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Mariah Carey‘s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” tops the Billboard Hot 100 for a 17th total week. The song solely gives Carey her longest career command on the chart, surpassing the 16-week No. 1 run of her “One Sweet Day,” with Boyz II Men, in 1995-96.
The carol, which leads the Hot 100 for a third consecutive week this holiday season, also solely claims the third-longest domination in the chart’s 66-year history, after only the 19-week rules of Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” this year and Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road,” featuring Billy Ray Cyrus, in 2019. Three other songs, including “One Sweet Day,” have led for 16 weeks each.
“All I Want for Christmas Is You” additionally leads the Streaming Songs chart for a record-breaking 21st total week, besting “Old Town Road” for the longest No. 1 stay dating to the survey’s 2013 start.
“All I Want for Christmas Is You” was originally released on Carey’s album Merry Christmas in November 1994 and, as streaming has grown and holiday music has become more prominent on streaming services’ playlists, it hit the Hot 100’s top 10 for the first time in December 2017, and the top five for the first time in the 2018 holiday season. It led at last, prior to the past three weeks, over the holidays in 2019 (for three weeks), 2020 (two), 2021 (three), 2022 (four) and 2023 (two).
“All I Want for Christmas Is You” became Carey’s 19th Hot 100 No. 1, the most among soloists and one away from The Beatles’ overall record 20. It also made Carey the first artist to have ranked at No. 1 on the chart in four distinct decades (1990s, 2000s, ‘10s and ‘20s).
Meanwhile, two fellow original holiday hits, released in the 2010s, hit the Hot 100’s top 10 for the first time: Ariana Grande “Santa Tell Me,” from 2014 (14-9), and Kelly Clarkson’s “Underneath the Tree,” from 2013 (15-10). Both songs previously peaked at No. 11 last holiday season. Notably, “Santa Tell Me” becomes the most-recently-released holiday song to have reached the Hot 100’s top 10, while “Underneath the Tree” is the second-newest.
The Hot 100 blends all-genre U.S. streaming (official audio and official video), radio airplay and sales data, the lattermost metric reflecting purchases of physical singles and digital tracks from full-service digital music retailers; digital singles sales from direct-to-consumer (D2C) sites are excluded from chart calculations. All charts (dated Dec. 28, 2024) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (Dec. 24). For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.
Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.
‘Christmas’ Streams, Airplay & Sales
For this year’s update of our ongoing Greatest Pop Star by Year project, Billboard has been counting down our editorial staff picks for the 10 Greatest Pop Stars of 2024 for the last week — you can see the artists we’ve already counted down, plus our Honorable Mentions, Comeback of the Year and our Rookie of the Year artists all right here. Now, at No. 2, we remember the year in Sabrina Carpenter — a breakout year that cemented her as one of pop’s leading lights of the decade. (Check back today at 2:00 p.m. ET for our No. 1 artist reveal and essay, as well as our new Greatest Pop Stars podcast discussing both of our top two artists and the thinking behind their rankings.)
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What do Jesus and Sabrina Carpenter have in common? For one, “Jesus was a carpenter,” as the sassy singer-songwriter said in 2023 to Variety. But secondly, by now both have successfully turned water into wine. After relationship drama dragged Carpenter into the limelight just three years ago, Sabrina regained control of her public image — and after years of hard work, a string of smash hits and a no-misses album propelled Carpenter to superstardom in 2024, cementing her status as America’s newest sweetheart.
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Carpenter was already a viral sensation going into this year: her 2023 made her one of the most promising breakthrough pop acts, mainly due to her showmanship and spicy sense of humor. It felt as if everyone was waiting in anticipation for each newly penned outro to live performances of her breakout hit “Nonsense” — some of which were delivered on her Emails I Can’t Send Tour, and some during her highly anticipated opening sets at Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, where some attendees showed up in full Sabrina-inspired, heart cutout-corseted outfits. Her retro aesthetics, carefully curated performances and suggestive lyrics captivated real-life audiences around the world and charmed the internet.
The pint-sized pop purveyor’s rise to superstardom kicked into gear with the release of her first 2024 single. Approximately one month after her final Eras date in Singapore, Carpenter released “Espresso” and its corresponding sun-soaked music video on April 11. The laid-back synth-pop bop made major waves upon release, debuting at No. 7 and marking Carpenter’s first-ever Hot 100 top 10 debut – but this was only the beginning. The song took on its own life as fans extracted their favorite pieces, from the borderline nonsensical “That’s that me espresso” tease of the chorus to the “I’m working late/ ‘Cuz I’m a singerrrr” flex of the second verse, which was so catchy and fun to sing that it transcended the need for relatability. Both phrases entered the 2024 pop culture lexicon, with memes and short form video trends attached.
