Music

07 Jun 2023

Taylor Swift Earns First Rock & Alternative Airplay Chart Appearance

Taylor Swift makes her first visit to Billboard’s Rock & Alternative Airplay chart, as The National’s “The Alcott,” on which she’s featured, debuts at No. 45 on the June 10-dated ranking.

The song reaches the list with 636,000 radio audience impressions on rock radio formats, up 12%, May 26-June 1, according to Luminate.

It’s not Swift’s first appearance on any rock radio chart, however. She has notched four entries on Adult Alternative Airplay, beginning with the No. 9-peaking “Exile,” featuring Bon Iver, in November 2020. She followed with “Coney Island,” featuring The National (No. 18, March 2021), and “Snow on the Beach,” featuring Lana Del Rey (No. 30, this January).

“The Alcott” concurrently lifts 18-15 on the latest Adult Alternative Airplay survey, driving its Rock & Alternative Airplay debut.

“The Alcott” is The National’s sixth song to reach Rock & Alternative Airplay. Its highest charter is “Tropic Morning News,” which reached No. 25 in March.

With her maiden Rock & Alternative Airplay showing, Swift has now reached the following radio tallies: Adult Alternative Airplay, Adult Contemporary, Adult Pop Airplay, Country Airplay, Dance/Mix Show Airplay, Holiday Airplay, Latin Airplay, Latin Pop Airplay, Pop Airplay, all-format Radio Songs, Rock & Alternative Airplay and Rhythmic Airplay.

Swift concurrently appears on three pop/adult charts. On Adult Pop Airplay, “Anti-Hero” is at No. 3 (after a personal-best nine weeks at No. 1) and “Karma,” featuring Ice Spice, rises to No. 11. “Karma” also ascends to No. 8 on Pop Airplay. On Adult Contemporary, “Anti-Hero” places at No. 2, following a three-week reign.

Swift has charted three titles on the Top Rock & Alternative Albums ranking: the No. 1s Folklore and Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions and the No. 3-peaking Evermore.

“The Alcott” is The National’s second single from First Two Pages of Frankenstein, the band’s ninth studio album, following “Tropic Morning News.” The set debuted at No. 1 on the Top Rock & Alternative Albums survey dated May 13 and has earned 59,000 equivalent album units to date.

07 Jun 2023

Lil Durk Scores Fourth No. 1s With ‘Almost Healed’ on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Chart

Lil Durk nabs his fourth consecutive No. 1 on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart as Almost Healed debuts in the top spot of the chart dated June 10. The project launches with 125,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending June 1, according to Luminate.

Almost Healed was released on May 26 via Alamo Recordings, and gives Chicago native Lil Durk his fourth straight – and fourth overall – champ on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. He previously led with The Voice for two weeks in 2021, the collaborative album The Voice of the Heroes, with Lil Baby, a two-week champ that same year, and his five-week No. 1, 7220, in 2022.

With his new No. 1, Lil Durk racks up the second-best start for any of his projects. The 125,000-debut figure for Almost Healed trails only The Voice of the Heroes, which began with 150,000 units.

Streaming activity contributes nearly all of Almost Healed’s first-week sum, with 122,000 of the 125,000 units from that sector. The figure equals 167.82 million on-demand official streams of the set’s tracks. Traditional album sales comprise 2,000 of the remaining units, while track-equivalent album units cover the final 1,000 units.

Elsewhere, Almost Healed likewise becomes Lil Durk’s fourth No. 1 on the Top Rap Albums chart and opens at No. 3 on the all-genre Billboard 200.

As Almost Healed arrives, 16 of its tracks debut on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Plus, the current single, “All My Life,” featuring J. Cole, rebounds to No. 1 to earn its second nonconsecutive week at the top, after it debuted there two weeks ago. The song was the week’s most-streamed Almost Healed cut, with 27.7 million official U.S. streams in the week ending June 1, up 14% from the prior week.

Two more Almost Healed cuts reside in the top 10, “Stand by Me,” featuring Morgan Wallen (No. 8) and “Pelle Coat” (No. 10). The former was the week’s top-selling Almost Healed track, selling 3,000 downloads and entering at No. 2 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Sales chart. The tune is the second collaboration between the rapper and country star; its predecessor, “Broadway Girls,” topped Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs for one week in January 2022.

