Music

27 Oct 2022

What’s Your Favorite Harry Styles Music Video? Vote!

Harry Styles transforms into a tentacled, bearded sea creature in a fishy new music video for his latest single “Music for a Sushi Restaurant.”

The Harry’s House visual just might be the heartthrob’s most high-concept narrative yet, as he saves himself from the sushi chef’s knives by showing off his enviable pipes and becoming an amphibious lounge singer before, well, you just have to watch how the story ends.

While you’re contemplating making sushi out of Styles, we’ve been taking a stroll down the memory lane of his videography and want to know: Which of the singer’s solo videos do you love the absolute most?

Styles released only two music videos from his self-titled debut solo album back in 2017: the high-flying “Sign of the Times” and the elementary school food fight of “Kiwi” filled with kids, cupcakes and an adorable pack of puppies.

When it came time to introduce his sophomore album Fine Line, he opted for something more sensual in the touchy-feely nighttime party that played out in the “Lights Up” video. From there, he fell into hilarious, The Shape of Water-style love with a goldfish in “Adore You” and played a flooding piano in “Falling.”

The beachy “Watermelon Sugar” provided the perfect memories of summer for Harries around the world, and he later enlisted Phoebe Waller-Bridge to dance with him through the old-fashioned treatment for “Treat People With Kindness.”

So far, Styles’ most recent album has featured three music videos — that is, if you don’t count the one he made for just $300 on The Late Late Show With James Corden for album cut “Daylight.” Do you prefer the giant turntable of No. 1 hit “As It Was” or the magical pillow fort of “Late Night Talking”? Or perhaps you’re a fan of Harry as a sea monster with a golden voice.

Vote for your favorite Harry Styles music video in Billboard‘s poll below!

27 Oct 2022

Julie Roberts Returns With First Album in Nearly a Decade: ‘Everything Has Happened at the Right Time’

When writer-producer Shooter Jennings, known for his work on such albums as Brandi Carlile’s By The Way, I Forgive You and Tanya Tucker’s While I’m Livin’, first reached out to Julie Roberts about collaborating in 2014, Roberts (who broke through with 2004’s “Break Down Here”) was at a musical crossroads. Her 2013 album Good Wine and Bad Decisions had yielded no hits, and she was struggling to find where she fit in.

“I was at a place musically where I didn’t know where I belonged anymore,” Roberts tells Billboard. “I didn’t feel like I belonged here in Nashville at that moment. I didn’t know if anyone got me anymore. But [Jennings] sent me an email out of the blue and said, ‘I don’t think you’ve made your career record yet.’ I feel like he reached out at the right time.”

Though it took nearly a decade to come to fruition, that email led to Roberts’ first album of new music since Good Wine — the aptly titled Ain’t in No Hurry, out Friday (Oct. 28) through ONErpm Nashville.  

Roberts first met Jennings at a music festival in the mid-2000s, when they were both signed to Universal Music Group Nashville imprints (Roberts on Mercury Nashville and Jennings on Universal South), and her 2004 self-titled debut album was on its way to earning Gold status from the RIAA. Jennings was impressed by her bluesy, soulful voice and transparent songs.

By the time Jennings reached out in 2014, Roberts had long exited her Mercury Nashville label and released three albums independently or via Sun Records. She was cash-strapped to make a new record. “He said, ‘Just get out here to Los Angeles and we’ll figure out the rest,’” she recalls.

Roberts, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in 2006, already had MS-related speaking engagements lined up on the West Coast, so she used the time to begin working with Jennings at Los Angeles’ Station House studio. Over the course of six years, they worked together anytime Roberts made it out to California, eventually tracking nine of the album’s songs.

Unlike the pre-planned sessions typical in Nashville, she and Jennings entered the studio in a more freewheeling manner, no prior directives, writing and creating as they went along.

Roberts co-wrote four tracks on the new album, and earlier this year, she finished the set over a three-month timespan in Nashville with writer-producer Erin Enderlin (known for penning Alan Jackson’s “Monday Morning Church” and Reba McEntire’s “The Bar’s Getting Lower”). Enderlin also contributed three tracks to the album.

While piecing together the album, Roberts, 43, was also undergoing what would become a three-year journey with IVF, resulting in the birth of her son, Jackson, in August 2021.  “I truly feel like everything has happened at the right time — and it did take that time because I had this other dream that needed to be fulfilled,” Roberts says of becoming a mother.