The world became hooked on “Espresso” — and true to her lyrics, Carpenter was working late. As the single grew, she promoted it in seemingly every way possible. The first major performance took place almost immediately following the song’s release (April 12) on Coachella’s main stage, where she drew massive crowds and performed an otherwise Emails-heavy set; about a month later on May 18, Carpenter performed “Espresso” and “Feather” (with a “Nonsense” outro, by then a trademark bit) on Saturday Night Live; and on June 22, the song peaked at No. 3 on the Hot 100. By the end of the season (and to no one’s surprise), “Espresso” was declared the global song of the summer.
Fans were still sipping on that “me espresso” when Short n’ Sweet was announced on June 3 — and just two days later, its second single (and accompanying music video) “Please Please Please” arrived. The Jack Antonoff-produced, shimmering strutter introduced Carpenter’s newer fans to the higher end of her vocal range, and introduced the masses to her newfound country twang. Only a week after debuting at No. 2, the single became Carpenter’s first-ever No. 1 on the Hot 100.
“Please Please Please” was also the first relatable hit of the Short n’ Sweet cycle — and “Heartbreak is one thing, my ego’s another/ I beg you, don’t embarrass me, motherf—ker” became the plea of the summer, foreshadowing the end of Carpenter’s relationship with video co-star and Saltburn actor (and at the time, boyfriend) Barry Keoghan. It also soundtracked one of the most viral relationship disasters of 2024: the live coupling (and uncoupling) of Love Island USA contestants Kaylor Martin and Aaron Evans. Once again, Carpenter’s single became attached to big pop culture moments.
By the time Short n’ Sweet arrived on August 23, “Espresso” and “Please Please Please” were dominating the summer — and as if having two successful singles wasn’t enough, Carpenter deemed one more track worthy of single status: “Taste,” the album’s opening track. Was it about her fling with Shawn Mendes after he separated from Camila Cabello? Rumors flew and conspiracies were formed as fans scrambled to piece together clues — but truthfully, it might not have mattered, because the video had legs of its own. This time, Carpenter tapped a new actor: Wednesday star Jenna Ortega. The two engaged in a bloody catfight inspired by the film-turned-musical Death Becomes Her, expanding Carpenter’s man-slaughtering cinematic universe, previously introduced in the “Feather” video. “Taste” debuted at No. 2 on the Hot 100, leading to Carpenter simultaneously placing three songs in the top 10 for eight weeks – an achievement which put her in the ranks of Justin Bieber and The Beatles.
With just 12 tracks – two of which fans had already heard – Carpenter proved that she was here to stay. Featuring the help of an Avengers-level group of collaborators, including producers-to-the-stars Jack Antonoff and Ian Kirkpatrick, and longtime top 40 hit writers Amy Allen and Julia Michaels, Sabrina’s refreshingly honest approach to pop felt more refined than ever. The dreamlike, sparkling soundscapes first previewed on “Please Please Please” underscored the playful femininity on highlights like “Bed Chem”; the vulnerable lyricism of the Emails era comes through in ballads like “Lie to Girls” and “Dumb & Poetic”; and the country twang previewed on “Please Please Please” finds its full yeehaw potential on “Slim Pickins.”
The Short n’ Sweet album was compact as its title promised, but the Tour of the same name was much bigger-scale. From September 23 to November 15, Carpenter brought her album to life across 29 venues in the US. Her last Emails Tour visited mid-size venues; this time around, she sold out Madison Square Garden and Crypto.com Arena. The massive leap between stages, though intimidating for some, looked easy for Carpenter, as she breezed through each show with her 1950s pin-up-inspired outfit changes, playful gimmicks and (of course) plenty of innuendos.
Just as “Nonsense” became the viral moment of the Emails tour, Short n’ Sweet had an even bigger moment with “Juno.” Ahead of its performance each night, Sabrina whipped out a pair of fuzzy pink handcuffs to arrest (and hit on) an audience member – some of which were lucky fans, and some of which were celebrities, including Millie Bobby Brown, Rachel Sennott, Margaret Qualley and SNL’s Marcello Hernandez, acting as “Domingo,” the homewrecking hottie from an “Espresso”-based parody skit. Regardless of the subject, the banter that took place went viral almost every time – even separately from the performance of “Juno” itself, which became the 2024 cutesy Kama Sutra. Deafening screams nearly drowned out Carpenter’s vocals as she laid down, bent over or pulled her hair back to demonstrate a new sex position, asking the crowd: “Have you ever tried this one?” And while some critics insisted that the 25-year-old singer should not be mimicking such acts in front of her age-diverse crowd – eye roll – her fans couldn’t get enough.
