Music

03 Feb 2023

HARDY & Lainey Wilson and Carly Pearce Add Country Airplay Chart Top 10s

HARDY’s “Wait in the Truck,” featuring Lainey Wilson, rolls into the top 10 of Billboard’s Country Airplay chart dated Feb. 11. The song pushes from No. 11 to No. 9, up 5% to 19.3 million audience impressions in the week ending Feb. 2, according to Luminate.

HARDY lands his third Country Airplay top 10 as a recording artist, after “Beers on Me,” with Dierks Bentley and BRELAND, led for a week last April and “One Beer,” featuring Lauren Alaina and Devin Dawson, ruled for a week in December 2020. HARDY has co-written 11 No. 1s on the survey, including those two chart-toppers.

“Truck” gives Wilson her fourth consecutive career- opening Country Airplay top 10. Her debut, “Things a Man Oughta Know,” topped the tally for a week in September 2021; “Never Say Never,’’ with Cole Swindell, dominated for two frames last April-May; and her third top 10, “Heart Like a Truck,” rides 10-7 (21 million, up 7%) for a new high on the latest list.

HARDY penned “Truck” with Renee Blair, Hunter Phelps and Jordan Schmidt.  “You rarely hear songs like this that bring light to heavy situations that people are really scared to talk about,” says Wilson of the tense murder ballad. “I feel, in my heart, that our job is to sing about the things that people are afraid to talk about. It’s a song that definitely starts a conversation.”

“Wait” is the lead single from HARDY’s LP The Mockingbird & The Crow, which launched at No. 1 on the Top Country Albums chart dated Feb. 4 with 55,000 equivalent album units, marking his first leader and biggest week to-date.

‘Didn’t Do’ Does It

Carly Pearce nets her fourth Country Airplay top 10 as “What He Didn’t Do” rises 12-10 (19.1 million, up 5%). Co-penned by Pearce, the song follows her first three No. 1s: her Ashley McBryde team-up “Never Wanted To Be That Girl,” which led for a week last May; “I Hope You’re Happy Now,” with Lee Brice (one week, June 2020); and “Every Little Thing,” (one, November 2017).

03 Feb 2023

The Dream Setlist for Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour

If the reported millions of fans registered for ticket queues is any indication, Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour is going to be one for the books.The Queen’s first solo all-stadium show since 2016’s Formation World Tour was announced Wednesday (Feb. 1) after several days of speculation and reported venue location leaks. She’ll hit up Europe first in May, and will perform in North America beginning in early July. 

There have been so many changes in the world since the last time Beyoncé performed a headlining show — and in her own life and career. Her family with husband Jay-Z grew by two, while she became the most-nominated artist in Grammys history and also garnered an Academy Award nomination. Considering the magnitude of her artistic growth since 2016 — coupled with the deep musical layers informing the RENAISSANCE era of her career — there is absolutely no telling what songs might comprise this tour’s setlist.

Beyoncé has never been a one-trick performer, and she consistently keeps fans on their toes with innovative ideas, fresh choreography and endearing song mashups. Now that she’s long beyond icon status, she has earned the liberty of continuing to do whatever the heck she feels like doing.

Where do you even start when thinking of the ideal setlist for an act as significant as Beyoncé, during a tour as massive as this one is expected to be? Will she pull deep cuts out of the vault? Will she hit every album era? Well, you won’t have to think too hard about all of that, because we have you covered.

Below is our dream setlist for Bey’s Renaissance World Tour. The setlist covers Beyoncé’s discography, keeps her past tour tendencies in mind, and also hearkens back to the beginnings of dance and house music, as Renaissance (and much of modern music as we know it) would hardly exist without them. We’re hoping that the show runs for a reasonable two-and-a-half hours — which would be fair, considering it’s her first trek in nearly seven years!

03 Feb 2023

Juice WRLD Catalog Quietly Sold to Opus Music Group

A majority stake in late rapper Juice WRLD‘s rights and income streams quietly sold to Opus Music Group in early 2022 in a nine-figure deal, according to a source close to the acquisition. Opus now owns 90% of Juice WRLD’s interest in master recording income and 90% of his share of publishing ownership.