The album’s title track, written by Enderlin, Brent Cobb and Ben Chapman, encapsulates the less-hurried, but no less creative, approach she takes, particularly on lines such as “All the times that I took fast, I wish I’d taken slow/ Oh, I ain’t in no hurry ’cause once it goes, it really goes.”

She teams with Randy Houser on “A Little Crazy’s Kind of Nice,” and with burly-voiced Jamey Johnson on “Music City Is Killing Me” — a slightly-tweaked version of Ray LaMontagne’s “New York City Is Killing Me,” a song Roberts told Jennings she had been listening to repeatedly. When Jennings suggested she record it, Robert countered with the idea to reflect Nashville instead of the Big Apple. LaMontagne gave his blessing to use the song, and the Roberts-Johnson pairing made for commanding listening.

“It was true blessing for Jamey to add his voice on this, it’s just perfect when his vocal comes in. It just gives me chills,” Roberts says.

Meanwhile, “All By My Damn Self” is a stout tribute to strong-willed women who “wear a lot of hats and…fill a lot of shoes.” The opening lyrics, “I owe, I owe/ It’s off to work I go,” are a nod to an often-used phrase from Roberts’ mother.

On “Devil’s Pool,” Roberts and Jennings took a song idea that originated with Jennings’ father, Country Music Hall of Famer Waylon Jennings.

“Shooter said he had found this chorus on a recorder that his dad had written: ‘Don’t be a fool/ Don’t go swim in the devil’s pool/ She’ll pull you down.’ He played it for me and asked me to write the verses. Okay, no pressure,” Roberts recalls, with a laugh. “What I love about country music from Waylon’s day, and just traditional country music, is there are so many story songs. To me, it just sounds like a Waylon song. The fact that Shooter trusted me and that he liked it. I was nervous, but I’m happy with what it became. I hope Waylon would be, too.”

The album turned into a family affair, with Jennings bringing in the album’s closer, “I Think You Know,” written by his mother, Jessi Colter.

 “Shooter kept saying, ‘You and my mama are so much alike,’” Roberts says. “Funny thing, sometimes if I get nervous, I start sweating, so I have these peppermint oils. I put some on the back of my neck while I was in the studio and he just started laughing so much. I was like, ‘Why are you laughing?’ and he said, ‘Because my mom has those oils, too.’”

She also covers K.T. Oslin’s 1987 Billboard Country Songs chart-topper “Do Ya’,” which Roberts has included in her live shows.

“People remember it and it’s fun. But there’s also a new audience who gets to hear it now,” she says.

As for what’s ahead, Roberts says she has hopes to record a gospel album, noting that she and Jennings recorded a gospel track, which was not included on this new album. But she’s in no hurry to rush out another project. Instead, she’s relishing the meshing of blessings in both her personal and professional lives, including her continued remission from MS, her family and her new project.

“I played the Opry this week, and my son got to be there with me,” Roberts says. “It’s moments like this that I’m just soaking in.”

27 Oct 2022

Motley Crue Guitarist Mick Mars Is Retiring From the Band

After four decades of debauchery, Mötley Crüe guitarist Mick Mars is retiring from the band.

“While change is never easy, we accept Mick’s decision to retire from the band due to the challenges with his health. We have watched Mick manage his Ankylosing Spondylitis for decades and he has always managed it with utmost courage and grace,” Vince Neil, Tommy Lee and Nikki Sixx said in a joint statement shared with Billboard on Thursday (Oct. 27).

“To say ‘enough is enough’ is the ultimate act of courage. Mick’s sound helped define Mötley Crüe from the minute he plugged in his guitar at our very first rehearsal together,” they continued. “The rest, as they say, is history. We’ll continue to honor his musical legacy.”

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The band noted that per Mars’ wish, Mötley Crüe will continue on with its planned 2023 world tour, and revealed who would be filling in as guitarist. “No doubt will it take an absolutely outstanding musician to fill Mick’s shoes so we are grateful that our good friend John 5 has agreed to come on board and join us moving forward. We’ll see all you Crüeheads out on the road!”

The 71-year-old rocker had said he will continue to be a member of the group, but cannot go on the road anymore due to a lifelong battle with a painful degenerative spinal condition.

