Music
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Moby has joined the chorus of musicians who’ve responded to Donald Trump’s win in the 2024 U.S. presidential election. On Wednesday (Nov. 6), the producer and activist posted a video of himself outside in New York City, addressing the camera by saying “So obviously the election results are terrible and America and Americans have clearly […]
Emilia Pérez leads the 2024 Hollywood Music in Media Awards nominations with five nods. The HMMA honors composers, songwriters and music supervisors for their contributions over the previous year in music for film, TV, video games and more.
The 15th annual Hollywood Music in Media Awards will be presented Nov. 20 at The Avalon in Hollywood. That’s nearly a month before the Oscars announce their shortlists of 15 original songs and 20 original scores on Dec. 17. Oscar nominations will be announced on Jan. 17. The annual HMMA nominations are our real first peek inside what may be vying for music awards at other awards shows in coming weeks.
Two songs from Emilia Pérez (“El Mal” and “Mi Camino”) are nominated for song – feature film. That boldly imaginative French film is this year’s only film with two song nominees. The film is also nominated for score – feature film. Clément Ducol and Camille, a French couple, are nominated in both categories. They co-wrote one of their nominated songs, “El Mal,” with Jacques Audiard, the director of Emilia Pérez.
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Blitz, Challengers and The Six Triple Eight were also nominated in both the top song and top score categories. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross were nominated for their score for the boxoffice hit Challengers. They were also nominated for co-writing “Compress/Repress” with Luca Guadagnino, the director of Challengers.
A third of this year’s nominated songs was co-written by the director of the film that contained the song. “Winter Coat” from Blitz was co-written by that film’s director, Steve McQueen, along with Nicholas Britell and Taura Stinson. Hans Zimmer was nominated for scoring the film.
Perennial Oscar hopeful Diane Warren is nominated for song – feature film for writing “”The Journey” from The Six Triple Eight. Aaron Zigman is nominated for scoring the film.
The HMMAs have five song categories and seven score categories. Their main song category lists nine nominees. Their main score category lists eight nominees.
One of the HMMA’s most compelling categories (which the Oscars don’t present) is song – onscreen performance. This year’s nominees are Cynthia Erivo for singing “Defying Gravity” in the film adaptation of the Broadway smash Wicked; Nicholas Galitzine and Anne-Marie for singing “The Idea of You” in the rom-com of the same name; Saoirse Ronan for singing “Winter Coat” in Blitz; Timothée Chalamet for singing “Blowin’ in the Wind” in the Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown; and Zoe Saldana for singing “El Mal” in Emilia Pérez.
As previously announced, legendary lyricist Bernie Taupin will receive the Outstanding Career Achievement Award. Taupin is also nominated for co-writing “Never Too Late” from Elton John: Never Too Late, which is vying for song – documentary film. He cowrote the song with John, Brandi Carlile and Andrew Watt.
Several of the nominated songs will be performed live during the HMMA awards ceremonies on Nov. 20. Tickets are available now at: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/2024hmmawards/1419072
Here are the 2024 HMMA nominations in film categories.
Song – feature film
“Winter Coat” from Blitz – Written by Nicholas Britell, Taura Stinson, and Steve McQueen. Performed by Saoirse Ronan.
“Compress/Repress” from Challengers – Written by Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross and Luca Guadagnino. Performed by Mariqueen Maandig Reznor.
“El Mal” from Emilia Pérez – Written by Clément Ducol, Camille, and Jacques Audiard. Performed by Zoe Saldana.
“Mi Camino” from Emilia Pérez – Written by Clément Ducol and Camille. Performed by Selena Gomez and Édgar Ramírez.
“Forbidden Road” from Better Man – Written and performed by Robbie Williams.
“Periyone” from The Goat Life – Written by A.R. Rahman and Rafiq Ahamed. Performed by Jithin Raj.
“The Idea of You” from The Idea of You – Written by Savan Kotecha, Albin Nedler and Carl Falk. Performed by Galitzine and Anne-Marie.
“The Journey” from The Six Triple Eight – Written by Diane Warren. Performed by H.E.R.
“Out of Oklahoma” from Twisters – Written by Luke Dick, Shane McAnally, and Lainey Wilson. Performed by Lainey Wilson.
