Music

18 Apr 2024

Cub Sport, Jem Cassar-Daley Win Big at 2024 Queensland Music Awards

With two wins each, Cub Sport, Jem Cassar-Daley and Bluey composer Joff Bush were the standouts at the 2024 Queensland Music Awards, presented Wednesday, April 17 at Fortitude Music Hall in Brisbane.

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Homegrown electro-pop act Cub Sport nabbed album of the year for their ARIA No. 1 collection Jesus At The Gay Bar, and the electronic award for “Songs About It.”

“This is very unexpected,” drummer Dan Puusaari said from the dais as Cub Sport collected best album honors. “We’ve been a band for 13 years, won our first QMA 12 years ago, it’s very cool to still be up here, still making music. It’s a massive privilege. This is the fifth record we’ve made. To be acknowledged like this is really cool.”

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Jem Cassar-Daley snagged the pop award and song of the year, the QMAs’ top honor, both for “King of Disappointment.”

With the song of the year award, Cassar-Daley, daughter of homegrown country great Troy Cassar-Daley, scores a prime piece of real estate – a plaque on the Walk of Fame in the city’s Brunswick Street Mall.

As she accepted her trophy, Cassar-Daley thanked “every single one of you in this room for inspiring me to pursue music, even during COVID when everything had locked down and we’d all lost gigs.”

Composer Joff Bush won the children’s music award for “Dance Mode” and music for screen award for “Cricket,” both written for the popular animated series Bluey.

Also, country veteran James Blundell was honored with the lifetime achievement award, recognition of a decades-long career during which he has recorded 14 studio albums, won nine CMAA Golden Guitars, and earned induction into the CMAA Role of Renown and the CMC Hall of Fame.

“It is an acknowledgement of survival,” he said of his latest award, which he celebrated with members of his family. “I say to all the young artists I work with that longevity is a major part of the equation. You can be fabulous for a nanosecond but to sustain a career, well you’ve got to be a bit more interesting (laughs). Now I have never claimed or intended to be an interesting artist, but I have lived very honestly and very much in the public eye. So, I am very grateful to receive this award.”

Other winners included Busby Marou (blues/roots award), DZ Deathrays (heavy award), Tia Gostelow (Indigenous award), and Sahara Beck (soul/funk/RnB category).

“We are massively proud Queenslanders, and we’re inspired by the young fellas coming through. And of course, all the old fellas too,” remarked Thomas Busby, one-half of Rockhampton roots act Busby Marou. The “beauty of making music,” he added, is that you “make friends all along the way, then you keep them.”

The 2024 Queensland Music Awards are produced by QMusic, which is supported by the Queensland government. Guests in the room included Queensland premier Steven Miles.

2024 Queensland Music Awards winners:

Major Awards

Song Of The Year

Jem Cassar-Daley – ‘King Of Disappointment’

Album Of The Year

Cub Sport – Jesus At The Gay Bar

Lifetime Achievement Award

James Blundell

Scholarships

2023 Billy Thorpe Scholarship

Lottie Mcleod

2023 Carol Lloyd Award

Jo Davie

Dennis “Mop” Conlon Scholarship

Kristal West

2023 Grant Mclennan Fellowship

Georgia Potter

Dalwood-Wylie Foundation Scholarship

Ethan Roberts

Category Awards

Blues | Roots Award

Busby Marou – ‘Conversation’

Children’s Music Award

Joff Bush – ‘Dance Mode’ (Bluey)

Contemporary Classical & Music For Stage

Karin Schaupp – ‘Cybernylon’

Country Award

Tori Forsyth – ‘Sometimes’

Electronic Award

Cub Sport – ‘Songs About It’

Folk Award

Minor Gold – ‘Cannonball’

Heavy Award

Dz Deathrays – ‘My Mind Is Eating Me Alive’

Hip Hop Award

Ozi Jarel – ‘Uptown’

Indigenous Award

Tia Gostelow – ‘Spring To Life’

Jazz Award

Andrew Butt Trio – ‘Le Baiser Salé’

Music For Screen

Joff Bush – ‘Cricket’ (Bluey)

Pop Award

Jem Cassar-Daley – ‘King Of Disappointment’

