Music

24 Mar 2024

Selena Gomez Shares Makeup-Free ‘Real’ Photos on Instagram

Selena Gomez gave fans a glimpse at her natural beauty on Instagram this weekend.

The pop singer, actress and Rare Beauty founder uploaded a series of photos to Instagram Stories, including what appears to be a completely makeup-free selfie.

With tousled hair and wearing a gray robe or cardigan, a bare-faced Gomez winks and gives a playful look in the snapshot.

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Gomez also posted a more professional portrait showing her natural look on her Instagram grid on Saturday (March 23). The intriguing black-and-white headshot has the star peering into the camera — in a way that caught the eye of fellow artist Camila Cabello, who voiced her reaction in the comments.

“Good god woman have mercy,” Cabello wrote, complimenting the striking shot, which Gomez had simply captioned with “Real.”

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In a sweet post on Wednesday (March 20), the singer-actress shared a sweet handmade card beau Benny Blanco sent her, noting that they have entered a long-distance phase in their relationship. “Happy first virtual date!” he wrote. Gomez captioned the photo, “#longdistancerelationship vibes.”

The couple have been public about their romance since December.

“I’d have to say overall, it’s the safest that I feel and it’s been really lovely,” said Gomez of the relationship in an interview with Apple Music 1’s Zane Lowe in February.

Check out Gomez’s makeup-free selfie on Instagram Stories, and embedded in a fan tweet below. See her new closeup portrait on her Instagram grid.

24 Mar 2024

Fans Choose Olivia Rodrigo’s ‘Guts (Spilled)’ as This Week’s Favorite New Music

Olivia Rodrigo‘s Guts (Spilled) has topped this week’s new music poll.

Music fans voted in a poll published Friday (March 22) on Billboard, choosing the deluxe edition of the 21-year-old pop star’s sophomore album as their favorite new music release of the past week.

Guts (Spilled) brought in 43% of the vote, beating out new music by Shakira (Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran), Tyla (Tyla), Future and Metro Boomin (We Don’t Trust You), Pearl Jam (“Running”), Matt Champion (Mika’s Laundry), and others.

The expanded version of the Rodrigo’s 2023 Guts collection features five more songs, including a new one, “So American,” which was recorded after the original album dropped last year. The other four tracks on the deluxe set were the “secret” tracks that appeared on a variety of Guts vinyl releases: “Obsessed,” “Scared of My Guitar,” “Stranger” and “Girl I’ve Always Been.”

The Grammy-winning star announced the news of Guts (Spilled) during the first night of her two-show stand at Chicago’s United Center on March 19, surprising the crowd by unfolding a sign that read “Guts Deluxe Out Friday.”

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Rodrigo’s Guts, the follow-up to her 2021 debut album Sour, was released in September 2023 and featured her Billboard Hot 100 chart-topping lead single “Vampire.” The album also topped the Billboard 200 albums chart dated September 23, 2023.

In February, she launched her global Guts World Tour, which will find her making stops across North America and Europe for the next five months before she closes out with four shows at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, Calif.

Trailing behind Guts (Spilled) on the poll is Shakira’s Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran, her first new album since the 2017 Grammy-winning set El Dorado. The Latin star’s latest album — which includes “Última,” “Cómo Dónde y Cuándo” and “La Fuerte,” another team up with Bizarrap — brought in nearly 28% of the vote.

See the final results of this week’s new music release poll below.

24 Mar 2024

Ariana Grande’s ‘Eternal Sunshine’ Spends Second Week at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Chart

Ariana Grande’s Eternal Sunshine spends a second week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart (dated March 30), after debuting atop the tally a week ago. The set earned 100,500 equivalent album units in the U.S. in the tracking week ending March 21 (down 56%), according to Luminate. It’s the third Grande album to have logged a personal-best two weeks at No. 1. Her last two full-length studio sets, Positions (in 2020) and Thank U, Next (2019), both spent their first two weeks at No. 1.

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Eternal Sunshine debuted at No. 1 on the March 23-dated list with 227,000 units earned.

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Plus, Kacey Musgraves’ Deeper Well starts at No. 2 with her biggest week ever by both equivalent album units and traditional album sales, while Justin Timberlake’s Everything I Thought It Was launches at No. 4.

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. The new March 30, 2024-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on Tuesday (March 26). For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.

Of Eternal Sunshine’s 100,000 units earned in the tracking week ending March 21, SEA units comprise 87,000 (down 41%, equaling 115.05 million on-demand official streams of the set’s songs), album sales comprise 13,000 (down 56%) and TEA units comprise 500 (down 84%).

Kacey Musgraves’ Deeper Well makes a splash, as it debuts at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 with 97,000 equivalent album units earned — her biggest week, by units, since the chart began ranking by that measurement in December 2014. Further, of the album’s first-week units, traditional album sales comprise 66,000 — Musgraves’ biggest sales week ever.

Of Deeper Well’s first-week unit sum of 97,000, traditional album sales comprise 66,000 (it’s the top-selling album of the week), SEA units comprise 30,000 (equaling 38.06 million on-demand official streams of the set’s songs) and TEA units comprise 1,000.

Deeper Well is Musgraves’ highest-charting album since her debut effort, Same Trailer Different Park, debuted and peaked at No. 2 in 2013.

Deeper Well is the fifth top 10-charting effort for Musgraves, and all of them have started in the top four of the ranking. She previously visited the region with Star-Crossed (No. 3, 2021), Golden Hour (No. 4, 2018), Pageant Material (No. 3, 2015) and Same Trailer Different Park (No. 2, 2013).

Deeper Well’s first-week unit sum surpasses Musgraves’ previous high, by units earned, when Star-Crossed debuted with 77,000 units. And, Deeper Well’s first-week sales figure is her best sales frame ever, beating the 55,000 that Pageant Material sold in its first week.