Song – animated film
“Double Life” from Despicable Me 4 – Written and performed by Pharrell Williams.
“Beyond” from Moana 2 – Written by Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear. Performed by Auli’i Cravalho.
“Can I Get a Chee Hoo?” from Moana 2 – Written by Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear. Performed by Dwayne Johnson.
“Kiss the Sky” from The Wild Robot – Written by Maren Morris, Ali Tamposi, Michael Pollack, Delacey, Jordan Johnson, and Stefan Johnson. Performed by Maren Morris.
“Just as You Are” from Thelma the Unicorn – Written by Taura Stinson, Darien Dorsey, and Brittany Howard. Performed by Brittany Howard.
Song – documentary film
“Pain Has a Purpose” from Americans With No Address – Written by Cindy Morgan and Jonathan Kingham. Performed by Rachael Lampa.
“Never Too Late” from Elton John: Never Too Late – Written by Elton John, Brandi Carlile, Bernie Taupin and Andrew Watt. Performed by Elton John and Brandi Carlile.
“Mis Cuatro Letras” from Night Is Not Eternal – Written and performed by San Miguel Pérez and Chad Cannon.
“Piece by Piece” from Piece by Piece – Written by Pharrell Williams. Performed by Pharrell Williams, and Princess Anne High School Fabulous Marching Cavaliers.
“Growing Up Is for Losers” from Red Herring – Written and performed by Xav Clarke.
“Harper and Will Go West” from Will & Harper – Written by Sean Douglas, Kristen Wiig, and Josh Greenbaum. Performed by Kristen Wiig.
Song – independent film
“Wi Sabi Wi” from African Giants – Written by Justin Schornstein. Performed by Malik Mayne, Patrick Dillon Curry, and Justin Schornstein.
“City of Dreams” from City of Dreams – Written by Linda Perry. Performed by Luis Fonsi.
“Hold on to the Dream” from Ka Whawhai Tonu – Struggle Without End. Written by Arli Liberman and Tiki Taane. Performed by Arli Liberman, Tiki Taane, and Louis Baker.
“Right Where He Ought To Be” from Kim Kahana: The Man Who Changed Hollywood – Written by Richard Lynch and Kenny Day. Performed by Richard Lynch.
“The Creatures of Nature” from Sasquatch Sunset – Written by Toto Miranda, Yvonne Lambert and Josh Lambert. Performed by Riley Keough.
“Beautiful That Way” from The Last Showgirl – Written by Miley Cyrus, Lykke Li, and Andrew Wyatt. Performed by Miley Cyrus.
Song – onscreen performance
Cynthia Erivo – “Defying Gravity” from Wicked
Nicholas Galitzine and Anne-Marie – “The Idea of You” from The Idea of You
Saoirse Ronan – “Winter Coat” from Blitz
Timothée Chalamet – “Blowin’ in the Wind” from A Complete Unknown
Zoe Saldana – “El Mal” from Emilia Pérez
Score – feature film
Blitz – Hans Zimmer
Challengers – Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
Conclave – Volker Bertelmann
Emilia Pérez – Clément Ducol and Camille
Gladiator II – Harry Gregson-Williams
Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 – John Debney
Saturday Night – Jon Batiste
The Six Triple Eight – Aaron Zigman
Score – sci-fi/fantasy
Deadpool & Wolverine – Rob Simonsen
Dune: Part Two – Hans Zimmer
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga – Tom Holkenborg
If – Michael Giacchino
Red One – Henry Jackman
Score – independent film (foreign language)
Girl You Know It’s True – Segun Akinola
Ka Whawhai Tonu- Struggle Without End – Arli Liberman, Tiki Taane
Mongrels – Hao-Ting Shih, Tae-Young Yu
The Seed of the Sacred Fig – Karzan Mahmood
The Shadow of the Sun – Sandro Morales-Santoro
The Goat Life – A.R. Rahman
Score – independent film
African Giants – Justin Schornstein
In the Land of Saints and Sinners – Diego Baldenweg
Sasquatch Sunset – The Octopus Project
September 5 – Lorenz Dangel
The Room Next Door – Alberto Iglesias
Thelma – Nick Chuba
Score – horror film
A Quiet Place: Day One – Alexis Grapsas
Here After – Fabrizio Mancinelli
Longlegs – Zilgi
Nosferatu – Robin Carolan
Speak No Evil – Danny Bensi and Saunder Jurriaans
The Substance – Raffertie
Score – animated film
Dragonkeeper – Arturo Cardelús
Out 2 – Andrea Datzman
That Christmas – John Powell
The Wild Robot – Kris Bowers
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl – Lorne Balfe and Julian Nott
Score – documentary
Diane Von Furstenberg: Woman in Charge – Allyson Newman
Endurance – Daniel Pemberton
