Music

16 May 2024

Jordan Davis Wins Song of the Year for ‘Next Thing You Know’ at the 2024 ACM Awards

Jordan Davis took home the first televised award of the night at the Academy of Country Music Awards Thursday (May 16), winning for song of the year with “Next Thing You Know.”

The 36-year-old looked surprised as he heard presenter Randy Travis read out his name as the category’s winner, beating out Luke Combs’ cover of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car,” Lainey Wilson’s “Heart Like a Truck,” Cody Johnson’s “The Painter” and Megan Moroney’s “Tennessee Orange” for the prize. Taking the stage at the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas, he thanked his co-writers — Chase McGill, Greylan James and Josh Osborne — the academy and the country music community for pushing him to be a better songwriter.

A track from Davis’ 2023 album Bluebird Days, “Next Thing You Know” peaked at No. 23 on the Billboard Hot 100 in July.On the Hot Country Songs chart, it reached No. 7, as well as No. 2 on the Country Airplay chart.

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The feat comes amid the Louisiana native’s recent success with fellow Bluebird Days single “Tucson Too Late,” which peaked at the top of the Country Airplay ranking in the week dated May 18. It marks Davis’ fifth career No. 1 on the chart.

This year’s ACMs — which are produced by Dick Clark Productions — are hosted by Reba McEntire. Davis is also nominated for single and visual media of the year.

DCP is owned by Penske Media Eldridge, a Penske Media Corporation (PMC) subsidiary and joint venture between PMC and Eldridge. PMC is the parent company of Billboard.

16 May 2024

Lainey Wilson Covers ‘God Blessed Texas’ & Plays New Single ‘Hang Tight Honey’ for Roaring 2024 ACM Awards Kickoff

On Tuesday night (May 16), Lainey Wilson kicked off what host Reba McEntire would later call “country music’s party of the year” with her 2024 ACM Awards-opening mini-medley performance.

Billboard‘s recent cover star began her performance with a “What’s going on, Texas?” greeting to the crowd at The Star in Frisco, TX, before launching into a crowd-pleasing rendition of Little Texas’ ’90s country staple “God Blessed Texas.” She wore a red leather bodysuit and a big red cowboy hat for the kickoff performance, before handing off the latter to an elated fan in the audience.

Wilson wasn’t done with that, however, as she then transitioned to a performance of her own new song: “Hang Tight Honey,” the lead single from her recently announced upcoming Whirlwind set. The rave-up sounded fantastic in its live debut, with Wilson rocking an acoustic guitar in front of a lone-star backdrop, hitting a fever pitch on her climactic “headed straight HOOOOOOOOOME” chorus delivery.

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In addition to being a featured performer, Wilson has five nominations at this year’s ACM Awards: entertainer of the year, female artist of the year, song of the year — both as an artist and as a writer (for “Heart Like a Truck”) — and event of the year (for her Jelly Roll collaboration “Save Me”). Her latest hit single, “Wildflowers and Wild Horses,” hit a new peak of No. 5 on Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart earlier this month.

DCP is owned by Penske Media Eldridge, a Penske Media Corporation (PMC) subsidiary and joint venture between PMC and Eldridge. PMC is the parent company of Billboard.

16 May 2024

Jean-Michel Jarre & Brian May Perform Together at Starmus Festival

Jean-Michel Jarre and special guest Brian May from Queen electrified an audience of 100,000 fans on May 12 gathered in Bratislava, Slovakia, on Sunday (May 12) at Bridge from the Future, the opening concert for the Starmus Festival, presented in association with digital security company ESET.

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Jarre opened the concert with a Blue Dot in Space, a composition created by Jarre for Starmus, where real sounds of the stars were weaved into the soundscape, “inviting the audience to consider our position on Earth within the cosmos, and the future of our home planet, reflecting the theme of this year’s edition of STARMUS Festival,” according to a release.

