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Chappell Roan has attracted millions of new listeners in the year since she dropped her acclaimed debut album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, many of whom are eagerly waiting to hear what she makes next — and luckily for them, producer Dan Nigro has an update. In a New York Times profile […]
Being a Grammy voter may sound glamorous, but it’s a lot of work if you do it right, or even close to right. That’s because, in the first round of voting, the Recording Academy presents voting members with really long lists of titles and asks them to select the five they think are most worthy of a nomination.
How long is “really long”? This year, voters had to wade through alphabetical lists of 780 entries for record of the year, 707 for album of the year, 978 for song of the year and 323 for best new artist. And that’s just the Big Four categories!
Can you imagine how much time and mental effort it would take to contentiously pick your five favorite anythings from a list of 978 contenders? If that task were less overwhelming, it seems likely that the quality of voting would go up – and that the percentage of voting members who completed it would go up. If the voters were presented with a list of, say, 100 contenders, it would turn a daunting task into a manageable, and maybe even pleasurable, one. (That number could go up a bit, to 125, 150 or 200, but of course the higher it goes up, the less benefit would be realized.)
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My idea is to have a group of knowledgeable, plugged-in and fair-minded people cull the massive entry lists and bring them down to a more reasonable length. Big hits would probably remain on the list, as would non-hits that people on the panel spoke up for.
You might say, “Didn’t the Recording Academy just get rid of Nomination Review Committees a few years ago — now you’re talking about bringing them back?” Good recall on the review committees, including the primary one, which determined the final nominees in the Big Four categories every year from the ceremony held in 1996 through the one held in 2021. Most Grammy-watchers (including me) were happy to see that committee disbanded, but there’s an important distinction to be made: The academy had the review committee at the tail-end of the process, after voting members had voted and just before the nominations were announced.
Here’s how it worked back then: The committee members selected their five favorites from the top 20 or 25 vote-getters from rank-and-file voters. They essentially second-guessed the voters, which always struck me as elitist, as if their taste and judgment was superior to that of the voters. I’m suggesting putting the committee at the front-end of the process. They wouldn’t be second-guessing anybody, but simply performing a reality check by eliminating the records, albums, songs and artists that have little to no chance of being nominated, but which clog up the list.
And why do I say you shouldn’t hold your breath for this actually happening? Many voting members like to see their entries on the list. If they didn’t see them anymore, they might not see any point in renewing their membership. Member dues are $150 per year. If, say, 2,000 of the current 13,000 voting members walked away because they missed seeing their names on the entry list, that’s $300,000 in lost revenue each year for the Recording Academy. But do the Grammys really want people voting who are that shallow and motivated only by narrow self-interest?
It’s not just the Big Four categories that have large numbers of entries. A total of 33 categories on this year’s Grammy ballot had 200 or more entries. Of those 33, 14 had 300 or more entries. In addition to the Big Four, the categories with 300+ entries are best music video (637), best global music performance (456), best engineered album, non-classical (456), best arrangement, instruments and vocals (444), best jazz performance (420), best instrumental composition (395), best American roots song (373), best alternative music performance (331), best pop solo performance (314) and best American roots performance (310). These categories could also stand a trim, either by this committee or by committees closer to these genres and fields of endeavor.
A small point, but just so there’s no confusion, voters are tasked with picking their five favorites in the Big Four categories, even though there are eight eventual nominees in those categories. That slight numerical difference doesn’t matter, but presenting the voting members with a reasonable task does.
It’s early in season 26 of The Voice, but Monday night’s (Oct. 21) kick-off of the Battle rounds had the coaches wondering if they’ve already spotted one of this season’s frontrunners. With the blind auditions in the rear view, coaches Gwen Stefani, Snoop Dogg, Michael Bublé and Reba McEntire counseled their teams on strategy, then had the unenviable task of pitting two of their chosen vocalists against each other.
Stefani picked two promising teens on her team, 15-year-old Buffalo, N.Y. native Sydney Sterlace and 19-year-old Pittsburgh singer Sloane Simon, tasking them with taking on Billie Eilish’s “Birds of a Feather.”
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Sterlace was up first, appearing a bit nervous as she crooned, “I want you to stay/ ‘Til I’m in the grave/ ‘Til I rot away, dead and buried/ ‘Til I’m in the casket you carry.” Simon proved she was equally up to the task, jumping in on the second verse with airy, confident vocals as she stared down her opponent.
The women then sang directly at each other as they dueted on the song’s wistful chorus, “Birds of a feather, we should stick together/ I know I said I’d never think I wasn’t better alone,” changing places and expertly working the stage as they blended their voices and did their best to stand out during the individual bits with impressive runs and soaring ad libs.