Frida – Víctor Hernández Stumpfhauser
Jim Henson Idea Man – David Fleming
October H8te – Sharon Farber
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story – Ilan Eshkeri
The Donn of Tiki – Holly Amber Church
WILL & HARPER – Nathan Halpern
Music-themed film, biopic or musical
A Complete Unknown
Back to Black
Better Man
Bob Marley: One Love
Emilia Pérez
Wicked
Music documentary / special program
Elton John: Never Too Late
I Am: Celine Dion
Music by John Williams
One to One: John and Yoko
Piece By Piece
The Greatest Night in Pop
Music supervision – film
Dave Jordan – Deadpool & Wolverine
Frankie Pine – The Idea of You
LaMarcus Miller and Livy Rodriguez-Behar – Jim Henson Idea Man
Steven Gizicki – A Complete Unknown
Rachel Levy – Twisters
Susan Jacobs and Jackie Mulhearn – Out of My Mind
For the complete list, visit: https://www.hmmawards.com/2024-hmma-nominations/
In the wake of Donald Trump’s stunning win in the 2024 presidential election, singer-songwriter Ethel Cain is letting out her rage.
In a post to her Tumblr on Wednesday (Nov. 6), the “American Teenager” singer laid into the American political system, decrying the methods by which members of the electorate are turned against one another. “The problem is that America has beaten down its people for decades and gotten them weak and desperate and now promises a way out, a way to transcend and rise above, through selling out their fellow man,” she wrote. “An embarrassingly large chunk of white men are just straight up nazis these days as a way to dissociate from the rest of the carnage around them, even if they’re broke and uneducated and from an impoverished background themselves.”
Cain, who has been a vocal critic of both the Republican and Democratic tickets in the 2024 election, went on to say that modern political discourse has made everyone “so incredibly hateful,” and warned that the president-elect was far from the only issue in our current system.
“It’s not even about Trump at this point. He’s gonna get in office and do whatever he does and it’s gonna be a mess but whatever. This is indicative of deeper problem,” she wrote. “There is no solidarity and there is no love. Trump being in office or not doesn’t change the fact that America is a breeding ground for violent hatred … if anything COULD be done about it, Trump certainly wouldn’t do it. Honestly, Kamala probably wouldn’t have either. We are so deeply f–ked.”
The singer went on to deliver a direct message to any Trump supporters reading her post: “If you voted for Trump, I hope that peace never finds you. Instead, I hope clarity strikes you someday like a clap of lightning and you have to live the rest of your life with the knowledge and guilt of what you’ve done and who you are as a person,” she wrote.
As for the rest of her followers, Cain said that since “we can’t count on the government,” it would come down to them. “Just keep up the good fight in your own personal lives,” she wrote. “That’s literally the only thing to be done at this point. Stay safe out there. Maybe buy a gun.”
Cain joins a rising chorus of voices reacting negatively to Trump’s re-election. Cardi B wrote “I hate y’all so bad” after the race was called for the Republican nominee, while Billie Eilish said that his win represented “a war on women.”
Beef has been the flavor of the year for hip-hop in 2024. Ice-T is well-versed going to battle for his fair share of wars over his career with the scars to prove it, but the rapper-turned-actor doesn’t believe it’s smart for rhymers to engage in feuds with social media prevalent.
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The West Coast legend hopped on the Boss Talk 101 podcast on Monday (Nov. 4) where he compared today’s rap beef to his previous decades, and pointed to social media as an amplifier in spoiling the fun to raise tensions.
“The disses that’s going on, like, I can outrap you is one thing. But then when you take it to the next level, like, ‘When I see you it’s a problem,’” he said. “The problem with beef is that it can escalate away from you. Say I have beef with Treach and I’m talking s–t about Treach. I could run into one of his fans on the street who wants to get active.”