The new album was led by a pair of charting tracks on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart: the title track (reaching No. 26 in February) and “Too Good To Be True” (No. 41 earlier in March). Deeper is Musgraves’ first album since 2021, while in 2023 she scored her biggest chart hit ever on the Hot Country Songs and all-genre Billboard Hot 100 charts, when Zach Bryan’s “I Remember Everything,” on which she’s featured, topped both tallies. The song, her first leader on both lists, was released on Bryan’s self-titled 2023 album, but is not on Deeper.

Musgraves supported the album launch with appearances on NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (March 14), NBC’s Today (March 15) and SiriusXM’s The Howard Stern Show (March 18). Prior to the album’s release on March 15, Musgraves was the musical guest on the March 2 episode of NBC’s Saturday Night Live.

Deeper Well’s first-week sales were supported by its availability across nine vinyl variants, including eight different-colored versions and exclusive editions for Amazon, Spotify and Target. In total, the album sold 37,000 copies on vinyl — the top-selling vinyl set of the week, Musgraves’ biggest sales week ever on vinyl, the largest vinyl week of 2024, and the fourth-largest week for a country album on vinyl since Luminate began tracking sales in 1991. (The only bigger sales weeks on vinyl for country sets were all registered by Taylor Swift’s re-recordings.)

Deeper Well was also issued in four different CD versions, three different digital editions (two were exclusive to her webstore — one with a bonus track, and another with the same bonus track an alternate cover art) and as a cassette tape.

Morgan Wallen’s chart-topping One Thing at a Time slips 2-3 on the new Billboard 200, pushed down with a 3% gain to 70,000 equivalent album units earned.

Justin Timberlake returns to the Billboard 200 with his first album in over six years, as Everything I Thought It Was starts at No. 4. The set opens with 67,000 equivalent album units earned and marks Timberlake’s sixth consecutive top five-charting effort — the entirety of his solo releases, which includes four No. 1s.

Of Everything’s first-week unit sum of 67,000, traditional album sales comprise 41,000, SEA units comprise 24,000 (equaling 31.13 million on-demand official streams of the set’s songs) and TEA units comprise 2,000.

The new album was led off by the single “Selfish,” which peaked at No. 19 on the Billboard Hot 100 dated Feb. 10. The track has also reached the top 20 of the Radio Songs, Pop Airplay, Adult Pop Airplay, Adult Contemporary and Rhythmic Airplay charts.

Everything’s release was ushered in by a much-buzzed-about one-off concert at The Wiltern in Los Angeles (March 13). The show featured a surprise reunion with his *NSYNC bandmates, with the group playing a medley of hits and the new Everything track “Paradise.” Timberlake also turned up on NPR’s Tiny Desk series on March 15 for a half-hour-long concert. Earlier in the week, on March 11, he performed the album’s “No Angels” on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Everything’s first-week sales were aided by its availability across four different vinyl variants (including exclusives for Amazon, Target and his webstore), four different deluxe CD boxed sets (each with a piece of branded clothing and a CD) and a standard CD.

Noah Kahan’s Stick Season falls 3-5 on the new Billboard 200 with 46,000 equivalent album units earned (down 5%). Five former No. 1s round out the rest of the top 10, as SZA’s SOS dips 5-6 (43,000; down 4%), Swift’s Lover climbs 9-7 (41,000; up 6%), Bryan’s self-titled album falls 6-8 (40,000; down 2%), Swift’s 1989 (Taylor’s Version) descends 8-9 (nearly 40,000; up 3%) and Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) and Ty Dolla $ign’s Vultures 1 drops 4-10 (39,000; down 13%).

Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.

24 Mar 2024

Rihanna Is All Smiles Rocking New Blonde Pixie Cut

Rihanna is living the blonde life.

The 36-year-old superstar singer debuted a brand new pixie cut during an outing in Santa Monica, Calif., on Friday (March 22). RiRi, who has worn short hair in the past, was seen sporting an oversized black jersey and baggy jeans while rocking her edgy new hairdo.

The Fenty Beauty founder’s looks also arrives about three weeks after she was seen flaunting long dark locks while performing her first full concert in almost eight years at private wedding party in India.

In early March, Rihanna returned to the stage at a pre-wedding gig for Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant in Jamnagar. The Grammy-winner performed at a lavish party that was part of a multi-day celebration for the soon-to-be newlyweds, who will officially tie the knot July 12 in Mumbai. The nearly 1,200-person guest list included Rihanna as well as Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Sunder Picha, Ivanka Trump and Bollywood celebrity Shah Rukh Khan, according to the Associated Press.

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“The show was the best,” Rihanna said on camera post-concert, while being approached by paparazzi. “I haven’t done a real show in eight years.”

Although Rihanna performed for the Super Bowl halftime show and at the Oscars last year, she hasn’t put on a full concert since her Anti World Tour in 2016. During her India set, Rihanna performed hits like “Bitch Better Have My Money,” “Work,” “Umbrella,” “Stay,” “All of the Lights,” “We Found Love” and “Diamonds.”

Rihanna recently announced that she was expanding her business into Sephora stores in China. “China fenty fam!! i’m so excited to announce that we are expanding in sephora stores april 1 – y’all ready?!” she wrote on Instagram.

See Rihanna’s new blonde pixie cut here via TMZ.

24 Mar 2024

Russia Observes National Day of Mourning Following Moscow Concert Hall Attack

Russia observed a national day of mourning on Sunday (March 24) for the victims killed in an attack at a suburban Moscow concert hall.

Russia’s Investigative Committee said on Sunday that 137 bodies had been recovered from the Crocus City Hall, where the mass shooting took place on Friday, The New York Times reports.

“The whole country, our whole people, mourns with you,” Putin said of the country’s deadliest terrorist attack in 20 years. He also vowed to punish those responsible for the violence. “The main thing now is to prevent those who were behind this bloody massacre from committing new crimes,” he added.

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The Islamic State group’s Afghanistan affiliate has taken responsibility for the deadly attack, a claim that was confirmed by U.S. intelligence officials. But Russian state news broadcasts are laying the blame on Ukraine, which is currently at war with Russia. Ukraine has denied any involvement, according to the Times.

