Music

28 Dec 2022

Usher Mourns His Grandmother Tina Carter in Emotional Tribute: ‘I Feel a Bit Lost Right Now’

Usher is mourning the loss of his grandmother Ernestine “Tina” Carter, who died at age 87 on Christmas Eve at her residence in Chattanooga, Tenn. The R&B singer reflected on in her death in an emotional post shared to his Instagram on Tuesday (Dec. 27).

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“It’s taken me a few days to come to grips with the fact that my Grandma Tina is no longer with me. I’m praying for clarity and strength for all whom relied on her,” he began in his message. “Her daily devotion was to help those in need and she did just that. It was her life’s work. She was truly a prayer warrior for me and so many others. I feel a bit lost right now.”

The “Caught Up” singer also revealed the details of his final conversation with Carter. “Her last words to me were, ‘There’s a time for everything son …there’s a time to laugh, a time to cry…there’s a time to live and a time to die,’” he shared. “When I was broken, confused, lost and most vulnerable. She saw something else…and was there to remind me of purpose, and that no matter what I was facing. I love u more, she would say.”

The post features a series of sweet snaps of the star dancing with his grandmother, praying and sharing embraces.

“I need you right now more than ever Grandma,” Usher noted. “Just to hear u one more time. Missin u. I celebrate u and your life!!”

The post comes days after Usher shared a snap of his family wearing matching pajamas and Santa hats on Christmas Day. He captioned that message, “Family is all that matters. Blessings the ones that are here and the ones that watch over us!! Jesus is the reason, GOD Bless you this holiday season. From my family to yours.”

See Usher’s emotional tribute below:

28 Dec 2022

Shawn Mendes Swims in Freezing Cold River in His Underwear: Watch

It’s safe to say that Jack Frost nipped at Shawn Mendes‘ nose, toes and everything in between this Christmas. In a daring video posted to his Instagram, the 24-year-old singer-songwriter revealed that he celebrated the holiday by taking a swim in a freezing river — and as if that wasn’t cold enough on its own, he did it while wearing nothing but his underpants.

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In the video, Mendes and a friend stand in the snow next to the river, which is visibly capped with sheets of thick ice. The “Mercy” singer then strips off his pants, sweater and boots until nothing but his black boxers are left, and he proceeds to take the plunge.

“It’s cold!” the Ontario native shouts after dipping his head into the frigid water.

And later, as he’s stepping out of the river — his skin flushed pink from the cold — he confesses, “I can’t feel a thing.”

“MERRY CHRISTMAS,” Mendes captioned the excursion.

The “When You’re Gone” musician’s friends and fans took to the comments to cheer him on. “Can take the boy outta Canada but can’t take the Canada outta the boy,” wrote Mendes’ former MagCon costar Nash Grier. “BLUE BALLS. LITERALLY,” wrote producer and OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder.

Mendes’ video comes about five months after the pop star made the shocking decision to cancel the entirety of his Wonder World Tour, which he’d originally postponed by just a few weeks. He explained at the time that he needed to focus on his mental health, and the following month, he told TMZ that he was spending his time off going to therapy, hanging out with family and “taking it easy.”

In October, Lyle, Lyle Crocodile, an animated film for which Mendes voiced the titular character, premiered. It featured an original song written by Mendes for the movie, titled “Heartbeat.”

Check out Shawn Mendes’ Christmastime polar plunge below:

28 Dec 2022

All the 2022 Billboard Latin Artists on the Rise: Quevedo, Yahritza Y Su Esencia & More

In 2022, Billboard‘s Latin Artists on the Rise series featured throughout a select group of artists who had a breakthrough inside or outside of their genre, scored a significant chart feat and/or created a buzz that was impossible to ignore.

This year, the series went from featuring two artists a month to only having one Artist on the Rise per month, which leaves us with a total of 12 up-and-coming acts who were spotlit — including 25-year-old Silvana Estrada, who was the first Artist on the Rise of 2022 and went on to win best new artist at the Latin Grammys in November (in a tie with 95-year-old musician Ángela Álvarez).

April’s Artist on the Rise was Mexican-American teenage trio Yahritza Y Su Esencia, who made history with their first-ever single “Soy El Único.” Siblings Yahritza, Armando, and Jairo Martinez first created a fan base on TikTok and then made history on the Billboard charts after their debut single (released March 25 via Lumbre Music) debuted at No. 1 on Hot Latin Songs, and hit No. 20 on the Hot 100 chart, making the then 15-year-old Yahritza ​​the youngest Latin performer to enter the all-genre tally.

Another artist that was part of the exclusive list was Spanish artist Quevedo who, alongside Bizarrap, scored his first No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. thanks to their summer smash hit “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 52.”

Below, we highlight all the artists who formed part of the coveted Billboard Latin Artist on the Rise series throughout 2022.