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Ice-T continued: “Having beef is just not smart if you can avoid it… They didn’t have social media, big difference. Social media is an amplifier to everything. It amplifies everything… It forces reaction that really could be squashed so much simpler.”
The 66-year-old explained that when beef goes to the internet and millions know about it, then it warrants a further response. “It forces reaction that really could be squashed so much simpler,” he added. “Why people have beef and take it to social media is beyond me, especially if you know a n—as’ phone number.”
When continually asked about the Drake-Kendrick Lamar feud earlier this year, Ice-T brushed off the commentary and only offered up that he was concerned with securing the bag at this point.
“I’m sorry if I’m not interested in current Rap Beef or random Male Gossip. I’m a HUSTLER. I’m only focused on the Bag,” he said on X at the time.
In the same vein as social media amplifying beef, Ice-T revealed he cleared up any static he had with Jay-Z when speaking to Big Boy earlier this year.
Jay’s multi-platinum top 40 Billboard Hot 100 hit “99 Problems” interpolates Ice’s 1993 track of the same name and Hov caught up with Ice at the 2024 Grammy Awards to show him love and make sure there was no issue.
“I’m at the Grammys and Jay-Z comes to me. He says, ‘Ice, you know I love you, right?’” Ice-T said. “I say, ‘Yeah!’ He says, ‘Well, it’s on the internet that you mad.’ I said, ‘I’m not mad! They’re bringing up all kinds of interviews about it and they asked me the story, and I told them the true story.’”
Watch the clip below.
The Viña del Mar International Song Festival has its host duo for 2025. The event’s production reported Wednesday (Nov. 6) that presenter and journalist Rafael Araneda will join previously announced host Karen Doggenweiler for its 64th edition, which returns to Quinta Vergara from February 23 to 28.
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This will be the first time that Doggenweiler serves as co-host of the Chilean festival, while Araneda returns after seven years, having hosted before between 2011 and 2018.
Produced this year by Bizarro Live Entertainment, the Festival de Viña begins a “new era” on the channel Mega, after having previously been broadcast on Canal 13 and Televisión Nacional de Chile.
“Today, it is an honor, it is a privilege, it is a gift that music gives me, that life gives me, to be able to return in this new era of Mega and Bizarro doing the Viña del Mar Festival,” Araneda told Billboard Español this week. “[I have] great memories, and great expectations for the future.”
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“I am tremendously lucky to participate in this edition,” said Doggenweiler. “Viña is not only a festival, it is a global movement of music and entertainment, of human connection.”
With almost three decades of career in radio and television, Araneda has hosted journalistic spaces, primetime shows, realities and contests, in addition to his eight years at the helm of the Viña del Mar Festival. In recent years he has developed his career in Mexico City (TV Azteca) and Miami (Univision), where he currently hosts the show Enamorándonos.
Doggenweiler, with more than a quarter century on the Chilean screens, has also hosted entertainment shows in various formats, including primetime programs, morning shows, family shows, game shows, reality TV and festivals. Over the years she has had a close connection with the Festival de Viña, which she not only covered as a reporter, but for which she also served as a judge.
Launched in 1960, the Viña del Mar International Song Festival is held annually at the Quinta Vergara, a 15,000-seat amphitheater located in the Chilean city of Viña del Mar, in the central coastal region of Valparaíso.
Over six days, the event features a mix of superstars, emerging singers and local artists competing for Silver, Gold and Platinum “Gaviotas” (Seagulls). These awards are decided by a jury with the help of viewers from their homes, although the so-called “monster” — the audience present at Quinta Vergara — undoubtedly has great power of influence with its ovations and occasional boos.
Below, Karen Doggenweiler and Rafael Araneda, the official hosts of Viña del Mar 2025, answer questions from Billboard.
Karen, this is your first time as a host of the most important television event in Chile. How do you feel now that this moment is approaching?
I am tremendously fortunate to participate in this edition of the festival. Viña is not only a festival, it is a global movement of music and entertainment, of human connection. We are going to have cutting-edge technology, there is a commitment to sustainability as well and a show that we hope will illuminate the entire summer [in the Southern Hemisphere]. I feel that it comes at a very, very special moment in my career.