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Putin did not single out either side in his address to the country.

“We know what the threat of terrorism is,” he said. “We are counting here on cooperation with all countries that genuinely share our pain and are ready, in their deeds, to truly unite efforts in the fight against the common enemy of international terrorism.”

On Saturday (March 23), Russian authorities arrested four men suspected of carrying out the attack at the concert hall in Krasnogorsk. Putin claimed they were captured while fleeing to Ukraine, the Associated Press reports. The Russian president said authorities detained a total of 11 people in the attack.

The company that owns Crocus City Hall has reportedly pledged to rebuild everything that was destroyed in the attack. The Times reports that the venue had more than $100 million in damages.

24 Mar 2024

Maurizio Pollini, Acclaimed Italian Pianist, Dies at age 82

Maurizio Pollini, a Grammy-winning Italian pianist who performed frequently at La Scala opera house in Milan, has died. He was 82.

Pollini died on Saturday (March 23), La Scala said in a statement. The announcement didn’t specify a cause of death, but Pollini had been forced to cancel a concert at the Salzburg Festival in 2022 because of heart problems.

During a six decades-long international career, Pollini’s repertoire expanded beyond the standard classics. He embraced early 20th-century masterpieces by Igor Stravinsky, Arnold Schoenberg and Anton Webern and postwar modernists such as Karlheinz Stockhausen, Pierre Boulez and Luigi Nono.

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La Scala defined the pianist as “one of the great musicians of our time and a fundamental reference in the artistic life of the theater for over 50 years.”

Pollini was considered a pianist with unique intellectual power, whose unrivaled technique and interpretive drive compelled listeners to think deeply.

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He was born in Milan on Jan. 5, 1942, into a family of artists. His father, Gino Pollini, was a violinist and a leading rationalist architect. His mother, Renata Melotti, sang and played the piano, as did her brother, Fausto Melotti, who was also a pioneer of abstract sculpture.

“I grew up in a house with art and artists,” Pollini said in an interview. “Old works and modern works coexisted together as part of life.”

Pollini began giving concerts before his 10th birthday, performing Chopin’s Etudes at age 14 and then winning the International Chopin Piano Competition at 18, as the youngest foreign pianist among a group of 89 contestants.

Arthur Rubinstein, president of the jury, reportedly said that the young pianist “already plays better than any of us.”

After his first international recognition, however, Pollini put his career on hold to study, explaining that performing right away would have been for him “a little premature.”

“I wanted to study, get to know the repertoire better, play the music of Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms,” he said.

In the late 1960s, Pollini participated in improvised concerts in factories and programs for students and workers at La Scala, conducted by longtime friend Claudio Abbado.

During his long international career, he also collaborated with other famous conductors, including Riccardo Muti, Daniel Barenboim and Riccardo Chailly.

Pollini performed his first American tour in 1968. From the 1970s to the ‘90s, he made a series of recordings with the Deutsche Grammophon label, becoming a celebrated interpreter of classics like Beethoven, Schumann and Schubert.

His albums won several awards, including a Grammy in 2007 for Best Instrumental Soloist Performance (without orchestra) for Chopin: Nocturnes.

He is survived by his wife Marilisa, and his son Daniele, also an acclaimed pianist and conductor.

23 Mar 2024

Tate McRae, Daniel Caesar and Aysanabee Win Major Awards at 2024 Juno Opening Night Awards: Full Winners List

Tate McRae won both major awards she was nominated for at the 2024 Juno Opening Night Awards, which was livestreamed from the Halifax Convention Centre on Saturday (March 23). The Calgary-born breakout superstar continued her big year both in Canada and internationally, one that included a major Billboard chart hit and appearing on the cover of Billboard. She won single of the year for “greedy” and artist of the year, though the California-based singer was not in attendance to accept either award.

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McRae performed at last year’s ceremony and was nominated for five 2023 awards but didn’t win any of them, but 2024 brought her to even bigger heights with the release of her album Think Later. She’s also nominated for the TikTok Juno Fan Choice Award on the main Juno Awards telecast on Sunday (March 24), which gives her the chance to win four this year.

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Several breakout Canadian stars earned accolades at the Opening Night Awards. According to Allan Reid, President & CEO of the Juno Awards, 2024 had the most submissions in Juno Awards history, which led to 90 first-time nominees.

Aysanabee won for both songwriter of the year and alternative album of the year for Hear and Now, and talked about his rags-to-riches journey. “I grew up in a trailer in North Ontario without electricity or running water,” he said. “And now I’m here.”

Until recently, it was rare for Indigenous musicians to win Junos outside of the Indigenous category, but that’s begun to change as First Nations artists have made a major impact in the country’s music industry. Aysanabee shouted out Amanda Rheume and ShoShona Kish, who founded the female and Indigenous-owned label Ishkodé Records. He recognized that this was the most Indigenous artists who had ever been nominated, and invited them all to stand up.

Despite his two wins, he actually lost in the contemporary Indigenous artist or group of the year category to Quebec’s Elisapie, whose album Inuktitut reimagines classic pop and rock hits in the title language. Peguis First Nation singer-songwriter William Prince’s Stand in the Joy won for contemporary roots album of the year.

The Beaches and Charlotte Cardin both had their first American chart hits since last year’s Junos, and both won major awards this year. The Beaches won for rock album of the year for Blame My Ex, while Cardin won for pop album of the year for 99 Nights. The Montreal-based Cardin led all artists for most nominations this year and will have a chance to win two more on Sunday for the popular-voted fan choice and for the year’s biggest award, album of the year. “This is so cool!” she said, accepting the award.

New West won for breakthrough group of the year and joked that they were a “very very famous TikTok band.” Co-hosts Aba Amuquandoh and Damhnait Doyle, both CBC personalities, earlier commented that being an artist in 2024 often meant becoming a TikTok star or being rediscovered by a new generation, but that Canadians “punch above our weight” because of both hustle and support from government arts funding. That’s under the microscope in the industry right now during an updating of the Broadcasting Act. The event also recognized this year’s Walt Grealis Special Achievement Award to music executive, author and lawyer Chip Sutherland, one of the architects of the Radio Starmaker Fund, which helps launch emerging Canadian artists with support from radio.

