career means grasping that his pop stardom and underground dominance have always worked in tandem. For every song of his that became a global mainstay, one of his raw, evocative mixtapes simultaneously ruled the streets of Kingston. Born Adidja Azim Palmer in Portmore, Jamaica — a coastal municipality about 15 miles outside of Kingston — Kartel has racked up 1.58 billion official on-demand U.S. streams, according to Luminate, making him one of dancehall’s commercial giants. But his countless controversies and towering sociopolitical influence have also made him a divisive cult figure.
His ’90s Alliance era cemented him as one of dancehall star Bounty Killer’s protégés and the genre’s fastest-rising star, wielding an impressive songwriting approach that blended his private and public personas through riveting gangster narratives and sexually explicit anthems. In the early to mid-2000s, Black Kartel reigned, with spunky, lewd hits like “It Bend Like Banana” launching his near-absolute rule over Jamaican society, which culminated in a seismic yearslong beef with fellow dancehall star Mavado (born David Brooks). By the dawn of the ’10s, White Kartel — by this point, the skin-bleaching he controversially sung of in 2011’s “Cake Soap” had visibly altered his skin tone (and spawned a new nickname) — had achieved several bona fide global crossover hits despite Jamaica’s banning of “daggering” songs (extremely sexually explicit tracks).
Fittingly, the Kartel I meet today is clearly a changed man. This newest iteration of Kartel is calmer and more collected; he seems firmly in his Unc era — cream Amiri beanie, custom tour T-shirt and a naughty joke always in his back pocket. His excitement for his upcoming show beams through the black sunglasses he never takes off, and the reverent air of gratitude around him is unmistakable. Kartel and his co-accused — Shawn Campbell, Kahira Jones and Andre St. John — have always maintained their innocence, and their second chance at freedom was hard-fought. According to a unanimous Court of Appeal ruling in summer 2024, the trial judge marred the original guilty verdict by allowing the jury to proceed despite knowing that one juror had attempted to bribe the others.
“Towards the end of my incarceration, I started connecting more with God. That’s why I tattooed ‘love God’ on my forehead,” Kartel reveals. “Nobody can tell me that God isn’t real. Ten years ago, I would have been saying something else, but God is real.”
Destinee Condison
Kartel’s return marks the start of a new era for both him and dancehall at large. In a Downsound Records rehearsal room, a poster displays five different Kartels with varying hairstyles, fashions and skin tones, each representative of a different chapter of his illustrious career. But whether he’s sporting a New York fitted or showing off his locs, the 48-year-old man known to his fans as Worl’ Boss has always been a chameleon, unafraid to alter his appearance to deepen his own mythos.
Inspired by dancehall icon Ninjaman and uncles who “used to DJ around the sound system,” Kartel began “writing 10 to 15 songs a day” as a teenager and released his debut single, “Love Fat Woman,” in 1993, which eventually landed him a spot in The Alliance, a group of dancehall DJs. “I’ve been fascinated with writing ever since I found out Babyface wrote [Karyn White’s 1989 hit] ‘Superwoman,’” he recounts. “As a kid, I was like, ‘How does a man write a song for a woman?’”
Two major factors ignited Kartel’s mainstream ascent in 2003: The release of his debut album, Up 2 Di Time, and a contentious clash with Ninjaman at Sting, Jamaica’s longest-running one-night-only reggae/dancehall showcase. At the time, Sean Paul was leading the early 2000s stateside dancehall crossover wave, but Kartel’s gritty “gun tunes” and X-rated “gyal tunes” were a far cry from the sugary-sweet riddims that made their way to top 40 radio. He smartly gilded his edgier lyrics with slick wordplay and head-spinning flows; Kartel could, and still can, dictate Jamaica’s culture with the flip of a single phrase. But some of those lyrics courted levels of controversy that threatened his — and the genre’s — continued crossover: In 2004, the U.K. Music of Black Origin Awards revoked Kartel’s nomination for best reggae act, alongside fellow Jamaican dancehall artist Elephant Man, over homophobic lyrics — a longtime point of tension in the genre as a whole. Twenty years later, speaking to Billboard, Kartel alludes to an evolution in his point of view: “The world has changed, and sometimes, you got to change with the times.”
