Music

23 Mar 2023

Lizzy McAlpine Earns First Billboard No. 1 With ‘Ceilings’

Lizzy McAlpine’s “Ceilings” reigns on Billboard’s Alternative Streaming Songs chart for the first time, lifting to the top of the March 25-dated survey.

It’s McAlpine’s first Billboard No. 1.

In the March 10-16 tracking week, “Ceilings” earned 8.8 million official U.S. streams, a jump of 9%, according to Luminate.

The track rules Alternative Streaming Songs in its sixth week on the chart after debuting at No. 23 on the Feb. 18-dated list.

But the story of “Ceilings” didn’t start there. The song was initially released in April 2022 on McAlpine’s second studio album, Five Seconds Flat.

“Ceilings” grew on such shortform video services as TikTok in late 2022, eventually debuting at No. 26 on the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs tally dated Jan. 28, 2023.

The song reaches a new No. 5 high on that chart’s latest edition, with its U.S. streams joined by 1.3 million radio audience impressions (up 111%) and 1,000 downloads sold (up 5%).

Being promoted to radio, “Ceilings” is drawing airplay on pop, adult pop, alternative and adult alternative formats.

Concurrently, “Ceilings” returns to the all-format Streaming Songs chart at No. 39 and leaps 80-54 on the Billboard Hot 100, both new best ranks.

Five Seconds Flat places at No. 6 on Americana/Folk Albums and No. 15 on Top Alternative Albums and has earned 133,000 equivalent album units to date.

23 Mar 2023

Ryan Hadlock Tops Rock & Alternative Producers Chart for First Time Thanks to Zach Bryan Songs

Ryan Hadlock, Dan Darmawan and Tyler Smyth are Billboard’s No. 1 rock producers on the latest March 25-dated rankings, thanks to various hits on the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs, Hot Alternative Songs and Hot Hard Rock Songs charts.

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Ryan Hadlock Leads Rock & Alternative Producers

Hadlock tops the all-rock-genre Rock & Alternative Producers chart for the first time, thanks to his work on Zach Bryan’s “Something in the Orange,” of which he’s the sole credited producer.

“Orange” stands at No. 2 on Hot Rock & Alternative Songs after spending six weeks at No. 1. The song marks Hadlock’s second leader on the chart, after The Lumineers’ 18-week No. 1 “Ho Hey” in 2012-13. He’s also produced chart hits for Blond Redhead and Vance Joy.

“Orange” hit No. 10 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 in January.

Dan Darmawan Rules Alternative Producers

Darmawan hits No. 1 on the Alternative Producers chart for the first time, thanks to two production hits on Hot Alternative Songs, both of which are by newcomer d4vd. The tracks, “Romantic Homicide” and “Here With Me,” rank at Nos. 4 and 5, respectively, and mark Darmawan’s first chart appearances as a producer.

“Romantic Homicide” reached No. 33 on the Hot 100 in October, while “Here With Me” reached No. 60 in February.

Tyler Smyth Continues Run Atop Hard Rock Producers

On Hard Rock Producers, Smyth scores a 25th week at No. 1, thanks to two production credits on the latest Hot Hard Rock Songs chart, both of which are by Falling in Reverse: “Watch the World Burn” (No. 3) and “Voices in My Head” (No. 7).

Dating to the Hard Rock Producers chart’s launch, only Greg Kurstin has spent more weeks on top (34 weeks).

Billboard launched its Hot 100 Songwriters and Hot 100 Producers charts, as well as genre-specific rankings for country, rock & alternative, R&B/hip-hop, R&B, rap, Latin, Christian, gospel and dance/electronic, in June 2019; alternative and hard rock joined in 2020, along with seasonal holiday rankings in 2022. The charts are based on total points accrued by a songwriter and producer, respectively, for each attributed song that appears on the Hot 100. The genre-based songwriter and producer charts follow the same methodology based on corresponding “Hot”-named genre charts. As with Billboard’s yearly recaps, multiple writers or producers split points for each song equally (and the dividing of points will lead to occasional ties on rankings).

The full Hot 100 Songwriters and Hot 100 Producers charts, in addition to the full genre rankings, can be found on Billboard.com.