Winning electronic album of the year for INFINITY CLUB, Bambii talked about the unparalleled strength of Toronto’s underground scene, “the real Toronto,” and implored journalists and industry stakeholders to “do your research” and dig deeper.

Several Juno winners have also done well in the U.S. market. R&B star SZA won for international album of the year for SOS, while Shawn Everett won for both producer of the year and recording engineer of the year for his work with Miley Cyrus and Brittany Howard. Daniel Caesar won in the contemporary R&B recording of the year category for Never Enough, while long-running singer-songwriter Feist won adult alternative album of the year for Multitudes. And Nashville-based Allison Russell’s video and its director Ethan Tobman won music video of the year for “Demons.”

A total of 42 awards were presented in rapid-fire succession at the Opening Night Awards. Performers included Aqyila, LU KALA, Begonia, Jah’Mila and Lili-Ann De Francesco.

Four more awards will be presented on the televised broadcast on Sunday night at 8 p.m. ET on CBC TV, CBC Gem, CBC Radio One, CBC Music, CBC Listen, and globally at CBCMusic.ca/junos and CBC Music’s Facebook, YouTube and Twitter pages.

Here’s the complete list of winners at the 2024 Juno Opening Night Awards.

Single of the Year

“Confetti,” Charlotte Cardin, Cult Nation*The Orchard

“Always,” Daniel Caesar, Republic*Universal

“Pretty Girl Era,” LU KALA, LVK/Amigo Records*AWAL

“A Little Bit Happy,” TALK, Capitol*Universal

WINNER: “greedy,” Tate McRae, RCA*Sony

International Album of the Year

Gettin’ Old, Luke Combs, River House/Columbia*Sony

HEROES & VILLAINS, Metro Boomin, Boominati*Universal

One Thing At A Time, Morgan Wallen, Big Loud/Republic*Universal

WINNER: SOS, SZA, Top Dawg/RCA*Sony

1989 (Taylor’s Version), Taylor Swift, Taylor Swift*Universal

Artist of the Year

Charlotte Cardin, Cult Nation*The Orchard

Daniel Caesar, Republic*Universal

Lauren Spencer Smith, Universal

Shania Twain, Republic*Universal

WINNER: Tate McRae, RCA*Sony

Breakthrough Group of the Year

Busty and the Bass, Arts & Crafts*Universal

Crash Adams, Warner

Good Kid, Good People*The Orchard

Men I Trust, Independent

WINNER: New West, Republic*Universal

Songwriter of the Year

Allison Russell, Publisher: PO GIRL MUSIC / CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING

WINNER: Aysanabee, Publisher: SELF PUBLISHED

Charlotte Cardin, Jason Brando & Lubalin, Publisher: BIG BOY ED

Nicholas Durocher & Connor Riddell, Publisher: SUMMER CAMP MUSIC PUBLISHING LTD. / ARTHAUS MEDIA INC. / PEER MUSIC CANADA INC.

William Prince, Publisher: SELF PUBLISHED

Country Album of the Year

The Compass Project – South Album, Brett Kissel, Big Star*Universal

Right Round Here, Dean Brody, Starseed*Stem

Do It Anyway, Jade Eagleson, Starseed*Stem

WINNER: Ahead Of Our Time, James Barker Band, RECORDS/Columbia*Sony

Spillin’ My Truth, Tyler Joe Miller, MDM*Universal

Adult Alternative Album of the Year

Powder Blue, Begonia, Birthday Cake*The Orchard

WINNER: Multitudes, Feist, Universal

Are We Good, Hayden, Arts & Crafts*Universal

Motewolonuwok, Jeremy Dutcher, Secret City*F.A.B.

Revolution, Shawnee Kish, Amelia*Symphonic

Alternative Album of the Year

WINNER: Here and Now, Aysanabee, Ishkōdé*Universal

Dizzy, Dizzy, Royal Mountain*Universal

To Learn, Leith Ross, Republic*Universal

See You In The Dark, Softcult, Easy Life*The Orchard

Lord of the Flies & Birds & Bees, TALK, Capitol*Universal

Pop Album of the Year

WINNER: 99 Nights, Charlotte Cardin, Cult Nation*The Orchard

Mirror, Lauren Spencer Smith, Universal

Saturn Return, Rêve, 31 East*Universal

Queen Of Me, Shania Twain, Republic*Universal

Lost In Translation, Valley, Universal

Rock Album of the Year

Fearless, Crown Lands, Universal

Formentera II, Metric, Metric Music*Thirty Tigers/The Orchard

WINNER: Blame My Ex, The Beaches, AWAL*Independent

Pretty Monster, The Blue Stones, MNRK*Outside

Glory, The Glorious Sons, TGS*Warner

Vocal Jazz Album of the Year

Songwriter, Alex Bird & Ewen Farncombe, Independent

You’re Alike, You Two, Caity Gyorgy & Mark Limacher, La Reserve*Independent/The Orchard

Little Bit a’ Love, Denielle Bassels, Independent

WINNER: Our Roots Run Deep, Dominique Fils-Aimé, Ensoul*F.A.B./Believe

Your Requests, Laila Biali, Empress*Independent/Believe

Jazz Album of the Year (Solo)

WINNER: Day Moon, Christine Jensen, Justin Time*F.A.B./Nettwerk

Walls Made of Glass, Gentiane MG, TPR*Propagande/A-Train

Sonic Bouquet, Jocelyn Gould, Independent

Twelve, Noam Lemish, TPR*Independent/A-Train

The South Detroit Connection, Russ Macklem, TQM*Independent/IDLA

Jazz Album of the Year (Group)

Migrations, Allison Au with the Migrations Ensemble, Independent

Septology-The Black Forest Session, Canadian Jazz Collective, HGBS Blue*MIG/Proper/UMV/MVD/Independent

WINNER: Cry Me A River, Hilario Duran and His Latin Jazz Big Band, Alma*Universal

Recent History, Mike Murley & Mark Eisenman Quartet, Cornerstone*Outside/The Orchard

Convergence, Nick Maclean Quartet feat. Brownman Ali, Browntasauras/Independent

Instrumental Album of the Year

Néo-Romance, Alexandra Stréliski, Secret City* F.A.B.