Here’s the full slate of Lil Durk tracks on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart this week:

No. 1, “All My Life,” featuring J. Cole (second week at No. 1)
No. 8, “Stand by Me,” featuring Morgan Wallen
No. 10, “Pelle Coat”
No. 13, “War Bout It,” featuring 21 Savage
No. 18, “Never Imagined,” featuring Future
No. 19, “Never Again”
No. 22, “Big Dawg,” with Chief Wuk
No. 23, “Cross the Globe,” featuring Juice WRLD
No. 24, “Put Em on Ice”
No. 25, “300 Urus”
No. 26, “Sad Songs”
No. 27, “Grandson,” featuring Kodak Black
No. 31, “Before Fajr”
No. 32, “B12”
No. 34, “You Got Em”
No. 40, “Same Side,” featuring Rob49
No. 50, “Belt2Ass”

07 Jun 2023

President Joe Biden Announces Juneteenth Concert at White House: Exclusive

The White House announced on Wednesday (June 7) that President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden will be hosting a Juneteenth concert on the South Lawn on June 13.

The event comes two years after Biden signed a bipartisan legislation establishing Juneteenth as a federal holiday. Juneteenth, celebrated on June 19 annually, commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. “Juneteenth marks both the long, hard night of slavery and subjugation, and a promise of a brighter morning to come. This is a day of profound — in my view — profound weight and profound power,” Biden said at the time of signing the bill. “A day in which we remember the moral stain, the terrible toll that slavery took on the country and continues to take — what I’ve long called ‘America’s original sin.’”

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The Juneteenth concert event is supported by National Endowment for the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities, Pernod Ricard USA, Starz, The Recording Academy of the United States and #TaketheLead. It feature Jennifer Hudson, Audra McDonald, Method Man, Colman Domingo, Ledisi, Patina Miller, Step Afrika! and more.

The Juneteenth concert will take place during Black Music Month. Also known as African-American Music Appreciation Month, Black Music Month was formally recognized as a national monthlong observance in 2000. “I call upon public officials, educators, and all the people of the United States to observe this month by honoring Black musicians and raising awareness and appreciation of Black music,” Biden wrote in a briefing officially declaring June 2023 as Black Music Month.

07 Jun 2023

Jimin Surprises Fans With Sweet ‘Dear ARMY’ Music Video

BTS is celebrating 10 years since their debut, and Jimin took some time on Wednesday (June 7) to show his appreciation for fans with a sweet live performance of “Dear ARMY.”

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The track is a hidden song found on the CD version of Jimin’s solo debut album, FACE, inside the English version of “Like Crazy.” In the corresponding clip, the 27-year-old star is seen amid a lush green landscape as he croons the lyrics into a microphone.

The surprise video comes just a week before BTS 10th Anniversary FESTA is set to take place on June 17 in Seoul, South Korea. The event at Yeouido, Seoul, will be open to the public, and more information about the FESTA will arrive at a later date.

Jimin’s six-track FACE arrived back in March and entered the Billboard 200 albums chart upon its release at No. 2, with its breakout single “Like Crazy” topping the Hot 100 songs chart. The debut made Jimin the first South Korean solo artist to top the Hot 100 in the chart’s nearly 65-year history.

The star admitted to Consequence ahead of the release that he was nervous for his solo debut before its grand unveiling, explaining, “I don’t want to be an embarrassment to my members. I want to be a proud member of BTS” before hinting that the album will explore “how I overcame… If people understand the emotions I’m trying to express, I’ll consider the album a success.”

Watch the “Dear ARMY” live clip below.

07 Jun 2023

Niall Horan Says One Direction Reunion Conversation ‘Hasn’t Happened’ Yet

Ever since One Direction went on hiatus in 2015, fans have been wanting a reunion. In a new interview with Apple Music 1’s Zane Lowe, Niall Horan gave Directioners a realistic response when asked if the superstar fivesome will reunite for a performance.