Proud coach Stefani leapt to her feet (along with McEntire) as Bublé told the pair that their singing was “really beautiful” and Gwen admitted that she was totally “momming out right now.” Bublé said he could sense a bit of nervousness in Sterlace’s vocals, noting that she was not as settled as her battle mate, “nor should you be. You’re 15. Besides that your voice was great, I loved that you moved towards Sloan,” he said.
Snoop added that he was “thrilled” with the performance, dubbing both singers “true professionals… do not let the age dictate what you could possibly be because we were all young once upon a time.” Snoop dubbed them equally good, suggesting Stefani shold pick the singer she can “grow with,” even as the No Doubt and solo star lamented, “how can a mommy choose between their daughters?”
McEntire also said she was impressed with both, but suggested that her vote would be for Simon, agreeing that Sterlace has some more years to develop her craft. “You’re gonna blossom like the most beautiful rose ever,” she said. “‘Cause you’re a beautiful bud right now.”
Stefani said her heart was in her throat about the tough decision, recalling that she was blown away by Sterlace’s blind audition and wanted to hear more, while also being stunned by Simon’s “sparkly personality,” confidence and tone. It may have helped that Simon was, literally, wearing a silver sparkle dress with matching stacked heels.
In the end, Stefani focused in on Sterlace’s still-germinating stage presence rather than already established vocal talents. “You have come so far since our rehearsals. I’m shocked,” Stefani said, doubling down on McEntire’s rose bud metaphor. “I keep hearing that word ‘bud,’” veteran toker Snoop joked. Stefani said that the reality was that Simon is “a little bit more ready… you have that star-quality personality.”
Faced with a tough choice, Stefani followed the “weird voice” insider her head and chose Sterlace. And even after McEntire praised Simon’s “voice of an angel,” in her pitch to steal, Sloane ended up choosing Bublé — who also called her voice “angelic” — as her new team leader.
New episodes of The Voice air Monday and Tuesday night at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC, and then stream on-demand via Peacock the next day.
Watch Sterlace and Simon face off below.
Embattled music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs‘ adult children broke their silence about their father’s ongoing jailing as he awaits a May trial on sex trafficking and racketeering. In their first statement since Combs, 54, was arrested and detained on the charges that could land him a potential life sentence, Quincy Brown, 33, Justin Combs, 30, King Combs, 26, Chance Combs, 18, and twins Jessie and D’Lila Combs, 17 said they support their dad against what hey said were false charges.
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“The past month has devastated our family. Many have judged both him and us based on accusations, conspiracy theories, and false narratives that have spiraled into absurdity on social media,” read the post that included a picture of Combs’ children posing with the rapper/producer’s mother, Janice Combs, and his youngest child, daughter, Love Combs, 2, with her mother, Dana Tran.
“We stand united, supporting you every step of the way,” the message continued. “We hold onto the truth, knowing it will prevail, and nothing will break the strength of our family. WE MISS YOU & LOVE YOU DAD.”
The statement from Combs’ family came a week after the disgraced Bad Boy Records boss wished daughter Love a happy birthday in his first post from behind bars; Combs has been denied bail twice and is expected to remain locked up until his trial is slated to begin on May 5. Earlier this month, mother Janice Combs issued a statement supporting her son, saying that he’s not guilty of the allegations against hm. “My son is not the monster they have painted him to be, and he deserves the chance to tell his side,” she wrote of the musician who has been accused by multiple men and women of sexual assaults and rapes that allegedly occurred after the victims said they were drugged or coerced.
“It is truly agonizing to watch the world turn against my son so quickly and easily over lies and misconceptions, without ever hearing his side or affording him the opportunity to present his side,” Janice Combs added.
Diddy was hit with six more civil abuse lawsuits over the weekend, including one claim that he sexually assaulted a 13-year-old girl at a house party following the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards in an alleged incident that took place in front of two unnamed celebrities who also participated in the alleged assault. The latest legal actions came from lawyers Andrew Van Arsdale and Tony Buzbee, who warned earlier this month that they represent at least 120 alleged victims.
In a previous statement on Buzbee’s earlier suits, Combs’ legal team said he has “never sexually assaulted anyone” and that he has “full confidence in the facts, their legal defenses, and the integrity of the judicial process.” Combs was indicted by federal prosecutors last month over allegations that for years he ran a sprawling criminal operation aimed at satisfying his need for “sexual gratification.”
