Music

22 Dec 2022

The 10 Best R&B Songs of 2022: Staff Picks

Love was an overriding theme in R&B in 2022 — and given what people have been enduring over the last several years, between the pandemic, incessant social and political issues as well as economic uncertainty, it’s not surprising. The various iterations of the emotion were rhythmically and lyrically dissected: from new love, spiritual love, toxic love and love lost to, above all, self-love.

Established and emerging stars alike embraced the oftentimes complicated subject in refreshing and illuminating ways. Songwriter Muni Long staked her claim to a solo career with “Hrs and Hrs,” her sensuous, no-time-limit take on lovemaking. On the other side of the clock — against an infectious two-step track — The Weeknd grappled with being out of time when his lover calls quits on their relationship.

Beyoncé took fans on a liberating course to self-love via the anthem “Break My Soul,” then extolled the exhilarating feeling of falling in love and enjoying life with abandon on “Cuff It.” Rihanna, also marking her long-anticipated musical return, addressed the spiritual power of enduring love on “Lift Me Up.”

Here are R&B’s most memorable songs of 2022:

22 Dec 2022

For King & Country’s ‘Joy to the World’ Jumps to No. 1 on Christian Airplay Chart

For King & Country, the duo of siblings Joel and Luke Smallbone, notches its 12th No. 1 on Billboard‘s Christian Airplay chart (dated Dec. 24), as the pair’s version of “Joy to the World” dashes from No. 7 to the summit.

In the tracking week ending Dec. 18, “Joy” drew 1.8 million audience impressions among the chart’s panel of reporters, according to Luminate.

Here’s a recap of For King & Country’s nine Christian Airplay No. 1s: “Joy to the World” (for one week, to-date); “For God Is With Us” (three weeks, July); “Relate” (three, beginning in December 2021); “Amen” (one, July 2021); “O Come O Come Emmanuel,” featuring NEEDTOBREATHE (two, starting in December 2020); “Together,” with Kirk Franklin and Tori Kelly (five, beginning in August 2020); “Burn the Ships” (five, starting in January 2020); “God Only Knows” (10, beginning in April 2019); “joy.” (four, starting in August 2018); “Priceless” (three, October 2016); “Shoulders” (two, June 2015); and “Fix My Eyes” (one, September 2014).

Meanwhile, For King & Country’s current non-seasonal single, “Love Me Like I Am” with Jordin Sparks, also resides in the Christian Airplay top 10 — at No. 9 (1.3 million) — after reaching No. 6 the past two weeks.

With 12 Christian Airplay No. 1s, For King & Country ties Jeremy Camp and Matthew West for the second-most leaders since the chart launched in 2003. MercyMe leads all acts with 17 No. 1s.

“Joy to the World” concurrently becomes For King & Country’s milestone 20th top 10 on the multi-metric Hot Christian Songs chart, where it vaults 28-9. The act is the eighth to have notched at least 20 top 10s, with Casting Crowns, MercyMe and Chris Tomlin sharing the record with 29 each.

22 Dec 2022

Lana Del Rey Gets Last, Biggest Word With Billboard in Ex’s Hometown Promoting Upcoming Album

Lana Del Rey is beloved by millions all around the world. But the new micro-targeted billboard promoting her upcoming Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd. album appears to pointedly have an audience of one.

According to screenshots from LDR’s private @honeymoon Instagram, the singer posted an ad for Tunnel in Oklahoma, explaining, “There’s only one and it’s in Tulsa,” adding in comments, “It’s personal.” Fans are speculating that the one-off promotion is aimed at her ex-boyfriend, a Tulsa cop she reportedly broke up with in 2020 who used to appear on the popular Live PD series. Fans also noticed that Del Rey made her album announcement and dropped the title track on Dec. 7, her ex’s birthday.

The singer-songwriter surprised fans earlier this month with the announcement of her upcoming ninth album, which shares its name with the title of her new song that was also unveiled. The collection, with featured artists including Jon Batiste, Jack Antonoff’s Bleachers, Father John Misty, Judah Smith, Tommy Genesis and SYML, will arrive on March 10.

Antonoff, who previously worked with Del Rey on 2021’s Chemtrails Over the Country Club, is also listed on the cover as a producer, as are Mike Hermosa, Drew Erickson and Zach Dawes, who worked on Blue Bannisters, also released in 2021. The title track finds the singer firmly in her element, her voice billowing out like smoke over somber piano and dark strings. “When’s it gonna be my turn?” she sings on the single. “Open me up, tell me you like it/ Love me until I love myself / There’s a tunnel under Ocean Boulevard.”

See a screenshot of the billboard below.

