Music

12 Feb 2024

8 Must-Hear Country Songs: Sam Williams, Carter Faith, Dalton Dover, Nate Smith & More

Cover songs lead the way in this week’s collection of newly-released songs, with Parker McCollum, Dalton Dover, Sam Williams and Carter Faith all releasing new versions of classics. Elsewhere, Nate Smith issues his latest music while his hit “World on Fire” is firmly entrenched atop Billboard’s Country Airplay chart.

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See our roundup of the week’s best new country releases below.

Sam Williams and Carter Faith, “’Til I Can Make It On My Own”

Wynette was honored with a Grammy lifetime achievement award as part of the Special Merit Awards ceremony, so this tribute to the late singer is timely. Newcomer Faith teams with Williams’ (whose own familial forebears, country music architects Hank Williams Sr. and Hank Williams Jr., had previously lived in the Nashville home on Franklin Pike which Wynette later purchased in 1992) as they evolve Wynette’s 1976 heartbreak classic for a new generation, while simultaneously highlighting the timelessness of its message. These two artists’ voices are like twin flames, refashioning the song as a duet — Faith’s airy, ethereal voice blending and warring with Williams’ dusky tones. The accompanying video for the Williams/Faith version pays homage with moments of gorgeous ‘70s aesthetic.

Nate Smith, “Bulletproof”

While his smash hit “World on Fire” is burning a hole for the ninth week at the pinnacle of the Country Airplay for a ninth week, Nate releases this brimming heartache tale of a guy who’s tried every libation available to kill the memory of an ex-lover, but as he sings, her “memory is bulletproof.” His vocals tower above a thicket of rocking production that feels tailor-made for radio. Smith knows how to pour emotion into a song, confident without over-throttling a melody, putting his signature spin on this Ashley Gorley/Ben Johnson/Hunter Phelps-written track. “Bulletproof” is included on his upcoming Through the Smoke EP, out April 5.

Bri Bagwell, “The Rescue”

A moody, tender ode of two lost souls that save each other, Bagwell wrote this song as a tribute to her rescue dog Whiskey, whom Bagwell found on the side of the road in Austin, Texas in 2019. Subtle acoustics here place Bagwell’s crystalline voice and the song’s message of unconditional love at the fore, highlighting the irreplaceable bond between rescue dogs and their owners.

Dalton Dover, Take Me Home: Covers

Dover follows his recent cover of John Denver’s 1970s classic “Take Me Home, Country Roads” with a decades-spanning, three-pack project that also includes renditions of Alabama’s 1982 hit “Mountain Music” and a particularly stunning vocal display on Vince Gill’s 1995 hit “Go Rest High on That Mountain,” featuring vocals from Gill himself. He remains largely faithful to the original recordings, while even his scaled-back take on “Mountain Music” infuses the song with youthful energy and verve. Kudos to Dover for offering up this well-curated, fresh take on a collection of classics.

The Castellows, A Little Goes a Long Way

This Georgia familial trio follows their breakthrough hits “No. 7 Road” and “Hurricane,” their inaugural major label EP, a collection of seven songs that highlight their superb harmonies and attention to lyrical detail throughout each of the tracks. The stellar, dreamy “Cowboy Kind of Love” is a standout on this collection, as is the plucky, up-tempo revenge track “Heartline Hill.” Elsewhere, the wisened acoustic-based track “The Part Where You Break My Heart” recalls early Swift song construction. Shimmery fiddle laces many of the tracks, providing an effective counterpoint to the group’s smooth harmonies. Throughout, the rhythm mostly stays in a mid-tempo lane that highlights the voices — though a few more up-tempo moments would be a nice addition to the mix. Overall, this set is an extremely promising outing.

Scoot Teasley, “This Truck Still Misses You”

This Georgia native possesses a distinct, warm vocal quality, with a power particularly potent in his upper register. He previously broke through with “Nothing on Me.” In his latest song, Teasley sings of being in denial of missing an ex-lover, slyly placing the blame on his truck for the urge to retrace all the couple’s old haunts. Teasley wrote the song with Jon Stark and Mason Thornley, with production from Chris Utley. The track comes courtesy of Hollow Point Records.

Grace Leer, “Best Friend for Life”

Leer releases the official video for this sweetly-sung tale tale of friendship (which Leer wrote for her friend’s wedding day), which earned millions of views via TikTok earlier this year. The song finds her chronicling a lifelong friendship, reminiscing about supporting each other through years of childhood crushes, first loves, heartbreaks and all the while, holding on to romantic hopes. Now, years later, she’s a proud champion as she watches her friend get married. This tenderhearted anthem is aleady becoming a bridesmaid favorite.

