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Gracie Abrams isn’t done yet. Just one day after wrapping her stint as an opener on Taylor Swift‘s blockbuster Eras Tour in Vancouver Sunday (Dec. 8), the 25-year-old pop star announced a new run of North American headlining tour dates slated for 2025 in support of her The Secret of Us deluxe edition. In an […]
Ariana Grande and Wicked were very popular among the Golden Globes voters this year, something the 31-year-old singer-actress celebrated with a heartfelt message on her Instagram Stories on Monday (Dec. 9).
Sharing a post highlighting her own best supporting actress nod — which the Golden Globes announced earlier that morning along with the rest of its 2025 nominations — Grande began, “oh my goodness oh my goodness.”
“I am floored and honored to be recognized by members of the @goldenglobes,” she continued. “crying (of course) … It’s impossible to find my words, but I am simply so deeply grateful for this acknowledgement.”
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In addition to the R.E.M. Beauty founder’s recognition in the best supporting actress category — which she shares with Emilia Pérez‘s Selena Gomez and Zoe Saldana, The Brutalist‘s Felicity Jones, The Substance‘s Margaret Qualley and Conclave‘s Isabella Rossellini — Wicked also took home nominations for best motion picture, musical or comedy, and cinematic box office achievement. Co-leading lady Cynthia Erivo is also up for best performance by a female actor in a motion picture, musical or comedy, which Grande shouted out in her post.
“Congratulations to my brilliant, dear sister @cynthiaerivo, and all of our Ozian family on this celebration of our work,” she concluded. “I can’t possibly express my gratitution.”
The first wave of awards recognition comes shortly after Jon M. Chu’s Wicked premiered in theaters on Nov. 22. In the couple of weeks since, the project’s soundtrack album has debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 — the highest ever debut for a big-screen adaptation of a stage musical on the chart — and the film has become the highest grossing movie ever at the domestic box office based on a Broadway musical.
Grande’s performance as Glinda in the film has been specifically recognized by other institutions as well, including the Palm Springs International Film Awards — which is set to award her with the Rising Star Award — and the Astra Awards, which recently crowned her best supporting actress in a tie with Saldana. Of the latter recognition, the “Yes, And?” musician wrote on her Story on Monday, “thank you so so so much for this honor.”
“and yes, @zoesaldana we did it :’) !” she added. “i’m so grateful to share this with you.”
Stray Kids are set to perform at the 2024 Billboard Music Awards. They join fellow K-pop stars SEVENTEEN, as well as Teddy Swims, Tyla, Coldplay, Jelly Roll and Megan Moroney, who were previously announced as performers on the show.
Hosted by actress and comedian Michelle Buteau, the 2024 BBMAs presented by Marriott Bonvoy is set to air on Thursday, Dec. 12, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on FOX and Fire TV Channels, and on-demand on Paramount+, with performances also rolling out across Billboard.com and via @BBMAs and @Billboard social channels.
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Stray Kids are finalists for four awards at the BBMAs – top duo/group, top global K-pop artist and two bids for top K-pop album – ROCK-STAR and ATE.
In August, ATE became Stray Kids’ fifth No. 1 on the Billboard 200. That month, they also landed their highest-charting single to date on the Billboard Hot 100 – “Chk Chk Boom,” which reached No. 49. Stray Kids’ previous No. 1 albums or EPs were Stray Kids Mini Album: Oddinary, Maxident, 5-Star and ROCK-STAR.
As previously announced, Zach Bryan, Taylor Swift, Morgan Wallen and Sabrina Carpenter are the leading finalists for the 2024 Billboard Music Awards.
This marks the show’s return to FOX, which carried the show from its 1990 inaugural broadcast through 2006. In addition, Paramount+ will provide on-demand streaming of the show, while the free Fire TV Channels app will provide one-click access to fans using Amazon devices (Fire TV smart TVs and streaming media players and Fire Tablets).
The BBMAs will celebrate music’s greatest achievements with exclusive original performances, artist interviews, and award celebrations taking place from global locations and in the midst of sold-out tours. Shaboozey will deliver a special performance from W Hollywood, part of the Marriott Bonvoy portfolio. Additional performers and special guests will be announced soon.