“The staggering production featured exquisitely choreographed architectural light and laser displays that were visible from three different countries including Austria and Hungary. A mesmerizing 400-drone ballet painted the night sky with a supernova-like display, while fireworks punctuated the musical score. The stage included two towering turrets at over 30 meters tall, perfectly framing the UFO bridge behind it, which itself was adorned with lights and lasers. Jarre designed the entire visual element himself, conceiving it as a score to the music.”

The concert featured 19 musical works spanning Jean-Michel Jarre’s career including a new arrangement of Antonín Dvořák’s New World Symphony and performances with May of newly adapted works Bratislava Time and Rendez-vous Bratislava. Jarre was also accompanied on stage by his backing band featuring longstanding accomplice Claude Samard and newcomer British musician Adiescar Chase who played among other instruments the violin, bass guitar and didgeridoo.

The concert was televised on Slovakian National TV network RTVS as well as globally via the EBU network and live-streamed on Jean-Michel Jarre’s YouTube channel. The concert is available to watch online for another seven days. Learn more about Starmus here.

16 May 2024

A Timeline of Halsey & Avan Jogia’s Relationship

Love is in the air for Halsey and Avan Jogia, who have been

The duo first sparked romance rumors in September 2023 when they were photographed getting cozy during a night out in Los Angeles, as seen in photos by Page Six at the time. However, their private relationship soon became public in October, when Halsey and Jogia made their relationship Instagram official, with the “Closer” star sharing snaps with the actor showing off their glamorous, leathery looks. Later that month, they celebrated Halloween as a couple, with the singer going as a sea monstress and the Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City star dressing up as a sailor.

In April, Halsey and Jogia made their red carpet debut at the premiere of Dev Patel’s Monkey Man. Since then, they’ve had a few outings together, including red carpets and sports games. Most recently, the couple attended the 2024 Gold Gala on May 11. To honor Jogia’s Indian heritage, the duo wore traditional ensembles from Indian fashion designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee.

Prior to dating Jogia, Halsey split from her estranged husband Alev Aydin — with whom she shares a young son named Ender — in April 2023. Jogia was previously linked to Australian actress Cleopatra Coleman.

The “Without Me” musician hasn’t released music since last year’s revamped version of “Lilith,” which they recorded with BTS’ Suga for Diablo IV. She also dropped “Die 4 Me” in 2023, which followed the artist’s most recent studio album, 2022’s If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power.

See below for a full timeline of Halsey and Avan Jogia’s relationship, from rumored romance to red carpets.

16 May 2024

Jimmy James, Soulful Frontman of The Vagabonds, Dies at 84

Jimmy James, the beloved frontman of The Vagabonds and the voice behind the enduring ballad “Come to Me Softly,” died on Wednesday (May 15). He was 84 years old.

The musician died in London at Northwick Park Hospital, his family told Jamaica Observer. James reportedly had Parkinson’s disease and a heart condition that ultimately led to his decision to retire from performing.

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James, who was born in Brown’s Town, Jamaica, moved to the island’s capital of Kingston to pursue music in the 1950s. He recorded songs for producers including Clement Dodd and Lindon Pottinger, the latter of which produced the early and original version of “Come to Me Softly.”

The Jamaican dance band The Vagabonds were formed in 1960, and the group relocated to the United Kingdom at the height of the British Invasion in 1964. Throughout their time together, the group played alongside fellow legends including The Who, Rod Stewart and Jimi Hendrix. They released six studio albums together: 1966’s The New Religion, 1968’s This Is Jimmy James and the Vagabonds, 1968’s Open Up Your Soul, 1975’s You Don’t Stand a Chance If You Can’t Dance, 1976’s Now and 1977’s Life.

James went on to have two hits throughout 1970’s with “I’ll Go Where Your Music Takes Me” and “Now is The Time.” He is survived by his wife Paula, his five sons, two daughters and his grandchildren.

16 May 2024

50 Cent’s Final Lap Tour Makes History, Becoming Only Third Rap Trek Ever to Cross $100M

Over two decades since 50 Cent strapped on his bullet-proof vest and dropped his iconic Get Rich or Die Tryin’ debut, the G-Unit boss is still making history.