Rock Award

Felony. – ‘Everyone I Like Wants To Kill Themselves’

Soul | Funk | Rnb Award

Sahara Beck – ‘Compromise’

World Award

Taitu’uga – ‘Falealili Manusamoa’

Youth (Ages 10 – 17) Award

Parker – ‘Sofa Bed’

Regional | Regional Award

Lt – ‘Act Your Age’

Video Award

Luis Campbell, Adam Hasa & Julian Panetta – ‘Make It So Easy’ By Jordan Briton Feat. Juno

Export Award

Skin On Skin

Highest Selling Single

Fisher & Kita Alexander – ‘Atmosphere’

Highest Selling Album

Brad Cox – Acres

Venues + Festival Of The Year Awards

People’s Choice Award Metro Venue Of The Year

The Fortitude Music Hall

People’s Choice Award Regional Venue Of The Year

Kings Beach Tavern

People’s Choice Award Festival Of The Year Nominees

Gympie Music Muster

Accessible Venue Of The Year

Kingston Butter Factory Cultural Precinct

17 Apr 2024

No Fixed Address’ Bart Willoughby to Receive Australia’s Ted Albert Award

Trailblazing Indigenous artist Bart Willoughby is the recipient of the 2024 Ted Albert Award for Outstanding Services to Australian Music.

The prestigious honor will be presented at the 2024 APRA Music Awards, to be held May 1 at ICC Sydney, on Gadigal land.

Willoughby was a founding member and the driving force behind No Fixed Address, Australia’s first and arguably most influential First Nations reggae-rock band, and the first Aboriginal band to sign a major label deal.

The group’s 1981 protest song “We Have Survived” continues to resonate and is preserved in the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia.

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Willoughby’s “fusion of reggae with traditional Indigenous influences is a testament to the richness and diversity of Australia’s original cultural identity,” reads a statement from the PRO. “His illustrious career has garnered numerous accolades, yet his influence transcends music, encompassing roles as a cultural ambassador, a master storyteller, a nurturing mentor, and a steadfast advocate for truth within Indigenous communities nationwide.”

The Ted Albert Award is one of the Australian music industry’s highest decorations, and is decided by the APRA board of writer and publisher directors.

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Previous recipients include the late Mushroom Group chairman Michael Gudinski, Paul Kelly, The Seekers, Cold Chisel, former Alberts CEO Fifa Riccobono and last year’s honoree, Colin Hay of Men at Work.

“I am very proud to receive the Ted Albert Award for my services to Australian music,” comments Willoughby, a Kokatha and Mirning man. “The best advice I received as a young musician was from Aunty Leila Rankin at CASM whilst I was preoccupied practising; she kindly opened the door and forced me out telling me ‘I’ll learn my craft on the road, it’s been a Long Road.’”

Ahead of this year’s APRAs, Taylor Swift and co-writer Jack Antonoff win most performed international work for “Anti-Hero,” her hit lead single from her chart-topping 10th studio album Midnights. “Anti-Hero” wins from a shortlist that included songs by Ed Sheeran, Miley Cyrus, Sam Smith, and David Guetta.

As previously reported, Sarah Aarons leads the pack heading into 2024 APRAs, with Troye Sivan, Budjerah, Ainslie Wills, Styalz Fuego, Amy Shark, The Kid LAROI, James Johnston and MAY-A close behind.

Established in 1982, the Australasian Performing Right Association’s annual songwriters’ ceremony is one of the Australian music industry’s most treasured events, a worthy counterpart to Britain’s Ivor Novello Awards.

17 Apr 2024

Bad Bunny & Feid’s ‘Pero Negro’ Takes Over Latin Airplay Chart

Just three months after he last commanded Billboard’s Latin Airplay chart, Bad Bunny is back in charge as his single “Perro Negro,” with Feid, jumps 2-1 to rule the April 20-dated ranking. It’s Bad Bunny’s 25th No. 1 and Feid’s sixth.