The BBMAs honors the year’s biggest artists, albums, songs, producers and songwriters across multiple genres, as determined by year-end performance metrics on the Billboard charts. The eligibility dates for this year’s awards are aligned with Billboard’s Year-End Charts tracking period, which measures music consumption from the charts dated Oct. 28, 2023 through Oct. 19, 2024.
The Billboard Music Awards are produced by Dick Clark Productions, which is owned by Penske Media Corporation. PMC is also the parent company of Billboard.
The show is presented by Marriott Bonvoy, Marriott International’s travel program and portfolio of more than 30 hotel brands. For more information, visit MarriottBonvoy.com
System of a Down announced a trio of 2025 stadium shows featuring special guests Deftones, Korn and Avenged Sevenfold. The Live Nation-produced gigs will take place at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ on August 28 (with Korn), followed by Soldier Field in Chicago on August 31 (with Avenged Sevenfold) and Rogers Stadium in Toronto […]
Selena Gomez has a lot to celebrate. In addition to receiving a Golden Globe nomination for best supporting actress on Monday (Dec. 9), the 32-year-old singer-actress also has two friends up for the same category — Emilia Pérez costar Zoe Saldaña and fellow pop star Ariana Grande — whom she cheered on in a post […]
She’s just kidding — but really. Sabrina Carpenter recently made a surprise appearance on vocal coach Eric Vetro’s BBC Maestro course Sing Like the Stars and opened up about the inspiration behind her smash hit “Please Please Please,” which she said is very much non-fiction.
While talking about her approach to songwriting with Vetro, the 25-year-old pop star shared that she, “was so excited when I wrote that song, because it felt like a fraction of me that I had been waiting to not only write, but to put out and then perform.”
“Then it just it [made] me so excited for the rest of the project, because it feels very aligned with all the music I grew up listening to that I love, but also very much myself,” she continued. “And that song was obviously based on real-life events.”
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The discussion of the song came just days after reports emerged that Carpenter and boyfriend actor Barry Keoghan have split after about a year of dating. The Saltburn star deactivated his Instagram account before posting a statement on X Saturday (Dec. 7), explaining that he “can no longer let this stuff distract me from my family and work.”
“My name has been dragged across the internet in ways I usually don’t respond [to],” added Keoghan, who is a father to a young son named Brando. “I have to respond now because it’s gettin to a place where there are too many lines being crossed … Absolute lies, hatred, disgusting commentary about my appearance, character, how I am as a parent and every other inhumane thing you can imagine.”
Many fans believe Carpenter penned “Please Please Please” about the Banshees of Inisherin actor, especially after he starred alongside his then-girlfriend in the Short n’ Sweet track’s music video. The Jack-Antonoff-produced Billboard Hot 100-topper finds the Tall Girl actress literally pleading with a love interest to act respectably, singing, “Heartbreak is one thing, my ego’s another/ I beg you, don’t embarrass me, motherf–ker.”
“Please Please Please” is also one of the closing numbers on Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet Tour, which wrapped its North American leg in November. The star — whose holiday special A Nonsense Christmas dropped on Netflix Dec. 6 — will hit the road again in Europe in March.
Watch Carpenter reflect on writing “Please Please Please” below.
Exclusive: #SabrinaCarpenter makes a surprise appearance on singing coach Eric Vetro’s ‘BBC Maestro’ course, talking about writing the viral hit “Please Please Please” from her latest album ‘Short n’ Sweet’.”That song was obviously based on real-life events.” pic.twitter.com/QpEvaj4UXe— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) December 9, 2024
Keith Urban is set to bring his high-octane live show on the road in 2025, when his High and Alive World Tour launches May 22 in Orange Beach, Alabama, at The Wharf Amphitheater. Joining Urban on the tour will be Chase Matthew, Alana Springsteen and Karley Scott Collins. Following the Alabama kick-off, the tour will include stops in Chicago, Salt Lake City, Houston and Nashville, Tennessee.
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“Playing live is what I live to do,” Urban said in a statement. “Looking out from a stage and seeing people singing, forgetting about all the stress in their lives, cutting loose, and feeling ALIVE – that’s what it’s about for me. Lots of hits, new songs, things we won’t even think about until we’re onstage – and loads of guitar. We’re gonna make this tour the best night of your life!”
