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Pharrell Williams has won 13 Grammys and been nominated for countless other awards. But on Tuesday (Dec. 17) the singer/producer/songwriter received a rare honor when he was named UNESCO’s goodwill ambassador for artistic eduction and entrepreneurship in a ceremony in Paris. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news […]

Megan Thee Stallion already has her sights set on a new project in 2025. On Tuesday (Dec. 18), the Houston Hottie teased Act: III with a tantalizing tweet. “Real Hot Girl S–t ACT 3 2025 … be ready hotties,” she wrote on X. The tweet came in response to one of her fan accounts showcasing her various […]

Ariana Grande is explaining her decision not to tour after Republic Records confirmed earlier this week that she has no shows planned for 2025.
While at the Golden Globes First-Time Nominees luncheon Tuesday (Dec. 17), the 31-year-old singer-actress told Variety that “music will always be a part of [her] life,” but she’s more focused on continuing what she started with Wicked going into the new year. “I feel so grateful to the acting, and I think my fans know that music and being on stage will always be a part of my life,” she began.

“But I don’t see it coming anytime soon,” Grande continued. “I think the next few years, hopefully we’ll be exploring different forms of art, and I think acting is feeling like home right now. I am appreciative for [my fans’] understanding. I’m so grateful for the ways in which we’ve grown together over this whole journey with Wicked.”

“But music will always be a part of my life,” she added. “I’lll perform at my mother’s house.”

Trending on Billboard

The “Yes, And?” singer’s explanation comes two days after her label shut down rumors that she was gearing up to hit the road next year, something she’d previously talked about doing during her Eternal Sunshine album rollout. Replying to a fan account on X Sunday (Dec. 15), Republic wrote, “There are no plans for a tour next year. But Ariana remains deeply appreciative of her fans and all their continued love, support and excitement.”

While at the luncheon, Grande also gushed to Entertainment Tonight about receiving her first-ever Golden Globe nomination the same year Selena Gomez and Miley Cyrus both earned nods. All three women started their careers around the same time in the 2000s on Nickelodeon and Disney Channel TV shows. Now, the Victorious alum and Wizards of Waverly Place star are both up for best supporting actress in 2025 thanks to their respective performances in Wicked and Emilia Pérez, while the Hannah Montana leading lady’s The Last Showgirl ballad, “Beautiful That Way,” is in the running for best original song.

“It’s incredibly special,” Grande said of Gomez and Cyrus. “I love those girls, and to grow up with the world watching, and then to have your work be recognized in this way, it makes me so happy. I love those girls so much. I’ve always loved their work. Just to see them grow is so beautiful.”

Watch the clip below.

Celine Dion paid tribute to her late husband René Angélil on what would have been the couple’s 30th wedding anniversary on Tuesday (Dec. 17). In a post that included a throwback black and white picture of the two from their wedding day, Dion wrote, “You still fill our hearts, every day. You are everything to […]

With audiences off to see the Wizard, and Elphaba and Glinda, radio is capitalizing on the buzz of Wicked by playing two of the franchise’s signature songs.
Wicked, which adapts the stage musical of the same name that premiered in 2003, opened in North American movie theaters Nov. 22 and has since made more than $500 million in ticket sales worldwide.

Meanwhile, the film’s soundtrack has spent its first three weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Soundtracks chart. Billed to Wicked stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande (and various artists), it has earned 321,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in that span, according to Luminate. The set, on Universal Studios/Verve/VLG/Republic, also crowned the Top Album Sales and Vinyl Albums charts and logged its first three weeks on the Billboard 200 in the top 10.

Trending on Billboard

Notably, when Wicked debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, it claimed the highest arrival in the chart’s 68-year history for a stage-to-big-screen musical soundtrack.

As movie and music fans immerse themselves in Wicked, two of its most beloved songs are scaling Billboard radio charts (dated Dec. 21): Grande’s “Popular” ascends 29-27 on Adult Pop Airplay and 34-29 on Pop Airplay, while Erivo and Grande’s “Defying Gravity” debuts on both rankings at No. 39.