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On the overall Latin Airplay ranking, “Perro Negro” moves ahead of Eladio Carrión’s “TQMQA,” after accruing 9 million audience impressions in the U.S., a 5% gain, in the week ending April 11, according to Luminate. As “Perro Negro” trades places with “TQMQA,” the latter falls to No. 2, after one week in charge, with 8.8 million impressions, that’s an 8% dip from the previous week.

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“Perro Negro” earns the gold medal for its first week and joins 13 other songs that hit No. 1 in 2024. Notably, only three out of those rulers secured two weeks or more atop (including Maluma and Carin León’s “Según Quién” which ruled for four weeks between 2023-24) while the other 10 rulers passed on the crown after only one week in charge. Here’s the updated look at those 2024 champs:

Title, Artist, Weeks at No. 1
“Según Quién,” Maluma & Carin León, four
“Bubalu,” Feid & Rema, two
“Monaco,” Bad Bunny, one
“Harley Quinn,” Fuerza Regida & Marshmello, one
“La Diabla,” Xavi, two
“Borracho y Loco,” Yandel & Myke Towers, one
“La Falda,” Myke Towers, one
“Qlona,” Karol G & Peso Pluma, one
“Por El Contrario,” Becky G with Leonardo Aguilar & Angela Aguilar, one
“No Es Normal,” Venesti, Nacho & Maffio, one
“Baccarat,” Ozuna, one
“Puntería,” Shakira & Cardi B, one
“TQMQA,” Eladio Carrión, one
“Perro Negro,” Bad Bunny & Feid

“Perro Negro” becomes the fourth song from Bad Bunny’s Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana to hit No. 1 on Latin Airplay, following one-week rulers “Where She Goes” (August 2023), “Un Preview” (Dec. 2023) and “Monaco” (Jan. 27-dated list).

Benito’s Latin Airplay chart run began with the No. 1-peaking “Mayores,” with Becky G, on the Feb. 17, 2018-dated survey. He’s placed at least two No. 1s every year since then, for a total of 25 career rulers out of 47 entries on the ranking. Bad Bunny has the fifth-most No. 1s on Latin Airplay, with J Balvin in the lead with 36 leaders.

Notably, Bad Bunny boasts his longest-leading No. 1s on Latin Airplay through two collabs with acts outside of his core Latin rhythm genre: “Mia,” featuring rapper Drake, and “Un X100to,” with regional Mexican Grupo Frontera, both for six weeks in charge in 2018-19 and 2023, respectively.

Feid, meanwhile, boasts his sixth No. 1 on the radio ranking.

Elsewhere, “Perro Negro” rebounds 6-5 on the multi-metric Hot Latin Songs, which combines airplay, streams, and downloads, following two weeks at its No. 2 high beginning last November. The song dips 10-11 on Latin Streaming Songs despite a 1% gain in streaming, to 4.8 million during the tracking period.

17 Apr 2024

GloRilla Arrested for DUI in Georgia: Report

On Tuesday morning (April 16), GloRilla was reportedly arrested on suspicion of DUI in Georgia.

According to TMZ, which first reported the arrest, the rapper (real name: Gloria Hallelujah Woods) was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, consuming/possessing an open alcoholic beverage container and a separate traffic charge in Suwanee, Georgia, a suburb about a half-hour outside Atlanta.

In the police report obtained by TMZ, the officer says he smelled marijuana and alcohol from the car during a traffic stop just after 4 a.m. ET Tuesday and that GloRilla admitted to drinking that evening, though she said she was good to drive. Another detail from the report, according to TMZ, is that GloRilla’s breast was exposed at some point during the exchange and officers had to inform the rapper.

The Memphis rapper was taken into jail just after 6 a.m. ET on Tuesday and released on bond hours later, TMZ reports.

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Billboard has reached out to the Suwanee Police Department and a rep for GloRilla for confirmation of the arrest and further comment.

Though GloRilla was very active on her socials Wednesday (April 17) — mostly promoting her new song “Wanna Be,” featuring Megan Thee Stallion, from Glo’s new Ehhthang Ehhthang mixtape — she has yet to address the arrest news. Glo will join Meg on the Hot Girl Summer Tour, which kicks off next month in Minneapolis.

