Music

23 Nov 2022

Danny Elfman & Nicholas Britell to Be Honored at Society of Composers & Lyricists’ Holiday Celebrations

The Society of Composers & Lyricists (SCL) will award composer Nicholas Britell with the Ambassador Award at its East Coast holiday celebration at the Cutting Room in New York on Dec. 6. One week later, on Dec. 13, the SCL will award composer Danny Elfman with the Lifetime Achievement Award at its West Coast holiday celebration at Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles.

Both events will include live performances. The bicoastal holiday celebrations are held annually to celebrate members’ achievements and honor outstanding composers and songwriters.

Past SCL Ambassadors include Dave Grusin, Burt Bacharach, David Shire, Johnny Mandel, Earl Hagen, James Newton Howard, Leiber and Stoller, Alan Silvestri, Randy Newman, Thomas Newman, Terence Blanchard, Diane Warren and Hal David.

Past SCL Lifetime Achievement honorees include Quincy Jones, Bill Conti, Lalo Schifrin, Philip Glass, Alan Menken and Ginny Mancini.

Britell and Elfman have both received multiple Oscar nominations for best original score – and both are vying for nominations again this year. Britell is competing with She Said. Elfman has two strong entries – White Noise and Doctor Stranger in the Multiverse of Madness.

Elfman has won two Emmys – for composing the main title theme for Desperate Housewives (2005) and for musical direction of Danny Elfman’s Music From the Films of Tim Burton (Live from Lincoln Center) (2016). Britell has won one Emmy for composing the main title theme for Succession (2019).

Elfman also won a Grammy for composing the theme from the 1989 film Batman.

The organization will host the 4th Annual SCL Awards show on Feb. 15 in Los Angeles.

23 Nov 2022

Metallica’s Helping Hands Benefit Show Will Stream on Paramount+, YouTube

Metallica‘s Helping Hands benefit concert will spread the good cheer farther and wider this year with a deal to air the show on Paramount+, Pluto TV and MTV’s YouTube channel. “We’re looking forward to celebrating the achievements of All Within My Hands at this year’s Helping Hands Concert & Auction and we’re psyched to tell you that it will be streamed live, thanks to our friends at @paramountplus!” the band wrote in an Instagram post on Tuesday (Nov. 22).

The sold out Dec. 16 show at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles will be hosted by late night’s Jimmy Kimmel and feature an opening set from Greta Van Fleet. The event will kick off at 8:30 p.m. ET and stream live on Paramount+, with simulcasts on Pluto and YouTube. It will also feature an auction that kicks off on Dec. 5 to benefit the foundation, with 100% of the ticket and auction proceeds earmarked for those in need via a number of national and local charities.

Among the organizations that All Within My Hands has partnered with over the years are: the American Association of Community Colleges, Feeding America, Direct Relief and World Central Kitchen. This year alone the foundation has handed out $100,000 to Direct Relief and World Central Kitchen to help those hit hardest by Hurricanes Ian and Fiona in Florida and Puerto Rico in October, as well as $20,000 to the Women’s Center & Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh in August and $100,000 to World Central Kitchen’s efforts to feed Ukrainian refugees fleeing Russia’s unprovoked war on their country.

Check out the announcement below.

23 Nov 2022

12 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Performances You Probably Forgot

The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has been an iconic holiday event for more than 90 years, and in recent memory, it has brought some of music’s shining stars and up-and-coming acts along for the float- and balloon-filled ride.

Ahead of the 2022 parade, which features Gloria Estefan, Fitz & the Tantrums, Ziggy Marley, Joss Stone, Jordin Sparks and Betty Who, take a trip down memory lane with some big-name artists who (you may have forgotten) once graced a Thanksgiving float.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

Hilary Duff, 2003

Taking a “retro ride” on a ’50s-themed diner float, then-16-year-old Duff (nearing the end of her Lizzie McGuire days) sang her classic “So Yesterday” in an oh-so-2000s outfit.

Rihanna, 2005

The eight-time Grammy winner was still a “teen singing sensation” when she appeared in the parade, bringing her Barbados flair to the cold streets of New York City with her breakout single “Pon de Replay.”