Alongside Wicked’s success, radio’s embrace of the tracks – solely written by Stephen Schwartz – marks the platform’s latest foray into songs from stage and/or movie musicals. In 2022, Encanto’s “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” ruled the Billboard Hot 100 for five weeks and rose to the top 25 on Adult Contemporary, Adult Pop Airplay and Pop Airplay. (In 2023, the intricate earworm won the Grammy for best song written for visual media.)

Plus, “You Will Be Found” from Dear Evan Hansen, the 2017 Tony Award recipient for best musical, spent more than four months in the Adult Contemporary chart’s top 15 from October 2023 through this March, as recorded by Natalie Grant and Cory Asbury.

Historically, however, such songs have been relatively few and far between on radio, despite their built-in familiarity. For every airplay success story, Rent, 1996’s Tony winner for best musical, for instance, did not spin off a pop/adult radio chart hit in its anthem “Seasons of Love.” Conversely, Madonna leveraged her superstar status into play for her version of Evita’s “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina,” written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. Aided by its club- and radio-ready “Miami Mix,” the song reached the Pop Airplay top 10 in 1997.

(Wicked composer Schwartz is enjoying his latest Billboard chart success in a history that dates back to Godspell and its cast’s 1972 No. 13 Hot 100 hit “Day by Day.”)

In 2024, when radio has numerous sources of research, from traditional callout to social media, certain programmers have pounced on playing “Popular” and “Defying Gravity,” even if the former, especially (and like “We Don’t Talk About Bruno”), is essentially a movie excerpt, with Grande singing in her Wicked character.

“First, it stars one of our core artists, Ariana Grande, who not only sounds great, but gives a phenomenal acting performance,” says Tom Poleman, iHeartMedia chief programming officer. “And, as one of the most anticipated movies of the year, it’s a pop culture moment for our listeners. [Pop] stations, in particular, are about reflecting what our listeners are into, and ‘Popular’ and ‘Defying Gravity’ are two of the biggest songs of the moment.”

iHeartMedia’s Pop Airplay reporter WHTZ (Z100) New York played “Popular” and “Defying Gravity” 20 and 16 times, respectively, Dec. 10-16, according to Mediabase.

“No hesitation,” echoes Alex Tear, SiriusXM and Pandora vice president, music programming, of playing “Popular” and “Defying Gravity.” The former aired 57 times on SiriusXM’s TikTok Radio and 44 times on Hits 1, both of which contribute to the Pop Airplay chart, Dec. 10-16. Plus, Adult Pop Airplay panelist The Pulse gave it 50 plays. “Defying Gravity” drew 39 plays on Hits 1 in the same stretch.

“Our listeners expect Hits 1 to be in, and leading, pop culture moments and movements,” Tear says. “We’ve never been focused on ‘typical.’ We’re focused on our listeners’ passions and keeping pace, in addition to being predictive of their favorites.”

Likewise believing that radio can benefit from, and amplify, the conversation around Wicked, Republic released a 3:33-long edit of “Defying Gravity” two weeks after the original version, running 7:39 and including spoken word sections, arrived on the film’s soundtrack. “Popular” is 4:01 in length, along with a mix trimmed to 2:53, with both edits having been added to the Wicked soundtrack on DSPs.

Through Dec. 12, Grande’s “Popular” has totaled 28.8 million official U.S. streams and 15.2 million in all-format airplay audience. Erivo and Grande’s “Defying Gravity” has tallied 35.5 million streams and 6.8 million in radio reach.

“It’s simple,” Tear muses of Hits 1. “We’re a pop channel that’s front and center with pop culture. Our listeners come to hear the ‘now,’ and nothing could be hotter than Wicked.”

Says Poleman, “It came down to the popularity — no pun intended — of this movie.”

Emilia Pérez composers Clément Ducol and Camille, and composer Atticus Ross (Challengers and Shōgun) are the top nominees for the 2025 SCL Awards, which are presented by the Society of Composers & Lyricists.
The sixth annual awards ceremony will be held in Los Angeles on Feb. 12 and will be hosted by singer-songwriter Colin Hay, best known as the leader of 1980s band Men at Work.