Sabrina Carpenter
Chris Polk
By November, Sabrina had taken over everything from the charts, to the radio, to the internet – and then the 2025 Grammy nominations dropped. After building her career for ten years (debut single “Can’t Blame A Girl for Trying” was released in 2014), Sabrina received her first Grammy acknowledgements – six of them, including all four of the Big Four categories: best new artist, album of the year, record of the year and song of the year. In a crowded release year with constant competition for the spotlight, Carpenter broke through the noise for her biggest year yet.
And even as the year winds down, Sabrina is still motoring full speed ahead. She closed out 2024 with her own fun and flirty holiday special on Netflix, the star-studded A Nonsense Christmas, featuring duets with Chappell Roan, Tyla, Shania Twain, and Kali Uchis – and just released her NPR Tiny Desk performance, which served as a six-song victory lap celebrating her string of 2024 successes.
But despite her chart achievements, co-signs and accolades, what sets Sabrina apart from the other pop stars of the year is that she’s both widely adopted and undeniably cool. The “cool” factor is what brought the likes of Hailey Bieber, Kendall Jenner, Selena Gomez and Cara Delevingne to her tour; attracted collaborations from some of the hottest brands including Marc Jacobs, Skims and Versace; helped Sabrina notch a series of team-ups with one of her inspirations, Christina Aguilera; engaged over 263,000 voters on the Short n’ Sweet Tour; and landed varied covers on Paper, TIME, W and Cosmopolitan magazines.
Still, it feels as if there is so much more on the horizon. With the European leg of the Short n’ Sweet Tour on the horizon, plus headlining performances scheduled at Primavera Sound festival and BST Hyde Park, we at least know that we will be seeing more “Juno” positions as Carpenter crosses the pond – and who knows, maybe even more big miracles from the fun-size star to come in 2025.
See the rest of our top 10, along with our Honorable Mentions and Rookie and Comeback of the Year artists all right here — and then come back for the announcement of our No. 1 Greatest Pop Stars of 2024 at 2:00 p.m. ET!
While some fans might be on “Fascination Street” when it comes to their favorite musicians, The Cure frontman Robert Smith understands Chappell Roan‘s frustrations with what she has described as the sometimes “predatory behavior” she has experienced.
During a recent chat with Annie Mcmanus and Nick Grimshaw of BBC podcast Sidetracked, the Grammy-nominated musician shared his thoughts on the subject, noting that the relationship between musician and fans can be a complicated one nowadays. “I think what you’re doing as an artist, you want people to feel like they’re engaging with you. But it is a modern-world phenomenon that there’s a sense of entitlement that didn’t used to be there amongst fans,” he explained. “When we started out, it was kind of enough that we did what we did, and people didn’t really expect, as a consumer, I didn’t expect something more. It was enough to kind of see Alex Harvey or to see David Bowie. I didn’t expect to, like, hang out with them or get to know them, whereas now, it seems almost like that is part of the deal.”
The rocker — whose 14th studio album Songs of a Lost World debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 after its arrival on Nov. 1 — added that The Cure also experienced unwelcome fan behavior as the group grew in popularity. “We obviously have experienced quite a lot of obsessive fan behavior down the years, and it can feel quite threatening, honestly,” he shared. “If you have people sleeping outside your front door, it can get very weird. … But when it comes to your front door and people are there and they feel like somehow the cosmos has fated and you’re dealing with people who perhaps aren’t quite you know, right all the time. So you think like, ‘How do you respond to this?’ It’s impossible, really.”
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Smith added that it can be even tougher for artists like Chappell, who saw their fame skyrocket rather than experience a gradual growth. “It is more difficult to deal with things because you’ve not grounded at a lower level,” he shared of The Cure’s own, more manageable ride. “It took us years and years and years of touring, going around the world and doing stuff, until by the time we’d started to get properly famous, I kind of knew how to respond. I’d already developed that as part of like, who I was.”