While Combs’ children and his mother have been attending his hearing in New York Federal Court, the once high-flying music entrepreneur whose infamous white parties featured A-list guest lists has so far garnered little to no public support from his famous friends since his Sept. 16 arrest on a three count indictment on racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. Combs has pleaded not guilty to all the charges and has steadfastly denied any wrongdoing.
See the Combs family statement below.
This fall, two months after Venezuela’s disputed presidential election plunged the country into crisis — with Nicolás Maduro claiming victory despite overwhelming evidence he’d lost — six of the country’s most influential figures convened in Miami for what some of them considered a historic conversation.
Despite the travel challenges posed by Hurricane Helene, Danny Ocean managed to arrive from Mexico, Elena Rose made it from Italy, and the rest — Nacho, Mau y Ricky and Lele Pons — met them at a studio in Coconut Grove.
All of these artists are part of a growing wave of Venezuelan musicians who are succeeding at levels perhaps not seen since the 1980s, when stars like Oscar D’Leon, “El Puma” José Luis Rodríguez or Ricardo Montaner had successful careers outside of their home country.
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This year, there are more than 20 Latin Grammy Award nominees from Venezuela — including Elena Rose, Danny Ocean and Mau y Ricky, with multiple nods each — and a greater presence of Venezuelans on the Billboard charts. But the artists who are here today have not only stood out globally with their music — or in Lele Pons’ case, as a social media content creator — but also use their voices to speak out about the political strife in their home country, a cause close to their hearts.
Until the July election, the concert business had been a rare bright spot for Venezuela’s economy: Luis Miguel and Karol G filled stadiums in Caracas with their spectacular tours in February and March, respectively, and there were others scheduled. But an artist like Nacho, who until recently lived part time in Venezuela, has not been able to sing in public in his country since 2016, presumably for criticizing the government.
In Miami, Mau y Ricky chat animatedly with Nacho, reminiscing about better times in Venezuela. Elena Rose and Lele Pons give each other a sisterly hug. A rugged Danny Ocean arrives straight from the airport and greets everyone with a wide smile.
At 41, Nacho is the oldest of the group by a decade. He paved the way for them as a Venezuelan musician — first as part of his popular duo with Chino Miranda and later with a successful solo career — and the respect they have for him is evident. “You made us understand that it is possible to make it when things are difficult,” Danny Ocean tells him about Chino y Nacho, who achieved international fame in 2010, when there were practically no singers coming out of Venezuela.
Unlike superstars from Mexico, Colombia or Puerto Rico, who started in their countries with the support of a local industry and then went international, all, with the exception of Nacho, have built their careers outside of Venezuela, having left as children or teenagers, as in the case of Mau y Ricky, Elena Rose and Lele Pons, or right before his first release, like Danny Ocean with “Me Rehúso,” the song that put him on the map in 2016, in which he already sang about pain of emigrating leaving behind a loved one.
Today, multinational record companies practically don’t have a presence in the country, and most local artists are independently produced. “There is no industry as such, really, with a solid base in Venezuela,” Elena Rose will later explain. Gone was the boom of the ’80s, when great talents like Yordano, Frank Quintero, Karina, Kiara and more flourished nationally with the support of labels like SonoRodven and Sonográfica, as well as a law that forced radio stations to play a song by a Venezuelan artist for every song by a non-native act.
At the time of this interview, two months have passed since the consequential presidential elections of July 28, when the Venezuelan electoral authority declared Maduro the winner with 51.2% of the votes (although it has not shown proper documentation that support the results) and the opposition denounced irregularities in the count and stated that its candidate, Edmundo González, had obtained almost 70% of the votes. The demonstrations that followed turned violent due to the repression of the Armed Forces and police, with dozens of deaths and more than 2,000 detained. An arrest warrant against González has led him to seek asylum in Spain, and opposition leader María Corina Machado has been forced to take shelter.
Today, this group has gathered to speak openly about the roles they play as musicians in the context of Venezuela’s politics and society. Just before starting, Elena Rose says, “We have not prayed today.” We all hold hands and Mau does the honors, finishing with gratitude: “Thank you for allowing us and giving us this platform to talk a little more about who we are and where we come from.”
From left: Mau Montaner, Ricky Montaner, Lele Pons, Danny Ocean, Elena Rose, Nacho and Sigal Ratner-Arias photographed on Sept. 26, 2024 at Grove Studio in Miami.
Ingrid Fajardo
Nacho, since you’ve been doing this the longest, what do you feel when you see this kind of renaissance of Venezuelan musicians?