Together with Rafael, we hope to put our own stamp on it. We know that for 65 years other channels have had it too… and well, now we are here and of course we hope that it becomes an endearing festival in this new version that we have prepared, in this change of era that we are working with so much love and dedication.
Rafael, what does it mean to you to return to Viña as host after seven years?
Indeed, I was member of the jury on two occasions at the Viña del Mar Festival, and then I had the opportunity to host it in eight consecutive editions. It was an extraordinary experience, personally and professionally, given that we work with the best technology in terms of making television, of doing what we are passionate about. We work on a 360 multimedia concept where there are different audiences, not just the people on television — there is the radio, the written press, today social media is very strong, and also digital broadcasts that can even give you a personalized festival experience. In that sense, it was always a nice challenge.
Today, it is an honor, it is a privilege, it is a gift that music gives me, that life gives me, to be able to return in this new era of Mega and Bizarro doing the Viña del Mar Festival. [I have] great memories, and great expectations for the future.
What would you say has been your favorite moment in Viña?
Karen: So many! I was able to go as a spectator when I was little with my mother, with my sister. I have also been part of the jury, and on related satellite programs, I participated as a reporter, waiting for the artists who arrived at the airport to interview them. For so many years I have witnessed it from different places. I think I was just missing being a host! So I think my favorite moment in Viña is yet to come. Although I treasure each of these other moments in a very important place in my heart, I think Viña 2025 is going to be my favorite moment in Viña del Mar.
Rafael: There are many particular moments, there are many behind-the-scenes emotions — but I stick with the prior preparation, on a personal level. And also observing from backstage, from a unique point of view, the nerves of world-class stars before going onstage — or when they are introduced — they look nervous, they look eager, you see them vocalizing, doing exercises, talking and refining details with their crew. And there you realize that we are all people, that we all want to give always the best version of ourselves, and that what happens there is unique, truly wonderful.
Karen, you mentioned attending the festival as a spectator with your mother and your sister. What does your family tell you now that you will be hosting Viña del Mar?
Karen: My family feels proud, happy, and of course supports me in this important instance. We experience the affection of each of the Chileans that we encounter every day, of our compatriots, in every step we take on the street, through the screens, through the radio. Of course our family also adds to that. And I am convinced that with Rafael it is the same. I know his family, I love them very much. And well, we are already working very closely to make it an unforgettable festival, so that we truly reflect this change of era, so that we can surprise, and so that everyone transforms each of these six nights in something that remains forever in the hearts.
Rafael, what is going to be different for you after seven years of absence?
Rafael: I think that the signature that Mega and Bizarro are going to give it. And in that sense, together with Karen — with whom I had the opportunity to work for many years on Chilean television in different formats, at different times, and we enjoyed it, we had a great time — I think that will be the hallmark. Having the possibility of meeting her again after so many years of accumulated experience is going to be very rich. Hopefully that chemistry and maturity that we have both gained over the years will come through. I have no doubt that this is how it will be.
But the signature will also be connected to energy, which is a central concept for Viña 2025. The energy generated by the music, the energy generated by the Viña del Mar experience, the energy generated by making a broadcast that each of us makes it our mission, not only the media. People today will have access to technological platforms to see the festival from wherever they want to see it, and however they want to see it. I hope they see it with their family — the lineup is going to be along those lines. It will be family-friendly crossover artists, and obviously and proudly massive. That’s Viña del Mar.
On today’s (Nov. 6) episode of the Greatest Pop Stars of the 21st Century podcast, we kick off the top five of our list with a pop star who lit up the entire music world of the late ’00s and early ’10s — with a string of chart smashes accompanied by blindingly brilliant music videos, live […]
Travis Kelce is, as expected, the biggest Swiftie! The Kansas City Chiefs tight end sat down with his brother, Jason Kelce, for a new episode of the duo’s New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce podcast this week, where Travis opened up about his experience attending one more of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour stops before it […]
The Contenders is a midweek column that looks at artists aiming for the top of the Billboard charts, and the strategies behind their efforts. This week, for the upcoming Billboard Hot 100 dated Nov. 16, we look at Shaboozey’s chances to have just the second single in chart history to spend a 17th week at No. 1.
