Music

07 May 2024

New Hits From Tommy Richman, Shaboozey & Sabrina Carpenter Are Scaling the Hot 100 — Which Has the Best Chance to Hit No. 1?

As Taylor Swift rules the Billboard Hot 100 for a second frame with her Post Malone collab “Fortnight” — and before an onslaught of tracks resulting from the culture-dominating Kendrick Lamar/Drake feud likely swarms the top tier of the chart next week — a trio of newer hitmakers move into the chart’s top five.

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This week’s Hot 100 (dated May 11) features a debut from Virginia singer-rapper Tommy Richman at No. 2 (“Million Dollar Baby”), along with a rapidly rising breakout smash from country singer-songwriter Shaboozey at No. 3 (“A Bar Song (Tipsy)”) and the biggest crossover hit yet for burgeoning pop star Sabrina Carpenter at No. 4 (“Espresso”). Along with enduring top 10 hits from newly minted hitmakers Benson Boone (“Beautiful Things,” No. 5) and Teddy Swims (“Lose Control”), this week marks the highest concentration of first-timers in the chart’s top 10 since June 2022.

Which one is most likely to claim the top spot in the weeks to come? And is it meaningful to be getting so many big hits by newer artists at once? Billboard staffers discuss these questions and more below.

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1. Despite being each artist’s first visit to the chart’s top 10, within a month of their Hot 100 debuts, each of Tommy Richman’s “Million Dollar Baby,” Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” and Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso” finds itself in this week’s top five. Which of the three hits has been most impressive to you with its rapid rise?

Rania Aniftos: Shaboozey! Black artists are slowly but surely staking their claim in country music and country-adjacent genres, and it’s been long overdue. I’m so glad Shaboozey had his time to shine on Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter, and has since been able to amplify his own career. I’m impressed by his skyrocketed success and excited to see where he goes from here!

Kyle Denis: Definitely Tommy Richman’s “Million Dollar Baby.” You can track both Shaboozey’s (two Queen Bey collabs + each of previous singles was bigger than the last) and Sabrina’s (Eras Tour opener who has recently solidified herself as a formidable presence on top 40 radio) success pretty easily. Outside of some significant underground motion, Tommy Richman’s name didn’t even exist in the zeitgeist last month – now he has the most-streamed song in the country this week with his very first Hot 100 entry. 

Josh Glicksman: Shaboozey. Parlaying guest turns on a blockbuster album into solo chart success is a much more difficult task than he’s made it seem, and particularly so given that country music typically doesn’t have the immediate streaming power — save for a handful of marquee artists — as some of the other genres filling the top 10 of the Hot 100. Sure, the J-Kwon “Tipsy” interpolation gives “A Bar Song” a boost, but the latter is unquestionably a hit in its own right, avoiding the over-reliance on nostalgia that songs of a similar ilk have fallen victim to in the past year.

Jason Lipshutz: While Sabrina Carpenter has already enjoyed pop radio success prior to “Espresso” and Shaboozey’s profile grew significantly thanks to his multiple features on Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter, Tommy Richman’s “Million Dollar Baby” has seemingly come out of nowhere to thus far out-chart both of them. Yes, Brent Faiyaz has co-signed Richman and brought him on tour — but Faiyaz has yet to score a solo hit within the same stratosphere as “Million Dollar Baby,” which exploded on TikTok to such a degree that it debuted at No. 2 amidst stiff competition. We’ll see how durable of a hit “Million Dollar Baby” proves to be, but that start was breathtaking.

Andrew Unterberger: All three are undoubtedly impressive, but the real jaw-dropper to me here is Richman. To drop a new single at very possibly the most crowded moment for major new releases we’ve had so far this decade and not only make a major impression, but immediately zoom to the very head of the class — outside of the reigning valedictorian, anyway — is simply stunning for any artist, especially one with so little established chart history.

2. All three songs figure to be contenders for the top spot in the weeks to come. If you had to bet on one of them to eventually get there — or to be the first to get there, if you think multiple will — which would you opt for?

Rania Aniftos: I have to say “Espresso,” because I know I’m not the only one who can’t get that damn “I’m working late/ ‘Cause I’m a singerrrrrrr” line out of their head. It’s such a catchy song and it’s everywhere! 

Kyle Denis: Given that just three 2024 releases have spent more than a single week atop the Hot 100, I’m willing to wager that all three songs will get there – but they likely won’t enjoy very long stays at the pole position. Who’s getting there first? Probably “Million Dollar Baby,” it’s outpacing the other two songs on most major U.S. streaming platforms – and it feels like that kind of hit that won’t necessarily need radio to carry it. 

Josh Glicksman: “Espresso.” Its nu-disco production is tailor-made for sunny days and open windows and will garner endless airplay at pop radio. I expect both “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” and “Million Dollar Baby” to hang around for extended stays as well — and could very well see the former getting to No. 1 as well at some point — but it’s hard to bet against the bona fide pop hit, especially when it’s such an instantly obvious song of the summer contender. Did I already mention how much you’re going to hear it on the radio?

Jason Lipshutz: “Espresso,” since it sounds like one of the sturdiest pop hits of the year, it’s already a top 5 hit, and its radio run hasn’t even kicked off in earnest yet. Songs like “Nonsense” and “Feather” proved Sabrina Carpenter’s top 40 appeal, and “Espresso” is already a bigger hit than both of those previous singles; meanwhile, Carpenter is a more of a prominent star than she’s ever been, and she’s poured us a three-minute shot of bliss in time for summer. The top of the Hot 100 is crowded right now, but I think that “Espresso” will spend multiple weeks at No. 1 in the June/July range.