The news of his retirement was first reported by Variety on Wednesday (Oct. 26), which quoted a statement from an unnamed Crüe representative. “Mick Mars, co-founder and lead guitarist of the heavy metal band Mötley Crüe for the past 41 years, has announced today that due to his ongoing painful struggle with Ankylosing Spondylitis (A.S.), he will no longer be able to tour with the band,” the rep explained. “Mick will continue as a member of the band, but can no longer handle the rigors of the road.  A.S. is an extremely painful and crippling degenerative disease, which affects the spine.”

The news of his retirement comes just a few days after the metal legends announced the latest leg of their co-headlining tour with Def Leppard, which will run through Latin America and Europe from February to July of 2023.

After announcing a farewell tour in 2014 — which included the band signing a binding pledge that they would not hit the road again — the Crüe hit the road again for a massive stadium tour this summer. That outing with Leppard, Joan Jett and Poison sold 1.3 million tickets and earned $173.5 million after being delayed several times due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The next tour kicks off on Feb. 18 with a show in Mexico City, and is slated to run through a July 16 gig in Glasgow, Scotland.

Mars (born Robert Deal), described his painful struggles with A.S. in the band’s 2001 biography, The Dirt, writing, “My hips started hurting so bad every time I turned my body that it felt like someone was igniting fireworks in my bones. I didn’t have enough money to see a doctor, so I just kept hoping that I could do what I usually do: will it away, through the power of my mind. But it kept getting worse.”

The guitarist wrote of having trouble breathing and intense stomach pain that made it feel like “my whole body was about to fall apart.”

27 Oct 2022

How Joyner Lucas Flipped the Script on His ADHD to Find Success: ‘There’s No Better Way to Say F— You’

In recognition of ADHD Awareness Month, Billboard has partnered with All Day Dreaming, a community for talented ADHD artists and entertainment executives and its founder Hyla to host conversations with some of the creative ADHD brains in and around music.

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Here, Hyla speaks with Joyner Lucas, who has embraced his own attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder as a tool to unlock creativity, so much so he named his 2020 debut album after it. As Lucas notes in the interview, ADHD hit No. 10 on the Billboard 200 chart, released on his own label, Twenty Nine Music Group — and he’s used his success as a “reverse Uno card” for anyone who ever made him feel “stupid” for his condition.

“People are going to make you feel crazy, make you feel stupid, make you feel less than, make you feel like you can’t push through and become great because you’re different,” Lucas says. “Use all your creativity and tap into your ADHD powers. You have something to bring to the world and they will love you for it.”

ADHD is a spectrum of presentations from struggling to focus, to being hyperactive and many are often some combination of the two. The innate otherness that comes with ADHD, will put people’s relationship with their condition on a spectrum: Some secretly carry it as a point of shame trying to hide and mask it from family, friends and co-workers, while others see it as a point of pride, quick to point out how it gives them a creative edge others only wished they had. After struggling through his childhood, Lucas has learned how to harness and embrace his ADHD and hopes to empower others to do the same. “Use me as an example as someone who was able to overcome and break through,” he says, opening up about his youth, his creative process, finding inspiration in his fans and the elements of ADHD he still struggles with today.

Hyla: ADHD is the title of your album and it’s an often-present theme in your art. Did you have any reservations about making it so central to your music? How did you come to that decision?

Joyner Lucas: I always knew that my first official album was going to be called that. Told myself that when I make it big, I’m going to brand ADHD and reverse Uno card it on everyone who made me feel like I was stupid for it. That album went top 10 on Billboard independently. There’s no better way to say “fuck you.” If you listen to the album, it’s really all over the place. There’s a central theme in place but overall, it’s a really random album. That’s what ADHD is like — like you’re all over the place.

You were diagnosed as a kid, I was too, but being Black with ADHD is very different than being white with ADHD. How old were you when diagnosed and what was that experience like growing up?

Well, they made me sit in a room and take tests that made me feel like I was crazy. All these tests, like push the button when it lights up green. Just tests I had to take at 8 years old that you would ask a 3-year-old to take. My mom didn’t know how to handle me when I was bouncing off the walls. She didn’t understand it. My sisters was real calm and collective and I was hyper as hell. She was a young mother that grew up in a trailer park-type household, so she wasn’t really as nurturing as I wanted her to be. But her mother wasn’t really nurturing either, so I guess she didn’t know how to be. Me and my mother’s relationship growing up wasn’t really good. I think there was a lack of understanding on both sides that made it that way.