Parker McCollum, “Perfectly Lonely”

Texan McCollum has long named John Mayer as an influence, and previously performed his cover of this Mayer classic (which was included on Mayer’s 2009 album Battle Studies) as an Amazon Music Original. Now, McCollum’s version has an even wider release. He hews pretty close to Mayer’s original here, but McCollum’s rendering has a brighter feel and of course, his signature relaxed vocal.

12 Feb 2024

Victoria Monét Is First Artist to Win Both Best New Artist Grammy & Billboard Women in Music’s Rising Star Award

When Victoria Monét accepts the Rising Star Award at the 2024 Billboard Women in Music Awards on Wednesday, March 6, it will mark the second major honor she has received in just over a month. Monét won three Grammys, including best new artist, on Feb. 4. Monét is the first artist to win both the Grammy for best new artist and the Billboard WIM Rising Star Award.

Five previous Billboard WIM Rising Star honorees were Grammy-nominated for best new artist: Jazmine Sullivan, Nicki Minaj, Kelsea Ballerini, Rosalía and Chloe x Halle.

Monét’s Billboard WIM award was announced on Jan. 24, nearly two weeks before her wins at the 66th annual Grammy Awards. In addition to best new artist, she won best R&B album and best engineered album, non-classical, both for Jaguar II.

Tracee Ellis Ross will host the 2024 Billboard Women in Music Awards, which will be held at YouTube Theater at Hollywood Park in Inglewood, Calif. – just outside of Los Angeles — on March 6 and will stream the following day.

This year’s other WIM honorees are Karol G (Woman of the Year), NewJeans (Group of the Year Award), Ice Spice (Hitmaker Award), Kylie Minogue (Icon Award), Maren Morris (Visionary Award), Charli XCX (Powerhouse Award), Tems (Breakthrough Award), Young Miko (Impact Award) and Luísa Sonza (Global Force Award).

In 2008, Colbie Caillat received Billboard‘s first Rising Star Award. The Grammy for best new artist was first presented in 1959 to Bobby Darin. In 1968, Bobbie Gentry became the first woman to win the award.

Tickets to attend the Women in Music Awards are available to the public at billboardwomeninmusic.com. Prices range from $89 to $279. Fans can watch the show on Thursday, March 7, at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET on billboardwomeninmusic.com; more details about the stream will be announced soon.

12 Feb 2024

Watch Taylor Swift Chug Her Drink Like a Pro at the 2024 Super Bowl

Taylor Swift is multi-talented. In addition to her abilities to pen chart-topping songs and perform for three hours straight on a nightly basis on her Eras Tour, the 34-year-old pop star is also, apparently, a master at chugging her drinks. 

While cheering on Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs at the Super Bowl Sunday (Feb. 11), Swift enjoyed a few drinks with Ice Spice, Lana Del Rey, Blake Lively and more friends at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium. At one point, she was featured on the jumbotron as she tipped her head back and finished off her beverage, fans cheering her on throughout the venue. 

When she was done, she triumphantly slammed the container down in front of her. The NFL shared a clip of the moment on X and simply captioned it, “Icon.” 

The 14-time Grammy winner’s drink-downing demonstration came midway through the game, the tension of which was broken only by Usher’s electric Halftime Show performance. Finally, after many long minutes of overtime, the Chiefs proved victorious against the San Francisco 49ers, securing Kansas City its second Super Bowl win in a row. 

Swift was also joined by her parents at the game, as well as Kelce’s family. At one point, cameras captured her introducing Sir Paul McCartney to the tight end’s father, Ed. 

Shortly after quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw the game-winning touchdown, she joined her boyfriend on the field and watched as he gave an emotional speech before kissing him in front of NFL cameras. Later that night, the couple attended an afterparty in Sin City where they sang along to remixes of Swift’s hits “Love Story” and “You Belong With Me,” and kissed on the dance floor. 

Watch Swift chug her drinkat Super Bowl LVIII below. 

12 Feb 2024

Megyn Kelly Was Definitely ‘Not Into’ Usher’s Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show, But Says It Could Have Been Worse

Conservative talking head Megyn Kelly was counting her blessings while watching Usher‘s glitzy halftime show during Sunday’s Super Bowl LVIII from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. The former Fox News staffer and current podcast host weighed in on the “Yeah!” singer’s high-energy performance during the championship game between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers in a pointed tweet just as Ush was wrapping things up.

“Not into Usher or this halftime show,” wrote Kelly, mother to three children, Edward Yates (14), daughter Yardley Evans (11) and youngest son Thatcher Bray (10). “However I do appreciate that my kids haven’t had anyone’s vag exposed to them on screen as they innocently wait for the football to start. (Hi J-Lo, Shakira.)”