According to Billboard Boxscore, 50’s The Final Lap Tour has eclipsed $100 million in earnings, making him only the second rapper to ever surpass that mark. The “In Da Club” rapper’s 2023 global trek grossed $103.6 million, with 1.05 million tickets sold across 83 shows in North America, Europe, Oceania and Asia.

Prior to 50 joining the exclusive $100 million club, Drake was the only rapper to accomplish the feat, which he did with his last two treks (2023-2024’s It’s All A Blur Tour and 2018’s Aubrey & the Three Migos Tour).

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In his decorated touring career to date, 50 Cent has grossed $150.3 million and sold 2.5 million tickets, placing him at No. 8 on the list of highest-grossing rap acts in Billboard Boxscore history. The most lucrative stop on 50’s Final Lap trek brought in a combined $4.4 million gross from a pair of dates (Nov. 11 and Nov. 23, 2023) at The O2 Arena in London.

There are a couple of rappers who could possibly be joining 50 and Drizzy in the $100 million club. Kendrick Lamar’s Big Steppers Tour grossed $85.4 million, though that sum doesn’t account for 16 shows in Europe and Australia that haven’t been reported to Boxscore.

Jay-Z has been part of two $100 million-grossing tours, but he’s excluded since both (On The Run I and II) were co-headlined by his wife Beyoncé.

Elsewhere, Travis Scott is set to score his $100 million membership card this summer when his Circus Maximus Tour heads to Europe for a slew of sold-out dates. Currently, he’s on the doorstep with $95 million accounted for on the North American leg.

50 isn’t the only rapper making touring history these days. Nicki Minaj‘s reunion with the Barbz in “Gag City” on her Pink Friday 2 World Tour has been lucrative, grossing $67 million and selling 439,000 tickets. It’s now the highest-grossing and best-selling rap tour by a woman in Boxscore history — and it’s not even over yet.

16 May 2024

Kelly Clarkson Turns a ‘Bad Idea’ Into a Good One With Olivia Rodrigo Kellyoke Cover

Kelly Clarkson singing an Olivia Rodrigo song? That’s always a good idea.

On the latest episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show on Thursday (May 16), the talk show host took the Kellyoke stage for a cover of the 21-year-old pop star’s single “Bad Idea Right?,” injecting her New York City studio with a bit of pop punk angst.

Dressed in a cheetah-print top and joined by her band Y’all, Clarkson’s powerful voice added some oomph to Rodrigo’s playful anthem about hooking up with an ex-boyfriend — in spite of what your friends might think. “Yes, I know that he’s my ex, but can’t two people reconnect?” she belted, washed over by intense red stage lights. “‘I only see him as a friend,’ the biggest lie I ever said.”

The second single from Rodrigo’s sophomore LP Guts, “Bad Idea Right?” peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album — which spawned the No. 1 hit single “Vampire” — debuted atop the Billboard 200 in 2023.

It’s not the first tune from the High School Musical: The Musical: The Series alum’s catalog that Clarkson has covered. In April, the “Stronger” vocalist put her own spin on Rodrigo’s Hunger Games soundtrack contribution “Can’t Catch Me Now” for Kellyoke, and she’s previously performed “Vampire,” “Traitor” and “Drivers License” on The Kelly Clarkson Show as well.

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Rodrigo herself has also stopped by the talk show in the past. In December, she and Clarkson gushed about the “Good 4 U” artist’s Edward Cullen in-ear speakers and fangirled over Alanis Morissette together.

Watch Clarkson perform Rodrigo’s “Bad Idea Right?” on Kellyoke above.

16 May 2024

Here Are the 2024 ACM Awards Winners: Complete List (Updating)

The Academy of Country Music’s “party of the year” has arrived! Going into the 59th ACM Awards — which will broadcast live from the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas — on Thursday (May 16), Luke Combs leads in nominations with eight nods, while Megan Moroney — this year’s most nominated woman at the ACMs — and Morgan Wallen are just behind him with six.