I had a lot of resentment. I watched a lot of TV shows that made me feel like I was raised wrong. I felt entitled to be raised a certain way based off what I was watching, like Fresh Prince of Bel Air, The Cosby’s, Full House, Family Matters, just to name a few. Those TV shows made me feel like I was lacking a perfect family. On those shows it was all about compassion, empathy and understanding. I started comparing that life to mine. It made me resentful. When I turned about 18, 19 I started seeing life different. I started to grow and understand certain things I never understood before. I reached a new level of maturity and that gave me a new respect for my mom. We was able to talk about a lot of things I never got closure from and things I never understood before. She had took accountability for a lot of things she could of done better and vice versa. These days my mom has become my best friend.

Do you remember cracking the ADHD code? Meaning, it went from a disadvantage where you were getting in trouble at school/home/work to an advantage, like, “My brain is different, and I’m super creative, so let me go make a career out of this”?. What was that transition like?

ADHD absolutely got me in a lot of trouble at school. I got put in these behavior disorder classes that kept me in a small room every day. Every single class was in that one room by the same teacher. It was like solitary confinement. All the kids in that class had ADHD.

Although I was facing difficulty in school, ADHD made me very creative. I had a great reading ability and writing ability. English class was a breeze for me. I hated reading and till this day I hate reading books. I’m a visual learner which is how I become so good at directing and turning words to life. I guess that’s the advantage and my success happened organically.

How has your thinking around ADHD evolved? What books, philosophies, or mentors have helped you along the way?

I think a collective of different things helped me along the way. Meeting other people just like me who also became successful. My thoughts around ADHD have evolved a lot especially because several of my fans also have ADHD and I get to hear a bunch of cool stories during my meet and greets. You would be surprised at the amount of talented and cool people who have ADHD. I meet so many, but it’s inspiring.

You’ve become a mentor to a whole generation of neurodivergent kids. Black kids in the U.S. are 70% less likely to receive an ADHD diagnosis than white kids. They are also less likely to receive any kind of help or treatment. I’d have to think that you’ve helped put a dent in that number simply by centering your art around the topic. What’s a story or moment you can share from a fan that this has had an impact on?

There was a fan of mine who had been on medication for ADHD his whole life, but my album inspired him to stop taking the meds. He said the moment he stopped taking the meds his life started to change. Everyone made him believe that he needed medication to cope with ADHD, and the truth is you don’t. He said not taking the medication actually helped him finish school as well. I thought that was dope.

Do you take Adderall or any prescription drugs for ADHD? If so, how does it help? If not, why not?

One thing I thank my mom for is never letting doctors talk her into putting me on drugs when I was younger. She wouldn’t allow it and I’m so grateful for that. I have never took a prescription drug in my life and I’m happy about that. It may help some people. I have spoken to people who took meds and hated the way it made them feel. I always been personally against taking it because I feel like it would alter my personality and make me different.

I use to love smoking weed but came to the tough realization a few years ago that it hurt my creativity and my ability to focus. There is a lot of science to back this up but the topic around marijuana can be polarizing within the creative ADHD community. You’ve been outspoken about artists glorifying drug use but in your personal life what’s your relationship with marijuana and creativity?

I never really gravitated to marijuana because I smelled it so much growing up. I started to hate the smell. When I got older, I tried it and it didn’t sit right with my body. I know a lot of people that smoke, though, and I heard it does help with creativity. I never needed drugs to enhance my creativity. I always been the guy who votes against drugs and maybe that’s because where I’m from, I’ve seen a lot of people turn into junkies. Drugs have done some pretty wild shit to the people I grew up with. Not saying weed has done that, but I’m speaking of the heavier drugs. I’m good off all of it, though.

Describe your ideal creative environment? What’s the energy and location of your surroundings when you’re the most creative and productive? Are you more of a packed downtown studio at 2am kind of guy, or would you rather be meditating with Rick Rubin on the beach in Kauai?

I like to go to places I grew up and park outside and write. I go to my old apartment back on Dewey Street in Worcester, Ma. a lot. I think it’s nostalgic for me. Reminds me of where I was and gives me that feeling I felt when I was in the trenches trying to get out. I get flashbacks of what my life was. Sometimes I drive around to certain places I used to be when I would daydream about being where I’m at today. Sometimes, I park outside of old jobs I had and just write for hours.