WINNER: When we were that what wept for the sea, Colin Stetson, 52 Hz

Calibrating Friction, Haralabos [Harry] Stafylakis, New Amsterdam*Naxos

Fourth Album, Markus Floats, Constellation*Secretly

Tesseract, Meredith Bates, Phonometrograph*Independent

Francophone Album of the Year

Zayon, FouKi, Disques 7ième, Ciel*Believe

Dans la seconde, Karkwa, Simone*Sony/The Orchard

WINNER: En concert avec l’Orchestre symphonique de Montréal (sous la direction du chef Simon Leclerc), Les Cowboys Fringants & l’Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, Les Disques de La Tribu*Propagande/Believe

À boire deboutte, Salebarbes, Productions Grand V.*The Orchard

Non conventionnel Souldia, Disques 7ième Ciel*Independent/Believe

Children’s Album of the Year

Big Words, ABC Singsong, Independent/The Orchard

Going Back: Remembered and Remixed Family Folk Songs, Vol. 1, Ginalina, Independent

Love-a-By, Splash’N Boots, Independent/The Orchard

WINNER: Welcome to the Flea Circus, The Swinging Belles, Independent

Maestro Fresh Wes Presents: Young Maestro, Stick To Your Vision For Young Athletes, Young Maestro, Independent

Classical Album of the Year (Solo Artist)

Infinite Voyage, Barbara Hannigan, Alpha Classics*Naxos/Independent

WINNER: Nielsen: Violin Concerto, Symphony No. 4, James Ehnes, Chandos*Naxos/The Orchard

Fauré: Nocturnes & Barcarolles, Marc-André Hamelin, Hyperion*Universal

De Hartmann: Cello Concerto, Matt Haimovitz, Pentatone/Naxos

mouvance, Suzie LeBlanc, Centrediscs*Canadian Music Centre/Naxos

Classical Album of the Year (Large Ensemble)

Bekah Simms: Bestiaries, Cryptid Ensemble, Ensemble Contemporain de Montreal, Centrediscs*Canadian Music Centre/Naxos

WINNER: Maxime Goulet: Symphonie de la tempête de verglas, Orchestre classique de Montréal, conducted by/dirigé par Jacques Lacombe, ATMA*Universal

Sibelius 3 & 4, Orchestre Métropolitain, conducted by/dirigé par Yannick Nézet-Séguin, ATMA*Universal

Mahler: Symphony No. 5, Orchestre Symphonique De Montreal, conducted by/dirigé par Rafael Payare, Pentatone*Naxos

Rachmaninoff: Symphonies Nos. 2 & 3; Isle of the Dead, The Philadelphia Orchestra, conducted by/dirigé par Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Deutsche Grammophon*Universal

Classical Album of the Year

Mythes, Andrew Armstrong & James Ehnes, Onyx*The Orchard

Portrait: Alex Baranowski, Angèle Dubeau & La Pietà, Analekta*Naxos/The Orchard

Portrait, Cheng² Duo, Centrediscs*Canadian Music Centre/Naxos

WINNER: Il Ponte di Leonardo, Constantinople, Glossa*Naxos

Basta parlare!, Les Barocudas, ATMA*Universal

Classical Composition of the Year

Simulacra, Amy Brandon, Independent

Portrait of an Imaginary Sibling, Dinuk Wijeratne, Centrediscs*Canadian Music Centre/Naxos

…and the Higher Leaves of the Trees Seemed to Shimmer in the Last of the Sunlight’s Lingering Touch of Them…, Emilie Cecilia LeBel, Redshift

Shāhīn-nāmeh, for Voice and Orchestra, Iman Habibi, Analekta*Naxos/The Orchard

WINNER: Don’t Throw Your Head in Your Hands, Nicole Lizée, Redshift

Rap Album of the Year

bag or die, bbno$, Independent*Stem

Spin the Globe, Connor Price, Independent

Crying Crystals, Haviah Mighty, Mighty Gang*Foundation Media

KAYTRAMINÉ, KAYTRAMINÉ, Independent

WINNER: PANIC, TOBi, RCA*Sony

Dance Recording of the Year

“Eat Your Man,” Dom Dolla & Nelly Furtado, Three Six Zero*Sony

“Crew Thang,” DVBBS, Jeremih & Sk8, Ultra*Sony

WINNER: “Need Your Love,” Felix Cartal & Karen Harding, Physical Presents*Fontana North

“I Go Dancing” (feat. Ella Henderson), Frank Walker, Ultra*Sony

“Next To You” (feat. Kane Brown), Loud Luxury & DVBBS, Armada*Sony

Contemporary R&B Recording of the Year

“For the Better,” Aqyila, Sony

WINNER: “Never Enough,” Daniel Caesar, Republic*Universal

“Heartbreak Hill,” Jon Vinyl, Vinyl*Foundation Media

“When It Blooms,” Nonso Amadi, Universal

FACETS, Shay Lia, AWAL

Reggae Recording of the Year

“Stir This Thing,” Ammoye, Donsome*Ingrooves/Virgin

“Feel Like Home,” Exco Levi, Penthouse*High Priest/ONErpm

“Roots Girl,” Jah’Mila, Independent

WINNER: “Dread,” Diamond & Finn, Independent

“Rush Dem” (feat. 4Korners, Haviah Mighty), Omega Mighty, Independent*Foundation Media