The tour takes its name from Urban’s latest album, High, which debuted at No. 10 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart following its September release. Tickets for Urban’s High and Alive World Tour will go on sale Dec. 13 at 10 a.m. local time, with additional North American show dates to be revealed in the coming months.
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Urban is slated to announce international dates for the High and Alive tour at a later date.
See the full list of 2025 tour dates below:
May 22: Orange Beach, AL @ The Wharf Amphitheater
May 23: Alpharetta, GA @ Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
May 24: Charleston, SC @ Credit One Stadium
May 30: Charlotte, NC @ PNC Music Pavilion
May 31: Raleigh, NC @ Coastal Credit Union Music Park Raleigh
June 12: Gilford, NH @ BankNH Pavilion
June 13: Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Arts Center
June 14: Wantagh, NY @ Northwell at Jones Beach Theater
June 19: Columbia, MD @ Merriweather Post Pavilion
June 22: Clarkston, MI @ Pine Knob Music Theatre
June 26: Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend Music Center
June 27: Cuyahoga Falls, OH @ Blossom Music Center
June 28: Noblesville, IN @ Ruoff Music Center
July 17: Denver, CO @ Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre
July 18: Salt Lake City, UT @ Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre
July 19: Nampa, ID @ Ford Idaho Center Amphitheater
July 24: TBA
July 26: Inglewood, CA @ Intuit Dome
Sept. 25: Chicago, IL @ United Center
Sept. 26: TBA
Sept. 27: Omaha, NE @ CHI Health Center
Oct. 2: Hershey, PA @ Giant Center
Oct. 3: Uncasville, CT @ Mohegan Sun Arena
Oct. 4: Bristow, VA @ Jiffy Lube Live
Oct. 9: Fort Worth, TX @ Dickies Arena
Oct. 11: Houston, TX @ The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion presented by Huntsman
Oct. 16: Greenville, SC @ Bon Secours Wellness Arena
Oct. 17: Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena
Selena Gomez and Ariana Grande are used to competing on the Billboard Hot 100. But now they’re squaring off against each other at the 2025 Golden Globe Awards as well. Gomez and Grande are both nominated for best performance by a female actor in a supporting role in any motion picture for their roles in Emilia Pérez and Wicked, respectively. Gomez has a second nomination for best performance by a female actor in a TV series, musical or comedy for Only Murders in the Building.
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Other music stars who got nods in the nominations announced on Monday morning (Dec. 9) include: Miley Cyrus, Maren Morris and Robbie Williams, all nominated for best original song – motion picture; Donald Glover, who has released music as Childish Gambino, for best performance by a male actor in a TV series, drama, for Mr. and Mrs. Smith; and Zendaya, best performance by a female actor in a motion picture, musical or comedy for Challengers.
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Cynthia Erivo is nominated for best performance by a female actor in a motion picture – musical or comedy for her as Elphaba role in Wicked. Timothée Chalamet is nominated for best performance by a male actor in a motion picture – drama for his performance as Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown. Edward Norton is nominated in the supporting actor category for his performance as Pete Seeger in that same film.
Clément Ducol and Camille have three nominations in the music categories for their work on Emilia Pérez. They are nominated for best original score and have two of the best original song nominees— “El Mal” and “Mi Camino.” They cowrote the former song with the film’s director/writer, Jacques Audiard.
Nine Inch Nails‘ Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross have two nominations in the music categories. They are nominated for best original score for Challengers and best original song for “Compress / Repress” which they wrote for that film with the film’s director, Luca Guadagnino.
Emilia Pérez was the most-nominated motion picture, with 10 nods, followed by The Brutalist (seven), Conclave (six), and Anora and The Substance (five each).
The Bear was the most-nominated TV show with five nods, followed by Only Murders in the Building and Shōgun (four each). Netflix was the top distributor for both film and TV. It had 13 nominations on the film side, followed by A24 with 12. It has 23 nominations on the TV side, followed by HBO/Max, with 14.
Actors Mindy Kaling and Morris Chestnut presented the nominees for the 2025 Golden Globes on Monday morning and the 82nd Annual Golden Globes will air live on Sunday, Jan. 5, at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET on CBS and stream on Paramount+ in the U.S. The show will be held at its usual home, the Grand Ballroom of the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California.