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“It’s just like the conversation hasn’t happened,” the 29-year-old singer explained. “It’s a great legacy to have. No, I don’t think [asking about the reunion] sucks the air out the room. It’s more, the answer’s still the same. The conversation hasn’t happened.”

He continued, “We speak regularly, but that conversation hasn’t happened. God knows whether it ends up being — it could be like the Friends reunion, it could be a whole tour. God knows what it is, but no, it hasn’t been spoken about.”

However, Horan assured that he’ll be performing some One Direction songs on upcoming shows in support of his The Show album. “I’ve never been one to hide away from it. They’re great songs,” he said. “There’s so many on there that feel like my kind of stuff as well. And it’s good to make new versions of as well.”

Horan’s third studio album, The Show, will be arriving on June 9. Heartbreak Weather, the crooner’s previous LP, peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 in March 2020.

Watch the full interview below.

07 Jun 2023

ONE N’ ONLY Talk 5th-Anniversary Album ‘Departure’ & Share Heartfelt Message to SWAGs: Interview

ONE N’ ONLY, the Japanese dance and vocal group that blends J-pop and K-pop to create “JK-pop,” released its new album, Departure, on May 17. This album represents the culmination of the “5 N’ 5” project, which began in January to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the group’s formation. Billboard Japan recently spoke with the six members of the group.

You’ve had several releases during your fifth year, but now you’ve capped them off with the release of Departure. It’s a really full album, packed with songs.

HAYATO: It has all the songs we’ve released over the past five months, of course, but it also has a lot of new songs. It’s a special album, and a lot of care went into making it. We didn’t just throw in all our past songs.

So it must have been really tough for you when you were making it.

Everyone: It was so tough! (they laugh)

HAYATO: There were constant release events, and from what I can remember we were always recording material, so we were super busy.

TETTA: I think it’s probably the busiest ONE N’ ONLY has ever been.

EIKU: We met a lot of SWAGs, too (“SWAGs” is the nickname for ONE N’ ONLY fans).

TETTA: We also gave a speech at the premiere of the movie Battle King!! We’ll Rise Again. Our schedules were really packed. We also did a tour of Latin America, took part in EBiDAN THE PARADE (an event put on by their talent agency), and went on a solo tour. When it was all going on, I just had to remind myself that when it was all done, I’d have grown a lot as a person.

The songs on the album are colorful and unconstrained by genre. Which are your personal favorites?

REI: I like “Call me” the most. It’s addictive, and it has elements that will help it go viral on TikTok. It has a reggae feel, and talking to our voice trainer impressed on me just how important it was to have the rhythm in the background. We grew a lot through our work in Latin America, which is what I think put us in the right position to sing the lyrics to “Call me.”

What about you, HAYATO? What’s your favorite song?

HAYATO: I like the first song, “CIRCLE.” JUNE wrote it for us two years ago, and we’ve been keeping it in our pocket till the time was right. I’ve always loved it, so I asked for it to be put on the album. This is our first song to be performed entirely by the rap team, so it holds a special place in my heart.

What about you, rap team members KENSHIN and NAOYA?

KENSHIN: I sang on the song, and it was really hard. The rapping was technical, and there was a lot I had to do in terms of technique, so I broke each part down and analyzed it, one by one.

Like HAYATO said, the song itself was written two years ago, and at the time I couldn’t quite get a good grip on it. But I’ve experienced a lot over the past two years, and it seems like all I’ve learned has really come together. I was happy to be able to sing on “Circle,” and I think it’s a very special song.

NAOYA: This song has an inner strength. It’s not like the sound itself is super powerful, and the song’s hook is laid back, but when I sang on it, I hoped to accent the song with something new. I don’t think that the me of two years ago could have sung that hook. It’s a song that I can sing because of where I am today.

I’m really looking forward to seeing how you perform it live.

HAYATO: It’s probably going to be pretty aggressive. Before we finished recording, we lined the songs all up once. We were talking about the songs, and everyone agreed that “Circle” got them fired up. I think it came out really well.