Contemporary Indigenous Artist or Group of the Year

Here and Now, Aysanabee, Ishkōdé*Universal

Scream, Holler & Howl, Blue Moon Marquee, Independent*IDLA

WINNER: Inuktitut, Elisapie, Bonsound*Sony/The Orchard

Revolution, Shawnee Kish, Amelia*Symphonic

Bekka Ma’iingan, Zoon, Paper Bag*Fontana North

Contemporary Roots Album of the Year

The Returner, Allison Russell, Fantasy*Universal

We Will Never Be The Same, Good Lovelies, Outside

Beyond The Reservoir, Julian Taylor, Howling Turtle*Warner

A Light in the Attic, Logan Staats, Red Music Rising*Believe

WINNER: Stand in the Joy, William Prince, Six Shooter*The Orchard

Traditional Roots Album of the Year

Paint Horse, Benjamin Dakota Rogers, Good People*The Orchard

WINNER: The Breath Between, David Francey, Independent

Roses, Jackson Hollow, Mountain Fever*Syntax Creative

Second Hand, James Keelaghan, Borealis*Universal/IDLA

Resilience, Morgan Toney, Ishkōdé*Universal

Blues Album of the Year

SoulFunkn’BLUES, Blackburn Brothers, Electro-Fi*Isotope Music/The Orchard

WINNER: Scream, Holler & Howl, Blue Moon Marquee, Independent/IDLA

One Step Closer, Brandon Isaak, Independent

The Big Bottle of Joy, Matt Andersen, Sonic*Warner

Gettin’ Together, Michael Jerome Browne, Borealis*Universal/IDLA

Contemporary Christian/Gospel Album of the Year

Glory To God, Brooke Nicholls, Independent

ALL YE LEPERS, Joshua Leventhal, Independent

WINNER: Arrow, K-Anthony, Independent

Where I’m Meant to Be, Stirling John, Independent

Alive, Tuzee, Independent

Global Music Album of the Year

Donte sann yo, Bel and Quinn, Independent

Kizavibe, Kizaba, Disques Nuits d’Afrique*Believe

SMS for Location Vol. 5, Moonshine, Moonshine/FORESEEN*MNRK

WINNER: Okantomi, OKAN, Lulaworld*Symphonic

Soap Box, Waahli, Wyzah Musk*Lemont

Jack Richardson Producer of the Year

Hill Kourkoutis

Jason Brando, Lubalin, Mathieu Sénéchal & Sam Avant

Joel Stouffer

WINNER: Shawn Everett

“Used To Be Young” (co-producers/coproducteurs Michael Pollack, Miley Cyrus)

ENDLESS SUMMER VACATION – Miley Cyrus Columbia*Sony

“What Now” (co-producer/coproducteur Brittany Howard)

WHAT NOW – Brittany Howard Island*Universal

Wondagurl

Recording Engineer of the Year

Denis Tougas

George Seara

Matty Green

Serban Ghenea

WINNER: Shawn Everett

“Used To Be Young” (co-producers/coproducteurs Michael Pollack, Miley Cyrus)

ENDLESS SUMMER VACATION – Miley Cyrus Columbia*Sony

“What Now” (co-producer/coproducteur Brittany Howard)

WHAT NOW – Brittany Howard Island*Universal

Album Artwork of the Year

Carolyne De Bellefeuille (Art Director/Directeur artistique), Jessica Ledoux (Designer & Illustrator/Concepteur & Illustrateur), Mali Savaria-Ille (Designer & Illustrator/Concepteur & Illustrateur), Veronique Lafortune (Designer & Illustrator/Concepteur & Illustrateur), Leeor Wild (Photographer/Photographe); INUKTITUT – Elisapie, Bonsound*Sony/The Orchard

Heather Goodchild (Art Director/Directeur artistique), Colby Richardson (Designer/Concepteur), Colin Fletcher (Illustrator/Illustrateur), Sara Melvin (Photographer/Photographe), MULTITUDES – Feist, Universal

Kit King (Illustrator), Vanessa Heins (Photographer/Photographe), THE LOVE STILL HELD ME NEAR – City and Colour, Dine Alone*The Orchard

WINNER: Nicolas Lemieux (Art Director/Directeur artistique), Mykaël Nelson (Designer & Illustrator/Concepteur & Illustrateur), Albert Zablit (Photographer/Photographe), RIOPELLE SYMPHONIQUE – Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, GSI*Independent

Quinton Nyce (Art Director/Directeur artistique), Brodie Metcalfe (Designer/Concepteur), Davis Graham (Illustrator/Illustrateur), Kaylee Smoke (Photographer/Photographe), I’M GOOD, HBU? – Snotty Nose Rez Kids, Independent*Fontana North

Music Video of the Year

“Of Woods and Seas,” Andrew De Zen, Alaskan Tapes, Nettwerk*Amped

WINNER: “Demons,” Ethan Tobman, Allison Russell, Fantasy*Universal

“onetwostep” (feat. juicelover), Jordan Clarke, des hume des hume*Independent

“DAMN RIGHT,” Sterling Larose, Snotty Nose Rez Kids, Distorted Muse*Fontana North

“feral canadian scaredy cat,” Sterling Larose & Zachary Vague, young friend Nettwerk