Among the awards the “Fast Car” singer is in the running for are entertainer of the year; album, song and single of the year; and male entertainer of the year. The “Last Night” crooner will be giving him a run for his money in the album of the year, male artist of the year and single of the year. Moroney, meanwhile, is up for female artist of the year as well as new female artist of the year (which she won ahead of the show) and song of the year, among other honors.

Jelly Roll, who is a first-time ACM Awards nominee, has four nods: entertainer of the year, male artist of the year, single of the year and music event of the year.

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The 2024 ceremony is hosted by country music icon Reba McEntire, who is a 16-time ACM Awards winner, and produced by Dick Clark Productions. (DCP is owned by Penske Media Eldridge, a Penske Media Corporation subsidiary and joint venture between PMC and Eldridge. PMC is the parent company of Billboard.)

While some of the trophies were handed out ahead of the show, the biggest awards will happen during the ceremony. Find out which country stars are taking home ACM Awards as the show airs live tonight via Prime Video, beginning at 8 p.m. ET. We’ll be updating this list of winners are victors are announced.

Entertainer of the year

Kane Brown
Luke Combs
Jelly Roll
Cody Johnson
Chris Stapleton
Morgan Wallen
Lainey Wilson

Female artist of the year

Kelsea Ballerini
Ashley McBryde
Megan Moroney
Kacey Musgraves
Lainey Wilson

Male artist of the year

Luke Combs
Jelly Roll
Cody Johnson
Chris Stapleton
Morgan Wallen

Duo of the year

Brooks & Dunn 
Brothers Osborne 
Dan + Shay 
Maddie & Tae 
The War And Treaty

Group of the year

Flatland Cavalry
Lady A 
Little Big Town 
Old Dominion 
Zac Brown Band

New female artist of the year

Kassi Ashton
Ashley Cooke
Hannah Ellis
Kylie Morgan 
WINNER: Megan Moroney 

New male artist of the year

ERNEST 
Kameron Marlowe
Dylan Scott 
Conner Smith
WINNER: Nate Smith 

New duo or group of the year

Neon Union
Restless Road
WINNER: Tigirlily Gold

Album of the year

[Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)]

Gettin’ Old – Luke Combs; Producer: Chip Matthews, Jonathan Singleton, Luke Combs; Record Company-Label: River House Artists / Columbia Nashville

Higher – Chris Stapleton; Producer: Chris Stapleton, Dave Cobb, Morgane Stapleton; Record Company-Label: Mercury Nashville

Leather – Cody Johnson; Producers: Trent Willmon; Record Company-Label: CoJo Music LLC / Warner Music Nashville LLC

One Thing at a Time – Morgan Wallen; Producers: Joey Moi, Cameron Montgomery, Charlie Handsome, Jacob Durrett; Record Company-Label: Big Loud Records / Republic Records / Mercury Records

Rolling Up the Welcome Mat (For Good) – Kelsea Ballerini; Producers: Kelsea Ballerini, Alysa Vanderheym; Record Company-Label: Black River Entertainment

Single of the year

[Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)]

“Burn It Down” – Parker McCollum; Producer: Jon Randall; Record Company-Label: MCA Nashville

“Fast Car” – Luke Combs; Producers: Luke Combs, Chip Matthews, Jonathan Singleton; Record Company-Label: River House Artists / Columbia Nashville

“Last Night” – Morgan Wallen; Producer: Joey Moi, Charlie Handsome; Record Company-Label: Big Loud Records / Republic Records / Mercury Records

“Need a Favor” – Jelly Roll; Producer: Austin Nivarel; Record Company-Label: Stoney Creek Records / BMG Nashville

“Next Thing You Know” – Jordan Davis; Producer: Paul DiGiovanni; Record Company-Label: MCA Nashville

Song of the year

[Awarded to Songwriter(s)/Publisher(s)/Artist(s)]