Glo has also been in the headlines for her heated back-and-forth with City Girls rapper JT after name-dropping her in the lyrics of the Ehhthang Ehhthang track “Aite.” In an interview with Billboard News on the 2024 CMT Music Awards red carpet last week, GloRilla brushed off the drama. “Everything just always everything,” she said when asked about JT. “At the end of the day, that day gon’ motherf—in’ end. Everything is everything. That day gotta end.”

17 Apr 2024

Nas Hints at DJ Premier Collaboration Ahead of ‘Illmatic’ 30th Anniversary

Nas shifted the landscape of New York hip-hop when Illmatic hit the streets in 1994. Three decades later, Escobar is looking to party like it’s the ’90s while celebrating his iconic debut album.

With Illmatic turning 30 years old on Friday (April 19), Nas is teasing something on the horizon in honor of the seminal LP.

The Queensbridge legend hinted at an upcoming collab with DJ Premier, who produced records like “N.Y. State of Mind” among others on Illmatic in addition to sequencing the project, by posting a grainy photo of the dynamic duo together from the ’90s when they were looking to make their mark on the game and another that appears to be from much more recently.

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Giddy fans proceeded to hypothesize that a project of sorts from Preemo and Nas could be in the works with the 30th anniversary of Illmatic just days away.

“Then v.s Now. What it,” Nas teased while producers Hit-Boy and The Alchemist lent their stamp of approval in the comment section.

“Will I be vindicated after all these years,” journalist Jerry Barrow wrote while seemingly alluding to the long-talked about album between the “Represent ” collaborators.

A fan voiced: “Don’t play with my emotions like this!”

The “One Love” rapper took a stroll down memory lane earlier this week when posting a series of photos from around the time Illmatic arrived and proceeded to thank those like Preemo who played a role in the acclaimed debut.

“Grainy pictures for grainy times. I had a dream I could get my favorite producers to produce on my debut album. I knew exactly what I wanted and how it should be. But I didn’t know anyone except for Paul, so I asked him would he connect me to them all. The cool soul brother that he is helped me line it up. On April 19th we smashed shit,” he reminisced.

“Even tho the album leaked months before the release date we still are apart of music history. Thank you Large Professor (Paul) and Dj Premier who drove into the projects to pick me up a time or two. Qtip , Pete Rock , and my man from The Bridge DJ LES, and my guy AZ who was just coming up himself. And thank you to everyone involved. Friday is the albums 30th. 2 The Listeners- ONE LOVE.”

DJ Premier reflected on being at all of the Illmatic sessions from start to finish. “A fun journey being at every session watching it come together and meeting all of your peeps from QB.”

Back in 2022, Nas fueled speculation the long-awaited Preemo-Escobar joint album could still be in the works. Nas touched on the mythical project on King’s Disease 3 track “30.” “Premier album still might happen,” he raps.

Premier produced three records on Illmatic (“N.Y. State of Mind,” “Memory Lane (Sittin’ in da Park)” and “Represent”). The duo went on to team up for tracks like “Nas Is Like” and “N.Y. State of Mind Pt. II” as well as 2022’s “Beat Breaks.”

Illmatic arrived on April 19, 1994, and debuted at No. 12 on the Billboard 200 with 63,000 albums sold in the first week.

Find Nas’ posts surrounding Illmatic below.

17 Apr 2024

Zayn Says Daughter Khai Named the Turtles on His Farm After These Iconic TV Show Characters

Turtle power! Zayn stopped by Capital Breakfast this week, where he revealed a sweet anecdote about his farm in Pennsylvania.

The 31-year-old star revealed that his daughter, three-year-old Khai, helps him name his animals on the farm, and revealed that the turtles are fittingly named after the beloved characters in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. “I have three now. Raph, Mikey and Donatello,” he revealed. “One of them died quite recently that was quite sad.”

He added, “I think that shows a good owner, you have to be somewhat connected to your animals, and I like to name them.”

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Zayn shares Khai with his ex-girlfriend Gigi Hadid, though the couple’s relationship ended shortly after the little one’s first birthday in October 2021.