Ducol and Camille, composers and songwriters of Netflix’s Emilia Pérez, received three nominations – one for Outstanding Original Score for a Studio Film, and two for Outstanding Original Song for a Comedy or Musical Visual Media Production for “Mi Camino” and “El Mal,” the latter of which they co-wrote with the film’s writer/director Jacques Audiard.

Trending on Billboard

Ross also received three nods – Outstanding Original Song for a Comedy or Musical Visual Media Production for “Compress/Repress” from Challengers, which he composed with Trent Reznor and Luca Guadagnino, and two nods for the original title sequence and original score for Shōgun, which he composed with his brother Leopold Ross, and Nick Chuba.

Diane Warren is nominated for Outstanding Original Song for a Dramatic or Documentary Visual Media Production for “The Journey” (from Netflix’s The Six Triple Eight). Warren has been nominated for an SCL Award every year. In 2023, she won in this same category for “Applause” from Tell It Like a Woman.

Elton John, Brandi Carlile, Bernie Taupin and Andrew Watt also received a nomination for “Never Too Late” from the Disney+ documentary Elton John: Never Too Late.

Composer Harry Gregson-Williams and director Ridley Scott will receive the Spirit of Collaboration Award, which recognizes a composer/director relationship that has created a prodigious body of work. This year’s Gladiator II marks their seventh collaboration. In his previous collaborations with Scott, Gregson-Williams has written the original scores for The Martian, Kingdom of Heaven, The Last Duel, and House of Gucci, as well as themes for Prometheus and Exodus: Gods and Kings.

Last year, Martin Scorsese accepted the 2024 Spirit of Collaboration Award for his work with the late composer Robbie Robertson. Other past award recipients include Thomas Newman & Sam Mendes, Terence Blanchard & Spike Lee, Carter Burwell & the Coen Brothers, and Justin Hurwitz & Damien Chazelle.

Composer Jeff Beal, who has won five Primetime Emmys, will be awarded the SCL Jury Award for his new score for the 1920 Weimar Cinema silent film classic, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.

Final voting for the 2025 SCL Awards will open on Jan. 27 and close on Feb. 3.

Here’s the complete list of nominees for the 2025 SCL Awards. 

Outstanding Original Score for a Studio Film

Clement Ducol, Camille – Emilia Perez (Netflix)

Hans Zimmer – Dune: Part Two (Warner Bros. Pictures / Legendary Pictures)

Harry Gregson-Williams – Gladiator II (Paramount Pictures)

John Powell, Stephen Schwartz – Wicked: Part 1 (Universal Pictures)

Kris Bowers – The Wild Robot (DreamWorks Animation)

Volker Bertelmann – Conclave (Focus Features)

Outstanding Original Score for an Independent Film

Chris Bacon – Heretic (A24)

Daniel Blumberg – The Brutalist (A24)

Dara Taylor – Meet Me Next Christmas (Roberts Media)

Fabrizio Mancinelli – Here After (Artina Films, ClaRo Productions, Fenix Entertainment, Hopscotch Pictures)

Heather McIntosh – Winner (Big Beach, One Community, Scythia Films, ShivHans Pictures)

Stephanie Economou – The Book of Jobs (Bull’s Eye Entertainment, Rebellium Films)

Outstanding Original Song for a Dramatic or Documentary Visual Media Production

Andrew Wyatt, Lykke Li, Miley Cyrus – “Beautiful That Way” (from The Last Showgirl) (Utopia Media, High Frequency Entertainment, Pinky Promise, Detour, Digital Ignition Entertainment)

Bear McCreary – “Old Tom Bombadil” (from The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power) (Amazon MGM Studios in association with New Line Cinema / Prime Video)

Christopher Lennertz – “Let’s Put the Christ Back in Christmas” (from The Boys) (Prime Video)

Diane Warren – “The Journey” (from The Six Triple Eight) (Netflix)

Elton John, Brandi Carlile, Bernie Taupin, Andrew Watt – “Never Too Late” (from Elton John: Never Too Late) (Disney Branded Television, This Machine Filmworks, Rocket Entertainment)