“But being famous, if you’re not enjoying what you’re doing, I can’t imagine many worse ways of living,” the musician added. “‘Cause it’s horrible being gawked at all the time and prodded and poked and people expecting more of you all the time. It’s a very strange thing.”
Over the last few months, Roan — who was named Billboard‘s Top New Artist of 2024 and is in the running for 2025’s best new artist Grammy, among other gramophones — has been outspoken about the inappropriate behavior she’s faced from fans and photographers alike, and has in turn received support from musicians including Miley Cyrus, Noah Kahan and Jewel. “I’ve been in too many nonconsensual physical and social interactions and I just need to lay it out and remind you, women don’t owe you s–t,” she wrote in an August social media post. “I chose this career path because because I love music and art and honoring my inner child, I do not accept harassment of any kind because I chose this path, nor do I deserve it.”
And in October, the “Good Luck, Babe!” singer confronted a photographer on the red carpet who had been rude to her at a previous event. “You were so disrespectful to me at the Grammys,” she said in video captured of the moment. “I remember. You were so rude to me. And I deserve an apology for that … You need to apologize to me.”
Watch Robert Smith discuss toxic fan behavior on Sidetracked below:
Taylor Swift has long been known for surprising her fans with presents, whether going on a holiday gift-buying spree back in 2015, or donating funds to their GoFundMe campaigns over the years.
On Dec. 12, when Swift visited Kansas City’s Children’s Mercy Hospital, among the patients she met was a fan named Naya. During the visit, as Swift signed a copy of her Eras Tour book, Naya mentioned how much she loved Swift’s outfit, calling the plaid top and pleated skirt outfit “tea.” Swift responded by saying, “You made my day with that. Walking in, you were just so sweet, so friendly and so lovely.”
Swift remembered the exchange, and on Dec. 22, Naya posted a TikTok video showing that she received a holiday gift from the 14-time Grammy winner — a Miu Miu outfit that matched the one Billboard‘s Top Artist of 2024 wore during her visit to Children’s Mercy Hospital. Another video from Naya also showed that alongside the outfit was a note from Swift, which read in part, “I loved meeting you … when you asked where I got it, I purposely didn’t tell you because I had a plan. Picked you up a few things that I hope you’ll think are tea, ha. Merry Christmas, love Taylor.”
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Billboard has reached out to Swift’s rep for confirmation.
Naya captioned the video, “She is soo amazing im soo blessed, I love you Tay Swizzle you’re literally the Best,” along with two pink heart emojis. During Swift’s initial visit to Children’s Mercy Hospital, she also filmed a TikTok video with Naya and her cousin, with the three of them dancing to the star’s “Bad Blood.”
Swift recently wrapped her Eras Tour on Dec. 8 with a finale concert in Vancouver, B.C. The massive, two-year trek, which has become the largest-grossing tour of all time (grossing more than $2 billion), spanned 150 shows across five continents. Swift’s The Eras Tour launched in March 2023, with each 3.5-hour show including more than 40 songs and highlighting different eras in Swift’s career.
Swift also recently picked up 10 new Billboard Music Awards trophies this year, bringing her career total to 49, winning more BBMAs than any other artist in history.
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Taylor Swift‘s big heart is known all too well, and she has demonstrated her kindness once again. A non-profit organization in Kansas City, Mo., revealed on Saturday (Dec. 21) that the 14-time Grammy winner recently donated $250,000 to its mission. Operation Breakthrough — which works to “provide a safe, loving and educational environment for children […]
Billie Eilish is well-prepared for the holiday season. The singer closed out her five-night run at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles on Saturday (Dec. 21) with a cover of the Christmas standard “O Holy Night.” “We’ve been doing a Christmas cover for every show, so we’re gonna do another one,” Eilish — dressed in […]
With a career spanning over four decades, Abdul Majeed Abdullah has become a cornerstone of Arabic music, and his influence shows no signs of fading. Revered as “The Prince of Tarab,” Abdullah continues to captivate audiences with his unparalleled artistry, bridging generations and defining the sound of Khaleeji music while shaping the broader Arabic music landscape.
For Abdullah, 2024 was yet another landmark year, as the inaugural Billboard Arabia Music Awards in Riyadh, Saudia Arabia, honored the iconic artist with multiple awards. At this groundbreaking event — a milestone for the region that took place at King Fahad Cultural Center on Dec. 11 — he received artist of the year in the Khaleeji dialect genre and top male artist in the Khaleeji dialect, alongside a prestigious lifetime achievement award, which recognized his profound and lasting impact on the Arab music world and on Khaleeji music in particular.