This will be the second year the Globes have presented the cinematic and box office achievement category. The nominees are Alien: Romulus, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Deadpool & Wolverine, Gladiator II, Inside Out 2, Twisters, Wicked and The Wild Robot. In its first year, the award went to Barbie over such rivals as Oppenheimer and Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour.
The Golden Globe Awards, which likes to call itself “Hollywood’s Party of the Year,” is the first major awards show of the season. It’s also the world’s largest awards show to celebrate the best of both film and television.
Comedian Nikki Glaser is set to host the show for the first time. Viola Davis and Ted Danson have been named as recipients of the Cecil B. DeMille Award and the Carol Burnett Award, respectively. They will be recognized on the Golden Globes telecast. In addition, they will be feted at a separate gala dinner on Friday, Jan. 3, also at the Beverly Hilton. This marks the first time that the Golden Globes will host a special evening dedicated to the recipients of these two honorary awards.
Multi-Emmy Award-winning producing duo Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner of White Cherry Entertainment will return as executive producing showrunners for the 82nd Golden Globes. Dick Clark Productions will produce the show.
Best motion picture – drama
The Brutalist (A24)
A Complete Unknown (Searchlight Pictures)
Conclave (Focus Features)
Dune: Part Two (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Nickel Boys (Orion Pictures / Amazon MGM Studios)
September 5 (Paramount Pictures)
Best motion picture – musical or comedy
Anora (Neon)
Challengers (Amazon MGM Studios)
Emilia Pérez (Netflix)
A Real Pain (Searchlight Pictures)
The Substance (Mubi)
Wicked (Universal Pictures)
Best original score – motion picture
Volker Bertelmann (Conclave)
Daniel Blumberg (The Brutalist)
Kris Bowers (The Wild Robot)
Clément Ducol, Camille (Emilia Pérez)
Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross (Challengers)
Hans Zimmer (Dune: Part Two)
Best original song – motion picture
“Beautiful That Way” –– The Last Showgirl; Music & Lyrics By: Andrew Wyatt, Miley Cyrus, Lykke Zachrisson
“Compress / Repress” –– Challengers; Music & Lyrics By: Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, Luca Guadagnino
“El Mal” –– Emilia Pérez; Music & Lyrics By: Clément Ducol, Camille, Jacques Audiard
“Forbidden Road” –– Better Man; Music & Lyrics By: Robbie Williams, Freddy Wexler, Sacha Skarbek
“Kiss The Sky” –– The Wild Robot; Music & Lyrics By: Delacey, Jordan K. Johnson, Stefan Johnson, Maren Morris, Michael Pollack, Ali Tamposi
“Mi Camino” –– Emilia Pérez; Music & Lyrics By: Clément Ducol, Camille
Best motion picture – animated
Flow (Sideshow / Janus Films)
Inside Out 2 (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Memoir of a Snail (IFC Films)
Moana 2 (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl (Netflix)
The Wild Robot (Universal Pictures)
Cinematic and box office achievement
Alien: Romulus (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Deadpool & Wolverine (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Gladiator II (Paramount Pictures)
Inside Out 2 (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Twisters (Universal Pictures)
Wicked (Universal Pictures)
The Wild Robot (Universal Pictures)
Best motion picture – non-English language
All We Imagine as Light (Sideshow / Janus Films) – Usa / France / India
Emilia Pérez (Netflix) – France
The Girl With the Needle (Mubi) – Poland / Sweden / Denmark
I’m Still Here (Sony Pictures Classics) – Brazil
The Seed of the Sacred Fig (Neon) – Usa / Germany
Vermiglio (Sideshow / Janus Films) – Italy
Best performance by a female actor in a motion picture – drama
Pamela Anderson (The Last Showgirl)
Angelina Jolie (Maria)
Nicole Kidman (Babygirl)
Tilda Swinton (The Room Next Door)
Fernanda Torres (I’m Still Here)
Kate Winslet (Lee)
Best performance by a male actor in a motion picture – drama
Adrien Brody (The Brutalist)
Timothée Chalamet (A Complete Unknown)
Daniel Craig (Queer)
Colman Domingo (Sing Sing)
Ralph Fiennes (Conclave)
Sebastian Stan (The Apprentice)
Best performance by a female actor in a motion picture – musical or comedy
Amy Adams (Nightbitch)
Cynthia Erivo (Wicked)
Karla Sofía Gascón (Emilia Pérez)
Mikey Madison (Anora)
Demi Moore (The Substance)
Zendaya (Challengers)