“Fast Car” – Luke Combs; Songwriters: Tracy Chapman; Publishers: Purple Rabbit

“Heart Like a Truck” – Lainey Wilson; Songwriters: Dallas Wilson, Lainey Wilson, Trannie Anderson; Publishers: Sony / ATV Countryside; Songs of Riser House; Songs of Wild Cat Well Music

“Next Thing You Know” – Jordan Davis; Songwriters: Chase McGill, Greylan James, Jordan Davis, Josh Osborne; Publishers: Family Farm Songs; Hold On Can I Get A Number 1 Music; Songs of Universal Inc.

“The Painter” – Cody Johnson; Songwriters: Benjy Davis, Kat Higgins, Ryan Larkins; Publishers: Big Music Machine; BMG Platinum Songs US; Nashblonde Music; Pompano Run Music; Songs for Ellie May; Sony / ATV Tree Publishing; Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Group; Well That Was Awkward Music

“Tennessee Orange” – Megan Moroney; Songwriters: Ben Williams, David Fanning, Megan Moroney, Paul Jenkins; Publishers: 33 Creative; Bone Bone Creative; Sony / ATV Tree Publishing

Music event of the year

[Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)]

“Can’t Break Up Now” – Old Dominion, Megan Moroney; Producers: Brad Tursi, Geoff Sprung, Matthew Ramsey, Trevor Rosen, Whit Sellers, Ross Copperman, Kristian Bush; Record Company-Label: Three Up Three Down, LLC / Columbia Nashville

“Different ‘Round Here” – Riley Green (Ft. Luke Combs); Producer: Dann Huff; Record Company-Label: BMLG Records

“I Remember Everything” – Zach Bryan (feat. Kacey Musgraves); Producer: Zach Bryan; Record Company-Label: Belting Bronco Records / Warner Records, Inc

“Man Made a Bar” – Morgan Wallen (feat. Eric Church); Producer: Joey Moi; Record Company-Label: Big Loud Records / Mercury Records / Republic Records

“Save Me” – Jelly Roll (with Lainey Wilson); Producers: Zach Crowell, David Ray Stevens; Record Company-Label: Stoney Creek Records / BMG Nashville

Visual media of the year

[Awarded to Producer(s)/Director(s)/Artist(s)]

WINNER: “Burn It Down” – Parker McCollum; Producers: Christen Pinkston &Wesley Stebbins-Perry; Director: Dustin Haney

“Human” – Cody Johnson; Producer: Christen Pinkston &Wesley Stebbins-Perry; Director: Dustin Haney

“In Your Love” – Tyler Childers; Producer: Kacie Barton, Whitney Wolanin, Nicholas Robespierre, Ian Thorton, Silas House; Director: Bryan Schlam

“Next Thing You Know” – Jordan Davis; Producer: Jamie Stratakis; Director: Running Bear (Stephen Kinigopoulos, Alexa Stone)

“Tennessee Orange – Megan Moroney; Producer: Lauren Starr, Saul Levitz, Laura Burhenn; Director: Jason Lester

Songwriter of the year

WINNER: Jessie Jo Dillon 
Ashley Gorley
Hillary Lindsey
Chase McGill
Josh Thompson

Artist-songwriter of the year

Zach Bryan
ERNEST
HARDY
WINNER: Chris Stapleton
Morgan Wallen

16 May 2024

‘The Idea of You’ Boy Band August Moon Drops ‘Guard Down’ Music Video

Prime Video has dropped a new music video from The Idea of You‘s fictional boy band, August Moon.

In the clip, the five-piece boy band — featuring Raymond Cham as Oliver, Vik White as Simon, Nicholas Galitzine as Hayes Campbell, Dakota Adan as Rory and Jaiden Anthony as Adrian — turn a stuffy classroom into a party as they sing their upbeat hit. “I give it up to the devil in me/ And I, I let my guard down/ I’ve given up on her vision of me/ When I let my guard down,” the group harmonizes in the chorus.