Shaboozey, “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” (American Dogwood/EMPIRE/Magnolia Music): This week, Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song” reclaims the Hot 100’s top spot from Morgan Wallen’s “Love Somebody,” fending off a hard-charging “Die With a Smile” by Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga to claim its 16th week atop the chart. That 16th frame at No. 1 is already a record-tying one, matching the longest reign on the chart this decade, a record previously held solely by the aforementioned Wallen with the previous year’s “Last Night.”
Now, “A Bar Song” is going for week 17 – which would move it past “Last Night,” along with fellow 16-week No. 1s “One Sweet Day” (Mariah Carey & Boyz Men, 1995-96) and “Despacito” (Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee feat. Justin Bieber, 2017) into sole possession of the runner-up spot for the longest-ruling hit in Hot 100 history. A 17th week at No. 1 would not only set a new mark for this decade, it would be the longest run for a song with only one credited artist. From there, the only song remaining ahead of it in the history books would be “Old Town Road” (Lil Nas X feat. Billy Ray Cyrus), with 19 weeks at No. 1 in 2019.
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Will it get there? Well, its numbers continue to slip, but only very slowly, as it seems on pace to score a 15th week atop Radio Songs, and may rebound some on Streaming Songs with Tyler, the Creator’s Chromakopia album (released on a Monday morning, Oct. 28) now in its second(-ish) frame. As has long been the case with “A Bar Song,” the song is a steady performer enough that it is still unlikely to simply cede the throne; another song will likely have to come along and actively seize it from Shaboozey.
Tyler, the Creator feat. GloRilla, Sexyy Red & Lil Wayne, “Sticky” (Columbia): Shocking – the biggest early breakout hit off Tyler, the Creator’s chart-topping (and pace-setting) Chromakopia album seems to be the one with all the rap hitmaker guest stars. “Sticky,” which features not only 2024 sensations GloRilla and Sexyy Red but one of the most successful rappers in Billboard history (and Tyler’s own hero) in the legendary Lil Wayne, has taken over as the album’s top-performing song on Apple Music and iTunes, and has been climbing the daily rankings on Spotify as well, looking to take over from “St. Chroma” (which debuts at No. 7 on this week’s Hot 100 this week) as the set’s best-performing Hot 100 hit.
Does that mean “Sticky” will be in the hunt for the chart’s top spot next frame in its first full week of tracking? Maybe not quite – it’s still got a long way to climb after debuting at No. 14 this week, and radio certainly will be little help, as the song’s mostly beatless first verse makes it a challenging full play on the airwaves (where Tyler has never had much success to begin with). But if it continues to grow at the rate it has been, it could be a major challenger to Shaboozey in the weeks to come – especially if hip-hop radio decides to latch onto the parts of the song with GloRilla and Sexyy Red, two of the year’s most reliable fixtures on the format.
Bruno Mars & Lady Gaga, “Die With a Smile” (Streamline/Interscope/Atlantic/ICLG): “Die With a Smile” took its shot at No. 1 this past week and fell just short, but that doesn’t mean it’s out of the race now. Even with the song likely to recede in sales and streams a little the week after the duo dropped new live and acoustic versions of it, it continues to grow in radio airplay, as it jumps 11-9 on Radio Songs this week and should remain a riser next week. Could the Grammy nominations, announced this Friday (with “Smile” a strong contender for a nod in multiple categories) be enough to put it over the top the week after next? Bruno and Gaga certainly didn’t get to where they are today by leaving potential No. 1s on the table, so another concerted push before the song’s chart run ends is always a possibility.
Billie Eilish, “Birds of a Feather” (Darkroom/Interscope/ICLG): Speaking of No. 2 hits – another single that “Bar Song” has held to the runner-up spot thusfar is Billie Eilish’s long-running Hit Me Hard and Soft smash, which catapulted to a silver-medal finish the week following the release of its official video, and which holds at No. 3 on the chart behind “Bar Song” and “Smile” this week. There’s nothing much new to talk about the song this week, but it remains a steady performer on both streaming and radio (as it’s led Pop Airplay for seven weeks and Adult Pop Airplay for three weeks) — and also could be a Grammy nominations beneficiary next week, with Billie being one of the most celebrated artists at the awards this decade.