While the former was the personal takeaway from the host of the daily SiriusXM Megyn Kelly Show, the latter appeared to be an erroneous reference to Jennifer Lopez and Shakira‘s historic 2020 Super Bowl halftime show — during the Chiefs and 49er’s last championship showdown — which drew more than 1,300 complaints to the FCC from parents, many of whom thought the suggestive dancing was inappropriate for children.

While some of the complaints about the first all-Latin SB halftime performance mentioned twerking and skimpy costumes, at no point did either singer — both of who were wearing nude hose and bikini-style bottoms — expose any private parts during the joint set that featured Hustlers star Lopez spinning on a stripper pole while wearing a skin-colored bodysuit with strategically placed strips of sparkling gems.

The responses to Kelly’s tweet seemed to suggest the that a number of commenters didn’t agree with the right wing talker, with one saying, “I’m glad my kids aren’t exposed to you” and another explaining, “J Lo & Shakira were wearing nude bodysuits. Do you also shame figure skaters & gymnasts this way? Do you not let your kids watch those sports? They’re wearing the same thing that J Lo & Shakira wore.”

One even wondered, “So you knew it was a possibility after the J.Lo and Shakira show, and you subjected your kids to the Halftime Show anyway? Sounds like bad parenting to me.”

Usher’s career-spanning set included the singer running through a glamorous, Vegas-themed set of hits, with assistance from Alicia Keys, Will.i.am, Jermaine Dupri, H.E.R., Ludacris and Lil Jon.

Check out Kelly’s tweet below.

12 Feb 2024

NYC Restaurant Sei Less Launches ‘The Lovers Menu’ in Honor of R&B Artists for Valentine’s Day

After paying homage to hip-hop and its 50th anniversary last year, New York restaurant Sei Less will give flowers to the romantics and R&B lovers with its special Valentine’s Day-themed menu. 

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Beginning Monday (Feb. 12) and throughout February, The Lovers Menu will name its specialty dishes after singers’ classic records, drawing inspiration from renowned R&B acts including SZA, Ashanti, Ne-Yo, Babyface, Alicia Keys and more. In some instances, the dishes also double as some of the act’s favorite meals from the restaurant. The “Boo’d Up,” named after Ella Mai, is a shrimp fried rice meal that, according to owner Dara Mirjahangiry, the singer enjoys when in town. At the same time, the “Rock With U,” an Ashanti favorite, is an appetizer consisting of edamame dumplings and miso truffle. 

“Introducing the Lovers Menu is our way of celebrating the season of love and the talented musicians that make the romantic soundtracks to our lives,” Mirjahangiry tells Billboard. “We wanted to honor these artists in a unique way, especially given their longstanding support of Sei Less. At the end of the day, there’s no better holiday to express our love and gratitude for these icons than Valentine’s Day, and it will make for a special experience for our clientele coming into the restaurant all month long.”

Last year, during its special ode to hip-hop, Sei Less named its dishes and cocktails after iconic songs and albums by Jay-Z, Nas, Ja Rule and more. Since opening in 2022, the restaurant has opened its doors to Cardi B, Clive Davis, Kevin Hart, Mark Wahlberg, Latto, Travis Scott, Lil Baby, Future, Fat Joe, and many more. 

See the menu below.

Sei Less, Valentines Day

Courtesy Photo

12 Feb 2024

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce Sing Along to ‘Love Story’ & ‘You Belong With Me’ at Super Bowl Party

Taylor Swift is the soundtrack to her own love story. Following the Kansas City Chiefs’ hard-earned Super Bowl victory against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday (Feb. 11), she and Travis Kelce attended an afterparty together and danced along to two of the pop star’s hits: “Love Story” and “You Belong With Me.” 

In a clip from the Chiefs’ post-game celebrations, Swift and the tight end dance excitedly to an EDM remix of the singer’s 2008 smash “Love Story.” After smiling while mouthing the lyrics “It’s a love story, baby just say yes,” the 14-time Grammy winner – wearing Kelce’s jacket – wraps her arms around the football star’s neck and kisses him.  

In other videos, Kelce stands on the DJ’s stage while bumping a remix of another of his superstar girlfriend’s Fearless hits, “You Belong With Me.” As the song plays, he and Swift lovingly single each other out in the crowd, singing the words back to each other.  

The party followed shortly after the Chiefs won their second Super Bowl in a row at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium, scoring 25-22 against the 49ers. Swift attended the game with her usual star-studded group of friends – Blake Lively, Ice Spice, Lana Del Rey and Miles Teller, to name a few – and joined Kelce on the field immediately after Kansas City took the Lombardi Trophy. There, she watched No. 87 make an emotional speech before kissing him in front of NFL cameras. 