Nicholas Britell, Steve McQueen, Taura Stinson – “Winter Coat” (from Blitz) (Apple Original Films)

Outstanding Original Song for a Comedy or Musical Visual Media Production

Abigail Barlow, Emily Bear – “Beyond” (from Moana 2) (Disney)

Clement Ducol, Camille – “Mi Camino” (from Emilia Perez) (Why Not Productions, Page 114, Pathé, France 2 Cinéma, Saint Laurent Productions)

Clement Ducol, Camille, Jacques Audiard – “El Mal” (from Emilia Perez) (Why Not Productions, Page 114, Pathé, France 2 Cinéma, Saint Laurent Productions)

Lainey Wilson, Luke Dick, Shane McAnally – “Out of Oklahoma” (from Twisters) (Universal Pictures)

Robbie Williams, Freddy Wexler, Sacha Skarbek – “Forbidden Road” (from Better Man) (Paramount Pictures)

Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross & Luca Guadagnino – “Compress/Repress” (from Challengers) (Amazon MGM Studios)

Outstanding Original Title Sequence for a Television Production

Atticus Ross, Leopold Ross, Nick Chuba – Shōgun (FX Network)

Blake Neely – ‘Masters Of The Air’ (Apple TV+)

Carlos Rafael Rivera – Griselda (Netflix)

Danielle Ponder – Manhunt (Apple TV+)

Jeff Toyne – Palm Royale (Apple TV+)

Nami Melumad – Dream Productions (Pixar Animation Studios / Disney+)

Outstanding Original Score for a Television Production

Atticus Ross, Leopold Ross, Nick Chuba – Shōgun (FX Network)

Bear McCreary – The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (Amazon MGM Studios in association with New Line Cinema / Prime Video)

Blake Neely – Masters of the Air (Apple TV+)

David Fleming – Mr. and Mrs. Smith (Amazon MGM Studios)

Finneas O’Connell – Disclaimer (Apple TV+)

Jeff Toyne – Palm Royale (Apple TV+)

Outstanding Original Score for Interactive Media

Gordy Haab – Indiana Jones and the Great Circle (Machine Games, Bethesda Studios, Lucasfilm Games)

Nainita Desai – Tales of Kenzera: Zau (Surgent Studios, EA)

Wilbert Roget, II – Star Wars: Outlaws (Massive Entertainment, Ubisoft)

Winifred Phillips – Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord (Digital Eclipse)

David Raksin Award for Emerging Talent

Andrea Datzman – Inside Out 2 (Disney/Pixar Animation Studios)

Emily Rice – Broken Bird (Catalyst Studios, Mitchell-Brunt Films)

Katya Richardson – Motorcycle Mary (Breakwater Studios)

Nikhil Koparkar – Dead Whisper (Howlin’ Hounds Pictures, Brothers Gran Productions)

Robin Carolan – Nosferatu (Focus Features)

Wei-San Hsu – Invisible Nation (100 Chapters Productions, Double Hope Films, Seine Pictures)

12/18/2024

Conan Gray, JADE, Remi Wolf and many more served up pop tracks that should have crossed over this year. 

12/18/2024

The most listened-to artist in Italy in 2024 (according to Luminate) does not, exactly, rap in Italian. Naples’ own Geolier raps in his native dialect — the very musical language spoken on the streets of his neighborhood, Rione Gescal, and now spoken by kids in every corner of Italy who, through Geolier, have learned it.
For the 24-year-old artist born Emanuele Palumbo, that devotion has added up, in the past year alone, to three consecutive sold-out shows at Naples’ Maradona Stadium; a historic appearance bringing the Neapolitan dialect for the first time to the Sanremo Festival, the most important music event in Italy; and triple-platinum certification for his song “Dio Lo Sa,” released in June. Five years after his debut album, Emanuele, Geolier is clearly still taking in this success — as is evident in the way he pauses to reflect on his words in conversation, in his broad smiles in response to compliments and in his lyrics portraying a young man who takes everything (except himself) seriously. He spoke to Billboard Italia about how he arrived here.