Nacho: Pride. I feel very proud when I hear from everyone wherever I am in the world, because we Venezuelans have gone through many difficulties. But something that these difficulties have left is the fact that we all feel part of the same family. Like when we met this morning, right? We felt like we were cousins or family in some way. We use the same lexicon; we almost always have stories in common with Venezuela and we feel close.
What do you think has unleashed this new wave of talent?
Nacho: The desire, the drive, the disposition, the responsibility that characterizes us as Venezuelans. And of course, I suppose that social media has played an important role and has been sort of an escape door for us in the face of the difficulties that Venezuelan talents face to be able to export their music. Because there is a need for a lot of music industry culture in Venezuela, and I believe that talent cannot be covered with a finger. When I talk about Venezuelan talents, you realize that everyone plays an instrument, everyone writes, everyone has a lot to say through their songs.
That is something that has also caught my attention, how the lyrics of Venezuelan artists tend to be very deep. They say that art is often a response to sublimation and repression.
Elena Rose: I dare say that, in this particular group of people here, what stands out is sensitivity and humanity. I feel that if we were born again, we would choose things to happen in the same way that we have experienced them. But at the same time, I think it goes much further. I think that when we make music, we do it in such an intentional way, really, so from our soul, so wanting to leave something behind, that all the sacrifices we’ve made are worth it.
Elena Rose
Mary Beth Koeth
Danny Ocean: Yes, I think that we all write based on our angle and our perspectives of the things that we have all experienced. I think art is about that, about each person writing through their eyes and sensations. I make music because I love music, I need to write.
Everyone here has publicly expressed their frustration and feelings about what a long list of organizations and governments have pointed out as electoral fraud in Venezuela, and the repression that followed the elections. Most of the comments on your social media are positive, but some have written that artists should dedicate themselves to being artists and not get involved in politics. Do you feel that artists have a duty to speak out?
Lele Pons: If it’s not us pushing people, who is going to do it? Because many times people are afraid, and because we do it or people you admire do it — if you admire Elena or Danny or Nacho and they do it and they speak for you, it also pushes you to speak. That is our power, communication, so that everyone knows what is happening, not just us [Venezuelans].
Mau: Beyond me thinking that it can generate a change or not, for me the important thing is that people … feel that Ricky and I have their backs and that we are with them. Many times, when you are going through something, what you need, beyond a voice, [is] people to hold on to so you can say, “I’m not in this alone.”
Mau Montaner
Mary Beth Koeth
Lele, you also used your enormous social media platform for an Instagram Live with Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado for which Maduro later mentioned you in a speech. What did you think when all this happened?
Lele Pons: Well, I think it’s the most important thing I’ve done in my career. Because being an influencer is helping. It’s a way to be a leader. And if I can help another leader to talk to people who don’t know what is happening, because I have an audience that [is not all Venezuelans] … When I made a video [about the situation in Venezuela], I did it in Italian, I did it in English and I did it in Spanish so that everyone knows what’s happening, so that they can share, repost and use my platform, so that [María Corina Machado] would have a voice. I listen and I see what people are saying, what they tell me: “Please help me. This is going on.” And I go, “Jeez! I’m here, what can I do?” I use everything I have to help, so that people know and the world knows too.
Danny, Nacho, after the July 28 elections, you two called on the Armed Forces and police to avoid the use of violence against demonstrators. Nacho, you even said, “I promised my family, for everyone’s safety, that I would not do this again, but I can’t see what is going on in the country and stay silent.” Have you feared for your life while in Venezuela?
Nacho: The truth is, no, but not because something bad can’t happen, but because for some reason — I don’t know if it’s because I’ve had a closer encounter with God — death is something that doesn’t mortify me as much … But definitely there are people around you who may tell you, “The actions you have taken have had an impact on my stability, on my tranquility, on my integrity.” Then you start to feel guilty, because these are people that you love, that you have around. Or “Look, they took my job away because they found out I’m your cousin.” Or “They don’t want to do anything with me anymore because they know I’m your friend.” Or “They shut down my business because they saw me in a photo with you or hanging out with you.” So, more than fearing for myself, those were actually the repercussions that worried me when it came to expressing myself. But there are bigger purposes than that.
Danny Ocean
Mary Beth Koeth
Danny, you released an EP dedicated to Venezuela days before the elections, venequia., and you called on your fans who had relatives in the Armed Forces or the police to talk to them to make them see reason to avoid the use of violence. What is your message to them today?
Danny Ocean: For me, the issue of Venezuela stopped being political a long time ago. For me, it is already a humanitarian issue. We are surely in the top three countries with the most displaced people in the world … We have [almost 8] million people who have had to leave our country, leave everything, leave a life to look for a better future, and that is not right. So, why did I do venequia.? Because … eight years after having to leave Venezuela, I am still seeing the numbers [of emigrants] increasing and saying, “But nothing is happening.” And the video I made calling the families of the military, because it’s true. I mean, we need a change.