Electronic Album of the Year

WINNER: INFINITY CLUB, Bambii, Innovative Leisure*Red Eye

Birds, Bees, The Clouds & The Trees, Harrison, Last Gang*MNRK

Creatures of the Late Afternoon, Kid Koala, Envision*Amplified/Believe

Synthetic Season 2, Rich Aucoin, We Are Busy Bodies*Redeye

No Highs, Tim Hecker, Sunblind/Kranky*The Orchard

Metal/Hard Music Album of the Year

WINNER: As Gomorrah Burns, Cryptopsy, Nuclear Blast*AEC/Believe

Electric Sounds, Danko Jones, Sonic Unyon*Universal

Goliath, Kataklysm, Nuclear Blast*AEC/Believe

VOID, KEN mode, Artoffact*MVD/The Orchard

Morgöth, Tales, Voivod Century*Sony

Adult Contemporary Album of the Year

WINNER: Heavy Lifting, Amanda Marshall, Metatune*The Orchard

I Wish I Was Flawless, I’m Not, BANNERS, Nettwerk*Amped

To Be Loved, Vol. 1, Josh Sahunta, Independent*Believe

Run Where the Light Calls, Luca Fogale, Amelia*Symphonic

Wildflower, Steph La Rochelle, Independent

Comedy Album of the Year

Life of Leisure, Derek Seguin, Independent

Never Was, Graham Clark, Independent

WINNER: A Lylebility, Kyle Brownrigg, Independent

Sexiest Fish in the Lake, Laurie Elliott, Howl & Roar*Independent

SAP, Mae Martin, Independent*Netflix

Traditional R&B/Soul Recording of the Year

WINNER: “Hello,” Aqyila, Sony

“Unbreakable,” Jhyve, Independent

“Where To Find Me,” Katie Tupper, Arts & Crafts*Universal

“9 to 5,” Luna Elle, Hot Freestyle*Independent/Believe

“Real World,” RealestK, Columbia*Sony

Rap Single of the Year

“American Nightmare,” Belly, XO/Roc Nation*Universal

“Spinnin” (feat. Bens), Connor Price, Independent

“Honey Bun,” Haviah Mighty, Mighty Gang*Foundation Media

“Minimum Wage,” Pressa, RCA*Sony

WINNER: “Someone I Knew,” TOBi, Same Plate/RCA*Sony

Underground Dance Single of the Year

WINNER: “Call My Name,” BLOND:ISH, Warner

“Mad Mess,” DJ Karaba, DJ Karaba*The Orchard

“Could Be Wrong,” LOSTBOYJAY, Universal

“Eclipse,” Peach, Psychic Readings*One Eye Witness/Music Deli

“Concorde Groove,” Smalltown DJs, Fool’s Gold*Virgin Music

Traditional Indigenous Artist or Group of the Year

WINNER: Sing. Pray. Love., Joel Wood, Independent

LFS5, Nimkii & the Niniis, Independent

Mitòòdebi (For My Relatives), The Bearhead Sisters, Independent

Reverie, The Red River Ramblers, Independent

Drum Nation, Young Scouts, Independent

23 Mar 2024

Katy Perry Reacts to Kelly Clarkson’s ‘Wide Awake’ Kellyoke Cover

Kelly Clarkson‘s “Wide Awake” cover made quite the impression on Katy Perry.

The Kelly Clarkson Show host performed Perry‘s 2012 hit, stripping it down to just piano and vocals, for a segment of Kellyoke on Tuesday (March 19). She slowed down the track, letting her strong voice shine throughout the ballad.

Fans were smitten by Clarkson’s arrangement — including Perry herself.

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“ok dang I can never sing that again,” Perry commented on a video posted by the official Kelly Clarkson Show account on Instagram.

“I was in the dark/ I was falling hard/ With an open heart/ How did I read the stars so wrong?” Clarkson sings as the clip starts. “And now it’s clear to me/ That everything you see/ Ain’t always what it seems/ Yeah, I was dreaming for so long.”

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“Wide Awake,” the final single from Perry’s Teenage Dream album cycle, was included on the set’s 2012 deluxe reissue, Teenage Dream: The Complete Confection. The song reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, where it stayed on the chart for 26 weeks in total.

Previously, Clarkson has covered Perry’s “The One That Got Away” and “Roar” on her Daytime Emmy-winning talk show. 

Perry recently sat down with Billboard at Women in Music 2024 to have a quick chat about her upcoming Rock in Rio performance and her love of dance music. On the red carpet, she talked about presenting the executive of the year honor at the event, her love of Karol G and her decision to leave American Idol.

See the video of Clarkson’s version of “Wide Awake” that Perry shared her thoughts on below.

23 Mar 2024

Sabrina Carpenter Shares Eras Tour Photos, Reflects On ‘Taybrina Era’

Sabrina Carpenter has shared a collection of photos from The Eras Tour, including a snapshot from her visit to the Sydney Zoo with Taylor Swift.

The singer commemorated her time on tour with Swift, which concluded on March 9, in a post on Instagram two weeks after the most recent Eras Tour leg ended. Carpenter was Swift’s opening act across several dates in Latin America, Australia and Asia. The Eras Tour returns in May for a European leg, with Paramore as opener.

“that’s a wrap for us on the eras tour,” Carpenter wrote Saturday night (March 23). “sitting at home reflecting on what a whirlwind this was and how very honored i feel to have been part of it. I want to thank every crowd for being so welcoming and generous to us and making some of the most impressive friendship bracelets I’ve ever received. also a huge thank you to the incredible crew for being so hardworking and talented.”

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She then penned some heartfelt words directly to Swift: “and the most thank you’s I’ve ever thank you’d to Taylor. I feel so lucky to witness the magic that is you and this tour. there is truly no one like you and there never will be! i love you with all my heart and i will cherish this taybrina era (and all the eras) till the end of time.”

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Photos shared included Eras Tour stage shots, backstage moments and a picture of Carpenter walking by Swift’s side at the zoo in Sydney.

Another special Eras memory happened in Sydney: When Carpenter was unable to perform her set one night due to rain delays, Swift invited her to sing a mashup of Evermore‘s “Coney Island” and Fearless‘ “White Horse” with her.

“She heroically sacrificed her show, which I think is a crime against Sydney,” Swift explained during the acoustic section at Accor Stadium on Feb. 23.

Swift said “White Horse” was a favorite of Carpenter’s. YouTube footage exists of the “Nonsense” singer (and longtime Swiftie) covering the song when she was a young girl.

See Carpenter’s photos from The Eras Tour on Instagram.

23 Mar 2024

Hiroshi Kitadani on His History with ‘ONE PIECE’ TV Anime & His Work as ‘We Are!’ Pirates: Interview

Twenty-five years have passed since anime song singer Hiroshi Kitadani released “We Are!,” the first opening song of the ONE PIECE TV anime series and the first of many opening songs he would go on to sing for the show. “UUUUUS!” the opening theme for the Egghead Arc, with its rapid shifts and changes, is the creation of Kitadani, composer Kohei Tanaka, and lyricist Shoko Fujibayashi — the golden trio known as the “‘We Are!’ Pirates.” “UUUUUS!” means not only “us” but sounds similar to the Japanese pronunciation of “earth” and the Japanese word for “tomorrow” (Asu), pointing to the future of the series. Hiroshi Kitadani talked with Billboard Japan about what went into the creation of this stunningly densely-packed song and what lies beyond.

