Music
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“Colombia gang gang,” J Balvin sings in a teaser of the star-powered collaboration titled “+57” set to drop on Thursday (Nov. 7). Featuring Karol G, Balvin, Feid, Maluma, Ryan Castro, Blessd, Ovy on the Drums and DFZM, the new track unites Colombia’s biggest hitmakers in one song, which takes its name after the area code […]
With the first quarter of the 21st century coming to a close, Billboard is spending the next few months counting down our staff picks for the 25 greatest pop stars of the last 25 years. You can see the stars who have made our list so far here — and now, we examine the century in Lady Gaga, a game-changing phenomenon whose peerless opening run continues to loom large in contemporary pop music. (Hear more discussion of Gaga and explanation of her list ranking on our Greatest Pop Stars podcast, with the new episode debuting Nov. 6.)
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When considering the entirety of pop star greatness across the first 25 years of this century, there might not be a more iconic sound than these five nonsensical syllables: “Rahhh, rahhh, ah-ah-ahhh!”
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Behold “Bad Romance,” pop perfection incarnate. There’s that earworm refrain, followed by formidably declarative verses, a powder keg of a chorus and a high-concept bridge. There’s the collection of raved-out synths, and the voice that met their harshness with beauty and command. There’s the music video — still perhaps the greatest of the 21st century so far — full of bathhouse coffins, exploding beds, disorienting contact lenses and bewitching dance moves. There were the TV performances, which ranged from piano-medley stately to nude-bodysuit, alien-mask outrageous. It all elevated contemporary pop — clock the French phrases before the final chorus, or the body horror and feminist fury of its video — without looking down on it, or veering too far away from its most immediate pleasures.
Every millimeter of Lady Gaga’s 2009 single, and how it was presented to the world, stood out as special — burned into the memory of any pop fan paying the slightest bit of attention 15 years ago, and largely remaining so today. “Bad Romance” was not Gaga’s first hit, her biggest hit, and it’s not her most-streamed song today. Yet a moment like “Bad Romance” – one that capped a year of increasingly massive moments, in one of the most unforgettable breakout runs in pop music history – is the reason why Lady Gaga is so indispensable to the modern pop landscape, an audacious superstar who can stun, thrill, bewilder and satisfy in the span of one radio-ready single.
Such is the power of Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, who has spent her career holding up fragile ideas of modern pop stardom and vigorously shaking them like a snow globe. Lady Gaga started off as an overnight sensation, then maintained that superstardom as pop’s center of gravity for the next few years -– before an inevitable comedown period, a fascinating reinvention (or three), and a return to music’s forefront that sees Gaga remaining one of its top hitmakers and headliners today.
Once her hits multiplied, she switched up her electro-pop aesthetic, diving into classic rock, country and the great American songbook; she has made philanthropy and LGBTQ+ rights a core part of her professional identity; and she is the only person on the planet who has been nominated for a best actress Oscar and headlined a Super Bowl halftime show. She has kept us on our toes for 15 years, reinventing what a modern pop star can achieve, while also delivering banger after banger.
Lady Gaga
Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images
Lady Gaga
FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP via Getty Images
That run began with “Just Dance,” which catapulted the native of New York’s Upper West Side — a musical prodigy and theater kid who landed a role as an extra on The Sopranos a few years before attending NYU — onto top 40 radio with her first single as a solo artist. Adopting her moniker from the Queen song “Radio Ga Ga” after dropping out of college, she kicked around the industry for a few years, playing NYC club gigs and writing for other artists — but ‘00s pop and R&B hitmaker Akon took a shine to Lady Gaga, signed her to his KonLive imprint through Interscope, and co-wrote “Just Dance” with Gaga and a rising producer named RedOne.
Before turbo-pop took off at the beginning of the 2010s by enmeshing top 40 with EDM music, Gaga’s glammed-up synth-pop anthem captured the feeling of being bleary-eyed at the club but dancing to your favorite song anyway. “Just Dance” (which featured another Akon protege, Colby O’Donis) was a bright, ultra-catchy entry point for Gaga, spending three weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 in early 2009 and introducing her as a striking new star, a lightning bolt painted on her cheek in its music video. The song — which almost ended up with The Pussycat Dolls or Gwen Stefani before Gaga claimed it as her own — may have downplayed her audacious personality for sake of accessibility, but “Just Dance” was a spiked-toe boot in the door.
With “Poker Face,” the follow-up single that followed it to the Hot 100’s summit a few months later, Gaga kicked that door wide open. The song was another club-ready electro-pop jam, but contained far more Gaga fingerprints, from the murmured “Muh-muh-muh-MA!” refrain, to the steely cool of the verses, to the big-voiced chorus, to the “I’m bluffin’ with my muffin!” winks. Its music video began with a cracked disco ball fashioned into a mask covering Gaga’s eyes, stepping out of a pool in slow motion as lightning crackles in the sky behind her; it’s a superhero’s entrance, and it helped establish Gaga as a striking visual artist, worthy of peak-MTV greatness and ready to dominate in the YouTube era.
Those two smashes kicked off one of the finest imperial eras in modern pop stardom: The Fame, Lady Gaga’s 2008 debut album, became a juggernaut through 2009, as follow-up singles like “LoveGame” and “Paparazzi” streaked into the top 10. The hits showcased different sides of Gaga’s aesthetic: while the “LoveGame” music video placed her sexuality front and center as Gaga kissed men and women, “Paparazzi” received an extended visual fantasia, commenting on the trappings of fame while exacting vengeance on a murderous lover, played by Alexander Skarsgård.
As they started to take off on the charts, Gaga went on a run of jaw-dropping primetime performances: most memorably at the 2009 VMAs, where fake blood dripped down Gaga’s torso as she belted out “Paparazzi,” eliciting gasps from the audience. At the start of the 2010 Grammys, where The Fame was nominated for album of the year, Gaga played “Poker Face” as a heart-wrenching ballad, before surprise guest Elton John came out to perform his classic “Your Song” and her own ballad “Speechless.” Just like that, the most audacious pop performer of his generation had seemingly blessed the new torchbearer.
Every new Gaga single from The Fame hit with force, every new music video created an eye-popping ecosystem, every awards performance became must-see TV – and the artist in the eye of the hurricane started to look like a generational talent. Then, Lady Gaga decided to do the best thing she could at the end of The Fame era: she extended it. The Fame Monster, an eight-song project bundled with the rest of its predecessor that was released in time for the 2009 holidays, sent her even higher into pop’s stratosphere – first with “Bad Romance,” then the breathless Beyoncé team-up “Telephone” and finally the Europop opus “Alejandro,” which all hit the top 10 and added to her cultural ubiquity. The “Telephone” music video – a nine-minute, revenge-fueled Tarantino riff co-starring Gaga and Bey – was the type of pop culture event that was seldom seen in a post-TRL pop landscape.