The ceremony celebrated the rich diversity of Arabic music, showcasing a wide array of subgenres, including the winners from Billboard Arabia’s various dialect charts: Khaleeji, Egyptian, Moroccan and Levantine. The awards also highlighted distinctive local cultural genres such as Mahraganat, a progressive and energetic contemporary iteration of Egyptian shaabi (popular folk) music, and Shelat, an evolving genre that has transformed from a poetic tribal chant to drive a new wave of Khaleeji music. In addition, the event spotlighted the dynamic rise of Arabic hip-hop and Arabic indie sounds, where global musical influences merge seamlessly with Arabic lyricism, creating a vibrant fusion of styles that reflects the evolving regional landscape. Sherine Abdel Wahab, recognized as a Global Force honoree at Billboard’s Women in Music event in March, was named artist of the year at the Billboard Arabia Music Awards.
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Since the launch of the Billboard Arabia charts in December 2023, Abdullah has consistently appeared on both the Billboard Arabia Hot 100 and Billboard Arabia Artist 100 charts. His track “Ya Ibn Al Awadam” from the 2021 album Aam Mouazy marked his debut on the charts, where it remained for nine weeks. Later in the year, he returned to the charts with songs from his latest album, including “Haki Wajid” and “Ya Meniti,” and with his pre-album single, “Lak Saqni Al Rab.” Throughout 2024, his presence on the Artist 100 chart was particularly remarkable: He only missed one week on the list, underscoring his enduring popularity and influence, and cementing him as the artist for Billboard Arabia to spotlight for this year’s Global No. 1s series.
With the launch of Billboard Arabia’s subgenre charts in August, which featured various musical genres and dialects, Abdullah quickly emerged as the dominant force in the Khaleeji category. He made an impressive debut, securing 11 songs on the Top 50 Khaleeji dialect chart in its first week. His record peaked at 12 songs in a single week, and throughout the year, the number of his songs on the list never dropped below seven — remarkable consistency and dominance that earned him the artist of the year - Khaleeji dialect award in 2024.
It’s noteworthy that Abdullah’s songs featured on Billboard Arabia’s Top 50 Khaleeji chart span four different decades. His track “Sahit Jamra,” from the 1990s, made an appearance, as well as “Insan Akthar” from the early 2000s. Additionally, his song “Ruh Al-Ruh” from the 2010s, along with multiple tracks from his album A Parallel World and his latest release, reflect his continued relevance and influence in the current decade. Meanwhile, Abdullah’s recognition with the inaugural lifetime achievement award honored his extraordinary career and lasting impact on the Khaleeji and Arabic music landscape. Over the past four decades, he has remained influential, continuously releasing music and performing to sold-out audiences. His most recent album, Abdul Majeed Abdullah 2024, further cemented his legacy, achieving widespread popularity and showcasing his ability to innovate within his genre. The honor celebrated Abdullah not only for his artistic excellence but also for his profound and enduring influence on the cultural consciousness of the Arab world.
To borrow a query from a Jagged Edge hit: where the party at? If you’re D-Nice, it will be at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles. That’s where he’s hosting his “Deck the Hall” holiday extravaganza — featuring D-Nice & Friends — on New Year’s Eve (Dec. 31). For this particular blowout, the classic R&B/soul, hip-hop and pop hitmakers joining him to usher out 2024 and welcome in 2025 will include: Next, Big Daddy Kane, Case, Estelle, Jon B., Tweet, Lady London, Mike Philips, Nice & Smooth and Johnny Gill.
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Explaining how the upcoming show came together, D-Nice (Derrick Jones) tells Billboard, “Sometimes the curation is extremely random. Like whatever the flow is like while I play a set, I’ll think, ‘Oh, this could be so good for a show.’ Like for instance, Johnny Gill. I can’t believe he agreed to do my show, but I’ve played his music so much during my sets. When I reached out and told him what the concept was, he just jumped right on it. The same thing with Big Daddy Kane. And I’ve never worked with Case before. We’ve been trying to figure it out and finally did for New Year’s Eve. So I’m really excited about the show.”
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But the partying doesn’t stop there. D-Nice will be setting up his first 2025 Club Quarantine Live session at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 11. That soiree’s special guests include Grammy Award winners Anthony Hamilton, Arrested Development and Big Daddy Kane, current Grammy nominee Rapsody, Tank, Goapele, Rakim and Tweet. Produced by BrandNice and co-presented by BrandNice and the Kennedy Center, the black-tie event will be hosted by multi-media personality Kenny Burns.