28 Dec 2022

Meek Mill Posted Bail for 20 Incarcerated Women So They Could Spend the Holidays With Family

A Christmas miracle. Meek Mill posted the bail of multiple women last week so they could spend the holiday with their families.

According to an Instagram post by his nonprofit REFORM Alliance, the 20 women were incarcerated at Philadelphia’s Riverside Correctional Facility. “The women, who were unable to afford bail, will now be able to spend the holiday season with their families and loved ones,” read the caption. “Five women were released today and will be reunited with their families, with the goal of 15 more women being released in the coming week. The women will also each receive a gift card to purchase groceries or gifts for the holidays.”

“For families impacted by the criminal justice system, the holidays can be an extremely challenging time,” said the rapper in a statement. “No one should have to spend the holidays in jail simply because they can’t afford bail, and no child should be without their parents during this time if we can do something about it. I’m grateful for the opportunity to help these women be with their families and loved ones during this special time of year.”

Posting bail isn’t the only good deed Mill performed during this holiday season. Earlier in December, he visited the Philadelphia Eagles’ practice facility to spend time with kids whose families are ensnared in the criminal justice system, tossing a football around to the cheers of the assembled children.

The Philly native’s split from Roc Nation Management was also addressed by his pal — and REFORM co-founder — Jay-Z this summer in his four-minute verse on DJ Khaled’s star-studded single “God Did,” in which Hov insisted “Me and Meek could never beef.”

Check out Mill’s act of Christmas kindness below.

28 Dec 2022

Jennifer Lopez Opens Up About a New Song on ‘This Is Me … Now’ & Its Special Symbolism

In 2023, Jennifer Lopez‘s new era will take flight with the release of her new album, This Is Me … Now. And in her latest newsletter, the 53-year-old singer-actress opened up about one of the songs she wrote for the set, and revealed how it inspired her and husband Ben Affleck’s blended-family Christmas celebrations.

“I wrote a song called ‘Hummingbird’ for my new album. To me, hummingbirds are messengers of love,” Lopez explained in her On The JLo newsletter. “They’re very agile — can fly forward, backward, and up and down. They’re also the fastest bird but they always have time to stop, eat something sweet and smell the roses.”

“I identify with them, but more than anything, whenever I see one, I feel like it’s a sign from God that everything is going to be OK,” she added.

The Marry Me star, who said she’d spent recent weeks “hunkering down at home” after wrapping up her newest movie Atlas, went on to say that she likes to create a different theme for each holiday she celebrates.

“I decided this year that the hummingbird would be a perfect theme,” she continued. “I wanted to have a tree in the house that was a hummingbird tree, reminding us that everything done in love and with love will always be OK.”

“We have blended families, doubled the people, doubled the fun, doubled the love, doubled the presents and tripled the chaos!!” added Lopez, whose household includes Affleck (whom she married in July), his three children with ex-wife Jennifer Garner — 17-year-old Violet, 13-year-old Seraphina and 10-year-old Samuel — and Lopez’s two children with ex-husband Marc Anthony, 14-year-old twins Max and Emme.

One of the ways the “Let’s Get Loud” singer and the Oscar winner celebrated the holidays this year was by hosting a star-studded Christmas party in L.A., at which Lopez wore a Gucci dress with green and gold “hummingbird” colors, she pointed out in her newsletter.

This Is Me … Now is expected next year, though its exact release date has not yet been revealed. Lopez first announced the album — a follow-up to her 2002 record This Is Me … Then — in a late November Instagram post. She also at that time unveiled the tracklist, which lists “Hummingbird” at No. 8.

See the album announcement below:

28 Dec 2022

K.S. Chithra’s ‘Soul of Varisu’ Rules Hot Trending Songs Chart

K.S. Chithra’s “Soul of Varisu” from the upcoming film Varisu crowns Billboard’s Hot Trending Songs chart dated Dec. 31.

Billboard’s Hot Trending charts, powered by Twitter and sponsored by Xfinity Mobile, track global music-related trends and conversations in real-time across Twitter, viewable over either the last 24 hours or past seven days. A weekly, 20-position version of the chart, covering activity from Friday through Thursday of each week, posts alongside Billboard’s other weekly charts on Billboard.com each Tuesday, with the latest tracking period running Dec. 16-22.

“Soul of Varisu” is one of multiple songs composed by Thaman S to be featured on the soundtrack to the Tamil-language film Varisu, out Jan. 12, 2023.

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The song, sung by Chithra, was released Dec. 20 and has accumulated more than 9 million global views on YouTube since its premiere.

“Soul of Varisu” is followed by multiple songs from Stray Kids’ latest compilation album, SKZ-REPLAY, released Dec. 21. Pacing the pack is “Deep End,” performed by Stray Kids member Felix, which starts at No. 2.