What’s a typical creative day look like for you and what steps do you take to get in a flow state? What are your routines, meditations, diet, sleep, exercise, etc.?

I definitely make sure I take a nice long nap before I get in my creative zone. I listen to tons of beats until I find one that speaks to me. The beat usually tells me what the song will be about. Then most likely I’m already creating the video in my head and I’m using that as a reference when I’m writing. I never eat when I’m in that zone. Eating will make me tired and then I might get lazy. I’m almost always in my car when I write because it helps me from being distracted and doing things that sidetrack me.

Managing ADHD involves some level of organization and routines — the sort of things we typically struggle with. Nothing is more disruptive than touring, being on the road, and not getting good sleep. How do you manage deadlines and strategic planning when your day-to-day life is so disruptive and inconsistent?

I’m actually used to it. What really messes me up is when I go from East Coast to West Coast and vice versa, because I’m losing hours in a day or gaining hours every time. That ruins my sleep schedule more than anything. Luckily, I have my manager and my two personal assistants, Kayle and Marty, that take care of the planning and manage my day-to-day. Thanks to them, I’m not too stressed out.

What traits of ADHD do you still struggle with? What still gets you in trouble?

I have zero patience. I don’t think that’s going to go anywhere any time soon, but yeah, I have absolutely no patience. I don’t even know if that’s an ADHD thing or not, to be honest. I do bite my nails and I’m fidgety a lot. I also can’t sit still without moving a leg or an arm or something.

ADHD is in most cases hereditary and you have a son. Does he have it? If so, how are you helping him navigate it and avoid some of the trauma you faced as a kid?

My son definitely has ADHD. A lot of the things he does, I used to do as a kid. So, I can identify with it, and I know how to keep him focused and on point. He will never have to deal with any of the trauma I faced as a kid because I won’t allow that. His life is very different and it is my soul mission in life to make sure he doesn’t have the life I had.

One thing Joyner gets from me is that extra nurture that I didn’t have. I’m not as hard on him because I make sure I give him that extra love. There is an equal balance of discipline, but I make sure he gets as much love and patience as possible from me. He doesn’t know what ADHD is and I won’t tell him until he gets a lot older and can understand it.

A lot of people can be creative, but not a lot can make a living being creative. What would you say to a young artist with ADHD just getting started?

People are going to make you feel crazy, make you feel stupid, make you feel less than, make you feel like you can’t push through and become great because you’re different. Use me as an example as someone who was able to overcome and break through. Use all your creativity and tap into your ADHD powers. You have something to bring to the world and they will love you for it.

Read more of Hyla’s conversation with Lucas on the All Day Dreaming Substack here.

Hyla is an award-winning documentary filmmaker, interviewer and the founder of All Day Dreaming, a community for talented ADHD creatives and entertainment executives struggling with focus, productivity and burnout. All Day Dreaming hosts daily virtual co-working sessions, weekly Q&As with experts, a newsletter and a podcast. For more information and memberships go to AllDayDreaming.org.

27 Oct 2022

Katy Nichole & Big Daddy Weave Crown Christian Airplay With ‘God Is in This Story’

Katy Nichole and Big Daddy Weave‘s “God Is in This Story” ascends to No. 1 on Billboard’s Christian Airplay chart dated Oct. 29.

In the tracking week ending Oct. 23, the collaboration gained by 1% to 7.2 million audience impressions, according to Luminate.

The song, which the 22-year-old Nichole, from Mesa, Ariz., co-wrote with Ethan Hulse and Jeff Pardo, is from her forthcoming first full-length.

It marks the second straight career-opening leader on the list for Nichole and the seventh No. 1 for Big Daddy Weave.

Nichole follows her rookie hit “In Jesus Name (God of Possible),” which dominated Christian Airplay for nine weeks beginning in April. She becomes the second solo woman to lead with her first two entries, after Anne Wilson led for six weeks beginning in August 2021 with her debut hit “My Jesus” and followed with “I Still Believe in Christmas,” which led for a week in the 2021-22 holiday season.

Big Daddy Weave tops Christian Airplay for the first time since “I Know” reigned for three weeks in April-May 2020. Its latest leader is also its milestone 20th top 10, and first since “All Things New” peaked at No. 9 in September 2021.

With seven No. 1s, Big Daddy Weave ties Third Day for eighth place among all acts for the most since Christian Airplay began in 2003. MercyMe leads with 17.