The Fame Monster may have existed as a precursor to the modern deluxe edition of an album, but those singles proved so vital that it followed The Fame to an album of the year Grammy nom the following year. Meanwhile, the project also set up Gaga’s first arena headlining shows as part of the Monster Ball tour, which kicked off one week after the release of The Fame Monster and emerged from the ashes of a failed co-headlining tour with Kanye West. No matter: Gaga got to dazzle in front of her ever-growing fan base, the Little Monsters, and after opening the tour with theater dates, the Monster Ball eventually grew big enough to produce an HBO special filmed at New York’s Madison Square Garden.
The fact that Lady Gaga kept making headlines as her first proper era started to wind down — at the 2010 VMAs, for instance, she won Video of the Year while rocking the immediately iconic “meat dress” — heightened expectations for her follow-up to an unfathomable level. Gaga’s rise was meteoric; how could she possibly top it, now working with a much bigger budget and impossible clout?
Born This Way, released in 2011, brandished its flashier pedigree in spots, with E Street Band sax-man Clarence Clemons and Queen guitarist Brian May listed among the liner notes. But the album’s mix of empowering dance-pop and bombastic arena rock was unquestionably Gaga’s brainchild — no one else made the decision to place her head at the front of a motorcycle on the album cover. The title track’s whirring percussion and synth throb was overshadowed by its message of self-acceptance, explicitly aimed at the LGBTQ+ community (“Don’t be a drag, just be a queen,” goes the most quotable line), and i tmade history as the 1,000th song to top the Hot 100 when it debuted at No. 1 in February 2011 — becoming the first chart-topper to include the word “transgender” in its lyrics.
The rest of the Born This Way era was a bit bumpier than the all-killer-no-filler Gaga run that preceded it: though it was an immediate smash, the title track never escaped accusations that it sounded too similar to Madonna’s “Express Yourself,” with both artists asked about the melodic callback throughout 2011 and sharing different POVs on what was and was not re-created. And the singles that followed “Born This Way” — the thumping RedOne reunion “Judas”; the lungs-deflating rock anthem “The Edge of Glory”; the country-tinged, Mutt Lange-helmed “Yoü and I,” which introduced Jo Calderone, Gaga’s male alter ego-as-performance art — were all top 10 Hot 100 hits, but not quite with the radio-rupturing magnitude of her Fame singles. Yet at this point, Gaga was too big to fail: Born This Way bowed with 1.1 million copies sold in its first week, which easily remains the best mark of her career — although Amazon offering the full album as a 99-cent download during its release week ultimately placed something of an asterisk next to those seven figures in the view of some onlookers.
If cracks in the foundation of Gaga’s superstardom started to show over the course of the Born This Way campaign, its 2013 follow-up Artpop was a full-blown sinkhole. Dreamed up as a multimedia compound of fine art and modern pop, Artpop was rolled out with “the world’s first flying dress,” named the Volantis; new works by renowned artists like Jeff Koons (who created a statue of Gaga for the album cover), Marina Abramović and Robert Wilson, among others; and an app that let fans create their own pieces of artwork while chatting about the new album. Oh yeah, the album: It was a re-imagining of Gaga’s synth-pop beginnings – with lead single “Applause” serving as an EDM-adjacent commentary on performing on the world’s grandest stages – but also included forays into hip-hop (“Jewels n’ Drugs,” with T.I., Too Short and Twista), glam rock (“Venus”) and industrial (“Swine”).
Artpop remains a fascinating mishmash of styles and messages, and “Applause” became another top 10 hit, but the album underperformed relative to Gaga’s track record, was derided as a flop, and generally confused a public that was hungry for more groundbreaking songs and videos. A decade later, even the album’s cult following still can’t figure out what the heck the flying dress had to do with anything. Worst of all, second single “Do What U Want” co-starred R. Kelly as Gaga’s duet partner — released years prior to the R&B star’s conviction on sex trafficking and racketeering charges, but around the time that allegations had begun to resurface. Upon Kelly’s 2019 arrest, Gaga removed “Do What U Want” from streaming services, a moral stain wiped away from a misfire.
Following Artpop, Lady Gaga needed a reset — and she turned to an unexpected source. Tony Bennett was 88 years old when Cheek to Cheek, an album of jazz-standard duets with Gaga, was released in September 2014, an industry legend who sounded as warm and charming in the studio as ever; meanwhile, Gaga could showcase the potent vocals that had distinguished her as a theater student but had been masked by artifice on Artpop.
Cheek to Cheek was a surprise hit, bringing Gershwin and Porter songs to the top of the Billboard 200 decades after their deaths; Gaga’s mojo had been slightly regained, but more importantly, her creative partnership and personal friendship with Bennett blossomed. When they re-teamed for another set, Love for Sale, in 2021, the pair earned an album of the year Grammy nomination, Bennett’s final such nod before his 2023 passing at the age of 96.
Lady Gaga
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Live Nation
The reinvention that Cheek to Cheek represented coincided with Gaga taking some time away from album-campaign mode and delving into other interests. She dabbled in Hollywood projects like Sin City: A Dame to Kill For and American Horror Story, and became an ambassador for a Versace campaign. At the 2015 Academy Awards, Gaga earned a standing ovation for belting out a medley from The Sound of Music — and at the following year’s Oscars, she was a nominee for best original song, for the harrowing “Til It Happens to You” from the campus rape documentary The Hunting Ground. As more time elapsed from Artpop, Gaga reminded the world that she was a captivating visual performer and gifted vocalist; the comeback narrative was ripe for the taking.
Joanne, Gaga’s 2016 album, was named after her late aunt, and featured Gaga looking up into a cowboy hat on its cover. As such, the full-length was more personal than Artpop and boasted a country undercurrent, with nods toward classic rock and Americana akin to Born This Way. Gaga had moved into a different phase of her career as a hitmaker by this point — “Perfect Illusion,” the album’s sneakily excellent dance-rock lead single co-produced by Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker, received a splashy rollout, but peaked only at No. 15 on the Hot 100, and its parent album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 but drew mixed reviews. Yet Gaga’s return to the spotlight was in part presented as a legacy artist with a bulletproof back catalog, thanks in part to something that took place four months after Joanne: the Super Bowl.
Although Gaga’s halftime performance on Feb. 5, 2017 was not the politically barbed showcase that some expected following the election of Donald Trump a few months prior, her show was both visually dazzling (beginning with a dive from the rooftop of Houston’s NRG Stadium) and culturally impactful (performing “Born This Way” on the biggest stage in the world was a raised fist in support of the LGBTQ+ community). And the Super Bowl halftime show also partially redeemed the commercial legacy of Joanne: “Million Reasons,” the album’s piano-led power ballad, was given a prime slot in the set list, and belatedly reached No. 4 on the Hot 100.