By 2006, Kartel’s highly publicized split with The Alliance culminated in him joining the Portmore Empire — a collective of artists hailing from the neighborhood and signed to his Adidjahiem Records, which he’d established three years prior — leading to a feud with The Alliance’s Mavado, who took it upon himself to reply to Kartel’s disses. From 2006 to 2009, Kartel and Mavado lobbed searing disses at one another over the hottest riddims; Kartel even once carried a coffin with Mavado’s name on it onstage. Jamaica’s youth divided themselves between the camps — Kartel’s Palestine-referencing Gaza crew and Mavado’s hood-repping Gully clan — and, in certain cases, committed street violence in their names. On Dec. 7, 2009, in an effort to end that strife and unite the country’s youth, the two officially ended their feud with a joint performance; the next day, both met with Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding.
Like any good dancehall clash, the Gaza-Gully feud only boosted Kartel’s popularity. Buoyed by its irresistible interpolation of Ne-Yo’s “Miss Independent,” Kartel and Spice’s intensely carnal “Ramping Shop” duet reached No. 76 on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart in 2009, marking both artists’ charts debut. His crossover continued with 2010’s “Straight Jeans & Fitted” and “Clarks,” the latter a team-up with Popcaan, Kartel’s most successful protégé — a testament to his influence on late-’10s dancehall crossover artists. But as Kartel finally started to snag true crossover smashes, he continued oscillating between being dancehall’s global face and an underground provocateur: In 2011, he became the first musician to receive an artist-specific ban from Guyanese radio.
Kartel calls Lil Wayne his “favorite rapper,” and his life outside the studio mirrored that of the hip-hop legend in 2011. Charged with two separate murder counts, Kartel was found not guilty of murdering Jamaican businessman Barrington Burton by one jury, while a different jury found him guilty of the murder of Clive “Lizard” Williams. On April 3, 2014, Kartel was sentenced to life in prison after a 65-day trial, one of the longest in Jamaica’s history.
While incarcerated, Kartel clandestinely recorded — with the help of an iPad and his producer, Linton “TJ” White — a litany of projects, including 2016’s King of the Dancehall, which spawned “Fever,” arguably the biggest dancehall crossover hit of the latter 2010s. “Fever” entered two Billboard airplay charts and has earned over 104 million official on-demand U.S. streams — a win for Jamaica in a year when non-Jamaican artists such as Drake and Justin Bieber had propelled dancehall back onto top 40 radio. But between his incarceration and dancehall’s nonstandardized approach to music distribution (compilations of years-old singles tend to lord over regular studio album cycles), Kartel’s impressive consumption numbers don’t paint the full portrait of his cultural impact.
“Freedom Street [will] bring dancehall back as a serious contender in the international market,” says Downsound Records owner and CEO Joe Bogdanovich, who also notes that 700 police officers and private security workers were enlisted for the event. “[Kartel] is more conscious of good over evil and he’s doing something really positive for the youth and himself. That kind of positivity is going to make Jamaica uplift fans around the world.”
Destinee Condison
The concert — which featured explosive appearances by Spice, Popcaan, Busta Rhymes and more dancehall heavyweights — set the stage for Kartel’s incredibly busy 2025. A deluxe version of his 2015 Viking (Vybz Is King) album is due later in January, while a proper comeback album is currently in the works. “Kartel won’t say nothing. Then, tomorrow, he drops a banger that he recorded last night or the day before,” producer Cordell “Skatta” Burrell jokes. “So there’s not much I can say!”
Outside of the studio, Kartel can finally focus on the kinds of major life activities he couldn’t address in prison — like treating his Graves’ disease and wedding planning (he got engaged in November). The evolved, post-incarceration Kartel is ready to reclaim his throne — but don’t expect a run for Parliament. “Everybody loves me on both sides — I want to keep it that way!” he quips.
“Freedom Street is about Vybz Kartel’s journey for the past 13 years,” Worl’ Boss explains. “The concept is me coming out of prison, the road to that freedom and celebrating with the fans as I go into the new year a free man. We were planning this concert before I even got released. I’ve been prepping for this concert since birth.”