Andrew Unterberger: I would say “Million Dollar Baby,” since its initial velocity has been so impressive and it’s already so close to the top spot. But the fact of the matter is that it’s likely going to get stuck behind an onslaught of Kendrick Lamar for at least the next week or two, after which another new song (maybe something from the new Billie Eilish album due friday after next?) very well may have lapped it momentum-wise. So I’ll bet on the long game with “Espresso,” as the song’s warm-weather vibes and Carpenter’s recently established history on the airwaves all but guarantees it ruling radio all summer — meaning it’ll always be in range of the Hot 100’s top spot, and able to seize it with a new remix or video or other viral moment (or if we ever just get another slow chart week again).

3. Beyond these already-minted hits, which of the artists behind them (between Richman, Shaboozey and Carpenter) do you expect to make the biggest/most extended chart impact in the years to come?

Rania Aniftos: Again, I’m going to give this one to Sabrina. She’s been working hard at her career since she was a child on the Disney Channel and I’m surprised it’s taken her this long to pop off. She has an excellent discography and Emails I Can’t Send is a completely underrated pop album. I’m expecting “Espresso” to lead music lovers to finally give Sabrina the success she deserves.

Kyle Denis: My money’s on Sabrina given she already has bigger chart hits than both Shaboozey and Richman. Couple that with the fact that she’s truly made the best of the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that is opening for what will likely go down as the biggest tour of all time, Sabrina will be around for a minute. At the very least, she’ll become a true pop radio staple. Shaboozey’s path is obviously a bit different as he’s navigating the Nashville machine as a Black man, and Richman will probably collect one or two smaller hits before comfortably reassuming his cult hero status. 

Josh Glicksman: I’ll take Sabrina Carpenter here. She’s been bubbling just under the surface of A-list pop star for what feels like years now (it’s not too late to give “Sue Me” the full moment that it has always deserved!) and now that she’s collecting a handful of Hot 100 entries, I expect that to quickly grow into the size of an overdue grocery shopping list before long.

Jason Lipshutz: Carpenter, whose 2022 album Emails I Can’t Send contained a ton of promise, and everything she’s done since then has fulfilled that promise. “Espresso” represents a breakthrough hit, but Carpenter contains the personality and pop know-how of a superstar — and she’s becoming one now, after years of build-up and gathering momentum. Shaboozey and Richman are both on upward trajectories, but Carpenter has a higher ceiling, and should be a chart force for a long time.

Andrew Unterberger: It’s Carpenter, simply because this moment is the culmination of a good half-decade — arguably even longer — of work she’s put in building her audience and pop cred, and now officially joining the ranks of the A-listers. But honestly, I’m buying stock in all three of these artists. I’d be pretty surprised if this was the last we heard from any of them on the Hot 100.

4. While these are the three biggest breakout hits currently challenging Taylor Swift’s “Fortnight” for the chart’s top spot, they’re hardly the only new singles currently making waves on the chart. Who that’s a little lower down on the listing could you see elbowing your way into the top tier before long?

Rania Aniftos: I feel like Chappell Roan is on a similar wavelength with the artist we’ve been discussing today. “Good Luck, Babe!” is a great track and Chappell is a great artist. I would love to see a snippet from that song go viral and project the track into the top 10. 

Kyle Denis: I’m definitely keeping an eye on Lay Bankz’s “Tell Ur Girlfriend” (No. 58), GloRilla & Megan Thee Stallion’s “Wanna Be” (No. 34, this week) and Bryson Tiller’s “Ciao,” which does not currently rank on the Hot 100. 

Josh Glicksman: Aside from the obvious picks in the Kendrick Lamar-Drake rap battle, Chappell Roan’s “Good Luck, Babe!” and Dasha’s “Austin” both feel like they have plenty of runway left and may jetset well into the summer. The former act is coming into a superstar moment of sorts of her own, while the latter hit continues to build on a global scale. Both currently sit in the 40s, and as the Taylor Swift takeover clears out a bit in the coming week, there should be ample room to grow.

Jason Lipshutz: Chappell Roan’s “Good Luck, Babe!” hasn’t entered the top 40 yet, but the single sounds like a smart, charismatic commercial breakthrough for an artist with a dedicated fan base that’s been growing exponentially over the past few months. I’d expect it to keep climbing in the coming weeks based on its promising streaming returns, and depending on radio’s reaction, challenge for the top 20 (at least) soon enough.

Andrew Unterberger: All signs are clearly pointing to Chappell Roan being next up — though I’m still hoping Nashville stops messing around and finally embraces Dasha’s viral “Austin” as the future of pop-leaning country, which it almost certainly is and should be.

5. Along with Benson Boone’s “Beautiful Things” and Teddy Swims’ “Lose Control,” first-timer artists in the top 10 take up five of the top six spots this week. Do you think it’s meaningful that there has been such a presence for breakout artists in the chart’s top tier this year, or is it just a fluke of timing?

Rania Aniftos: While my gut is telling me it’s a fluke while we wait for the slew of major artist releases this year, I really hope it’s not. It’s been so refreshing seeing new names on the Hot 100, and I want to see more! 

Kyle Denis: I think we’re still in a weird place where pop culture is trying to move forward, but our near-constant nostalgia loop is keeping us beholden to stars of yesteryear. Of course, some of those stars genuinely are still cranking out releases that do meaningfully shift the culture: We’ve gotten back-to-back blockbuster albums from Beyoncé, Ye & Ty Dolla $ign, Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift, and Future & Metro Boomin (twice!) Yet tracks from those albums — barring most of their lead singles — aren’t the ones setting up shop in the Hot 100’s upper regions this year. 

Josh Glicksman: If anything, it’s especially meaningful given the deluge of superstar releases so far in 2024. It could be that there have been so many blockbuster albums that the A-listers are canceling one another’s opportunities for extended chart runs a bit, but regardless, the hits from breakout artists this year are well beyond the point of calling it a fluke.