Elena Rose: And something that happens to us a lot, for example, when we arrive in another country, when a Venezuelan sees us, it is as if they see fresh water and they’re hot. It’s happened to me that someone hugs me and tells me, “I haven’t seen my dad in years, I have been separated from my children for years.” Those are the kind of things [they say that go] beyond the limit of what we can accept … What do you say to that person? Something I always do; I like to pray with them at that moment, and my message has always been to nourish faith. I really don’t want any Venezuelan to surrender without seeing their country free.
Lele Pons: Knowing that you are on the right side of history, that you go to sleep and say, “I did something good today, I am proud of my friends, of my family, of what is happening,” gives you peace. Even if you can often lose friends or followers or whatever, you don’t have to care … It’s not political. It’s for the people.
Lele Pons
Mary Beth Koeth
Elena Rose: (To Danny Ocean.) The night before [venequia.] came out, I remember that you called me, and we talked for about an hour about how you felt at the moment. And these are the things that people don’t see and don’t know…
How did you feel, Danny?
Danny Ocean: Distraught.
Elena Rose: We both did! We were like, “OK, this is going to happen, and after we cross this line, it’s going to be OK.” But at the same time, I remember telling you, “This has been in your heart for a long time and you have to say that now.” … It is a love letter to Venezuela, as is your album [Hotel Caracas] too, [Mau y Ricky], as is [our song] “Caracas en el 2000,” which at the end of the day was also what we always talked about: I want this to be a hug for Venezuelans and for Venezuela.
Mau and Ricky, speaking of Hotel Caracas, you traveled to Venezuela for the first time in many years to shoot all the videos for the album, as well as a documentary which is nominated for a Latin Grammy. You were able to reunite with Venezuela and really get to know the country.
Ricky: It was like a personal need of knowing who the f–k I am … I was 10 when I left Venezuela, and my reality of Venezuela and Caracas was different. My father [singer Ricardo Montaner] was kidnapped when I was 6, so my relationship [with Venezuela] was almost toxic. There were 20 years of fears of thinking that I was going to get there and get killed or something… So, when we started making Hotel Caracas, which is an album where we are returning to our creative beginnings as well, we realized that we needed go back to where we are from … Being able to stand up in a stadium in Argentina and say, “¡Viva Venezuela!,” and not feel that the people there would say, “Oh, how cute, they say they are from Venezuela, but they haven’t gone.” I felt imposter syndrome; I didn’t want to feel that anymore. And I got there and felt their pride in saying, “I’m so proud of what you’ve accomplished out there and how you’re representing us.” That, for us, became our motivation. So, making Hotel Caracas was literally, “How can we carry this communication on another side as well?” And our way was going back to Venezuela, making a movie, employing 200 people there, investing an absurd amount of money in the country for hope and for telling people, “Hey, what we are fighting for is worth it. Look at the people of this country. Look at the talent and that we can make an entire movie in Venezuela.”
Ricky Montaner
Mary Beth Koeth
A year ago, international artists were returning to Venezuela to play massive shows, something that had not been done in many years. You have not had the chance to do that. Do you hope that will happen for you one day?
Ricky: My biggest dream is imagining us returning to Venezuela with our people singing. Obviously now it can become very uncomfortable for us … because we have clear opinions of where we stand, so stepping on a stage and not communicating a truth is very complicated. There are real threats, there are things happening that are serious.
Danny Ocean: Look, I’m going to be very frank and excuse me, I’m going to try to choose the best words. I’m not thinking about concerts … All I want is for this to end and for us to be calm and be able to walk in peace … I’m not saying that Venezuela is not suitable for concerts; I believe that people deserve joy, I believe that people deserve to be able to enjoy [concerts]. But personally, I can’t think right now about a show in Venezuela knowing the critical situation we are in. With electricity problems, with water problems, with basic needs.
Elena Rose: There are many things that are missing in Venezuela [also] regarding the music industry. The concert is like the last thing that in theory should happen. There is no industry as such, really, with a solid base in Venezuela. There are many things that are happening with artists who are there, who have other needs than ours, who have fewer opportunities to say no, to put it that way. Unfortunately, there has not been a good education for the artists to explain to them the value of their art, that it is not OK to give away what is truly priceless, that no one should be able to say to you, “Give me [your song] and take this.” I have seen cases that hurt me a lot.
Can you give an example?