The success of “Million Reasons” unwittingly served as the blueprint for an even bigger hit the following year. After spending the rest of 2017 touring the world behind Joanne (including a headlining slot at Coachella, swooping in to replace a pregnant Beyoncé atop the bill), Gaga devoted 2018 to her first Hollywood starring role, in Bradley Cooper’s remake of A Star is Born. After spot acting roles in the 2010s, Gaga was given ample room to emote and bewitch as Ally, a struggling singer-songwriter who begins a wind-swept romance with Cooper’s country-rock A-lister, Jackson Maine.
A Star is Born became a box office smash and meme-spawning pop culture phenomenon that earned Gaga an Oscar nomination for best actress, cementing the pop superstar as a Hollywood headliner. Yet for longtime fans of her music, the film’s original soundtrack was the true payoff from the project, with plenty of heartfelt torch songs and eye-watering balladry across a track list that Gaga helmed with producers like Dave Cobb and Lukas Nelson, and artists like Mark Ronson and Jason Isbell. Most importantly, the film and soundtrack contained a centerpiece song that lived up to its placement.
“Shallow,” a duet between Gaga and Cooper posited in Star as the song that solidifies their characters’ bond forever, harnessed Gaga’s pop power for a country-rock sing-along, recalling the sweep of “Million Reasons” and heightening the drama tenfold. “Shallow” transcended A Star is Born to become a pop hit in its own right — and after Gaga and Cooper performed the duet at the Academy Awards, where “Shallow” won the best original song trophy, the song zoomed to the top of the Hot 100, the general population embracing a special moment at the awards ceremony. Years after dazzling in primetime by covering herself in fake blood, Gaga had graced the Oscars stage with utmost elegance, capable of evolving her talents and becoming a stately pop spokeswoman.
At this point, Gaga was squarely in her thirties and with nothing left to prove as a commercial star — yet it had simply been too long since she had unleashed any radio-ready bangers. Chromatica, her 2020 album that represented a return to unabashedly hooky electro-pop, was released at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, and acted as a balm for pop fans during a difficult moment in the world.
Although Chromatica recalled elements of The Fame and The Fame Monster sonically and lyrically, with lead single “Stupid Love” built around ecstatic electronic squeals and “Sour Candy” (featuring K-pop girl group BLACKPINK) bursting with sexually charged double entendres, the album featured a more mature perspective as it explored themes of healing, overcoming trauma and embracing positivity. “Rain on Me,” Gaga’s house-inspired duet with Ariana Grande, turned into an unexpected rallying cry in quarantine — “I’d rather be dry, but at least I’m alive/ Rain on me,” goes the chorus — and the song debuted atop the Hot 100, later winning a Grammy for best pop duo/group performance.
More than a decade after her breakthrough, Gaga had successfully returned to the sound where she began, and offered a piece of personal evolution for mass consumption. When lockdown ended, and Little Monsters got to watch Gaga perform “Rain on Me” in stadiums on her Chromatica Ball tour, the moment felt hard-earned, and euphoric.
Lady Gaga
Kevin Mazur/WireImage
If the history of Lady Gaga’s career is any indication, she is never going to stop entertaining, even as that entertainment takes different forms and plays out in different media. Just in the past few months, she co-starred in Joker: Folie à Deux, an R-rated musical where she got to play Harley Quinn; released Harlequin, a surprise “companion album” to the film full of jazz-standard covers; scored a soft-rock smash alongside Bruno Mars with “Die With a Smile,” currently the No. 2 song in the country; and dropped “Disease,” a darkly lit synth-pop single that will lead into a 2025 album.
There are viewers and listeners in the center of the Venn diagram that those projects form, but Gaga has also demonstrated an ability to cater to different audiences by allowing her creativity to roam free. She’s been chasing her muse for 15 years, and whatever she comes up with next, you can bet that she’s going to pour her entire artistic soul into that endeavor, and that a lot of people will wrap their arms around it.
That’s why Lady Gaga has resonated with an entire generation of pop fans, from the longtime Little Monsters to the casual fans who can hum along to more of her hits than they realize, to the new stars like Chappell Roan who are internalizing Gaga’s performance art while existing at pop’s current vanguard. As a breath of fresh air on late 2000s radio, a button-pushing provocateur trying on different sounds, or a leading lady gracing the most prestigious stages or a daring performer commanding audiences of thousands, Lady Gaga has always been authentically herself, and will continue to be that forever – whether making social statements, presenting grand artistic projects, or simply proclaiming, “Rahhh, rahhh, ah-ah-ahhh!”
Read more about the Greatest Pop Stars of the 21st Century here — find our accompanying podcast deep dives and ranking explanations here — and be sure to check back every Tuesday this November as we unveil the rest of our top five, leading up to our No. 1 Greatest Pop Star being revealed on Dec. 3!
THE LIST SO FAR:
Honorable Mentions
25. Katy Perry24. Ed Sheeran23. Bad Bunny22. One Direction21. Lil Wayne20. Bruno Mars19. BTS18. The Weeknd17. Shakira16. Jay-Z15. Miley Cyrus14. Justin Timberlake13. Nicki Minaj12. Eminem11. Usher10. Adele9. Ariana Grande8. Justin Bieber7. Kanye West6. Britney Spears5. Lady Gaga
Barry Keoghan stars in the music video for Fontaines D.C.’s new single “Bug,” which was directed by Andrea Arnold. It follows the Irish actor’s music video debut for Sabrina Carpenter’s Billboard Hot 100-topping hit “Please Please Please” earlier this year.
The track is the fifth single to be released from Fontaines D.C.’s fourth LP, Romance, which arrived in August via XL Recordings. The accompanying clip includes footage from Arnold’s soon-to-be-released film, Bird, which also stars Franz Rogowski and the Dublin band’s own Carlos O’Connell, among others.
Speaking about the video, which has been billed as a “short form reimagination” of Bird, O’Connell said in a press release, “Andrea Arnold was kind enough to cut up a sequence to our tune ‘Bug’ featuring Barry Keoghan playing the character Bug in her new movie Bird.”
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He added: “In my eyes, the character Bug, the tattoo ‘Bug’s Life,’ Andrea’s essential and romantic worlds, and the line ‘Changed my name to “Promise you, Yea”,’ when put all together make convincing needless and conviction undeniable. Big thanks to Andrea Arnold for letting us in so close to her visionary universe. She’ll be remembered how we remember Bacon or Goya.”
Bird marks the fifth feature-length film from the Academy Award and BAFTA-winning director Arnold, whose past work includes credits on HBO’s Big Little Lies and 2016’s American Honey. The film also stars Nykiya Adams and newcomer Jason Buda, and is slated for release on Nov 8. Fontaines D.C.’s music will feature prominently in its soundtrack, alongside tracks from Coldplay, Blur and The Verve.
“I’ve loved the Fontaines since I first heard them. Some music just sits in your bones like it always belonged, like you know it already, like it’s part of you,” explained Arnold in the release. “It’s why I asked to use ‘Too Real’ and ‘A Hero’s Death’ for my Bird film. Their music felt like it belonged there, in my world.”