Jason Lipshutz: The timing is a little fluky — in recent weeks, veteran stars like Beyoncé, Future & Metro Boomin, Ariana Grande and Jack Harlow also occupied the top 10 — but this happy upswing in newcomers to the top 10 also underscores a general hunger for unfamiliar voices in heavy rotation after a run of high-profile albums. The release calendar has been packed so far in 2024, but thanks to a mix of TikTok virality, new pop trends like the country-folk revival, and undeniable singles from non-superstars, the top of the Hot 100 looks revitalized. We’re in for a fun-as-hell summer slate, as big projects and out-of-nowhere hits balance each other out on the Hot 100.

Andrew Unterberger: I think it’s simple: Popular music is up right now. Pretty much all genres, from pop to rap to country to rock, are hitting right now — while also intertwining inextricably, of course — and there’s plenty of room for exciting new releases from both the ruling class of hitmakers and an entirely new wave. It’s a fun time to be a top 40 fan, which is not something we’ve often said this decade around this time of the year.

07 May 2024

Charli XCX Confirms She Did Write Music for Britney Spears (But It Was Never Recorded)

Charli XCX confirmed longtime rumors that she worked on new music for Britney Spears.

During a recent appearance on Watch What Happens Live, the “Von Dutch” singer clarified that she did write music for the pop princess, but Spears never recorded the tracks. “It leaked to the press. Britney then did this post where she was like, ‘I don’t have random people write for me.’ And I was like, ‘Oh. OK. Go off.’ So I don’t know that she was a part of the process,” Charli explained. “The team were present… But she didn’t record it. She obviously didn’t.”

However, Charli called the idea of Spears recording any of her songs “a dream come true.”

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Back in January, Spears slammed the rumors circulating about collaborating with Charli and Julia Michaels in an Instagram post. “Just so we’re clear most of the news is trash,” she wrote in a lengthy caption. “They keep saying I’m turning to random people to do a new album … I will never return to the music industry !!!”

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She continued, “When I write, I write for fun or I write for other people !!! For those of you who have read my book, there’s loads that you don’t know about me … I’ve written over 20 songs for other people the past two years !!! I’m a ghostwriter and I honestly enjoy it that way !!! People are also saying MY BOOK WAS RELEASED WITHOUT MY APPROVAL ILLEGALLY and that’s far from the truth … have you read the news these days ??? I’m so LOVED and blessed !!!”

Watch Charli’s full Watch What Happens Live interview below.

07 May 2024

Giddyap! Musicians on Horseback

With many people opting to enjoy a Western aesthetic in 2024, from fringed jackets to cowboy hats to shimmering boots — and a plethora of artists offering up country-influenced music — it’s no surprise that all things equestrian have re-entered the spotlight as of late. Plus, there is the longtail, massive influence of the hit television series Yellowstone over the past half-decade in inspiring many to kick up their boots and trade the city for the country for a while.

Horses have long represented grace and strength, and have featured prominently in artists’ creative scopes, including on the covers of Beyoncé’s Renaissance and Cowboy Carter, as well as Missy Elliott’s Respect M.E., Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band’s Against the Wind, and Bruce Springsteen’s Western Stars. Of course, numerous country albums have featured horses, such as Shania Twain’s Queen of Me and Willie Nelson’s A Horse Called Music.

Given artists’ hectic and on-the-go touring schedules, often spending hours upon hours in buses, aboard planes and inside music venues, it’s no surprise that horses and the open spaces of the outdoors would be a timeless draw for musicians. Their four-legged equine friends make no demands for new music, endless social media content or various event appearances, representing a slower-paced companionship.

Beyond the expected cascade of country artists who have long professed their love for horses, we rounded up photos of several artists — including purveyors of pop, country, rap and more — to highlight stars’ passion for horses.

This collection features artists including Beyoncé, Bad Bunny, Andrea Bocelli and more.

07 May 2024

See Exclusive Images From the New Chemical Brothers Book ‘Paused in Cosmic Reflection’

35 years ago, the trajectory of electronic music history shifted when Ed Simons met Tom Rowlands at the University of Manchester. Then students, the pair would go on to comprise one of the most celebrated electronic acts in the history of the then-nascent genre, after they united as The Chemical Brothers.

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The three and a half decades of shows, albums and block-rockin’ beats that have ensued since are under the microscope in the latest Chemical Brothers offering, Paused in Cosmic Reflection. Out today (May 7) via Mobius publishing, the retrospective book unpacks, in often granular detail, the Brothers’ mythology from the earliest days as students to rising U.K. stars to genre trendsetters and worldwide heroes.

Along with extensive interviews with the duo themselves, the book feature new interviews with friends and collaborators, including Noel Gallagher, Wayne Coyne, Beth Orton, Michel Gondry and Beck. The 300-plus-page Paused In Cosmic Reflection also includes many rare and and never-before-seen photographs. Assembled by Robin Turner, the book is dedicated to Stuart “Jammer” James, the group’s longtime tour manager, who died in 2015.

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Speaking to Billboard about the book last September, Simons offered, “I guess there’s no end date, but we are nearer to the end of The Chemical Brothers than we are the beginning… It has been good to reflect and remember some history. I guess you’ve got to do it before you start forgetting everything, and I’ve got a really good memory.”

“He remembers, like, every small gig above a barber shop we ever did,” added Rowlands. “Then someone would produce a photograph of it and I’d be like, ‘Oh, gotcha. Maybe we did do that…’ But one of the things about our band is, we don’t like stopping and reflecting. I always want to move on to the next thing. This book really felt like stopping and reflecting.”

See exclusive images from the book below.