In all, six songs from SKZ-REPLAY reach the chart’s top 10, with “Deep End” followed by “Stars and Raindrops,” “Doodle,” “Ice Cream,” “Love Untold” and “Up All Night” at Nos. 6-10.

Songs by Ava Max and NCT DREAM also reach the top 10.

Keep visiting Billboard.com for the constantly evolving Hot Trending Songs rankings, and check in each Tuesday for the latest weekly chart.

28 Dec 2022

Jo Mersa Marley, Bob Marley’s Grandson, Dies at 31

The Marley family has lost one of their loved ones. Joseph “Jo Mersa” Marley, the grandson of Bob Marley and son of Stephen Marley, has died at 31, a rep for Marley confirmed to Rolling Stone. A cause of death was not announced.

His family has not yet issued a statement, though aunts Sharon and Cedella Marley both shared white squares on their Instagram feeds, prompting followers to extend their condolences in the comments.

Prime Minister of Jamaica Andrew Holness extended his love to the Marley family in a Dec. 27 tweet, writing, “My heartfelt sympathies to Joseph’s friends and associates and to the Reggae music fraternity and fans everywhere. His untimely passing at the young age of 31 y.o. is a huge loss to the music as we look to the next generation.” In a follow-up message, Holness added, “May he find Eternal Peace as we mourn his loss during this season of goodwill when we celebrate with family and friends our love for each other.”

Born in his family’s native Jamaica in 1992, Jo arrived in the United States and settled in Miami at the age of 11. He often performed with various members of his family, including his father Stephen and Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers, which consisted of his uncle Ziggy and aunts Sharon and Cedella.

Jo’ solo music endeavors include his debut EP Comfortable, which arrived in 2014. By 2016, he featured on “Revelation Party,” a track on his father’s album Revelation Part 2: The Fruit of Life. In 2021, the musician released a full album titled Eternal, which featured figures in reggae and dancehall including Busy Signal, Black-Am-I and Kabaka Pyramid.

28 Dec 2022

Club Fonograma Founder Carlos Reyes Dead at 34

For many Latin indie melomaniacs in the late 2000s to early ‘10s across Ibero-America searching the blogosphere, Club Fonograma was the Latin indie-music bible. Its founder, Arizona-based Chicano recluse and self-proclaimed cinephile Carlos Reyes, created an unlikely community of “Fonogramáticos” that outsized any expectations for what was supposed to be a tiny blog. He previously said that he simply wanted to show his friends the cool music he listened to. But on Tuesday night (Dec. 27), Club Fonograma’s official Twitter account shared the news that the website’s founder had died in 2021. He was 34 years old. 

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“With deep sadness, the Club Fonograma family announces the passing of our site’s founder, Carlos Reyes. His spirit of discovery and kindness was the soul of Club Fonograma, which in turn changed the lives of so many people around the world,” the site’s account shared.

Billboard Español reached out to his family, but they declined to share further details. However, Ricardo Reyes, his twin brother, offered a statement to us:

“Dear Club Fonograma, with my heart in my hands, I want to inform you that my brother Carlos Reyes passed away last year. It has taken me time and emotional courage to write this message but I am writing to say, thank you. Thank you for sharing so much love, joy, knowledge, inspiration, growth, and creativity with my brother. Without a doubt, the work and family he found when creating Club Fonograma was one of the things that brought him the greatest happiness.”

With Club Fonograma, Reyes helped break underground music scenes, such as Chilean indie pop led by Javiera Mena, Dënver, and Alex Anwandter; Tijuana’s ruidosón movement, consisting of María y José and Los Macuanos; Spain’s indie rock explosion with Triángulo de Amor Bizarro and Los Planetas, and beyond. He, along with his camp of about a dozen writers, helped position Ibero-American singer-songwriters, electronic producers and indie rockers alike in a poetic light with gripping album and song reviews, back when Spanish-language indie-music criticism in English was nearly non-existent. 

“When Carlos Reyes created Club Fonograma, he did something that critics do not usually do: Think of the Latin American music scene as a whole, each country with its own color, but united. Hopefully someday we will be able to recover that spirit of unity,” one follower tweeted in Spanish.

The news of his death resulted in an outpouring of reactions on social media. Mexican singer-composer Julieta Venegas tweeted in Spanish on Wednesday (Dec. 28), “I am very sad to hear about this. Club Fonograma was a wonderful space for criticism and promotion of Latin and alternative music, I always remember it with great affection. May you rest in peace dear Carlos. A hug and love to his family and friends.”

Ecuadorian singer-producer Helado Negro tweeted, “I’m heartbroken. I want to share more but I’m brain is in shock. Carlos’ work passion and love through Club Fonograma meant so much to all of us.” Monterrey indie rock band Quiero Club added: “Rest in power, dear and admired Carlos. You have all our gratitude, admiration and affection. A big hug for your family and the family of the friends of Club Fonograma.”