Upon the release of Romance, Fontaines D.C. achieved its fourth consecutive top 10 studio album on the U.K.’s Official Albums Chart, while it landed at No. 97 in the U.S. – their highest entry to date on the Billboard 200. The band are currently on tour across Europe in support of the record, and will head to Japan, Australia, South America and North America in early 2025.
Speaking to Billboard earlier this year, frontman Grian Chatten discussed the creative leap the band took on Romance, which expands its sound to include elements of nu-metal, pop and string-laden ballads. “I think change was just generally a very enticing thing for us. We wanted to really indulge in something new, and we didn’t want to risk it being only a half-step,” he said. “We always think that we’re pushing the boat out, or taking some new turn, with each record. And I think probably the reality is that it was a lot less of a turn than we thought. But this time, I feel good about it being a full f–kin’ turn.”
Watch the music video for “Bug” below:
Young Thug made his first public appearance since being released from jail while hanging out with fellow Atlanta native T.I. on Monday night (Nov. 4).
Thugger and Tip appeared to be in the studio alongside T.I.’s son Domani when the “What You Know” rapper posted a clip to Instagram early Tuesday (Nov. 5) featuring a guest appearance from the freshly freed YSL honcho.
“I’m back,” Thug declared in one of his Sp5der hoodies. “I’m back, Jack. No cap in my rap. The right way!”
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T.I. added, “Ay man, no motherf–king cap in it. It’s time. Now go tell that!”
Tip revealed in his caption that he’d temporarily be putting an end to his rap retirement to hop in the booth with Thug. “Yeahhhhh YKWTFGO The Kings have Reconvened #KingJeffrey #KingSr,” he wrote. “Guess I’m officially outta retirement For tonight #Welcomehome.”
Fat Joe, E-40 and plenty more hopped into the comments section, sending their well wishes to Thugger now that he’s back home.
Young Thug — born Jeffery Williams — was released from jail on Halloween after reaching a plea when Judge Paige Reese Whitaker handed down a sentence of 15 years probation, which allowed Thugger to walk free the same day as Thursday’s hearing.
“I know you’re talented, and if you choose to continue to rap, you need to try to use your influence to let kids know that is not the way to go and that there are ways out of poverty besides hooking up with the powerful guy at the end of the street selling drugs,” Whitaker said.
Thug was imprisoned for more than 700 days since his arrest in May 2022 without bond. The YSL RICO trial is the longest criminal trial in Georgia’s history and still isn’t over — two of his co-defendants have declined plea deals, and are still facing trial.
While Thug and T.I. have teamed up in the past for anthems like “About the Money,” Thugger appears to be teasing music with another ATLien. Billboards have popped up across L.A. hinting at a Thug and Lil Baby reunion.
“Whatever Wham Says Goes,” the signs repeatedly read, as if they were written out on a chalkboard by a student in detention.
“Whatever Wham Say Goes,” refers to a June 26 tweet from Thug, which many connected to Lil Baby’s support for Thugger.
Kamala Harris took a moment Monday (Nov. 4) during one of the busiest weeks of her life to honor Quincy Jones following the 91-year-old musical legend’s death the day prior.
Sharing a photo of herself sitting with Jones on a couch at a house gathering — the duo deep in conversation with the famed producer’s arm around her shoulder — the 2024 presidential candidate wrote on Instagram, “Quincy Jones was a trailblazer.”
“As a composer, arranger, record and movie producer, he created art that brought joy to millions of people,” Harris continued. “As an activist, Quincy championed civil and human rights. As a role model, he offered inspiration and mentorship, in particular for young people of color in the music industry.”
“I was honored to call Quincy a friend, and I will always remember his generosity of spirit, his selfless support, and his deep kindness,” she added. “Doug [Emhoff] and I are praying for the Jones family and all those who loved him.”
Harris posted her tribute on the same day Jones’ publicist, Arnold Robinson, confirmed that the 28-time Grammy winner died Sunday night (Nov. 3) surrounded by loved ones at his home in Los Angeles. “Although this is an incredible loss for our family, we celebrate the great life that he lived and know there will never be another like him,” read a recent statement from his family, which includes daughter Rashida Jones and six other children.
“He is truly one of a kind and we will miss him dearly; we take comfort and immense pride in knowing that the love and joy, that were the essence of his being, was shared with the world through all that he created,” it continued. “Through his music and his boundless love, Quincy Jones’ heart will beat for eternity.”
The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer’s passing preceded Election Day (Nov. 5) by just two days, an event that will determine whether Harris’ whirlwind White House bid was successful. The VP is running against twice-impeached ex-POTUS Donald Trump, whom Jones once called a “crazy motherf–ker” in a 2018 interview with Vulture that has newly been making rounds online in light of the news of the musician’s death and the election.
“I used to hang out with [Trump],” Jones continued in the interview, in which he also claimed to have previously dated Ivanka Trump. “Limited mentally – a megalomaniac, narcissistic. I can’t stand him.”
Harris is just one of many public figures to honor Jones in the wake of his death, with Elton John, Dr. Dre, Jon Batiste, LL Cool J, David Guetta, Victoria Monét and many others sharing posts over the past 24 hours. “A legend, a titan, a mentor,” wrote Mariah Carey in a message on Instagram. “You’ve given the world, and me, so many life defining moments that will be forever cherished. Rest in Power, sir Quincy Jones.”
“I find myself with a heavy heart today,” added Justin Timberlake on the social media site. “We lost someone so special. But, I also consider myself so fortunate to be here while he was and to experience his essence, dedication, and mastery.”
Guitarist, keyboardist, singer and songwriter Coy Bowles has been part of the Zac Brown Band since 2007, co-writing hits including “Colder Weather” and “Knee Deep” and earning a trio of Grammy wins along the way.
But when he’s not lighting up stages with ZBB’s signature freewheeling, jam-band vibe, Bowles is crafting music for another audience: kids.
In 2020, Bowles released his first children’s album, Music for Tiny Humans. On Friday, he released a follow-up called Up and Up, crafting the album’s 13 kid-aimed songs with collaborator Carlos Sosa, who has also toured with Zac Brown Band.
The album features songs such as “Dance, Dance, Dance,” “I’m Hungry,” “See the World in Color” and “The Clean Up Song,” the latter of which was inspired by a friend of his who was tired of hearing the same song sung over and over when it was time for kids to clean up in the classroom. At the same time, Bowles and Sosa had been speaking about the 1987 Run-D.M.C. classic “It’s Tricky,” admiring its production and how modern and catchy the song is, nearly four decades after its release. Bowles wanted to write kids’ music that sounded modern and in line sonically with some of the melodies and beats kids are hearing around them. He also wanted to shy away from what he calls “toxic positivity.”