Paused Cosmic

Paused in Cosmic Reflection

live show visual Show directors Adam Smith & Marcus Lyall

“Early on, Oasis was accepted as part of that culture,” Noel Gallagher says in the book. “Mixmag gave Definitely Maybe full marks and an incredible review when it came out. When I picked up the guitar and started to write again, the inclusiveness of the lyrics in house music showed up in my songs and became a big part of it. A song like ‘Live Forever’ would never have existed and wouldn’t have been called that before acid house. It would have been melancholy. The euphoria of acid house was so engrained in me, I was so into it and what I loved about it was the inclusivity. Songs were about us, they weren’t personal, they were about the collective. I adopted that and put it into my music.”

Paused Cosmic

Paused in Cosmic Reflection

Jake Chessum

Paused Cosmic

Paused in Cosmic Reflection

Adam Smith

“There were a few electronic bands playing live in the early nineties,” Simons says of the group’s early days. “We’d gone to see Kraftwerk when we were at university in 1991 and Tom had been in [prior dance act] Ariel, so we knew it was something that could happen, but initially we just DJed. We got offered to do [the club night] Sabresonic very early on; we’d only done a handful of remixes and [Chemical Brothers EP] Fourteenth Century Sky was just out. From the very start, we knew we didn’t want to be in the spotlight on stage. We decided that we wanted to have visuals projected right on top of us. And lots of strobes. That ethos has been the same for every gig we’ve played in the 30-odd years since.”

Paused Cosmic

Paused in Cosmic Reflection

Peter J. Walsh

Paused Cosmic

Paused in Cosmic Reflection

Mark Benney

“Ultimately, I think The Chemical Brothers have a great predilection for exploration,” says Beck, who worked with the duo on 2015’s “Wide Open” and 2023’s “Skipping Like a Stone.” “Their records always seem to take you to different places. They kind of sit in an unusual place between different eras of electronic music and DJ culture. It’s like they have one foot in multiple decades at the same time in a way that is utterly unique among their peers.”

Paused Cosmic

Paused in Cosmic Reflection

Mark Benney

“[1997 sophomore album] Dig Your Own Hole was us giving free rein to all of the different influences that were feeding into us from all around the world,” says Simons. “It was the most extreme expression of that, one where you could have a track like ‘It Doesn’t Matter’ sitting alongside ‘The Private Psychedelic Reel’. They’re completely different forms of music but they each evolved from everything that was channelled in, that fed into the making of Dig Your Own Hole. For us, our sound was entirely natural. It wasn’t something we sat down and pondered, tried to perfect. We had no intention of making a pure electronic dance record; we always wanted all of those external forces to be reflected.”

Paused Cosmic

Paused in Cosmic Reflection

Mark Benney

07 May 2024

Here’s What Jelly Roll Thinks of Katy Perry Wanting Him to Be a Judge on ‘American Idol’

If given the chance, singer-songwriter Jelly Roll says he would be all in on becoming an American Idol judge.

Speaking with Audacy following his first set as part of the country music festival Stagecoach in Indio, Calif., Jelly Roll reacted to American Idol judge Katy Perry’s earlier comment recommending him as her replacement after she leaves her role as judge on the ABC music competition series after seven seasons.

“I gotta say, Jelly Roll was crazy when he came on the show,” the pop star had told E! News of the country artist, who served as an Idol mentor in April. “I was convinced at anything he said. He could run for president, he could be my pastor, I might go back to church for him. He could sell me anything.”

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While interviewing Jelly Roll backstage at Stagecoach, Audacy station KFRG’s Kelli & Guy asked about Perry’s comments and whether Jelly Roll would consider becoming an American Idol judge. “Of course!” he said. “Consider? I’ve accepted the job and they haven’t offered it.”

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“How cool is Katy, though,” he added. “When we were talking backstage the other day, she tells me this, just me and her, and my wife of course, everybody’s watching. She says, ‘I’m telling you, you need to replace me.’ I always love people that are the same way publicly as they are privately, ’cause some people will tell you how great you are privately, but then won’t post your album. But for her then immediately, first interview she gets asked, brings me up, I’m like, ‘I love you, Katy!’”

Jelly Roll recently appeared as a guest mentor on the April 8 episode of American Idol and performed his song “Halfway to Hell” from his 2023 album Whitsitt Chapel.

Jelly Roll, who is married to Bunnie XO, also spoke of the possibility of doing a reality television show together. “What my dream is, is to get into scripted television. I think that’d be cool, if we told our story in like, a 10-part series,” he said, also noting that a duet with Bunnie XO would also be realistic.

The country star is vying for numerous trophies at the upcoming Academy of Country Music Awards on May 16, including the coveted entertainer of the year honor.

Watch Jelly Roll’s interview below:

07 May 2024

25 Latin Songs to Celebrate Mother’s Day

As Mother’s Day approaches on your calendars this Sunday, May 12 (celebrated on May 10 in Mexico), we’ve curated the perfect Día de las Madres playlist to enhance your celebration. This carefully selected 25-track list features an eclectic mix of Spanish-language songs that pay heartfelt tributes to mothers everywhere.

From the emotional depths of Juan Gabriel‘s “Amor Eterno,” a poignant piece written in memory of his mother, to the contemporary vibes of Eladio Carrión‘s “Mama’s Boy,” our playlist spans generations and musical styles. Laura Pausini‘s tender “A Ella Le Debo Mi Amor” is an ode to her daughter, expressing the boundless love of a mother through soul-stirring lyrics and melodious tunes.

Andrea Echeverri of Aterciopelados contributes the uplifting “A Eme O,” a creative expression of love for her daughter, showcasing deep, meaningful lyrics that resonate with any listener. Additionally, we’ve included a track from Xavi‘s My Mom’s Playlist EP, which features his renditions of his mother’s favorite songs, released on Mexican Mother’s Day last year. His cover of Selena’s “No Me Queda Más” stands out.