“God Is in This Story” concurrently leads the streaming-, airplay- and sales-based Hot Christian Songs chart for a third week, after it first topped the Oct. 15-dated ranking.

Franklin Ties Record as ‘Kingdom’ Reigns

Maverick City Music and Kirk Franklin’s “Kingdom,” featuring Naomi Raine and Chandler Moore, reaches the Gospel Airplay summit. The song increased by 3% in plays in the tracking week.

Maverick City Music, Raine and Moore each earn their second leader on the list, after the triumvirate led with “Jireh” for two weeks beginning in March.

Meanwhile, Franklin achieves his record-tying ninth Gospel Airplay No. 1, and first since “Strong God” ruled for two weeks in December 2020. He matches Tamela Mann for the most leaders since the chart launched in March 2005. (James Fortune & FIYA follow with eight No. 1s.)

Franklin began his run of leaders with “Looking for You,” which dominated for 18 weeks starting in November 2005.

27 Oct 2022

Finneas Reveals He Is Recovering From Surgery After Severe Electric Bike Accident: ‘I’m Feeling Great’

Finneas took to Instagram on Thursday (Oct. 27) to share the details of a scary accident last week that led to a serious injury and surgery.

“Last Friday, I had the pleasure of crashing my electric bike, flying over the handlebars and absolutely demolishing my collarbone as well as sustaining a radial head fracture to my right elbow,” he wrote alongside a photo of his X-ray, in which you can see clear breaks in his bones. “The severity of the displacement of my collarbone meant I required surgery which I am now on the other side of and I’m feeling great!”

The Grammy winning artist went on to thank the doctors and professionals at the hospital who helped him, as well as his family and longtime girlfriend Claudia Sulewski for their care and support.

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Finneas added that “with hard work,” he will recover enough to be able to take the stage with his sister Billie Eilish for her upcoming “Hometown Encore” shows in Los Angeles on December 13, 15 and 16. The concerts at the Kia Forum will serve as a celebration of Eilish’s successful global tour in support of her Billboard 200 chart-topping album, Happier Than Ever.

“As foolish as I felt after the fall, my prevailing emotion is gratitude. You see, I was not wearing a helmet,” the 25-year-old star concluded his message. “Lesson forever learned. I feel so lucky to still be here. Take care of yourselves, thank your bodies for all that they do for you.”

Read his post in full below.

27 Oct 2022

Music Journalism on Dolly Parton, Woody Guthrie & More Wins at 2022 ASCAP Foundation Deems Taylor/Virgil Thomson Awards

The winners of the 53rd annual ASCAP Foundation Deems Taylor/Virgil Thomson Awards for outstanding print, broadcast, liner notes, new media and radio coverage of music cover a wide range of musical subjects, from legends such as Dolly Parton and Billie Holiday to less-celebrated figures such as soul and blues singer Denise LaSalle and jazz pianists Hasaan Ibn Ali and Mary Lou Williams.

These awards were established in 1967 to honor the memory of composer, critic and commentator Deems Taylor, who had died the previous year after a distinguished career that included six years as president of ASCAP.

In 2021, the competition opened to articles and liner notes published in 2020. For this year’s 2022 Deems Taylor/Virgil Thomson Award program, books published in 2020 and books, articles and liner notes published in 2021 were accepted.

Nora Guthrie and Robert Santelli were among the winners for their book Woody Guthrie: Songs and Art * Words and Wisdom, published by Chronicle Books. Nora Guthrie is Woody Guthrie’s daughter. Santelli is a noted Guthrie authority. She won a Grammy 15 years ago for best historical album as a compilation producer of The Live Wire — Woody Guthrie in Performance 1949. He received a Grammy nomination 10 years ago in that same category as a compilation producer of Woody at 100: The Woody Guthrie Centennial Collection.

Here are the winners in various categories:

Deems Taylor/Virgil Thomson Book Awards in pop music for titles published in 2020:

  • Lydia Hamessley, Unlikely Angel: The Songs of Dolly Parton, University of Illinois Press (2020)
  • Denise LaSalle with David Whiteis, Always the Queen: The Denise LaSalle Story, University of Illinois Press (2020)
  • A special recognition award goes to Ashley Kahn for George Harrison on George Harrison: Interviews and Encounters, Chicago Review Press (2020)

Deems Taylor/Virgil Thomson Book Awards in the concert music field for titles published in 2020:

  • Music by Max Steiner, The Epic Life of Hollywood’s Most Influential Composer, Steven C. Smith, Oxford University Press (2020)
  • Sonic Overload: Alfred Schnittke, Valentin Silvestrov, and Polystylism in the Late USSR, by Peter Schmelz, Oxford University Press (2020)

Deems Taylor/Virgil Thomson Award for an article in the pop music field:

  • Jon Ross for “Marion Brown’s Musical Portrait of Georgia,” published in The Bitter Southerner.