What was your first time back in the studio like after you were released?
The first song I recorded when I came out was at my house. When I got arrested, my kids were [so small]. Now, I’m out and recording in a studio that my children built.
How exactly did you record while incarcerated?
Initially, I figured out how to record using an iPad but a lot of times, the sound was metallic because the cell didn’t have padding like a recording studio. The sound bounced all over the place. Then, I figured out that I could use my mattress as a sponge over my head.
Me and Linton “TJ” White produced the riddim for “Fever.” At the time — don’t come for me! — I used to love watching Gossip Girl and Vampire Diaries. Every time this show ended, a voice would say, “XOXO, Gossip Girl,” so that’s where I got the concept from to start “Fever” with “XOXO, my love is very special.” I recorded the song line by line, looking outside to see if anyone was coming. One line, look outside; two lines, look outside. It was necessary at the time to do what I love most. I would send the iPad out to TJ and then he got it mixed by Dunw3ll and the rest is history.
The entire process probably took a half hour. If I was in a studio, it would take maybe five or six minutes.
Did you ever get caught?
Never. I had people in other cells. If someone was coming, they would knock on the grill. [The guards] found a recording device lots of times, but they never caught me in the act of recording.
Were you aware of just how big “Fever” was even while you were away?
Not initially, but when we released the video and the numbers started going up, I [understood]. I wanted to shoot a video for “Colouring This Life,” but TJ thought how I was flowing on “Fever” was tough. I was like, “Alright, do whatever, man,” and he shot the “Fever” video. Bro, in a few months… Jesus Christ! I was like, “Good choice!” (Laughs.)
Being in prison, you can’t feel sorry for yourself. I didn’t have time to do that. I had kids to feed. I had family to take care of. I had health issues, too. There was no time to be weak; you just fight the case and do the right thing. It was crazy seeing the impact the song had, especially when it [got certified] gold [by the RIAA].
How far into your sentence were you when you started recording new material?
In 2013, we started running out of prerecorded material, so we started recording new songs. I dabbled in it one time in 2012 with “Back to Life,” but the quality [wasn’t the best]. Young people were in the comment sections of the new songs like, “No way Kartel can see the future!” (Laughs.) They knew what was up.
What went through your head when you learned your sentence was overturned?
We had been fighting for so many years, so the feeling was overwhelming. The other guys I was charged with started getting ready and putting their clothes on, but then the judge said, “The case is overturned, but we are sending it back to Jamaica [from the United Kingdom] to let them decide if they’re going to retry the case or throw it out.” I was just listening because, as a ghetto yute, I’m used to disappointment. I don’t get excited too quickly. It’s never over till the fat lady sings, right? I was sitting with my legs crossed in my cell, listening to the radio and talking to my lawyer on my cell in my cell — get it? (Laughs.) He was like, “Yo, I think this is it,” and I said, “I’m going to put my clothes on.”
Immediately as I hung up, it was like an earthquake. [The decision] came over the radio and everyone in the prison was listening. Imagine 2,000 people shaking the bars and rumbling and celebrating — that’s when I knew, “Yeah. This is it.” I put my clothes on, jumped up, they came for me, I packed and left. I didn’t even bring anything with me; I gave my sneakers and TVs and stuff to the guys still in there.
What was the first meal you had after your release?
Steamed fish with okra. My mom made it for me. I went to her house first before I went anywhere else. It was a tear-jerking moment; tears of joy, and, in a sense, tears of sadness to know that I missed out on so much with my mother and my kids. [Kartel has five sons and two daughters.] My mom didn’t say anything to me when I went away because I never made her come visit me. It’s not her fault that I was in there. Why would I want her to see me in that place? I only saw her once during my incarceration; I was so sick that they had to take me to the hospital. I said to the superintendent, “Can you grant me a special visit, so I can see her?” And she and my dad came to the hospital.
How does present-day Kartel compare to the man that went away 13 years ago?
The Vybz Kartel of now is more chill and more mature. He’s more laid-back. The one that went in was a beast. I’m still a beast musically, but Iooking back at my personal evolution, I like who I am now. The Vybz Kartel of old gave me musical fame and fortune, so I don’t have any regrets about him. But I don’t want to go back to that Kartel. I’m good right here. That evolution was something I never knew I needed, but I did — especially having faith in God and believing and seeing him work.