23 Mar 2023

Taylor Swift Is Donating to Food Banks on The Eras Tour Route

Taylor Swift isn’t just taking her show on the road for The Eras Tour, she’s also doing some major good along the way.

It was reported on Monday (March 20) that the superstar had made a sizable donation to the Arizona Food Bank Network ahead of taking the stage in Glendale, Ariz. — temporarily renamed Swift City in her honor — for the hotly anticipated start of The Eras Tour.

Swift herself didn’t publicize the donation. Instead, the food bank shared its reaction to the act of kindness with local media outlet AZ Central. “It’s not every day that you get a call from someone who works for Taylor Swift, so we were dubious at first, but happily, it turned out to be absolutely real,” vice president of external relations Terri Shoemaker told the publication.

The nonprofit exec added that she was told in the conversation that Swift planned to focus on leaving a “positive impact” on each stop along her U.S. tour route, and on Wednesday (March 22), Three Square — a food bank based in southern Nevada — revealed the singer had also made a massive donation there ahead of her back-to-back shows in Las Vegas on March 24 and 25..

“We don’t know about you, but we’re feeling grateful on this day, March 22!” the organization wrote on its official Instagram feed. “@TaylorSwift has made a generous gift to Three Square, allowing us to provide thousands of meals to families and individuals struggling with hunger. Thank you to Ms. Swift for supporting our mission and the local community.”

Billboard has reached out to Swift’s rep for comment.

The day she launched the cross-country trek, Swift also gave fans a surprise gift in the form of four new songs, including (Taylor’s Version) re-recordings of The Hunger Games tracks “Safe & Sound” with Joy Williams and John Paul White (formerly The Civil Wars) and “Eyes Open” as well as a new version of Speak Now bonus cut “If This Was a Movie” and previously unreleased Lover ditty “All of the Girls You Loved Before.”

Check out Three Square’s post about Swift’s generosity below.

23 Mar 2023

Ashley Gorley Rules the Hot 100 Songwriters Chart for First Time Thanks to Morgan Wallen Hits

Ashley Gorley rises to No. 1 on Billboard’s all-genre Hot 100 Songwriters chart (dated March 25), leading as the top songwriter in the United States for the first time thanks to 12 writing credits on the latest Billboard Hot 100, including 10 by Morgan Wallen.

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All 10 songs by Wallen are on his new LP, One Thing at a Time, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 (dated March 18) with 501,000 equivalent album units, according to Luminate. The sum marks the biggest week of 2023 for any album, in terms of units earned, and the largest week for any country album since Taylor Swift’s Red (Taylor’s Version) opened with 604,500 units in November 2021. One Thing at a Time spends a second week at No. 1 on the latest list (259,000 units).

Leading Gorley’s Hot 100 entries is the set’s single “Last Night,” which ranks at No. 2 after hitting No. 1 a week earlier. It earned Gorley his first leader on the chart as a songwriter.

Here’s a recap of Gorley’s songwriting credits on the March 25 Hot 100:

Rank, Artist Billing, Title

  • No. 2, Morgan Wallen, “Last Night”
  • No. 10, Morgan Wallen, “You Proof”
  • No. 17, Morgan Wallen, “Thinkin’ Bout Me”
  • No. 20, Morgan Wallen, “One Thing at a Time”
  • No. 29, Morgan Wallen, “Everything I Love”
  • No. 51, Morgan Wallen feat. ERNEST, “Cowgirls”
  • No. 52, Carly Pearce, “What He Didn’t Do”
  • No. 61, Morgan Wallen, “Whiskey Friends”
  • No. 76, Morgan Wallen, “Tennessee Fan”
  • No. 81, Morgan Wallen, “Me + All Your Reasons”
  • No. 87, Brett Young, “You Didn’t”
  • No. 96, Morgan Wallen, “180 (Lifestyle)”

Gorley has been one of the most in-demand country music songwriters since the mid-2000s. He’s written or co-written 96 Hot 100 entries, dating to his first, Carrie Underwood’s “Don’t Forget to Remember Me,” in 2006.

His country chart achievements are even more impressive. Gorley has written or co-written 51 No. 1 hits on Country Airplay and 15 No. 1s on Hot Country Songs.