USC professor Josh Kun tweeted, “Absolutely heartbroken to read the news of Carlos Reyes’ passing. With Club Fonograma, he created the first digital space for Latin indie, in many ways the site created Latin indie itself. He shaped a generation of tastes and built a community of fans, friends, & musicians.”

Former Club Fonograma writer and journalist Andrew Casillas also shared his thoughts: “It’s unfathomable how important Carlos is to the current state of Spanish language pop music,” Casillas tweeted. “He considered himself a cinephile first, but he had an ear that was 20 years ahead of its time. The world is lesser without him in it, but the art that he championed will live forever.”

Los Macuanos member and freelancer writer Reuben Torres also wrote on Twitter: “Reyes was a pioneer in every sense of the word. The amount of music journalists, artists and listeners that he influenced cannot be measured. Simply put, Latin music would not be what it is today without that tiny little blog he started over a decade ago. QEDP King.”

NPR podcaster Jasmine Garsd claimed on Twitter that “AltLatino would not exist without Carlos Reyes and Club Fonograma. His curiosity and respect for Latin music were a constant inspiration, and it was such a pleasure to collaborate with him. What a loss.”

As a tribute to Reyes’ legacy, the former writers of the blog created Old Fonograma, an archive with content from of the original website.

28 Dec 2022

Ariana Grande Sends Christmas Gifts to Children in Manchester Hospitals

Ariana Grande made certain that kids facing injuries or illnesses during Christmas this year still felt merry and bright. On Monday (Dec. 26), it was revealed that the 29-year-old pop star had sent presents to young patients at hospitals across Manchester, England, giving back to the city more than five years after it became the site of a horrific suicide bombing after one of her concerts.

“Thank you Ariana!” tweeted the official Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital charity account. “We were so excited to receive Christmas gifts for young patients across our hospitals from Ariana Grande.”

The foundation also shared photos of some of the gifts sent by Ariana Claus, each of them labeled with a tag reading “happy holidays! love ariana grande.” The presents were divided among “babies, children and teenagers” across Trafford Hospitals, Wythenshawe Hospital, North Manchester General Hospital and the RMCH.

At the time of publication, Grande has not posted about her donation on social media. Billboard has reached out to her rep for comment.

The Wicked star’s Christmas surprise is just the latest way she’s honored the English city since the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing, which killed 22 people and injured several hundred. The incident — later identified as a terrorist attack — took place as people were leaving the venue after Grande’s concert that night.

A couple weeks afterward, Grande and some of her famous friends organized One Love Manchester, a benefit concert for victims of the attack. In the years following, she’s gotten a tattoo of a bee (Manchester’s historic symbol) in remembrance, and released “Get Well Soon,” a song about her anxiety and PTSD struggles resulting from the bombing, with 40 seconds of silence added to the end of it, making its timestamp 5:22 — the date of the May 22 attack.

She’s also publicly spoken and posted on social media in honor of the victims several times over the years. “Manchester, my heart is with you today and always,” she wrote in a message on Instagram last year on the tragedy’s four-year anniversary.

“Although grief is ever-present and our relationship to it is constantly evolving and expressing itself in different ways every day, year round,” she also wrote. “I know that this anniversary will never be an easy one. Please know that I am thinking of you today.”

28 Dec 2022

Here Are Harry Styles’ Biggest Achievements in 2022

Harry’s house? In 2022, it felt more like Harry’s world. Harry Styles has spent the past 12 months traveling across the planet touring (much of it in support of his new album, Harry’s House), attending film festivals and premieres to promote two movies he starred in alongside A-list actors, and headlining one of the biggest music events of the year.

With all his milestones, awards and honors, Styles’ star power has simply never been brighter. It seemed like his dark curls and big grin were in the news all throughout 2022, be it for his dazzling fashion statements, videos of notable onstage moments from his Love On Tour concerts, and his headline-grabbing relationship with Don’t Worry Darling director and actress Olivia Wilde.

And if you weren’t reading about him, chances are you were at least hearing him on your speakers. His smash hit single “As It Was” was on top of the Billboard Hot 100 for a whopping 15 weeks this year, becoming the fourth-longest running No. 1 in chart history.

Though his triumphs in 2022 mean he had pretty major year under his Gucci belt, it doesn’t seem like the former boyband star is slowing down any time soon. In August, he teased that he’ll keep climbing the ranks as an actor by returning as Eros in a future Marvel film (so far, he’s only made an end-credits cameo in Eternals), and shared that he’s already working on his fourth album.

“I’m always writing,” he told Rolling Stone. “I think all of us are so excited to get back to it, which feels insane because we’ve just put an album out.”

“Everything in my life has felt like a bonus since X Factor,” he added. “Get on TV and sing. I never expected and never thought that would happen.”

Keep reading to see all of Harry Styles’ biggest accomplishments in 2022.