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“These songs aren’t always just sunshine every day,” he tells Billboard. “The song ‘How Do You Feel’ is about doing tough things. It’s not toxic positivity. There’s real songs about ‘I miss my mom’ or ‘I’m pretty sad right now, but I know things will change and we all go through things.’”
The album also has plenty of moments of levity, such as “I’m Hungry,” inspired by Bowles’ daughters, Hattie and Millie.
“They would come down and listen to a song and be like, ‘Dad, I love it. I’m hungry,’” Bowles recalls. “I’d give ‘em some food, we’d work on a song more, and they’d come down later, listen to it and say, ‘Oh, it’s even better now. Dad, I’m hungry.’ Then Carlos would be like, ‘Dude, is that all they ever say?’ So we started making kids’ voices and saying, ‘I’m hungry, I’m hungry.’ And he looked at me and was like, ‘Dude, that’s really good actually.’ So he and I, being a place where there’s not a lot of rules and regulations when we’re writing this stuff and humor can be part of it, it just turned into this cool, funny song about being hungry. So the kids had a lot to do with it and influenced the direction.”
Bowles’ albums Up and Up and Music for Tiny Humans extend his creative work in writing and releasing children’s books since 2012, when he released the book Amy Giggles, Laugh Out Loud, based on the story of a friend who was bullied for her laugh as a child.
“I wrote songs my whole life. I got to a place where I was on a tour bus with 12 people and you really can’t write songs by yourself — there’s no corner to go write in,” he says. “There’s always someone around, so I just started writing anything that popped into my head. I started writing short stories and jotting down stuff that was happening with the band in a journal. It felt like it was keeping me healthy, mentally and creatively. Zac [Brown] had three kids at the time, and I showed him a few things I wrote. He said, ‘That would make a great children’s book. I have three kids and we’re reading books constantly.’”
Amy Giggles, Laugh Out Loud resonated with readers. “It started connecting with teachers because of the anti-bullying sentiment. I had no kids at the time, and I didn’t know many teachers at the time as far as early education, but I started getting Facebook posts about them having ‘Amy Giggles Day’ in their classrooms and kids dressing up like Amy Giggles. I started connecting with teachers to create content for their classrooms and it expanded from there.”
Since then, he’s released books including When You’re Feeling Sick, Will Powers: Where There’s a Will There’s a Way, and Behind the Little Red Door. Bowles has even done some public speaking to encourage teachers.
“Almost everybody who’s successful in life, they have somebody who cared about them. And some people, the only person in their life who’s sheltering them and guiding them with love is their teacher,” he says. “I think that they’re overlooked sometimes, and I want to make it my life’s purpose to shine light on teachers and let them know how important they are to our society as of now and the future.”
Bowles has always been connected to the education system — he was a guitar and vocal instructor for eight years — but over the past five years, he’s been actively providing content that parents and educators can use at home and in their classrooms, including a social-emotional learning kit with Lakeshore Learning that incorporated songs from his first children’s album.
“That’s been successful and is in a lot of classrooms, so we decided to make another with Lakeshore, and the music we were writing for Up and Up is part of that. We were talking with teachers and they said they would love to have transition songs, songs that signal different parts of the day. We have a song about washing hands, a song about leaving school to go home. But so many people who do that try to make it very on the nose, and we tried not to do that.”
He’s deepened his focus on offering music and content for kids through his company called CoyCo (Creative Opportunity Yields Creative Output), offering a range of products including worksheets, the Lakeshore Learning Kits that focus on topics including social-emotional learning, language and literacy, and his previously released books.
“My goal is to be one of the nimblest companies, hopefully creating content that’s viable for what teachers are going through,” Bowles says. “Because we self-publish, there’s not a lot of red tape. If I sit down with teachers and they are like, ‘We are seeing difficulty with mental health right now,’ a few months later I can have a book and some songs and videos ready to be played in the classroom or at home. My goal is to be a leading content creator in the education space and in the kids space.”
Steve Stoute holds his black hat to the camera, ensuring the words written on it are visible: “The future is independence,” a slogan that predicts where the music industry is headed in the coming years.
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During a Zoom call with Billboard in October, the UnitedMasters CEO looks back at launching the music distribution company in 2017. To Stoute, the word “independent” in the music business meant the major labels were a priority and everything else was a lower hierarchy. “When the internet blew up, nobody called every content creator that was making podcasts or visual stuff independent,” Stoute recalls. “They really were independent, but there was no classification.”
In Stoute’s eyes, independence was a stigma that made you feel “less than” if you didn’t sign a deal with a major label. He says the stigma needed to be broken, so independent artists could be comfortable with ownership. The stigma changed after artists didn’t need validation from a major label before growing their fanbase. “In today’s world, you find audiences first,” he says. “So really, do you need a label, or do you need a partner?
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“And that really was our goal from the beginning. It was to create partnerships, to let artists feel comfortable with being independent,” he continues, tapping the “future of independence” logo on his hat for added emphasis. “Owning their masters and everything that came with that. Running this ‘Believe’ campaign, we’re talking about very three prolific artists here who have all taken part in what we’re building. I’m just proud.”
Launched on UnitedMasters’ social channels at the end of September and rolled out in early October, the Believe campaign centered on messaging that if you believe in yourself, you can reach the heights of artists who distributed their music worldwide through UnitedMasters. Hip-hop artists Anycia and BigXThaPlug, along with post-punk indie artist Ekkstacy, were the faces of single-artist and multi-artist videos directed by Edgar Esteves. The short clips were published on Instagram and YouTube with the hashtag #BelieveWithUM, giving each artist a spotlight to detail their journey, from their early days to their ascension to star status.
The Believe campaign does more than just incentivize artists to sign up for one of UnitedMasters’ membership tiers, like the newly introduced DEBUT+ priced at $19.99 annually. Anycia, BigXThaPlug and Ekkstacy’s stories carry an emotional arc relatable to any artist in doubt, who needs a spark of inspiration. UM’s social assets set the stage: one moment, you have a bedroom view like Anycia, release a six-track EP (Bacc from the Dead) like BigXThaPlug, or perform solo shows in your garage like Ekkstacy, and then the next you’re on tour, performing in front of thousands of fans. “Believe in you. We do,” the campaign promises, directing followers to a landing page that demonstrates they believed in their artists’ music when no one else did.
Anycia, BigXThaPlug and Ekkstacy haven prove they aren’t overnight celebrities. The path to becoming a partner artist with UnitedMasters, an invite-only plan for emerging talent to get label-quality artist resources after they get upstreamed, begins with having faith in turning dreams into reality. If you choose UnitedMasters to distribute your music, they play the role of support. However, Stoute states that the difference between other distribution competitors and UnitedMasters is infrastructure, a collection of creatives, industry experts and engineers who work together to launch careers. “Whether it be Distrokid or Tunecore — part of the infrastructure is tech, part of the infrastructure is the people,” Stoute says. “When I built the company, I wanted to sit at the convergence of culture, technology, and storytelling. The technology is one thing, but you still need people first.”