Gorley has also spent 32 weeks at No. 1 on the Country Songwriters chart, the second-most after Zach Bryan (38 weeks).

On the Hot 100 Producers chart, Joey Moi tallies a 23rd week at No. 1, thanks to 29 production credits on the Hot 100 – with all but one via songs by Wallen. Only Dan Nigro has spent more weeks at No. 1 (27). As previously reported, Moi concurrently becomes the first artist to spend 100 weeks at No. 1 on the Country Producers chart.

Billboard launched its Hot 100 Songwriters and Hot 100 Producers charts, as well as genre-specific rankings for country, rock & alternative, R&B/hip-hop, R&B, rap, Latin, Christian, gospel and dance/electronic, in June 2019. (Alternative and hard rock joined in 2020, along with seasonal holiday rankings in 2022). The charts are based on total points accrued by a songwriter and producer, respectively, for each attributed song that appears on the Hot 100. The genre-based songwriter and producer charts follow the same methodology based on corresponding “Hot”-named genre charts. As with Billboard’s yearly recaps, multiple writers or producers split points for each song equally (and the dividing of points will lead to occasional ties on rankings).

The full Hot 100 Songwriters and Hot 100 Producers charts, in addition to the full genre rankings, can be found on Billboard.com.

23 Mar 2023

John Mayer Performs Taylor Swift Duet ‘Half of My Heart’ & Fans Are Shocked: ‘First Time in Years’

John Mayer performed his 2009 hit “Half of My Heart” at a recent concert, and fans are shocked. Why? It’s been long, long time since he last played it for an audience, maybe or maybe not due to the fact that it was originally released as a duet with his superstar ex-girlfriend Taylor Swift.

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The 45-year-old musician dusted off the track for his Detroit crowd Wednesday night (March 22) at Little Caesar’s Arena, a show on his solo acoustic tour. And even though he was the only one on stage, he still had a duet partner(s), as fans in the audience sang Swift’s accompanying vocals themselves.

“John Mayer played my favorite song of his last night for the first time in years,” one fan later tweeted, sharing a video of the rare performance. “I cried. This song means so much to me.”

As many other pleasantly surprised concertgoers also pointed out after the fact, Mayer has largely shelved “Half of My Heart” from his setlists, in spite of its commercial success. This could simply be because it’s a 14-year-old song, but it’s also no secret that the “Gravity” musician hasn’t exactly been on good terms with his former co-singer in the decade and a half since they dated.

The pair were first linked after Mayer, then 31, invited Swift, who was 19, to contribute vocals to “Half of My Heart” back when he was still working on the song. Sparks flew between them when they performed the duet live at the Z100 Jingle Ball, but their romance seemed to end a couple months after that.

Since then, Swift seems to have commented on their age gap in a couple stinging songs over the years, first on 2010’s “Dear John,” and again just a few months ago on Midnights bonus track “Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve.” “I d–n sure never would’ve danced with the devil at 19,” she sang on the latter. “I regret you all the time.”

Mayer also appeared to hit back at his former flame on 2013’s “Paper Doll” — “You’re like 22 girls in one/ And none of them know what they’re running from” — and slammed Swift outright in an interview the year prior. “It was a really lousy thing to do,” Mayer told Rolling Stone at the time, referring to “Dear John” as “cheap songwriting.”

See clips of John Mayer’s performance of “Half of My Heart” below:

23 Mar 2023

Snow Man’s ‘Tapestry’ Soars to No. 1 on the Japan Hot 100

Snow Man’s “Tapestry” hits No. 1 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100, dated March 22, selling nearly a million copies in its first week.

The nine-member boy band’s latest single, featured as the theme of a new movie starring member Ren Meguro, launched with 921,011 CDs to blast in at No. 1 for sales. The track also ruled radio airplay and came in at No. 3 for video with 2,167,138 weekly views, soaring 90-1 on the Japan Hot 100 this week.

The group’s previous single, “Orange Kiss,” sold 850,692 copies and reached 1,853,558 views in its first week, meaning the group has further expanded its fanbase in the meantime.

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This week’s Japan charts saw STU48’s “Iki wo suru kokoro” hit No. 2 for sales with 298,796 first-week copies and Kep1er’s “I do! Do you?” follow at No. 3 for the metric with 80,783 copies sold. These two numbers also performed well in the other metrics of the chart’s methodology, resulting in debuts at Nos. 2 and 3 on the Japan Hot 100, respectively.