Geolier

Vittorio Cioffi

Geolier

Vittorio Cioffi

Did you always know you would be a rapper?

Trending on Billboard

I didn’t always know this because as kids you can’t predict the future. Obviously I hoped so and imagining myself onstage was the only thing possible, because I didn’t know how to do anything else and I did poorly at school. But I would never have bet on myself. I started working in a factory at a very young age, I continued to rap in my free time, but I saw that [acceptance for the genre was] really far away in Italy. Only pop songs were on the radio back then. I loved rap because I looked up to America, but the maximum that was played in Italy was “In Da Club” on MTV. I admired 50 Cent; I felt close to him.

What did you think you had in common with him?

I saw the film about his life [the semi-autobiographical Get Rich or Die Tryin’], where it is clear that he had taken all the responsibility of the family on his shoulders. He sold crack on the streets of Queens; I never did it, but I started working very young. I found an extraordinary maturity in him and this fascinated me.

When did your own personal turning point come, realizing this could potentially be your career?

I realized I could do this job when they paid me for my first live show. It was about 250 euros but for me it was a lot of money — I was 18 years old. However, I couldn’t say when I reached what can be defined as a milestone.

Geolier

Vittorio Cioffi

Why is this incredible boom in Neapolitan rap happening today?

I come from the ghetto of the ghetto. I think there is a unique realness here; perhaps it’s only possible to find it [elsewhere] in the United States. I think rappers in this city put what they see into their lyrics. The culture of Southern Italy is more known internationally than that of Italy as a whole, also, thanks to TV series such as The Sopranos.

2024 was an incredible year for you, but you experienced some tougher moments as well. At the Sanremo Festival you won the covers night, but the live audience booed you and your guests.

We were there and just tried to defend ourselves. That same night they immediately told me to be careful of potential criticism. I believe that the Sanremo Festival was not ready for rap music; we brought an iconic song for Italy, “Brivido” by Guè featuring Marracash, and the audience booed. Incredible.

Your mother was also in the audience. Did this make it especially painful?

It made me smile, actually. She was furious because she couldn’t do anything, and she wouldn’t even talk to me about it. Even today, when we talk about Sanremo, she has bad memories — but my mother is a normal person and absolutely doesn’t want to be part of the star system.

Were those three sold-out concerts at Maradona Stadium the peak of 2024 for you, or was it something else?

Sure, but I’d say a moment in particular [was] when before the first [of those shows], in the afternoon, I looked through a crack and saw the stadium full. At that moment I thought: “What am I doing?” It was neither a positive nor negative emotion, I had simply never felt it. And I can’t explain it.

Geolier

Vittorio Cioffi

Geolier

Vittorio Cioffi

How do you still stay connected to your roots in your old neighborhood?

I think I do simply because I tell what I see in Naples. I’ll continue to do so even if I have to move away from the city, which is very unlikely. I don’t live that differently now: I continue to see my friends and talk to people. I feel the need also because I want to [be true] with my lyrics. Do you know what normal people tell me the most? Not to take selfies but to remain myself.

If you could choose an American artist to collaborate with, who would they be?

50 Cent. I started making music because of him. But right now I’m also listening to Kendrick Lamar’s new album and I like it a lot.

What do you have coming in 2025?

I just want to do the arena tour, which will start in March, and the two dates at Ippodromo di Agnano in Naples. I don’t think I’ll release new music, apart from some collaborations. I would like to slow down a bit. I think I’ve done a lot, [and] I want to experience this as a game. Because with all the numbers and deadlines, sometimes it seems to have become a routine job. And I surely don’t want that.

Earlier this week, Billboard revealed its year-end Boxscore charts, ranking the top tours, venues, and promoters of 2024. We’re breaking it down further, looking at the biggest live acts, genre by genre. Today, we continue with K-pop. Less than 10 years since the first K-pop group landed on the all-genre Top Tours chart (BigBang in […]

12/18/2024

Another year of calm, cool and sexy in the R&B department.

12/18/2024