America’s presidential election found the country at a peak in anxiety, angry on one side about immigrants and fearful on the other of a descent into dictatorship.
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In the midst of that tension, Drew Baldridge – on the heels of his first top 5 single, “She’s Somebody’s Daughter” – targeted Nov. 4, Election Day Eve, as the add date for his new single, a litany of disasters and a celebration of resilience titled “Tough People.”
“What I love about this song is that it’s honest and it’s real,” Baldridge says. “It’s what our world’s going through. It’s what we’re all feeling.”
And, it suggests, we can all get through whatever crisis emerges – a tornado, cancer, a school shooting or a war.
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“Don’t give up. don’t stop loving people, don’t stop helping people out,” he says. “What you’re going through, you’re gonna come out better because of it. I think that’s the message that we want to share.”Baldridge was in a “David versus Goliath” mindset, he remembers, when he wrote it. He was about to self-release “She’s Somebody’s Daughter” to radio via PlayMPE on July 25, 2023.
The day before, he met up with fellow indie artist Adam Sanders and songwriter Jordan Walker (“When It Rains It Pours”) in writing room 2 at Sony Music Publishing Nashville. Sanders had heard, on Joe Rogan’s podcast, a version of “The Cycle of Man,” an assessment of generational changes from author G. Michael Hopf’s Those Who Remain: “Hard times create strong men, strong men create good times, good times create weak men, and weak men create hard times.”
Sanders held on to the hook, “Hard times make tough people,” until he could write with Baldridge, who wasn’t afraid of difficult topics. Both of them were thinking about their own careers as they worked on it, inserting some optimism into the hard times. “It’s just always a fight and a struggle,” Sanders says, “but hey, if you keep going, you can achieve your dreams no matter what. That’s where that came from.”
Walker turned the “hard times” hook into “tough times make tough people” and started playing guitar in a drop-D tuning, ideal for power chords. “It’s emotional, it’s deep,” Walker says. “As soon as you hit that first note, it just hits you.”
The first image accomplishes the same thing. A Midwest town endures a tornado that leaves only a Baptist church and a baseball field standing. The tough people, of course, rebuild it, as they would after a flood or a hurricane. “In my little town, one year, the whole roof of the cafeteria got ripped off, and a couple farmers lost their barns,” Southern Illinois native Baldridge recalls. “The next morning, I woke up and I went out there, and my dad and other farmers – everybody was coming together to help fix stuff. And that just has really stuck with me.”
A four-year-old girl battling cancer in Memphis – presumably at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital – follows the tornado in the text. “You want to talk about three guys in a room crying – Drew’s got a little boy and I’ve got two little girls,” Walker says. “We all got choked up, and that was probably, honestly, the hardest part of the song to write.”
Not that the rest of it was rainbows and unicorns. The final vignette reveals a soldier who returns home in a flag-covered casket, and another recognizes a police officer putting his life on the line at a school shooting. Nashville’s Covenant School incident had occurred just four months prior, scarring the entire community, and it was a natural subject. They debated including that particular tragedy, and decided to go for it.
“It’s one of the biggest problems in this country – it needs to be talked about,” Walker says. “I’ve got two little girls that are in daycare, and luckily, there’s a cop that sits in the parking lot every day, so that deters anyone from wanting to do anything ignorant. But I can’t imagine when these girls get in high school, middle school, just kind of dropping them off and praying you see them at four o’clock.”
All of those hard times, though, were offset by the chorus, beginning with a melodic lift. After a couple lines of lyrics that border on victimhood, it turns to self-determination – a series of “keep on fighting” mantras leading to the feel-good conclusion: “Hard work pays off, good beats evil/ And tough times make tough people.”
They cut a demo, though in retrospect, they missed the creative mark. “I just don’t think that we captured the right emotion,” Sanders says. “It just kind of felt a little stale. We turned the song in to our publishers, and I don’t think anybody said anything.”
But when Baldridge presented a handful of songs to producer Nick Schwarz, he knew “Tough People” had to be part of the next round of recording. “The school shooting line is what made me go ‘Holy moly,’” Schwarz recalls. “It’s so real.”