The prolific Chicago-born talent’s deal includes his “hundreds” of unreleased tracks as well as his full released music catalog. Ownership of his master recordings remains with his label partners, Grade A Productions and Interscope Records.

Opus Music Group is financially backed by Elliott Management, a New York-based investment management company with one of the largest activist funds in the world. According to Opus Music Group’s website, the firm represents three artists: Juice WRLD, Rauw Alejandro and Maluma.

Juice WRLD boasts five top five-charting albums on the Billboard 200, encompassing the entirety of his charting releases. Two of those albums, Death Race for Love and Legends Never Die, finished at No. 1 on the tally. The late rapper has also charted nine songs on the Billboard Hot 100. He’s earned 16.3 million equivalent album units in the United States for his solo albums as well as his collaborative set with Future, according to Luminate. He also has 26.2 billion on-demand official streams in the U.S. for his catalog of songs where he’s billed as the primary artist, including those credited to Future & Juice WRLD from their collab set, according to Luminate.

Opus Music Group, which would not comment on deal terms, emailed the following statement to Billboard: “To represent the body of work of Juice Wrld – whose cultural significance and generational influence can’t be overstated – is an honor and a responsibility.”

A representative for Juice WRLD declined to comment.

Born Jarad Anthony Higgins, Juice WRLD died in 2019 following a seizure when he was 21 years old. He is best known for his hit “Lucid Dreams,” a melodic, emo-tinged rap track that brought the Soundcloud Rap subgenre to mainstream airwaves in 2018 and reached No. 2 on Billboard‘s Hot 100 chart. The emotive, catchy track was the focal point of his debut album, Goodbye and Good Riddance (2018), a record which also included “All Girls Are the Same,” his first song to gain serious traction, as well as “Lean wit Me,” “Wasted” and “Armed and Dangerous.” That same year, he released the collaborative mixtape with Future called Future & Juice WRLD Present…Wrld on Drugs. One year later, he released his second album, Death Race for Love, which featured the song “Robbery” and reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

Juice WRLD was also known for featuring on other artists’ tracks, often crossing traditional genre lines in the process. Some of his collaborators included Lil Uzi Vert, Benny Blanco, Trippie Redd, Ellie Goulding and BTS.

Posthumously, Juice WRLD has released even more music, starting with the 22-track record Legends Never Die (2020) and Fighting Demons (2022).

03 Feb 2023

P!nk Previews ‘Trustfall,’ Duets on ‘What About Us’ With Kelly Clarkson

P!nk is stopping by The Kelly Clarkson Show next Monday (Feb. 6) to chat about her upcoming album Trustfall and duet with Kelly Clarkson on “What About Us.”

In a preview clip, the host jokes that her long-awaited 10th studio album will be filled with songs about “sadness and depression and divorce,” P!nk counters, “Mine is more like the world is ending. … But those are the best songs! But it’s also like, I’m still a wife and a daughter and a mother, and I lost my dad, and it’s the pandemic. And then my almost dearest friend in the whole world died eight months later, and I’m still parenting and all of these things.

“So you write all those songs,” the singer continues. “And then you get to a point where you’re like, ‘Well if we are sliding sideways off the axis, let’s dance.’”

P!nk also opened up about the meaning behind the album’s newly released title track, saying, “I feel like life right now — getting out of bed in the morning, having a vagina, dropping your kids off at school, participating in elections — any of it requires so much trust right now. And I think life is a trust fall and those are the questions you have to ask: what do you fall for and what’s worth it?”

The conversation leads to Clarkson asking P!nk about her politically charged single “What About Us” and eventually the two pop stars decide to harmonize their way through the 2017 hit.

P!nk’s Trustfall is set to be released Feb. 17. Watch previews from her interview and duet with Clarkson below.

03 Feb 2023

Shania Twain Reveals She Wrote ‘Queen of Me’ Track ‘Inhale/Exhale AIR’ After Surviving COVID-19 Hospitalization

Shania Twain‘s new album Queen of Me finally arrived on Friday (Feb. 3). To celebrate, the country singer appeared on The Kelly Clarkson Show, during which she revealed that the album track “Inhale/Exhale AIR” was inspired by a private struggle with COVID-19.