Chris Brown, 2006

Of all the tunes Breezy could’ve performed from his debut self-titled album, he opted for the rather depressing ditty “Say Goodbye.” Despite the odd song choice, also on the bill that year were the Jonas Brothers, Julie Andrews, Hall & Oates and Barry Manilow, so needless to say it was a pretty stellar parade all around.

Miley Cyrus, 2008

Marking her second year in the parade (and still in the pre-twerking era), Cyrus performed her song “I Thought I Lost You” from the Disney animated movie Bolt, fittingly doing so upon the float dedicated to the film.

Jay Sean, 2009

Bringing one of the most bangin’ hits of 2009 to the Thanksgiving Day Parade, Jay Sean performed “Down” and totally owned it (and the vest he was rocking).

Kanye West, 2010

Who knows what enticed the Life of Pablo rapper to partake in the Thanksgiving parade festivities when he was already one of the biggest names in the rap game? But he took his My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy track “Lost in the World” to the Big Apple Float.

Carly Rae Jepsen, 2012

While most parade-goers were probably hoping to hear Jepsen’s mega-hit “Call Me Maybe” as she rode on her float, she instead sang her song “This Kiss” — which still provided for plenty of head-bopping.

Ariana Grande, 2013

Although Grande’s chart-topping album Yours Truly was already out by the time of her parade appearance, she decided to bring some holiday cheer with her version of Wham!‘s “Last Christmas.” Side note: This was seemingly the breakout year for artists who have since reached superstar status, as Grande wasn’t the only now-big name on the roster: Fifth Harmony, Florida Georgia Line and Brett Eldredge were also parade performers in ’13.

KISS, 2014

A bit of a left-field addition amid pop stars like Meghan Trainor and Broadway performances, KISS brought their classic 1975 hit “Rock and Roll All Nite” the parade aboard a bare-bones float that featured nothing but the rock group and their iconic black-and-silver getups. Nothing says Thanksgiving like face paint and rock and roll. 

Panic! at the Disco, 2015

On the cusp of the release of their career-changing album Death of a Bachelor in January 2016, Panic! at the Disco performed the celebratory DOAB single “Victorious” on a Ninja Turtle float. If only frontman Brendon Urie knew just how “victorious” the next few years would be…

Gwen Stefani, 2017

In a more unconventional Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade performance, Gwen Stefani sang on a stage atop the Bryant Park ice-skating rink instead of upon a float going down the streets of New York City. That also meant she got to perform a full song as opposed to 45 seconds of one, which was an early Christmas gift for those Gwen stans who love her version of “White Christmas.”

Kim Petras, 2021

Just a year before daddy got hot at the body shop, Kim Petras stopped by the family-friendly Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade for a G-rated performance of her bubbly pop delight “I Don’t Want It At All” with teen dance troupe Boss Kids backing her up.

23 Nov 2022

‘Strong’ Start: Bruce Springsteen Ties for Most Top Rock & Alternative Albums No. 1s

Bruce Springsteen reigns on Billboard’s Top Rock & Alternative Albums and Top Rock Albums charts for an eighth time, as Only the Strong Survive debuts at No. 1 on the Nov. 26-dated rankings.

The set of soul covers begins with 40,000 equivalent album units earned in the Nov. 11-17 tracking week, according to Luminate, with 37,000 of that sum via album sales.

Springsteen first led both lists, which began in 2006, with 2007’s Magic. (His hefty history on Billboard‘s charts dates to 1975.)

With eight Top Rock & Alternative Albums rulers, Springsteen matches John Mayer for the most in the chart’s history.

Most No. 1s, Top Rock & Alternative Albums:
8, John Mayer
8, Bruce Springsteen
6, The Beatles
6, Coldplay
6, Grateful Dead
6, Dave Matthews (solo and with Dave Matthews Band)
6, Tom Petty (solo and with the Heartbreakers)

Concurrently, Strong starts at No. 8 on the all-genre Billboard 200, marking Springsteen’s 22nd top 10, dating to the No. 3-peaking Born to Run in 1975. Thanks to the No. 2-peaking Letter to You in 2020, he joined the exclusive club of artists with newly charting top 10s in each decade since the ’70s.