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The former One Direction star is gearing up to release his new album, Room Under the Stairs, on May 17, marking Zayn’s first full-length solo project since 2021’s Nobody Is Listening. After leaving One Direction in 2015, the singer launched his solo music career with 2016’s Mind of Mine and followed it up with 2018’s Icarus Falls. Before Malik left to pursue a solo career, 1D released four albums together, each of which hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

The 15-track album will feature lead single “What I Am,” as well as tracks including “Alienated,” “My Woman,” Stardust,” “Something in the Water,” “Fuchsia Sea” and more. See the tracklist announcement here.

17 Apr 2024

Ashanti & Nelly Are Engaged, Expecting First Child Together

Congratulations are in order for Ashanti and Nelly, who are expecting their first child together.

Ashanti announced the news in a sweet Instagram video on Wednesday (April 17), in which the “Rock Wit U” singer is seen getting ready to perform. When her mother asks her how much time she needs until she’s ready, Ashanti cleverly responds, “I’m going to need about nine months.”

To drive the message home, the 43-year-old star captioned the post “Baby baby baby baby….” Nelly also posted the video to his own Instagram page. See the post here.

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Ashanti also revealed that she’s engaged to “Just a Dream” singer to Essence, telling the publication, “This new year of my life is such a blessing full of love, hope, and anticipation. Motherhood is something that I have looked forward to, and sharing this with my family, fiancé, and loyal fans, who have been so supportive of my career, is an amazing experience.”

The upcoming bundle of joy is Ashanti’s first child and Nelly’s fifth. The “Body On Me” singers began dating back in 2003 and the details of their romance were somewhat of a mystery to fans before they ultimately broke up in 2013. In June, fans began buzzing when Ashanti and Nelly attended the 3rd Annual Birthday Ball for Quality Control CEO Pierre “P” Thomas and were photographed together on the red carpet.

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In an interview with Love and Hip Hop‘s Rasheeda and Kirk Frost in September, Nelly confirmed the ongoing rumors of their rekindled romance. “I think we both were pretty much doing what we do, but sometimes being separate you understand one another more,” he said of the 10-year gap in their relationship. “You be like, ‘Yo, let me see exactly what they see.’ You know, because we all can be defensive sometimes in our own relationships. We know we wrong but we going to stand on it. But we all a victim to that.”

The life partners were once chart rivals. Nelly’s “Hot in Herre” dislodged Ashanti’s “Foolish” from the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 in June 2002. “Foolish” had reigned for 10 consecutive weeks, before “Hot in Herre” took over for a seven-week run.

17 Apr 2024

Lana Del Rey Says Her Tour Manager Quit a Month Before Coachella: ‘Never Got a Phone Call, Probably Never Will’

Lana Del Rey reigned as the Queen of Indio, Calif., when she headlined Coachella last weekend (April 13), but one particular exit from her kingdom left the “Video Games” singer especially peeved.

In an Instagram post reflecting on her performance shared to her Instagram account, Del Rey revealed that her tour manager, Peter Abbott, quit just over a month before she took the stage.

After thanking all the key players that made her set possible — including her fans, her band, Wally Crowder (who helped choreograph her motorcycle entrance) and special guests Billie Eilish, Jon Batiste and Jack Antonoff — Del Rey revealed that a team member had to step up as tour manager on short notice.

“[Thank you] Emily for stepping up as tour manager when Pete quit for no reason after 15 years,” Del Rey wrote, referencing Emily Holt before continuing about Abbott. “He was butt hurt that I got 10 comped bikes for free from Wally and randomly decided he was more of a stage designer than a tour manager… Never got a phone call probably never will. Still grateful for the 15 years though.”

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Billboard has made attempts to reach Abbott for his response.

Del Rey’s appearance at this year’s Coachella comes a decade after she last performed at the festival. The “A&W” singer was originally scheduled for a prime Coachella spot back in 2020, but that year was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. From her lyrics to her imagery, Del Rey has long been synonymous with Coachella and its aesthetic. She even played on that synergy with billboards leading into Indio that read “Has anyone else died for you?” — a reference to how Del Rey was effectively crucified by the media after her infamous 2012 Saturday Night Live performance.