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“I affectionately call the song ‘Air.’ With everyone suffering from COVID…it’s such a respiratory infection that can really take your life very quickly,” Twain told the American Idol alum. “I won’t get into it, but when I was released from the hospital, the first thing I did was write down a list of things that air gives us. Obviously life, but I’m thinking, ‘OK, cheer yourself up. What does air give us that is very celebratory?’”

She continued, “I’m thinking champagne bubbles, balloons! With the air we can sail, we can fly, we can fly a kite. We have all these lovely things to celebrate about air. So I wrote that song. What are you going to do without that air? ‘Inhale, Exhale.’ That’s the most inspired song on the album.”

“Inhale/Exhale AIR” follows Queen of Me‘s self-love theme. Twain took to Instagram on album release day to share her excitement and her hopes for its listeners.

“I am absolutely thrilled to announce that my new album, Queen Of Me, is now yours ? I wrote this album from a place of feeling good within myself – I wanted music that got me up dancing and lifted my spirits!” the 54-year-old wrote. “I think the fact that I recorded this album with so many good hearted and talented people only amplified that! I hope the album brings you joy and empowers you to feel good in your own skin!”

Watch Twain talk about “Inhale/Exhale AIR” on The Kelly Clarkson Show in the video above.

03 Feb 2023

Artists with the Most Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Nods Without Being Inducted (Yet)

Here’s a list that, frankly, no one wants to be on – artists who have had the most nominations to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame without being inducted. Because, whether they admit or not, most artists wants to be inducted, awarded, feted and celebrated.

Three of this year’s nominees to the Rock Hall are creeping up this list. This is the fifth nomination for Rage Against the Machine and the fourth for Kate Bush and The Spinners. It’s the second for Iron Maiden, Soundgarden and A Tribe Called Quest — but we limited this list to artists who have been nominated three or more times without being inducted.

Sometimes, the Rock Hall gives special awards to artists who have been passed over in the regular voting. Nile Rodgers received an award for musical excellence in 2017, the same year his band Chic was passed over for the 11th time. LL Cool J received the same award in 2021 following several snubs. The Rock Hall stresses that all routes to their honors are valid and should be accorded respect. They don’t want anyone to regard special honors as consolation prizes (even if many fans will see them that way).

LL’s musical excellence award removed him from this list. Chic remains on the list because the other members of the group — Bernard Edwards, Tony Thompson, Luci Martin and Norma Jean Wright — have yet to be honored.

Eight of this year’s 14 candidates are first-time nominees, which suggests that time is marching on in the Rock Hall nominating process, as it should. You can also see evidence of that in the “most recent nod” column here. 1950s R&B star Chuck Willis’ most recent nod was in 2011. You have to go back to 2005 for Gram Parsons’ most recent nod, and all the way back to 1988 for Ben E. King’s. Barring some new impetus to induct these artists, their chances appear close to nil. But never say never: Kate Bush had a thoroughly unexpected revival in 2022, which greatly boosted her chances of making it in this year.

Chaka Khan has faced the voters seven times without being inducted – three times on her own and four times fronting Rufus.

To be nominated for the Rock Hall, an artist or band must have released its first commercial recording at least 25 years prior to the year of nomination.

Here’s how Billboard‘s Andrew Unterberger pegs this year’s nominees in terms of their likelihood of being inducted this year — from least to most likely. Of the six repeat candidates, he is highest on Bush and Soundgarden making it in this year, with the other four deemed less likely to get the job done this year.

Here’s a list of the artists who have been nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame three or more times but haven’t been inducted yet.

03 Feb 2023

Boi-1da Reflects on His Road to 19 Career Grammy Nominations, Ahead of 2023 Bid for Producer of the Year

For Boi-1da, starting off his career in Canada was no walk in the park. In 2008, Toronto fans were even more brutally cold than the Ontario climate, earning the metropolitan center Boi-1da’s crown for “the worst place to perform.” The city was then known as “the Screwface capital” — a far cry from the overwhelming Drake-mania that exploded in years to come. “I remember we would go places at colleges to perform and everybody was hating on each other booing each other, except for us,” the 36-year-old explains. “We weren’t making gangsta rap, so it was really tough in Toronto.”