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You debuted “UUUUUS!” on-stage at the BANDAI CARD GAMES Fest 23-24 World Tour in Los Angeles, held in late January. What was the atmosphere like?

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Hiroshi Kitadani: I sang “We Are!” “OVER THE TOP,” and ” UUUUUS!” With “UUUUUS!” I was a bit worried about debuting it in L.A. I felt like it might be safer to start the song off with a bang in Japan first… But now, because of video streaming sites, overseas viewers can watch the latest episodes at the same time as in Japan, so the crowd went wild. On stage, we were playing the opening animation to ONE PIECE, and the lyrics were also shown on-screen, written phonetically in the English alphabet, so the audience sang along.

When we were kids, we’d learn old anime songs from reruns on TV, but now, with subscription-based streaming services and streaming sites, it’s easy to hear “We Are!” which was released 25 years ago. So not only do people who were kids back then know it, but even modern kids know it. I think that’s why people around the world love “We Are!” even 25 years later.

Why do you think ONE PIECE is so popular worldwide?

Hiroshi Kitadani: Talking with people overseas, I often hear that “In Japanese anime and manga, the main characters and their friends always get completely thrashed by their enemies, but they usually come back stronger, which really gets you in the feels.” That’s true of Luffy, and also of Goku from Dragon Ball. Overseas heroes like Batman or Superman are incredibly strong right from the start, so I think Japanese anime and comics resonate with audiences because of how the characters turn their frustration into power.

You’ve performed five of ONE PIECE‘s theme songs. Could you reflect on what each of those songs meant to you? Let’s start with “We Are!” the first opening theme song for ONE PIECE, which came out in 1999.

Hiroshi Kitadani: “We Are!” was my debut song as Hiroshi Kitadani. The director I worked with when I first debuted under a previous stage name, later joined an agency called Imagine, who Kohei Tanaka was with. Because of that connection, one day I was approached and told, “They’re going to make an anime version of the most popular manga in Weekly Shonen Jump. Kohei Tanaka is going to submit a song for the opening song competition, and we’d like you to do a temporary vocal track for it.” Then they made the decision to go with “We Are!” for the theme song, but they still hadn’t yet decided who would sing it. Due in part to Kohei’s prompting, the staff began saying “Why not just have it sung by the singer who did the temporary vocal track?” My record company had just told me that they didn’t really see a future for me with them, so I was wondering what to do, career-wise. So this “We Are!” offer came out of the blue. That was the start of my rags-to-riches story.

In 2011, 12 years after releasing “We Are!” you sang “We Go!” which was used in the Fish-Man Island arc, when the crew reaches the New World.

Hiroshi Kitadani: Kohei wrote “We Go!” as a response song to “We Are!” At the time, I was really concerned with what people thought about me, so I was reading a lot of 2channel (laughs). I was worried I’d go on there and see people saying “Hiroshi Kitadani is back, but this song is terrible.” But, instead, when “We Go!” was broadcast, there were a lot of comments like “Dani’s back!” and “Cool!” and “That’s the One Piece sound!” I was so happy I cried.

Then in 2016 you sang “We Can!” with Kishidan.

Hiroshi Kitadani: The offer from Kishidan was totally unexpected. It was the first time I’d sung with someone else as solo artist Hiroshi Kitadani, but we had great chemistry. Kishidan wrote the song, instead of the same trio that had started with “We Are!” but even now there are fans who say they love “We Can!” which makes me really happy.

Then at the start of the Wano Country arc, in 2019, you sang “OVER THE TOP.”

Hiroshi Kitadani: “We Are!” began without anyone knowing who would even sing the song. “We Go!” was a response song to “We Are!” So “OVER THE TOP” was the first song that Kohei wrote to-order, just for me. We’ve worked together a long time, so he was able to write a song with the vocal range where I do my best singing, where I could give the song a distinctive appeal and bring out its flavor. The pandemic started after I released the song, so I haven’t had many opportunities to perform it on stage, but it’s a song that I wish even more people would have chances to hear.

How did you feel when you first heard “UUUUUS!” the current opening song?

Hiroshi Kitadani: To be honest, my first response was “Huh?” Like “It’s not bad…but I prefer music more like ‘OVER THE TOP.’” But Kohei said “It grows on you,” and, sure enough, the more I heard it the better and better it sounded. The show opening is on YouTube now, and it has over 10 million views. One of the comments on the video said “It’s the best song so far.” I know Kohei must always be under a lot of pressure, so I’m amazed that he suggested this song, which is so ambitious but risky.

I feel like “UUUUUS!” must have been harder to sing than any of the past songs. Do you have any basic advice for anyone trying to sing it?

Hiroshi Kitadani: It’s hard to come up with any kind of succinct advice (laughs). However, for all five of the ONE PIECE songs, not just “UUUUUS!” I’d say it’s important to sing it with a smile on your face. When you sing while smiling, that smile comes out in your voice, making the song brighter and more exciting. When I was recording “We Are!” there were a lot of important people in suits at the recording. It was my first time recording in that kind of atmosphere, and I got really tense. On top of that, every time I’d finish recording a take, they’d be whispering to each other. I was in the recording booth, so I had no idea what they were saying. I was starting to get into a negative mindset, thinking “Was that a bad take?” when Kohei said “This is a song that’s going to give hope and inspiration to people around the country, so smile when you sing it. When you sing with a smile, your voice will have a smile.” That snapped me out of it. I sang while smiling, and they said it was a good take. I’m really glad for the advice Kohei gave me, and it’s something I cherish in my heart even now.

—This interview by Harunoto first appeared on Billboard Japan