Elena Rose: Yes. There are wonderful, super talented songwriters there, and they tell them, “Look, I’ll give you 500 dollars for your song and you no longer have any power over it.” And the person who is really struggling says yes.
In Colombia, music has caused a tangible change in how the country is perceived. Do you think the same thing could happen with Venezuela?
Nacho: I think it can happen, but we need to count on the resources that Colombia has. For example, consumer platforms that generate dividends for artists through streams, through views. You see a Venezuelan artist succeeding abroad, and perhaps Venezuela does not appear as the country that consumes their music the most. If you check which are the countries that consume me the most, Mexico is No. 1 and Venezuela is 17, and it’s not that there are not more Venezuelans who follow my career than Mexicans, but that there is no industry. That’s the problem. And for there to be an industry we need to change the reality of the country, start to see what is best for us in terms of the economy so that things begin to move the way they are moving in Colombia … In our country, we are survivors, really.
Nacho
Mary Beth Koeth
Ricky: To give you an idea, on Spotify Mexico, a No.1 can be 2 million streams in a day, while in Venezuela it can be 8,000. I mean…
Everything is relative…
Danny Ocean: The numbers aren’t condensed into one place. Our numbers are scattered. So, since there is no industry to be able to concentrate the numbers in one place, in the end we are not attractive … There is great work to do.
Nacho: The thing is that our main market is not our main market … Because you say, [if] a Venezuelan is achieving this level of consumption, it is because he is conquering the world around Venezuela. So, it is not a fair fight for us. And obviously — without detracting from the wonderful talents and numbers that artists from Colombia are achieving, or our colleagues who we love and adore and follow and admire — for us it is definitely a little more difficult.
Mau: And I’ll tell you something that I find very interesting. Listening to you speak, Nacho, heals many things in me … It is beautiful to know that there are other people living the same thing as you. You know? It’s very nice to know that, damn, I’m not alone and that maybe I, a little bit foolishly, should have taken refuge with my Venezuelan colleagues before. Why do I think that is happening what’s happening with Venezuelan artists in the world right now? Precisely because we are more united than ever. I think that is the difference and that is why it is happening, because I think we are realizing something what Colombia realized a while ago. And Puerto Rico, of course. They understood that to be able to carry and take out and make people on the outside talk too — “Wow, you’re from Colombia! From where J Balvin is!” You know, that wasn’t just J Balvin, that was them grabbing each other and saying, “Hey, let’s go into this together.”
Nacho: But that’s this generation. We come from generation that was quite separated, where egos won all the time and the competition was between who is going to achieve the most things without understanding. And that is why I bring up technology, because now you can see with numbers what you can achieve through unity … Now the new generations are being trained with knowledge and education about the music industry. And it is not only motivated by unity, by knowing that together we are more, but also knowing that we are enhancing what we are doing.
Music and the arts in general have the power to help us deal with hardship. How do you feel it has helped you as artists and as people?
Ricky: Music is my great love. Music is everything to me. I don’t remember a time in my life where there was a plan B.
Elena Rose: I always say that music dedicated so many songs to me, that I can only dedicate my life to music. Through music I feel like I got to know God more, because I can’t put God into words, and I can’t put into words what I feel when I listen to music.
Lele Pons: You all are so talented, and you write music. But for me, since I was little, I used music as therapy, as a way to communicate because I didn’t talk much. I don’t talk that much in my videos either, so I put on music so that it speaks for me in my videos.
Music can change lives. Music can change hearts. Do you feel that it can help change the course of history?
Elena Rose: Wherever there is music, and someone who wants to listen to it, there is love.
Danny Ocean: Sigmund Freud said that music is to the soul what gymnastics is to the body. I very much agree with that.
10/22/2024
Check out pics of Nacho, Lele Pons, Danny Ocean, Elena Rose and Mau y Ricky.
10/22/2024
Jason Isbell is leaving the 400 Unit at home next year for what is being billed as an “Intimate Evening” with the six-time Grammy winner.
The tour begins on Feb. 15 in Chicago and runs through the end of March, with select stops in smaller markets, including Portsmouth, NH, and large cities like New York City, Los Angeles and Nashville.
Isbell recently wrapped an eight-show residency at Music City’s Ryman Auditorium to mark the release of Live From The Ryman Vol. 2, a collection of recordings from four of the last six years of sold-out shows at legendary venue.
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Earlier this year, Isbell won his fifth and sixth Grammy when 2023’s Weathervanes (recorded with the 400 Unit) earned best Americana album and the track “Cast Iron Skillet” scored best American roots song. The Alabama native and former Drive-By Trucker first broke out in solo form in 2013 with his Dave Cobb-produced fourth LP Southeastern. His next two albums, Something More Than Free (2015) and The Nashville Sound (2017), were Grammy magnets and each won awards for best Americana album and roots song (for “24 Frames” and “If We Were Vampires,” respectively).