I was born in the ’70s, so of course I grew up going to church. I started going around 11 years old, and, like most Jamaicans, when you reach a certain age, you start to fuss about going. I haven’t been to church yet since I’ve come home; every day my mom is asking me, but I’m going soon, mom!
Destinee Condison
How has Kingston changed from when you first went away?
The roads look different. The other day, my fiancée [Sidem Öztürk] had to tell me where to drive, and I’m like, “You’re from England!” But she’s been here for two years while I was locked down, so she got to know the place. Even on the highway going to the country, she had to drive me. It’s like relearning your own country. It’s fun, though! The other day, I literally got lost. I couldn’t believe it. I eventually figured it out, but so much has changed.
In hip-hop, there have been a few instances where prosecutors tried to use artists’ lyrics against them, which has sparked interesting debates about music censorship. Do you have any thoughts?
I don’t think art should be censored for the artist. It should be censored for the consumer. For example, “Vybz Kartel does adult songs, don’t let your kids listen.” But you can’t tell me that, because your children have ears, I can’t sing what I want to sing. That’s rubbish. The same shop that sells sweets also sells alcohol. If you catch your 10-year-old son drinking a beer, you’re not going to run to the beer-maker like, “What the hell are you doing?” So, if you catch your child listening to Kartel, don’t come to me. That’s a “you” problem.
Drake has called you one of his “biggest inspirations.” How do you think he handled his feud with Kendrick Lamar last year?
I’m not a fan of Kendrick. I don’t even listen to Kendrick, so I wouldn’t know. What does he rap? I saw it on the internet, but no disrespect to the dude, I hear him, but I don’t listen to him. Drake is more in tune with Jamaica and the culture. Drake is a better and bigger artist.
When did you and Mavado last speak?
When I came out! But we spoke a lot of times while I was inside. His son is also in the same prison that I was in. His appeal is coming up next year. Our sons grew up together, were in the same class at school and went to each other’s houses for birthdays. They’re still friends to this day. Me and David cool.
Since you went away, Afrobeats has exploded in global popularity. How in tune with that world are you?
Shatta Wale, Wizkid and Burna Boy are my three favorite Afrobeats artists. I like Tems too. Afrobeats is nice, you can just vibe to it. I think Buju Banton was saying something [controversial] about it [during an interview last year], but I understand where he’s coming from. Buju is a dancehall/reggae artist, so he’s going to be singing more conscious stuff about society. But there is a space for happy, fun music.
Destinee Condison
How can dancehall score another crossover moment?
What they do now is called trap dancehall, so it’s going to take a minute for the big markets to get used to it. It’s the kids’ time now. I like Kraff Gad and Pablo YG. Once the sound catches on in mainstream markets — London, New York, Toronto — I think they will have success.
There was a big thing a few years ago — I was even a part of it — with older artists saying, “This music is not going to go anywhere!” The music that runs the place is dictated by the kids at all times. That doesn’t mean the legends can be removed, but don’t fight the kids. Let them do what they’re doing.
I think the lyrics could [also] be a bit more tolerant and less X-rated. Says Kartel! (Laughs.) Afrobeats made such a big global impact because it can be played anywhere and for all ages. The lyrics need to be more commercialized and more tolerant, and sky’s the limit. Jamaica gave the world five genres: reggae, rocksteady, ska, mento and dancehall. We had hands in creating hip-hop and reggaetón. We’re not short of talent.
You’re nominated for your first Grammy, for best reggae album for Party With Me. How does it feel to finally earn that recognition?
If I wasn’t incarcerated, I would have been nominated already. But I understand, why would they want to nominate a dude in prison? I know if I wasn’t arrested, based on the trajectory that my career was on, I would have definitely won. But I’m very, very grateful.
[The 2024 Party With Me EP] was done in prison. I was under a vibe and got some beats from [producer] Din Din. It was getting closer to crunch time because the case was now in England. I was writing to keep my mind occupied, ended up with these songs and said, “Let me just put them on a little EP.” Bam, Grammy.