KENSHIN: I also really like “Set a Fire.” The album has a lot of aggressive songs and a lot of fascinating songs, but “Set a Fire” is a lighter song, in a good way. It’s a party song. When we were thinking about how we could improve ONE N’ ONLY’s live shows, we strongly felt that we needed something that everyone could take part in, that would make them all be like, “ONE N’s shows are so fun!” I think this song adds that kind of spice.

TETTA: It’ll probably get people moving in Latin America. It’d be great to perform outdoors!

NAOYA: I like “10,000 miles,” which is named after the distance between here and Brazil. I personally love the sound of the song, and the fact that we performed in Brazil is what makes us so right to sing this song. Our SWAGs in Latin America are so far away, but we’re always thinking about them, and this song expresses how even though we’re physically far apart, we’re together in spirit.

Wow, looking at the distance as an actual number, that’s really far away.

NAOYA: Yeah. And yet, despite this distance, our fans are out there supporting us. I feel so thankful.

TETTA: I also like “10,000 miles.” It expresses the way we feel, always keeping our SWAGs number one in our hearts. I recommend the song, because it’s got a gentle feel but the sound strikes right at your heart, which I love.

The album is full of bold, rich songs, with both a JK-pop and a Western pop feel.

EIKU: Yeah, it’s a rich album. I like “Reflection,” which I helped write, but I also like “Be Alright,” which is only on the standard version of the album. I played guitar on the recording, and both the melody and the lyrics are wonderful. Even when you’re trying your best every day, there are times when your spirit just crumbles. When that happens, instead of someone trying to encourage you, it feels better to hear “you’re not alone,” “it’ll be alright,” “we’re here for you.” That’s what I wanted to convey when I sang the song.

It sounds like the kind of song that would bring the audience to tears when played live.

EIKU: And us singers, too (laughs). I think that’s the kind of song it’s going to turn out to be.

Do you have a message you’d like to share with the people who are looking forward to this densely packed new album?

HAYATO: Every day has been a really fulfilling one during this fifth year commemorative project, and our new album is the culmination of our series of recent releases. We named it Departure because it’s a starting point, and we want to pick up speed from here. Once we make our spring tour a great success, we’ll use what we learn from the experience going forward, showing off a ONE N’ ONLY that is steadily evolving. I hope everyone can feel how special this album is, a commemoration of our fifth anniversary, and that they experience this boundless emotion together with us. 

—This interview by Kana Yoshida first appeared on Billboard Japan

07 Jun 2023

Stray Kids Lead Swarm of New Releases Aiming for Top of Billboard 200 

The Contenders is a midweek column that looks at artists aiming for the top of the Billboard charts, and the strategies behind their efforts. This week (for the upcoming charts dated June 18), Stray Kids aim for their third No. 1 album in two years, while new albums from rising country hitmakers, star producers and veteran rockers also jockey for position.  

Stray Kids, 5-Star (JYP/Republic): Stray Kids have proven themselves among pop’s most consistent performers of any nationality on the Billboard 200 in the past couple years, having topped the chart twice already in 2022 alone, with EPs Oddinary and Maxident. This week, they should have a pretty good shot at making it three in a row with their new 12-track LP, 5-Star.  

Once again, physical sales should drive consumption of the new set, with a variety of available options for fans. That includes 18 total collectible CD packages (with exclusives for Barnes & Noble, Target, Walmart, the Weverse store and a signed edition in the group’s official webstore) that contain artist-branded merch, some of which is standard across all packages and some of which is randomized (photo cards, mini posters, sticker sets, photo books). 

There are also four alternative digital versions of the album, sold only in the act’s webstore, each containing the same tracklists, but with alternative covers and bonus tracks (each with different voice memos from individual members of the group), selling for $6.99 each. After 12 consecutive weeks of Morgan Wallen largely streaming his way to No. 1, we might have our second straight week of sales determining the chart’s top spot, following Taylor Swift’s reissue-prompted Midnights rebound last week.  

Jelly Roll, Whitsitt Chapel (Bailey & Buddee/BBR Music Group): Billboard’s May cover star has yet to get higher than No. 97 on the Billboard 200 – but that should change with the release of Whitsitt Chapel, Jelly Roll‘s first album since pivoting fully to country. The set follows the 2022 breakout success of Ballads of the Broken singles “Dead Man Walking” and “Son of a Sinner” — as well as a star making night at the 2023 CMT Awards, where he took home three trophies — and features a hit of its own with “Need a Favor,” which climbs 40-31 on the Billboard Hot 100 this week.  