Two songs from Strong appear on Rock Digital Song Sales. “Nightshift” bows at No. 8 (1,000 sold) and “What Becomes of the Brokenhearted” enters at No. 16 (800). “Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)” previously made the list (Oct. 15) at No. 24.

“I had so much fun recording this music,” Springsteen mused of the new set. “I fell back in love with all these great songs and great writers and great singers, all of them still underrated in my opinion. And through the project I rediscovered the power of my own voice.”

23 Nov 2022

Elton John & Britney Spears’ ‘Hold Me Closer’ Hits No. 1 on Adult Pop Airplay Chart

Elton John and Britney Spears’ “Hold Me Closer” climbs to No. 1 on Billboard’s Adult Pop Airplay chart (dated Nov. 26).

John adds his second Adult Pop Airplay leader, both achieved this year: His previous team-up modernizing his catalog, “Cold Heart (Pnau Remix),” with Dua Lipa, ruled for a week this March. That song updates four John classics, while “Hold Me Closer” focuses on 1972’s “Tiny Dancer” and 1992’s “The One.”

Spears earns her first Adult Pop Airplay No. 1. Among 14 prior entries, she reached a No. 19 best with “Till the World Ends,” featuring Nicki Minaj and Kesha, in 2011.

The Adult Pop Airplay chart reflects weekly plays, as monitored by Luminate, on reporting adult top 40 stations.

“Hold Me Closer” launched at its No. 6 best on the Sept. 10-dated all-genre, multi-metric Billboard Hot 100. It became John’s 29th top 10 – and extended his record for the longest top 10 span of any artist not involving holiday songs (51 years, seven months and three weeks) – and Spears’ 14th top 10.

The collab previously crowned Digital Song Sales, Hot Dance/Electronic Songs, Dance/Electronic Streaming Songs, Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales and Dance/Mix Show Airplay.

Among the track’s other airplay successes, it reaches a new No. 5 high on the Nov. 26 Adult Contemporary chart, having become John’s record-extending 42nd top 10 (and Spears’ first), and No. 10 on Pop Airplay.

Despite its relatively modest Hot 100 history, as it hit No. 41 in April 1972, “Tiny Dancer” previously received renewed attention thanks to its prominent sync in the 2000 film Almost Famous. “The One,” meanwhile, rose to No. 8 on the Hot 100 in September 1992.

“He gets your charts daily,” David Furnish, John’s husband and business partner, recently told Billboard. “He gets them printed out on hard copies, because he goes through with highlighters. And he literally has different highlighters for different records he charts – ones from Britain, ones from America, the ones that are going up, ones that are his, ones that he has a connection to. He watches it daily. It feeds a part of his soul. And he’s absolutely over the moon with the way these new records have performed. And you know, you’re gonna see more.”

23 Nov 2022

NBA Youngboy Donates 500 Turkeys to Baton Rouge Families in Need

NBA Youngboy spread some cheer this Thanksgiving at a time when the cost of the usual holiday fixings are straining some budgets. According to WBRZ, the “Put It On Me” MC donated 500 turkeys to families in need in his hometown Baton Rouge, partnering with the NAACP to provide the free birds and a no-cost Thanksgiving buffet at the Boil & Roux on Monday.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

Youngboy wasn’t the only rapper opening his wallet to share with hose in need this year. KPRC reported that 50 Cent teamed with the NBA’s Houston Rockets to give away turkeys on Tuesday outside the Rocket’s Toyota Center home, where they handed out one meal per vehicle courtesy of 50’s G-Unity Foundation, Kroger and Spec’s, as well as turkeys and a voucher for an upcoming Rockets home game.

“I just want them to have a great Thanksgiving and enjoy themselves, you know what I’m saying?” 50 told the station during the event. “I’m actually coming in here fashionably. My kids been here working and putting it together, so I gotta catch up and put in more work so they don’t gotta look at me like I got them out here first.”