How’s the process of organizing your catalog been going?
Slowly but surely. I’m going to shoot videos for a lot of those songs I released while in prison. I’m in talks right now with a few American companies that want to give me a distribution platform so I can sign artists and get Jamaican dancehall music released in a more standardized way. We’re also working on a new album.
Destinee Condison
When will you be back in the United States?
We put the documents in. It would be a good look for all of us who are nominated to be at the Grammys. I’m headlining Wireless Festival in England this year. I’m already booked for some German shows in July. My No. 1 market was always America, but, over the last two years, my biggest streaming market is now the U.K. My fiancée is from the U.K. too. [The couple met during his incarceration in 2015 after she found him by “stalking his babymother’s Instagram”; he moved her to Jamaica in 2022.] I think that has a lot to do with the love, like, “Oh, wow. He’s dating one of us.”
When’s the wedding?
We wanted to do it in January on my birthday, but we’re going to wait because of unforeseen circumstances. Maybe Valentine’s Day. I’m such a romantic, right?
How did you prepare for Freedom Street?
We did roughly three hours of rehearsal each day, but the first one was four hours and eight minutes — and we still didn’t DJ half of the songs. We sacrificed around 1,000 songs and ended up down to three hours. And that’s just like my performance. Everybody and their mom wanted to come. And I have no problem with that anyway, because it’s New Year’s! Let’s ring it in in a star-studded manner.
Where are you most excited to perform?
The entire Caribbean and New York — that’s Jamaica outside of Jamaica.
Speaking of New York, would you ever hop on a song with Cardi B? She recently jumped to your defense when people criticized your post-release appearance.
I love Cardi! We got a song coming out next year. We are actually in the process of writing it. Even if I have to walk, I’m performing that song in New York!
In July, Jamaica’s most influential living artist walked out of a Kingston prison after 13 years, drove straight to his mother’s house for a tearful reunion over steamed fish and okra — and dove immediately into preparations for Freedom Street: his first performance since his release, and the biggest concert the country would see in […]
Fifteen years after the release of her debut album, Animal, Kesha is feeling nostalgic. In an Instagram post on Sunday (Jan. 5), the singer looked back on the making of the 2010 LP that made her a star and featured such beloved tracks as “Your Love Is My Drug,” “Tik Tok,” “Blah Blah Blah” and “Party at a Rich Dude’s House.”
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“I spent my whole life learning the art of songwriting from my mom, an iconic songwriter herself, so when Animal came out, it was a culmination of the sounds of growing up, the sounds of falling in love, heartbreak, the sounds of coming of age, and I had no idea what these songs would open up for me and what kind of life I would be creating for myself just by putting these songs out in the world,” Kesha wrote, giving props to her mom, Pebe Sebert, a Nashville songwriter known for co-writing the 1980 Dolly Parton track “Old Flames Can’t Hold a Candle to You.”
“I’m so happy I did, and so happy you’ve connected to it the way that you have, and continue to do so,” she added, noting that the album’s debut hit, “Tik Tok,” had its biggest streaming day ever on Spotify last week following her set on Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest. “Just goes to show that we all go through these same pivotal feelings and emotions growing up. I’m so happy to have grown up with all of you. Happy anniversary Animal. I had no idea you were that b–ch. But turns out you totally are.”
In an accompanying video, a then 22-year-old Kesha is asked what she thinks about how happy Animal is making her fans. “The only reason I made this record is to make kids have fun and have dance parties and inspire people to just be happy,” she says, her face covered in glitter in the clip that ends with a montage of looks and iconic moments from that era. “This whole is just kind of a very youthful, irreverent record. And I want it to be one of those records that you just put on and no matter what you’re doing or where you are it makes you happy.”
The singer has released the songs “Delusional” and “Joyride” as the first singles from her upcoming, as-yet-untitled sixth album, which will be the first release from her Kesha Records imprint.