August Moon has a series of songs additionally available to stream, including “Taste,” “Dance Before We Walk” and “Closer,” all of which were featured in the accompanying film, which dropped on Prime Video earlier this month.

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Based on the bestselling novel, The Idea of You centers on Solène (Anne Hathaway), a 40-year-old mother, who sparks a romance with Hayes Campbell, the 24-year-old lead singer of the “hottest boy band on the planet” August Moon. The pair first meet at Coachella and find their way back to each other after the festival, but Hayes’ “superstar status poses unavoidable challenges to their relationship,” according to the film description.

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The Idea of You was inspired by Robinne Lee’s 2017 novel of the same name. During the pandemic, the book experienced a spike in popularity, with many fans immediately clocking the similarities between August Moon and One Direction, and Campbell and Harry Styles.

Watch August Moon’s “Guard Down” music video below. The Idea of You is a Prime Video Original streaming exclusively on the platform now.

16 May 2024

Billboard Explains: Billie Eilish’s Chart Domination

From “Bury a Friend” to Barbie, Billie Eilish has been setting the culture ablaze with each of her releases. The acclaimed singer-songwriter is among the leading musicians of her generation, earning two Academy Awards, nine Grammys and a slew of eye-popping streaming achievements before the age of 23. As her highly anticipated new Hit Me Hard and Soft LP arrives May 17, Billboard takes a look back at Eilish’s impressive chart success.

She made her Billboard chart debut back in 2017 with her Dont Smile at Me EP, which has since spent more than 250 weeks on the all-genre Billboard 200, peaking at No. 14 (chart dated Jan. 26, 2019). 2017 also boasted Billie’s first charting song when “Ocean Eyes” entered Alternative Digital Song Sales at No. 21.

On the Billboard Hot 100, Billie has notched a whopping 33 entries. Her first appearance came in 2018 by way of the haunting Khalid duet, “Lovely,” which peaked at No. 64 in early 2019. In the years since, Billie has collected five Hot 100 top 10 hits, including “Everything I Wanted” (No. 8), “Therefore I Am” (No. 2) and “Bad Guy,” which spent one week atop the chart in 2019.

Outside of her own music, Billie has also lent her songwriting talents to several blockbuster films, earning her some of the film industry’s highest honors. Two of her tracks — “No Time to Die” from the 2021 James Bond film of the same name and “What Was I Made For?” from 2023’s Barbie — earned the Academy Award for Best Original Song and reached the top 20 on the Hot 100. The former reached No. 16, while the latter peaked at No. 14.

Her Barbie smash also made a splash on the Alternative Songs Chart, where it spent 19 weeks at No. 1. Billie also holds two other chart-toppers on that ranking: 2020’s “My Future” (one week) and 2021’s “Happier Than Ever” (four weeks).

Billie has also landed five projects on the Billboard 200, including both of her studio albums: 2019’s When We All Fall Asleep Where Do We Go? (No. 1, three weeks) and 2021’s Happier Than Ever (No. 1, three weeks).

With Hit Me Hard And Stuff due May 17, Billie is likely to add even more accomplishments to her stunning Billboard chart history.

After the video, catch up on more Billboard Explains videos and learn about Peso Pluma and the Mexican music boom, the role record labels play, origins of hip-hop, how Beyoncé arrived at Renaissance, the evolution of girl groups, BBMAs, NFTs, SXSW, the magic of boy bands, American Music Awards, the Billboard Latin Music Awards, the Hot 100 chart, how R&B/hip-hop became the biggest genre in the U.S., how festivals book their lineups, Billie Eilish’s formula for success, the history of rap battles, nonbinary awareness in music, the Billboard Music Awards, the Free Britney movement, rise of K-pop in the U.S., why Taylor Swift is re-recording her first six albums, the boom of hit all-female collaborations, how Grammy nominees and winners are chosen, why songwriters are selling their publishing catalogs, how the Super Bowl halftime show is booked and more.