A week prior to the Super Bowl, Swift had a major win of her own. At the 2024 Grammys, she became the first artist in history to take home album of the year four times, this time winning with Midnights.  

“She’s unbelievable,” Kelce said of the “Anti-Hero” musician shortly after the awards show, days before the big game. “She’s re-writing the history books herself, and I told her I’d have to hold up my end of the bargain and come home with some hardware too.” 

See how Swift and Kelce celebrated the Chiefs’ Super Bowl win below. 

12 Feb 2024

We Went to the Super Bowl With Kaskade: Go Inside the Stadium With the First In-Game DJ

LAS VEGAS — It turns out Kaskade found out he was DJing at the Super Bowl not too long before the rest of us did.

In fact, his first time seeing the elevated DJ platform in the stands behind the end zone where he would spin throughout the game on Sunday (Feb. 11) was that day, minutes before he performed a pre-game concert that soundtracked the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs warming up on the field.

“This will be my first moment. We’ll experience it together,” Kaskade (real name: Ryan Raddon) told Billboard with a smile as we shadowed him all day Sunday throughout Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium for his gig as the Super Bowl’s first in-game DJ — a job that was only formally announced by the NFL on Thursday after Tiësto had to back out due to a “personal family emergency” earlier that day. Kaskade’s primary team had arrived days earlier in Vegas while the DJ played a long-scheduled gig at Montreal’s Igloofest on Friday night to make sure that everything was ready for him, and after wrapping his first set on Sunday, he was happy to report of the previously mysterious DJ booth: “It all works. I’m like, ‘OK, it’s plugged in, there’s power, we’re good.’”

Kaskade said the trickiest part about the last-minute gig was weaving some pump-up song requests from the two Super Bowl teams into his setlist for their pre-game warm-ups, including a pair of Billboard Hot 100 No. 1s by Drake (“God’s Plan” and “Jimmy Cooks” with 21 Savage) and DJ Snake’s “Turn Down for What” featuring Lil Jon, who would be one of Usher’s surprise halftime show guests later that day. The most time-consuming part of incorporating the new songs? Making sure all the lyrics were safe for the Super Bowl’s family audience, Kaskade says.

The players clearly appreciated the tailored playlist, with the Chiefs’ Isiah Pacheco performing an impromptu end-zone dance to “God’s Plan” during warm-ups. (“Some of them were feeling it,” Kaskade laughed afterward.)

Along with the pre-game special requests, Kaskade also worked in some more esoteric choices, like Odd Mob and OMNOM’s “Losing Control.” And when it came time for his two DJ moments during the game — one between the first and second quarters and one between the third and fourth — Kaskade stuck to what he knows best: playing the vibey “Escape,” his 2023 Kx5 song with longtime collaborator deadmau5 (“Hi. I just played Escape to 100 million people,” Kaskade posted to X after), as well as his party-starter “Fun,” a 2019 team-up with Brohug and Mr. Tape featuring Madge. He also got a chance to enjoy a bit of the nail-biter game (which the Chiefs won in overtime), taking a seat right in front of his platform alongside his wife and daughters and the rest of his team during breaks.

For a closer look at a day in the life of a Super Bowl DJ, follow along with Billboard as we embed with Team Kaskade at the big game.

12 Feb 2024

Mavis Staples to Celebrate 85th Birthday With All-Star Concert Featuring Chris Stapleton, Black Pumas & More

Music legend Mavis Staples will celebrate her 85th birthday in style, with a star-studded celebration to be held Thursday, April 18, at YouTube Theater in Inglewood, California, and produced by Blackbird Presents. The lineup features a who’s who of artists who have been inspired and influenced by the soul/gospel/R&B pioneer and civil rights activist, including Black Pumas, Chris Stapleton, Grace Potter, The War and Treaty and Keb’ Mo’. Staples herself will also take the stage during the event.

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The lineup also includes Hozier, Jackson Browne, Jeff Tweedy, Michael McDonald, Nathaniel Rateliff, Norah Jones, Robert Randolph and Taj Mahal, with more artists to be announced.

Staples, who will turn 85 on July 10, is a member of both the Blues and Rock and Roll Hall of Fames and is a three-time Grammy Award winner, as well as a recipient of the Grammy lifetime achievement award (as part of The Staple Singers). She is also a National Arts Awards Lifetime Achievement recipient and a Kennedy Center honoree.