As such, Official HIGE DANdism’s “Subtitle,” which had coasted along in the top 3 for 22 weeks — including a record 13 non-consecutive weeks at No. 1 — fell out of the top 3 on its 23rd week on the Japan Hot 100, slipping to No. 4. Still, the track is still going strong in streaming with more than 9 million weekly streams — 9,221,292 last week and 9,010,308 this week — and is likely to return to the top 3 again.

The Billboard Japan Hot 100 combines physical and digital sales, audio streams, radio airplay, video views and karaoke data.

See the full Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart, tallying the week from Mar. 13 to 19, here. For more on Japanese music and charts, visit Billboard Japan’s English Twitter account. 

23 Mar 2023

Pussy Riot to Receive the 2023 Woody Guthrie Prize

The Woody Guthrie Center announced on Thursday (March 23) that Pussy Riot will be honored with the 2023 Woody Guthrie Prize later this spring.

The ceremony is set to take place on May 6 as part of the Tulsa, Okla.-based center’s 10-year anniversary celebration. Pussy Riot members Masha Alyokhina and Nadya Tolokonnikova will accept the award from the late folk music legend’s daughter, Nora Guthrie, inside Tulsa’s Cain Ballroom before they and their bandmates perform their latest multimedia show, titled Riot Days, for the first time in the U.S.

“It feels fitting to be awarded in the spirit of Woody, I think he would love Pussy Riot’s anti-fascist message,” Tolokonnikova told Billboard after the news was announced.

“As artists who, like Woody Guthrie, have the courage of their convictions, there are no
contemporary artists more worthy of this recognition than Pussy Riot,” added Woody Guthrie Center director Cady Shaw in a separate statement. “They have paid a very personal price for speaking their
minds on the most serious issues of our time, yet they continue to fight for justice and freedom.”

According to a release, the Woody Guthrie Prize is “given annually to an artist who best exemplifies Woody Guthrie’s spirit and work by speaking for the less fortunate through music, film, literature, dance or other art forms and serving as a positive force for social change.” Over the last decade, the honor has also been bestowed upon the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Mavis Staples, John Mellencamp, Kris Kristofferson, Joan Baez, Norman Lear and more.

Earlier this month, Tolokonnikova also helped raise nearly $7 million for relief efforts in Ukraine by partnering with UkraineDAO on an NFT of the besieged country’s flag in the midst of its ongoing war with Russia.

23 Mar 2023

Miley Cyrus’ ‘River’ Flows Onto Hot Dance/Electronic Songs Chart

Miley Cyrus’ ‘River’ launches at No. 2 on Billboard’s multi-metric Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart (dated March 25). The track from her new album, Endless Summer Vacation, which she described as a “dancefloor banger” on Instagram, is Cyrus’ first on the chart as a lead act, her first top 10 and her second overall showing, after will.i.am’s “Fall Down,” on which she’s featured, hit No. 11 in 2013.

As previously reported, the LP launches at No. 3 on the Billboard 200, marking Cyrus’ 14th top 10.

The No. 2 debut for “River” is the highest for any track on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs since Elton John and Britney Spears soared in at No. 1 with “Hold Me Closer” last September. From the chart’s start in January 2013, only nine songs have launched at Nos. 1 or 2.

“River” begins with 13.7 million radio airplay audience impressions, 10.9 million official streams and 1,600 downloads sold in the United States (March 10-16), according to Luminate. Correspondingly, “River” rules the Dance/Electronic Streaming Songs chart, giving Cyrus her first leader in her first appearance.

The track also starts on Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales (No. 4, Cyrus’ second top 10, equaling the peak of “Fall Down”), the Billboard Global 200 (No. 16), Billboard Global Excl. U.S. (No. 20) and the Billboard Hot 100 (No. 32, becoming her 21st top 40 hit). Not officially being promoted as the new album’s radio follow-up to “Flowers,” which rebounds for a seventh week atop the Hot 100, “River” also debuts on Adult Pop Airplay (No. 26), Pop Airplay (No. 27) and Radio Songs (No. 48).