22 Dec 2022

Dave Grohl’s Daughter Violet Stuns With Janis Ian’s ‘At Seventeen’ on 4th Night of 2022 ‘Hanukkah Sessions’

On the fourth night of Hanukkah Dave Grohl and Greg Kurstin gave us a classic coming-of-age song. Mid-way through this year’s “Hanukkah Sessions,” the Foo Fighters leader and producer invited Grohl’s 16-year-old daughter, Violet, to the stage for a moving cover of Janis Ian’s 1975 hit “At Seventeen.”

“I learned the truth at 17/ That love was meant for beauty queens/ And high school girls with clear-skinned smiles/ Who married young and then retired,” Violet sang in a voice too young to be as world-weary as the character in Ian’s song. Strumming an acoustic guitar as dad Dave gently brushed the drums behind her and producer Kurstin provided light-touch, jazzy piano backing, the preternaturally poised teen brought a hush over the room as she painted a world of teen angst that swings from hope to angsty despair and back again.

And, in a touching moment, proud dad Dave gave his daughter a huge smile and two fists up for her elegant efforts at song’s end.

“Born Janis Eddy Fink, a 23-year-old Janis Ian wrote one of the all time classic coming of age anthems ‘At Seventeen’ — here it is as interpreted by Violet Grohl,” read the video’s description. It’s just the latest impressive showing by Violet, who also joined her dad and a parade of all-stars paying tribute to late Foo’s drummer Taylor Hawkins at a pair of memorial concerts in London and L.A. earlier this year, where she effortlessly pulled off moving covers of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” and Jeff Buckley’s “Last Goodbye.”

So far this season, Kurstin and Grohl have teamed with the former’s The Bird and the Bee bandmate Inara George for 10cc’s “The Things We Do For Love,” P!nk on “Get the Party Started” and director Judd Apatow for Blood, Sweat & Tears’ “Spinning Wheel.” This is Grohl and Kurstin’s third year posting eight nights of covers of songs made famous by Jewish musicians. In a twist, this year’s efforts were all recorded live at Los Angeles’ intimate Largo on Dec. 5 with a cast of all-star guests taking the stage at the 250-capacity club.

Grohl and Kurstin released the first “Sessions” in Dec. 2020 in the midst of the first winter of the COVID-19 pandemic, dropping one new cover for each night of the holiday. In the midst of a concerning rise in antisemitic incidents and hate speech in the U.S., proceeds from the Largo night went to the Anti-Defamation League.

Watch “At Seventeen” below.

21 Dec 2022

Rihanna’s ‘Lift’ Rises to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart

Rihanna conquers a new radio format with her long-awaited comeback single, “Lift Me Up.” The track, from the soundtrack to the film Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, crowns the Adult R&B Airplay list dated Dec. 24. It’s her first No. 1 — and top 10 — on the chart and her ninth charting song on the list to date.

“Lift” jumps from No. 3 after a 24% surge in plays that made it the most-played song on U.S. monitored adult R&B stations in the week ending Dec. 18, according to Luminate. Thanks to the double-digit improvement, the new champ captures the weekly Greatest Gainer honor for the biggest increase in plays among the chart’s 30 titles.

“Lift” seizes the throne from Jazmine Sullivan’s “Hurt Me So Good,” displacing the latter after two weeks in charge. “Hurt” is pushed 1-2, despite a 5% gain in plays at the format.

With “Lift,” Rihanna registers her first Adult R&B Airplay No. 1 upon her ninth appearance on the list. Before the new champ, her previous career peak was a No. 13 result from her and Bryson Tiller’s featured slots on DJ Khaled’s “Wild Thoughts” in 2018. As a lead act, her prior best was her maiden entry, “Take a Bow,” which reached No. 21 in 2008.

Elsewhere, “Lift” continues its run across several other formats. It repeats at No. 5 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, where it registered 17.1 million in weekly audience impressions, an 18% upswing from the prior week. With that boost, the single captures that chart’s Greatest Gainer honor, too. On Rhythmic Airplay, it holds at its No. 6 peak thus far, though it gained 3% in weekly plays in the latest tracking week. The single moves 9-8 on the Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart to return to its peak, first reached two weeks ago, and added 5% more plays. And though it slides 14-17 on Adult Pop Airplay, “Lift” registered a 4% bump in weekly plays at that format.

21 Dec 2022

SZA’s ‘Kill Bill’ Fills No. 1 Spot on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart

One week after SZA’s first anniversary at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, the singer-songwriter returns to the summit for her second career chart-topper thanks to “Kill Bill.” The track debuts at No. 1 on the list dated Dec. 24 and is one of seven SZA titles in the top 10, all from her new album, SOS.