Though Jelly Roll streams fairly well, sales should also make up the majority of Whitsitt Chapel’s first-week numbers. To that end, he’s released the album in three vinyl LPs (including a color variant exclusive for Walmart), a standard CD, a signed CD that was sold through his webstore, a digital download (which is discounted to an on-brand $4.20 in his webstore), nine deluxe CD boxed sets that include branded merch and a copy of the CD, and even a “hymnal” Zine/CD package. 

Metro Boomin, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Soundtrack From and Inspired by the Motion Picture) (Boominati/Republic): With rave reviews and strong early box office returns, the new Across the Spider-Verse is well on its way to becoming one of the year’s biggest movies – and its soundtrack might not be too far behind. Curated by super-producer Metro Boomin, who most recently topped the Billboard 200 last December with his Heroes &Villains set, the similarly star-studded soundtrack features appearances from such big names as Future, Lil Uzi Vert, 21 Savage, A$AP Rocky, Coi Leray, Nas and Swae Lee.  

The set does not yet have a physical release – it is available for digital download — but it should stream enough to still be a major factor on the chart, with three tracks still in the top 20 of Spotify’s Daily Top Songs USA chart as of Wednesday. It should also get a nice boost from the mid-week drop of a deluxe edition of the album, boasting an extra six tracks and additional appearances from Dominic Fike, Becky G, Shenseea and more hitmakers.  

IN THE MIX 

Foo Fighters, But Here We Are (Roswell/RCA): The first Foo Fighters album since the shocking death of drummer Taylor Hawkins in early 2022, But Here We Are is led by the Rock & Alternative Airplay-topping single “Rescued,” and has received some of the strongest reviews of the band’s career. The album is not expected to stream in huge numbers, though, and is available in fewer variants than some of its competition: just in black vinyl, white vinyl, CD and cassette versions and as a digital download. 

Enhypen, Dark Blood (Belift Lab/Genie/Stone): Stray Kids aren’t the only Korean boy band expected to make a big impact on the Billboard 200 this week – there’s also septet Enhypen, who previously hit No. 6 on the chart with 2022 EP Manifesto: Day 1. Their new six-track set Dark Blood was released digitally on May 22, but this chart week brings its physical release – which, like 5-Star, includes 17 collectible CD packages (with a number of store exclusives) that contain artist-branded merch, some of which is standard across all packages and some randomized.  

Moneybagg Yo, Hard to Love (Roc Nation/Bread Gang/N-Less/Collective Music Group, Interscope): Moneybagg Yo was set to release new mixtape Hard to Love the previous Friday, but decided not to go up against his “little baby Taylor” and her Midnights reissues. He’s still going to have his work cut out for him rising above the glut of new releases this week, particularly without any kind of physical release – but the Memphis rapper has enjoyed regular success on the Billboard 200 in recent years, with his last three albums all hitting the chart‘s top five, and 2021’s A Gangsta’s Pain reaching the top spot.   

07 Jun 2023

Manuel Turizo Is Drunk in Love in Marshmello’s ‘El Merengue’: Translated Lyrics

Marshmello has achieved his first-ever No. 1 entry on the Billboard Latin Airplay chart (dated June 9) with his Manuel Turizo-assisted “El Merengue,” becoming the first non-Latin genre artist to top the chart in 2023.

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The infectious EDM-merengue fusion, which dropped on March 2, finds Turizo singing about not getting over an ex and drinking his sorrows away.   

Additionally, “El Merengue”—named after the traditional Dominican music genre—reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Tropical Airplay chart (dated April 8). The song sent Turizo’s own “La Bachata”  to No. 2 after 14 weeks in charge.