Also, no Mother’s Day serenata is complete without the ranchera offerings of Vicente Fernández. Not your conventional ode about thanking mom, “Perdón Madrecita” sees its protagonist returning to their mom, seeking comfort and healing from emotional wounds inflicted by their unfaithful partner, while acknowledging the unconditional love and understanding only a mother can provide.

Explore the full breadth of our Mother’s Dayplaylist below to discover additional treasures, such as Los Tigres del Norte’s “Madrecita Querida,” Ricardo Arjona’s “Mi Novia Se Me Está Poniendo Vieja” and more from artists like Eslabon Armado, Natalia Lafourcade, and Victor Manuelle. The 25 tracks, dedicated to the incredible woman who enriches our lives, are listed in alphabetical order by artist name.

07 May 2024

Berlin Philharmonic Brings the Annual Europakonzert to Georgia

There are times when a performance gains power not only from who’s playing what music and how, but also from when and where it’s played. So it was with the Berlin Philharmonic’s 2024 Europakonzert, which took place on May 1 at the historic Tsinandali Estate in Georgia.

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As Georgians protested in the streets of the capital city of Tbilisi against a law that would regulate NGOs and foreign media companies in a way that many people there believe would benefit Russia – or at least follow its illiberal path — one of the most accomplished orchestras in Europe delivered a majestic performance of pieces by Schubert, Brahms and Beethoven, as if to culturally anchor the country in the heart of Europe.

The concert at the Tsinandali Estate was gorgeous – an afternoon show, performed outdoors on a sunny day, with birds chirping in the background. (Conductor Daniel Harding stepped in for Daniel Barenboim.) The prominent violinist Lisa Batiashvili, who comes from Georgia and is now an artist in residence at the Berlin Philharmonic, performed the solos in Brahms’ Violin Concerto in D Major with power and exquisite sensitivity.

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The next night, the orchestra performed the same show at the Tbilisi Opera and Ballet State Theater – not far from where some of the protests took place – followed by considerable applause and the unfurling of a couple of European Union flags. It was hard to miss the symbolism – not nationalism but something more open-hearted. The politics never overshadowed the music, which was powerful in its own right, but it was clear how much the music, and the idea of Europe, meant to the Georgian audience. Sometimes concerts are the continuation of policy by other means.

Georgia sits a crossroads between Europe and Asia – always geographically and now politically as well. Culturally, the country has always faced West – it’s mostly Eastern Orthodox, and it was part of the Soviet Union before it gained independence. In December, under the current government, Georgia officially received candidate status to join the European Union, which the majority of people there seem to favor and would place the country firmly in the West. And although the overlap of the Europakonzert and the debate about the proposed law is just coincidental, it seemed to hint at two possible paths forward for the country: A kind of international optimism or a narrower nationalism.

The Tsinandali Estate, which was leased from the government and renovated by the Silk Road Group, a Georgian company, has its own particularly European cultural history. The estate, which fell into disrepair during the Soviet era, is identified with Prince Alexander Chavchavadze, a Georgian aristocrat, who used it in the 1800s to bring to Georgia European-style wine, formal gardens and classical music. Silk Road, which has restored the estate to its former glory with an eye toward historic preservation, now operates two hotels there, as well as nearby vineyard and a fall classical music festival that features young performers from across the Caucasus region. This, too, is profoundly optimistic.

“We thought, ‘How can we bring life to’” the estate, says George Ramishvili, the Silk Road Group’s founder and chairman. “And we chose classical music because it’s related to history.”

Europakonzert

Europakonzert

Stephan Rabold

Years ago, Ramishvili connected with the Berlin Philharmonic through Batiashvili, and they started discussing brining the annual Europakonzert to Georgia. “It’s the perfect music but also the message for peace – we’re both about a united Europe,” Ramishvili says. “Europe is Georgia and Georgia is Europe.”

Everything about the concerts brought that idea home. At both shows, the audience seemed to be mostly middle-class Georgians, probably a few years older and a bit more fortunate than most of the protesters, who skewed younger. But they both want more engagement with a Europe that has put aside its conflicts. The European Union has its share of problems, but it represents a more compelling vision of the future than anything coming out of Russia.

None of this hung over the concerts, though. The annual Europakonzert, which is usually but not always performed in an EU member state, is symbolic, for a variety of reasons, including where it happens and the role of Berlin, which has become the cultural capital of Europe. But anyone who didn’t understand the politics, or simply wanted to forget them, would have found the shows just as compelling without that context. At Tsinandali, the stone walls of the amphitheater seemed to magnify the sound, as birdsong broke through the quiet parts of Schubert’s The Magic Harp. Batiashvili brought a richness of tonal color to Brahms’ Violin Concerto in D Major, especially in the Tbilisi Opera and Ballet State Theater, where Harding brought out the orchestra’s power.

Music diplomacy has been a tradition since at least the 1950s, when the U.S. State Department arranged for “Jazz Ambassadors,” most famously Louis Armstrong, to tour the world. Musicians seldom solve international disagreements, and it’s not their job to do so, but shows like this bring countries closer together in a way that shows what they have to offer one another. These two shows made a powerful case for both the value of the European idea and its potential for expansion.

Europakonzert

Europakonzert

Stephan Rabold

07 May 2024

Macklemore Supports College Campus Protests, Rips Biden on Pro-Palestinian Song ‘Hind’s Hall’

Macklemore hasn’t been one to mince words in the past when speaking up for a cause he believes in. Now, the Seattle native is throwing his support behind Gaza and college student protests across America on the politically charged song “Hind’s Hall.”

The “Thrift Shop” rapper uploaded the fiery track to social media on Monday evening (May 6), and promised once the song makes it onto streaming services, all proceeds will go toward the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which offers assistance and protection to Palestinian refugees.