It’s been a charitable week all around, with Lil TJay and Ice Spice doing their bit to help families in their native Bronx, New York during a year when experts say that the traditional holiday meal will cost strapped Americans more than 20% more than last year. The pair hosted a food giveaway last week where they donated turkeys to around 150 local families.

Check out some pics from the 50 event below.

23 Nov 2022

‘Billboard Top 112 Songs of Christmas Countdown’ Celebrates the Season on SiriusXM

Twelve days of Christmas is a great way to celebrate the holidays.

Even better? 112 songs, and for over a month.

Instead of stopping after 12 drummers drumming, the holiday beat will go on thanks to the Billboard Top 112 Songs of Christmas Countdown, available on available on SiriusXM’s SXM App from Nov. 23 through Dec. 28.

The list is based on historical performance on Billboard‘s weekly Holiday 100 songs chart (which each week during the holiday season ranks the most popular holiday songs across all genres and eras by streaming activity data via online music sources; radio audience impressions; and sales data, all compiled by Luminate).

While listeners may not hear four calling birds, even more melodic sounds of the season decorate the Billboard Top 112 Songs of Christmas Countdown on the SXM App, including classic festive anthems from Michael Bublé, Mariah Carey, Kelly Clarkson, Nat King Cole, Ariana Grande, Jackson 5, Brenda Lee, Pentatonix, Elvis Presley, Bruce Springsteen, Taylor Swift, Wham! and more.

Meanwhile, you can browse Billboard‘s weekly Holiday 100 songs chart and the weekly Top Holiday Albums tally, which update each Tuesday on Billboard.com. Billboard also publishes the weekly Holiday Streaming Songs, Holiday Airplay and Holiday Digital Song Sales charts throughout the holiday season.

The Billboard Top 112 Songs of Christmas Countdown on SiriusXM’s SXM App marks the latest partnership between SiriusXM and Billboard. Billboard Live airs each Tuesday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET on SiriusXM’s Volume channel, hosted by Lyndsey Havens and Carl Lamarre. Plus, this summer brought the Billboard Top 500 Summer Hits retrospective, while the Billboard Cupid Countdown celebrated the 50 biggest love songs of the last 50-plus years for Valentine’s Day.

23 Nov 2022

Celebrar y Gratitud: Listen to the Ultimate Thanksgiving Latin Playlist

Thanksgiving is officially right around the corner.

To take something off your to-do list, let us handle your at-home party playlist. Billboard did the legwork and put together a Thanksgiving Fiesta playlist with more than 60 songs that are inspired by and celebrate the holiday for being grateful.

On the playlist, fans will find songs about feeling grateful such as Juanes’ “A Dios Le Pido,” Wisin y Yandel’s “Gracias a Ti,” Violeta Parra’s “Gracias a la Vida” and Jose Luis Rodriguez’s “Agradecido,” to name a few. It also navigates through tracks about feeling blessed, such as Juan Luis Guerra’s “Mi Bendicion,” Camilo’s “Vida de Rico” and Mario Bautista’s “Brindo” in collaboration with Banda El Recodo.

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

Furthermore, the Billboard Thanksgiving Fiesta playlist has empowering and reflective songs about letting go of the past and starting brand-new, such as Becky G and Karol G’s “Mamiii,” Elsa y Elmar’s “Vuelve,” Los Enanitos Verdes’ “Eterna Soledad,” Carlos Vives’ “Volve a Nacer” and Luis Enrique’s “Date Un Chance,” among others.

And when it comes down to celebrating life overall, don’t forget to blast at full volume party bangers such as Marc Anthony’s “Vivir Mi Vida,” Celia Cruz’s “Rie y Llora,” Bad Bunny’s “Estamos Bien,” Jorge Celedón and Jimmy Zambrano’s “Esta Vida,” and La Tropa Vallenata’s “Los Caminos de la Vida.”

The list is spiced with everything nice from salsa to reggaeton to rock, including music from Karol G, Farruko, Victor Manuelle, Marc Anthony, Ozuna and many more.