At age 11, Staples joined The Staple Singers, a group led by her father Roebuck “Pops” Staples. The group began in gospel before releasing soul and R&B music in the 1960s. In 1969, she released her debut eponymous solo album and earned a string of top 40 hits with the family group in the 1970s, including “I’ll Take You There” and “Let’s Do It Again.” Staples continued to release solo albums in the 1990s and 2000s; in 2010, her album You Are Not Alone, a collection of gospel standards, reached the pinnacle of the top gospel albums chart, and earned Staples her first Grammy Award win, for best Americana album.

During her decadeslong career as both part of The Staple Singers and as a solo performer, Staples has also marched with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., performed at John F. Kennedy’s inauguration and performed at the White House for President Barack Obama.

“I am so grateful to all the my friends, fans and these incredible artists that are coming to my 85th birthday concert celebration,” Staples said in a statement. “I can’t wait to be a part of this once in a lifetime show!”

Blackbird Presents CEO/Chief Creative Officer Keith Wortman said in a statement, “Producing this show is the honor of my life, as we all come together to celebrate a woman whom has given so much to so many over the years through her actions, her music, and her magic.”

Tickets for the concert will go on sale to the public on Friday, Feb. 16 at 10 a.m. PT at Ticketmaster.

12 Feb 2024

Will.i.am Praises Usher’s Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show: ‘There Were a Lot of OMG Moments’

The last time Will.i.am shared the stage with Usher during the Super Bowl was when the Black Eyed Peas headlined the halftime show in 2011. But on Sunday (Feb. 11), it was Will’s turn to be the special guest, when he hit the stage at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas as Usher’s special guest during the “Yeah!” singer’s electrifying Super Bowl LVIII halftime show to lend a hand on the same song they collaborated on all those years ago, 2010’s “OMG.”

“How can I explain it? There’s no words to really explain that,” Will told The Hollywood Reporter after Sunday’s game, where defending champs the Kansas City Chiefs bested the San Francisco 49ers in overtime. “Now 13 years later, it means something totally different. It’s beautiful. It was wonderful. It’s fantastic.”

Will also praised Usher for bringing some special flavor to the set via a group roller skating extras who spun and flipped across the stage during a performance that also featured guest spots from Alicia Keys, H.E.R., Jermaine Dupri, Ludacris and Lil Jon. “The reason I say our section was the most ‘What the F?’ is because we’ve never seen roller skating at any type of big world stage like that,” Will said. “It felt like the urban Olympics. He brought the urban Olympics to the Super Bowl.”

Frankly, the face-shield-wearing BEP leader said, Usher’s 13-minute hits blitz had a “lot of OMG moments… so many OMG moments that 60 seconds of ‘OMG’ was all you needed because the show was ‘oh my gosh.’”

Watch Usher’s Apple Music Super Bowl LVIII halftime performance here.

12 Feb 2024

How Usher Paid Loving Tribute to Late Drummer Aaron Spears During 2024 Super Bowl Halftime Performance

You may have missed it amid the flurry of rollerskating, confetti and parade of special guests, but during Usher‘s electric halftime set at Sunday’s (Feb. 11) 2024 Super Bowl the “Yeah!” singer slipped in a touching, subtle tribute to one of his late longtime band members.

While rocking Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas with a run of greatest hits, the stage for Usher’s show featured a live band with a double drum kit setup. Eagle eyed viewers, however, may have noticed that one of the kits — a golden one — was left empty in a tribute to Ush’s longtime drummer, Aaron Spears, who died in Oct. 2023 at age 47.

Rolling Stone said it confirmed that the empty kit was an homage to Spears, the beloved drummer who worked with Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande, Britney Spears and Miley Cyrus and who was nominated for a Grammy for his production on Usher’s massive 2004 Confessions album.

At the time of his death, Spears’ wife, Jessica, wrote in an Instagram post, “Aaron was not only an incredibly accomplished drummer, admired by many for his unparalleled talent and passion for music, but he was also a devoted father to our precious son, August. His love, guidance, and warmth were the pillars of our family, and his absence leaves a void that words cannot describe. We were blessed to have him in our lives, and his legacy will live on through the beautiful rhythms he created and the love he shared with us. We appreciate all the thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. Please remember Aaron for the incredible person he was and the amazing music he brought into our world. At this time we ask for privacy as we work our way through this.”

The subtle Spears shout-out came amid a powerful set in which Usher cycled through a series of hits, beginning with “Caught Up,” before hitting “My Confessions, Pt. II,” “U Got It Bad” (featuring H.E.R. on guitar), duets with Alicia Keys on “If I Ain’t Got You” and “My Boo,” an appearance by Jermaine Dupri and later Will.i.am for “OMG” as well as Lil Jon and Ludacris for “Yeah!”