Culture Management Group (CMG), the African-focused media management company that oversees AfroFuture and more, unveiled its 2025 AfroFuture Culture Calendar on Monday (Jan. 6). This year’s calendar features AfroFuture’s first-ever major activation in the United States in August (at an unspecified date), underscoring CMG’s commitment to expanding its platform globally and amplifying African excellence worldwide. […]
Jelly Roll and Bunnie XO are celebrated the new year by adding three new members to their extended family. In a video posted on Sunday (Jan. 5), the “Son of a Sinner” singer’s wife revealed that the couple’s farm is filling out thanks to the adoption of three mini-cows. In the cute clip, podcaster Bunnie introduced followers to “da boysss.”
The adorable trio, Brownie, S’mores and Crunch, are center stage in the accompanying clip, in which Bunnie re-enacts an iconic scene from Bridesmaids alongside the caption, “when you went for one mini-cow, but cam home with three.”
“How many of those did you take?” her friend lip synchs, as Bunnie — dressed down for farm work in a black hoodie, and “sobriety sucks” Jelly Roll baseball cap — mouths “I took nine… I did, uh, slightly overcommit,” while opening the gate to a stock trailer to reveal the white, black and brown cows.
In another video, Bunnie gets the whole gang hyped for the reveal, with Jelly excitedly asking, “Hey, where are the cows?” as she says, “let’s go see the new additions.” In the next scene, she’s saying, “the cows are here! The cows are here!” Followers then get a closer look at the three horned, with Jelly’s kids, 16-year-old daughter Bailee and eight-year-old son Noah getting geeked about their new pets.
Noah was especially psyched when asked why Crunch is his instant favorite. “I just feel that he is gonna be a great bull for me,” he says. “He’s small, he has the same hair and he’s probably nice.” Later, Jelly rolls out to the pen on the couple’s 500-acre Nashville farm while cooing, “Ooooh! We got cows!” as he gets up close and personal with Crunch and croons a few lines from Secondhand Serenade’s “Fall For You” to his new furry pals.
So he doesn’t feel left out, in another video Jelly Roll gets how own special friend, a strutting donkey named Griz. “He’s a stubborn f–ker,” Jelly jokes about his obstinate new pal. “I like the donkey,” he admits a few seconds later as he smiles at the sight of the little guy in his new enclosure. “I can’t believe he’s that small,” Jelly marvels.
Jelly Roll is gearing up to hit the road this year for the continuation of his Beautifully Broken tour in Canada, which will resume on March 6 with a show at the Memorial Centre in Victoria, British Columbia; he will also play the Tortuga Music Festival in Florida and Stagecoach in Indio, CA before hitting the road with Post Malone for their BIG ASS Stadium tour this summer.
Check out the cow reveal below.
Jade Thirlwall has discussed her time on The X Factor as a member of pop group Little Mix, who won the eighth series of the British version of the talent show in 2011.
Alongside bandmates Perrie Edwards, Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Jesy Nelson, the quartet were the first group to win the British version of the show. Little Mix went on to release six studio albums, most recently 2020’s Confetti. The band went on hiatus in 2022 and all members have pursued solo careers in the ensuing years.
Speaking to The Independent, Thirlwall said some parts of the show were “pretty f––ed up” while expanding on the pressures of appearing on the show, and the level of safeguarding contestants were offered. The British version of the show last aired in 2018, though other versions of the franchise continue to air elsewhere around the globe, including Denmark, Italy and Indonesia, among others.
“I think it had to end, I don’t think that kind of show can exist any more. We’re in a different place now,” Thirlwall said of the competition. “We wouldn’t put someone that’s mentally unwell on a TV screen and laugh at them while they sing terribly. The concept of a joke act on a show is just cruel. It’s all very Roman empire. But then at the same time, was it not the best training ever for me to enter the music industry?”
Thirlwall added: “I don’t know anyone that’s come off that show and not had some sort of mental health issue on the back of it, but also, even now, personally I’m conflicted criticizing [it], because it changed my life,” she said. “I was from a very normal working-class family up north, I had tried sending demos into labels, I’d gigged all over, I was doing everything I could to make it, and I needed a show like that to give me a chance.”
Thirlwall, who auditioned for the show three times, also spoke on the housing situation for female contestants who were placed in shared dormitories. “Even at 18, I knew there were people who weren’t mentally well in there, keeping everyone up at night,” Thirlwall said. “I don’t know if there was even security outside the house. It’s scary to think about now, but I was too young to realize that at the time.”