Instead, the Jamaica-born Boi-1da — alongside collaborators like Noah ‘”40″ Shebib and T-Minus –painstakingly plowed what was formerly infertile ground, cultivating a cross-cultural, genre-bending sound that would forever change rap. The feat was unprecedented, considering Canada was seldom taken seriously in the music space (save icons like Celine Dion and Shania Twain) and especially within hip-hop.

But now, everything is different — including the way Toronto receives its own musicians. Drake’s success alongside his homegrown team opened the doors for artists like The Weeknd, Partynextdoor, dvsn, Majid Jordan and Jessie Reyez. Boi-1da helped discover and usher in some of these acts, including bringing producers like Sevn Thomas and Vinylz into the fold, who have gone on to work with megastars like Rihanna, Travis Scott and Jay-Z.

Outside of his work with Drake, the mega-producer has brought the R&B and hip-hop genres some of their most iconic musical moments of the last decade, by way of artists like Beyonce, Kendrick Lamar, Jack Harlow, J. Cole, Cardi B and Chris Brown. He even took it back to his roots, tapping into Latin sounds with Romeo Santos, J Balvin and Maluma, as well as Jamaican artists like Popcaan.

“I’m so open to music and I make all different kinds of music,” he explains. “I’m going to give people different versions of myself and what I can do [in these new projects].”

Now celebrating nineteen Grammy nominations, including this year’s nomination for producer of the year (non-classical), the chart-topping producer is overwhelmed with gratitude. “It’s a blessing that people care about you or even think about your music,” he says, “because I remember at one point, nobody had any idea who I was. I had no listeners, I was just a kid making music. So I’m grateful for anything.”

Ahead of the Grammys, Boi-1da caught up with Billboard to reflect back on his 17-year-long career, the “terrible” state of hip-hop and what’s left for the multi-hyphenate to achieve.

You’ve been on every Drake project from Room for Improvement through Certified Lover Boy — what was that come up like?

It was the worst. It was literally a warzone in Toronto, nobody showed anybody love. I felt like the boy who cried wolf. I was like, “Yo, this guy’s really good!” and nobody believed me. Nobody wanted to take him seriously as the light-skinned guy from Degrassi.

What were your career goals at that time?

My head around those times was just in getting good at making music. I really wanted to impress people with with my music, that was my main goal. I would get joy [from] a reaction of anybody liking my music. I’m pretty sure every kid with a basketball is growing up wanting to be LeBron James or Steph Curry, so obviously you want to be the best. But really, truly, I was just thinking very small-scale at first. To just be locally good. Once I started making moves and winning competitions for beats, I started expanding my mind and realizing that I can go bigger with it.

What was the catalyst that began to change things?

Up until the co-sign by Lil Wayne, people were not [tapped in]. I don’t know why, because the music was so good.

Early on, what was the music that inspired you?

I was born in Jamaica, so all I heard in my household was dancehall and reggae… I remember we moved to a city called Scarborough. My older sister listened to a lot of R&B — I remember she would constantly play [Soul for Real’s] “Candy Rain” and Boyz II Men. We never had no Spotify and barely any radio. My mom listened to a lot of Ace of Base and Toni Braxton.

I know you’ve tapped into reggae and dancehall, which isn’t a far cry from reggaetón. Would you tap into any Latin genres?

Definitely. I’ve collabed with a few [Latin] artists. I worked with Romeo Santos, a really good friend of mine. I can’t even pronounce the song properly, it’s “Sin Filtro.” He’s the GOAT. We have a few unreleased songs together, as well as [me and] J. Balvin, and I’ve worked with Maluma.

You’re a 19-time Grammy nominated producer. Does that number carry weight for you?

The funny thing is — I just heard that two days ago. I didn’t even know I was 19-times Grammy nominated. So yeah, it definitely does. It’s just an honor to even be acknowledged by the Academy. It’s the highest form of respect. I would have never thought being a little kid that I would have this many nominations, or be doing anything I’m doing. So I’m just grateful.

You’ve already won twice at the Grammys. Would walking away with another win on Sunday change anything for you?

if anything, I’m just gonna go even harder. If I win on Sunday, that’s motivation for me to take it to another level. I think I have a great chance and I’m definitely more than deserving of it. If it’s in God’s grace for me to win, that’ll be a blessing. It’s only gonna make me go harder and make even better music — win or lose.