Tickets go on sale Friday, Oct. 25 via Isbell’s website.
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JASON ISBELL SOLO DATES
February 15 – Chicago, IL – Auditorium Theatre
February 16 – Ithaca, NY – State Theatre
February 17 – Portsmouth, NH – The Music Hall
February 18 – Providence, RI – Providence Performing Arts Center
February 21 – New York, NY – Beacon Theatre
February 22 – New York, NY – Beacon Theatre
February 28 – Washington, DC – Warner Theatre
March 1 – Washington, DC – Warner Theatre
March 14 – Los Angeles, CA – Walt Disney Hall
March 15 – Santa Barbara, CA – Arlington Theatre
March 20 – Nashville, TN – The Pinnacle
March 21 – Nashville, TN – The Pinnacle
March 22 – Nashville, TN – The Pinnacle
March 28 – Nashville, TN – The Pinnacle
March 29 – Atlanta, GA – Fox Theater
Jason Isbell
Courtesy Photo
Britney Spears has walked down the aisle three times with partners. But in a video posted on Sunday (Oct. 20), the singer celebrated going it alone the fourth time. In a brief clip that appeared to be a partial repost of a similar one from 2022, Spears wrote, “The day I married myself … Bringing it back because it might seem embarrassing or stupid, but I think it’s the most brilliant thing I’ve ever done !!!”
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The video cued to Sting’s 1993 solo single “Fields of Gold” features Spears, 42, staring into the camera while wearing a slip-like off-white dress and matching veil with lacy edges. Back in Dec. 2022, Spears — who was then still married to third ex-husband Sam Asghari — wrote, “Yeah … I married myself 👰🏼♀️ !!! I got bored, liked my veil and said IS THIS CRAZY ??? OR IS THERE SOMETHING TO IT 🤔🤔🤔 ??? Psss yes but I’m still married to hubby too 💍💍💍 😂😂😂 !!!” in a nearly identical video accompanied by Otis Redding’s “Try a Little Tenderness.”
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Spears briefly married childhood friend Jason Alexander in 2004 before tying the knot with dancer Kevin Federline that same year; she and Federline welcomed two sons, Sean Preston, 19 and Jayden James, 18 before breaking up in 2007. In 2022, the singer married actor/personal trainer Asghari, with whom she split two years later.
Though Spears has said will “never return” to the music business, she continues to inspire her fellow artists, including Halsey, who tipped their hat to Brit this week as part of the roll out of the upcoming album The Great Impersonator (Oct. 25).
“It’s Britney, b–ch!!!,” Halsey wrote of the eleventh preview of her fifth studio album, which so far has had them channeling the look and vibes of Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Nicks, late Cranberries singer Dolores O’Riordan, Evanescence’s Amy Lee, David Bowie, Cher and other iconic stars. “The first superstar who ever inspired me,” they wrote of Spears, whose work is sampled on their Great Impersonator single “Lucky.” Halsey also copped Spears’ In the Zone look for the acompanying promo pic. “There were infinite Britney looks to choose from, but I had to do this iconic album!,” they added of Spears’ 2003 fourth studio album, which featured the Madonna collab “Me Against the Music,” as well as the Billboard Hot 100 No. 9 hit “Toxic.”
Shakira earns a new career milestone with her latest single “Soltera,” as the song rallies 25-4 on Billboard’s Latin Airplay chart (dated Oct. 26), for her 41st top 10 on the overall ranking. As Shakira adds a new top 10 to her log, she extends her record for the most top 10 among women, plus enters a tie with Enrique Iglesias for the most top 10s among Latin pop acts.
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Shakira’s record-extending 41st top 10s among female acts on Latin Airplay lands a week after the Colombian superstar also achieved a dual landmark on Latin Pop Airplay, where she tied Iglesias for the most No. 1s on and opened a wider gap from her female peers, with 25 career champs.
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“Soltera” lands at the penthouse on Latin Airplay after registering 6.3 million audience impressions for the tracking week ending Oct. 17, according to Luminate. That sum equates to a 63% improvement in radio airplay from the previous period, which yields a Greatest Gainer award for the week.
“Soltera” also repeats at its No. 1 best on Latin Pop Airplay for a second week, after the song debuted at No. 12 on Sony Music Latin on chart dated Oct. 12.