Additionally on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs, Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding debut their third top 10 collab, “Miracle” (No. 6). Previously, the DJ/producer and singer charted with “Outside” (Harris feat. Goulding; No. 2, Feb. 2015) and “I Need Your Love” (Harris feat. Goulding; No. 3, July 2013).

“Miracle” is Harris’ 22nd top 10, tying him with The Chainsmokers for the second-most among all acts (after Kygo’s 24). Goulding achieves her sixth top 10 and her highest-debuting, eclipsing the bow of “Outside” (No. 7, November 2014).

“Miracle” starts with 3.2 million streams and 1,000 sold, also good for No. 7 beginnings on both Dance/Electronic Streaming Songs and Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales.

Bizarrap and Shakira surge following their joint interview and performance on NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon March 10. “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53” improves on Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales (7-2; 2,100 sold, up 167%). It ranks at No. 3 on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs, after eight weeks at its No. 2 high.

Shifting to the Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart, Snakehips, BIA and Lucky Daye slither 13-9 with “Solitude.” The first top 10 for each act, the track is drawing core-dance airplay on supporters including Music Choice’s Dance/EDM Channel, KMVQ-HD2 San Francisco and iHeartRadio’s Evolution.

Plus, ILLENIUM adds his seventh Dance/Mix Show Airplay top 10 and Nina Nesbitt notches her first with “Luv Me a Little” (16-10). (The chart measures radio airplay on a select group of full-time dance stations, along with plays during mix shows on around 70 top 40-formatted reporters.)

23 Mar 2023

How U.K.’s FLO Rejuvenated Y2K R&B and Restored Our Hope in Girl Groups

From across the pond, Renée Downer of FLO, the buzzy, new U.K. R&B trio, says, “We’re still little fish in the big fish industry,” causing her groupmate Jorja Douglas to giggle at the metaphor. But for three “little fish,” Downer, Douglas and Stella Quaresma have made quite a massive splash over the last year they’ve started releasing music together as a group — which was years in the making.

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Quaresma was born in Kingston upon Thames in southwest London and moved to Mozambique as an infant before returning to London at age five. She and Downer, who was born and raised in North London, both attended the Sylvia Young Theatre School, a performing arts school that boasts all-star alumni including Amy Winehouse, Dua Lipa and Jesy Nelson and Leigh-Anne Pinnock of Little Mix, the British girl group that rose from X Factor favorites to one of the best-selling girl groups of all time – before Nelson announced her departure in 2020, and the remaining members announced Little Mix’s hiatus two years later.

Fans mourned the loss of yet another beloved U.K. girl group that came and left their mark — while behind the scenes, three girls in their late teens were just starting to find their flow… literally. Rob Harrison, the Island Records A&R and founder of independent record label Listen Generously who currently manages FLO, was on a mission to discover the next big girl group. When Downer arrived at UMG’s office to meet with Harrison, she ran into Douglas, whom she had discovered on social media after the then-14-year-old Douglas won the British singing competition series, Got What It Takes?, with a cover of Adele’s “When We Were Young.”

“The next step was to try different combinations of girls. So Jorja and Stella were together with two other girls for a day, and I was with two girls for a day,” Downer recalled. “We were just getting to know each other, singing together, seeing how we connected and it was not a vibe at all. But Jorja and Stella gravitated towards each other, and then the next combination was us three …. And the rest is history.”

Over the next three years, Douglas, Quaresma and Downer worked with British super-producer MNEK on harnessing the nostalgia of the noughties and the decade prior while still sounding fresh. On March 24, 2022, FLO released its debut single, “Cardboard Box,” a delectable kiss-off anthem that dusts off the “to the left, to the left” sentiments of Beyoncé’s 2006 smash “Irreplaceable” and repackages ’00’s R&B for today’s consumption. While FLO’s songs have since generated 162.1 million on-demand official streams globally, according to Luminate, “Cardboard Box” accounts for 61.5 million of those streams (through March 2).

“Cardboard Box” arrived ahead of their debut EP The Lead, which further cemented their position as the new classic R&B girls, because of how closely they’ve studied the game. FLO’s second single, “Immature,” implements a wailing baby sample that sounds straight out of Timbaland’s playbook (not to mention, the “Say you want my body, body” chorus line hints at yet another Bey track, her 2006 B’Day cut “Kitty Kat”). Meanwhile, the slinky, yet soulful promotional single “Not My Job” shuts down dudes with little-to-no game à la TLC’s “No Scrubs.”