Best performance by a male actor in a motion picture – musical or comedy
Jesse Eisenberg (A Real Pain)
Hugh Grant (Heretic)
Gabriel Labelle (Saturday Night)
Jesse Plemons (Kinds of Kindness)
Glen Powell (Hit Man)
Sebastian Stan (A Different Man)
Best performance by a female actor in a supporting role in any motion picture
Selena Gomez (Emilia Pérez)
Ariana Grande (Wicked)
Felicity Jones (The Brutalist)
Margaret Qualley (The Substance)
Isabella Rossellini (Conclave)
Zoe Saldaña (Emilia Pérez)
Best performance by a male actor in a supporting role in any motion picture
Yura Borisov (Anora)
Kieran Culkin (A Real Pain)
Edward Norton (A Complete Unknown)
Guy Pearce (The Brutalist)
Jeremy Strong (The Apprentice)
Denzel Washington (Gladiator II)
Best director – motion picture
Jacques Audiard (Emilia Pérez)
Sean Baker (Anora)
Edward Berger (Conclave)
Brady Corbet (The Brutalist)
Coralie Fargeat (The Substance)
Payal Kapadia (All We Imagine as Light)
Best screenplay – motion picture
Jacques Audiard (Emilia Pérez)
Sean Baker (Anora)
Brady Corbet, Mona Fastvold (The Brutalist)
Jesse Eisenberg (A Real Pain)
Coralie Fargeat (The Substance)
Peter Straughan (Conclave)
Best television series – drama
The Day of the Jackal (Peacock)
The Diplomat (Netflix)
Mr. & Mrs. Smith (Prime Video)
Shōgun (FX/Hulu)
Slow Horses (Apple TV+)
Squid Game (Netflix)
Best television series – musical or comedy
Abbott Elementary (ABC)
The Bear (FX/Hulu)
The Gentlemen (Netflix)
Hacks (HBO | Max)
Nobody Wants This (Netflix)
Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)
Best television limited series, anthology series or motion picture made for television
Baby Reindeer (Netflix)
Disclaimer (Apple TV+)
Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story (Netflix)
The Penguin (HBO | Max)
Ripley (Netflix)
True Detective: Night Country (HBO | Max)
Best performance by a female actor in a television series – drama
Kathy Bates (Matlock)
Emma D’arcy (House of the Dragon)
Maya Erskine (Mr. & Mrs. Smith)
Keira Knightley (Black Doves)
Keri Russell (The Diplomat)
Anna Sawai (Shōgun)
Best performance by a male actor in a television series – drama
Donald Glover (Mr. & Mrs. Smith)
Jake Gyllenhaal (Presumed Innocent)
Gary Oldman (Slow Horses)
Eddie Redmayne (The Day of the Jackal)
Hiroyuki Sanada (Shōgun)
Billy Bob Thornton (Landman)
Best performance by a female actor in a television series – musical or comedy
Kristen Bell (Nobody Wants This)
Quinta Brunson (Abbott Elementary)
Ayo Edebiri (The Bear)
Selena Gomez (Only Murders in the Building)
Kathryn Hahn (Agatha All Along)
Jean Smart (Hacks)
Best performance by a male actor in a television series – musical or comedy
Adam Brody (Nobody Wants This)
Ted Danson (A Man on the Inside)
Steve Martin (Only Murders in the Building)
Jason Segel (Shrinking)
Martin Short (Only Murders in the Building)
Jeremy Allen White (The Bear)
Best performance by a female actor in a limited series, anthology series, or a motion picture made for television
Cate Blanchett (Disclaimer)
Jodie Foster (True Detective: Night Country)
Cristin Milioti (The Penguin)
Sofía Vergara (Griselda)
Naomi Watts (Feud: Capote Vs. The Swans)
Kate Winslet (The Regime)
Best performance by a male actor in a limited series, anthology series, or a motion picture made for television
Colin Farrell (The Penguin)
Richard Gadd (Baby Reindeer)
Kevin Kline (Disclaimer)
Cooper Koch (Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story)
Ewan Mcgregor (A Gentleman in Moscow)
Andrew Scott (Ripley)
Best performance by a female actor in a supporting role on television
Liza Colón-Zayas (The Bear)
Hannah Einbinder (Hacks)
Dakota Fanning (Ripley)
Jessica Gunning (Baby Reindeer)
Allison Janney (The Diplomat)
Kali Reis (True Detective: Night Country)
Best performance by a male actor in a supporting role on television
Tadanobu Asano (Shōgun)
Javier Bardem (Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story)
Harrison Ford (Shrinking)
Jack Lowden (Slow Horses)
Diego Luna (La Máquina)
Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Bear)
Best performance in stand-up comedy on television
Jamie Foxx (Jamie Foxx: What Had Happened Was)
Nikki Glaser (Nikki Glaser: Someday You’ll Die)
Seth Meyers (Seth Meyers: Dad Man Walking)
Adam Sandler (Adam Sandler: Love You)
Ali Wong (Ali Wong: Single Lady)
Ramy Youssef (Ramy Youssef: More Feelings)
The Golden Globes are produced by Dick Clark Productions, which is owned by Penske Media Corporation. PMC is also the parent company of Billboard.