“Hind’s Hall” is the new name student protestors have given to the Columbia University residence Hamilton Hall, in tribute to six-year-old Hind Rajab, who was killed in Gaza.

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The jarring visual accompanying the track shows footage of police getting violent with students protesting at college campuses, as well as deadly explosions taking place in Gaza City.

Macklemore kicks off with a salute to N.W.A and the group’s explicit 1988 anti-police anthem. “When I was seven, I learned a lesson from Cube and Eazy-E/ What was it again? Oh yeah, f–k the police,” he raps.

The Billboard Hot 100-topping artist goes on to call out President Joe Biden and America’s diplomatic support for Israel while revealing he won’t be voting for the incumbent again this fall.

“Where does genocide land in your definition, huh/ Destroyin’ every college in Gaza and every mosque/ Pushin’ everyone into Rafah and droppin’ bombs/ The blood is on your hands, Biden, we can see it all/ And f–k no, I’m not votin’ for you in the fall,” Macklemore declares.

The 40-year-old rapper also challenges those equating anti-Zionism with antisemitism, pointing out that he sees Jewish people standing in solidarity with the Palestinian people as well. “We see the lies in ’em/ Claimin’ it’s antisemitic to be anti-Zionist/ I’ve seen Jewish brothers and sisters out there and ridin’ in/ Solidarity and screamin’ Free Palestine with them,” he raps.

With the hip-hop world distracted by the Drake and Kendrick Lamar feud, Macklemore wants to shift the focus to ceasefire talks rather than hearing what the 6 God has to say next. “What happened to the artist? What d’you got to say/ If I was on a label, you could drop me today/ I’d be fine with it ’cause the heart fed my page/ I want a ceasefire, f–k a response from Drake/ What you willin’ to risk? What you willin’ to give,” he asks.

More than 2,000 students have been arrested across the country in pro-Palestinian protests, according to The Guardian. More than 100 of those were booked by New York police officers during protests at Columbia University last week.

On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorists invaded Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages, many of whom remain in Gaza, according to The Associated Press. Israel and Hamas have been entrenched in a deadly war since that has decimated Gaza; more than 34,500 Palestinians have been killed, per the AP, and more than 1,700 people in Israel have been killed, per ABC News. Ceasefire talks involving the release of hostages remain ongoing.

Earlier in 2024, Israel accused 12 UNRWA employees of being part of Hamas and helping coordinate the attacks against them; the organization immediately terminated or suspended the accused individuals, but lost much of its international funding as a result of the claims. Since then, an independent study concluded that no evidence was found connecting the UNRWA to the Oct. 7 attacks, according to NPR. Many nations have resumed funding to UNRWA since then.

Watch Macklemore’s “Hind’s Hall” visual below.

07 May 2024

Billy Porter to Receive 2024 Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award

Billy Porter, who is as philanthropic as he is flamboyant, will receive the 2024 Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award in recognition of his contributions as an activist and spokesperson for the LGBTQ+ community.

The Isabelle Stevenson Award – the Tonys’ equivalent of the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences – is presented annually to a member of the theater community who has made a substantial contribution of time and effort on behalf of one or more humanitarian, social service or charitable organizations.

Porter serves as an ambassador for The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation; is a member of the board of trustees of the Entertainment Community Fund (formerly The Actors Fund); and is an outspoken activist for the LGBTQ+ and BIPOC communities through his work with Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, HRC (Human Rights Campaign), GLAAD, Planned Parenthood and other organizations.

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The multi-talented Porter – an actor, singer, director, producer, composer and playwright – has won two Tonys, a Primetime Emmy and a Grammy. His Emmy is for his leading role in Pose (2019). His Tonys are for his leading role in Kinky Boots (2013) and as a producer on A Strange Loop, which was voted best musical (2022). His Grammy is for the Kinky Boots cast album, which was voted best musical theater album.

The 77th Annual Tony Awards, hosted for the third year in a row by Ariana DeBose, will air live on both coasts from the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City on Sunday, June 16 (8-11 p.m ET/5-8 p.m. PT). The show will be broadcast on CBS and will also stream on Paramount+ in the U.S.

The Tony Awards are produced in collaboration with Tony Award Productions, a joint venture of the Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing, and White Cherry Entertainment. Ricky Kirshner and Glenn Weiss are showrunners and executive producers for White Cherry Entertainment. Weiss will also serve as director. Jack Sussman is also an executive producer.

07 May 2024

Jean Deaux Sounds Off on New ‘Nowhere, Fast’ EP, Upcoming Tour & That Sticky SiR Situation 

With credits dating back to 2012 that include collaborations with Saba, Smino and Isaiah Rashad, alluring Chicago R&B singer-songwriter Jean Deaux is no new kid on the block. 

A multidimensional artist whose work traverses different mediums and scoffs at genre lines, Deaux is a shining light in the Black queer art space. Last month (April 12), she released her sixth overall project, Nowhere, Fast, which also serves as her first release since parting ways with Empire Records. 

“It was time for something new,” Deaux says. “We were able to come to the agreement [that] if I wanted to leave, they’d let me go… I felt like I would step away from music for a little bit after I left Empire, but I started to fall in love with the music I was making and that’s really how the EP came together.” 

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That transition period – while she was also recovering from a vocal injury and experiencing the general trials and tribulations of going through the back half of your 20s – birthed Nowhere, Fast: an ethereal collection of odes to the turbulent road to maturity. Her voice weaves around soulful synths and forlorn guitars, cradling nuggets of poetry like, “Time is of the essence/ And like a science/ Just in your presence/ I feel it flying.” 

There’s an energy of newness around Jean Deaux right now – new label situation, new project, new tour. But she’s also taking this moment to reclaim and stand in her truth, particularly as it relates to the questionable similarities between the album cover and title of her 2023 Heavy EP and this year’s LP of the same name, from Grammy-nominated R&B star SiR. 