But when it comes to FLO’s job, says Downer, “We wouldn’t [want] to have any other career.”

Billboard spoke with March’s R&B/Hip-Hop Rookie of the Month about how FLO knew they were the right fit, what it means to carry the legacy of girl groups they grew up, and whether they’ll be opening for Queen Bey’s Renaissance Tour.

Who did you grow up listening to?

Douglas: I grew up listening to a lot of late-‘90s R&B, early-2000s R&B — just loads of old-school R&B like Usher, Mariah Carey, Beyoncé, Whitney [Houston] … all of the greats. Those are my biggest influences.

Quaresma: Similar vibes.

Downer: Similar vibes – people like Ciara, Rihanna, those type of ladies.  

Stella and Renée, you attended Sylvia Young Theatre School together. What is it about that school that allowed you two, but also your famous predecessors, to succeed in the music industry?

Quaresma: I feel like it was the worth ethic you had to have. They just kind of drilled that into you – being professional, being places on time.

Downer: Yeah, they definitely did. They taught you about the industry, so that was nailed into us for years on how to conduct yourself and how to work with different people.

Jorja, you won the British singing competition show, Got What It Takes?, when you were just 14. Looking back at that moment, where did you believe your career was going to go?

Douglas: I don’t know. It was just a bit of fun for me. And then I won, which was just extra fun. That kind of helped me put myself out there a bit more. Following that, I knew being in a girl group was, like, the best thing to do. There was no girl group. So I saw an opportunity, and I took it. [Laughs.]

What is everyone’s special ingredient that they bring to the table? Outside of the music, what’s your favorite personality trait about one another?

Douglas, Downer and Quaresma [in unison]: Hmmmm.

Douglas: In terms of music, we just bounce off of each other. And because we all have those same influences, we all enjoy the same R&B melody, so we’re just pretty in sync with each other. And then personality-wise, we’re like the same, but in different fonts.

Downer and Quaresma: Yeah. Yeah.

How did you work with MNEK on crafting your signature sound?

Downer: The great thing about MNEK is he grew up around our influences, and when that type of music was a thing. He learned about it so early on, and he really crafted that and worked on it. We’re young girls who can learn so much from him. He honestly knows like everything. He’s one of those crazy-talented people. He took time to get to know us and know our influences, and we just connected on that vibe.

I saw you met Kelly Rowland while you were recording in an LA studio with MNEK. How memorable was that for all of you?

Douglas: With Kelly Rowland, I mean…

Quaresma: … I mean, it’s just like …

Douglas: … Surreal.

Downer: Too stunned to speak.

Quaresma: It’s just crazy that they’re actually real people. And also, it’s nice because she’s lived a similar situation that we’re going through, and she’s still alive! She’s still here! [Laughs.]

Is there anyone else you’re dying to meet or collaborate with?

Downer: Victoria Monét. I’m really excited for when we get in the studio with her. We can learn a lot [about] songwriting as well.

What surprised you most about the success of “Cardboard Box?”

Quaresma: I feel like we knew it would do quite well. We pushed for that song to come out first. We knew to put our best foot forward. But it was a really amazing shock how well it did. It just worked!

I’ve read in some of your interviews that you convinced your label to make “Cardboard Box” your debut single, and you made a presentation about how involved you wanted to be in the rollout for your debut EP The Lead. What advice do you have for other artists, especially young Black female artists, who also want to advocate for themselves to their teams?  

Quaresma: No one knows your music and your craft better than you. Just remember that. Nobody can try and shape it to be something that’s not genuine. It’s just not going to be as good, so just trust that what you’re about is good enough.

You made history by becoming the first group to win the BRIT Awards’ Rising Star award, and you also won Radio 1’s BBC Sound of 2023. Both honors are decided by separate panels made up of music industry leaders. How does it feel that the U.K. music business is rooting for you so early in your career?