She continued: “I’d say five per cent of the people that went on there have come out of it not unscathed, but having survived; the other 95 per cent have suffered in silence,” she said. “How do you go from being on that show to back to your nine-to-five? How do you get signed to the label, think you’ve made it, and then once your song doesn’t hit the Top 10, you’re just dropped? It’s so savage, this machine that we’re a part of. Even back then, we knew how lucky we were every day that we were still signed.”
In 2023, Rebecca Ferguson, who was runner-up in 2010 to Matt Cardle in season seven, criticized the show and described her experience as “traumatic,” and implored broadcaster ITV to investigate. The show again came under criticism following the death of One Direction’s Liam Payne in October 2024, who also appeared on the show in the same season as Ferguson and faced numerous addiction and mental health battles throughout his career.
Later this week (Jan. 10), Thirlwall will release her latest solo single “IT Girl” via Sony Music. Her 2023 single “Angel Of My Dreams,” which tackled the industry’s darker side, featured in Billboard U.K.’s Songs of the Year list, and “showcased a fierce, focused artist ready to embrace every facet of her new solo era.”
The holiday season may be over, but the hits are just heating up on the ARIA Singles Chart.
As Christmas tracks retreat from their seasonal dominance, Rosé and Bruno Mars have reclaimed the crown with their smash hit “APT.,” catapulting from No. 8 back to No. 1 for an impressive eighth non-consecutive week on top. With holiday tunes swept off the charts, it’s time for pop’s biggest stars to shine again.
Gracie Abrams’ “That’s So True,” a former No. 1, leaps from No. 9 to No. 2, while Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ duet “Die With A Smile” ascends to No. 3 from No. 16. The track previously peaked at No. 2.
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Other notable singles include Billie Eilish’s “Birds of a Feather,” which jumps from No. 19 to No. 4 after topping the chart for two weeks in August, and Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” climbing from No. 18 to No. 5. The latter spent five weeks at No. 1 during July and August.
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Sydney indie-pop duo Royel Otis debut at No. 47 with “Linger (SiriusXM Session),” a fresh take on The Cranberries’ 1994 hit “Linger.”
The Cranberries’ original version became the band’s breakthrough single in the U.S., peaking at No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 in May 1994 and stayed on the charts for 24 weeks. It remains one of their most iconic tracks, blending alternative rock with orchestral elements and highlighting Dolores O’Riordan’s ethereal vocals. Royel Otis’ 2024 album Pratts & Pain earned two ARIA Awards last November.
On the ARIA Albums Chart, Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet continues to dominate, securing its eighth non-consecutive week at No. 1. The album’s standout tracks “Espresso” and “Taste” return to the top 10, climbing to No. 8 and No. 10 respectively.
Ed Sheeran’s greatest hits compilation +–=÷× (Tour Collection) rises from No. 12 to No. 6, spurred by the release of a limited-edition vinyl. The album, which peaked at No. 4 in October, showcases six of Ed’s Australian No. 1 singles, including “Shape of You” and “Bad Habits.”
Emilia Pérez was the biggest winner on the film side at the 2025 Golden Globes on Sunday (Jan. 5). The film won four awards: best motion picture, drama; best motion picture – non-English language; best original song – motion picture for “El Mal” (co-written by Clément Ducol, Camille and Jacques Audiard); and best performance by a female actor in a supporting role in any motion picture for Zoe Saldaña.
Shōgun was the biggest winner on the TV side, with four awards: best television series – drama, plus acting awards for Anna Sawai, Hiroyuki Sanada and Tadanobu Asano.
The 82nd annual Golden Globe Awards, hosted for the first time by Nikki Glaser, were held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif.
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Anora was the night’s biggest shutout on the film side; it went 0-5 for the night. Only Murders in the Building was the biggest shutout on the TV side; it went 0-4 for the night.
Wicked won the Golden Globe for cinematic and box office achievement. Barbie won the award last year in the category’s inaugural year. Barbie went on to receive eight Oscar nominations, including best picture. This year’s Oscar nods will be announced on Jan. 17. Wicked and Barbie are both music-driven hits. The soundtracks to both films reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200 (though Wicked may yet reach No. 1).