Deems Taylor/Virgil Thomson Award for an article in the concert music field:

  • Rita Pyrillis for “Native Sounds,” published by Symphony.

Virgil Thomson Award for Outstanding Music Criticism in the pop music field:

  • Lewis Porter for “The United States vs. Billie Holiday vs. the Truth,” published in JazzTimes.

Virgil Thomson Award for Outstanding Music Criticism in the concert music field:

  • Nancy Malitz for her Symphony article, “Musicians in the Spotlight.”

Deems Taylor/Virgil Thomson Book Awards in pop:

  • Nora Guthrie and Robert Santelli for Woody Guthrie: Songs and Art * Words and Wisdom, published by Chronicle Books
  • Deanna Witkowski for Mary Lou Williams: Music for the Soul, published by Liturgical Press
  • A special recognition award goes to David Hajdu and John Carey for A Revolution in Three Acts: The Radical Vaudeville of Bert Williams, Eva Tanguay, and Julian Eltinge, published by Columbia University Press

Deems Taylor/Virgil Thomson Book Awards in the concert field:

  • Bryan Simms and Charlotte Erwin for Berg, published by Oxford University Press
  • Joseph Horowitz’ Dvořák’s Prophecy: and the Vexed Fate of Black Classical Music, published by W. W. Norton & Company

ASCAP Foundation Paul Williams “Loved the Liner Notes” Award in pop music:

  • Alan Sukoenig for Retrospect in Retirement of Delay: The Solo Recordings by Hasaan Ibn Ali on Omnivore Recordings.

(This award was established in 2016 and is funded by Paul Williams, president of The ASCAP Foundation.)

A special recognition award is given to Ted Olson for Doc Watson’s– Life’s Work: A Retrospective on Craft Recordings.

Deems Taylor/Virgil Thomson Broadcast/Media Award in concert music:

  • The Houston Symphony streaming concerts, for their creative ensembles during the lockdowns and the uninterrupted continuation of their programming.

Deems Taylor/Virgil Thomson Broadcast/Media Award in pop music:

  • Toward Castle Films’ The Songpoet (Paul Lamont, producer/director and Scott Sackett, producer), a biographical documentary on Eric Andersen, a singer-songwriter in the vanguard of the folk music scene in the ’60s whose career continues to the present day.

The ASCAP Foundation Deems Taylor/Virgil Thomson Awards are made possible by the generous support of the Virgil Thomson Foundation. Virgil Thomson (1896 – 1989) was a top American composer and critic of the 20th century, and a former member of the ASCAP board of directors. 

The ASCAP Foundation Deems Taylor/Virgil Thomson Awards judging panel is comprised of ASCAP members Stella Sung, Paul Moravec, (2020/21 concert), Terry Radigan and Dom Flemons, (2021 pop), Julie Flanders and David Massengill (2020 pop). Former ASCAP executive Jim Steinblatt provided professional guidance and advice.

Founded in 1975, The ASCAP Foundation is a charitable organization dedicated to supporting American music creators and encouraging their development through music education and talent development programs. This encompasses songwriting workshops, grants, scholarships, awards, recognition and community outreach programs for songwriters, composers and lyricists.

The purpose of the Virgil Thomson Foundation is to further and promote the performance, preservation, dissemination and public appreciation of serious music in general and the music and writings of Virgil Thomson in particular.

More information about The ASCAP Foundation Deems Taylor/Virgil Thomson Awards is available here.

27 Oct 2022

Steve Lacy to Make ‘Saturday Night Live’ Debut as Musical Guest

Steve Lacy is coming to Saturday Night Live, bad habits and all. As announced Thursday (Oct. 27), the 24-year-old singer-songwriter will make his debut on the show when he performs as the musical guest during the Nov. 5 show, which will be hosted by Amy Schumer.