He hammers this point: “Humans are for quality, machines are for scale. Don’t let the machines confuse you for quality.”
The ‘Believe’ campaign is a series of vignettes, zooming out from the artists’ concert crowds to how they fueled their visions for themselves. Anycia’s video starts in a bedroom, mirroring what the Atlanta rapper’s actual room would look like at her mother’s house throughout her life. For her, it represents nostalgia, imagery that has been depicted in her “Type Beat” video and the cover of Princess Pop That.
“I want to be the girl that you can have a conversation with and not feel judged. You can feel safe with me, which it always is. I’m trying to be everybody’s big sister, everybody’s auntie,” Anycia says. “I feel like the most comforting place for somebody to be is in a cozy bedroom.”
Before rapping, Anycia worked several jobs. Around 2022-2023, she didn’t feel confident about calling herself an artist, reflecting on a time when she was at a smoke shop and going to barber school. The work didn’t stop there for the struggling artist: She taught at a daycare and hosted at a nightclub in Atlanta. She used what spare time she had to work on music, and hit up studios that her friends had access to. After feeling stagnant, she quit both her jobs to do music full-time.
“I’m a strong believer in what is meant for me will be for me,” Anycia says. “So throughout my life, I’m not against trying. I’m a ‘You got to try it before you say you don’t like it’ type of person. I never really got a problem with cutting off things that I felt weren’t for me that I wasn’t happy doing.”
Anycia took a gamble on herself, reasoning that she was already charging people for features and beat placements. The game plan was there, she just needed to go all in. “I felt like it was going to work, because I was 100% being genuine and I was being myself.”
“So What,” built around a woozy Ciara sample and produced by Popstar Benny, started as a snippet on X with a few hundred views on YouTube. It became so popular that it got Anycia several label meetings before she settled with UnitedMasters. “They did find me pretty early in my situation — and the first thing I did when I walked up in that office was I asked everybody if they wanted a shot,” Anycia says. “I had to loosen everybody up. Pulled some reposado out of my purse and everything. I wanted to see the real everybody, and I liked it. Everybody was cool.”
BigXThaPlug’s video in the Believe campaign starts with him sitting in his living room. In it, he talks about before his album Amar – dedicated to his son – and repping all of Texas. In conversation, BigX knew rap wasn’t his dream or even what he planned to do at first. He was a rising star in football, playing any position on the offensive or defensive line in college. It took missing his son’s first birthday after going to jail that the rapper felt like he owed his child something. When he had no other options to earn money once he got out, he took heed to his friend Rosama’s advice, who suggested he should rap.
“I turned him down a couple of times,” BigX says. “He was the main person constantly in my ear about the music stuff. When it got to a point where I had nothing left and I had to do something, he came by with that something.”
While he’s had jobs before, BigX admits they never worked out. He was destined to be a CEO. “I never been the type to work for nobody. In my head, I’ve always been my own entity,” BigX says. “You always know when you’re meant to work for yourself, but you’re constantly listening to another person. I hate putting money in people’s pockets who I know don’t care about me. I wanted to do something more genuine and easily put my people on as well.”
UnitedMasters discovered BigX in 2021, when he had 500 monthly listeners on Spotify. During this time in his career, he released “Mr. Trouble” and “Big Stepper” on HalfpintFilmz’ YouTube channel. After those videos hit a million views in a short time, he started to see how his city of Dallas was reacting to him, and took Rosama’s suggestion to take rap seriously.
He remembers changing his hustle from working the street corners to being in the studio every day. “Every song that I made at that time, we made together,” BigX recalls. “‘Cause we was broke and we was paying for studio time. So two, three hours of studio time, we was paying $100 for and we would just split it. I would have the majority and Ro would be like, ‘I just want to record one song, I’ll just give you $25.’ I was like, ‘All right, bet.’”
BigX compared UnitedMasters to signing with a junior college, soaking in the knowledge they taught him about the music industry and better preparing him for the next level. Through signing with them, he benefited from the increased visibility and synch licensing deals, with his songs appearing on soundtracks for movies like Fast X and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. “I just knew I couldn’t sign with no major, that’s like going to a D1,” he says. “If I went to a major, I wouldn’t be where I am now.”
The guidance he’s received through UnitedMasters has BigX feeling like “[Heisman-winning quarterback] Cam Newton at Blinn [College],” he explains. “I could go anywhere in the world right now, and wherever I go, we’re going to go win a national championship.”
Ekkstacy’s road to fame was similar to Anycia’s and BigX’s: filled with uncertainty and sheer will to be who they wanted to be. The Vancouver, BC native used to process returns at an Amazon facility and made some of his earliest records in his dad’s garage. He started his music career as a producer for a former high school friend who was a SoundCloud rapper. But Stacy had other ambitions of becoming a singer.
“After some years of being around him and him being like, ‘C’mon man, you can sing. You can do it. Just do it. Just do it.’ I’ll always be like, ‘Dude, I don’t have anything to say. Like, what am I going to sing about? My life is fine. My life is good,’” Stacy says, calling from his tour bus. “I went through some crazy psychosis sh-t when I was 16. And really overnight I was a completely different person. So that’s when I started writing.”
Ekkstacy struck viral gold when he uploaded “I Walk This Earth All By Myself” on SoundCloud. After his manager Andrew Mishko suggested he take it down, the song blew up again when he signed with UnitedMasters in 2022. “It went up on SoundCloud a bit, then it went up on Spotify and then it went super up on TikTok, and then it went even stupider on Instagram Reels,” he says. “It blew up four times. It’s a weird song for me.”
Although he started at Distrokid, he moved to UnitedMasters because they allowed him to create on his terms. “They’ve been great. They’ve done everything a label would have done without the f–k s–t,” Stacy says. “I’ve had good freedom in just releasing whatever I want, not having someone be like, ‘Nah, this isn’t you. You need to do this.’ It’s always been like, ‘Yeah, this is what I want to do.’”
During one of Stoute’s recent interviews with The Pivot Podcast, he established how UnitedMasters is a global platform, through FloyyMenor’s unexpected chart dominance with the viral hit “Gata Only.” As a fresh artist out of the Latin urban music scene, FloyyMenor went from downloading the UnitedMasters app in Chile to surpassing over a billion streams on Spotify with his breakout smash. The 19-year-old Chilean artist was a local who performed at clubs, recognized only by his face but not his name. He signed with UnitedMasters after A&R Gerardo Mejía flew to Chile to see him perform, and saw immediately how he was able to connect with an audience.