Douglas: We’re very, very grateful, because we just feel like we’re being put in a really good position. It makes us feel really empowered — like, the stage we’re in, we feel really in control of what we want to do and the direction we want to go in. And we feel like, because we’re being given these awards, they’re making us more … what’s the word, like when [what] we’re saying has actual weight to it now?

Quaresma: Credibility.

Douglas: Yeah, exactly!

How has the legacy of British girl groups impacted you three as the U.K.’s newest edition, and what does it mean for you three to be carrying the torch?

Downer: It means a lot to be carrying the torch, because girl groups are so powerful — and to have the people that we grew up watching recognize us and be like, ”You guys have got this. You can go where we’ve gone and further,” is the biggest accomplishment ever. It’s just so deep to us.

Stormzy tapped you for one of the “Hide & Seek” remixes from his latest album, This Is What I Mean. What did recording with a U.K. superstar like him mean for you three?

Downer: He just asked us if we wanted to do it. And we were like, “Yeah, let’s do it.” But we didn’t get in the studio with him. It was a bit different, because we’ve never been featured on somebody else’s track — so we really had to get into a different vibe and think how we can add to that song. It was a nice vibe to experiment with.  

Describe the process of prepping for your first North American tour, which starts this April. How did you know was the right time for you to embark on your first tour in the States?

Quaresma: Well, we got told this is what we’re doing. [Laughs.]

Douglas: Most of all, it made sense, because most of our fans are in America. And obviously, R&B is just so much more appreciated in America as well. So it’s like: Go where you’re wanted, don’t try and force it. Obviously, there’s still a love for R&B here, but it’s just something completely different in America. Majority of our fans on Twitter, they’re American. We would have been abused if we didn’t go. They would’ve cussed us out!

Speaking of tour, there have been some reports going around that you could be opening for Beyoncé’s Renaissance Tour. Can you confirm or deny at this time?

Quaresma: Honestly, I wish we knew.

Douglas: I think it might be Doechii.

Downer: Oh! Imagine if it’s Doechii! That would be amazing.

Douglas: [Beyoncé] knows who we are. But that was just a rumor.

What can you tell me your upcoming debut album, and when can fans expect it to come out?

Downer: I don’t think we can say yet…

Douglas: …because we don’t have the answer.

Downer: We’re still figuring it out.

Quaresma: Just more elevated, different. We’re just growing up, basically, so our music’s just growing with us.

23 Mar 2023

Kelly Clarkson Rocks Out Her Way With Lenny Kravitz Cover: Watch

Kelly Clarkson just covered another artist’s hit song, but as per usual, she did it her way. On the Thursday (March 23) episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show, the three-time Grammy winner and her band Y’all put their own special spin on “Are You Gonna Go My Way,” the 1993 smash that solidified Lenny Kravitz‘s place in music stardom.

The Thursday (March 23) performance came complete with all the hallmarks of Clarkson’s best Kellyoke performances, including flashing lights, epic solos and the “Stronger” singer’s own signature vocal power. She belted out one sky-high note after another throughout the song while her electric guitarist shredded sizzling riffs behind her.

“So tell me why we got to die/ And kill each other one by one/ We’ve got to hug and rub-a-dub/ We’ve got to dance and be in love,” Clarkson sang, her audience clapping along to the hardcore beat.
“Are you gonna go my way?/ And I got to, got to know/ Are you gonna go my way?”

Released in 1993 as the title track and lead single off Kravitz’s Are You Gonna Go My Way album, the rock anthem is one of the Hunger Games star’s best-known songs. It topped Billboard‘s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart the year it was released and picked up two Grammy nominations in 1994, earning nods for best rock song and best male rock performance. Meanwhile, the album reached No. 12 on the Billboard 200, at the time blowing away Kravitz’s previous chart peaks with Mama Said and Let Love Rule.

“It just did what it wanted to do,” the musician told Billboard in 2013, reflecting on the then 20-year-old record’s success. “It was an amazing time. I was touring the world and seeing the world for the first time that extensively, and my life was very, very free, very wild, a lot of craziness going on — a lot of emotions and a lot of feelings. But I had no idea that this record was going to catapult me into that next level, no idea at all. I was just really enjoying the creative process.”

Watch Kelly Clarkson rock out to Lenny Kravitz’s “Are You Gonna Go My Way” in the video above.