They recorded it in mid-December at the Sony Tree Studios, focused on making it sound tougher than the demo. A tremolo guitar helped establish some tension. “I’m a sucker for tremolo and slap back – I just love those two sounds,” Schwarz says. “So I asked for tremolo, and they were like, ‘Nick and his tremolo’ and laughed.”
But the recording took an unexpected turn. Sanders got a standing ovation when he performed an acoustic version of “Tough People” at the Franklin Theater. Based on that performance, Walker made a new acoustic demo, and it was so good that he played it on Dec. 29 for Luke Combs, who wanted to cut it. A few weeks later, Lainey Wilson heard it while visiting Baldridge, and she called Combs to ask if she could record it with him. They made their recording on Jan. 25. Combs re-wrote a couple lines in verse two, but he kept the school shooting in the piece.
“One of the responding officers [at Covenant] is the canine officer for Metro Nashville,” Walker says. “He actually lives on Luke’s property and trains dogs out there. So Luke was like, ‘If anything, that line is staying. He goes, ‘That guy’s a buddy of mine, and I think nobody talks about that.”
But when Baldridge partnered with BBR Music Group/BMG to market the follow-up to “She’s Somebody’s Daughter,” the label insisted “Tough People” was his best option as an artist. Baldridge told Combs he thought he should take it back, and Combs agreed. And when the writers wanted to give Combs a songwriter credit for contributing a couple lines, he insisted on taking only 10% ownership, instead of 25%.
Schwarz subsequently worked more on the recording, cutting new parts and moving a lot of the existing instrumental support around to heighten the song’s drama and better emulate the acoustic demo’s spirit. Baldridge tried to match the story’s intensity in his final vocal. When he heard the results later, he went back in to re-cut the vocal on the second chorus and make that part more forceful ahead of the guitar solo. “I can’t sing the word ‘tough’ weak,” he reasons.
Stoney Creek released “Tough People” through PlayMPE on Oct. 25. While the hard times in “Tough People” might play into the issues of the day, Baldridge hopes he can remain neutral on the song’s controversies but still inspire people to be their best selves.
“I don’t want to have to do political interviews or anything,” he says. “This is where we’re at. Take it how you want to take it, and hopefully some good can come out of it.”
Ariana Grande may have become a superstar as a chart-topping pop star, but after pivoting back to musical theater while working on Wicked, the 31-year-old artist says she’s hoping to keep acting at the forefront in the future.
While speaking to her Wicked costar Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers on the duo’s Las Culturistas podcast on Wednesday (Nov. 6), Grande was candid about wanting to return to Broadway someday. “It is my heart,” said the R.E.M. Beauty founder, who got her start as a young teenager in 13: The Musical, followed by her role as Cat Valentine on Nickelodeon’s Victorious.
“I’m gonna say something so scary — it’s gonna scare the absolute s–t out of my fans and everyone, but I love them, and they’ll deal, and we’ll be here forever,” she continued. “I’m always going to make music, I’m always going to go on stage, I’m always going to do pop stuff, I pinky promise. But I don’t think doing it at the rate I’ve been doing it for the past 10 years is where I see the next 10 years.”
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“Reconnecting with this part of myself who started in musical theater, and who loves comedy, and it heals me to do that — finding roles to use these parts of myself and put them in little homes and characters and bits and voices and songs,” Grande added. “Whatever makes sense, or whatever roles we see fit, or where I could really do a good job or honor the material, I would really love to. I think it’s a lot better for me. I’m getting emotional.”
The podcast interview comes just a few weeks ahead of the Nov. 22 premiere of the first Wicked film, which also stars Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Golblum, Ethan Slater and more. Toward the end of filming last year, she recorded her first album in four years: Eternal Sunshine, which spent two weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 following its March release.
Before Eternal Sunshine came 2020’s Positions, which Grande also spoke about on Las Culturistas. “When it came out, it kind of didn’t go so well,” she reflected of the LP, which also spent two weeks atop the U.S. albums chart. “I just mean as far as what my fans were saying … I just got like, ‘This is not what we want’ vibes.”
“That really put me in a cage of judging every piece,” she continued. “I scrapped so many things I was going to put out for it. And now people love it like it’s the best thing I’ll ever make! What is that? How is that fair? But I love them for it.”
Listen to Las Culturistas with Ariana Grande below.