“No worries – 37 days was more than enough time to put together an entire headlining set all by ourselves. Not stressful at all,” Del Rey’s Instagram post continued. “Way to go Emily you f—ing killed it with grace. Thank you to my managers Ben and Ed for making me laugh the entire way through everything for my whole freaking life even though none of it ever makes any sense. PS please send me an email If you decide to quit this year- 15 years is a long time for us too.”

The rest of Del Rey’s statement continued with her thanks to various collaborators, making for a deeply personal caption for a carousel of photographs from her performance. Among those photos are rehearsal footage, flicks of her background singers and dancers, and an adorable backstage picture of Del Rey, Batiste and Antonoff.

Last year, the “Summertime Sadness” singer notched her ninth top 10 entry on the Billboard 200 with Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd, which earned five Grammy nominations, including for album of the year. Del Rey is set to return to the stage Friday (April 19) for round 2 of her headlining stint.

Read the star’s full statement below.

17 Apr 2024

Beyoncé Sends Flowers & Sweet Note to University of South Carolina Women’s Basketball Team: ‘That’s Bey!’

It’s official: The Carters are a women’s basketball family.

Beyoncé congratulated the University of South Carolina team on an incredible season by sending them a stunning bouquet of flowers, custom merch and a sweet note — all of which Coach Dawn Staley showed off in a triumphant video via X on Wednesday (April 17).

“I’m gonna read you this card,” Staley tells the camera, sitting next to the overflowing bouquet sent to her by the “Texas Hold ‘Em” singer. “‘To Coach Staley and the entire South Carolina Gamecocks: Me and my family watched your games and cheered you on through the entire season. I’m so proud of you.”

According to the coach, Queen Bey signed the message, “All my love.”

“That’s Bey! Bey and her family!” cheered Staley. “Yes, Mr. Carter. Yes, Blue, you did your thing, Blue, Sir and Rumi. Bey, thank you. We appreciate you. We’re honored to wear your gear.”

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Staley also showed off one of the T-shirts the 32-time Grammy winner gifted the team, which read “Always Been Country” on the back. “LOVE ON TOP!!” the Olympic Gold medalist captioned her thank-you video.

Bey’s gesture comes a little over a week after South Carolina defeated the University of Iowa Hawkeyes at the NCAA Division 1 championships, winning 87-75 against the Caitlin Clark-led team. Shortly prior, the superstar had dropped her highly anticipated Renaissance follow-up Cowboy Carter, which has spent the past two weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

Watch Coach Staley show off her gifts from Beyoncé below.

17 Apr 2024

Shania Twain Praises Taylor Swift for ‘Working Her Butt Off’: ‘She’s Living an Exhausting Existence’

Taylor Swift will always have Shania Twain in her corner. In a new interview, the “You’re Still the One” singer opened up about passing the country–pop torch to artists like the 14-time Grammy winner, whom Twain commended for “working her butt off.”

“She is living an exhausting existence, but she’s dedicated and committed to herself, to her art, and her work,” the Canadian singer-songwriter said in a Haute Living cover story, published Wednesday (April 17). “It isn’t even about ambition, though I’m sure that most people would call her ambitious.”

“She’s an extremely hard worker, and I’m sure she’s got giant goals,” Twain added. “But it’s not all about ambition: It’s about passion and committing yourself to your passion.”

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The “Man!…I Feel Like a Woman!” singer’s comments come in stark contrast to what another music icon recently said about Swift. Courtney Love took shots at the “Anti-Hero” artist while speaking to The Standard earlier this week, calling her “not important” and “not interesting as an artist.”

Twain, however, has long been a friend and fan of Swift’s, and vice versa. The pair performed together at the 2019 American Music Awards, and in a 2021 TikTok, the Eras Tour star commended the “That Don’t Impress Me Much” musician for disproving the notion that “country girls can’t go pop” over the course of her career.

On the subject of paving the way for genre-bending artists such as Swift, Twain said, “it wasn’t like I intended on being a trailblazer or anything.”

“I was just trying to be original, my authentic self, and to do it with conviction,” she continued. “I’m an expressive person, and I put that into my music. I was saying it with attitude and with confidence because I meant it. Yes, I see it as a great compliment when someone calls me a trailblazer, but it’s not like I set out to do so. I was just being myself, and I think that’s served me very well.”