On April 18, Deaux took to X (formerly Twitter) to comment on the similarities between the two projects. Both Deaux and SiR’s Heavys feature album artwork that finds each artist shirtless, doused in red light and staring away from the camera. In her initial post, Deaux alleged that SiR reached out to her after people started commenting on the similarities between the projects when he debuted his Heavy artwork on March 4. According to her, he apologized profusely in private and pledged to make it right, yet refused to publicly atone for the situation. 

Speaking to Billboard, Deaux reiterates everything in her original post, reading excerpts from text messages and DMs between the two. (Billboard was able to review the messages Deaux refers to.)  

“With the capacity he reached out [in] and how emphatic he was, it felt so sincere [that] he wanted to, in his words, ‘Make it right,’” she says. “So, if I’m telling you what I expected, and you telling me that you want to go on tour [together], you want to start a relationship, and then you make this post and we never talk about anything again? Ever?” 

Deaux says she started conceptualizing her Heavy EP in 2021, with her uncle shooting the album cover at the beginning of 2022. “The red lighting was from a reference we used,” she explains. “I was leaning into this villain type of role, and that’s what I wanted the music to feel like.” Her project hit DSPs on April 14, 2023 – almost a full calendar year before SiR debuted the artwork for his Heavy LP, with red-lit photoshoots appearing on his official Instagram feed the month prior.  

Deaux remembers first hearing about the similarities through a text that “somebody who works on [her] team sent” after SiR announced his album. “When I seen it, I honestly didn’t realize what was going on right away,” she says. “When I finally put two and two together, I thought it was strange, but I didn’t know what to think.” 

The ascendant crooner claims that she never confronted SiR. In fact, as she tells it, the Inglewood-bred artist hit her DMs first. “He didn’t DM me [until] a couple days after he announced his cover and said that he heard [my] project, he loved it, and he didn’t know how this happened and he felt like we were pulling from the same creative pool,” she recounts. “He mentioned that he dropped an EP the same week as somebody else [in the past], and it was similar.” Deaux also says that SiR also floated ideas like having Deaux join him on tour, or starting a working relationship with her. Ultimately, after Deaux says she asked that he publicly acknowledge her Heavy and say the things he expressed in her DMs, SiR opted for a simple Instagram Story with the caption: “Jean Deaux has a ‘Heavy’ too.” 

Some weeks later, in an interview with Billboard about his Heavy LP (March 25), SiR name-checked Deaux saying, “There’s another album that I just learned about recently, Heavy by Jean Deaux, and didn’t know it existed… There’s a pool of creativity that we all pull from and sometimes we pull the same ideas […]” A screenshot of his answer recirculated on X following another quasi-viral post drawing connections between the two projects, prompting Deaux to respond. (Representatives for SiR did not provide comment when asked by Billboard about Deaux’s recounting of events.) 

“I tweeted that to set the record straight,” she explains. “I felt like if you’re gonna make another statement in an interview and still not make it half of what you said privately then why speak on that at all?”

In an enlightening conversation with Billboard, Jean Deaux breaks down her new Nowhere, Fast EP, her upcoming tour, plans for new music and her side of the story as it relates to SiR and their Heavy projects.

Talk to me about Nowhere, Fast. What was your vision for the project and what went into conceptualizing that sonic and visual world? 

I started making [Nowhere, Fast] when I was ending my business partnership with Empire. It was a lot of uncertainty in my life. I have management that I ended things with as well. I felt like I [didn’t] know where [I was] gonna go from here. I don’t really know what the next chapter is, and I feel like that resonated into everything else in my life, relationships, friendships, business relationships, all kinds of relationships. 

I learned a lot about myself [by] isolating myself a lot, and I think that’s really where Nowhere, Fast came from. Then, I ended up putting it out with a new label, so it worked out in the end. I’m glad that I took that time to really be real and be honest about where I was in my life. 

What were you listening to or watching while creating this project? 

I listened to a lot of movie scores. I’ve been trying to watch more international films — most recently I just seen Monkey Man, it’s so good. I found myself trying to watch things that comforted me, and it reminded me of things that I just used to enjoy when I was younger. I think that influenced the music too. 

You can pick up that cinematic feel in the album artwork. What went into the creative direction for that shoot? 

So [Brianna] Alysse is the photographer who shot the cover. She had reached out to me, maybe a year or so ago, about working [together]. I’m all about creating something cool, so when I started putting Nowhere, Fast together, I reached out to her and asked if she would be down to do the cover. She sent me a few references, her own interpretations of like what “nowhere fast” looked like. I think we had a similar vision of negative space, like motion, but also standing still at the same time. 

She sent a photo of two people on a motorcycle [that] wasn’t moving, [which] gave me the idea for the cover — kind of changing the position and what was happening on the actual cover It worked out well and I think the extra graphics we added gave people what I was hoping for. I always try to be a little cinematic. 

Why did you choose to go with “Roll With Me” and “Dreamin” to introduce the project? 

“Roll With Me” is just a bop! I could not deny that song as soon as I made it. “Dreaming” sounds like one of the first songs I ever made when I was really getting into my bag, like what my sound was almost 10 years ago, maybe even more so. It felt like returning to something, and it just reminded me of my childhood and how much I’ve accomplished that I’ve cared about [since] I was a kid. “Dreaming” made me feel good in that way, and I feel like people would probably relate to that. 

How did the Destin Conrad collaboration come together? I can’t get enough of “Thinkin!” 

I love “Thinkin” also! That song was really me and Lido and this was the time [when] I really tried to stop smoking. Lido gave me some herbs or something to smoke, and I must have been feeling it a little bit. The essence of the song was so lush. I forget what we was listening to before we even made that, but I’m sure I got the footage somewhere cause I be recording everything. I remember recording us dancing to it because I was like, “Oh man, this is about to be one of them ones.”  