Press play while you’re cooking or gathering at home and enjoy!

23 Nov 2022

BTS‘ Jungkook Explores Qatar in ’Dreamers’ Video Featuring Flying Whales

BTS‘ Jungkook dropped the video for his solo track “Dreamers” on Tuesday (Nov. 22), a kind of travelogue in which the singer explores Qatar, the site of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The dreamy song that is part of the official soundtrack of the global football classic that kicked off this week in the tiny Middle Eastern country features Jungkook singing alongside Qatari artist Fahad Al-Kubaisi.

The clip opens with a stunned-looking Jungkook wandering through a brightly lit corridor before emerging into a space filled with pulsing lasers as dancers in a market join him on a stroll through the city. Meanwhile, Al-Kubaisi sings his bits from the deck of a huge schooner as Jungkook croons from atop a skyscraper amid images of children watching digital whales break free from the bonds of the ocean and soar above skyscrapers.

The visual ends with Junkook singing the song’s hopeful refrain, “Look who we are, we are the dreamers/ We make it happen, cuz we believe it,” surrounded by dancers holding up flags from around the world. Jungkook premiered the song at the opening ceremonies for the quadrennial international tournament over the weekend.

The solo BTS star is one of the few pop artists who’ve participated in the events surrounding this year’s World Cup, which has come under scrutiny for the process of awarding the bid to the tiny religiously conservative Gulf skeikdom, where homosexuality is a crime and where officials banned a rainbow flag armband meant as a show of solidarity and diversity. Qatar has also come under scrutiny for the thousands of deaths among the migrant workers who helped build the stadiums where the games are being held, with reports that the laborers were paid unfair wages and housed in substandard, broiling conditions in the nation where temperatures can rise above 120 degrees in the summer.

“Dreamers” is Jungkook’s second solo song this year amid BTS’ ongoing hiatus, following on the heels of his “Left and Right” collaboration with Charlie Puth.

Watch the “Dreamers” video here.

23 Nov 2022

Offset Posts Touching Tribute to Takeoff: ‘Missing Everything Bout You’

On Thanksgiving Eve eve, Offset counted the things he’s thankful for, but also something he’s missing: his cousin and late Migos bandmate Takeoff. “Missing everything bout you specially that smile,” Offset wrote on Tuesday (Nov. 22) in a post that featured an image of a slyly smiling Takeoff.

The post came as police still have not named a suspect (or suspects) in the early-morning Nov. 1 killing of Takeoff (born Kirsnick Khari Ball), 28, who was shot outside a downtown Houston bowling alley in an as-yet-unsolved attack. The shooting took place at a private party attended by Takeoff and his uncle, third Migos member Quavo, who was not injured in the incident.

Shortly after a public memorial service for Takeoff in the trio’s home town of Atlanta earlier this month, Offset’s wife, Cardi B, shared her own emotional thoughts about the loss. “Takeoff your untimely passing has brought a great deal of pain and sorrow to so many lives. The impact you had in this world was so considerable and we have struggled to grasp this tragedy,” Cardi wrote on Instagram alongside a photo gallery of Takeoff. “I am heartbroken but I am grateful for all the precious memories we got to share while you were here with us. This has truly been a nightmare and the pain is incomparable.”

Tuesday’s post was the second time Offset has shared his grief publicly. Last week he made his first statement about the loss in an Instagram post in which he wrote, “Dear Take, doesn’t feel real posting you like this….This still doesn’t feel like reality. I’ve been searching for the right words to say, but there aren’t any that will suffice. Until we meet again, Rest In Power. I love you.”

The lengthy letter to Takeoff opened with a measure of how difficult the loss has been, with Offset saying, “Dear Take, The pain you have left me with is unbearable. My heart is shattered and I have so many things to say, but I can’t find the words. I’ve been going to sleep and waking up hoping that all of this is a dream, but it’s reality and reality feels like a nightmare. Every time you would see me, you didn’t give me a dap you gave me a hug. I wish I could hug you one last time.”

Check out Offset’s post below.