“Kill Bill” traces its chart-topping start largely to 36.9 million official U.S. streams in the week ending Dec. 15, according to Luminate, for a No. 1 opening on the R&B/Hip-Hop Streaming Songs chart. The track also sold 1,000 downloads in the same period and pulled 22,000 in radio audience impressions. The low radio audience is due to the song not being an actively promoted single to radio stations — “Shirt” is the current track at R&B/hip-hop stations, while “Nobody Gets Me” is targeted toward the pop and rhythmic sectors.

Before “Kill Bill,” SZA reigned on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart with “I Hate U,” which likewise earned its chart-topping rule by debuting in the top slot. The single arrived in the penthouse on the chart dated Dec. 18, 2021, and led for one week. As both “I Hate U” and “Kill Bill” appear on SOS, the album is the first to yield two Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs leaders since The Weeknd’s After Hours sparked No. 1s in “Heartless” and “Blinding Lights.”

SOS also arrives with chart-topping accolades. The set storms in at No. 1 on the all-genre Billboard 200, Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and Top R&B Albums charts with 318,000 equivalent album units. Of that sum, 310,000 units derive from streaming — equal to 404.6 million official on-demand U.S. streams for the album’s songs, a new one-week record for any R&B album. On the former two charts, SOS grants SZA her first No. 1, while she picks up her second on the lattermost, after Ctrl reigned in 2017 upon its original release and again, earlier this year, following its deluxe edition’s premiere on the set’s fifth anniversary.

“Kill Bill” leads a parade of SZA cuts onto Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, with seven tracks in the top 10 and 20 on the chart overall. Here’s a rundown of all her placements this week:

No. 1, “Kill Bill”
No. 2, “Nobody Gets Me”
No. 3, “Blind”
No. 6, “Low”
No. 7, “Shirt”
No. 8, “Love Language”
No. 9, “Seek & Destroy”
No. 11, “Snooze”
No. 12, “Used,” featuring Don Toliver
No. 13, “SOS”
No. 16, “Special”
No. 17, “Ghost in the Machine,” featuring Phoebe Bridgers
No. 19, “Gone Girl”
No. 20, “Notice Me”
No. 23, “Smoking on My Ex Pack”
No. 24, “Open Arms,” featuring Travis Scott
No. 27, “Conceited”
No. 29, “Far”
No. 30, “Too Late”
No. 35, “Forgiveless,” featuring Ol’ Dirty Bastard

Plus, in addition to “I Hate U,” another prior SOS single, “Good Days,” reached No. 3 in 2021.

The SZA takeover also extends to the Hot R&B Songs chart, where the hitmaker posts eight tracks in the top 10 and 18 songs on the 25-position list. “Bill” leads the pack and becomes her third No. 1 on the list, after “The Weekend” and “I Hate U” each ruled for one week in, respectively, 2018 and 2021.

21 Dec 2022

Lizzo Shows Off Her New ‘Wolf Cut’ on TikTok

Lizzo, fresh off of her appearance as musical guest on SNL last weekend, has a fresh new look.

She took to TikTok on Tuesday (Dec. 20) to show off her new hairstyle, a wolf cut featuring shaggy, wavy layers and bangs.

“are we loving the wolf cut ???” she asked her followers on the post, which had reached 3.9 million views at press time.

In the video, Lizzo mouths a Blair Waldorf line from the original Gossip Girl series: “Some people are simply better than others.”

Her cute new hairstyle can also be seen in a second clip, in which the singer applied lipstick and showed off her outfit, a T-shirt dress with cut-outs. “I’m posting a lot today so beware,” she wrote.

“Obsessed w how cute I was yesterday,” she added in an Instagram glimpse at herself in the mirror.

See Lizzo’s new hairstyle below and on her TikTok.

21 Dec 2022

Rory Kramer, Justin Bieber’s Photographer, Mourns Loss of Son After Premature Birth: ‘How Fragile Life Is’

Gone far too soon. Rory Kramer, Justin Bieber‘s longtime photographer and music video director, took to social media on Monday (Dec. 19) to share the news that his baby son had died after a premature birth.

“It’s with a broken heart that I share on December 1, 2022 at 9:41pm, my wife Amy went into a preterm labor and gave birth to our baby boy, Daniel Thomas Kramer after 21 weeks,” Kramer wrote alongside an Instagram photo of himself cradling the tiny baby, whose face was covered by a heart emoji. “A name after both our fathers. He weighed 14oz and was 11 inches long. He made Amy and I parents for 52 minutes before heading off to heaven.”