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross won for best original score for Challengers. This is their third win in the category, following The Social Network (2011) and Soul (a collab with Jon Batiste, 2021). This puts the Nine Inch Nails members in a tie with Justin Hurwitz as the only three-time winners for best original score this century at the Globes. Hurwitz won for La La Land, First Man and Babylon.
Demi Moore won her first Golden Globe – best performance by a female actor in a motion picture – musical or comedy – for The Substance, 34 years after she landed her first nomination in the same category for the box-office smash Ghost.
Ali Wong won best performance in stand-up comedy on television for her Netflix special Ali Wong: Single Lady. This was a bit of a surprise. Many figured the Globes’ host, Glaser, would win for her HBO/Max special, Nikki Glaser: Someday You’ll Die. Ricky Gervais, a five-time Globes host, was the inaugural winner in the category last year for his Netflix special, Ricky Gervais: Armageddon.
Flow won best animated feature, beating The Wild Robot and sequels to Inside Out and Moana, among others.
All of the winners were present to receive their awards except Jeremy Allen White, the star of The Bear, who won for best performance by a male actor in a television series – musical or comedy.
At a ceremony on Friday, EGOT recipient Viola Davis received the Cecil B. DeMille Award, a career honor for film work. Ted Danson won the Carol Burnett Award, the equivalent award for work in television. The awards were briefly mentioned on the telecast, but were not given the extended airtime they were afforded in the past.
Multi-Emmy-winning producing duo Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner of White Cherry Entertainment served as executive producers and showrunners for the 82nd Golden Globes.
The Golden Globes are produced by Dick Clark Productions, which is owned by Penske Media Corporation. PMC is also the parent company of Billboard.
While most would assume that the direct descendants of The Beatles‘ members would be well-informed when it comes to matters related to the Fab Four, Julian Lennon has admitted he’s often left out of the loop.
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Lennon’s admission was made in a new interview with U.K. publication The Guardian, where he spoke about his photography work and his newest release, the coffee table book Life’s Fragile Moments. Alongside discussions of how new music isn’t on the cards just yet (a failed attempt to hit the late-night talk show circuit in 2024 left him “heartbroken”), Lennon also touched on what drives him professionally.
“It had always been, ‘John Lennon’s son, John Lennon’s son’, and I’m going, ‘for f’s sake’. I said, what I need to do for me, first and foremost, is to build up a body of work, a foundation that I can stand on, that nobody can take away from me,” said Lennon. “And I continue to do so. It’s not to show off, it’s just to prove to myself that I can actually do this stuff. I’m not interested in fighting other people’s opinions.”
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Elsewhere, Lennon also touched on the recent resurgence that The Beatles have seen from the wider public. In the past few years, the iconic group have been in the spotlight thanks to documentaries such as Peter Jackson’s Get Back (2021), David Tedeschi and Martin Scorsese’s Beatles ’64 (2024), and the 2024 restoration of Michael Lindsay-Hogg’s 1970 film, Let it Be.
In 2023, The Beatles also issued “Now and Then”, which earned nominations for Record of the Year and Best Rock Performance at the 2025 Grammy Awards.
According to Lennon, however, he’s often the last to know about any activity with the Fab Four’s camp.
“It’s news to me half the time. I’m not part of the inner circle – I never have been,” he admitted. “You have to realise that when Dad left, when I was between three and five (it was a bit of a process), it was just mum and me, and we had nothing to do with the Beatles or Dad. I visited him on the odd occasion but we were very much on the outside. I’m thankful that Sean and I get on like a house on fire – we’re best buddies and he tells me what he can, but things are pretty secret on the Beatles front.
“[It’s] extraordinarily strange but I’m not upset about it,” he continued. “I’d rather be excited and impressed by what they did and continue to do. As a fan, I’m just as curious as anybody else, although I do find myself going, ‘how is it possible that there’s another Beatles film?’”
Lennon recently took to social media in December to urge his followers to undergo regular doctor visits following an emergency surgery after a second skin cancer diagnosis. Just before the end of the year, on Dec. 30, Lennon updated his followers that he had received “the ‘all clear’” from his doctors.