For someone of your stature, and level of accomplishment, it would be easy to get lost in that. What helps to keep you level-headed?

Having very honest friends and family around me constantly and keeping them very close. I don’t really have friends that are “yes people” around me. I have friends and family that definitely hold me accountable. I prefer that around me, than people just telling me I’m doing the right thing if I make a mistake.

My daughter, she keeps it pretty funky with me. I’ll play her music and she’ll be like, “This sucks.” My dad always taught me that you’re not better than anybody, regardless of whatever you do. I treat everybody with the same respect and put everybody on the same level.

Any picks for best new artist this year?

Definitely excited for Anitta. She’s super cool. Spoke to her a few times. Latto’s really dope and so is Muni Long. I’ve been meaning to work with Anitta, but we haven’t done anything just yet. Latto as well, I have a few friends who are connected with her, who are gonna connect us eventually. I don’t rush anything.

You were born in Jamaica and came to Canada as a four-year-old. Did you experience the typical child-of-immigrants pressure?

My parents grew up extremely rough. They grew up in Jamaica when it was literally the murder capital of the world. We actually moved to Canada because there was a lot of murder around where we lived. I’ve watched my dad work overtime, sacrifice every night, to live in the places we used to live [in Toronto]. And my mom worked extremely hard. When I came to Canada, it was without my my mom. Just me, my dad and my sister. I didn’t see my mom for two years.

So I’ve seen them work very hard. There was definitely a lot of pressure but they also gave me a lot of love and said, “No matter what, win or lose, we’re still family and we love you.”

There’s been a lot of conversation in the last year about the state of rap and where it is headed. Most recently, the genre lost a portion of its market share and there’s been some concern about its positioning. What are your thoughts on where rap is at today?

I’ll be completely honest with you. I think hip-hop is terrible right now, and one-dimensional. But I think it’s up to the people at the forefront — including myself — to start doing new things and taking risks. I feel like it’s been stuck at the same spot for a long time. Hip-hop always has its ups and downs. I just feel like it’s a little bit of a downward phase right now. And it’s gonna go back up eventually.

A lot of people thought that drill music would give the genre that boost, but it seems that the subgenre’s biggest hopefuls have been killed, imprisoned or had their careers hampered.

Yeah, that’s unfortunate. There’s still a lot of dope drill, and a lot of people doing it. I feel like a lot of creatives these days — they’ll see something as hot and just want to do that. Whereas the way I think about things is, I see something and I want to go in the complete opposite direction, at all times. I’m just gonna continue to do that, and try my best as a leader in music to bring something new to the table and shake it up a little bit.

What was it like working with Kendrick Lamar on Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, which is up for album of the year and best rap album?

I worked on “N95” and “Silent Hill.” It’s always dope to work with Kendrick. He’s just a creative free spirit and so am I. When we both connect, it’s just a bunch of ideas being shot out there. We did those songs a while ago on the spot here in California. I’ll work on [the songs] to a certain extent, because I trust Kendrick’s creative integrity — and then he took them and made them what he wanted.

How involved is Kendrick in the production of his music?

Extremely involved. He is almost a producer himself. He’s just moving things out the way, changing things. He’s literally a musical genius composer, artist, writer, visionary, everything. He’s really a gift from God to the world. I really appreciate that man and his art.

Another visionary you worked with — who is also up for album of the year — is Beyoncé. What was it like creating “HEATED?”

That was a record that I had originally worked on with Drake. It was an idea we started that he took over with Beyoncé. That’s another guy that I fully allow to be himself. There’s no point in telling Drake anything. He knows what he’s doing. I’m like [DJ] Khaled — I like what Drake likes. Whatever Drake wants to do, he can do, because he gets it right every single time.

Did you and Drake make “HEATED” with Beyoncé in mind?

Yeah, we had Bey in mind. We just wanted to do a song with the Queen.

You’ve had an almost two-decade long career as a producer so far. What’s left for you?

I think what’s left for my career is to start putting out projects of my own. I feel like I’ve been floating around and helping everybody else with their projects. I think it’s about time I do something creative that is completely my vision. I feel like I haven’t showed that to the world at all.