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Lacy, who’s currently embarked on his Give You the World Tour, posted the news to his Instagram — but revealed that it comes with a slight downside. “Good news is..swipe right..,” he wrote, prompting fans to swipe to view a photo of SNL‘s announcement of his performance date. “Bad news is.. i have to move some shows around for me to do it ? more information soon sorry in advance luv u.” 

“APOLOGIES TO THE WEST COAST,” he then wrote on Instagram stories. “WE NEED TO MOVE SD, SF, OAK, BC, SEA, PDX TO MAKE IT TO SNL. WE R STILL GONNA DO THE SHOWS JUST A NEW DATE!! STAY TUNED.”

The musician is fresh off a major career high: earning his first ever No. 1. Nearly three months after his second solo album Gemini Rights was released in July, one of its singles, “Bad Habit,” ascended to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in early October, where it remained for three weeks until being usurped by Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ “Unholy.”

The “Dark Red” singer’s SNL debut will come the week after Jack Harlow takes on double duty this Saturday (Oct. 29), serving as both the night’s host and musical guest. The last artist to grace the 30 Rockefeller set was Megan Thee Stallion, who also did double duty during her appearance Oct. 15 before the show took a week off.

See the announcement for Steve Lacy’s SNL debut below:

27 Oct 2022

Kourtney Kardashian Says She Was ‘Blackout’ Drunk During Vegas Wedding, Threw Up After

What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas — mostly because Kourtney Kardashian can’t remember most of it.

The Poosh founder opened up about her unofficial wedding to Travis Barker in Las Vegas on the newest episode of Hulu‘s The Kardashians, explaining that she had a bit too much to drink.

“I blacked out,” Kourtney tells her friend, Simon Huck in the show, later explaining to the camera, “I didn’t even remember Elvis, like, sang to me walking down the aisle. I didn’t remember I had a bouquet.” 

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The Elvis impersonator also had the reality TV star in a fit of laugher after he couldn’t get her name right, and kept calling her by her sister Khloe’s name. “When Elvis was marrying us, he was like, ‘I, Khloe, take thee, Travis,’ and I just lost my mind, fell straight on the floor, and we couldn’t get up,” she recalls.

While the wedding seemed like a blast, the later part of the evening took a bit of a turn. “I did throw up after, though, and took my top off and unbuttoned my pants,” Kourtney shares. “I had to walk back through the hotel with a million people taking my photo. I was a hot slob kabob.” 

Barker and Kardashian tied the knot earlier this year in an elaborate ceremony in Italy on May 22, 2022, after the unofficial Las Vegas ceremony without a marriage license and their legal marriage in a small ceremony in Santa Barbara, Calif. The over-the-top nuptials were dripping in the couple’s favorite gothic glam aesthetic, with the bride and groom both rocking looks by Dolce & Gabbana on their big day.

Watch the full episode of The Kardashians on Hulu here.

27 Oct 2022

Here’s Why Gwen Stefani Feels ‘Sorry’ for ‘The Voice‘ Fans Amid Blake Shelton’s Departure

Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton have been bringing laughter, mentorship and hearty competition to season 22 of The Voice, but the husband and wife duo will go their separate ways — as coaches, not spouses — for the show’s next season. Shelton announced his departure from the long-running NBC singing competition earlier this month, which Stefani revealed on Thursday (Oct. 27) makes her feel sad for fans of the show.

“He’s brought so much joy. He’s so talented,” the “Hollaback Girl” singer told Entertainment Tonight. “I know people just wait around to laugh and watch him on TV, so I feel sorry for everybody [that] he’s gonna be gone.”

“It’s so weird Blake Shelton is leaving The Voice. I wasn’t ready, you know what I mean? I have to figure out who this new Blake’s gonna be,” she added. “I’m just so proud of him.”

Speaking with Extra, Stefani explained that she was initially nervous to be working alongside her husband, as season 22 marks her first time working alongside Shelton on The Voice since they married and after a hiatus from the show.

“I was nervous because I hadn’t been on for a few seasons and I hadn’t been on since we were married, and it is different … It’s like, ‘OK, wait, how are we gonna act?’” Stefani admitted. But once the pair was on set together, her nerves faded away.

She added, “It was like nothing … Blake, he would look so handsome because he’s all made up … It was like a flow of, like, memories from meeting him on ‘The Voice’… It was just super natural.”

Watch Stefani talk about Shelton and The Voice below.