Speaking through a Spanish translator, FloyyMenor explains how he released “Gata Only” without Cris MJ in December 2023, seeing the streams pick up on DSPs. In February, he added fellow Chilean and rising star Cris MJ on “Gata Only” after he reached out about wanting to work together. He was surprised at how it was trending on TikTok in Chile, teased through images of cars or anything that looked along the correct aesthetic when paired with “Gata Only” lyrics. It continued to pick up in countries outside of Chile like Argentina, Mexico, the U.S., China, France, and Italy.
“Gata Only” was a significant breakthrough for FloyyMenor and Cris MJ, becoming the first Chilean artists to enter the top 10 on Billboard‘s Hot Latin Songs chart in 25 years. Recently, FloyyMenor made history as the youngest Chilean artist to win the Global 200 Latin Song of the Year at the 2024 Billboard Latin Music Awards.
FloyyMenor isn’t a one-hit wonder, either: Outside of “Gata,” his August EP El Comienzo has more singles streaming in the millions, namely “Peligrosa” and “Apaga El Cel.” These achievements are reminders of how proud he is to represent Chile, breaking language barriers with his addictive songs. The wins he’s had wouldn’t be possible without UnitedMasters establishing trust with the artist, showing their commitment to his talent has only opened more doors for him.
“I’ve had friends who had other distro deals and they talk about bad experiences,” FloyyMenor says of their dynamic. “It’s been cool to have a team that’s serious about what they say and what they do. It’s like a family. I’ve been able to work on what I want and go towards my goals. I’m happy with the team that I have.”
UnitedMasters’ ‘Believe’ campaign proves that their tools and platforms have set these artists up for success. At the beginning of 2024, Ekkstacy felt insecure about releasing his third, self-titled record, but was motivated by the love of his fans every time he connected with them on tour. Now, he continues to hit the road, adding an opening slot for blink-182 to his resume and touring over the summer with $uicideboy$ on their acclaimed Grey Day Tour. He recently got a Gold certification for “I Walk This Earth All By Myself.”
Anycia’s Princess Pop That was a defining debut for her, dubbed Atlanta’s new it-girl by her fans. She’s stacked up accomplishments, like appearing on Flo Milli’s Fine Ho, Stay on “New Me,” and scoring her first hit on the Billboard radio charts – Rap Airplay (No. 25), Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay (No. 24), R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay (No. 40) – with “Back Outside” featuring Latto, as well as going on tour with Kehlani.
Anycia describes her stage of independence as a “tug of war” phase. She explains it as she can either go “this way or that way.”
“I put it in my head, even though s–t was already going off for me, this Kehlani tour is the start of my career. I’m the opener, I’m the rookie,” she says. “Even if people don’t know me, my goal is to make people know who I am or trying to figure out who the hell I am whenever they leavin’. I want you to have gained a new artist that you’re about to add to your playlist. I’m proving myself right now. Not only can I put out music and be cutesy on the Internet, but I’m showing you guys that I can entertain you all. So just imagine what I can do whenever a b—h got a bigger budget.”
For BigXThaPlug, his wins in 2024 are his induction into the 2024 XXL Freshman class, earning multiple gold and platinum plaques for his singles, breaking into country music with his Shaboozey collab “Drink Don’t Need No Mix,” and embarking on his Take Care Tour with Rosama and Yung Hood. He has one of the most underrated independent stories in rap right now with his latest release Take Care, notching his first top 10 at No. 8 on the Billboard 200, behind major-label artists GloRilla’s Glorious at No. 5 and Rod Wave’s Last Lap at No. 2.
“It’s a blessing to know that now I am something that people can look at,” BigX says. “I’m a guide to where people want to be in life. That’s a blessing. In my music, I am letting them know. ‘Yeah, you can be here. I ain’t going to say it is easy to do, It is possible to do. But once you get here, you are going to deal with a lot so prepare for it.’”
After hearing what these artists have had to go through to become household names, Stoute can’t stress enough how proud he is. He’s amazed at how far they’ve come, listing where they’re originally from to show you can make it anywhere. He reminisces on when UnitedMasters was the launching pad for NLE Choppa and Lil Tecca. UM has made unprecedented partnerships with Brent Faiyaz and EarthGang since then, as well as expanded into finding new African artists through Davido and Nigerian producer Sarz. The norm is perhaps finally shifting towards independence.
“The fact that we were able to touch so many artists over the years and grow is absolutely moving to me because it was something in my head that I thought I could do,” Stoute says. “Building a team and finding talented artists to not only write great songs and perform great songs but also to believe in us as a platform that could help them. That says a lot about my belief in myself.”
Beyoncé kicked off Election Day by stealing some of its thunder. The superstar unleashed her first music video in years for “Bodyguard” on Tuesday (Nov. 5), which finds her channeling a trio of Pamela Anderson’s legendary looks for “Beylloween.” The Texas-bred superstar modeled looks inspired by the actress’ character in 1996’s Barb Wire, which features […]
As part of his closing argument to voters on Monday (Nov. 4), former President Donald Trump took yet another shot at Beyoncé for the R&B superstar’s support of rival Kamala Harris. While the current Vice President was headlining a star-studded event in Philadelphia with the likes of Lady Gaga, Oprah Winfrey, Ricky Martin and hometown heroes the Roots, Trump once again hit out at a recent appearance by Queen Bey at a Harris rally in the singer’s hometown of Houston.
“Everyone’s expecting a couple of songs, and there were no songs,” Trump, 78, claimed about the Oct. 25 event where the 32-time Grammy winner appeared with her Destiny’s Child bandmate Kelly Rowland to urge Texans to support the Harris/Walz ticket on election day (Nov. 5). “There was no happiness. It’s just like, ‘give me my check. I want to get out of here,’” Trump claimed about Beyoncé’s appearance.
At the rally last month, the singer joyfully voiced her backing for Harris, saying, “We are so happy to be standing here on this stage as proud, country, Texas women supporting and celebrating the one and only Vice President Kamala Harris. A woman who’s been pushing for what this country really needs right now: unity. It’s impossible not to feel the energy in this room, the positivity, the community, the humanity. We are at the precipice of an incredible shift. The brink of history.”
She added, “I’m not here as a celebrity. I’m not here as a politician. I’m here as a mother. A mother who cares, deeply, about the world my children and all of our children live in. A world where we have the freedom to control our bodies. A world where we’re not divided. Our past, our present, our future merge to meet us here.”
In addition to boosting Harris in Houston, Beyoncé gave the campaign direct approval to use her 2016 song “Freedom” as its campaign song. Bey’s camp later sent a cease-and-desist to the Trump campaign for featuring “Freedom” in a social media campaign video from a spokesperson; that video was later taken down in the latest example of a musician asking Trump to stop using their music for his campaign.
On Monday in the crucial swing state of Pennsylvania, Trump also brushed off the lack of star power at his recent events in comparison to the many A-list actors and musicians who’ve lined up behind the Vice President, adding, “Just to bring it back into seriousness, we don’t need a star because we have policy.” His event was warmed up by former Democrat U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, conservative commentator Megyn Kelly — whom Trump insulted with a crude, sexist remark about menstruation after she moderated a 2015 presidential debate — and the son of late baseball legend Robert Clemente Jr.