Plus, as the female empowerment anthem flies to No. 4 on Latin Airplay, Shakira enters a tie with Iglesias for the most top 10s among Latin pop acts since the overall tally began in 1994. Here’s the recap of the acts with the most top 10s, where Shakira continues to strike as the only female presence:
49, Daddy Yankee42, J Balvin41, Enrique Iglesias41, Shakira39, Ozuna
“Soltera” also makes additional confident rounds across Billboard charts. It enters the top 10 on the multi-metric Hot Latin Songs, rising 13-9, with gains in sales and streams. The song generated 4.3 million official U.S. streams, according to Luminate, enough to yield a No. 15 high on Latin Streaming Songs. Sales, meanwhile, account for nearly 1,000 U.S. downloads, which translates to a 3-2 climb after it topped Latin Digital Song Sales for one week (Oct. 12).
Globally, “Soltera” rises 71-28 on Billboard Global 200 with 37.1 millions streams worldwide, and 48-16 on the Global Excl. U.S. tally with 33.2 million streams outside the U.S., her best ranking on the latter since the No. 8-peaking “Acróstico” in June 2023.
Shakira’s career milestones follows the Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran North American leg tour announcement which will be rescheduled to spring 2025, with several markets now upgraded to stadiums.
President Biden handed out the prestigious National Medals of Arts and National Humanities honors to 39 recipients at the White House on Monday (Oct. 21), including hip-hip legends Queen Latifah and Missy Elliott.
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“I am HUMBLY GRATEFUL! Crying Tears of JOY!,” wrote Elliott on X after the ceremony in which she was given the highest honor bestowed on artists by the U.S. government. “Thinking of the days I wasn’t so strong but through FAITH & PRAYER I kept going..I’m SO THANKFUL @POTUS & CONGRATULATIONS to the other amazing ppl who was blessed with this honor.”
Elliott also shouted out Latifah, saying, “And a BIG CONGRATS to my sis @IAMQUEENLATIFAH who deserve all the bouquets she also was honored today! Thank you for kicking down doors QUEEN for me & those after you.”
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“Above all, you are the masters of your craft that have made us a better America with all of you have done,” Biden said at the ceremony according to the Associated Press. Among the other National Medals of Arts recipients were directors Steven Spielberg and Spike Lee and Ken Burns, as well playwright/screenwriter Aaron Sorkin and historian Jon Meacham, who received National Humanities Medals.
See the full list of honorees here.
Beloved singer Selena Quintanilla was awarded a posthumous humanities honor, along with late chef/author Anthony Bourdain. During his remarks, Biden also mentioned Vice President Kamala Harris with just two weeks left in the presidential election. “I know the power of the women in this room to get things done,” he said, adding that the day’s female winners were “proving a woman can do anything a man can do, and then some, that includes being president of the United States of America.”
After getting a standing ovation for the former, Biden also told the winners that their special moment came at a “very consequential time in the arts and humanities in America [because] extreme forces are banning books, trying to erase history, spreading misinformation”; the event celebrated both the 2022 and 2023 National Medal of Arts recipients.
Others who received the arts medals — managed by the National Endowment for the Arts — were actors Idina Menzel and Eva Longoria, as well as musician Leonardo “Flaco” Jimenez and ukulele master Herbert I. Ohta, as well as the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. The arts medals are awarded “to individuals or groups who are deserving of special recognition by reason of their outstanding contributions to the excellence, growth, support and availability of the arts in the United States.”
Last year’s event for the 2021 Medal of Arts recipients included honors for Bruce Springsteen, Gladys Knight, José Feliciano, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Mindy Kaling and more.
Check out Elliott and the White House’s posts below.
🙏🏾I am HUMBLY GRATEFUL! Crying Tears of JOY! Thinking of the days I wasn’t so strong but through FAITH & PRAYER I kept going..I’m SO THANKFUL🙏🏾@POTUS 🙏🏾& CONGRATULATIONS to the other amazing ppl who was blessed with this honor🙌🏾☺️ https://t.co/F86ksfZZsM— Missy Elliott (@MissyElliott) October 22, 2024
The Biden-Harris Administration believes in the power of the arts and humanities. Today, we are proud to celebrate the extraordinary recipients of the National Medals of Arts and Humanities. pic.twitter.com/AduzqWV7pk— The White House (@WhiteHouse) October 21, 2024
Today, President Biden presented the 2022 and 2023 National Medals of Arts and the 2022 and 2023 National Humanities Medals – awarding 39 extraordinary individuals and organizations with two of our nation’s highest honors. pic.twitter.com/S2d9Z3oa28— The White House (@WhiteHouse) October 22, 2024