Below, check out the complete lyrics translated into English:

I’m tired of thinking about you
With my heart broken
There’s sun but it’s cold since you left
I’m only drinking
Looking at your photos
Wanting to delete them but I can’t

I should’ve said I’m sorry
To not hold anything back
The kisses I didn’t give you
I should’ve stolen them from you
Missing you has me
With my eyes red
It’s not the same as being alone
Than being alone and in love

I said I forgot about you
But I didn’t forget you
Ay, ay, ay
I also said I got over you
But I haven’t gotten over you
Drunk I said I forgot about you
But I didn’t forget you
Ay, ay, ay
I also said I got over you
But I haven’t gotten over you

Entering the club, I saw her, I saw her, I saw her
She was dancing alone
Dancing alone
I got close, I got close, I got close
And the hours flew by
A couple of hours

Tell me, without shame tell me
Ask me whatever you want 
Except to forget about you
When one is drinking
They don’t measure words 
Today I apologize
If one day drunk

I said I forgot about you
But I didn’t forget yo
Ay, ay, ay
I also said I got over you
But I haven’t gotten over you
Drunk I said I forgot about you
But I didn’t forget you
Ay, ay, ay
I also said I got over you
But I haven’t gotten over you

Entering the club, I saw her, I saw her, I saw her
She was dancing alone
Dancing alone
I got close, I got close, I got close
And the hours flew by
A couple of hours

07 Jun 2023

Celebrities Who Have Attended Beyoncé’s Renaissance Tour

From Dua Lipa and Selena Gomez to Frank Ocean and Paul McCartney, here are all the celebrities who have made appearances at Beyoncé’s Renaissance tour stops.

Beyoncé

Beyoncé performs onstage during the opening night of the “RENAISSANCE WORLD TOUR” at Friends Arena on May 10, 2023 in Stockholm, Sweden.

Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Parkwood

Beyoncé‘s Renaissance tour is in full swing, and amid the tens of thousands of people the “Alien Superstar” singer performs for every night are a slew of her famous friends and fans who have come to support her.

The Renaissance World Tour kicked off in Stockholm, Sweden, on May 17 with an impressive, three-hour showcase of 37 hits, and is set to continue throughout Europe until July 9, before heading to Toronto for two dates at Rogers Centre. The tour heads to the United States, starting with Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field and making stops in Chicago, East Rutherford, N.J., Atlanta, Houston and more before concluding Sept. 27 at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.

Among the famous faces spotted in the crowd of various tour stops were Sir Paul McCartney, Ariana Grande, Selena Gomez, Dua Lipa, Bey’s Destiny’s Child bandmate Kelly Rowland and many, many more.

See below for all the celebrities who have made appearances at Beyoncé’s Renaissance tour stops, either in the audience or on stage, which we’ll be updating as the 32-time Grammy winner makes her way across the globe.

07 Jun 2023

Julianne Hough & Skylar Astin to Co-Host ‘The Tony Awards: Act One’

Julianne Hough and Skylar Astin will co-host The Tony Awards: Act One, a live pre-show on Pluto TV, on Sunday June 11 from 6:30-8:00 p.m. ET/3:30-5:00 p.m. PT.

Both stars have found success both on stage and television. Hough, star of last season’s Broadway play Potus, has received three Primetime Emmy nominations for outstanding choreography on ABC’s Dancing With the Stars. She won in 2015.

Astin, who originated the role of Georg in the Tony-winning musical Spring Awakening, stars in the CBS sitcom So Help Me Todd.

Viewers can access The Tony Awards: Act One on their smart TV, streaming device, mobile app or online by going to Pluto TV and clicking on the “Pluto TV Celebrity” channel (no payment, registration or sign-in required).

Immediately following the pre-show, The 76th Annual Tony Awards, hosted by Ariana DeBose, will air live coast-to-coast from the United Palace in New York City’s Washington Heights, from 8:00-11:00 p.m. ET/5:00-8:00 p.m. PT on CBS and streaming live and on demand on Paramount+.

DeBose, a Tony nominee for Summer: The Donna Summer Musical and an Oscar winner for the reboot of West Side Story, also hosted last year’s Tony broadcast. She’s hosted the Tonys two years running since Neil Patrick Harris hosted three years in a row from 2011-13.

The Tony Awards have been televised since 1967, and have been broadcast on CBS since 1978.

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