“I use the word excited a lot because I really feel like wow, I can’t believe this is happening,” says D-Nice, who’s also a member of the Kennedy Center Hip Hop Culture Council. “I curate all the shows myself for the flow that I want. And to be able to bring all of these different types of people and genres together keeps me extremely excited about what I’m doing.”
A self-confessed fan boy — “I just love the music and the culture” — D-Nice also spoke to Billboard about his most memorable moment from his popular Club Quarantine, launched on Instagram during the Covid-19 pandemic, the hoped-for guest artists still on his wish list and where his love of photography is taking him in 2025.
What was your most memorable moment during Club Quarantine? And also talk about how you’ve been evolving the brand since then.
The big night, March 21, 2020, will always be memorable for me. But it’s not about the amount of people that were there, the millions that were listening. I was always in the usual position of being the DJ that’s performing at someone else’s event. Like I DJ’d for Rihanna, President Obama and others before. But for me to have this virtual party, and for all of them to actually come to a virtual party that I was throwing? It was extremely special because it wasn’t them hiring me for something. It was something that I was doing. They all jumped on to support and show love to people. That moment was not only good for music, but it was also good for people’s morale. We knew we were all in this together; that we all had to be locked down together. But to see some of your favorite people and actually just say hello? Some got a response; they obviously couldn’t respond to everyone. But the feeling we all had at that time will always be the highlight for me.
As far as the evolution of the brand, there’s nothing really tangible about this. It’s a feeling. The way I play is about the music. It’s about communities, about happiness and having some fun, laughing … it’s all of those things. The fact that we can still do these shows live, that’s really what I’m recreating. All I’m doing is using the formula that I was rocking online, playing a little bit of everything. So to be able to put a show together where you can have everyone from Nice & Smooth to Lady London, who’s a new artist out right now. Or go to the Kennedy Center with Rapsody and Rakim. To be able to bridge the gap between all of these eras of music is just incredible. That’s the spirit of it all.
What artists are still on your wish list?
I’m a big fan of both Stevie Wonder and Chaka Khan. If I could get them on one of my shows, that would mean everything to me.
As an ardent music fan, what musical trends do you see on the horizon; are there Afrobeats-curated events on your to-do list?
I received a call last week to do a few shows in Africa. I’ve always played Afrobeats and Afrobeat. I love Fela [Kuti] but also Burna Boy and that vibe. I love South African soulful house vibes, amapiano … all of that. In terms of trends, it’s just good to see that people aren’t sticking to just one thing. Create something and it will find an audience. Look at what’s happening with Tyla and her music. Then on the flip side, there’s Chris Brown selling out two nights in Africa. It’s beautiful to see how global our culture is.
Might a book about your DJ experiences be in the offing?
I’m working now on a photography book of images taken during the journey that I’ve been on and also a photo exhibition that I’m already putting together, a kind of touring exhibition that will be starting around June 2025. It’s all these images that I’ve shot from behind the scenes. I’ve had a camera with me ever since I was super young and making records. I wanted something tangible to show my family and my future kids, so I decided I was always going to have a camera. And I’ve literally gotten these great moments like of a young Kendrick [Lamar], of Mary J. Blige in South Africa and candid moments of her praying. Or Dave Chappelle when he returned to the scene with shows at Radio City Music Hall. I captured a beautiful silhouette of him with his signature cigarette. And I have other moments like when Tyra Banks asked me to document her throughout one day. So I want to spotlight these great images and not just the music.
What advice do you have for aspiring DJs?
Everyone has their own thing, so I think it’s extremely important to be unique. EDM DJs mainly play their own music, their own records. But when you think about someone who is actually playing someone else’s pre-recorded music, we all have the same songs. So it’s about the way you play it and the energy that you bring. What’s carried me a long way in my career is that it’s not just about the music. Sometimes you can walk into a room and see an artist, a DJ or a performer and you instantly feel comfortable because you know what that person represents. You know what that person’s energy is. I always try to tell people, especially young people, to not only just focus on the music but focus on your personality. Focus on what you’re feeling from people; focus on your showmanship.
Hailey Bieber is rocking a new ring that pays tribute to her son with husband Justin Bieber. According to US Magazine, Hailey posted a pic of her new baby bling in an Instagram Story on Saturday, revealing an image of a square-shaped lime green peridot diamond nestled next to a teardrop-shaped topaz stone on a […]