Rosé is hitting the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon stage — on her own this time. The star will be joining the show in-studio as a solo artist outside of BLACKPINK for the first time on Wednesday (Dec. 11), as she previously delivered a pre-taped performance of “On the Ground” in 2021 during the height […]
With the inauguration of a new president just six weeks away, many in country music’s creative community recognize they have a role to play.
In his first administration, Donald Trump was frighteningly comfortable making life difficult for people who exercised their First Amendment freedom of speech rights — threatening, for example, to revoke TV licenses over negative coverage and calling for a federal investigationof Saturday Night Live over a skit.
For his second administration, Trump and some of his cabinet nominees have vowed to exact revenge on his perceived enemies, including journalists whose coverage he deems unflattering. Some former White House staff and advisers say Trump aspires to rule as an autocrat.
Songwriters, artists and musicians — like reporters — make their living transmitting messages, and many are aware that on certain days, they may be led to create music that might seem contrary to a thin-skinned ruler. Do they self-edit and slink to the next subject? Or do they stand up and speak their piece?
Songwriter Dan Wilson, who co-wrote Chris Stapleton’s “White Horse,” which won the Country Music Association’s single and song of the year, is familiar with the issue. He worked with The Chicks, co-writing the Grammy-winning “Not Ready To Make Nice” after they were booted out of country’s mainstream for criticizing then-President George W. Bush and the Iraq War.
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“As I’ve learned firsthand in the past, critiquing the president can be a fraught and dangerous thing to do,” Wilson said on the red carpet before the CMA Awards. “Generally, doing what artists do anyway, which is pointing things out that no one else will talk about, that could be a dangerous thing to do, but I don’t think that’s going to stop.”
Most songwriters, particularly in country music, don’t address political topics in their work on a regular basis. And plenty of those creators — when pressed in recent weeks on how Trump’s return to the White House might influence their art — shrugged off the subject, saying they were apolitical or didn’t feel comfortable talking about it publicly.
But others were particularly sensitive about the subject. In the past, Trump has incited his followers to intimidate his detractors, and many see his return to office as a threat to their personal freedoms and, possibly, to their safety. Artists are already acutely aware of the potential reaction of the audience and media gatekeepers.
“You always think about that stuff,” Phil Vassar noted at the ASCAP Country Awards red carpet. “You’re writing songs — ‘Can I say that in a song?’ ”
Under normal conditions, songwriters ask that question to avoid commercial and/or artistic repercussions. But in authoritarian regimes, expression is tightly guarded, creating additional emotional hurdles. In Russia, the population is famously loath to speak ill of top government officials. Vladimir Putin has jailed artists whose music opposes his rule. In Afghanistan, music has been outlawed in its entirety.
“The arts are frightening because the arts reveal people to themselves,” Rosanne Cash said at a Dec. 4 party for her new Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum exhibit, “Rosanne Cash: Time Is a Mirror.” “The arts are inherently political in that bigger sense, that it changes people and wakes them up.”
Not everyone sees the incoming administration as a threat. Jason Aldean, Chris Janson and Brian Kelley all participated in the Republican Convention in July, and Big Loud artist Lauren Watkins is hopeful that “we are going to have more freedom of speech.”