I realized that I don’t do features like that. I probably have one feature, maybe two every project. But I was like, I gotta get somebody on a song and [I knew] Destin would be perfect for that song. He recorded it at home and added the harmonies, came to the studio in LA and added some more harmonies, it was beautiful. I’m grateful for Destin and [he] is one of my best friends. 

What cities are you most excited to visit on tour? 

I haven’t been on tour in like a year or two now, I really had to take a break — just keeping my voice together, going through a vocal injury last year, and recovering from that. I’ve been really nervous about getting back out there, but one thing I do know and I have realized in my time is that I’m a really good performer. That’s one thing that I definitely hear people say after they see me live.  

I’m ready to go home [to Chicago], I’m excited about that. I feel like these songs are gonna sound so good live and Chicago loves good music. I love all the stops I’m going to, I can’t even lie. I’m not even going to divvy it up. I love Atlanta. I love DC. I love New York. I love Chicago. 

What was the vocal injury? 

I did a show on 4/20 when I already had laryngitis and it triggered a lot of things. My throat was trying to defend lot of things that were happening [at the same time] and it was making my voice very sensitive to talk. My voice was just getting tired way faster. I had to go see a specialist and they told me I had to be on vocal rest for a long time and I’m still in recovery. It was scary because at one point I was like, What if I’m cooked? I still have faith, so I know it’s gonna be a process, but, I’m getting back in rehearsal, man. It’s time. 

How do you view this new project in relation to the rest of your discography? 

I’ve heard [Nowhere Fast] is similar to Empathy. I think people mean the R&B sound and music, which I definitely agree [with.] It’s similar to Empathy, but it’s the antithesis of Heavy to me. Heavy is really the music that I want to make, all that alternative music is kind of a niche sound. Heavy is for the creative people [who] bend the rules and shape-shift.  

Who are your favorite alternative artists or your favorite music rule-breakers? 

I love Teezo [Touchdown, sings his hook from Don Toliver’s “Luckily, I’m Having.”]

A lot of people compare me to Santigold, but I didn’t listen to a whole lot of Santigold coming up. I did like Lykke Li. Obviously, I love N.E.R.D.’s music.

What did SiR say when he first contacted you regarding your respective Heavy projects? 

He said: “Your Heavy is super dope and the comparisons are uncanny. I promise I’m not stalking you. Seems like we’re pulling from the same creative lake. I love what you do. I hope you’re having a great week.” 

And I said: “Hey, thanks for reaching out. I was bummed to see that. I’m a big fan of yours. We’ve met before. It does affect me as an artist with a smaller reach than you, just to be transparent. I didn’t assume you ripped me off or was stalking me. I thought your team might have addressed it before it got to this point just [because] of how it may look. And I hate that something like this is what led to us actually connecting personally, but I’m glad you reached out.” 

Where did the conversation go once it left the DMs? 

I asked him if he [wanted] to hop on the phone, and that’s the conversation that I referenced on Twitter. I want to be clear that I didn’t necessarily want anything from the situation. I thought it was strange, and it’s fair for me to think that it’s strange. Objectively, looking at the situation, there is no situation where anybody else in my shoes would not think it was at least peculiar. I would assume in the time that it takes to put together a press kit and a rollout, somebody either made the choice to not care about it, or they just didn’t see it. 

He told me that he was furious, couldn’t believe it, that his team missed it and he was really mad about the situation. He asked the photographer and they said they had never seen my cover [or] heard of me, he just didn’t know how it happened. 

Me and SiR met some years ago [in 2016 when] he performed at the first Kribmas in St. Louis, and that’s what I reminded him on the phone: “I’ve spoken to you several times. I’ve definitely met you. I work with some people on your label, so my name has floated around in some ways.” I told him what’s most important to me is if you could just say literally the things that you said to me in the DM publicly. The easiest thing to do when it’s a Black woman that is a smaller artist is to not even acknowledge the situation and to brush it off. The nice thing to do would be to acknowledge the artist in the situation and to also give the praise publicly. 

He said, “I appreciate you understanding and, when I hit you up, I felt like I had to do some damage control, so I appreciate you being understanding. I want to do this the right way and I’m going to talk to my team about how I can do this.” This is exactly how the conversation went.  

I’m thinking that [we’re] kind of on the same page, but he posted me the day after that and it just said, “Jean Deaux has a ‘Heavy’ too.” It felt disingenuous and I still didn’t say anything publicly. I still posted his album when it released, with a few words to match. So when I seen the [Billboard] interview, it just felt like doubling down on being vague and saying the bare minimum. In the interview the question was not about me, he offered up that information. He could have made that a moment and said, “Even though I’ve never heard of this artist, she dropped [her] project a year before mine,” which he didn’t clarify in his statement. He said, “Her album looks just like mine.”

I felt I felt like those words were choice words. I felt like a person reading that would not have understood what actually happened, and that makes [me] feel more suspicious than I felt to begin with. 

Can this situation be rectified in your eyes? 

I don’t think that it’s anything that needs to be rectified. I just wanted to set the record straight and be transparent, which is what I’ve been doing from the get-go in the entire situation. If we never speak again, that’s totally fine with me. I don’t think that’s beef. 

Have you started thinking about your next project yet? 

I was thinking about the next project before I even finished Nowhere, Fast. I be working on two things at once all the time because when I’m making music for the EP, I need a break from making that type of music. Even though I drop once a year, I’ve always wanted to drop more than once a year. It’s so hard, though. It’s a goal of mine, but if I don’t accomplish it, I’m not gonna come down on myself. If I could drop another one this year, they should be very afraid!

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.