It’s in motion right now. I’m creating a lot for myself, and talking to artists about ideas that I’ve worked on. I’m working on a cool project right now that’s coming together slowly but tastefully. When it’s done, everybody’s gonna hear it. I don’t like putting release dates on things. I want it to be perfect.

03 Feb 2023

White Reaper Score First Adult Alternative Airplay No. 1 With ‘Pages’

White Reaper notches its No. 1 on Billboard’s Adult Alternative Airplay with “Pages,” which lifts to the top of the Feb. 11-dated survey.

The song becomes the Kentucky band’s second top 10, after its debut entry “Might Be Right” hit No. 4 in 2019.

In between the two tracks, the quintet also appeared on the chart with the No. 19-peaking “Real Long Time” in 2020.

White Reaper is the second straight act to earn a first No. 1 on Adult Alternative Airplay, following TALK, whose “Run Away to Mars” led the two preceding weeks.

Concurrently, “Pages” rises 10-9 on Alternative Airplay, a new high. It’s likewise White Reaper’s second top 10, after “Right” reigned for a week in 2020.

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On the all-rock-format, audience-based Rock & Alternative Airplay chart, “Pages” leaps 19-13 with 2.3 million audience impressions, a boost of 10%, according to Luminate.

“Pages” is the lead single from White Reaper’s newly released fourth album Waiting for a Ride, which arrived Jan. 27.

All Billboard charts dated Feb. 11 will refresh on Billboard.com Tuesday, Feb. 7.

03 Feb 2023

From Shania Twain to GloRilla, What’s Your Favorite New Release of the Week? Vote!

It’s officially February, and as we turn the page on a new month, we’ve got a whole batch of new music to soundtrack the lead-up to Valentine’s Day. And Billboard wants to know: Which release are you loving the most?

More than half a decade after 2017’s Now, Shania Twain reasserts her claim to the country-pop throne with her new album Queen of Me. Preceded by singles “Waking Up Dreaming” and “Giddy Up!,” the new studio set also lifts the icon’s title track to her 2022 compilation Not Just a Girl (The Highlights) and incorporates the anthemic single into its 12-song track list.

Meanwhile, GloRilla feeds the haters and calls out the fakery in all our social media feeds on her delicious new single “Internet Trolls.” “Watch out for them internet trolls/ They be tryna satisfy them internet goals/ You just got locked up ’cause the internet told/ Fake it ’til you make it, that’s the internet code,” she spits on the Hitkidd-produced track.

There’s also RAYE, who caps off a long and arduous music industry journey of the past few years by finally releasing her debut album 21st Century Blues. “Please get nice and comfortable and lock your phones, because the story is about to begin,” she declares at the top of the independent studio set, which arrives on the heels of her U.K. No. 1 hit “Escapism” featuring 070 Shake and also contains highlights like “Oscar Winning Tears,” “The Thrill Is Gone” and the Mahalia-assisted “Five Star Hotels.”

Plus, Morgan Wallen previews the massive 36-song track list of his upcoming album One Thing at a Time with a trio of new tunes; Karol G and Romeo Santos team up for the Spanish-language “X Si Volvemos”; and more.

Vote for your favorite new release of the week in Billboard‘s poll below.

03 Feb 2023

3 Aspiring Rappers Found Dead in Detroit After Missing for Weeks

Three bodies found in a vacant Detroit-area apartment building have been identified as those of three aspiring rappers who went missing nearly two weeks ago, police said Friday (Feb. 3).

Michigan State Police said Friday afternoon on Twitter that investigators identified the bodies as those of Armani Kelly, 27, of Oscoda, Mich.; Montoya Givens, 31, of Detroit; and Dante Wicker, 31, of Melvindale, Mich.

“We offer our condolences to their family and friends,” police said.

The Michigan men were supposed to perform at a party at Lounge 31 in Detroit on Jan. 21, but they vanished after that appearance was canceled. Their bodies were found Thursday in the basement of an abandoned, rat-infested apartment building in Highland Park, near Detroit.

Earlier Friday, state police said the Wayne County Medical Examiners Office would conduct autopsies on the bodies. Lt. Mike Shaw said it could take up to 48 hours for autopsy results to be released because the bodies were found in “extreme cold” conditions.

Kelly, Givens and Wicker met while in prison, and Kelly and Givens were on parole at the time of their disappearance, according to the state corrections department.