Kramer went on to recall his very first moments in the hospital with baby Daniel before writing, “It went from the most beautiful moment to the most eye opening, devastating moment I’ve ever experienced. Daniel taught me so much in those 52 minutes…he showed me patience, he taught me how fragile life is, to never to take life for granted, and that death affects so many.”

“We are so blessed and grateful for the time we had to stare at him, kiss him, and hold him in our arms. He was perfect. Tiny little hands. Big goofy feet. And Rory’s face. We wish you could have met him,” the photographer continued. “I share this, as a lot of you have been following my journey through many peaks and valleys, and as we find ourselves in the trenches, I know we must go on and live a life to honor our son. To anyone, that has experienced a loss or similar situation, my heart aches for you.”

Kramer’s directorial credits include the music videos for Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande’s pandemic hit “Stuck With U,” The Chainsmokers’ 2016 single “All We Know,” both “I’ll Show You” and “Company” off Bieber’s 2015 album Purpose and “Should’ve Been Us” by Tori Kelly.

Read Kramer’s heartbreaking tribute to baby Daniel below.

21 Dec 2022

Oscars 2023: Snubs & Surprises in the Music Shortlists 

Taylor Swift probably has mixed emotions about the Oscar shortlists, which were announced on Wednesday (Dec. 21). She is shortlisted for best original song for “Carolina” from Where the Crawdads Sing. For a folk-style ballad that wasn’t a big hit, that’s great.

On the other hand, she was not shortlisted for best live action short film for “All Too Well,” which she directed. “All Too Well” won three MTV Video Music Awards on Aug. 28 — video of the year, best director and best long-form video.

Swift has had enough awards show experience to know that you win some and you lose some. But to not be shortlisted for a film that she cares deeply about and has worked hard to promote has to sting.

Swift’s pal Selena Gomez also got mixed news in the shortlists. “My Mind & Me,” which she co-wrote for Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me, was shortlisted for best original song, though the film itself was not shortlisted for best documentary feature.

M.M. Keeravaani also knows the feeling. He was shortlisted for best original song for co-writing “Naatu Naatu” from RRR, though his score for that film failed to make the best original score shortlist.

Of course, some people got a double dose of good news. Ludwig Göransson, Alexandre Desplat, Simon Franglen and Ryan Lott of Son Lux are each shortlisted for both best original song and best original score.

The Motion Picture Academy released shortlists of between 10 and 15 semifinalists in 10 categories. Our focus here will be on the music categories – best original song and best original score – and two other categories that sometimes include music artists – documentary feature and live action short film.

Nominations for the 95th Oscars will be announced on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023. Final round voting will be held March 2-7. The telecast, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, will take place on Sunday, March 12, 2023, airing live on ABC from the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood.

Here are some of the most notable snubs and surprises in the music shortlists.

21 Dec 2022

From Beyoncé to Brent Faiyaz, What Was Your Favorite R&B Album of 2022? Vote!

It’s that time of year! Yes, the holiday season, but also when we look back and take stock on the best music of the year. And in the countdown to Christmas, we want to know which R&B album released in 2022 was your favorite.

On Tuesday (Dec. 20), Billboard staffers ranked their ten picks for the year’s best R&B studio sets, starting with Brent Faiyaz‘s Wasteland. Calling it the indie artist’s “most transparent project to date,” the sophomore follow-up to 2017’s Sonder Son was led by singles “Dead Man Walking,” “Gravity” with DJ Dahi and featuring a guest assist from Tyler, the Creator, and “Wasting Time” featuring Drake before finally debuting at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 in July.

Of course, it wouldn’t be the year in R&B without considering Beyoncé‘s mammoth Renaissance, even if the Beyhive is still waiting for any hint of visuals from Queen Bey’s house-inspired opus, which includes fan favorite cuts like “Alien Superstar,” “Cuff It,” “Pure/Honey” and hit single “Break My Soul.”

Steve Lacy also made major waves in the genre thanks to his major-label solo debut, Gemini Rights, and its No. 1 hit “Bad Habit,” and Ari Lennox shared many a personal detail with her unapologetic sophomore album Age/Sex/Location.

Other powerhouse contenders that made Billboard‘s top 10 list included The Weeknd‘s radio broadcast-inspired Dawn FM, Ella Mai‘s vulnerable Heart on My Sleeve, Giveon‘s Give or Take and Lucky Daye‘s Candydrip. Plus, Kehlani and Mary J. Blige proved once again to be masters of their craft on their stellar respective albums Blue Water Road and the Grammy-nominated Good Morning Gorgeous.

Vote for your favorite R&B album of 2022 in Billboard‘s year-end poll below.