Meanwhile, Julie Williams, a mixed-race, queer artist, is already concerned about being canceled by emboldened conservatives under a Trump administration. The day after the election, she wasn’t convinced she had the strength to play a Nov. 7 show celebrating her new EP, Tennessee Moon. But the audience response helped her recognize that her songs might be even more important over the next four years.
“For me, when I get a chance to be onstage and sing songs about growing up in the South or my queer journey, it makes me feel like I have a little bit of control, a little bit of power, over what’s happening in the world,” she said on the CMA Awards carpet. “While I can’t change what’s happening at the national level at the moment, at my shows, I can help create an environment that people feel like they belong, that they feel like there’s somebody that loves them, and just to share my stories and hope that the audience hears themselves in it.”
It’s not only the songwriters and artists who sense they have a mission. Found Sound Media founder Becky Parsons, who specializes in management and PR for women and minority artists, is encouraging her acts — including Sarahbeth Taite and Fimone — to present themselves authentically through their art. And she intends to do that herself.
“I’m not going to be silent,” Parsons said on the CMA Awards carpet. “I’m not going to sit down and play by your rules. I’m going to break your rules. I’m going to create the world that I want to see. Not everybody has the luxury to do that, but thankfully, I do, and that’s the kind of future in country music and the world that I want to see.”
For many artists, the mission headed into the new administration is less about confrontation than about bringing disparate people together. Willie Nelson famously did that by attracting an audience of cowboys, college students and hippies with country music in the mid-1970s. Today, The War and Treaty, Charlie Worsham, Home Free, Frank Ray and Niko Moon aim to act as a bridge between communities.
“I’m kind of over being on any one team, and I’m ready to talk to people — especially people that I don’t agree with — and better understand what their plight is,” Worsham said on the CMA carpet. “And I think country music is uniquely poised to speak to this moment.”
Moon is similarly dedicated to putting “love and positivity out there into the world.”
“We’re living in strange times,” he said, “but that doesn’t mean we have to be strangers. We’re more similar than we are different.”
That said, if Trump follows the Project 2025 agenda, as many fear he may, it is likely to embolden his most ardent supporters, who have at times resorted to violence — in Charlottesville, Va., in 2016 or in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, to name two examples. It would be easy, in such an atmosphere, for cultural groups under siege to withdraw from the public space. But that’s all the more reason, openly gay country artist Chris Housman said, for creatives to speak out. He concedes that he went into a mini-depression after the election and admits that he’s among the faction of Americans who considered leaving the country. But he’s not going anywhere.
“I get so much inspiration and motivation out of challenging stuff and uncertainty and being uncomfortable,” Housman said on the CMA carpet. “It kind of feels like it’s ground zero here in the South, and in America in general, right now. If everybody leaves, if all the queer people leave, then it’s not going to change anything. So I’m just trying to dig in for that motivation and inspiration.”
Digging in against an autocrat is not comfortable. But staying quiet has consequences, too. As Thomas Jefferson noted, “All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for men of good conscience to remain silent.” Creatives who self-censor to avoid controversy might make their lives a little easier for the short-term, but they also won’t make much of a long-term difference. Artists who stood up in the past — such as Bob Dylan, Woody Guthrie, Bob Marley and Johnny Cash — influenced the eras in which they made their music, but they also helped to improve future generations’ understanding of their times.
“A lot of the reason that we are able to remember fascists and dictators is because of the work of creatives, because of the work that we’ve done in documenting things from our authentic perspective,” said Supreme Republic Entertainment founder Brittney Boston, whose clients include rapper DAX and country singer Carmen Dianne. “I think it’s really important as an artist right now to be honest, to write from your heart, because a lot of people are going to be too scared to do that, and people are going to be craving that authenticity.”
If nothing else, the creative class has an opportunity as Trump moves into office threatening retribution. On those occasions when artists or songwriters have something to say, but hold back to avoid scrutiny, they chip away at their own freedoms. Those who decline to self-censor their work often discover a greater sense of empowerment, even as they continue a free-speech tradition that was etched into the Constitution.
“You find the limits of your courage, don’t you?” Rosanne Cash said rhetorically. “Let’s just go for it.”
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