Though he has repeatedly said celebrity support doesn’t matter, Trump’s campaign has welcomed endorsements by country singers Jason Aldean and Billy Ray Cyrus, as well as Amber Rose, former reality star Savannah Chrisley, Caitlyn Jenner, Kid Rock, Dr. Phil, Elon Musk, Azealia Banks, Kanye West, Joe Rogan and Lil Pump.
He has seemed particularly peeved by Beyoncé’s support for Harris, whose campaign has rolled up a galaxy of A-list supporters over the past few months, including Taylor Swift, Cardi B, Eminem, Scarlett Johansson, Ricky Martin, Rihanna, Katy Perry, Bad Bunny, Harrison Ford, Cher, Usher, Olivia Rodrigo, Madonna, Kesha, Billie Eilish, Bruce Springsteen, Charli XCX and many more.
A week after Beyoncé’s Houston speech, Trump took to the stage in Green Bay, WI dressed as a garbage man, where he again stressed that he didn’t need help from celebrities. “Four nights ago they got Beyoncé… uhhhh Beyoncé,” he said, pausing while audience appeared to boo the singer. “They got Beyoncé,” he repeated. “We don’t need Beyoncé, we don’t need anybody… all you got is me, and I don’t have a guitar.”
The Harris campaign never announced that Beyoncé was expected to sing in Houston and at the Green Bay event, though Trump added, “Ladies and gentlemen, they said Beyoncé’s coming to sing and she came but she didn’t sing. And then Kamala came on as Beyoncé was leaving without singing even one song and they booed the hell out of both of them”; there is no evidence to support Trump’s claim that the 30,000-plus Harris supporters booed Beyoncé’s appearance.
According to pollsters, Trump and Harris are in a neck-and-neck race, with most predicting that results may not be finalized as soon as voting ends on Tuesday night. If you are not sure where your polling place is, click here to find out.
Watch Trump’s comments about Beyoncé in Pittsburgh below.
By the time surging newcomer Zach Top released his debut country album, Cold Beer & Country Music, in April, the 27-year-old singer-songwriter was already seeing a groundswell of support from fans and his fellow artists. With his unabashed devotion to traditional country sounds on songs like “Bad Luck” and “There’s The Sun,” matched with his unmistakably country drawl, the singer-songwriter from Sunnyside, Wash., has drawn comparisons to such ’90s country luminaries as Alan Jackson, Doug Stone and one of his musical heroes, Keith Whitley.
Top, who is signed with label Leo33 and managed and published by Major Bob Music, has been on tour with reigning CMA entertainer of the year Lainey Wilson since May. He was a guest at Dierks Bentley’s early September headlining show at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena and most recently teamed with bluegrass luminary Billy Strings to release a trio of collaborations for Apple Music.
As Top’s “Sounds Like the Radio” continues to grow on Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart, reaching a new No. 16 high on the Nov. 9-dated list, another track from Cold Beer & Country Music has also grown into a chart hit: “I Never Lie.” After the slow grooving, sarcastic song became his first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 in September (it has since reached a No. 68 high), his team pushed “I Never Lie” to country radio. It debuted on Country Airplay in late October, giving Top two songs simultaneously on the ranking — a feat more typically reserved for arena- and stadium-headlining stars in the genre.
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He’s up for new artist of the year at the CMA Awards later this month, and his rising career has led to additional dates to his 2025 Cold Beer & Country Music Tour, which launches Jan. 16 in Nebraska, with openers Jake Worthington and Cole Goodwin.
Billboard caught up with Top to discuss “I Never Lie” reaching new chart heights, as well as his thoughts on his upcoming CMA Award nomination for new artist of the year and who he thinks will take home the entertainer of the year honor.
“I Never Lie” was included on your debut studio album, Cold Beer & Country Music. How did the song come together?
I wrote it with Carson Chamberlain and Tim Nichols. I have one of my more clever rhymes on there, with the “Angel” and “April” rhyme in the first verse [“You still look like an angel/I heard you’re doin’ fine, got promoted back in April”]. We cut it pretty old-school with the band, and I sang and tracked the vocals as they were playing. They never hear the song until the day we record it. I’ll have an acoustic recording of it on my phone, and they hear it once or twice, and that’s it. It’s two or three takes and we play it like we feel it. We might overdub a thing or two or add some fills, but it’s all played live, nothing computerized about it. Carson produced it and [engineer] Matt [Rovey] mixed it up.
What has been your reaction to it connecting with fans on this level?
It may be the countriest song on the record. It sticks out and there’s nothing but steel guitar on there — you haven’t heard a song like that, sonically, in a long time. I think people have had an appetite for my kind of country for a little while, and we’re getting a dose of it. Songs like “Sounds Like the Radio” and “Cold Beer & Country Music,” you would expect those to be hits because they are up-tempo. This song goes in the face of what’s out there right now.
When did you first realize the song was a hit?
We had been playing it in live shows, so people already knew it. Around April 5, we had our album release show, and over the last four months, it has really taken off. Our fans know every word of every song on the album — they are not just waiting to hear one song. It gives me chills every night when we play that first riff [of “I Never Lie”]. They don’t need to hear no words, they know it from that first note.
“I Never Lie” debuted on Country Airplay in late October, giving you two current hits on the Billboard chart, including the top 20 hit “Sounds Like The Radio.” How does that feel?
I’m excited, because you don’t see that a lot with an artist as new as me. I’m proud to have the success so far and not be just a one-hit wonder.
You’ve also gained traction on TikTok with “I Never Lie.” What is your approach to social media?
I don’t get on social media much. There is a girl named Cheyenne in my band who has TikTok and she’ll tell me about videos that have “I Never Lie” or other songs in them. I was never very into social media — it was just a tool to get music out there. Early this year, I turned it all over [to my team]. I don’t have the apps on my phone, and I don’t think I have the logins. It can suck you in, scrolling through, and I think it’s probably healthy for me to stay off it.
You are nominated for new artist of the year at the CMA Awards on Nov. 20. What do you remember about finding out about your nomination?
It’s funny because I got a couple of texts that said, “Congratulations,” and I was like, “It’s not my birthday. What’s going on?” They sent me screenshots and filled me in. There are a bunch of big artists on that list, and I’m proud to be in this group.
Who do you think will win entertainer of the year at the CMA Awards?
I think Lainey [Wilson] would be a good pick. She puts on a hell of a show and is a great entertainer. And [Chris] Stapleton, I saw his show at [Nashville’s] Nissan Stadium, and I had not seen his show before and it’s pretty old-school with the band up there. He sings and captivates people with his voice and music, so he gets my vote, too.
A version of this story appears in the Oct. 26, 2024, issue of Billboard.